2012 War Witch

2012 War Witch

At the last minute, I was able to see War Witch (nominated for Best Foreign Film) before the Oscars (thanks to my sis, Amanda!).

Talk about a sad movie.  Twelve year old Komona is forced by rebels to shoot her parents (if she doesn't agree to shoot them, they will brutally kill them with machetes instead).  She is then forced to become a rebel, and beaten when she doesn't do well.  The leader of the rebels decides that she is a witch when she is the only survivor of an attack by soldiers.


Komona eventually escapes with a boy named Magician, who declares his love for her, and tracks down a rare white rooster in order to prove his love.  The two are married, and are happy together until they are recaptured by the rebels.  Komona is told that she must shoot her husband, but this time she refuses, and so he is killed with a machete.  Komona is made to be the mistress of the man who captured her, and becomes pregnant.  She manages to kill the man and escape again.  She returns to her village to perform a proper burial of her parents so that their ghosts will stop haunting her, and there she delivers her baby boy at the age of 14, and names him Magician.

It's very violent and brutal, and terribly sad.  Not fun to watch.

The 2013 Academy Awards Eve -My Picks

The 2013 Academy Awards Eve -My Picks


In preparation for the 2013 Academy Awards, I watched 32 full length films and 11 short films, and listened to 5 songs.  I was unable to watch 8 nominees: One Documentary Feature (The Gatekeepers), 3 Foreign Language Films (No, Kon-Tiki, and War Witch), and 4 Documentary Short Subjects (Mondays at Racine, Kings Point, Open Heart and Redemption), because I was not able to obtain copies or see them in the theater, try as I might -those foreign films and documentary shorts are frustratingly elusive.  Well, I did my best.  Here are my picks for who I think should win (and who I think will win):

Best Picture

Amour
Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

There are some good choices this year, and I have a hard time picking just one.  Lincoln was originally the popular favorite, but Argo has become the new favorite (it is winning at all the other major award shows).  I am going to predict an upset, however, and guess that Zero Dark Thirty will win.  Who should win?  So tough, and I change my mind all the time.  It is between Argo and Zero Dark Thirty (with Les Miserable and Django Unchained close behind).  It's so close, but today I pick Argo.

Directing

Michael Haneke, Amour
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

The race really should be between Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty), Ben Affleck (Argo), and Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained), but alas, no justice this year.  Badly done, Academy voters!  As it is, I would give the award to David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook.  Spielberg is the favorite, however.

Actor in a Leading Role

Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Hugh Jackman in Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Denzel Washington in Flight




Obviously Daniel Day-Lewis is going to win, which actually makes it a rather dull category.  I thought Bradley Cooper was amazing in Silver Linings Playbook, and would like to see him win, but he really doesn't stand a chance.

Actress in a Leading Role

Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva in Amour
Quevenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts in The Impossible





I am voting for Jennifer Lawrence.  Tyler is voting for Jessica Chastain (he hasn't seen Silver Linings, but I imagine he would still vote for her).  I am thinking Jessice Chastain will win, though Jennifer Lawrence seems to be the popular choice.


Actor in a Supporting Role

Alan Arkin in Argo
Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master
Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln
Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained

This is the tightest race, as all have previously won and it's been across the board at the other award shows.  I would give it to Christoph Waltz.

Actress in a Supporting Role

Amy Adams in The Master
Sally Field in Lincoln
Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables
Helen Hunt in The Sessions
Jackie Weaver in Silver Linings Playbook



Anne Hathaway is the favorite, and I think she would and shall win.  Helen Hunt was sure great in The Sessions, though.


Writing Adapted Screenplay

Argo
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook

I think Argo should win, but kudos to Life of Pi for managing dialogue between a boy and a tiger trapped at sea.

Writing Original Screenplay

Amour
Django Unchained
Flight
Moonrise Kingdom
Zero Dark Thirty





Django Unchained had an amazing screenplay, but Zero Dark Thirty might edge it out based on the massive research required to write the script.

Animated Feature Filn



Brave
Frankenweenie
ParaNorman
The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Wreck-It Ralph

Brave is the favorite, but I vote Wreck-It Ralph.

Cinematography



Anna Karenina
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

Django Unchained has amazing cinematography and is my pick, but I think Life of Pi will win.


Costume Design

Anna Karenina
Les Miserables
Lincoln
Mirror Mirror
Snow White and the Huntsman

Mirror Mirror, because the costumes were so fun.  I think Lincoln will win, because everybody just seems to love Lincoln.



