The Movie Rat

2005 BAM Awards

Posted on December 21, 2012 by bernardovillela

As those who are my friends on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter know, in December I am gearing up for my annual film awards (The BAM Awards), and that only partially explains my recent reposting of all past winners. Since these are picks made by one person, the nominating process is even more important. Aside from the the past years, the full slate of nominees from all years past was no public knowledge. This is because essentially the first time I did them, in 1996, I created them by myself for myself. At the time, I knew a lot less about how these decisions are made, campaigning, the year-end barrage of contenders and the like, such that the releasing of the Academy Award nominees was even more frustrating. Rather than just bemoan it I decided to create an award slate based on what I had seen. Back then I was ticket stub pack rat, at the time it was the only way to track anything. So I created the list, picked winners and printed it out. The fact that I stuck with hard copies and no back-up created issues, however, it was just for me at the time. I called them the BAM Awards because I needed a name. I suppose I came up with Bernardo Academy of Movies because I was being reactionary to The Academy. How one man by himself can be an Academy I didn’t fully consider. I thought it was kind of a silly name even at the time so eventually it just became BAM. Slowly, the awards widened: soon I emailed a select group of friends (that created eventual storage issues), a few years ago when I was on the Site That Must Not Be Named I decided to really take it public. I didn’t think about it ahead of time, it just occurred to me roundabout late November of ’09 that I could. The publication was an exciting and unnerving process regardless of how many or how few people would actually care to see them. While there are a two categories (which I now and again consider ending, and have skipped on occasion) which are negative, it is a positive emotion that brings me to these announcements. I want to at the end of this period of time share what I thought an why, and all winner announcements come with some explanation, and I do belabor them and struggle with them. So it is heartening that last year, for the first time, the actual honorees, be they nominees or winners, on occasion acknowledged it. Now that may seem like a self-aggrandizing statement, but what I liked was knowing the news reached them and other people and they were pleased to hear it. The design of these awards are to cement what performances, works and films most affected me, I make no bones about that, and sharing that felt like a gamble, but it’s been rewarding for that and many other reason. Of course, if you see a film missing from any year you may inquire, and there is room for intelligent discourse, but the above statements are true: trolling or disrespectful comments aimed at who was chosen won’t be tolerated. Your own awards are just a blog post away. I apologize for even needing to insert that statement but I did have cause to make similar points last year. Anyway, with how much I enjoyed last year’s and how much I’m looking forward to this year’s awards, I thought it’d be a good idea to put all I have out there in a “reverse” countdown. So here goes… 2005 Typically, in my emailing days, I would lead with a message. I have decided to lead with that message here in lieu of statistical oddities.

A Message from the President If ever there was a year where I felt like doing a top 10 list, this year was it. Not because I thought there were 10 brilliant movies that I felt deserved being mentioned for Best Picture, but because the margin that separated #10 from #5, and similarly #5 to #1, was slim. There was not a slam dunk winner and the most consistently excellent film from beginning to end, especially at the end, won out. While this year’s field doesn’t necessarily stack up against that of year’s past. I feel that in 2005 we did get another addition to the list of truly great film adaptations. One oddity you’ll notice below is that generally Best Picture wins the most awards. When the year began and I learned of Ingmar Bergman releasing what was supposed to be his last film I wanted to institute a Lifetime Achievement Award. I may next year but this year it was unnecessary as Saraband earned 11 nominations. Without much further ado here are are the winners, and here’s to a stronger field next year.

Winners are in BOLD and pictured. Best Picture The Dust Factory Machuca Saraband Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Best Foreign Film March of the Penguins Les Choristes Machuca La Mala Educacion Saraband Best Director Andres Wood Machuca Eric Small The Dust Factory Ingmar Bergman Saraband Harry Newell Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Andrew Adamson The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Best Original Screenplay Robert Rodriguez, Racer Max Rodriguez The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D Eric Small The Dust Factory Charlie Kaufman Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Andres Wood Machuca Ingmar Bergman Saraband Best Adapted Screenplay David Koepp based on the novel by H.G. Wells War of the Worlds David Koepp based on the book by Chris Van Alsberg Zathura Paul Haggis based on the short stories by F.X. Toole Million Dollar Baby Steven Kloves based on the novel by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Anne Peacock and Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely based on the novel by C.S. Lewis The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Warddrobe Best Actor David Strathairn Good Night, and Good Luck Ryan Kelley The Dust Factory Don Cheadle Hotel Rwanda Borje Alstedt Saraband Philip Seymour Hoffman Capote Best Actress Hilary Swank Million Dollar Baby Virginia Madsen Sideways Julia Dufvenius Saraband Emma Watson Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Rosario Dawson Rent Best Supporting Actor Armin Mueller-Stahl The Dust Factory Morgan Freeman Million Dollar Baby Erland Josephson Saraband Brendan Gleeson Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Skandar Keynes The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Best Supporting Actress Sophie Okonedo Hotel Rwanda Liv Ullmann Saraband Miranda Richardson Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Maggie Smith Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Tilda Swinton The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Best Visual Effects Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith War of the Worlds Zathura Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Best Original Song

