Summer Views

Ah, summer.  The time when I can settle in to many many movies.  I've watched a lot, so I'll keep my thoughts to 2013 releases.  I've been impressed by the many quality movies I've seen in the first half of the year, which is typically something of a wasteland of film.

Before Midnight

The story of Jesse and Celine, which began in Before Sunrise (1995), continued in Before Sunset (2004), and finds its third act in Before Midnight (2013), is a stunning achievement in modern independent cinema.  Director Richard Linklater and stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy have taken viewers through almost two decades in the relationship of a couple who first met on a European train.  I saw Before Sunrise a few years after it was released, and have religiously kept up with the couple since then.  In my own age I'm about a decade behind them, but I feel like I know them so well.

Here's where I put in the inevitable spoiler alert, since I myself tried to avoid hearing anything about this movie.  If you haven't seen the first two, see them now!  The first two films were real-time exercises in the central pair talking to one another, with almost no significant intrusions from the outside world.  Before Midnight twists the formula a bit.  It actually begins with a scene of Jesse and his teenage son and includes a long scene where the couple talks to other guests at a vacation home.  Eventually, though, the couple are alone again, and we are in for a lot of one-on-one talking.

And yet it's not exactly like the couple of old, not for long anyway.  The younger Jesse and Celine had philosophical  conversations about anything and everything, but now they mostly talk about their relationship.  The pleasures, joys, and regrets.  Eventually it becomes mostly about anger, and here is where the actors shine. Delpy, in particular, goes deeper and rawer than she ever has in the past movies.  As you watch the two argue, many will take sides, while others will seen the truth and hurt in both.

This is a somewhat painful film to watch, and yet I was happy the whole time simply for the opportunity to spend time with Jesse and Celine again. I did miss their freewheeling conversations of past films, but I think what the director and stars put together is a more real representation of what people who have spent lots of time together would actually talk about.  While I perhaps love the other two films more, this is a very worthy addition to the series, and I certainly hope they reunite in 2022.

Grade: A-

56 Up

Is the Up series the nonfiction equivalent of the Before Sunrise movies?  Director Michael Apted started his project when he interviewed a group of 7-year-olds in 1964.  They came from all social classes in Britain.  For every 7 years since, he has returned to these same characters, and all of them are still alive.  Just as I am excited to see Jesse and Celine in the Before movies, I'm happy to return to these friends every 7 years.

Overall, 56 seems to be a solid and happy time for many of the subjects.  Many have gotten divorced, but they've found new happiness with new partners, children, and sometimes grandchildren.  The rich have stayed rich, while the middle- and lower-classes have, on the whole, shown a variety of stasis and mobility.  Watching this movie, I wondered how it would look in an American context.

The Up series are some of my favorite documentaries, and I was happy to follow Apted again.  I do wish he had been a bit more probing in some of his interviews, but again I can't wait for another 7 years to see what the 60s have in store for each charcter.

Grade: B+

Mud

After his low-key (albeit powerful) debut, Shotgun Stories, director Jeff Nichols made quite a splash on the indie- ilm scene with 2011's Take Shelter, a quiet tour-de-force with remarkable performances by Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain.  In his latest, Mud, Nichols makes what is perhaps a more conventional film, but loses nothing of his substantial gifts in the process.

Mud is the story the boy Ellis (Tye Sheridan), who discovers an abandoned boat on an island near his Arkansas home, as well as a fugitive named Mud, played by Matthew McConaughey.  The story is concerned with his relationship with Mud, but also with his own parents, his first crush, and the changing Arkansas town around him.

Director Nichols brings many mythic American images to this movie, and to me it especially evoked Mark Twain, with Ellis a sort of Huck Finn taking a peek at adult emotions around him and growing up in the process.  It's old-fashioned in the best sense, taking its time to tell a story. Is it perfect? Of course not.  It takes a genre turn at the end I could have done without.  Nevertheless, it's one of the best coming-of-age movies I've seen in a very long time.

Grade: A-

Much Ado About Nothing

I am a bit of a Shakespeare nerd, so I'm an easy target for any Shakespeare film.  Much Ado About Nothing is directed by Joss Whedon (Buffy, The Avengers).  He filmed the whole thing over 12 days at his Santa Monica mansion, using many of his regular actors.  On the whole, this provides a breezy, fun take on Shakespeare, enhanced by the black and white cinematography.