Documentary Feature

5 Broken Cameras
The Gatekeepers
How to Survive a Plague
The Invisible War
Searching for Sugar Man



The Invisible War.  Though I haven't seen The Gatekeepers, so I can't really say between those two.  The Gatekeepers looks great.

Documentary Short Subject

Inocente
Kings Point
Mondays at Racine
Open Heart
Redemption




Well, I'd have to go with Inocente, because I wasn't able to see the other 4, try as I might.

Film Editing

Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty

It's Argo vs. Zero Dark Thirty again.  I'll vote Argo -it was never dull.  The raid scene in Zero Dark Thirty was sure flawless, though.

Foreign Language Film



Amour, Austria
Kon-Tiki, Norway
No, Chile
A Royal Affair, Denmark
War Witch, Canada

Amour, because it is the only one also nominated for Best Picture, so obviously the Academy likes it best.  I have only seen Amour and A Royal Affair, and both were good, but I would give the award to Amour.


Makeup and Hairstyling

Hitchcock
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables

The Hunger Games.  Okay, it's not nominated, but it should have been.  I think Les Miserables will win.  I don't know why, just a guess.

Music Original Score

Anna Karenina
Argo
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

I will vote Argo, but I can't say any of the scores really stuck with me.  I'm surprised that Zero Dark Thirty wasn't nominated.

Music Original Song



"Before My Time" from Chasing Ice
"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from Ted
"Pi's Lullaby" from Life of Pi
"Skyfall" from Skyfall
"Suddenly" from Les Miserables

I am not a music reviewer, but it seems already decided that "Skyfall" will win -because the critics love Adelle.  All of the songs seemed pretty good, but none out of this world.

Production Design

Anna Karenina
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Skyfall

I will vote The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey -it should win something!  I don't really have any idea which will win.

Short Film Animated

Adam and Dog
Fresh Guacamole
Head Over Heels
Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"
Paperman



I think Paperman should and will win -it's a new style of animation, and it was cute.

Short Film Live Action



Asad
Buzkashi Boys
Curfew
Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)
Henry

Curfew was my favorite, and Asad would be my second choice.

Sound Editing

Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Skyfall
Zero Dark Thirty

I don't know what sound editing is, but I will vote for Zero Dark Thirty.

Sound Mixing

Argo
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Skyfall

I also don't know what sound mixing is, but I will vote for Les Miserables.

Visual Effects



The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Life of Pi
Marvel's The Avengers
Prometheus
Snow White and the Huntsman

I think Life of Pi will win.  They were all good.


I'm ready to enjoy the Oscars tomorrow!  We have our costumes ready, the ballots printed, and are raring to go.  Should be a fun party at my mom's house.  Hopefully will be a fun show, and the fashion will be spectacular.

2012 A Royal Affair

2012 A Royal Affair

Christian loses it and tackles and fires Carolina's servant.

A Royal Affair is a historical drama.  I was not familiar with the story, so it was fun to learn about a piece of history of which I knew nothing.  Carolina Mathilda leaves England to marry King Christian VII of Denmark and become its queen.  She is very eager and excited at the prospect.  She is beautiful, accomplished, elegant, and enthusiastic to be a good wife to the king.  Unfortunately, the king turns out to have mental issues.  He acts like a child, has wild mood swings, embarrasses his new wife in public, and carouses publicly with prostitutes.  Carolina quickly bears him a son, and then the two keep their distance from each other, Carolina now repulsed by her husband.

Portrait of the real Carolina Mathilda.

Christian improves when he befriends his new doctor, Struensee, a man secretly part of the Enlightenment movement.  Struensee becomes his best friend, and encourages him to take power back from the council, where he has acted previously only as a puppet.  He also befriends the charming and educated Carolina, who is also pro-reform.  Carolina and Christian become a bit more friendly through the mutual friendship, and as they work together to come up with new reforms.  Unfortunately, it's too late for their marriage.  Christian has become more likable, but the damage has already been done, and Carolina's affections are no longer with him, and never will be again.

Struensee meets his daughter.

