Oscars | The Movie Rat

2023 BAM Award Nominations

Posted on January 24, 2024 by bernardovillela

It’s that time of year again, following yesterday’s Oscar Nomination announcement I announce my own personal BAM Awards. Being an academy of one only things I see can qualify and some titles are eligible for the BAMs a year after being eligible for the Oscars, due to what the wide release date is. To see what was eligible for this year’s BAMs please reference my list on Letterboxd.

The winners will be announced in March and each category will have an accompanying writeup. As is usually the case the nomination process was painstaking and was longer and more difficult than the writeup process should be. Enjoy those who made the year in moviegoing most worthwhile.

Best Picture

Anatomy of a Fall

Barbie

Close

Godzilla Minus One

The Holdovers

Huesera

Killers of the Flower Moon

Oppenheimer

Softie

When Evil Lurks

Best Foreign Film

Anatomy of a Fall

Close

Gozilla Minus One

Softie

When Evil Lurks

Most Overlooked Picture

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Next Goal Wins

Silent Night

What Happens Later

You Hurt My Feelings

Best Director

Lukas Dhont Close

Greta Gerwig Barbie

Martin Scorsese Killers of the Flower Moon

Justine Triet Anatomy of a Fall

Takashi Yamazaki Godzilla Minus One

Best Actress

Margot Robbie Barbie

Jane Fonda Moving On

Meg Ryan What Happens Later

Lily Gladstone Killers of the Flower Moon

Sandra Hüller Anatomy of a Fall

Best Actor

Dave Bautista A Knock at the Cabin

Leonardo DiCaprio Killers of the Flower Moon

Paul Giamatti The Holdovers

Barry Keoghan Saltburn

Cillian Murphy Oppenheimer

Best Supporting Actress

Emily Blunt Oppenheimer

America Ferrera Barbie

Da’vine Joy Randolph The Holdovers

Lily Tomlin Moving On

Michaela Watkins You Hurt My Feelings

Best Supporting Actor

Robert De Niro Killers of the Flower Moon

Robert Downey, Jr. Oppenheimer

Ryan Gosling Barbie

Matthew Lillard Five Nights at Freddy’s

Jimmy Tatro Theater Camp

Best Cast

Margot Robbie, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Sharon Rooney, Ana Cruz Kayne, Ritu Arya, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, Emerald Fennell, Ryan Gosling, Simu Li, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuit Gatwa, Scott Evans, John Cena, Michael Cera, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Rhea Perlman, Helen Mirren, and Will Ferrell Barbie

Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ray Liotta, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Brooklynn Prince, Christian Convery, Margo Martindale, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Kristoffer Hivju, Hannah Hoekstra, Ayoola Smart, Aaron Holliday, J.B. Moore, Leo Hannah, Kahyun Kim, Scott Seis, Matthew Rhys, Shanel Connellan, and Conor Lambert Cocaine Bear

Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Skeet Ulrich, Roger Jackson, Dermot Mulroney, Jack Champion, Josh Segarra, Lianna Liberato, Devyn Nekoda, Hayden Panettiere, Toby Revolori, and Samara Weaving Scream VI

Cilliam Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey, Jr., Aldren Ehrenreich, Scott Grimes, Jason Clarke, Kurt Koehler, Tony Goldwyn, John Gowans, Macon Blair, James D’Arcy, Kenneth Branagh, Harry Groener, Ted King, Tim DeKay, Steven Houska, Tom Conti, David Krumholtz, Petrie Willink, Matthia Scweighöfer, Josh Hartnett, Alex Wolff, Josh Zukerman, Rory Keane, Michael Angarano, Dylan Arnold, Emma Dumon, Florence Pugh, Matthew Modine, David Dastmalchian, Matt Damon, Dane DeHaan, Josh Peck, Jack Quaid, Bennie Safdie, Gustad Skarsgård, Devon Bostick, Rami Malek, Olivia Trilby, Casey Affleck, Harrison Gilbertson, Gary Oldman, Hap Lawrence, Et al. Oppenheimer

Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, Jason Isbell, William Belleau Louis Cancelmi, Scott Shepherd, Everett Walker, Talee Redcorn, Yancey Red Corn, Tatanka Means, Tommy Schultz, Sturgill Simpson, Ty Mitchell, Elden Hensen, Et al. Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Leading Role