I was unfamiliar with the cast members, but was extremely impressed by a couple of them, especially Nathan Fillon as the blundering constable Dogberry and Amy Acker as Beatrice, one the prickliest of fascinating of Shakespeare's heroines. Acker was so good, in fact, that at at times I felt she outshone Alexis Denisof as Benedict, her partner in sparring.

Watching Much Ado About Nothing I was constantly entertained and smiling, but I also fondly remembered scene's from Kenneth Branagh's 1993 version, which I remember liking a bit more than this version.   A fun movie that, in my book, doesn't go into the all-time great Shakespeare adaptations.

Grade: B

20 Feet From Stardom

Here is the probably the most smiles I had at any movie this year thus far.  It's a terrific documentary about backup singers, starting with those from the 60s who sang with such artists as Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and Ike and Tina Turner.

The movie is great because the women are charismatic and fascinating.  There are about five women the movie follows closely, and each one has an incredible story, historic performances, and great charisma in front of the camera.

The movie certainly touches on issues of gender and race, as these black women lent their considerable talent to male artists.  Some felt exploited, while it seems like others are happy to be partners.  It's a really fun movie and a few moments will give you some major musical chills.  A crowd pleaser in the best sense of the word.

Grade: A-

Side Effects

Side Effects is, purportedly, accomplished director Steven Soderbergh's last movie he will release.  I think Soderbergh is a highly interesting director, able to bounce easily between the populist (Ocean's 11, Erin Brockovich, Magic Mike), the Oscar film (Traffic), and the truly indies (sex, lies, and videotape, Bubble).  If this is truly his last film, it's an highly entertaining one, lying on the populist end of his output.

Much of the pleasure is in the twists and turns, so I'll just say the movie is about a depressed young woman (Rooney Mara) who gets medicine from a new psychiatrist (Jude Law).  Soderbergh plays with storytelling and perspective throughout the movie, and the stars are up to the challenge.  After her amazing cameo in The Social Network, her Lisbeth in Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and now this performance, Mara has what it takes to be a major star.

This movie isn't one where you'll love the characters, but more of a chilly genre picture, like something Hitchcock might have made.  I thought it was a whole lot of fun, and well worth checking out.

Grade: B+/B

Frances Ha, Stories We Tell, and The Place Beyond the Pines

As often happens in the post-Oscar hangover, my blog drops off a little.  Never fear-I'm still here, and I've even seen a few movies worth seeing.  Here are some quick thoughts on 3 recent movies I've seen, all well worth checking out.

Frances Ha

Frances Ha is a collaboration between director Noah Baumbach and actress Greta Gerwig.  How you feel about Frances Ha will probably come down to how you feel about the actress Greta Gerwig.  Gerwig started in various "mumblecore" movies before coming to prominence in Noah Baumbach's Greenberg, where she more than matched her co-star Ben Stiller.  I find Gerwig daffy, genuine, charming, and a totally unique screen presence.  I'm more than happy to follow her in this sort-of-autobiographical movie.

Frances Ha is basically about that time in your 20s when you're trying to find your way into yourself as an adult.  Frances is a dancer who has an intense friendship with her roommate Mickey.  When Mickey moves on to more adult pursuits, Frances feels left behind, and we follow her through various misadventures through Brooklyn, Manhattan, and other locales.  Did I mention it's all in black-and-white, hearkening back to both French New Wave films and Woody Allen's Manhattan?  After Baumbach's caustic former movies (The Squid and the Whale, Greenberg, Margot at the Wedding), it's really nice to see him breathe and take a gentler approach without losing his wit.

Is this movie weighty or life-changing? No, but it's about a very specific person making her way in the world, and she's a joy to watch.

Grade: A-

Stories We Tell

In her first two directorial features, young Canadian actress Sarah Polley gave almost shockingly mature depictions of passionate and troubled marriages both old and young in, respectively, Away From Her and Take This Waltz, both movies I enjoyed and admired immensely.  In this documentary, Polley turns the camera onto her own troubled family history.

To tell too much of this movie would be to spoil so much of the discovery.  Polley interviews many members of her family, as well as others, to come to essential biological truths about her own past.  As she gets to these truths, however, we notice how many emotional truths are so much more important.

While this is a very specific movie about Polley's own family, it's also about how we tell and remember stories, and who has the right and privilige to tell them.  In the film's final scenes, Polley quietly chooses to put one person's story at the forefront, and not another person's, and that choice is brave, personal, and moving, just like the film.  See it.