Vois Sur Ton Chemin Les Choristes Caresse sur L’Ocean Les Choristes Lueur d’Ete Les Choristes La Nuit Les Choristes In Memoriam Les Choristes Best Cast

Ryan Kelley, Hayden Panetierre, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Michael Angarano, Peter Horton and Kim Myers The Dust Factory Matias Quer, Ariel Mateluna, Manuela Martelli, Ernesto Malbran, Aline Kuppenheim, Francisco Reyes and Tiago Correa Machuca Borje Alstedt, Julia Dufvenius, Erland Josephson, and Liv Ullmann Saraband Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Miranda Richardson, Brendan Gleeson, Alan Rickman and Robbie Coltrane Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Tilda Swinton, and Liam Neeson The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Warddrobe Best Editing

Andy Blumenthal and David Finfer Waiting… Michael Kahn War of the Worlds Glenn Farr The Dust Factory Mick Audsley Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Sim-Evan Jones and Jim May The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Best Soundtrack

The Lords of Dogtown Les Choristes Saraband Rent The Squid and the Whale Best Sound Editing

Batman Begins Star Wars- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith War of the Worlds Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire The Chrinicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Best Costume Design

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D Batman Begins Star Wars- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Worst Picture

Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life The Sandlot 2 Jack Nobody Knows Syriana Most Underrated Picture

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D (2005, Troublemaker Studios)

The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D Land of the Dead Zathura Rent The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Most Overrated Picture

Batman Begins Jack Nobody Knows Rock School Syriana Best Makeup

Star Wars- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Land of the Dead Zathura Rent The Chornicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Best Performance by a Child Actor

Dakota Fanning War of the Worlds Jonah Bobo Zathura Emma Watson Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Skandar Keynes The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Owen Kline The Squid and the Whale Best Cinematography

Janusz Kaminski War of the Worlds Tom Stern Million Dollar Baby Stefan Eriksson, Jesper Holstrom, Per-Olof Lantto, Sofi Strindh and Raymond Wemmenlov Saraband Roger Pratt Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Donald McAlpine The Chronicles of Naria: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Nominations Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 14 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 13 Saraband 11 The Dust Factory 7 Les Choristes 7 War of the Worlds 6 Zathura 5 Machuca 5 Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith 4 Million Dollar Baby 4 Rent 4 The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D 3 Batman Begins 2 The Squid and the Whale 2 Hotel Rwanda 2 Syriana 2 Land of the Dead 2 Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 1 March of the Penguins 1 La Mala Educacion 1 Waiting… 1 The Lords of Dogtown 1 Good Night, and Good Luck 1 Sideways 1 Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life 1 The Sandlot 2 1 Nobody Knows 1 Jack 1 Rock School 1

Rewind Review- Is Anybody There?

Posted on December 21, 2012 by bernardovillela

I’m not one who enjoys the phrase “sleeper hit” because almost any movie is looking for some bit of success. However, it comes to mind for this movie because I hadn’t heard of it until midway through the week in which I saw it. Even on the independent film scene it seemed to have slipped under the radar.

This film is in a word: beautiful. It is funny in one moment, shocking in another and absolutely heartbreaking the next. It is a movie that searches for the meaning of life without ever being pretentious, and is always being sincere. The meaning is searched for backwards and uniquely. It tells the tale of Edward (Bill Milner), a young boy who lives with his parents in their old folks’ home, and who thus, becomes obsessed with death.

After a chance encounter with Clarence (Michael Caine) Edward finds him in the home. After some head-butting the two grow closer. The one sheet for this film is the kind that will get you nervous with anticipation for Michael Caine’s performance, one critic citing it as “the performance of his career.” Thankfully, this is no lie. We all know Caine can be funny, acerbic and occasionally charming. This performance, however, is magnificent in its arc and power and even the man himself was unable to control his emotion watching this film, and neither was I. He is fantastic.

