OSCARS WRAP UP

Wow!  What a spectacular night.  So much to dissect and debrief, so let's get started!

Chris Rock:
I thought Chris Rock was amazing in a very tough year to be the host and every joke in the monologue worked, which is a major feat.  I lurked around social media last night, and I was disappointed to see so many people up in arms that he continued to talk about racism in Hollywood. First, almost every single joke was funny and that's the only measure that matters.  Second, my spidey senses always buzz a little when people are upset at too many racism jokes as though somehow a limited number is enough on race, and let's all please just move on.  You know what?  I suggest we better not move on quite yet until this business in handled.  And again, funny wins - I don't care the topic.

But on the flip side, I'm also somewhat uncomfortable that with all the jokes Rock made, the ones that make the public discussion of Hollywood's institutional racism into a big "jeez, isn't everyone just too sensitive" gag,  are the ones that so many of my friends are posting today.  (If I have to see the Jada/Rihanna joke on Facebook one more time...)  I think if we tried to see this issue through our own lenses as though it was affecting us personally, perhaps we wouldn't be so quick to ask people of color to just get over it.  What if the night had been all about black people? (Oh no!) What if the night had been all about white people like, as Rock mentioned it WAS for decades without comment? (See where I'm going with this one?)  Ok, end of rant - I'm sure many of you will disagree with me, all I ask is that you stop to consider that there is a view to this that you might not have considered because you also haven't experienced.

Having said all of that, the Girl Scouts was just a remodel of Ellen's pizza delivery, and while I found the movie theatre gag funny, it mostly didn't work great.  Stacy Dash was a total, ridiculous flop. The edited scenes from films was very funny.  Still, I tip my hat to Chris Rock for a great night as a host. Toughest gig in Hollywood.

Scrolling Thank You's:
Did anyone remember to try to read those things as they flew across the screen?  It was just absurd and by the time the person got to the stage, the thank you's were done.  While I'm at it, I have to continue to take to task the multiple nominees in single categories who don't prepare and use up all of the allotted speech time and gift their fellow winners the shaft.  Uh uh.  Not ok.  You know you have a one in five chance of winning, you can take 10 seconds to work it out between you.  (I have an Oscars speech prepared, and I wasn't even nominated!)

The Necrology Report (aka In Memoriam):
How sad to see Abe Vagoda not featured in the slide show, with the beautiful rendition of Blackbird by Dave Grohl.  (Whose mother might want to advise him to dress up a bit for the Oscars in the future?)  I mean, Moe Green gets featured but not Tessio, even though they both sleep with the fishes????

Now on to the awards!

Best Picture: Spotlight
Well thank goodness, what a relief.  I've never been so happy to be wrong, though I may remind you that I chose Spotlight as the one that should be the winner.  Spotlight was an important film - a modern day All the Presidents Men, and it deserved the Oscar.

Actor in a Leading Role: Leonard DiCaprio
I know that a lot of people felt strongly about DiCaprio winning, and I'm glad that his curse is broken. But, he is hardly the Susan Lucci of the Oscars race - Peter O'Toole was nominated 8 times without ever winning, until he was awarded an honorary Oscar a couple of years ago.  

Actress in a Leading Role: Brie Larson
Was Brie Larson not adorable with her cutest relationship with Jacob Tremblay?  I thought she should win and I'm glad she did win.

Actor in a Supporting Role: Mark Rylance
I was genuinely sad for Sylvester Stallone, and frankly, I still think Mark Ruffalo should have won.  But Rylance gave a nice speech and he was very good in a pretty good film.

Actress in a Supporting Role: Alicia Vikander
Alicia Vikander was so lovely and wonderful in this film that deserved much more attention.  Good on ya, Academy.

Directing: Alejandro Innaritu
Look, I get it, Inarritu is a great Director.  But is this really the new normal in which the Director of the Best Picture of the year continues to not win?  In the old days, it was rare for Picture and Director not to come from the same film.  Still, you have to give it Innaritu who is only the third Director in history to win back to back years, so I guess when he decided to talk longer than allotted, the orchestra director was right to just go with it.

Animated Feature Film: Inside Out
Joy has taken over the control room of my brain.  I loved it.  And a great acceptance speech to boot.

Cinematography: The Revenant
No surprises here, and in this case, I do think The Revenant was the right choice.

Costume Design: Mad Max: Fury Road (Grrrr.)
Movie critic idol Steve Pond recommends sticking with Best Picture nominees when it's a close race and there is doubt.  Costume happens to be the one rare exception to this rule, and the most beautiful costumes usually win.  But NOT THIS YEAR.  As my son pointed out, "what were the costumes? They were all mostly naked."  Yes, son, you are quite correct.  Go back and look at those Cinderella costumes and you tell me that they weren't ROBBED.