Grade: A-

The Place Beyond the Pines

Director Derek Cianfrance made his feature debut with Blue Valentine, one of the best movies of the past few years with masterful performances by Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.

In The Place Beyond the Pines, Cianfrance reunites with Gosling for a different type of story.  While Blue Valentine zoomed in on one troubled marriage, Pines follows troubled characters across generations.  If Frances Ha is as light as a feather, The Place Beyond the Pines is a heavy load, where every character's decisions will inevitably have intense and long-lasting repercussions.

The movie is kind of a triptych, with a different character's story taking center stage in each third of the movie.  The best third is certainly the first, where Ryan Gosling stars as a traveling motorcycle stuntman aiming to provide for his son and the mother of his child.  At this point I think its undeniable that Gosling is one of the most talented and charismatic actors of the modern screen.  He does so much that you miss him when he's not the central focus of the movie.  The other sections are good, but not as enthralling as the first third.  All in all, this was a solid and engaging movie worth seeing for its directorial vision and weighty themes. While some parts work better than others, it's a solid piece of craftsmanship the whole way through.

Grade: B

My Top 10 of 2012

A day of jury duty gave me the chance to finally finish up my Top 10 list.  While there are a few releases I still want to catch up with, here are the best of the 61 2012 releases I saw.

Runners-Up (And it was a strong year!):

Life of Pi:

While the bookends of this movie are pedestrian, the lengthy middle section of Life of Pi is a marvel to behold.  The great Ang Lee (who won the Best Director Oscar) connects modern visual effects to a touching story of a boy and his tiger.  

Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present:

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to see performance artist Abramovic at MOMA.  This documentary (my favorite of many fascinating nonfiction films this year) traces her preparation for the landmark show.  A fascinating look into a controversial performance artist.

No:

No, Chile’s entry into the foreign film race, is kind of a Latin American Mad Men with higher stakes.  A light hearted, loose,  yet weighty look at how a simple message of hope can prove a trigger for real change.  Bonus points for how the cinematography matches the 80s video look.

A Royal Affair:

Another foreign language film nominee, this one from Denmark.  The luminous Alicia Vikander stars as Catherine, a Queen of Denmark who teams with the king’s physician to bring modern life to a backwards country.  Impeccably filmed, extremely entertaining, and educational in the best sense.

Take This Waltz:

This one bounced off and on my Top 10 list, and eventually landed in number 11.  That said, I thought about this movie about as much as any of the movies on my top 10 list.  Director Sarah Polley directs (with great skill) this tale of a trio of Toronto hipsters navigating tricky relationships.  Michelle Williams adds another amazing performance to her resume. It's a little messy, and you may hate the characters, but it's a singular film.

10. Anna Karenina: I was both excited and apprehensive to see a film version of my favorite novel of all time.  While director Joe Wright didn’t give me the Anna I envisioned, he did give his own daring conception of Anna and the stifling world around her.  His choice to film the movie in an abandoned theater was brilliant, given a fascinating theatricality to the whole affair.  My major caveat is that I wanted even more of Levin and Kitty’s stories.

9. Oslo, August 31st: There isn’t a misstep or false moment in this portrait of Anders, a drug addict on leave from his treatment program to go for a job interview.  It’s portrait of lost opportunity and possible rebirth is profound, deeply personal, and occasionally formally experimental.  Director Joachim Trier (who made the wonderful Reprise in 2008) is one to watch.

8. Django Unchained: Following the Kill Bill movies and Inglourious Basterds, here is another revenge fantasy from Quentin Tarantino, and this one is his best film since Pulp Fiction.  A daring and bold takedown of all the myths of the old South, this movie is both tremendously fun and genuinely moving.  It’s close to 3 hours, and not a minute too long. 

7. Silver Linings Playbook: Director David O. Russell gives us a big-hearted movie about Pat Solitano, a bipolar man who is struggling to reclaim his old life.  A kind of modern screwball comedy, this movie has it all: laughs, tears, and a great climax. Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence have the most chemistry between two stars I’ve seen in a long time.  

6. The Kid With a Bike: Movies about goodness are perhaps the hardest to pull off, as they so often descend into sentimentality.  Leave it to the Dardenne brothers, the Beligan filmmakers who are modern masters, to portray with great sincerity nothing less than the saving of a lost soul.  Young Thomas Doret and Cecile de France give beautifully naturalistic perfroamnces.

