Bernardo Villela is like a mallrat except at the movies. He is a writer, director, editor and film enthusiast who seeks to continue to explore and learn about cinema, chronicle the journey and share his findings.
The OMIEs are an award, that’s voted on by users on the blog Flixploitation. It honors those the Oscars overlook. This year’s OMIEs ballot takes a slightly different approach than last year’s. Rather than being all write-ins there are suggestions for nominees. You can find them here. Below I will highlight my choices and explain why.
Most Deserving Documentary
Blackfish
In introducing my method in selection BAM Best Doc nominees I said:
With Best Documentary I again had a re-adjustment as award time started to roll around. I wanted to avoid redundancy in the topics as much as I could and really focus on the crafting on the film more so than any greater message or social purpose. Issue-based documentaries are great to rally behind and can incur real change, and they can also be great films, but you can have one without the other.
Because it lacked slightly as a film that eliminated it. However, based on the choices given, and the fact that I said this about it:
I heard of this film quite some time ago as it featured prominently on My Radar. I recorded the CNN airing a while ago but was reticent to watch it. In the end I’m glad I did. There are a few graphic and disturbing images but the takeaway from the film is far more profound than that. The scariest, most stomach-turning thing is the pervasiveness of lies documented that Sea World spews as facts. Lies that I as a child believed to be true and still recalled learning there. What this film shows is not only that these massive mammals are smarter and more complex that we can yet understand, but also that there are dangers inherent to the people who attempt to keep them in captivity as glorified circus performers.
this is clearly my winner.
Most Deserving Foreign Language Film
Two Lives
Two Lives is a very solid film. I’m a little surprised I haven’t heard more about it to be quite honest. I enjoyed it very much. Its omission in my foreign category was more about finding far more off-the-beaten path stuff that I enjoyed even more; as for the Oscars I have no idea.
Most Deserving Original Screenplay
The Way, Way Back
I didn’t get to discuss The Way, Way Back too much in the BAMs, or on the site in general. There are in this film several tremendous scenes and for as quirky, funny and witty the characters are they are very real and their interaction with one another is more so. Excellent work.
Most Deserving Adapted Screenplay
August: Osage County
This is one of those interesting ones where a contender for this year (due to it’s wide release coming in January – for more on my late-year release issues go here) is my choice for an award last year. There was much talk of the running time being chopped down, but it doesn’t feel like anything essential was lost.
Most Deserving Supporting Actress
Melonie Diaz Fruitvale Station
This was the first film that got any Oscar buzz. Of course, with its being released early in the year it was destined to get nothing. Diaz was a revelation.
Most Deserving Supporting Actor
Sam Rockwell The Way, Way Back
I was very close to picking Sam Rockwell. With regards to the Oscars there were a few things going against him: it was a summer release and it’s a comedic performance. Those shouldn’t matter, but it seems to. Rockwell is damn near perfect here.
It was nearly a sweep for this film in the lead acting categories in my awards. Again, I’m astonished she hasn’t garnered more notice or a nomination. More attention needs to be drawn both to this film and her work in it.
Basically, the thought here (as it seems to be with the Oscars many years) is to award the director of the film you’re going to choose as best from the candidates.
Not much to explain in my choice here, for a bit more detail check the BAMs or my brief write-up linked above. Similar logic to the above, essentially it was the highest ranking film of my top 10 to make the list.
If interested in casting your choice for nominees please follow the link!
OK, this used to be, for the short time it existed last year, a bi-weekly (or so), post. Well, the beginning of this year has been a bit hectic, and it doesn’t look like it’s slowing down anytime too soon. I do have to find time to draft posts that will keep the site current and more manageable. However, things haven’t been as stagnant around here as you, Dear Reader, may believe.
Firstly, for the most part I got the 2013 BAM Award nominations and Honorees posted in a fairly timely fashion. The timetable definitely worked for me and will be re-implemented this year.
I was a bit slow to get all the historical lists updated, but they now are. They are easily found under BAM Awards in the menu bar.