Kristen Cui Knock at the Cabin

Nell Fisher Evil Dead Rise

McKenna Grace Crater

Calah Lane Wonka

Violet McGraw M3gan

Madeleine Yula Voyles The Creator

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Leading Role

Billy Barratt Crater

Eden Dambrine Close

Milo Machado Graner Anatomy of a Fall

Woody Norman Cobweb

Manny Magnus World’s Best

Aliocha Reinert Softie

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Supporting Role

Farrah Mackenzie Leave the World Behind

Brooklynn Prince Cocaine Bear

Piper Rubio Five Nights at Freddy’s

Gabrielle Echols Evil Dead Rise

Ariana Greenblatt Barbie

Briella Guiza There’s Something Wrong with the Children

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Supporting Role

Benjamin Evan Ainsworth All Fun and Games

Morgan Davies Evil Dead Rise

Gustav De Waele Close

Jude Hill A Haunting in Venice

Woody Norman The Last Voyage of the Demeter

Emilio Vodanovich When Evil Lurks

Best Youth Ensemble

Bailee Bonick, Kyndra Sanchez, Donovan Colan, Vivienne Sachs, Alan Kim, Alexander Bello, Luke Islam, Jack Sobolewski, Dean Scott Vazquez, Quinn Titcomb, Madisen Marie Llora Theater Camp

Isaiah Russell-Bailey, McKenna Grace, Barratt, Orson Hong, Thomas Boyce, Hero Hunter, Carson Minniear, Brady Noon Crater

Gabrielle Echols, Nell Fisher, Morgan Davies, Tai Wano Evil Dead Rise

Winslow Fegley, Deric McCabe, Clara Stack, Ayden Elijah, Imogen Cohen, Anthony Joo, Cihang Ma, Madilyn Kellam, Camila Rodriguez, Liyou Abere The Naughty Nine

Best Documentary

Not awarded.

Best Original Screenplay

Lukas Dhont, Angelo Tijssens Close

Emerald Fennell Saltburn

Demián Rugna When Evil Lurks

Samuel Theis, Gaëlle Macé Softie

Justine Triet, Arthur Harari Anatomy of a Fall

Best Adapted Screenplay

Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach Barbie

Kirk Lynn, Meg Ryan, Steven Dietz What Happens Later

Christopher Nolan, Kai Bird, Martin Sherwin Oppenheimer

Eric Roth, Martin Scorsese, David Grann Killers of the Flower Moon

M. Night Shyamalan, Steve Desmond, Paul Tremblay Knock at the Cabin

Best Score

Ludwig Göransson Oppenheimer

Mark Mothersbaugh Cocaine Bear

Daniel Pemberton Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Robbie Robertson Killers of the Flower Moon

John Williams Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Best Editing

Kristoffer Borgli Dream Scenario

Alain Dessauvage Close

Jack Price It Lives Inside

Lauret Sénéchal Anatomy of a Fall

Thelma Schoonmaker Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Sound Editing/Mixing

Erik Aadahl, Malte Bieler The Creator

Emma Bortignon Talk to Me

Nominees to be Determined Godzilla Minus One

Wei Hi, Nick Interlandi, Mark P. Stoeckinger, Roland N. Thai Silent Night

Richard King, Randy Torres Oppenheimer

Best Cinematography

Steve Annis Inside

Sharon Meir Silent Night

Hoyte van Hoytema Oppenheimer

Rodrigo Prieto Killers of the Flower Moon

Robert Richardson The Equalizer 3

Linus Sandgren Saltburn

Best Art Direction

Toby Britton, Gavin Fitch, Nic Pallace Wonka

Andrew Max Cahn, Dan Clegg, Clara Gomez del Moral Barbie

Andreas Olshausen, Chris Shriver, Régis Marduel, Et al. John Wick: Chapter 4

Nominees to be Determined. Godzilla Minus One

Best Costume Design

Jacqueline Durran Barbie

Lindy Hemming Wonka

Joanna Johnston Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Jeffrey Kurland Haunted Mansion

Jacquelin West Killers of the Flower Moon

Best Hair and Makeup

Sally Alcott, Robb Crafer, David Darby, Carmel Jackson, Alex Lawton, John Nolan Wonka

Ozzy Alvarez, Malinalli Contreras Saw X

Rita Balla, Svetlana Gutic, Dominic Hailstone, Daniel Losco Infinity Pool

Colin Penman, Indiana Allemang, Tori Binns, Jenna Howel, Shaun Hunter, Steve Newburn Dream Scenario

Leonardo Signoretti, Aldo Signoretti, Arianna Palmucci, Federico Martellacci, Shaun Smith, Brian Wade, Schott Wheeler Ferrari

Best Visual Effects

The Creator

Cocaine Bear

Godzilla Minus One

The Last Voyage of the Demeter

Oppenheimer

Best Soundtrack

Blue Beetle

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Saltburn

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

John Wick: Chapter 4

Best Original Song

“World’s Best” Utkarsh Ambudkar & Manny Magnus World’s Best

“Peaches” Jack Black Super Mario Brothers

“Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People) Osage Nation members Killers of the Flower Moon

“A Hatful of Dreams” Timothée Chalamet & the cast of Wonka

“I’m Just Ken” Ryan Gosling Barbie

Robert Downey, Jr. Entertainer of the Year Award

To be announced.