5. Moonrise Kingdom: This movie crept up my Top 10 list until it landed at 5, and it seems the movie most likely to climb even higher as the years proress.  I was actually skeptical of this movie before I saw it, as I felt like director Wes Anderson had become repetitevely twee in The Life Aquatic and The Darjeeling Limited. Anderson returns to the heights of his best movies with Moonrise Kingdom.  It is as impeccably and artistically constructed as any of his movies, filled with humorous dialogue, and also achingly poignant and romantic.  I can’t stop thinking about that last scene.

4. Argo: This year’s Best Picture winner was probably the most flat-out entertaining of the year.  Ben Affleck directs this true (with some Hollywood license) story of an escape from revolutionary Iran aided by the wonders of Hollywood.  The performances are great, the directing top-notch (sorry for that Best Director snub Ben!), and I hardly moved a muscle for the entire movie.

3. The Master: Easily the most divisive movie on my list.  Strange, gorgeous, off-putting, fascinating, confusing, and epic are all words I can use to describe this movie. I’ve now seen it twice and its mysteries continue to haunt me.  It takes the beginning of a Scientology-like cult as it starts, and becomes something even more haunting and mysterious. As in There Will Be Blood, P.T. Anderson shows us the darker side of a period American history (this time post-WWII), forcing us to hold up a mirror to the worst in our culture, even while giving us haunting and beautiful images.

2. Amour: Simply shattering.  The great Austrian director Michael Haneke is often accused of cold-heartedness, but here he makes a movie named “Love.”  A true love story about what love looks like in the last days of life, this is a movie I will never forget.  I wept through at least half of this movie, and bow down to the great work done by Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva as the pair who have to learn how to exist in a new pardigm.  

1. Lincoln:  My best movie of the year was never really in doubt.  Director Steven Spielberg, writer Tony Kushner, and actor Daniel Day Lewis are a trio made in heaven.  A historical movie that doesn’t try to do it all but

instead focuses on a historic moment in Lincoln’s life, the passing of the 13th Amendment.  This movie is incredibly smart about the intricacies of the personal and the political, and never for a moment did it feel boring or educational.  An American masterpiece I’m sure will be remembered for a very long time.

It was a great year for the movies, and I hope 2013 can match it!

What Ebert Meant to Me

Roger Ebert, a true giant of film criticism, has died.  I literally gasped when I heard, and then the tears came.  It's because I feel like I knew him, having spent countless hours hearing him talk and reading his reviews.  Other writers can give you the play-by-play on all the ways he influenced our film culture, so I'll stick with what he meant to me.

As a kid, I always loved movies.  What Siskel & Ebert did for me was turn me, in my formative young teen years, into a self-identified cinephile.  I watched them religiously every Saturday night at 6:30 pm. I keept a spiral notebook filled with each week's reviews, and which way each of their thumbs faced.  I owned several of his film guides, which he released each year, and used them well when checking out the local video store.

What made Siskel & Ebert so special?  They showed me that movies don't have to simply be entertainment.  They are works of art worthy of being immersed in, studied frame by frame, puzzled and argued over.  What I specifically loved about Roger was his sense of wonder that never dissipated.  You could tell he didn't go into movies with his knives out, he went in trying to love what he saw.  Some criticized him for being too soft, but he was just that open-hearted.  He knew how hard it was to make a film, and he gave every filmmaker the respect they deserved.  He also allowed films to connect to him personally, and not just in a cerebral way.

In my own criticism, I aim to enter each movie in the same spirit.  While I can look back and criticize as much as many critics, I also try to allow myself the immersive experience of enjoying film.  The magic of cinema to make me laugh, cry, or get angry will never get old to me.

With both Siskel & Ebert gone, I honestly feel like it's the end of an era.  Before the age of the internet, I didn't have such unfettered access to so many film writers, and they were my erudite guides into loving film.  Goodbye, Ebert.  There'll never be another like you.

BTP Awards: Actors and Actresses

I continue the Ben’s Talking Pictures 2012 awards with my choices for the best Actors and Actresses.  This was a great year for both categories, with many towering performances on both lists.

Actress

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

After breaking out in a huge way in 2011 (The Help, Tree of Life, Take Shelter), Chastain gets another juicy role as Maya in Zero Dark Thirty.  Since the script gives Maya little outward emotional heft to work with, Chastain has to so often give us this character’s inner life through only her eyes, her body, and her tone of voice.  With such a diversity of great performances so quickly, Chastain is the new Meryl Streep.  