As for logging, that is taking a more deliberate approach as well. The BAM Award Considerations will post once and not be updated. Therefore, they will be up at the end of their respective month, or at the start of the following month. The January post can be found here.
My Radar has been updated and one title, at least, will be scratched off soon.
I’ve also been a bit lax in the Shameless Self-Promotion Department. So much so that I neglected to mention that I contributed a post to the LAMB Devours the Oscars series. I also frequently submit links to Foreign Chops and Classic Chops. Those posts are a great way to catch up and discover other blogs. Another way is that you can follow me on Twitter or like The Movie Rat on Facebook.
Next, I believe I’ll start with some My Ballot posts, similar to this one and move on from there and get caught up slowly but surely. The goal is to spend less time updating running lists and more time creating new content. That goal has not yet been achieved, but if you have patience you will see it come to fruition. As always, thank you for stopping by, and taking your time to read the site.
This is a list I started last year to try and track some necessary viewing. It will serve as an unofficial checklist for my BAM Awards. I will not hold up the awards in anticipation of seeing these films. A deadline is a deadline. It will help me either define Gray Area films or keep an eye out for undistributed titles. Secondly, this will serve as a back-up to my watchlist on GoWatchIt, which is a great site to get notifications about film releases. I anticipate I’ll update this monthly as I do with films watched and older film posts.
The Carry-Over Titles
Some titles did not see, or get adequate distribution last year, and some I have my eye on early; therefore, they make a return appearance.
1. The Dirties
Heard it was picked up by Phase 4.
2. Faust
Heard of Sokurov’s version last year. Currently at Film Forum in NY.
16. Heli
17. Ilo Ilo
18. The Past
19. Satellite Boy
20. Summerhood
21. The Human Promise
21. The Rocket
22. The Weight of Elephants
23. The Double
24. Staten Island Summer
25. Leap 4 Your Life
26. The Art of the Steal
27. Grand Piano
28. Slow West
29. Beyond the Heavens
30. Bunks
31. Category 8
32. The Fall
33. Child of God
34. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair
Yes, I know the odds are I won’t miss this one. However, not only do I plan for many of these titles to crossover into next year (and beyond) but this is the film I wanted next.
35. The Borgman
36. Joe
37. Concrete Night
39. Rhymes for Young Ghouls
40. WNUF Halloween Special
41. Torment
42. Kid
43. Into the Woods
New Titles
44. Boyhood
45. Cooties
46. Whiplash
47. Maze Runner
48. After Tiller
49. Hors Satan
50. Abuse of Weakness
51. Camile Claudel 1915
52. Stranger by the Lake
53. A Touch of Sin
54. La Jalousie
57. Nobody’s Daughter Haewon
58. The Young Ones
59. Age of Panic
60. Walking with the Enemy
61. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Him and Her
62. Lonely Boy
63. Oculus
64. Concrete Night
65. Moebius
66. Nothing Bad Can Happen
67. Why Don’t You Play in Hell?
68. Eastern Boys
69. Plus One
70. 7 Boxes
71. Marina
72. Noah
73. Midnight Sun
74. Skavengers
75. Mercy
76. Sins of Our Youth
77. Dear Eleanor
78. Tom Sawyer & Huckleberry Finn
79. The Between
80. Low Down
81. Maleficent
82. Olive’s Ocean
83. Locke
84. The First
85. Pawn Sacrifice
86. The Great Gilly Hopkins
87. La beauté des loutres
88. Bastards
89. Explosion
90. Watercolor Postcards
91. The Deadlands
92. Genesis
93. Hellions
94. Wish I Was Here
95. London Town
96. V8 – Die Rache des Nitros
97. X Plus Y
98. 2 Autumns, Three Winters
99. La Belle Vie
100. Among the Living
101. 2 Temps, 3 Mouvements
102. Skating to New York
103. Dark Places
104. Grass Stains
105. The Forger
106. The Boxtrolls
107. A Birder’s Guide to Everything
108. The Wilderness of James
This was a film I saw shortly after watching Claude Jutra’s Mon Oncle Antoine. It’s a funny little short about a man and his chair who don’t understand one another (you’ll see what I mean). Also noteworthy is the score by Ravi Shankar.