Ingmar Bergman Lifetime Achievement Award

To be announced.

Neutron Star Award

To be announced.

Special Jury Awards

To be announced.

The 88th Annual Academy Awards

Posted on February 28, 2016 by bernardovillela

Introduction

Well, here it is again, It’s a weird year for me. My intake of the Oscar-nominated films is low, I’ll do something to address that soon; however, bottom-line is that many of the nominated films I will be catching up with in the longer-than-usual Gray Area.

So without further ado the more specific commentary…

Red Carpet

Still awaiting the first absolutely ridiculous commentary.

Film #1 that needs seeing soon: Room.

Eddie Redmayne on the carpet. He’s a BAM Award nominee for Les Mis. Please ask him about Fantastic Beasts too. Nope. They didn’t I enjoy looking forward a bit too guys.

If you need some viewing pleasure between now and the ceremony here is a hilarious Consequences of Sound video that came out over the weekend:

In a surprising twist, many of the worst dresses are on the fashion analyst panel.

“Did his wife dress him?” epitomize moments when I regret them deigning to discuss men’s looks.

Switched to ABC because enough is enough.

I’m frequently late to switching to ABC, they line up most of the bigger, exclusive interviews right before the show.

“…The end of it all…”??? – Leo

—-BREAK—–

Starting about a half hour behind because life.

New opening animation is a bit odd, always like these montages though.

Is there a prop bet on Trump/political statements?

Leave it to Chris Rock. Holy cow! Amazing. Still ongoing by the way.

Jamie Foxx love, is always welcome as is a random Paul Giamatti shoutout in a bit. Good stuff.

Like the filmmaking process approach to the nominees.

Spotlight on screenplay. This is one of the few I couldn’t get the gumption up to see. It could be very well executed indeed, but it’s a been-there-done-that ripped from the headlines story.

Gosling (Canadian) and Crow (Australian). Diversity.

I kid because I love.

The Big Short wins adapted so does that bode well for the end of the night? Still holding out hope for The Revenant.

Political message one: Pro-Sanders without saying his name explicitly.

OMG, Tracey Morgan at it again! LOL!

Stacy Dash bombed hard. So much so that his hilarious throw to Sarah Silverman didn’t land either.

Holy crap, as hilariously embarrassingly candid as that was, is anyone directing this show?

Two Best Picture nominees mean four of these awkward stand-ups. Is it time to shake this formula again?

Alicia Vikander!! YES!

Loved her since A Royal Affair.

We agree, Oscars! Mad Max Best Costumes indeed!

“The thing where a bear lives” for quote of the night.

Mad Max again – agrees with me on Production Design! I’m happy now but not holding out any hope for Best Picture.

And again! The Mad Max portion of this show is awesome!

Yes, the Bear! and the Mad Max Best Picture montage.

Shoulda-been nominee is the best #OscarsSoWhite comment of the night.

Lubezki’s work on The Revenant is not a choice I can knock, it’ll contend for my awards this year for sure.

They’ll keep making a point of calling editors artists until everyone gets it.

Again, Mad Max was impeccably cut. Check out my props to its cut, I gushed when awarding it.

If they felt the need to have to go public domain play off music, why always the same song? “Ride of the Valkyries” is good and all but…

OMG, Jack Black as the featured actor in the Black History Month segment, LOL.

Editing and Mixing up…

The first one to Max! I picked it for both in my joint category.

Two-for-two! Gotta love it!

Wow, awesome that Andy Serkis got that intro. Knew he’d announce special effect but glad they did it that way.

Not that surprised Ex Machina took it. That was the best part of it in my opinion.

Haha, robots take over on my birthday!

Yes, Laika won an award!

Yes, Sci-Tech awards do count.

50 Oscar nominations for John Williams. Holy crap! Enjoy some now.

Obligatory animated presenters: The Minions!

Political reference #2 was Serkis mentioning Trump.

Did a minion just say Obama (#3)?

