82nd Academy Awards (Oscar Predictions) February 23, 2010

I’ve put this off for a while for a few reasons, the first of which is: This will be a damn weird year. There are ten Best Picture nominees, but also there is a weighted ballot system (rank your films from 1 to 10, as opposed to check your favorite and that’s it). Plus, I’m in Korea so it is unlikely I will be able to watch the Oscars live, so I may as well have some fun with my predictions this year.

It’s also a weird year because the movie winning most of the awards if ‘The Hurt Locker’, which made practically zero money, and the movie winning almost no big awards, ‘Avatar’, made the most money ever. Here’s a rundown of what I think will win and what I would vote for.

Best Picture
Prediction: The Hurt Locker
My pick: Avatar

There are plenty of good movies, but everything nominated has flaws. I’ve listed them elsewhere so I won’t retype them here. ‘Avatar’ deserves to win because it was the most seen movie of the year, by far, and it will be remembered (by some, spitefully) many years from now. I do have a feeling, though, that ‘Inglourious Basterds’ may be closer to the top prize than most think….

Best Director
Prediction: Kathryn Bigelow (for ‘The Hurt Locker’)
My pick: Kathryn Bigelow

She deserves it, she was the best director of the year, give her the Oscar.

Inglourious Basterds (a lengthy analysis) February 15, 2010

Chapter One
Get the Tarantino Talk out of the way

I plan to discuss ‘Inglourious Basterds’ at length and, with that, to not confuse the movie itself with its writer/director. I do admire Quentin Tarantino for a few reasons and think ‘Pulp Fiction’ is a truly great film. He has had a good career with one great film (Pulp Fiction), three good films (Kill Bills, Basterds), and handful of films I can stand to watch, but could do without (Death Proof, Reservoir Dogs, Jackie Brown). But, having made a great film, doesn’t that put him above at least 90% of the directors working today? Sure it does. Is he the best currently-working writer/director? Nah.

Chapter Two
I Bet You’re Glad…

… that I didn’t make the first chapter as long as Tarantino did in ‘Basterds’. We’ll get to that in a moment.

One thing Tarantino has always done (and what makes his writing so unique) is take roundabout paths to get to his point. Let’s look at the scene in ‘Pulp Fiction’ where Jules is interrogating Brett about Marsellus Wallace. His whole point is to get Brett to admit that he tried to fuck Marsellus Wallace (if you need a refresher, you can watch the scene here). But Jules begins by asking what Marsellus Wallace looks like, ending up at “does he look like a bitch?” and ultimately “well then why’d you try to fuck him like a bitch?” That scene is almost old enough to be deemed a “classic”. But my point is that the whole scene takes us in loops and we really don’t know what’s going on until the end — and then it’s all so clear. Once it is finished we feel like we went on a ride.

This works when it is with dialog for a few minutes. The problem comes when it is for an entire scene (that is more than a few minutes), which happens at least twice in the movie.

The first is during the opening chapter. At about 17 minutes, we get three things: Hans Landa is The Jew Hunter, smart, and toys with people; that Shosanna escapes and her family was killed by Nazis; and we are placed in World War II. This scene could have been sufficiently shorter and given us the same things. Hans Landa seems to be wasting both LaPadite’s (the farmer’s) time and ours. I understand on a first viewing this scene is tense. I was anxious, just as you were. But when it was finished, I found myself wondering, was all of that really necessary? The problem is that it is at the beginning of the film and we know nothing of Shosanna and her family. Maybe Tarantino was counting on our sympathies for the Jews to make the scene tenser, but I don’t think that was accomplished. Also, whatever happened to LaPadite? Shosanna wasn’t pissed at him, or want revenge against him?

(A Belated) Top 10 of 2009 January 31, 2010

This is about four weeks belated, but, as they say, “Oh well.”

And with a new year starting, an old one comes to a close. Some films from 2009 have settled in my mind over the last few weeks (or months) as great, and other have faded. That is truly the test of a film’s strength. So here is the Top 10 of 2009.

1. The Informant!

Steven Soderbergh has been very prolific lately, and despite the shallow ‘The Girlfriend Experience’ released earlier this year, he also directed ‘The Informant!’. This film manages to deal so well with deception, family issues, mental health issues, and even moral dilemmas — all in the most creative of ways. Credit is also obviously due to the great screenplay (by Scott Z. Burns), the book (by Kurt Eichenwald), and an excellent performance by Matt Damon.

2. An Education

This is a cute, touching film about a girl who discovers a bit about life and a lot about herself through her relationship with an older man. It is wonderfully made, but the film belongs to Carey Mulligan. Read more writing by me on the film here.

3. Avatar

This is the most entertaining film of the year. Yes, the script has problems, but those are more than compensated for. The visuals are unlike anything seen before (in 3D — I will admit the visuals may disappoint in traditional 2D) and, despite some writing flaws, we do still care about Pandora, the Na’vi, and the characters. And now that it’s the highest grossing movie ever, James Cameron has much to celebrate.

4. A Serious Man

A sad, humorous film about a normal man who has more than his share of troubles. The Coen Brothers pose some interesting questions about ethics, faith, and logical reasoning in their newest success. Read more writing by me on the film here

5. Coraline

When I started this list about 2 months ago ‘Coraline’ was the film to beat. This says two things: First, that 2009 was a relatively weak year for films (which is true), and second, that animated films outside of the Disney/Pixar realm have come a long way. Coraline is a cute, bratty girl who learns a thing or two, but the way she learns it is unique and visually stunning. And at times, very cringe-inducing.

