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.
When you think of the iconic Christmas specials one of the first, if not the first, that comes to mind has to be A Charlie Brown Christmas. It is most likely the best suited for repeated viewing and in all likelihood holds a special place in the heart of the masses because it’s the one you can most closely identify with.
Think about it: this special probably connects to adults more so than children. Not only is Charlie a character with anxieties and worries but he has developed some of the same observations about Christmas that we do over the years: its become too commercial, it’s a hassle, etc.
The discussion of the commercialism of the holiday is very on the head but it also allows for the easy transition from a secular to a religious story. At first, there is only concern for the fenestration: gifts, decorations, trees and the like. Eventually the true meaning is allowed to burst forth.
It is a very brief but also very powerful intercession of the religious in this tale wherein Linus recites the story of the Nativity. Linus in many ways ends up being the hero of this tale because he is the first to change his mind on Charlie’s modest tree choice, and then, he relates the true story of Christmas.
Of course, the carols in the film are also religious and a breath of fresh air. It’s a fact that many of the memorable Christmas specials feature original music but just as often specials fall flat on their face in their attempt to create something new. Here we get the simple, tried and true and beautiful throughout, whether it be in carols or story choices.
This special succeeds because it is exceedingly human, and like the season, gives us a glimmer of hope for the world annually and that is why it is a timeless classic.
This is an absolute dream of a film that will likely be overlooked by moviegoers and the award season alike but is one of the best films of the year. Due to the fact that much of the film deals with Renée Zellweger’s character seeking a new husband it has been classified as a screwball comedy by many, however, this is but one aspect of this film.
This film is a story full of characters that are well-defined Zellweger who is sensational in this part has a very unique view of life. She in a Blanche DuBois kind of way relies on the kindness of strangers but seeks a certain standard of living for her and her boys. Finding a new father is how she thinks she can best mother them and drags them around the country in the 50s while seeking a new beau.
Being dragged along with her are her two sons Robbie and George. Robbie, the elder, is interested in theatre and fashion and played brilliantly by Mark Rendall. Robbie’s homosexuality is a prime example of the refreshing nature of this film. He just is and it’s like the white elephant in the room and is rarely mentioned which is accurate but he is totally accepted by his mother and half-brother. He also wields a gun without much drama and little stereotype in onepivotal scene.
George is less pleased to be along on the trip. He is more of a realist and frequently clashes with his mother. He is played with remarkable aplomb by Logan Lerman in a startling turn. Lerman will be a star for years to come based on his talent alone.
Renée Zellweger, as mentioned previously, is sensational in this film where she slowly but surely shows there’s more to her than meets the eye and yet realizes her imperfections. She completely immerses herself in this part and disappears into it.
This film has dialogue which is funny and effective. For every funny scene there is one of real emotion. Even though some events you know will happen but the how of it is the fun and what you don’t guess.
The score is also a unique signature and effective. It is jazzy and similar to that the band Dan, the boys’ estranged father played well by Kevin Bacon plays.
The entire supporting cast was extremely good. It’s the kind of movie you can try to fault but you won’t find much if anything. What a great find – go and see it.
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…
2006
Again I give you my comments alone here:
2006 BAM Nominees and Winners Disclaimers:
1. These awards are fictitious and represent only my, Bernardo Villela’s, opinions about the past year in film
2. BAM stands for Bernardo Academy of Movies. Lame, hence I made it up in High School. And has no connections with Emeril Legasse whatsoever.
Message: Let’s hope next year is better overall but this stuff is good.