This is the first year in a while I come in to the Oscars having seen next to none of the shorts.

Political statement #4: The animated short that won is an allegory for those exiled from Chile during Pinochet’s regime. Awesome and powerful stuff, especially since it’s Chile’s first Oscar.

Whoop!

Kind of a foregone conclusion but glad Inside Out wins. There’s a lot of importance in that film beneath its cutesy façade.

“Make stuff” acceptance speech the most inspirational so far.

Kevin Hart on stage, not making a movie at this time. Guffaw.

Didn’t listen to the nominated songs on hearing about them like I said I would. Oops!

Quite nearly live, maybe, maybe, maybe in the next commercial break I’ll catch up. had to check the latest promo for The Family though.

Supporting Actor, y’all!

Mark Rylance wins Best Supporting Actor, I’ve not seen Bridge of Spies yet to my shame, but it’s just another accolade one of his actors has gotten that he’ll not get due credit for molding because people perceive him being about story and the technical end and not performance like Bergman.

Yes, to The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly theme!

Leave it to Louis C.K. to make Documentary Short Subject matter in a hilarious way.

OK, “The Oscar goes to Mad Max” is the new best line.

Political statement #4: The biggest one the short documentary caused the Pakistani Prime Minister to change the law on honor killings. Another huge win for a country.

Kapadia gets an Oscar, Senna should have gotten him one.

This Girl Scout Cookie bit was tired the second it started.

Whoopi introduced with “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” She’s not in that, but whatever it’s a good song, said the producers to themselves.

Cherly Boone Isaacs comes up for one of the most listened to and difficult addresses in the history of these awards I’d wager.

Was kinda dreading Grohl but it’s a cover song, so it’s cool.

Loved Robert Loggia in many things but always appreciated that he leant his voice to this bit.

RIP Alan Rickman now and always.

Finally live!

“For Best Foreign Language Film, foreign people…” Diversity.

To clarify I like Byung-Hung Lee and still think Sofía Vergara is still the funniest woman on TV. I just think it humorous that in a year when diversity is the biggest talking point at this year’s Oscars the presenters are all rather predictable. Kids for short film and so on. I’d like it mixed up some.

And now I get the Biden involvement. Political message #5: http://www.itsonus.org/

If it’s possible to have Lady Gaga bring the house down every Oscars, it should be arranged.

This is the part in the Oscars where I forget what categories are left.

Always glad to see Hungarian cinema recognized. Have to see The Son Saul.

This is the first Oscar for Ennio Morricone in competition? Really? Well, at leas that gets him off the Lifetime Achievement only list.

Tear-jerking speech of the night so far: This guy!

Best Original Song: if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all, says I in response to that decision.

Ali G in da house!

“Now check out this movie about a room full of white people” gets into Gold Medal position.

My reaction to the Best Director presenter…

I thought the smile meant Miller but, more importantly…

GOD FORBID, IÑARRITU BE ALLOWED TO UNDERSCORE THE SALIENT SOCIOLOGICAL POINT THE REVENANT MADE IN HIS SPEECH WITHOUT BEING DISTRACTED BY THE STUPID PLAY-OFF MUSIC. THE SHOW IS ALREADY RUNNING LATE GUYS, GIVE IT UP!

Brie’s win seals it, Room has to be first up.

Thank you, Academy for picking that clip instead of a wracked in agony one!

Third or fourth standing O?

If you follow Leo on social media that speech was no surprise, yet still amazing. Political moment #6.

Not gonna be that guy who comments on a movie he didn’t see, but I was surprised it was Spotlight.

The end.

March to Disney: Pocahontas (1995)

Posted on March 19, 2015 by bernardovillela

Introduction

This is a post that is a repurposing of an old post. As stated here I am essentially done with running multi-film review posts. Each film deserves its own review. Therefore I will repost, and at times add to, old reviews periodically.

This post was originally written for 31 Days of Oscar, but I am including it for this year’s March to Disney. Enjoy!

Pocahontas (1995)

When you watch films in runs and themes, you welcome any chance that will allow you to kill two birds with one stone. Considering that I plan to write about Disney films in March, screening some now will give me a jump on that and there are some titles I have been missing, as much as I like Disney. My complicated adolescent relationship with the company and more detailed thoughts on this film will follow, for now suffice it to say: Disney did some different things that worked here, it was treacherous ground they covered and for the most part it’s very well done.

Score: 8/10
Oscar Nominations/Wins: 2/2

86th Annual Academy Awards

Posted on March 2, 2014 by bernardovillela

As has become tradition I will drop here my off-the-cuff thoughts on the ceremonies and the winners as they proceed. Enjoy.