Christian eventually dissolves the council completely, and Struensee increasingly gains power, effectively running the country in the king's stead.  His friendship with Carolina turns into a love affair, resulting in the birth of a daughter.  Struensee has reached too high, and the deposed council and the king's stepmother seize power and have Struensee executed against the king's wishes, and Carolina exiled (and divorced from Christian, never to see her children again).  Carolina Mathilda dies abroad at the age of 24, and the movie ends with her two children reading the memoirs she has written for them, and an epilogue lauding the reign of her son, who reinstated Struensee's reforms and made many more.  It was a good movie.  I especially liked the actor that played Christian (he made the character nuanced and avoided caricature), but they were all good.  The costumes were beautiful.  It did drag a bit near the end, and could have been a little shorter.  Not a cheerful ending, but that's history.

Carolina is arrested.

2012 Live Action Shorts: Asad, Buzkashi Boys, Curfew, Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw), and Henry

2012 Live Action Shorts: Asad, Buzkashi Boys, Curfew, Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw), and Henry

Other than Buzkashi Boys, I actually liked the live action shorts this year.  They were far more intriguing than the animated shorts.  Henry was a bit depressing, but Death of a Shadow was interesting and I really liked Asad and Curfew.

Asad

Asad gives a soldier his fish to save a friend.

Asad is about a boy named Asad (surprise surprise), who lives in poverty with his family in Somalia and is trying to become a fisherman and avoid the lure of the life of the Somali pirates.  After being threatened and robbed by some encroaching soldiers, Asad is told by an elderly fisherman that his luck is about to change, and he is sent out to fish on his own for the first time.  He doesn't catch any fish, but comes across a boat that was attacked by the Somali pirates.  The people on board are dead, to his horror, and one of the pirates he was acquainted with is dead as well.  He discovers the fluffiest white cat you have ever seen dressed in a ridiculous sailor costume, and brings it home, to the amazement of his village.  They have never seen such a thing.  He names it Lionfish, and agrees with the fisherman that after this great catch, his luck fishing will turn around.  It's cute and entertaining and disturbing all in the course of 20 minutes, so that's a pretty good short if you ask me.



Erasto: You caught this?
Asad: Yes.
Erasto: I've never seen anything like it.
Asad: Me neither.  It's like a white lion.
Erasto: Your name means lion.  And you've caught a white lion.  The winds never lie.
Asad: I'm naming him Lionfish.
Erasto: Lionfish?  Perfect.
Asad: And now I am a fishing man.  My streak of bad luck has been broken.
Erasto: Yes, with the greatest catch this village has ever seen.
Asad: You might bee right, Erasto. 

Buzkashi Boys




The last short I watched, and my least favorite.  There are long spaces without any dialogue, and the plot was a bit dull for me.  A young boy named Rafi is training to be a blacksmith under his strict father in Afghanistan, but he is not interested in the trade, and goes off with his friend Ahmad to watch the Buzkashi racers (men riding on horses carrying a dead goat...a strange game).  The two boys fantasize about becoming Buzkashi racers, especially Ahmad, who takes a horse to ride and promptly gets killed falling off.  After some introspection, Rafi decides that he will focus on his blacksmith training after all, and returns home.  Just not my thing.

Curfew


Curfew begins with the main character Richie in the bathtub, clearly in the process of committing suicide (his wrists are slit), on the phone with his long estranged sister who is in a bind and needs him to babysit her daughter for a few hours.  He agrees, binds up his wrists, and spends the evening with his niece, Sophia, whom he has not seen since she was a baby.  As they talk and get to know each other, they bond, and Richie reflects on memories of good times he had with his sister when they were young.  When he drops Sophia off at home at the end of the evening, he tells his sister how much he admires her and what an amazing mother she must be to have raised such a great kid, even though she has told him that this is a one time thing and she doesn't want him in Sophia's life.  He then returns home to finish committing suicide.  Again, the phone rings.  At first he unplugs it, but then changes his mind, plugs it back in and answers it.  His sister has had a change of heart, and asks if he would be interested in babysitting Sophia on a more regular basis.  He happily agrees.  It was a sweet movie.

Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)
 

Death of a Shadow is a peculiar sci fi short about a man who was killed in WWII and is earning his life back by photographing deaths for a man's gallery...it's more complicated than that -he seems to be choosing their deaths, he travels in time, and their shadows are captured (their souls?) and pinned in frames.  I didn't quite get what was happening.  When he finally earns his life back, he has taken the life of the beloved of the woman he loves (or did he just photograph it, and the death was already ordained...?...not sure), and she has lost her mind a bit with his death.  He changes his mind and exchanges his life for her love's life, and the two are reunited, with our hero once again killed and framed in the bizarre gallery.  I didn't entirely get what was happening, but it was pretty compelling to watch, and a unique idea.