Mel Gibson Apocalypto
Asia Argento The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things
Christopher Nolan The Prestige
Duncan Tucker Transamerica Richard E. Grant Wah-Wah
Michael Arndt Little Miss Sunshine
Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan The Prestige
Duncan Tucker Transamerica
Wayne Kramer Running Scared
Richard E. Grant Wah-Wah
William Broyles, Jr., Paul Haggis, James Bradley, Ron Powers Flags of Our Fathers Ryan Murphy and Augusten Burroughs Running with Scissors
Peter Buchman and Christopher Paolini Eragon
Mark Klein and Peter Mayle A Good Year
Armistead Maupin, Patrick Stettner and Terry Anderson The Night Listener
Felicity Huffman Transamerica
Asia Argento The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things
Annette Bening Running with Scissors
Helen Mirren The Queen
Emily Watson Wah-Wah
Gabriel Byrne Wah-Wah
Joseph Cross Flags of Out Fathers
Alan Arkin Little Miss Sunshine
Paul Dano Little Miss Sunshine
Greg Kinnear Little Miss Sunshine
Catherine O’Hara For Your Consideration
Scarlett Johansson The Prestige
Shohreh Aghdashloo The Nativity Story
Rosario Dawson Clerks II
Kristin Chenoweth RV
Abigail Breslin Little Miss Sunshine
Cameron Bright Running Scared
Cayden Boyd X3:X-Men United
Cole and Dylan Sprouse The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things
Jimmy Bennett The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things
‘Travelin’ Thru’ Transamerica
‘Start of Something New’ High School Musical ‘What I’ve Been Looking For’ High School Musical
‘Stick to the Status Quo’ High School Musical
‘We’re All in This Together’ High School Musical
Flags of Our Fathers
The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things
The Nativity Story
Running Scared Sorstalanság
Nominations
The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things – 8 Nominations (1 win) Little Miss Sunshine– 8 Nominations (3 Wins) Wah-Wah– 8 Nominations (5 wins) Running Scared– 7 Nominations Transamerica– 7 Nominations (2 Wins) High School Musical– 6 Nominations (2 Wins) The Prestige– 4 Nominations (1 Win) RV– 4 Nominations Eragon, The Queen, X3: X-Men United, The Nativity Story – 4 Nominations Flags of Our Fathers, Le Science des rêves, Running with Scissors (1 Win), Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man’s Chest (1 Win), Lady in the Water – 3 Nominations December Ends, The Queen (1 win) Thank You For Smoking, Final Destination 3 (1 Win), Sorstalanság (1 Win) 2 Nominations Apocalypto, A Good Year, The Night Listener, Borat, For Your Consideration (1 Win), Night at the Museum, Ultraviolet, Clerks II, Re-Animated, The Shaggy Dog, Trap, The Babysitter (1 Win), How To Eat Fried Worms (1 Win), Accepted, Slither, Big Mama’s House 2– 1 Nomination
I don’t know for certain if this airs annually but considering this is a Disney property I’m sure they play it somewhere. Mickey’s Christmas Carol is significant in a number of ways and not just because it was one of the animated crown jewels of my favorite decade.
The first bit of significance that this film holds is that it is the return of Mickey to theatrical shorts (albeit this is a hefty short) after a 30 year hiatus. Secondly, this unlike the other Christmas-themed specials that have been highlighted was released in movie theatres. The others for as cinematic as they may have been were all projects designed for television.
However, all of that is just anecdotal trivia for the film history buffs amongst us. What is truly special here is that not only is this a truly wonderful and moving rendition of Dickens’s classic but it seems as if it was fated to be.
In this short, as the name implies, Disney pulls from its stable of characters to cast its own version of A Christmas Carol. This is a popular device that is frequently used on TV shows most notably recently with Family Guy recreating the original Star Wars trilogy. What’s fun about them for the makers and viewers alike is that combining two well-known entities plays into and against audience expectations.
The “casting” of Mickey’s A Christmas Carol could not be more perfect after all Disney already has a character named Scrooge so from there the progression is natural and eerily similar. Scrooge also has a nephew who likes him and wants his approval even though Scrooge seemingly doesn’t care much for him; Donald. Then, of course, there’s Bob Cratchit and who better to portray him than Mickey Mouse? It goes on though, Goofy plays Jacob Marley, as a child (and to an extent to this day) his first apparition scared me.
They each have love interests (Minnie and Daisy) but then there are also the three spirits: Jiminy Cricket as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Willie the Giant as the Ghost of Christmas Present and Pete as the Ghost of Christmas Future.
Everyone knows the story of A Christmas Carol it is typically the execution we are interested in and the execution in this version is flawless and for many youngsters this could be their indoctrination to the tale as it was for me.
Disney, once upon a time, absolutely positively could not miss on an animated feature or short and this is the epitome of, and a testament to, that greatness.
I could very easily always pick a Looney Tunes short. I love Rabbit of Seville but saw a link wherein True Classics offers some brilliant insight:
Rabbit of Seville is the brainchild of director Chuck Jones, writer Michael Maltese, and frequent Warner Bros. composer Carl Stalling. Stalling was, on occasion, criticized by some (including Jones) for his habit of quoting modern or popular melodies in his scores, and it is true that his scores featured repeated use of certain musical cues for similar situations from cartoon to cartoon–for instance, the recurrence of Rossini’s William Tell overture in chase scenes (particularly those in Western-themed cartoons), or the use of “We’re in the Money” (from Gold Diggers of 1933) in scenes featuring the sudden acquirement of wealth. Stalling’s penchant for musical puns aside, he was nonetheless an incredibly talented musician, and the Stalling scores are among the most memorable in the Warner Bros. animated canon (for a pitch-perfect example of Stalling’s unparalleled talent, see 1943′s A Corny Concerto, directed by Bob Clampett, which Stalling completed with his eventual successor, Milt Franklyn).