Documentary Feature: Amy
Could I please make a pitch that you try to see all of the nominated documentaries this year? (Ok, you can skip Cartel Land and instead see The Hunting Ground.  In fact, please please please see The Hunting Ground.)  I still can't get over Amy, and I'm still very happy that it won.

Documentary Short Subject: A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
The short films this year reminded me that I have better instincts than I believe.  I went with critics research this year even though I left the theatre thinking that A Girl in the River would and should win.  We must start to care about women around the world.  Excusing murderers and attackers of women must end.

Film Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road
No surprises here.  Mad Max dominated the technical awards.

Foreign Language Film: Son of Saul
YES.  So much yes.  This young Director has so many important stories in him, he will be one to watch.  This was his first feature film - expect great things.

Makeup and Hairstyling: Mad Max: Fury Road
Compared to the other two nominees, this had to be the runaway winner.  The creativity in this category made Mad Max the very clear choice.  It was a good night to be an Aussie!

Original Score: The Hateful Eight
This was another one of those career achievement Oscars, this being Morricone's 6th Oscar nomination.  (Also had been awarded an honorary Oscar in 2003.)  Those Italians know what they are doing!  (Still, you can't argue with John Williams' 50TH nomination this year.)

Original Song: Writing's On The Wall (Spectre)
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO.
Do I HAVE TO make the world go back in time in order to make this injustice right?  Never mind that Diane Warren is long overdue for an Oscar.  Never mind that this film is so much more important than a Bond film will ever be.  Look at the reaction of everyone in the audience last night... I have a feeling that after Lady Gaga's (Queen Gaga's!) rendition last night, everybody in that room is kicking themselves over their incorrect voting choice.  I'm still in denial.  GAGA FOREVER.

Also, I'm happy to let Sam Smith know that other out gays and lesbians have accepted Oscars, not the least of which is Dustin Lance Black, the writer of Milk, who talked about being a young gay child who dreamed of a better life.  Here's Dustin's beautiful acceptance speech.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfPXcCroPJc  
Having said that, you go Sam Smith for being out and loud, and I'm quite sure an inspiration to many young people who need role models willing to own their pride and their identities.

Production Design: Mad Max:Fury Road 
Yes, it won, and even those tiny snippets that you got to see in the show last night didn't do justice to the world created by the amazing designers of this film.

Animated Short Film: Bear Story
As I predicted, I got this category wrong, but got it right for what should win.  I understand that Bear Story can be seen on the internet today, and I highly recommend watching it.  It is sweet and sad and lovely.  Next year, I go with my instincts.  For real this time.

Live Action Short Film: Stutterer
See aforementioned go with my gut from now on.  Right after I saw these films I immediately called it for Stutterer.  It's funny and adorable and wonderful.

Sound Editing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Yeah, I got it right, but I'm still mad for Star Wars.  Nerd girl, out.

Sound Mixing: Mad Max: Fury Road
Well, as Shakira's hips don't lie, Oscar statistics don't either.  Sound editing and mixing are more often than not from the same category.  

Visual Effects: Ex Machina
WHAAAAAAAAT?  This movie was so so interesting and great.  I still think Star Wars should have won.

Adapted Screenplay: The Big Short
Such a good screenplay.  So so good.

Original Screenplay: Spotlight
Started and ended the night with a bang.

See you next year Oscars lovers!  I hope you loved the show as much as I did!

Who Should Win? Who Will Win?

We have arrived at the big day!  First, thank you to all of you who read, shared, tweeted, and social media-ed the s**t out of the blog (thank you, The Martian, for that joke).  This day is always the one that gives me the most anxiety, because I know some of you use my picks, and I desperately don't want to let you down.  Fair warning, sometimes in the moment I go with my gut and change my choice, so my results may differ from what I share in this blog.  

Best Picture:
Should Win: Spotlight
Go back and look at the list of nominees - find a story that is more important to be told.  You can't do it.  Like All the Presidents Men before it, Spotlight highlights the tremendous work of a journalist team that uncovered one of the most important issues of the day.  It deserves to win.
Will Win: The Revenant
This is a film whose charm escapes me.  Does this movie really belong in a list of films that includes the likes of great cinema like On the Waterfront, In the Heat of the Night, The Godfathers, 12 Years a Slave?  NO, it does not.  Fair warning on this prediction - more often than not the PGA winner for Best Picture is the Oscars winner too, and this year, that film was The Big Short.  So for statistical safety, you may want to choose The Big Short.  It's going to be a tight race.