Henry


Henry was rather Amour-esque.  Henry is clearly suffering from Alzheimer's, or something similar, as his memory is getting increasingly worse.  He becomes confused as to his surroundings, believes that his wife is still alive (though she died a year ago), becomes hysterical when he is confronted with the truth of his situation, believes that his wife is danger, and often fails to recognize his daughter, who visits him frequently.  At times he relives memories (like meeting his wife, his daughter being born, performing in a concert with his wife) as clearly as if he were there.  Other times, the memories are gone.  When he is aware of what is happening, and of the fact that he will lose his memories more and more, it is very sad.  Same when he recognizes his daughter, and she is happily able to converse with him, and then his clarity fades and he is lost to her again all too soon.  Well-filmed, but not a cheerful little movie.

2012 Animated Shorts: Adam and Dog, Fresh Guacamole, Head Over Heels, Paperman, and Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"

2012 Animated Shorts: Adam and Dog, Fresh Guacamole, Head Over Heels, Paperman, and Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"

I did not love the animated shorts.  They are all entirely bereft of dialogue.  I just wanted someone to speak -at least in one of them!  Oh well, we do get to hear the dog bark in Adam and Dog I believe, so that's something.

Adam and Dog

The story of Adam and Eve, but from the perspective of a dog that befriends Adam.  The pooch remains loyal even when Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden.  Kind of cute, but it gets a little tiring watching a dog prance around for 15 minutes without anyone speaking.

Fresh Guacamole



It was less than 2 minutes, and that was probably 2 minutes too long.  Okay, that's cruel.  It shows someone making guacamole out of household items (ex. poker chips are the chips). Nothing really to it.  It's like an animated pun.

Head over Heels

A husband and wife live in a floating house, with one living on the ceiling and one on the floor.  The house crashes on land, and the husband is on the ceiling, so he can't walk on land, and is therefore stuck in the house.  He had fixed up the wife's old ballet shoes as a surprise before they crashed, and she is pleased, so she ties him to a string so that he can walk on the floor with her.  Pretty forgettable.  Apparently it's a metaphor for a marriage with distance between the spouses and them finding a way to come back together.  I get it, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Paperman



Probably the one that should win.  It's basically a romance -a man and a woman meet briefly, and the man is clearly smitten.  He spots her in the building across the way, and tries to get a paper airplane through her window to get her attention, but fails...or so he thinks.  The paper airplanes guide them together for a cute ending.

Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"

Maggie goes to a terrible daycare, with a wicked little tot that squishes butterflies, and she must help a butterfly escape.  4 minutes long, with about a minute spent on a tense escape from the wicked insect-crusher.  Kind of cute, but it hardly screams Oscar.

2012 Animated Features: The Pirates! Band of Misfits, ParaNorman, Frankenweenie, Brave, Wreck-It Ralph

2012 Animated Features: The Pirates! Band of Misfits, ParaNorman, Frankenweenie, Brave, Wreck-It Ralph

2012 The Pirates! Band of Misfits

"Fire the long things that go bang!" -Pirate Captain

Darwin, Pirate Captain, Number Two and Polly.

I had not heard of this movie, but it was really funny.  It is by the Wallace & Gromit people, and features the always hilarious Hugh Grant as Pirate Captain, a pirate trying to win the long coveted Pirate of the Year award.  He is a long shot, not being successful at acquiring booty (I'm talking treasure, not women, just to be clear), but has the support of his loyal crew.  A chance encounter with Charles Darwin leads to the discovery that the ship's beloved parrot, Polly, is actually a thought to be extinct Dodo bird, and Darwin convinces Pirate Captain to enter Polly in a science competition back in England.  Martin Freeman is his devoted right-hand man, Number Two, and the voice of reason throughout the movie.  The villain of the story is Queen Victoria, who likes to eat exotic animals -a very different take on the character!  It's a very smart and funny movie, and I think Amelia enjoyed it, though not as much as Wreck-It Ralph.

Pirate Captain battles Queen Victoria.

2012 ParaNorman

 

Courtney: I just knew something like this was going to happen tonight.
Mitch: You did?  Wow, cause that zombie bit really threw me.

Alvin: Are they going to try to eat our brains?
Norman: I think you'll be safe.