Caine’s performance alone is not enough to propel this film to the heights it reaches. The film’s young lead Bill Milner proved that the success of last year’s Son of Rambow was most definitely no fluke and this film reveals Milner to be unquestionably the strongest actor of his generation. Here Milner carries much of the film alone, whereas in Rambow he and Poulter played off each other. We see Milner here as a much more complex character: dissatisfied with life, angry, rebellious, confused, hopeful for something better, and yet somehow innocent throughout all this. Holding the screen and making a story that could be morbid funny and sharing the screen with a living legend make his performance nothing short of astonishing.

This film was written as a period piece set in 1987. I wholeheartedly applaud this decision and I think it was made in large part to make the piece more intimate to allow Edward’s quest for answers about the afterlife to be conducted through his own ingenuity most of the time, as opposed to the cold and distant research that the Internet Age would provide.

Many of the frames in this film are absolutely beautiful in terms of depth (looking down hallways, corridors, on a rooftop), the use of obstruction in the foreground (occasionally out of focus) and just the overall mise-en-scène is typically interesting. For example, in a scene where Edward and Clarence are walking and talking – the shot starts on the back of Clarence’s truck with the words “It’s Magic!” dominating the scene and then pans over to find them. Everything is well thought out from lights through the back window of Edward’s mother’s car to the reflections on the windshield.

It is a tender, funny, wonderful film which will likely be branded as coming-of-age which I think would not do it justice. This film can be seen and appreciated by all as it examines the human condition more so than anything else and says some wonderful things about it.

10/10

2012 Battle of the Nutcrackers

Posted on December 21, 2012 by bernardovillela

Last year I took inspiration from Ovation TV’s annual Battle of the Nutcrackers for a post on a cinematic version thereof. This year I decided to be a bit more literal about it.

While I’ve known of this programming block for years, and it’s served as background, or the occasional distraction during past year-end dashes, I have never seen enough of each selection to vote. This year I wanted to do so.

Now, clearly I will look for a cinematic treatment in a selection, but it does come down to the ballet. While I, through my production company, sponsor a competition, I can claim no expertise but I know what I like and know this story extremely well.

I could give this an over-analytical approach as I tend to compartmentalize and choose which one has the best in the following general categories: libretto, choreography, blocking, set design and depth thereof, filmic treatment, casting, then with show specifics: Russian Dance, Arabian Dance, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy; Look of the Nutcracker and Rats/Rat King; Tree, prince casting, the snowfall; and I just might next year, but this year I wanted to just give overall impressions and why I picked what I picked.

The Australian Ballet’s rendition of an alternate take called Clara’s Story is the better of the two non-traditional selections and the most cinematically rendered. The Casting of the San Francisco Ballet may be the best.

However, the best overall production in my mind, which did have its visual allure, is the Mariinsky production. The color palette is spectacular. The first half usually makes or breaks a production, the second is the tiebreaker. The consistency of costuming and color selections ties together the seemingly disconnected pieces of this tale. Also, lending to this cohesion is that some part of the town set is always visible. The execution of the individual dances is consistently excellent. Even though there is a lot of the musical conductor it is visually intriguing because of the occasional interesting shot or movement, the sets and costumes.

Overall, it was fascinating to view each of these unique productions, to compare and contrast. It’s a story I know well and enjoy, I could’ve easily voted for quite a few versions. The winner of the vote airs on Christmas Eve at 8PM EST. A marathon of encores airs all day on Christmas Day. For channels and schedules visit Ovation’s site.

Christmas Special Review- Frosty Returns

Posted on December 21, 2012 by bernardovillela

Where does one begin with Frosty Returns? Well, I supposed I could start out by simply saying that it is not recommended in the least and what follows will illustrate why:

Firstly, there is a stylistic incongruity to this special that’s hard to get over. The first few scenes set up different locations but are animated as if they are splicing scenes out of different projects. There is no sense of visual unity to the front end of the piece but it’s a problem that never fully rights itself.

Then there is the absolutely odd mixture of voice talents. The first mistake this special made in that regard was to carry on the tradition of creating a character that looks like the actor doing the narration. With the shoddy animation work and the fact that you have Jonathan Winters and not Jimmy Durante it’s a failed homage. You get a grab bag of comedic actors: Jan Hooks, Andrea Martin and Brian Doyle-Murray. Notable amongst the kids is Michael Patrick Carter a few year before his only true claim to fame in Milk Money.