Cecile de France, The Kid With a Bike

How often do we reward performances of everyday goodness on screen? Cecile de France plays Samantha, a hairdresser who ends up caring for the very troubled Cyril in this profoundly quiet and beautiful Belgian movie (look for it on my Top 10).  She creates a vivid depiction of a regular woman who quietly and confidently does a remarkable thing, and its incredibly moving.

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

A true knock-out movie star performance.  Can anyone believe Lawrence is only 22? As Tiffany, a troubled woman falling in love with the bipolar Pat, Tiffany brings equal doses of emotional pain and screwball zaniness to her very real depiction that rivals her amazing performance in 2010’s Winter’s Bone.  If Lawrence keeps her grounding and continues to make such great career choices, she has a huge career ahead of her.

Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

I have almost no words to describe the emotional impact of Riva’s performance as Anne, a woman dealing with a quick descent towards the grave.  Riva has to make intense physical and mental changes between scenes, and there is not a second in the film that isn’t believable and searing.  A work of art.

Michelle Williams, Take This Waltz

Margot, Michelle Williams’ character in Take This Waltz, makes many choices that the viewer will inevitably question and disagree with.  It’s a testament to Williams’ immense talent, then, that I was with Margot on her journey every step of the way.  As a young married woman testing a flirtation with a neighbor, Williams does her typical stellar work.

My Pick: Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)

#2 Pick: Michelle Williams (Take This Waltz)

Runners-Up: Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone), Keira Knightley (Anna Karenina), Alicia Vikander (A Royal Affair), Naomi Watts (The Impossible), Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea)

Matches with Oscar: Oscar agreed with me on the 3 frontrunners, Lawrence, Chastain, and Riva.  Naomi Watts was quite good as well and made my runners-up list.  While I was completly charmed by Quevenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild, I had to give more credit to the director than such a young actor.

Actor

Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

After making almost no impression on me in The Hangover, I was completely bowled over by Cooper’s performance.  As Pat Solitano, a good-hearted but very damaged bipolar man, this movie rests on Cooper’s shoulders.  We follow every twist and turn the story takes and root for Pat, because Cooper makes him so specific and real.

Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln

Day Lewis disappears into his roles, staying in character during filming even when the camera is off.  It really shows in his towering performance of Lincoln, which is one for the ages.  Day Lewis probably gets my vote as the best actor currently working.  Just contrast this quiet, restrained, but powerful performance with his unhinged, violent Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood (his last Oscar win).  Absolutely remarkable.

Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

Watching Phoenix as Freddie Quell brought to mind a young Brando.  The inner sense of danger, the unknowable soul, the complete devotion to method acting all work to make this performance something very strange and terrifying.  Phoenix commits body and soul to this performance, and it’s one for film history.

Jean-Louis Tritignant, Amour

Emmanuelle Riva got her more-than-deserved praise for her transcendent performance in Amour, and yet Tritignant seems to have been sidelined in awards season.  That’s a real shame, becuase he is every bit her equal in this two-handed drama.  Georges has to (mostly) stay physically intact as he deals with his wife’s decline, but his emotional fall is just as difficult to portray as Anne’s physical decline.  His closing scenes in this movie are some of the most moving of the year.

Denzel Washington, Flight

I had issues with Flight’s script, which seemed a little messy and unstructured, but I still enjoyed watching the movie because of Washington’s grounded, masterful performance as Whip Whitaker.  Many actors take addicts as a chance to overact, but Washington keeps his character grounded and true-to-life as he shows his slow unraveling.  

My Pick: Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

#2 Pick (Can I just call it a tie?): Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln

Runners-Up: Gael Garcia Bernal (No), Thomas Doret (The Kid with a Bike), Jamie Foxx (Django Unchained), Denis Levant (Holy Motors), Liam Neeson (The Grey)

Matches with Oscar: 4/5.  I put in Tritignant while Oscar chose Hugh Jackman for Les Miserables.  I enjoyed Jackman in Les Mis, but he didn’t hold a candle to the others on my list, or even to Hathaway in the same film.

Jackie Brown's Perfect Ending: Hit Me With Your Best Shot

One week after my first foray, I'm happy to join in for another version of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," hosted by The Film Experience.