Here is where I will assemble the titles that will have an opportunity to make a list wherein I chronicle my favorite vintage titles that I first saw during the last calendar year. It is a concept introduced to me by Brian Saur that I have done since 2011. Here is the 2011 version. The 2012 version was published in five parts starting here, as was the 2013 list, starting here.
Unlike my BAM considerations where I will now post a new entry monthly, I will have this list run through the entire year, but will denote when titles were added.
I decided that with the plethora of BAM Awards-related post towards the end of 2013 and the start of this year it was best to wait to the end of this month before officially recommencing the process.
I will post these lists towards the end of the month to allow for minimal updates. By creating a new post monthly, and creating massive combo files offline, it should make the process easier for me and more user-friendly for you, the esteemed reader. Enjoy.
Eligible Titles
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
The Selfish Giant
The Legend of Hercules
Devil’s Due
The Price of Gold
August: Osage County
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
Flowers in the Attic
20 Lies, 4 Parents and a Little Egg
As intimated in my Most Underrated announcement this year, I’ve decided to make a change here. Rather than get caught up in me vs. the world nonsense and what a film’s rating is on an aggregate site, the IMDb or anywhere else, I want to champion smaller, lesser-known films. In 2011 with the selection of Toast this move was really in the offing. The nominees from this past year echo that fact. So here, regardless of how well-received something is by those who’ve seen it, I’ll be championing indies and foreign films, and the occasional financial flop from a bigger entity.
The Selfish Giant
20 Lies, 4 Parents and a Little Egg
Here you will find a historical list of the honorees of this recently-created award. A neutron star is one that glows more brightly after it “death,” similarly these filmmakers and actors do. It’s a counterpart to the Lifetime Achievement Award which is intended for filmmakers and actors who are very much alive and kicking.
The Neutron Star Award
OK, so what is the Neutron Star Award? As I watched older selections through the year, I was frequently compelled to pick a film based on the fact that Vincent Price was in it. When I was younger I was very actor-oriented, more so than with directors. The fact that an actor had that kind of draw, and was one who is sadly no longer with us, made me think there had to be some kind of way I could honor them.
For whatever reason I saw exactly two of her films while she was alive. Even though I loved it I never managed to see others. This box has helped with that.
2019 Gunnar Björnstrand
In my viewing and re-viewing of Bergman films this past year I came to appreciate more fully the actors the he frequently worked with, none more so than Björnstrand who appeared in his works from 1944 to 1983
While my viewings overall were down, the handful of new-to-me Bergman films I saw thanks to Criterion’s amazing new box set spurred yet another renaissance of my awe for his genius.
Carrie Fisher’s death in late 2016 was a cruel shock. The tragedy was of course compounded by the fact that her mother Debbie Reynolds died the very next day.
Shortly after their deaths HBO released a doc about them that they were producing anyway. I saw Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds shortly after it became available. It was an insightful, touching and bittersweet look at their life together. It underscored the fact that too much about her career didn’t get attention until after the fact. I remember maybe vaguely hearing about her script doctoring once but by the time the fact came up again I couldn’t recall if that was something I ever knew or if it was new information.
And, of course, after the fact I would find things that either I forgot she was in (Austin Powers International Man of Mystery) or never knew realized was in (When Harry Met Sally…, Hannah and Her Sisters).
Then, of course, there was The Last Jedi. Of course, when I went to see it I knew it would be one of the last new films I’d see her in (Wonderwell is slated for release this year) but I didn’t expect Leia’s role to be that much larger than it was previously and that much more epic. In the nominating process I asked myself the hard question: was she included in the nominees only because it was a posthumous honor? Absolutely not.
For those reasons and so many more Carrie Fisher gets the honor this year.