Then there is John Goodman as Frosty, which ends up being the most troubling and much of the why doesn’t even have to do with him. He’s given quite a bit of weak dialogue to work with, nothing even shining a candle to what came before, and we all know John Goodman can sing but then he’s given songs not quite in his range and it wouldn’t work because the lyrics are terrible.

Then there’s this asinine plot about this aerosol type spray that will remove the snow, ruin a festival and the environment and in this crazed little town a majority of the kids hate snow, which is really weird.

If this hadn’t been included in the holiday specials set I got I never would’ve sought it out it really is an unfortunate misfire in all respects.

Christmas Special Review- Frosty the Snowman

Posted on December 20, 2012 by bernardovillela

The first thing that needs to be said is that Rankin/Bass are to the Christmas special what Cecil B. DeMille is to the biblical epic. They go big and more often not they create a classic in the process.

They always bring great voice talent into the equation and in this special they had the talents of Mr. Jimmy Durante as the narrator. While many of this generation may not know Jimmy Durante from anything else he will be immortalized to many from this special alone. Having a storyteller adds a certain magical quality to these tales and the right casting choice accentuates it.

This tale creates its villain on the spur of the moment, there is no overtly evil entity at play. It is merely that the magician Professor Hinkle sees the hat is magic and greed takes over.

It also starts on the last day of school before Christmas break so the kids in the mix are free to pursue their adventure, which mainly consists of getting Frosty (also brilliantly voiced by Jackie Vernon) to the North Pole.

This special also features a spectacular apparent defeat as it really seems that all has been lost. There is just something magical to a child, and the child in us all, about a snowman and the personification thereof is a nearly fail-safe formula.

The 2004 BAM Awards

Posted on December 20, 2012 by bernardovillela

Introduction

Since these are picks made by one person, the nominating process is even more important. Aside from the the past years, the full slate of nominees from all years past was no public knowledge.

This is because essentially the first time I did them, in 1996, I created them by myself for myself. At the time, I knew a lot less about how these decisions are made, campaigning, the year-end barrage of contenders and the like, such that the releasing of the Academy Award nominees was even more frustrating. Rather than just bemoan it I decided to create an award slate based on what I had seen.

Back then I was ticket stub pack rat, at the time it was the only way to track anything. So I created the list, picked winners and printed it out. The fact that I stuck with hard copies and no back-up created issues, however, it was just for me at the time.

I called them the BAM Awards because I needed a name. I suppose I came up with Bernardo Academy of Movies because I was being reactionary to The Academy. How one man by himself can be an Academy I didn’t fully consider. I thought it was kind of a silly name even at the time so eventually it just became BAM.

Slowly, the awards widened: soon I emailed a select group of friends (that created eventual storage issues), a few years ago when I was on the Site That Must Not Be Named I decided to really take it public. I didn’t think about it ahead of time, it just occurred to me roundabout late November of ’09 that I could.

The publication was an exciting and unnerving process regardless of how many or how few people would actually care to see them. While there are a two categories (which I now and again consider ending, and have skipped on occasion) which are negative, it is a positive emotion that brings me to these announcements. I want to at the end of this period of time share what I thought an why, and all winner announcements come with some explanation, and I do belabor them and struggle with them.

So it is heartening that last year, for the first time, the actual honorees, be they nominees or winners, on occasion acknowledged it. Now that may seem like a self-aggrandizing statement, but what I liked was knowing the news reached them and other people and they were pleased to hear it. The design of these awards are to cement what performances, works and films most affected me, I make no bones about that, and sharing that felt like a gamble, but it’s been rewarding for that and many other reason.

Of course, if you see a film missing from any year you may inquire, and there is room for intelligent discourse, but the above statements are true: trolling or disrespectful comments aimed at who was chosen won’t be tolerated. Your own awards are just a blog post away.

I apologize for even needing to insert that statement but I did have cause to make similar points last year. Anyway, with how much I enjoyed last year’s and how much I’m looking forward to this year’s awards, I thought it’d be a good idea to put all I have out there in a “reverse” countdown.

