MONDOmagazine

The Hurt Locker. A triumph for film?

By Shane McNeil

The Oscars are a fickle, fickle business. Whichever picture emerges at the end of the night is gauged not only as the preference of the select few voting Academy members (and, somehow, the Three-6 Mafia) but, as the years pass, the picture that best defined an encapsulated the year that was.

It’s not always about picking the best film, as other factors contribute to which film ends up as the last one standing. The social and political mood of the voters comes into play as sometimes does the track record of the filmmakers and where it stands within the canon of their work.

Sometimes it’s a matter of a film that just struck at the right time (American Beauty, Ordinary People), sometimes it’s about giving someone their due (The Departed, Unforgiven) and sometimes, it’s just a film that’s too big to ignore (Titanic, Return of the King).

It’s what makes the Oscars a tricky barometer of cinematic history and what makes Oscar prediction a slippery science. When it goes wrong, the idiocy of an aging group of voters gets heinously exposed (Rocky, Crash) however, when it goes right, you get the lasting films and smart choices that at the very least make a lot of sense in hindsight… like picking The Hurt Locker over Avatar!

With that in mind; I give you the 10 best choices of the last 40 years.

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Neil Patrick Harris steals the show.

By Sean Kelly

It is no secret that the biggest problem with the Oscars has always been its length. It is by far the longest of the award shows and I remember a time, not so long ago, that the ceremony would end at nearly 1am (or 10pm if you are going by the local time of Oscar’s LA location). The Academy has tried many methods in the past to cut down on the show’s length, one of the most infamous being the year they either had all the nominees on stage or presented awards in the crowd.

This year, the Academy had the added trouble of having to show highlights from ten nominated films. As such, there were some stricter time-saving rules. After being compressed last year into a single performance, the best song performances were axed altogether. In addition, the Academy vowed to be more strict on the 45 second acceptance speech limit – though based on what I saw, the major winners seemed exempt.

After watching this year’s show, I have to say that some of those time-saving choices seemed questionable when one takes into consideration what actually turned up in the program. So let me go through some of the Oscars’ filler segments that may or may not have been a waste of time – dependingly mainly on whether or not you enjoyed them.

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By Rachel West, Sean Kelly and Shane McNeil

Best Adapted Screenplay
District 9 – Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell
An Education – Nick Hornby
In the Loop – Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
Precious – Geoffrey Fletcher
Up in the Air – Jason Reitman, Sheldon Turner

Rachel: It would be great to see Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell win for District 9. And Nick Hornby delivered a witty and insightful screenplay for An Education. But the award will likely go to Jason Reitman for Up in the Air. Up in the Air was an all-around enjoyable film, a little unremarkable, but still an intelligent script.
Will win: Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Should win: Nick Hornby, An Education

Sean: If Up in the Air wins any Oscars, it will be this one. I also wouldn’t mind if the screenplay for District 9 wins.
Will win: Up in the Air
Should win: District 9

Shane: Up in the Air was the early frontrunner and the AMPAS just seems to love Jason Reitman. This is their chance to do it despite my personal vendetta against the guy and my stance that Nick Hornby’s script was far superior and lasting.
Will win: Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Should Win: Nick Hornby, An Education

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By Rachel West, Sean Kelly and Shane McNeil

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:
Penélope Cruz for Nine
Vera Farmiga for Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal for Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick for Up in the Air
Mo’Nique for Precious

Rachel: Mo’Nique should win and will win this award. She’s picked up pretty much every trophy this awards season, each one well-deserved for her role as the abusive mother in Precious. She’s terrifying on screen, and often hard to watch. Look for her to collect the gold.
Will win: Mo’Nique, Precious
Should win: Mo’Nique, Precious

Sean: This is another Oscar that was essentially pre-picked. I have no immediate plans to see Precious, but based on the clips I’ve seen, Mo’Nique is definitely the most deserving.
Will Win: Mo’Nique, Precious
Should Win: Mo’Nique, Precious

Shane: While I’d love to whine about the Julianne Moore, Melanie Laurent and Diane Kruger snubs, Mo’Nique was clearly the standout performance among the group. It doesn’t hurt that the AMPAS loooooves when comedians go very, very dark.
Will Win: Mo’Nique, Precious
Should Win: Mo’Nique, Precious
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By Sean Kelly

It is amazing what can happen in a year.

Last year I wrote an article about the past and future of 3D films and whether or not they could escape the stigma of being a gimmick with “in your face” sight gags. Since then, a few 3D films came out that have used the technology more for adding depth to the film, rather than said sight gags. This includes Pixar’s Up, Joe Dante’s The Hole (which I saw at TIFF and has yet to receive its wide release), and, of course, James Cameron’s Avatar.

The success of Avatar resulted in a big revelation for Hollywood — 3D is in. In typical Hollywood fashion, other films started jumping on the bandwagon. Films that were originally going to be 2D, such as the upcoming Clash of the Titans remake, started being delayed in order to be converted into 3D. In addition, there were rumours and announcements stating that pretty much everything from Harry Potter to Jackass were being made in 3D. This is all on top of previously announced 3D films, such as Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland and Tron: Legacy. Let’s not forget the 3D-compatible TVs and Blu-Ray players that recently debuted at CES.