We're celebrating Jackie Brown on the basis of Quentin Tarantino's 50th Birthday.  I was also excited to rewatch this movie since I remembered it fondly but hadn't seen it since it's release in 1997.  It more than lived up to my memories, bringing an entertaining, low-key charm to it's great characterizations and iconic imagery.

When it came to best shots, there was no way I was going with anything that didn't involve Jackie Brown (the fabulous Pam Grier) herself.  As great as the surrounding characters are, the whole movie is a valentine by Tarantino to 70's era-blaxploitation star Grier.  One thing I love about Tarantino is his over-the-top love for cinema both high and low, and you can sense his giddy thrill every time he gets to frame a shot staring his screen goddess.

As I watched the movie, I was surprised how absent Jackie is from the beginning of the  plot, not making her main entrance (except for the opening credits) until about 30 minutes in.  We hear the name "Jackie!" and she turns around, looking ready for whatever comes.  This is one of my runner-up shots.

Throughout the movie, Tarantino gives us jailed Jackie, distressed Jackie, sneaky Jackie, superfly Jackie, and triumphant Jackie.  For her coolest look in the film, I also almost went with this shot, with Jackie at her sly, confident best.

Yet, in the end, I chose the last moments of the movie because it's just about a perfect ending, and a touch out of character for Tarantino.  I'm a sucker for endings poignant rather than sad or happy, and this fits the bill. Think of the over-the-top, violence-laden endings of Inglorious Bastards and Django Unchained, and then compare it to this quiet but emotionally fraught ending.  Jackie's finished with her scheme, outwitting both the criminal Ordell and the feds.  She's free and ready to take off for Spain.  Yet something is missing... she fell in love with bail bondsman Max Cherry, but something has kept him from declaring his love.

Is her lifestyle too intense for him? Does he not feel he's good enough for her obvious superfly qualities? Did they meet too late in life?  Hard to say, but the last shot and the lyrics of the awesome "Across 110th Street" give us a nice clue.

The Best Shot...

Been down so long, getting up didn't cross my mind
I knew there was a better way of life and I was just trying to find 
You don't know what you'll do until you're put under pressure
Across 110th Street is a hell of a tester.

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Forbidden Games

As as an enormous long-time fan of The Film Experience, I’m thrilled to join Nathaniel and other great bloggers for this edition of “Hit Me With Your Best Shot,” where participants choose their favorite shot from a chosen movie.  This week is “Forbidden Games,” a 1952 French film by Rene Clement.

Childhood is such a mysterious thing.  We’ve all gone through it, and yet seem to forget so much of what it was like.  One of the things I love about being a teacher of third graders is the chance to see a period of life through children's eyes.

In Forbidden Games, Rene Clement invites us to do the same, experiencing the terrors of the world through two fiercely committed children.  These children are living in the cold, hard world of World War II, and the adults around them are not much help.  As death, destruction, and heartbreak happens around them, they remain focused on a feud with their neighbors.

This shot perfectly encapsulates much of the movie.  Young Paulette is working through her feelings of grief through her care for the graves of dead animals.  Religion is also new to her, and she is also constructing a childhood theology of how it works, with help from young Michel.

As they play their childhood games of creating graves for dead animals, this shot shows the intrusion of the uncaring adult world as Michel’s father creeps up the stairs to disillusion them further.  I also love how the subtitle froze on this scene.  As the children say “Our Father who art in heaven,” MIchel’s actual father (and adult reality) comes not from heaven, but from below...

Forbidden Games is a strange and haunting movie (available on Netflix instant watch) that was new to me, and it’s unique take on the antiwar genre is well worth seeing.

BTP Awards: Best Supporting Actor and Actress

As I’m recovering from Oscar season, I finally have some time to look back at the many movies I saw last year and choose my favorites.  I’ll start today with the Supporting Actresses and Actors.

Supporting Actress

Amy Adams, The Master
A shining example of the depth an actor can bring to a small role.  As Peggy Dodd, Adams plays a wife fiercely committed to her husband, the cult-leader Lancaster Dodd, and his ambition. As the movie progresses, she becomes a sort of Lady MacBeth character, and it works even better with an actor as likable as Adams on the surface.  Adams has been doing stellar support work for years (see Junebug-NOW-if you never have), and one of these years Oscar will reward her. 



