Selma (2014)

Ava Duvernay's paints a vivid picture of the 1965 voting rights marches in Selma, Alabama.  She does not shirk away from violence or hatred, beginning the film with an unexpected, very graphic "BANG!"  The audience sees and hears the billy club wielding policemen brutally beating and teargassing nonviolent protesters.  There is a great shot that follows Oprah's character Annie Lee Cooper head on falling backwards to the concrete.  But amid all the violence there is hope.  This film is a testament to the idea that people of all backgrounds can come together to bring about change in society.  This message is especially important in our society today, when we are reminded of the protests in Ferguson or in Hong Kong.

It is important to be reminded that these are real people being portrayed on screen.  The characters, even supporting characters, are all actual historical figures.  A lot of research was done for this film. For the unknowing viewer, the epilogue credits give proof that the people depicted are real, some still living today.  We also see black-and-white historical footage of the march to Montgomery with the hordes of people crossing the bridge.

One interesting fact about the screenplay is that all of the speeches made by Oyelowo as King are made up.  The filmmaker did not have permission to use the text from his actual speeches. Interestingly though, the speeches in the film actually sound like things King might have said.  The cadence, the content, and even the figurative language are all reminiscent of King's words.  Oyelowo does an excellent job as King, portraying him in public and private life.  The FBI was always suspicious of King, and constantly kept him under surveillance.  We are subtly reminded of this at the end of each scene with typewriter text appearing on the screen recording the FBI's logs.  This stylistic choice of Duvernay keeps the FBI ominously lurking in the background as they actually did.

And finally, I love "Glory," the song at the end credits by Common and John Legend. Its message, rhythm and chorus resonate with the audience for an uplifting ending

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu composes a masterpiece in his innovative satire on show business.  The most impressive aspect of Birdman is the illusion of one smooth, massive continuous take.   This is a combination of excellent cinematography by Oscar-winner Emmanuel Lubezki and some visual effects tricks.  It emulates a stage play, much like the one being staged in the movie.  The way scenes change in the movie very much resemble a play as do the monologues. The setting inside one of Broadway's great theaters is a labyrinth that the crew must have navigated expertly to get its shots.  I always pay special attention to lighting in "plays",  which is done in the movie such that the light from one set doesn't pollute the others nearby despite the continuous take.

I love the life-imitates-art-imitates-life concept of the film, casting former Batman, Michael Keaton to play a version of himself, not an easy thing to do.  Keaton leads a superb cast.  They all deliver their quirky jokes in this dry, fast-paced way that keeps the movie flowing with the camera.  It is also moved along by the innovative score, made up solely of drum solos and classical interludes.  My favorite is the always good Edward Norton, who, in one scene, gives a masterclass in acting to Keaton.  Emma Stone also deserves to be singled out, playing a recovering drug addict.  All 3 actors are serious Oscar contenders.

Fantasia (1940) & Fantasia 2000 (1999)

Walt Disney's experimental classic still plays well 75 years after its premiere and is better than Roy Disney's follow up in 2000.  It is a novel idea to compile a series of unrelated short films into one much-needed introduction to classical music, excellent for young children and adults alike.  The only things connecting short films are the orchestra and the animation. Fantasia 2000 tried to update the look with computer animation,  such as the strange looking whales in Respighi's Pines of Rome.  But not veering too far from the original,  2000 brings back Dukas's Sorcerer's Apprentice,  perhaps the most iconic sequence from the original and perhaps from the entire Disney canon.   The movie reinforces the idea that good storytelling does not require words or even actors.   It displays the power of music to convey a story and showcases some of the greatest pieces humanity has produced. My personal favorites are Stravinsky's Firebird and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, both from the 2000 version.  I greatly appreciate the look of hand drawn animation.  Both show complete storytelling, even with complex intertwining stories in a Depression era New York, really embodying Gershwin.  There are some weaker shorts, in which the animation is made up mostly of dancing lines and shapes, which compared to the other shorts comes off as a little lazy. 

The Imitation Game (2014)

Benedict Cumberbatch is so good as the eccentric British hero Alan Turing.  His stutters and mannerisms convince the audience that he is playing a true genius.  After doing a little research on Turing, I appreciate the little details included in his characterization that I otherwise would have ignored (For example, he was an avid runner in real life).  Turing was not the only person facing discrimination; Keira Knightley's Joan Clarke is a fellow outcast whom Turing befriends.  Knightley leads a fabulous supporting cast working in ultra secrecy during WWII.  Praise to the production design team for depicting the reality of wartime Britain.

This story is an important one that needs to be told to recognize these war heroes' massive achievement in computing history.  There were some parts in the subplots that went by so quickly that I failed to understand what happened.  As I later read, the subplots are partially fictitious.  The screenplay does a good job of strategically tracing three key periods of his life to highlight his closeted homosexuality without undermining the central war part of the story. The movie also attempts to explain Turing's famous Imitation Game and some of the mechanics behind his decoder.  Perhaps the ideas are too difficult for the common audience to understand, but I think we could have benefited from a little more detail about how the machine actually worked. 

Predicting the Oscar Nominations 2015

I will be without access to the internet when the Oscar nominations come out on January 15. So here are my predictions for the nominees in some of the major categories a little early. (Things I've seen already in bold)

Edit: Whiplash was determined to qualify in the adapted screenplay category so I revised my prediction.  Also,  I no longer believe that Unbroken will be nominated for best picture, so I chose Nightcrawler instead.