Red Carpet

I intended to cover more of the red carpet this year because I haven’t seen an awful lot of the nominated films, but I tuned in about 23 minutes later than I intended to.

As for the films, I typically get caught up in January and February, but have been focused on more new releases. As always, I have come to terms with the Oscars being more of a great show than about who wins for me, but I do still have some people I am rooting for.

With this year’s host not really being a controversial decision I anticipate I will discuss the “material” (such as it is) less.

I’m am extraordinarily bad at realizing people are related. Today’s example: Laura and Bruce Dern.

Amy Adams doing her hair as an homage to Vertigo is a decision I support.

Jennifer Lawrence is “winning” so far. Once Christian Dior was mentioned I realized it made sense. Amazing look.

Some good little segments in this pre-show like the Blue Jasmine costuming and My First Oscars.

Only 12 minute to the pointless thirty-minute pre-show that only delays the festivities!

The countdown clock is up. Everyone is pretty much there. You’re just being tortured at this point.

The good thing about the pre-show is that the nominees start to take over because it seems they just want to get things started.

I haven’t minded the selfie and pizza bits, but if the show is running even later than normal, then maybe, just a little.
A Fresh Prince cameraman is working the Oscars. One of the better tidbits we’ll learn.

The clock makes things go so much slower.

The Ceremony

It started. Nick Hoult is in the audience, the start is a good one.

New oldest nominees, which I was unaware of.

I like the stage and the fact that Captain Phillips and Philomena Lee are there.

That was the joke to end a monologue on. Amazing!

The Oscar clip is the main reason I don’t get Hanks being snubbed.

Jared Leto’s clip was the most convincing advertisement of Dallas Buyers Club yet.

The first political moment of the night didn’t take long, truthfully more important things are going on. Peace on earth all.

Random video segment of the night one: celebrates animation. It’s not like it’s under-appreciated.

“Happy” was the Despicable Me 2 song closest to earning a BAM nomination but missed the cut. It’s a tough category to crack.

Notable acknowledgement of the inclusion of hairstyling in the makeup category. It undeniably changed the process.

Three best picture nominees profiled at a time. Oh boy.

What is a “warm Kodak Theater welcome” exactly?

My take on the short films as a whole, and where to find them, can be seen here. I am glad Mr. Hublot got it, because Disney is a safe bet for the Feature category.

FROZEN! Called it.

Picking Gravity for Visual Effects is so easy I did it.

Zac Efron, your intro is a musical chord from Hairspray please do more musicals.

So far the most exciting moments of the night have been around the short films. So, so, so, so happy that Helium won. What a gorgeous film that made me cry in its 20 minute run time.

At least The Great Beauty winning supplants Life is Beautiful as Italy’s most recent win.

Not many comments recently because, as per usual, almost nothing is a surprise.

The obligatory joke about the President of the Academy always gets me.

Bill Murray’s impromptu tribute to Harold Ramis wins tonight.

Lubezki won long ago in my book.

“Cuaron wrote, directed and edited the movie, let’s play music on him” The Oscars.

Pink is guaranteed to bring the house down at any award show she sings at. Always a good idea.

The only thing that can get Gravity is … The Great Gatsby of all things, in art categories.

Missed the intro for the 2nd random video tribute. This third one is heroes. OK.

Lost momentum towards the end, but there was little else to report really. Love McConaughey’s speech it was great. Blanchett’s was also a statement of a different kind.

The ceremony was saved from being a complete and utter bore because Gravity didn’t win Best Picture after nabbing most everything else. However, maybe that was foretold by the fact that it didn’t have a writing nomination.

Glad, Cuaron got to speak his entire piece when his turn came again.

Not the most memorable broadcast, but maybe more exposure to the crop will make it stand out. Dallas Buyers Club rose big time in my estimation.

Foreign language Film Issues 2013: A Simple Plan (Part 5 of 5)

Posted on January 18, 2014 by bernardovillela

A Simple Plan

I didn’t initially think of a plan to propose for this year, but a rather simple solution came to mind. I think that using the existing rule about qualifying American of English-language films with regards to running time and a one-week engagement in Los Angeles (maybe for this category they can even add New York) that the Academy can shortlist some outstanding foreign films that have already gotten US exposure, and thus, hedge their bets about having some further interest in the potential pool of nominees. That would be Phase One.

