Post Oscars Review

Yesterday was the 84th Annual Academy Awards. I love Oscar season. I throw parties, live vicariously through those present at the ceremony and act as though I am present at the ceremony, much to my loved ones dismay.

So how did they do?

Firstly, I am so happy Sacha Baron Cohen went to the Oscars as his character The Dictator. Throwing the 'ashes' of Kim jung Il on the pretentious Ryan Seacrest really made my night. Did you see his face? Classic!

Our host for the evening was the talented yet safe Billy Crystal. I really appreciate him as a comedian, his experience as an eight time Oscar host, and his long Hollywood career, however he brought nothing fresh, new or exciting to the event. I know people were upset after Hollywood tried to pump some fresh blood into the mix with hosts Anne Hathaway and James Franco, sure, it didn't go well. But did we need to revert back to times long gone? I think the Awards need younger hosts that connect to the younger audiences whilst also having the experience and talent to entertain all ages. This isn't an easy feat but surely in La La land they can pool together some potential.

Ok, let's talk about the winners. Now I really have to mention here how frustrating it is when people say that they can't understand how The Artist won considering it's a silent film. Those people should take a little walk down film history. Some of my favourite films are silent films and they emote as much as any film with sound can. I was very happy that Hugo picked up five awards (Cinematography, Art Direction, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, and Visual Effects) I absolutely love this film. Check out my  Hugo Review.

There were no surprises for Octavia Spencer's win as best actress in a supporting role, Christopher Plummer as best actor in a supporting role, and Jean Dujardin as best actor. There was some surprise however when Meryl Streep won best actress. No one can deny Meryl's talent, she is untouchable and an inspiration to any actor. Viola Davis however blew people away with her performance in The Help. It's a tough call, two spectacular actresses up for one award. There's definitely going to be those for and against the final decision but I think we can all agree that they are both amazing.

My favourite win of the night was when Brett McKenzie took home an Oscar for his song "Man or Muppet" from The Muppets. Seeing a fellow kiwi on that stage only brings me joy and pride. He's a wonderful comedian and song writer and it's great to see him acknowledged by the Academy.

I really love the Oscars. I do a countdown and read up everything I can in the days leading up to the ceremony. I have spent the last ten years dreaming of going there myself one day, and I still believe with unabashed certainty that I will. However I have to admit that the past couple of years the Oscars have lost a bit of their sparkle. I think I can reach out a little farther and say that in the past couple of years the film industry has lost some of its sparkle. What I would love to see is more films being nominated that speak to a wider audience. There were a few snubs this year that many weren't happy about (Ryan Gosling and We Need to Talk about Kevin for example). It's never going to be perfect, but there seems to have been a wider disconnect this year.

Perhaps because of the Anne Hathaway/James Franco debacle the Academy tried to stay away from doing anything "young". That's a mistake however. This may have been the 84th Annual Academy Awards but that doesn't mean the median age of viewers are in their 80s. I think they need to reach out more to the youth, get the youth excited about the film industry because they are the future of the industry. I love how diverse film is, there is room for everyone regardless of age, sex, race, religion, sexual orientation. I just want to see an Academy Awards show that represents that too.

Films You Should Be Watching On Pay Per View

Tonight my husband and I decided to make some pizza, pour some vodka sodas and watch pay per view. Two excellent films later I thought it was worth giving them a shout out on my blog.

Drive

I know there has been a lot of hype about this movie. It came out just as my husband and I made our big move across the Pacific so we didn't get to catch it at the cinema. I really loved this film and here's why.

1. Editing
I could go on and on about how spectacular the vision of this film was. The way they shot it and then arranged the shots was nothing short of brilliant in my eyes. The shots toyed with the timeline giving you moments that were conflicting in all the right ways. This film relies heavily on visual as it is very sparse on dialogue. The shots tell the story and they do so in a beautiful way. If you're interested in film editing then I recommend that you check this film out. You could turn the sound off and watch it and still catch all the emotion.

2. Soundtrack
The music in this film is so great, like a flashback to the '90s. I loved the mix of genre. In some scenes there was upbeat, fast-paced techno pop and in others there were slow, melodic, haunting tunes. This combined with editing and the use of slow motion married sound and image in a perfect and surprising combination.

3. The Dialogue
Or more importantly, the lack there of. At one point I turned to my husband and commented on how the sparse dialogue rendered the film more realistic. In life there are so many moments of silence where all the words are played out in our thoughts and eyes. In most films directors fear the silence and fill it with nonsense. This film did not. It not only allowed silence, it reveled in it. I felt myself captivated by the story because I was able to follow it without being force fed the constant thoughts of characters.

4. Ryan Gosling
This was a spectacular performance by Gosling. To be a truly great actor you have to be able to tell the story, the emotion through your eyes. If you can show me rather than tell me then I know you can act. It was about 20 minutes into the film that I realised he'd hardly spoken. I was able to get the essence of the film purely through the emotion he projected through his eyes. When he does speak however, you listen, his words are few but they hold a certain power.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It was refreshing to be able to watch a film and make sense of it on my own without all the words. There are some pretty epic car chase scenes too.

50/50

My husband and I saw this at the cinema and loved it so much we thought we'd re-watch it. It's a simply but beautifully told story of a 27 year old who has just found out he has a tumor with a name no one can pronounce and a 50% chance of survival.