Actor in a Leading Role:
Should Win: Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
This man changed how his body moved, how his voice sounded, to convincingly become a woman. It is an important film to boot. This performance was beautiful and heartbreaking.  No contest.
Will Win: Leonardo DiCaprio
Unlike other years when the best performance has not been recognized, I will actually be ok with this win.  In my mind, though, I'll be filling in the words "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" when the announcers say, "Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant."  I have a dear friend who is still quite angry that Leo didn't win back then, and he has been excellent in other roles like the one in Blood Diamond, and a "career Oscar" is certainly deserved in this case.

Actress in a Leading Role:
Should Win: Brie Larson, Room
Will Win: Brie Larson, Room
Everything about Larson's performance in this difficult film was flawless.  She won the SAG award which is usually a strong predictor (and almost every single other award this season), and the gold will be the final addition to her mantle.

Actor in a Supporting Role:
Should Win: Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Again and again, Mark Ruffalo manages to walk, talk, look, and sound different with every role he plays.  I don't even remember what real Mark Ruffalo looks and sounds like, after these last few years of roles.
Will Win: Sylvester Stallone, Creed
And ok, who doesn't love the sentimental favorite?  This is a closer race too.  And this time around we can't use the SAG Awards as a predictor because the studio didn't get their nomination in to SAG in time for Sly to be eligible.  But I was so moved by this performance that I think this one is going to Stallone.

Actress in a Supporting Role:
Should Win: Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
I know I'm the only one saying this, but she was really outstanding in this film, and should be getting more attention for the role.
Will Win: Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
This performance was indeed my second favorite of the category.  She won the SAG Award and she is seriously hot in Hollywood right now.  I saw her this year on a panel talking about this film, and she spoke so beautifully about this film and this role.

Directing:
Should Win: Three way tie between Adam McKay (The Big Short), Lenny Abrahamson (Room), Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)
So so so hard to choose.  If I were voting, this would be the category with which I would struggle most.  When all bets are even, I would go with the Director who led the movie I felt was the most important, and that is Tom McCarthy for Spotlight.
Will Win: Alejandro Inarritu, The Revenant
Interesting tidbit, Inarritu will only be the third Director in history to nab this prize two years in a row.  There is no question he is an uber talented Director.  I just don't agree with this, but it is extremely rare (4 times in history) that the winner of the DGA Award didn't win the Oscar too.

Animated Feature Film:
Should Win: Inside Out
Will Win: Inside Out
And all of the little people in my head agree to this!  Even anger, who is upset that no one asked her for her opinion.  Or maybe that's disgust.  But I digress.  My "Joy" is already happy for Inside Out.

Cinematography:
Should Win: The Revenant
Will Win: The Revenant
This is one of the only films in the category that deserves this nomination.  Inarritu knows how to do Cinematography right (see: Birdman) and he gets how movies should be filmed.

Costume Design:
Movie critic idol Steve Pond recommends sticking with Best Picture nominees when it's a close race and there is doubt.  Costume happens to be the one rare exception to this rule, and the most beautiful costumes usually win.  This category is down to three choices, Carol, Cinderella, and Mad Max:Fury Road.
Should Win: Cinderella
Will Win: Cinderella
I just can't predict against the tremendous beauty of the costumes in this film.  Given that all of the experts are divided almost evenly among the three films, I decided to take a look at all of the winners in this category in modern history.  A sci-fi film has never beaten a period piece/elaborately decorated costume film.  So even though I'm defying my idol and not going with Mad Max according to the formula, doesn't mean you should consider the error of my ways.

Documentary Feature:
Should Win: Winter on Fire or Amy
Will Win: Amy
I hope you will take the time to see this film.  Heartbreaking.

Documentary Short Subject:
Should Win: The Girl on the River: The Price of Forgiveness
This film hurt my heart.  I dearly hope that people will see it on a broader scale.  Watching a father say that he is justified in murdering his daughter because she embarrassed him by not listening to him is truly beyond the pale.
Will Win: Body Team 12
I'm not certain about whether this one will be the winner, but I can tell you that this is also a brilliant film.  Most of the critics are choosing Body Team 12 to win.  And bravo to the young heroes of this movie who bravely care for the dead in Liberia.

Film Editing:
Should Win: The Big Short
So cleverly edited.
Will Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Quick bit of trivia, this film had the greatest number of cuts to piece together, making it an editing darling.

Foreign Language Film:
Should Win: Son of Saul (Honorable Mention to A War)
Will Win: Son of Saul
First, let's agree that when it comes to the Oscars, no one messes with the Holocaust.  Second, this film is unique in finding a new story that I don't think has been told before.  Finally, there is no question that this way of filming the lead character so closely is a new way to make the tragedy so personal.