6. The Hangover

Now this is a funny movie. There are no tricks or gimmicks. It was funny in theaters, and funny again on DVD. I’ve always liked Todd Phillips’ work (even critically panned ones, like ‘Old School’ or ‘Road Trip’), but here he hits a high point. There is not a full moment to be had.

7. The Hurt Locker

This is a gripping film, a great thriller, and should not be categorized as a “war” film because this is hardly about the war. This is not the perfect film many critics lead us to believe it is (the characters only have a three-point arc and some scenes are nothing more than anecdotal), but it is carefully crafted and very entertaining. Read more writing by me on the film here.

8. Fantastic Mr. Fox

It seems I’m spamming this post with “entertaining” and “creative”, but I promise that they are justified. Wes Anderson and frequent collaborator Noah Baumbach have made a fun film that can be enjoyed equally by children and adults. It was a great year for animated films.

9. The Cove

This is a documentary that doubles as a thriller and, in the end, a horror film. The second act of the film has problems with pacing, but that may just be because my brain is used to traditional films and I’ve only seen a few dozen documentaries. While maybe only the 9th best film, it is the most important and everyone should see it.

10. Inglourious Basterds

I am including this film simply for Tarantino’s effort. It was bold, but I don’t think the film is the masterpiece so many are pegging it as.

And there you have it. 2009 was a year of a few greats, many goods, and a plethora of awful movies. Bring in 2010.

Me vs. Quentin Tarantino August 17, 2009

This post will not be as epic as the title indicates.

Just recently Quentin Tarantino made a list of his twenty favorite films since 1992 (when he became a director). The video and his list will be at the bottom of this post.

I won’t pretend I’ve seen as many movies as Tarantino, because his job involves–you know–movies, plus he’s a lot older than I am. However, I have seen quite a few movies, and though my list may not be as ‘hip’ as his, I will do my favorites from 1992 to today as well. And as he did, #1 will be an actual #1, and the rest will be alphabetical.

As always, A) no “honorable mentions” because those are stupid and eliminate the point of a set number, and B) these are “favorites”. I admire many movies from the last 17 years, but they will not be on this list.

Top 20 from 1992 to present:

Match Point – because not only has Woody Allen proved himself time and again, but this is a film noir and shows both the extremes of controlling what you can and hoping for the best with what is out of your hands.
Amelie – because even altruists need love too.
American Beauty
Being John Malkovich – because it is the flawless execution of a ridiculous idea that is stretched to the most extreme circumstances.
Bridget Jones’s Diary
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – because this is a shrine to the strength of human will.
Fargo
Finding Nemo – because I can watch it forever and never be bored.
Margot at the Wedding – because ‘The Squid and the Whale’ was almost there, but this time, Noah Baumbach got it right.
Memoirs of a Geisha – because, despite the third act being a throw-away, this is the most beautiful-looking movie in a long, long time.
Mulholland Dr. – because this is ‘daring to be different’ at its best, and it’s really scary.
Requiem for a Dream
Revolutionary Road
The Rules of Attraction – because it’s so much fun to watch spoiled rich-kid druggies screw up their lives.
The Savages
Spider-man 2 – because this is the best super-hero movie ever made.
Spirited Away
28 Days Later… – because it’s the best horror movie made since the 80s.
WALL-E – because the titular character is impossible not to love.
Zodiac

These are all great movies, and I could write more, but that will happen in time. When the credits on these films come, I always feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach. In a good way.

Tarantino’s video:

His list includes: Battle Royale, Anything Else, Audition, Blade, Boogie Nights, Dazed & Confused, Dogville, Fight Club, Fridays, The Host, The Insider, Joint Security Area, Lost In Translation, The Matrix, Memories of Murder, Police Story 3, Shaun of the Dead, Speed, Team America, Unbreakable.

Can’t say I really agree with his list, though it is quite interesting.

God in ‘Pulp Fiction’ July 16, 2009

Note: If you haven’t seen ‘Pulp Fiction‘, be warned that there are major spoilers here.

Sequencing the events of the film, in the middle of the storyline Jules tells Vincent at the diner (and also earlier, in the car) that he wants to retire that day and ‘walk the Earth’. Whether he retires or not, we can’t be certain. But what we can see is that in a chronologically later (but shown earlier) segment, Vincent is shot and killed by Butch. This happens because Vincent is in the bathroom and leaves his gun out for Butch to find. This is the day after Jules says he will retire.

I tend to think Jules did retire because the scene before Butch’s taxi ride, we see Vincent walking to meet Marsellus and he’s with another guy–not Jules. Also, Jules is not to be found in this scene at all. If he was still on Marsellus’ payroll, I’m sure he would have been present.

With that said, we have two choices: Vincent was watching Butch’s apartment by himself because it was a one man job, or that Vincent was watching the apartment by himself because his partner (“partner”) left. If Jules had been there, I’m sure Butch would have been killed immediately and Vincent would still be alive.

So if Jules left his job for God, and that got Vincent killed, what is the film saying?

‘Pulp Fiction’ is much deeper than people realize. I think its image has been a little tainted by young kids who love it just because it says ‘fuck’ a lot, but rest assured, it is an amazing movie.