So here goes…

2004

Part of the the purpose of these reposts (aside from the obvious promotion of the forthcoming announcements) is a preservation effort. These are lists I’m transcribing from
printouts. When I started sharing these it was first via email, which I’ve never been great at saving. In fact, the impetus behind the my upcoming year in film 2003 post was the fact that I somehow lost those nominations entirely and had to jog my memory to include the winners on the running lists. 2004 also has a slight fragmentation. Somehow there’s no Best Actor nominees just a winner. Alas, these need posting before I lost anymore. This was an interesting year.

-Kill Bill films combine for 16 nominations, including 11 for Volume 2

-Harry Potter leads again with 12

-Mean Creek wins 4 of 6 including Best Picture

-Only 4 Supporting Actress nominees including Meryl Streep’s first.

Best Picture

The Passion of the Christ
Kill Bill: Vol. II
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Mean Creek
Shaun of the Dead

Best Foreign Film

Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du coran (France)
Io non ho Paura (Italy)
Carandiru (Brazil)
Diarios de Motocicleta (Spain)
The Return(Russia)

Best Director

Mel Gibson The Passion of the Christ
Quentin Tarantino Kill Bill: Vol. II
Alfonso Cuaron Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Jacob Aaron Estes Mean Creek
Walter Salles Diarios de Motocicleta

Best Actress

Uma Thurman Kill Bill:Vol. I
Uma Thurman Kill Bill: Vol. II
Bryce Dallas Howard The Village
Heather Smith Unscrewed
Kate Winslet Finding Neverland

Best Actor

Jim Cavizel The Passion of the Christ

Best Supporting Actress

Maia Morgenstern The Passion of the Christ
Emma Thompson Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Maria Luisa Medoça Carandiru
Meryl Streep The Manchurian Candidate

Best Supporting Actor

Rodrigo Santoro Carandiru
Josh Peck Mean Creek
Rodrigo de la Serna Diarios de Motocicleta
Jim Carrey Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
David Carradine Kill Bill: Vol.II

Best Performance by a Child Actor

Jesse James The Butterfly Effect
Josh Peck Mean Creek
Cameron Bright Birth
Ivan Dobranorov The Return
Freddie Highmore Finding Neverland

Best Score

John Williams Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
James Newton Howard The Village
Philip Glass Undertow
Michael Giacchino and Tim Simonec The Incredibles
Jan A.P. Kaczmarek Finding Neverland

Best Film Editing

Walter Murch Cold Mountain
John Wright The Passion of the Christ
Sally Menke Kill Bill: Vol.II
Steven Weisberg Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Daniel Rezende Diarios de Motocicleta

Best Adapted Screenplay

Robert Gordon and David Handler Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
Niccolo Ammaniti and Francesca Marciano Io non ho Paura
Steven Kloves and J.K. Rowling Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Jose Rivera, Che Guevara, and Alberto Gramado Diarios de Motocicleta
David Magee and Alan Knee Finding Neverland

Best Original Screenplay

Quentin Tarantino Kill Bill: Vol. 1
Quentin Tarantino Kill Bill: Vol. 2
M. Night Shyamalan The Village
Jacob Aaron Estes Mean Creek
Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg Shaun of the Dead

Best Cinematography

Robert Richardson Kill Bill: Vol. I
Caleb Deschanel The Passion of the Christ
Robert Richardson Kill Bill: Vol. II
Michael Seresin Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
David N. Dunlap Shaun of the Dead

Best Sound Design

The Passion of the Christ
Kill Bill: Vol. II
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Two Brothers
The Village

Best Cast

The Passion of the Christ
Kill Bill: Vol. II
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Mean Creek
Finding Neverland

Most Underrated Film

Catch That Kid
The Girl Next Door
Kill Bill: Vol. II
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Thunderbirds

Best Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Thunderbirds
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
The Polar Express
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events

Worst Picture

The Butterfly Effect
Pixel Perfect
Saved!
Team America: World Police
Spanglish

Most Overrated Picture

The Butterfly Effect
Saved!
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Team America: World Police
Finding Neverland

Best Soundtrack

Kill Bill: Vol. I
Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du coran
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London
Kill Bill: Vol. II
Diarios de Motocicleta

Best Makeup

The Passion of the Christ
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Kill Bill: Vol. I
Shaun of the Dead
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events