Phase Two would, and could, operate in much the same way the foreign language submissions currently work. The US-released foreign films that could get shortlisted would likely encompass many of the nations that could benefit from additional submissions due to their history and high quality (France, Sweden, Germany, Japan, etc.) as well as those who may have multi-cultural populations and produce films in multiple languages (China, India, Belgium, Canada, etc.).

Essentially, this idea would be the smallest increase in eligible films of any I’d proposed. My first was the largest with a World-Cup-inspired merit system, the next also nearly doubled things. If a shortlist is, for the sake of argument 12 titles, this years submissions would be up to 88.

The Oscars do signify something, a much larger something to those whose eyes and ears are not glued to the process. I can’t argue that there isn’t prestige and that I don’t love the show. I have come to embrace the fact that Oscar winners are really about films easiest to build consensus around. Therefore, the committees, at least to some degree, operate correctly. What needs to be rectified is the fallacy that only one film per nation is worthy of Oscar consideration. The Oscars are the ultimate audience and judge so let them, add to the pot along with whatever films come their way via national committees.

The bottom line is that every year there’s a new facet I consider about the imperfections of the system. And, in fairness, based on what I’ve read, the Academy is working towards improvements on this category. I’m not sure that the entire membership voting on the winner is a good thing or a bad thing, but it’s a change. More changes still need to be made, more things taken into consideration when pooling candidates as I think I’ve shown in a number of ways.

Foreign Language Film Issues 2013: Hollywood Rules (Part 4 of 5)

Posted on January 17, 2014 by bernardovillela

As has been the case in years past I will here look at some of the issues plaguing the Best Foreign Language Film nomination process at the Oscars. Since this year I am touching on a large array of interrelated topics I thought it best to post my thoughts in a series. To read the introductory post of the series go here.

This text picks up immediately where the last part left off.

Hollywood Rules

It has been suggested that the Academy, or an offshoot thereof, should select the foreign films eligible. My newest suggestion will feature a compromise on that notion.

However, it is worthy of consideration of the fact that, no matter what amount of importance or disdain you view the Academy with, this is their awards. There was a time when the cinematic revolutions worldwide filled independently-owned movie theaters and had the college set watching and artsy-er breed of cinema, but times have changed. Therefore, taking a hard look at what the Academy is short-listing, and ultimately nominating and why, is something we and national committees should be doing. If the films being chosen with the Academy in mind is this just not cutting out the middle man? I’m not a fan of playing Devil’s advocate, which is what I was doing there, but I can’t find a lot of room to argue against it; save for the fact that I don’t care for it much and have an alternate idea, which will be presented in the final installment.

The Golden Globes, really?

If you follow critics and movie geeks on Twitter, or even if you just Google The Golden Globes and find some brutal op-eds on them you’ll see how dubious their nominating process is. This is excluding the fact that the membership is so small. Yet, even this much-maligned body accepts multiple nominations from nations, but the Oscars can’t?

Release

The Academy this year disqualified Blue is the Warmest Color, which is a Palme d’Or winner and one of the most talked about foreign arthouse releases of the year solely on the basis of the fact that its release date IN FRANCE was too late.

One recent argument that has emerged is that a US release date should be a requirement. That has its pros and cons, but surely if a film has seen European festival dates and has already seen a US release that qualifies it, how can you disqualify it because of its domestic release date. It’s beyond counter-intuitive.

Eligibility for Oscars in Other Categories and Snubs

While on the topic of snubs that brings related topics this year. I’ve not yet seen the film, but have seen fairly universal raves and lauds for Lea Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos in the aforementioned Blue is the Warmest Color. Due to the fact that the Academy has ruled said film ineligible for Best Foreign Language Film it is also ineligible for other categories.

Yes, there have been instances of foreign films being nominated for multiple awards: three instances jumping quickly to mind would be Amour (5), Central Station (2) and Fanny and Alexander (6) in all those cases those films were submitted as the foreign language selection for their respective nation, therefore, eligible in additional categories. Any snub this year can also write off any chance at nominations in ancillary categories.

Committee Submissions

With all the case-studies discussed prior, and with most countries I’m sure; it’s a small body making the decision of which film to select. Whenever you’re dealing with a small body I get the feeling, even though I was offered no proof of it, that undue influences could affect outcomes. I’m not saying they haven’t; it’s possible. I think most people who watch film and know the mechanics understand that the “best” isn’t always sought out. Sometimes it’s the most commercial, sometimes the most “Oscar-friendly”, sometimes other factors can be seen as coming into play.

This series will conclude tomorrow with part 5.