One series of viewings I was able to achieve was to watch my Woody Woodpecker box set this year. I always was a fan of that cast of characters, from my childhood, but I had gotten to such a removed perspective from having seen them that I thought it might’ve been mythologized nostalgia.
In finding things about Lantz, those characters (especially the secondary ones), I see that was not the case. There are more out there to find, they should not be overlooked, and I’ll be glad to see them. This man on a smaller scale made a world of characters to take note of. Not just Woody but Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, Wally Walrus, Buzz Buzzard, and others.
In a better world I never would’ve learned who Qusai Abtini was, in a better world the show he was one wouldn’t have needed to exist. However, it also shows the power of the arts as escapism, even when the comedy is very close-to-home.
Abtini starred in Um Abdou Aleppan, a sitcom started in 2014 in Aleppo’s rebel section, the first production to start as so:
A Syrian sitcom which takes place in one of the historic stone houses in the old city of Aleppo and in which all the roles are played by children has lost one of its stars this month: a tragic reality that has intruded on the innocence of the show. A 14-year-old boy Qusai Abtini, was killed when a missile struck the car he was in as he tried to escape Aleppo. Fresh-faced with a toothy grin and thick black hair, Abtini had become a local celebrity. His life and death underscored the suffering of Aleppans. Their city was once the commercial center of Syria with a thriving, unique culture. It has now been torn to pieces by fighting, with whole neighborhoods left in ruin. since the summer of 2012, when Aleppo split into rebel- and government-held districts and the two sides turned on each other, tens of thousands in the city have been killed. 14 year-old Qusai Abtini is now one of the killed.
2015: Dickie Moore
Here’s one I thought I wasn’t going to hand out this year.
However, even though I knew Dickie Moore from things like The Little Rascals, Oliver Twist, The Word Accuses, Three on a Match, and saw him in a few titles this year; I thought his star couldn’t grow to me – matching the definition of a neutron star – a star bigger after its death. However, after his passing I started to realize he would fit.
In April I covered a movie he was in for the Pre-Code Blogathon, Blonde Venus.
For the Summer Reading Classic Film Challenge I covered his book Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,which is a bittersweet-at-best account of the early days of child stardom, which includes the perspective of many young stars (himself included) from the early days of sound when he caught up with them again in the 1980s.
Then less than a month later he passed away at the age of 89. One of the better obits I read was this one.
Bogged down with other things I didn’t eulogize him at the time. I believe the one I did for Wes Craven was the only one this year.
So, while there will not be Film Discoveries like there was for 2013 (Miss Annie Rooney and The World Accusses) for Moore this year, his TCM homage is taking up much of my DVR with many titles I was hoping to have seen for quite some time.
So 2016 and beyond will likely feature more of his films. No one perfectly captures all of film’s past as they learn to love and fully embrace the art. For as much as you learn and know about technique and production there is a tendentiousness to things, and everyone develops personal favorites and preferences. Some films and people are inarguably greats, or talented if their films don’t happen to reach you on a visceral level.
Despite the fact that he may not have been a Shirley Temple, Mickey Rooney or a Freddie Bartholomew; Dickie Moore is one of my favorites. He was undoubtedly a star in his own right, he was just surrounded by many of them in a crowded system. I look forward to getting to know more of his films that remain with us though he may be gone from this world.
So I thought literally about stars, and being a nerd I confirmed that a neutron star fits the definition of a star that has gone out but glows more brightly after its passing.
This one was not easy to figure out. Much of the reason this award proved difficult to choose is that with my viewings being somewhat down across the board it was difficult to find a number of actors or filmmakers who jumped up in prominence this past year. Usually, they were known as well. However, with Mickey Rooney’s unfortunate passing I did have cause to post my first In Memoriam in some time and I did feature some of his shorts after the incident, and had seen some earlier titles he appeared in. I still have, and have been meaning to see, many of his Andy Hardy titles sitting around. Then in December he reprised his role in the Night at the Museum series. As always this kind of appearance was bittersweet (particularly as Robin Williams always features prominently in those films also). For Mickey some of the bittersweetness owed to the fact that the lingering effects on his speech of a stroke were apparent. The saving graces were that he did fine and the film very classily and prominently dedicated a title card to them both.