Nominations

Obviously these will be somewhat incomplete with one category being winner-only

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 12
Kill Bill: Vol. II 11
The Passion of the Christ 9
Mean Creek 6
Diarios de Motocicleta 6
Finding Neverland 6
Kill Bill: Vol. I 5
Sean of the Dead 4
The Village 4
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events 4
Carandiru 3
The Butterfly Effect 3
Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du coran 2
I’m Not Scared 2
The Return 2
Thunderbirds 2
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow 2
Unscrewed 1
The Manchurian Candidate 1
Birth 1
The Incredibles 1
Cold Mountain 1
Two Brothers 1
Catch That Kid 1
The Girl Next Door 1
Polar Express 1
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London 1

2003 BAM Awards

Posted on December 20, 2012 by bernardovillela

-As you will likely notice this post will stand out from the others. I never have been able to hold on to an electronic back-up of this year, and lost track of a hard copy. From memory I have been able to recall some of the winners. There are other factoids I can recall but this is the most I guarantee. -Much like 1999, this was a year dominated mostly by one studio (Universal) on the strength of 2 films. -8 Femmes, much like they did at the Cesars, had many a nomination but a sole win. -2003 marked the first expansion of categories in years. -Tim Robbins wins second Supporting Actor Award -Peter Pan ties Artificial Intelligence: A.I.‘s win total. -Enjoy the winners. 2004 will have more nominees but is still missing some information.

Best Picture Peter Pan Best Foreign Film The Sea Most Underrated Picture Peter Pan Most Overrated Picture Matchstick Men Best Director P.J. Hogan Peter Pan Best Actor Jeremy Sumpter Peter Pan Best Actress Nicole Kidman The Hours Best Supporting Actor Tim Robbins Mystic River Best Supporting Actress Julianne Moore The Hours Best Performance by a Child Actor Jeremy Sumpter Peter Pan Best Cast Love Actually Best Original Screenplay Love Actually Best Adapted Screenplay Peter Pan Best Cinematography Donald McAlpine Peter Pan Best Score Philip Glass The Hours Best Visual Effects Peter Pan Best Costume Design Peter Pan Best Art Direction Peter Pan Best Editing The Hours Best Original Song Toi, mon amour mon ami Virginie Ledoyen and Ludivine Sagnier 8 Femmes

Christmas Special Review- Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town

Posted on December 19, 2012 by bernardovillela

Amongst Christmas specials, but particularly amongst those produced by Rankin and Bass, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town stands apart. It does so because it is most the most triumphantly well-told of the lot, soon I will describe the most cinematic but here we’re talking strictly based on narrative.

The film opens in a fashion reminiscent of Citizen Kane with a newsreel spewing headlines about Christmas that go from mundane to fantastical and we are braced for the story. Then we are introduced to a mailman modeled after and voiced by Fred Astaire, he reads and we hear, in voice over, the questions children have about Santa Claus. These facts about him we all take for granted are about to be explained.

This may seem like a simple enough, paint-by-numbers method of concocting a tale but there is such ingenuity in the plot devices and also a lack of any rococo quality to it that it works. It all flows naturally from the action. Then the narrator chimes in and connects the dots just in case, and a child’s voice is heard responding.

This may just be Romeo Muller’s, the writer Rankin/Bass employed, best work as he makes Santa an even more heroic figure because in this tale we learn of his past, learn to think of him as a person not just an icon, and then also have an antagonist who vilifies him and renders him an outlaw.

You have, of course, the talents of Astaire and Mickey Rooney in this tale and the indelible figures of the Winter Warlock and Bergermeister Meisterberger and of course another classic song. It is an absolutely unbeatable combination and one of the best options for the season.

Christmas Special Review- Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Posted on December 18, 2012 by bernardovillela

If you need further evidence of the genius of Rankin & Bass, and their favorite writer Romeo Muller, I present to you exhibit B: Rudolph the Red- Nosed Reindeer. The only thing I could really call this special out on, in my umpteenth viewing, was how silly Rudolph’s ostracism is, but that’s a given of the story, and ostracism is usually baseless and it’s really lampooned if it’s based on something so frivolous.

What really stands out in this tale is the characters and some of the things which are done with them. You have Rudolph’s parents who have differing opinions his mother sees no problem with the nose, his father, Donner; is embarrassed by it. You also have Santa Claus, of all people, being wrong about Ruldolph and admitting as much.

Typically, I do not favor didacticism in the arts, but there are exceptions to every rule, and many to this one; here it works wonderfully because it’s not overt. Kids see that even Santa can be wrong and learn not to judge a book by it’s cover, so to speak.

Yet, where this special really excels is in the original characters it brings into the mix, and the different wants they each have, and yet, most of them are also misfits. There of course is Hermey, who wants to be a dentist and not build toys. He and Rudolph are fast friends.