Best Picture- up to 10 nominees
1. Boyhood
2. Birdman
3. Selma
4. The Imitation Game
5. The Theory of Everything
6. Whiplash
7. The Grand Budapest Hotel (My favorite so far)
8. Foxcatcher
9. Nightcrawler
10. Into the Woods

Best Director
1. Richard Linklater- Boyhood
2. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu- Birdman
3. Ava Duvernay- Selma
4. Morten Tyldum- The Imitation Game
5. Wes Anderson- The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Actor
1. Eddie Redmayne- The Theory of Everything
2. Michael Keaton- Birdman
3. Benedict Cumberbatch- The Imitation Game
4. David Oyelowo- Selma
5. Jake Gyllenhaal- Nightcrawler

Best Actress
1. Julianne Moore- Still Alice
2. Reese Witherspoon- Wild
3. Felicity Jones- The Theory of Everything
4. Rosamund Pike- Gone Girl
5. Amy Adams- Big Eyes

Best Supporting Actor
1. JK Simmons- Whiplash
2. Edward Norton- Birdman
3. Mark Ruffalo- Foxcatcher
4. Ethan Hawke- Boyhood
5. Robert Duvall- The Judge

Best Supporting Actress
1. Patricia Arquette- Boyhood
2. Keira Knightley- The Imitation Game
3. Emma Stone- Birdman
4. Meryl Streep- Into the Woods
5. Jessica Chastain- A Most Violent Year

Best Original Screenplay
1. Boyhood
2. Birdman
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. Nightcrawler
5. Selma

Best Adapted Screenplay
1. Gone Girl
2. The Theory of Everything
3. Whiplash
4. The Imitation Game
5. Into the Woods

Update: I scored 7/8 in the best picture category, 4/5 in the best director category, 3/5 for best actor, 4/5 for best actress, all 5 for best supporting actor, 4/5 for best supporting actress, 4/5 for best original screenplay, 3/5 for best adapted screenplay. 

My Golden Globes Picks 2015

I will be without access to the internet when the Golden Globes are announced on January 11. So here are my predictions for the winners a little early.  The Hollywood Foreign Press tends to award big stars and new blood. (Things I've seen already in bold)

Film

Best Picture (Drama): Boyhood
Best Actor (Drama): Eddie Redmayne from The Theory of Everything
Best Actress (Drama): Julianne Moore from Still Alice
Best Picture (Comedy/Musical): Birdman
Best Actor (Comedy/Musical): Michael Keaton from Birdman
Best Actress (Comedy/Musical): Amy Adams from Big Eyes
Best Supporting Actor: JK Simmons from Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress: Meryl Streep from Into the Woods
Best Director: Richard Linklater for Boyhood
Best Screenplay: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Animated Feature: The Lego Movie
Best Foreign Language Film: Ida from Poland
Best Score: Birdman
Best Song: Glory by Common and John Legend from Selma

TV

Drama Series: House of Cards
Best Actor (Drama): Kevin Spacey from House of Cards
Best Actress (Drama): Robin Wright from House of Cards
Comedy Series: Transparent
Best Actor (Comedy): Jeffrey Tambor from Transparent
Best Actress (Comedy): Gina Rodriguez from Jane the Virgin
TV Movie: True Detective
Best Actor (TV Movie): Matthew McConaughey from True Detective
Best Actress (TV Movie): Frances McDormand from Olive Kitteridge
Best Supporting Actor: Matt Bomer from The Normal Heart
Best Supporting Actress: Uzo Aduba from Orange is the New Black

Update: In the movie section I scored 8/14 and in the TV section I scored 5/11.

Maleficent (2014)

This movie is part origin story, part retelling of Sleeping Beauty, part altering the original story.  The movie attempts to Wicked-fy Maleficent, remaking the traditional villain into a morally ambiguous character.  However, whereas Wicked does not mess with the original source material, Maleficent takes lots of liberties in modifying the plot line of the classic Disney movie.

The movie has a really great look with a nice combination of CGI and practical effects.  This takes place in a dark, angular, and thorny fairy tale world.  Angelina Jolie is transformed into the iconic dark fairy with the aid of some intense makeup and a stylish pair of horns.  She has the presence of an ominous giant, filling the room or the forest.  She is so entertaining to watch because at times she can scare you and yet there are other times in which she shows vulnerability, a side of Maleficent we are not used to seeing.  Lastly, Lana del Rey's haunting rendition of Once Upon a Dream sends chills down the spine--a perfect arrangement for a powerful singer.

The Judge (2014)

As someone who is interested in law, I was disappointed at this overly cliched movie.  There are quite a few soapbox speeches on justice, what makes a good lawyer, and how the law should be upheld. This movie could have used some more showing and less telling.

Robert Duvall as the eponymous judge gives a wonderful performance.  He has the stature and command of a respected man who ran a courtroom for four decades.  The accompanying score succeeds in creating a feeling of a great hall of justice in a small town.  This pretty impressive small town has a diner with a gorgeous view overlooking a waterfall.  Robert Downey Jr. plays a cocky defense attorney not too different in personality from his typical characters lately.  As his plot unravels, (there are a lot of subplots involving him) we find some sentimental moments but it is rather predictable throughout.

Foxcatcher (2014)

I was looking forward to this highly anticipated movie but was disappointed.  It was slow-paced and dare I say boring.  The characters, especially John DuPont and Mark Schultz, go through extreme transformations; however the movie fails to depict the process of transformation, only showing the before and after with very little transform-ing.   We never get inside the heads of these disturbed characters.  This doesn't make the movie any more difficult to follow, but it certainly makes for some sudden transitions coupled with some awkwardly fast cutaways.

That being said, all three leading men give excellent, gritty, dark and disturbing performances. Steve Carrell is unrecognizable in his breakout dramatic role behind loads of makeup.  Mark Ruffalo is perhaps even better than Carrell.  Some of the best scenes are when Ruffalo as David Schultz coaches his younger brother.  It is in these scenes, such as the silent sparring one, in which we see their relationship in its rawest form.