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The Wolfman
Directed by Joe Johnston
Universal Pictures, 2010

By Sean Kelly

The Universal monster movies from the 30s and 40s are classics and with the exception of Stephen Sommer’s The Mummy and Van Helsing, there hasn’t been any real effort before to modernize these films. Of course, there have been many Dracula and Frankenstein movies since then, but I would argue that those were more re-adaptations of the original novels, than reinterpretations of Bela Legosi and Boris Karloff’s performances. As you may know, released in 1941, The Wolf Man was the original werewolf film, starring Lon Chaney Jr. as the title character. Horror films, and especially werewolf films, have changed a lot in 69 years and this version looked to be much more dark and violent than the PG-rated original. Let’s get started, shall we?

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Crazy Heart
Directed by Scott Cooper
Fox Searchlight, 2009

By Jaclyn L. Katz

Gritty country music and phenomenal acting together build the foundation of Crazy Heart. The film has a cleverly written narrative and is beautifully filmed. What really grabs you though, what emotionally tangles the spectator in the story, is the performance given by Crazy Heart’s star, Jeff Bridges, who plays washed-up country crooner Bad Blake. With a perpetually lit cigarette and a whisky in hand, “Bad” is a grating character; Byronic in his self-destructive ways, he leaves the audience rooting for him to succeed. He is a brilliant songwriter and a romantic, kind soul but has a pathetic addiction to alcohol and self-pity.

Maggie Gyllenhal, nominated for best supporting actress at the upcoming Oscar ceremony, gives a relaxed and absolutely graceful performance as Jean Craddock, the saviour of Bad’s spirit.

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Legion
Director: Scott Stewart
Sony Pictures, 2010

By Caesar Martini

Dear reader: are you like me? Did you see previews of Legion, a movie about God waging angelic warfare on humanity in order to eradicate our species, and think, “Dear heavens, that looks quite terrible.” If you are like me and you had the same snarky thoughts, prepare to have your opinion take a 180 degree turn, and then another 180 degree turn so it stays utterly and completely the same.

The basic story is as follows: God is right pissed with humanity because we’re all a bunch of twats. Fair enough. Instead of sending a flood to tidy things up, he sends his angels to Earth as a sort of biblical pest-control force. Except the angels don’t physically come down and start laying a heavenly beat-down on us, because that would be too expensive and not what the filmmakers decided to do. Instead, the angels possess weak minded humans and use them to attack whoever they can’t control. So in a way, humanity destroys itself.

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By Sean Kelly

Did you read it in the newspapers? Avatar has overtaken Titanic as the top grossing film of all time. James Cameron truly is the king of the world!

Not so fast.

As much as I agree that Avatar is a very good movie and all, the constant reporting of box office grosses (and the records they “break”) has always been a pet peeve of mine. Ask yourself how much you paid to see Avatar. My answer is $17.50. Now ask yourself how much you paid a dozen years ago to see Titanic. Chances are that you paid half the price of that ticket, or less, to see Titanic than you did to see Avatar.

The truth is, inflation has degraded box office records to little more than worthless bragging rights. Yes, the studio needed the money to pay for the movie (especially an expensive one like Avatar); however, with the prices films cost these days to see, studios can make a lot more money with fewer people actually seeing the film.

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The Book of Eli
Directed by Albert and Allen Hughes
Warner Bros, 2010

By Caesar Martini

Denzel Washington is not really an action movie star. Normally when he’s playing a character involved in a conflict, he resolves it with his smooth chocolate charm or velvety leading man growl. And maybe he’ll shoot a dude or two. But he’s not the kind of actor who you see getting involved in scripts that call for him killing five guys in six seconds with a knife designed to hack down small trees. So when I saw just that in a preview for Book of Eli, I became intrigued.

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By Sean Kelly

10. Moulin Rouge (Baz Luhrmann, 2001)
I can argue that this film began the “Jukebox Musical” trend long before Mamma Mia or We Will Rock You hit the stage (I still get glee when a group of aristocrats begin singing “Smells Like Teen Spirit”). Arguably Luhrmann’s best, and a perfect example of the style of his films, which start off very comedic and turn more dramatic as the film progresses.

9. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007)
Notable for adding the phrase “I drank your milkshake” to the pop-culture landscape, but it’s much more than that. One of film’s most intriguing character studies about the corruption caused by greed.

8. The Wrestler (Darren Aronofsky, 2008)
I’m a fan of professional wrestling, so it was natural that I would like this film. But it’s also a great, tragic story of a past-his-prime wrestler’s inability to adapt to life outside of the ring.

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By Shane McNeil

10. Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman, 2008)
In a banner decade for animation it’d be foolish not to represent the most honest and personal of the lot. For an Israeli filmmaker to plumb the depths like this and come up with so much pain and beauty, it’s a well-earned mention.

9. Good Night and Good Luck (George Clooney, 2005)
I didn’t think Clooney had it in him, but this attack on the detriment of having to watch your mouth struck just in time to see the Bush regime start to tumble. It likely wasn’t the cause, but probably the last timely protest.

8. Talk to Her (Pedro Almodovar, 2002)
For a man who writes women so well to hit at the core of male suffering is one thing. To nail it in such a lyrical, beautiful, playful, hopeful, and painful a way is an entirely different accomplishment. Unfortunately he hasn’t come close to this level since.

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