The cause and effect also works very well the Abominable Snow Monster chases them away and they run into Yukon Cornelius. A character who meets a very real fate, following a Disney axiom that you can scare kids if things work out in the end.

Then of course there is the iconic Island of Misfit Toys. All these pieces may seem disparate but the fact that they’re all sewn together in a coherent manner, and each are still original pieces that do not get homogenized, make this story work.

2012 Holiday Viewing Log

Posted on December 18, 2012 by bernardovillela

The end of the year for any movie watcher typically puts you in scramble mode. Regardless of what kind of movies your trying to watch: new releases, classic cinema or Holiday-themed films.

Therefore, rather than have both this month’s mini-review round-up run overly-long as well as next months capsule review log, I figured it’d be good to siphon off the holiday-themed offerings, as not only will I try and do more of these this year, but there are enough special reviews coming next month and one post should suffice for them. If any films are new and holiday they will link from the other posts to text here.

For a reference to what my ratings mean, go here.

A Chrismoose Carol

This is one of the films I picked up after getting a region-free player. I saw a trailer for it and it just seemed like the kind of thing too silly not to give a shot. What’s refreshing is that the film is playing comedy throughout. Yes, there are overtures of schmaltz and warm-fuzziness, it is a Christmas film after all, but it’s eminently more watchable and enjoyable than I ever thought it would be – and really should have any right to be. Part of this has to do with just a different perspective. Heaven forbid an American film try and get away with a Santa getting drunk and distracted, yet still trying to make a positive film, much less having it actually be Santa and not a mall employee or a psychopath. What the film deals mostly with is a thankfully practical and rather well-crafted Moose character (It seemed rather Falkor-like, I wonder if there is any connection to NES) and adds its own spin, and a rather cloistered tale that is neither a retread or earth-shattering in its repercussions as “disaster” is being avoided. A funny anecdote is that when I was younger I’d always insist on writing the original title of the film. However, seeing Es ist ein Elch entsprungen plastered on the box and being unable to record it to memory made me learn the English title, as silly and punny as it is.

6/10

Home Alone: Holiday Heist

Now, I for one have written on this franchise on this site on a few occasions, once in theory and once when news broke. Similar to the way in which some can engage in auteur criticism, I feel that series and/or franchises can burrow out their own niche and create their own sort of scale. After all, when judging a film for what it’s trying to be the fact that it’s an installment in, or a continuation of, a series factors in.

When I wrote on Home Alone continuing and/or rebooting the idea I was leveraging was the fact that this is now a conceptual series. The series of films is predicated on a kid or kids being caught at home, without their parents, having to defend their house, and ultimately themselves. It almost always had to be that way. Disregarding the fact that in part two Kevin is not home, the fact that he is separated from his family anew is a major challenge to suspension of disbelief. So it was always likely to, and thankfully has, become a series wherein its concept-driven. Thus, whatever the other challenges brought up to each installment how Kevin gets lost again, is no longer a concern. Horror franchises with iconic killers have that issue of trying to bring back their seemingly dead, yet ultimately immortal lead – this is a major encumbrance lifted.

When I wrote about it as a news item it was to confirm that one of my wild postulations was really coming to fruition. I do have a tendency to err on the side of positivity over cynicism more often than not, but I had a few reasons to be optimistic. Based on the casting and story news that came out it seemed like the upcoming film would return closer to the core of what these films are. The series went out on a limb in part three and broke said limb off in part four. This looked like a very promising restart based on early indicators.

So? Now, it’s aired, and I’ve seen it, what did I make of it? The short version of it is that there was room for this film to be much more than a decent, enjoyable restart had there been some shifts in focus, both story and production-wise. Having said that after the precipitous slope the franchise was on, this is welcome and refreshing course correction for the most part. It’s just that the potential existed for it to surpass even my modestly lofty expectations.

The best elements of the film are: the booby-trapping motif is introduced prior to the reality of burglary dawning on the characters, the in-jokes regarding the series are plenty good, the performances of Christian Martyn (whose turn in this archetype I’d rank as best barring Culkin) and Jodelle Ferland (whose inclusion and progression adds an interesting dynamic to the film), the dichotomy of Finn’s character and its slight, steady arching; and the presence of the seemingly random neighbor-kid (Peter DaCunha) who does occasionally add humor and plot functionality.