Rooney’s credits are many and I will continue to seek them out, and who knows I may find more that I can share legally here. I hope that seeing his later works will encourage new fans to discover some of his earlier works. Many of them, from varied points in his career, have been with me for quite some time.
Ironically, the first I ever heard of Rooney was through an impersonation of him by Dana Carvey on SNL. Like a lot of impersonations there was some basis in fact for it, much as there was for Mickey to legitimately claim he was once the biggest star in the world. That point can be debated if you like but his impact and longevity may not be matched anytime soon. Therefore, any growth in the appreciation of his work is worthwhile.
“It’s never too late to see a movie.”
-Edgar Wright
The award was created last year to recognize an actor, but this year’s winning selection is a slight fudge. However, I don’t feel I’ll be likely to re-define or expand the award any time soon so I’m going to go with it.
Basically, the winner did act in films and did even play leading roles, however, to be completely honest, Rainer Werner Fassbinder is winning this award for his work as a writer and director. Now a bit like Jackie Searl I did have some familiarity with Fassbinder in the past. He made appearances on both my 2011 and 2012 Favorite Older Movies list.
However, 2013 was much more viewing many more appearances and was topped off by my getting both the Region 2 box sets of his films. Granted even those aren’t all his works.
When you see a few things by a director you are responding to individual titles, when you see quite a few you start responding to a voice and Fassbinder’s was a voice I sought to hear speaking repeatedly through 2013, and I’m sure that will continue into the new year. In tandem with this award you should look out for this year’s favorites list, which will include his titles; and I may create a subsequent series designed to reflect the year’s winner as I have with other body-of-work awards in the past.
Fassbinder had a knack, in standard feature-length dramas, making the first forty minutes impossibly gripping over and over, of also creating approachable density and magnetic melancholy, and it’s why I sought to come back to his works many times over last year and why he is the recipient of this award.
OK, so what is the Neutron Star Award? As I watched older selections through the year, I was frequently compelled to pick a film based on the fact that Vincent Price was in it. When I was younger I was very actor-oriented, more so than with directors. The fact that an actor had that kind of draw, and was one who is sadly no longer with us, made me think there had to be some kind of way I could honor them.
So I thought literally about stars, and being a nerd I confirmed that a neutron star fits the definition of a star that has gone out but glows more brightly after its passing.
Which brings me back to Price. If you look at my older films list this year you’ll find Vincent Price all over it. He was not only a talent, and not only elevated works he took part in, but in a way elevated the entire horror genre; in large part because of the horror icons he arguably was the longest-lasting and most identified with it. Christopher Lee, for example, has for years been synonymous with other kinds of films, but once Price got his foothold it was nearly his sole dominion.
I fight Netflix indecisiveness so anyone that great that makes me say “Oh, he’s in it? Good enough for me.” Is certainly worthy of some honor.
I truly like this idea and I hope it acts as another incentive to discover and get to know other actors’ filmographies in the future.
After a bit of an unexpected hiatus we are officially back with Short Film Saturday. I return with a a short made by a Twitter compatriot of mine Alex Hunt. It’s a quick glimpse into a moment in a teacher’s life and her ruminating on incidences in her class with a problematic student. With documentaries like Waiting for ‘Superman’ the institutional issues are examined, and even then it can be easy to lose sight of the individual and what they attempt to do. This is a short tale that reflects a moment where doubt creeps in and a teacher wonders whether she did all she can for a student, one that is a “problem child” and it’s quite well done.
Enumerating how many artistic disciplines exist is not the purview of this series. Rather the idea of this series is to briefly explore an iteration, an instance, of another artform in the world of cinema.