Foreign Language Film Issues 2013: Introduction (Part 1 of 5)

Posted on December 12, 2013 by bernardovillela

Introduction

The time has come again in the year when I look at the the Best Foreign Language submission process. As opposed to years past when I looked at the overall process and discussed pie-in-the-sky solutions here I’ll look at some more microcosmic issues that will illuminate some other issues with the process that need to be looked at; some of these issues will have been discussed prior but here are looked at under a different guise and others have not been discussed. This time I’ve not contacted as many people as I did in previous years but I did glean some insight and just want to get some issues mentioned. Every year, at least in the trades, this process is brought up so it’s one that even the Academy will admit is imperfect and constantly tweaked. A majority of the discussion highlighting what is not taken into consideration under current rules.

One Film Per Country

One of the key Oscar rules that, I have frequently hearkened back to, is one film per country submission policy. In the past I discussed the possibility of adding more viewers and a “merit-based” quota. This year aside from tossing out potential alternate systems I did want to discuss some of the things that create issues in the current system. This is one of the first and foremost offenders. And, yet again, I found new ways in which this can be limiting.

To be continued

Short Film Saturday: The Little Matchgirl (1996)

Posted on March 16, 2013 by bernardovillela

For a little more than 30 years, from the late 1920s to the early 1960s, you’d be hard pressed to find a year wherein the Academy didn’t nominate either Disney or Warner Brothers for Best Animated Short Film. Keeping that in mind, I decided instead to search out more latter-day Disney shorts that I may not yet have seen.

In this day and age the short film has to find new avenues to find audiences. Gone are the days of double-features and programs that were expected to include either and animated short or serial chapter and a newsreel. This short was included as a bonus feature on The Little Mermaid platinum edition DVD release, and is appropriately another Hans Christian Andersen tale.

The 85th Academy Awards

Posted on February 24, 2013 by bernardovillela

So to spare my friends And followers on social media I’ll be live blogging the Oscars here.

Thoughts may be more sporadic this year.

Red Carpet/Pre-Show

George Clooney is just naturally funny. Great stuff.

Audio issues. Yikes.

Once I heard Anne’s guess (about the mystery item) I knew she was right. That’s the first time she’ll win tonight.

Not sure it’s a gimmick that should stay, but an interesting wrinkle for this year.

Watched the countdown clock more than ever. That was an ordeal.

I wonder if Hugh Jackman gets tired of being referred to as Wolverine. He’s not actually Wolverine. He just plays him in the movies.

Didn’t see enough red carpet to pick a best dressed.

The Show

Love the profit joke and the Ben Affleck obviously.

Shatner!

Well, I expected sporadic updates just because I wanted to watch but that opening was spectacular!

Excellent speech by Waltz.

Got the first shot of Jack and the mandatory playing of the E.T.
theme in segment one.

Animated short was no surprise. I had a feeling it’d be nominated since I saw it.

Brave winning actually did surprise me. It was rather divisive and I was lukewarm on it. Animated films are deep right now, there were other viable winners, and better ones in my estimation.

Well, I expected those two to go to Pi. Miranda’s speech was memorable. The Rhythm and Hues comments by the VFX team had to come earlier. I expected them. Using the Jaws theme to play them off was just too funny.

Hair and Costume winners are always tough to figure. Very pleased with the results. Glad to see Anna Karenina get some love.

“Goldfinger” sounded amazing!

So the shorts just got announced. I didn’t see the short subject docs, but it was a good opportunity for an apropos stump speech.

As per usual, it would seem, my favorite live action short didn’t get the win. It makes Death of a Shadow even more marked in my mind. It’s a short I’ll remember.

Didn’t see any of the Feature Documentaries. Based on buzz I was expecting Sugar Man.

I know Affleck tried to pass it off as a joke, but he sounded kinda ticked off by the stupid Kardashian joke. I mean, I laughed, but I agree with MacFarlane, likely should’ve been dropped.

Had to wait 2 segments to update.

Thankfully, they had three musicals to draw upon for the past decade tribute. Musical theme plus Seth MacFarlane makes perfect sense, but musicals aren’t as prominent as they once were, clearly. They can still clearly work the Tatum-Theron dance was great at the start.

Obviously Les Mis would bring the house down. When you record live those songs live with you forever.

I don’t know the last time, if there ever was a tie, but that’s surely a historic moment. Glad that Skyfall, an action film took one of them. It’s a really well done work.

Argo owes much of its success to the edit. It moves along brilliantly. It’s not just about shot selection and cuts, but also pace. It’s a thriller at its core for all its other fenestrations, and it needed that edit to succeed.