Emily Blunt, Looper
One of the coolest things about Looper was how it shifted from a busy urban sci-fi movie into a smaller, tighter, and character-driven movie in its second half.  As Sara, a single mom with a very special son, Emily Blunt is a key part of making the second half of Looper so terrific.  A survivor in a dystopian world, a protective mother, and a partner to our hero Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Blunt is simply terrific.

Jennifer Ehle, Zero Dark Thirty
As well-researched, smart, and suspenseful as Zero Dark Thirty is, there were certainly times when I think the audience could have used more of a human connection.  The spots where the humanity comes through most are in the scenes of Ehle playing Jessica, an outgoing intrepid CIA agent who is the counterpart to Jessica Chastain’s reserve.  You miss her character deeply when she is no longer on screen.

Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables
There’s simply no denying the power of Anne’s performance in Les Miserables.  While I was mixed on the movie as a whole, I was completely enthralled when Anne was on screen for her too-brief role.  Hathaway’s getting a lot of (mostly) undeserved derision on the internet, but she’s a true talent.



Alicia Vikander, Anna Karenina
Vikander, a Swedish actress who played the small role of Kitty, is probably my favorite discovery of the year.  She was also terrific in the foreign language nominated “A Royal Affair.”  In Anna Karenina, she plays a great character arc in just a handful of scenes, moving from naivete into a great lifelong partnership that contrasts with Anna’s doomed fate.  A real talent to watch.

My Pick: Amy Adams (The Master)
#2 Pick: Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

Runners-Up: Judi Dench (Skyfall), Sally Field (Lincoln), Helen Hunt (The Sessions), Isabelle Huppert (Amour), Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)

Matches with Oscar: Both Adams and Hathaway (the winner) are on my list, while Field, Hunt, and Weaver are all on my runners-up list.  That said, this was easily the weakest of the four acting categories this year.

Supporting Actor

Samuel L. Jackson, Django Unchained
Since Pulp Fiction, Tarantino and Jackson have been a perfect blend of director and muse.  As Stephen, a collaborationist slave in the plantation of Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), Jackson plays the most fascinating, and at least ONE of the most despicable characters, in Tarantino’s epic revenge fantasy.  He’s a little funny and a lot terrifying.  



Jude Law, Anna Karenina
15 years ago, Law was a suave leading man. In Anna Karenina, he plays the older, severe Karenin, cuckolded husband.  He plays it beautifully and brings a large amount of sympathy to what could be a thankless role.  I think Law is an underrated actor who doesn’t work enough, so I hope he gets more great supporting roles like this.

Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Jones is so good as the fierce abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens, and it’s such a scene-stealing role, that I’m still absolutely shocked he didn’t win Best Supporting Actor this year.  The bombastic Stevens is a perfect counterpoint to Lincoln’s wry humor, and he has many of the best scenes in the movie.



Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
With very heavy screen time, he's not really a supporting player, but I’ll follow the Academy’s lead.  Hoffman had quite big shoes to fill in his performance as Lancaster Dodd, obviously inspired by the Scientologist leader L. Ron Hubbard.  Much of the movie is an amazing duet between the calculated pomposity and charisma of Hoffman and the disruptive animal instincts of Phoenix.  Two exquisite and fascinating performances.

Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Another pseudo-supporting actor, but he’s great!  Just three years after playing the evil Hans Landa in Inglorious Bastards, Watlz almost matches that indelible performance as Dr. King Schultz, a german bounty hunter who teams up with the slave Django on a mission.  In Waltz, Tarantino has found another actor who acts as a perfect conduit for witty dialogue.



My Pick: Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
#2 Pick: Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)

Runners Up: Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained), Michael Fassbender (Prometheus) , Robert de Niro (Silver LInings Playbook) , Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables) , Dwight Henry (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

Matches with Oscar: Jones, Hoffman, and Waltz are all on Oscar’s list as well.  De Niro was on my runners-up.  Alan Arkin (Argo) is nowhere near the list.  He was fine, but he’s been playing that character for years.

Liveblogging the Oscars!

Once again, I'll be liveblogging the Oscars, keeping track of my predictions and giving running commentary.  Newest posts up top!

The Show

11:58

Actress, Actor, Picture: As expected Jennifer Lawrence, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Argo.  21/24.

The biggest surprise was having our first lady announce!  As much as I wish Lincoln would have won, I should remember Argo was in my top 5 of the year, and is a perfectly worthy winner.

That's Oscar night y'all!  Thanks for joining me!