In an upcoming series of posts I will state that I believe that cinema is the ultimate artform because of its ability to encompass or represent all the forms that came before it. Its elasticity is such that I believe it will be able to dialogue with whatever comes next.
However, this post seeks to satisfy a simple aim by illuminating a work cited by a film. To learn more of it and the artist in question. In short, just a bit more than information the film deems suitable.
In the House (2013)
I have had some troubles picking up this series wherein the other arts are featured in films. However, I’d rather feature a film that speaks very specifically about the works of an artist with less information than not to mention it at all.
In The House references several writers, naturally as the lead is a French teacher and frustrated writer and has a protege with a flair for the written word. However, just one painted is ever mentioned through the course of the film. That painter is Paul Klee.
In doing a web search I was able to get these screen captures that give you a closer look at the paintings discussed. One review cites the titles as Rettung, Unterbrechung and Hoffnung.” Which if memory serves is right.
Any other light that can be shed on them would be appreciated.
Whenever there is a publicly-voted award in the film world I will share my thoughts and vote here.
The first thing that bears saying is that I may have to mark down on my calendar other open-to-public-voting awards through the year so that I manage to post in this series more than once in a year. Regardless, here we are again at the BAFTAs this time replete with a new sponsor and another Rising Star Award race.
What I really like about this award year after year is that it’s a body-of-work award given to a young actor on the rise. However, on occasion nominees make it mainly on the strength of one performance.
Once again this is a pretty strong field and even though I am not 100% studied on all the candidates this year there are four I have something of a viewing history with. It wasn’t easy but I had a definite choice among these impressive nominees. And, importantly, it’s additional incentive to catch up on the titles making up the other candidates’ work. I have been a bit remiss in seeing some of the award-winning much ballyhooed titles of 2013 namely 12 Years a Slave, which marks one of the most acclaimed debuts in recent memory (Lupita Nyong’o), and Blue is the Warmest Color (Léa Seydoux), though I have seen quite a few Seydoux’s titles and enjoyed her work.
George Mackay is perhaps the best surprise on this list for me. I am familiar with his career as a young actor when he appeared in Peter Pan, which would’ve won a Best Youth Ensemble had it existed (he was Curly), then in the overlooked The Thief Lord, and in one of Daniel Radcliffe’s in-Potter-franchise departures The Boys Are Back. The 2013 titles are ones I have not heard of prior to this announcement, but I look forward to finding them.
Dane DeHaan, already a BAM Award nominee for Chronicle, is a close runner-up for my vote in this award. Had I caught his most recent titles that may have changed my mind, but the odds were stacked against him.
They are stacked against him because of Will Poulter. One of the myriad viewing tasks I’ve wanted to undertake was to see all of Will Poulter’s TV and film work from the UK heretofore unavailable to me. The reason that is that the first two parts I saw Poulter play, Son of Rambow and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader he was not only nominated for myBAM Awards but won (for Son of RambowBest Performance by a Child Actor and for NarniaBest Supporting Actor). I will soon, thanks to Netflix, see Wild Bill which earned Poulter a London Critics’ Circle Award nomination for Young British Performer of the Year. Son of Rambow set a precedent most young actors wouldn’t be able to live up to, but following very different paths Poulter and Milner have both proved their mettle and staying power. With his nerdy, American persona of Kenny Rossmore in We’re the Millers Poulter, introduces himself to a new audience who witness him only scratch the surface of his capabilities, and really only on the comedic end.
In my estimation, and in the estimation of those who watch more carefully, Poulter has already arrived. However, to most the appearance in We’re the Millers and the forthcoming The Maze Runner adaptation will signal his announcement as a cinematic presence for those who don’t know. He has the credentials but also defines the rising aspect of the award more so than the fellow candidates who have made a bigger, more notable splash in mass media consciousness terms. Simply because in my mind he’s already arisen selecting Poulter as Rising Star is a no-brainer to me.
The Ballot is open through February 14th, 2014. One vote per person, register via Twitter of Facebook.
The Movie Rat 