Glad to hear “Skyfall” during the broadcast. Performing all the songs got too routine, but combining a Bond theme and allowing the song to be in the broadcast is definitely a highlight.

The Governors Award winners for this year is a varied field and a good one. Most notably to me is George Stevens, Jr. I was unaware he founded AFI. I staunchly support any organization that promotes and preserves film.

I was pulling for Anna Karenina again, but Lincoln winning the newly re-named Production Design is fine with me. Lots of great sets throughout bring that world to life.

The In Memoriam was well-handled. I hadn’t thought ahead to it. Amazing surprise having Streisand come out and sing in honor of Hamlisch.

So I was off and they added one more performance, the Norah Jones song in Ted</em that I'd forgotten about. A little awkward to go from saying you saw two, here's video of two more and another live. I thought it a toss-up between Skyfall and Les Mis. Glad Skyfall took it though. It’s an intrinsic and quintessential Bond song.

Best Original Score not my favorite choice of the night. Coul’ve picked any of the other four in that one and I’d be happy.

I was pulling for Lincoln but fully expected Argo.

However, the highlight of the screenwriting tandem was Quentin getting it. Right before it was announced I pleaded “Come on, this is the one other thing it can get!” It was likely my favorite win tonight because I shouted with glee. I didn’t expect it to happen.

OK, weird footnote: Ang Lee has now won Best Director twice. Will he have that distinction with no Best Picture wins? Life of Pi won in categories I expected it to until recently. Is it a fourth front-running candidate for Best Picture?

Very cool that Jack came out for Best Picture. And as for Michelle Obama announcing and speaking via satellite, great message.

So it turns out that quirky footnote happened. Argo won as the tea leaves have been showing.

I think the closing song would’ve worked better if both were former nominees who didn’t win.

Conclusion

I expected many of the awards but it was a greatly entertaining show. Unlike last year where I gave it a pass, I was biased here, being a MacFarlane fan and he delivered. He even got to get his favorite Sound of Music gag in, which I think is great. Basically, the new paradigm should be, regardless of sensibility, treat it like it’s your only shot to host. He and the writers knowledgeably poked fun at Oscar trends and patterns and occasionally ruffled feathers. It was great fun, especially as the musical theme gave it that air of gaiety and celebration.

2013 Oscar Nominated Short Films – Animation

Posted on February 6, 2013 by bernardovillela

One thing I most definitely praise the Academy as well as the sponsors who help bring this showcase to being (DirecTV, AT&T and Shorts HD) is that they are bringing the Oscar nominated shorts to a wider audience, whereas before you were in the dark and few, if any of these shorts, had any life beyond the ceremonies. Not to mention the fact that they’re now being sold on iTunes too.

The animated slate screened first this year, and it’s an even stronger field than last year. Especially when you consider that none of the nominated films has any significant dialogue. One merely had a news broadcast on TV, which is of no consequence.

Fresh Guacamole

This could well be the most creative of the nominees, but while there is abundant cleverness in the replacement of literal props with representative artifacts, its brevity and simplicity may be to its detriment considering the other nominees.

Adam and Dog

This is a very well-drawn and interesting depiction of the first dog and the first man, which is very poignant.

Head Over Heels

Is perhaps the most moving of the selections. As opposed to a short like Reverso, which I featured on a short film Saturday, here you get a very literal metaphor for the unusual upside-downness of the world.

Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”

Here you have a nomination that hearkens back to yesteryear inasmuch as it is a notable lead from a popular stable of characters in this short tale. As you might expect from Matt Groening there is a lot of intelligence and humor in this short, but also a very cinematic sensibility.

Paperman

Walt Disney Animation Studios is also nominated for this charming little short that they had play prior to the start of Wreck-It Ralph. It’s another coup for the studio pushing the company brand to greater heights. I likely have little pet peeves about each of these shorts, this one is the largest though.

Highly Commended Selections

To fill out the program there is usually a selection of Highly Commended shorts. This year’s crop isn’t as strong overall if memory serves.

The Gruffalo’s Child

I didn’t really care for the original, and like this one less so. As beautiful as the animation is, and as much as I appreciate the technique, the storytelling is too basic and stilted in its storybook predictability.

Dripped

It’s a creative idea that doesn’t feel quite as fully developed as the others.

Abiogenesis

Of the three selections, this is by far the best and presents the double-edged sword of including Highly Commended films because I honestly don’t understand how this film wasn’t nominated. It’s sheer brilliance.

Posts navigation

Older Posts