There are a couple of scenes that I wanted to mention. The first is the one where Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds out about the cancer from his detached doctor who seems more interested in his conversation with his tape recorder. When I was 18 I had a tumor removed and I will never forget what it was like sitting on the other side of that desk as the doctor explained things to me that were beyond my knowledge. All the words were lost on me except for when she mentioned that it could be cancer. That word hits you like a knife through the heart. Luckily for me my tumor was benign, but I really loved this scene because it was so true to what I remember of that traumatizing experience.

The other scene I have to mention is the one where Adam's best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen) confronts Adam's girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard). This was one of those scenes where you really want a character to do something and they follow through. I wont say anything in detail because I don't want to ruin it for you but when you see the film you'll know what I mean.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a wonderful job as Adam, carrying the weight of the burden he carries with grace and a dawning understanding. You would think that a film about such a serious and life altering topic would be heavy, but the film does a great job of showing humor in even the worst moments. The characters are lovable and the relationships between them authentic. I really enjoyed the connection between Adam and his sweet therapist Katherine (Anna Kendrick).

So that's how I spent my Sunday night. What about you? Seen any good films lately?

My Favourite War Films

I am a huge fan of war films so I thought it was time to do a list of my favourite war films. Here it is in no particular order:

Tears of the Sun

I had no expectations when I first saw this film, but even if I had I know it would have exceeded them. This is a great tale of heroism and bravery, and the choices that have to be made in war. Starring Bruce Willis as Special Ops Commander Lt. Waters who leads a team into the incredibly hostile jungle of Nigeria to rescue a doctor (played by Monica Bellucci). The problem is that she won't leave without the 70 refugees she's been taking care of, and there's only room for one more on the helicopter. Waters then has to make a choice, force her to leave, or take a risk and try and save them all. There are some scenes that haunt me to this day, but I'm glad for them. This film opened my eyes to a brutality that the news really hasn't done justice to. 

Band of Brothers

I won't go into detail with this one as I've already written two blog entries dedicated to the miniseries here: Band of Brothers. All I can say is that this is a spectacular series and I highly recommend it. 

Jarhead

It's been called a war film without war and there were many critiques of the film, some stating it didn't have enough of a political standpoint, others claiming it to be anti-war. I think Mendes created a film that perfectly described the Gulf War: thousands of marines went to the desert to fight, for what, they didn't know, but they were trained to kill and they waited for their chance to finally get the pink mist. The film has such a strong political undercurrent, which makes a comment not only on the Gulf war, but also the Iraq and Vietnam wars. A great film for anyone who appreciates films that focus on the implications of war. 

Saving Private Ryan

There are those who think this film was too American, with an American focus. It's true, there is a significant lack of the other participants of the second World War. However, it's a brilliant film and tells a great story. The film is loosely based on the four Niland Brothers who served in WWII. It was believed that only one brother had survived and so he was sent back to the US. However they discovered that one of his brother's also lived and was a POW in Burma. I think the film is visually spectacular and has some of the most vivid and realistic war scenes I've seen in film. It's a great tale of heroism and camaraderie. 

Apocalypse Now

My first blog post was dedicated to this film. I was so surprised by how amazing it is. I knew it was a classic, had heard a lot about it but so many films are talked about that way and fall below expectation. This one surpassed mine, exceedingly. Check out my review here: Apocalypse Now.

Platoon

A classic, and one of Charlie Sheen's finest performances. This Oliver Stone film looks at the Vietnam war through the eyes of Chris (Sheen), a young and naive soldier who quits college and volunteers for Vietnam. He discovers the brutality of war, his fellow soldiers and the psychological effect this can have.  I love the final scene with Chris' VO when he says:  "I think now, looking back, we did not fight the enemy; we fought ourselves. The enemy was in us." This reminds me a lot of Jarhead, and the message that film carries. A wonderful film that shows the true, brutal side of the Vietnam war, because let's be honest, that's the only side that war had. 

The Hurt Locker

I love this film for two reasons: it's an epic war film, and it's an epic war film made by a woman. Kathryn Bigelow, I salute you! What I enjoyed about this film is that it focusses on an Army bomb squad in the Iraq war. It shows the story of Sgt. First Class William James (Jeremy Renner) a soldier whose life is war. Even when he's away from the front line he can't wait to go back. A lot of war films focus on the reluctant hero, the struggle as they try to get home. This film focusses on a war junkie who is happy to place himself in the most dangerous situations. It's slow paced, which I enjoyed. This is not a war film focussed on fight scenes, this is a story of the psychological side of war and why, for some soldiers, war is where they're at their best. 

Three Kings

A wonderful, sometimes hilarious, look at the Gulf War. The film opens on Troy (Mark Wahlberg) who can't quite remember the rules of engagement. A pretty funny scene follows as he tries to figure out whether he should or should not shoot his opponent. When Troy, Archie Gates (George Clooney) and Chief Elgin (Ice Cube) go in search of stolen gold they end up finding a group of people who need their help. There are some moments in the film that are reminiscent of Tears of the Sun. Once again it's heroism and bravery that are the focus of this tale. Sometimes we are given the opportunity to be more than we think we're capable of, and sometimes in the search of materialism we discover what truly matters.