In Seville, Jones takes full advantage of Stalling’s musical abilities, as the composer manages to incorporate a slightly abridged version of the overture to Rossini’s opera The Barber of Seville at an accelerated tempo that still manages to capture the essence of the original tune. Additionally, he works in a bit of the “Wedding March” from German composer Mendelssohn. Maltese composed new lyrics to accompany the sped-up tune, and aside from Bugs’ final line, the song lyrics are the only dialogue to accompany the cartoon–and really, no dialogue is needed when the lyrics include such brilliant lines as, “There, you’re nice and clean … although your face looks like it might have gone through a machine!”
There are little touches throughout this cartoon that heighten the humor: a sign in the opening scene advertises a “Summer Opera” performance of The Barber of Seville starring “Eduardo Selzeri” (producer Eddie Selzer), “Michele Maltese” (writer Maltese), and “Carlo Jonzi” (director Jones); the stage is set for a scene at a barber’s shop, yet in Rossini’s opera, there is no such scene (despite the character Figaro’s titular position); Bugs (naturally) gets the chance to don drag, as Elmer’s alluring “little senorit-er”; Elmer deals with multiple indignities in Bugs’ Sweeney Todd-esque barber chair o’ horrors, not the least of which is having a hair tonic treatment that results in a patch of red flowers sprouting on his otherwise bald noggin; to bring an end to the madness, Bugs proposes marriage, and Elmer zips offstage briefly and reemerges in a white wedding gown; Bugs’ final, mischievous nod to the audience. The result is a sort of insane mash-up of so-called high and low culture, audaciously combining cartoonish antics and high-brow musical accompaniment in a way that, by all logic, should not work … and yet totally and completely does.
Is Rabbit of Seville as effective a cartoony operetta as What’s Opera, Doc? In truth, not quite–though both cartoons have their strengths, the more satirical bent of the latter cartoon trumps the relentlessly slapsticky nature of Seville. Opera functions as both a parody of its musical source material and an incisive comedic homage to it, while Seville concentrates more on just generally garnering laughs. Not to say that there’s anything wrong with that, for Rabbit of Seville is truly hilarious, and undoubtedly its success enabled Jones, Maltese, and crew to embark on the much more ambitious (and much more expensive) Opera in later years. And its influence has not gone unnoticed; Rabbit of Seville is, like its operatic cartoon brother, on the list of the 50 best cartoons of all time, placing at number twelve, and it remains one of the most popular ‘toons to emerge from the Golden Age of animation. Perhaps most importantly, this cartoon is among a number of memorable Warner Bros. shorts that helped introduce new generations to classical music in a fun, engaging way that, if it didn’t exactly foster new fans of the genre, at least created a lingering awareness of the great compositions of those grand old masters.
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 PictureThe Dust Factory Machuca Saraband Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeBest Foreign FilmMarch of the Penguins Les Choristes Machuca La Mala Educacion SarabandBest Director Andres Wood Machuca Eric Small The Dust FactoryIngmar Bergman Saraband Harry Newell Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Andrew Adamson The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeBest 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 MachucaIngmar Bergman SarabandBest 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 FireAnne 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 WarddrobeBest Actor David Strathairn Good Night, and Good Luck Ryan Kelley The Dust Factory Don Cheadle Hotel Rwanda Borje Alstedt SarabandPhilip Seymour Hoffman CapoteBest Actress Hilary Swank Million Dollar Baby Virginia Madsen SidewaysJulia Dufvenius Saraband Emma Watson Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Rosario Dawson RentBest Supporting Actor Armin Mueller-Stahl The Dust Factory Morgan Freeman Million Dollar BabyErland Josephson Saraband Brendan Gleeson Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Skandar Keynes The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeBest Supporting Actress Sophie Okonedo Hotel RwandaLiv 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 WardrobeBest Visual EffectsStar 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 WardrobeBest 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 ChoristesBest 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 MachucaBorje 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 WarddrobeBest EditingAndy 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 WardrobeBest SoundtrackThe Lords of Dogtown Les Choristes Saraband Rent The Squid and the WhaleBest Sound EditingBatman 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 WardrobeBest Costume DesignThe 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 WardrobeWorst PictureCyber Seduction: His Secret Life The Sandlot 2 Jack Nobody Knows SyrianaMost Underrated PictureThe Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D Land of the Dead Zathura Rent The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeMost Overrated PictureBatman Begins Jack Nobody Knows Rock School SyrianaBest MakeupStar Wars- Episode III: Revenge of the Sith Land of the Dead Zathura Rent The Chornicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeBest Performance by a Child ActorDakota 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 WhaleBest CinematographyJanusz 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 WardrobeNominationsHarry 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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 
Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life The Sandlot 2 Jack Nobody Knows Syriana 
The Movie Rat 