ParaNorman was not quite as enjoyable as The Pirates! Band of Misfits, but it was still pretty good.  Norman is a young boy able to see and speak to the dead.  When his uncle dies, he inherits the task of keeping in check a witch's curse that threatens the town every year on the anniversary of her death.  He is assisted by a new friend (Neil), his friend's dim but buff older brother (Mitch), the school bully (Alvin), and his cheerleader older sister (Courtney).  The movie is a bit scary for kids, so I'm glad I didn't watch it with Amelia.  It was an interesting story, but the themes were actually rather dark and mature, so I think it may have served better as a live-action film more suited for an older audience.




2012 Frankenweenie

Victor: I was doing my experiment, my project, and the first time it worked great, but the next time it didn't.  I mean, it sort of worked, but then it didn't.  And I don't know why.
Mr. Rzykruski: Then maybe you never really understood it the first time.  People think science is here [points to his head], but it is also here [places his hand on his chest].  The first time, did you love your experiment?
Victor: Yes. [thinks of Sparky licking his hand]
Mr. Rzykruski: And the second time?
Victor: [Thinks of the invisible fish] No.  I just wanted it over.
Mr. Rzykruski: Then you changed the variables.
Victor: I was doing it for the wrong reason.
Mr. Rzykruski: Science is not good or bad, Victor.  But it can be used both ways.  That is why you must always be careful.
-Quoted from Rottentomatoes.com


I didn't love this movie -it wasn't on par with Tim Burton's classic The Nightmare Before Christmas -but the relationship between Victor and his adorable dog Sparky was really sweet.  This is basically a retelling of Frankenstein, but Victor Frankenstein in this version is a kid who is devastated by the untimely death of his beloved pet, Sparky, and brings him back to life.  This leads to other students deciding to try to revive other animals for less noble reasons (Victor tries to keep his feat a secret, but Sparky won't stay inside -he has a ladylove in the form of the next door poodle who must be visited).  Victor and Sparky must work to restore order to the town and save the townsfolk, who try to lash out at poor Sparky in their fear and anger.  It was okay, but nothing remarkable.

2012 Brave



King Fergus: Pretend I'm Merida...I don't want to get married, I want to stay single and let my hair flow in the wind as I ride through the Glen, firing arrows into the sunset!



Brave was better than I anticipated.  Merida, the teen heroine of the story, was about as annoying as I expected -rebelling and being obstinate and not listening to her parents.  To be fair to her, I wouldn't have wanted to marry any of the three candidates proposed as potential husbands either.  Still, teen angst is exhausting.  She mellowed as the story progressed, however, and she and her mother had some nice bonding moments.  In the end, they learned to listen to each other, compromise, and appreciate each other.  The mother turning into a bear was quite funny, and the little brothers and father were amusing as well.  It was, in general, good for a laugh, and worth seeing.



2012 Wreck-It Ralph




Sergeant Calhoun: Doomsday and Armageddon just had a baby, and it...is...ugly!

Vanellope and Ralph.

Rumor has it that Brave is expected to win the Oscar, but that Wreck-It Ralph should win, and that's probably pretty accurate.  Wreck-It Ralph was quite inventive, and it actually appealed to Amelia and Tyler both, which is a plus for an animated movie.  It's about a video game character named Ralph, who is the villain in the arcade game Fix-It Felix Jr.  He decides that he doesn't want to be the bad guy anymore -ostracized by all the other characters in his game and forced to sleep in a dumpster -so he sets out to win a medal in another game.  He obtains a medal in a game called Hero's Duty, but ends up stuck in a candy-themed go-cart racing game (Sugar Rush), befriending an outcast girl named Vanellope who takes and uses his medal to enter a race.  He has to help her win the race in order to get his medal back.

Felix and Calhoun.

Then, chaos ensues.  Ralph is assisted by a very funny Fix-it Felix Jr. (Jack McBrayer) and Sergeant Calhoun from Hero's Duty (voiced by the always amusing Jane Lynch), who are trying to save Sugar Rush from aliens that have escaped from Hero's Duty, Calhoun trying to avoid her increasingly amorous feelings for Felix along the way.  It's really pretty innovative and fun, and John C. Reilly is great as the voice of Wreck-It Ralph.  Vanellope was a little annoying, but she grows on you.  Very clever.  Tyler says that it avoids the cliches that run rampant in Brave.  His words, not mine.