11:45

Adapted Screenplay: Argo. 17/19.  A good screenplay, but it beat a true masterpiece-Lincoln.  Looks like Argo is winning Best Pic.

Original Screenplay: Django Unchained. 18/20 for me.  Good one Django. Can't believe they played the Gone With the Wind score to play him off.

Director: Ang Lee for Life of Pi!  Missed that one. 18/21.  While I don't think he was better than Spielberg, Haneke, and Russell, good for him.  LIfe of Pi was a really directorial triumph and I love Lee.  I'm glad he can now be a 2-time winner.


11:20

Original Score: Life of Pi.  Predicted that, so 15/17.  A really memorable score.

Original Song: Skyfall of course.  16/18.  No competition here.

11:04 

Production Design: Lincoln!  I didn't pick it but am so glad for any awards Lincoln gets tonight.  14/16 now.

In Memoriam. The part where we say, "Oh yeah! He/she died this year!"  Barbra looks real flowy in that dress.  The red carpet rumor is she went on a 20-day fast to appear tonight.


10:45

Film Editing: Argo. 14/15.  The best picture frontrunner got its first one.  What else? Screenplay?

Adele.... she nails it.

This show is moving... a tad slowly.  Any guesses on ending time?  I'll go with 11:57.


10:25

Sound Mixing: Les Miserables. 11/12.  Not doing too shabby on these predictions tonight!

Sound Editing: A TIE!!! Zero Dark Thirty and..... Skyfall.  I picked Skyfall so 12/13.

Supporting Actress: Christopher Plummer announces.  What a class act.  Anne Hathaway of course.  Well deserved (although I preferred Amy Adams), but pity about that hideous dress.  Next time wear a bra. 13/14.

10:00

Live Action Short: Curfew. 7/8!  Didn't see it, but I picked it!

Documentary Short: Inocente.  8/9.  Didn't see these either, but made the pick. It's about a homeless teen artist.  I wish they had time to let her talk...

Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man. 9/10. Really a heartwarming documentary-check it out if you haven't seen it!

Foreign Film: Amour. 10/11. Yup.  Now if it can just win some more!

Musical Tribute.  Yup, they're good performances.  But do we need to pay tribute to an enjoyable but  questionable winner (Chicago), a movie not even nominated for Best Picture (Dreamgirls), and Les Mis.  Not necessary.




9:13

Animated Short: Paperman.  I predicted this, so 1/2.  This was a lovely film, although Adam and Dog was even better.

Animated Film: Brave.  2/3 now.  This was not a great movie, but don't bet against Pixar.

Beasts of the Southern Wild wasn't my favorite movie, but damn that monologue makes my throat clench.

Cinematography: Life of Pi. 3/4.  No arguing with this vote, although one of these days Roger Deakins will win one.

Visual Effects: Life of Pi. 4/5.  Another easy get for Life of Pi.

Costume Design: Anna Karenina. 5/6.  No arguing with this pick... at all. A true integral part of the movie and story.

Makeup and Hairstyling: Les Miserables.  6/7.  They did do a really nice job making everyone's hair and teeth look mostly disgusting.


8:50

Starting out real rough with Seth.  But gotta love that Channing and Charlize dance.

OK, after a little thought the jury is out on Seth.  Some funny parts, and some real off-color groaners.

Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz for Django Unchained!!  A bit of a surprise.  I think this means Django wins Screenplay.  0/1 on my predix this year, although I much prefer surprise to predictability.


Red Carpet

Anne Hathaway-the top of your dress is a tad, um, suggestive.  And not in a good way.

Kristin Chenoweth- Have you mentioned yet that you are 4'11 and petite??!!

I have an irrational hatred of Jennifer Aniston.  I think she is SO BORING and don't understand why she is a successful actress.

Quote from my apartment.  Me: How can I ever get to go to the Oscars? Tasara: Someone's going to have to get a chronic illness and make a wish.

FWIW, I think the "Oscar mystery" they are guessing is R2D2.

Bradley Cooper's mom.  WHOA.  That's a lot of pink fringe on your shawl.

Jessica Chastain best overall look so far, no doubt.  I'm also digging Naomi Watts in her Judy Jetson getup.

Quevenzhane- She is too cute with that puppy purse.  But interviewer, stop asking her about if she thinks she is going to win. It's just toying with her!

Also-Is Kristen Chenoweth a midget??  She certainly is next to Jennifer Lawrence.