Where the film misses opportunities in narrative is that it tries too hard to shoehorn what it feels are mandatory elements of a Home Alone film such as a misunderstood stranger who befriends the lead and doesn’t have a place to go for Christmas. Yes, there are anticipated elements, but each narrative has its own set of dynamics and fitting molds or formulas at times restricts the tale at hand.

An example of not wanting to fit a mold is giving the crooks a lot more backstory and justification than is really necessary. The emphasis on name recognition for the triad of crooks (Malcolm McDowell, Debi Mazar and Eddie Steeples) I feel is detrimental to the film because they get over-exposed and over-wrought and the parents are under-written and under-represented.

The dialogue misfires quite a few times which is a shame when there are some good situations introduced, but there are the occasional good cinematic touches, which goes beyond the production design, there is the rotoscopic montage of the booby trap prep and some of the set-ups for the crooks are visually intriguing.

I enjoyed this film but what wass perhaps most surprising is that there were opportunities for it to be more than just a pleasant pastime and be a legitimately, unassailably solid upgrade to the sequels that had come to this series that could even serve as a springboard. Shortcomings are almost inevitable in any film, it just seems that they came in unexpected areas here and some harder elements were well-executed and some given less priority. However, it ultimately serves its purpose as a redemptive feature for the series, but could’ve been much more.

6/10

The Little Drummer Boy Book II

This is the first of four Rankin/Bass specials that are included in a new release from Warner Archive, which collects four lesser-known Christmas-themed releases from the most famous, prolific producers in this niche. Firstly, in terms of restoration this film is in much better shape than the version of the original that I have. What is fairly refreshing story-wise is that it literally picks up immediately following the first special, and tells the tale of how the news of the fulfilled prophecy is to be spread, and what obstacles must be overcome. The music (the choir-work in this one uncredited) is chillingly good. The narrative is a bit thinner, the songs a bit more filler than the original, but it is a worthy follow-up with some surprises in store. It’s also fantastic that Greer Garson is once again the storyteller.

8/10

The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold

This film continues my going through Warner Archive’s great new Christmas special set by the masters of the subgenre. Here again they have Romeo Muller back to script the tale, and it’s a good thing they do because his acumen is about all that makes this tale float. What’s good about it is that it gives me a little more banshee-related info than I had prior, but it is a most odd tale indeed. The elements mixed in of leprechauns, banshees and wayward sailors are those or darker tales and mystical tomes, but the tone is the same as their other works, yet the Christmas element is more secular than ever, if not downright pagan. This is not a moral judgment, it just makes the balancing of tone harder but the tale manages. It’s an enjoyable, odd little entry in their canon.

6/10

The Stingiest Man in Town

This is yet another rendition of Charles Dickens’ eternal classic A Christmas Carol. Not only is it another adaptation, but it’s also another musical version. Even removing non-diegetic elements that bother me like comparing it to other adaptations or how the characters are really caricatures of the actors playing them, there are many things just off about this version. The songs are inconsistent at best both in lyrical and vocal quality, as is, surprisingly enough, the voice acting; though that could have something to do with direction. The story is also oddly structured inasmuch as there is a lot of denouement. Scrooge has seen the error of his ways and the tale just lingers; removing the impact of the change in his heart. I could go on, but these are the main objections I have.

5/10

Pinocchio’s Christmas

Part of the appeal of this Warner Archive set was that I had never, or thought I had never, seen all the specials on this disc. No other film in this set gave me the feeling of déjà vu as this one. However, I cannot say of that is for real, and even if it is, I cannot guarantee I saw the whole film even if I did see it before. Out of all of these, this is the best example of the Rankin/Bass style the songs and lyrics, and vocal stylings are all top notch. It takes the Pinocchio lore and not only tells a Christmas tale with it but tells only part of the story. It’s an hour-long special that not only fits the allotted running time, but thrives because of it. There is also plenty of humor and wonderful sets. This may not be a household name special but it it on par with the best.

10/10

Help for the Holidays

Here’s another holiday-themed film not only with an Elf element, but also with the now ubiquitous conquering-the-loss-of-Christmas-spirit problem. While the end result is predictable enough, as is some of the early path, there are enough wrinkles and well-timed moves to keep it rather enjoyable in the middle. The issues, and ultimately downfall are due to a few narrative inconsistencies, the unintentional casting of a creepy Santa and the redundant uninspired score which assails your ear throughout the entirety of the film.

5/10

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