Makeup and Hairstyling:
Should Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Will Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
*Every year I give the "Hidden Gem" award to a film that I hadn't heard of before it was nominated for an Oscar, but which I find to be incredibly endearing.  This year, The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out A Window and Disappeared, nominated for Makeup and Hairstyling, is the winner of the Hidden Gem Award.

Original Score:
Should Win: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
I'm loyal to the master of all time, John Williams.
Will Win: The Hateful Eight
I'm ok with that.  It was a beautiful score.

Original Song:
Should Win: Til It Happens to You, The Hunting Ground
Will Win: Til It Happens to You, The Hunting Ground
DO NOT get me started on why this film is not nominated for Documentary Feature.  This song is haunting and important.  Listen to it on a loop. Here is a link to a gorgeous performance of the song.  I defy you not to cry. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDkEAbOZvYM

Production Design:
Should Win: Mad Max: Fury Road (Honorable Mention to The Danish Girl)
Will Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
Even I have to give props to the design of this post-apocalyptic world.

Animated Short Film:
Should Win: Bear Story
Just the sweetest little short film.
Will Win: Sanjay's Super Team
Fair warning, Pixar doesn't usually do well in this category and I keep getting this category wrong, year after year.  Still, most of my research points to Sanjay, the adorable little boy who finds his way to tradition through modern interpretation.  If you saw The Good Dinosaur, you saw this animated short.

Live Action Short Film:
This is a very hard category to predict, but on the whole, the Live Action films are generally chosen from the lighter, more whimsical options.  There have certainly been exceptions.
Should Win: Shok
Truly, this film reminds us that genocide continues in the modern world, and that children who are not taught to hate, don't hate.
Will Win: Ave Maria
I'm not certain with this one, but it was a very funny film that allowed both Israelis and Palestinians to be their better selves.  I suspect Hollywood liberals will delight in seeing a film in which these two peoples aren't killing each other.  (Stutterer has a good chance too, difficult to call!)

Sound Editing:
Should Win: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Will Win: Mad Max: Fury Road
This was a pretty loud and crazy movie with a huge wall of sound.  I think it's going to be between this and The Revenant.  Hard to know what to expect, and so I'm going with Steve Pond's instincts here.  He has great instincts.  Fair warning - I may change my mind on this one!

Sound Mixing:
Should Win: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Will Win: The Revenant
About 40% of the time the Sound Editing and Sound Mixing winners are not the same film. However, in this case, I don't think you can ignore the momentum of the likely Best Picture winner.

Visual Effects:
Should Win: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Will Win: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Seriously Academy voters.  I'm not kidding on this one.  Don't mess with the nerds. (Speaking as a Star Wars nerd myself.)

Adapted Screenplay:
Should Win: The Big Short
Will Win: The Big Short
Sadly, I think this will be the only recognition this terrific film receives.  If you review the screenplay winners of the past, the one selected is usually NOT the Best Picture winner.  More often than not, it is the runner up for Best Picture that wins the screenplay awards in both Adapted and Original categories.  Isn't that strange?

Original Screenplay:
Should Win: Spotlight
Will Win: Spotlight

Good luck to all of you prognosticators out there!  I hope to have been helpful and apologize if I'm way off.  Still, should be a great night, and I'll be live tweeting from @JodiBee.

A War - 1 nomination

Foreign Film - Denmark; Directed by Tobias Lindholm

"What would you if it were you" is the operative question surrounding this outstanding film from Denmark.  The film follows Claus Pederson, a leader of the Danish army stationed in Afghanistan. Claus is a true leader who boosts his soldiers' morales by going on patrol with them and leading them from the front.  At the same time, his wife is at home doing her best to care for her three kids while putting on a brave face for them, all three affected by their father's absence in different ways.

While on patrol, Claus and his troops find themselves engaged in a dangerous gun battle, and he makes the decision to call in air support so that they can evacuate a wounded soldier.  Afghani civilians are killed, and the debrief calls into question whether Claus operated under military rules of confirmation when making the decision to call in bombs from above, despite the fact that the attack stopped after those bombs were dropped.

Back in Denmark, a trial ensues in which the courts must determine if Claus should be held accountable for violating regulations, even though he clearly saved the lives of those under his command.

This film is deeply emotional and I'm very surprised it hasn't gotten more attention.  All of the actors are superb (at least three of them are from my favorite Danish show, Borgen), and the performances are outstanding across the board.  I would even suggest that the lead actor (Pilou Asbaek) should have been considered for an Actor in a Leading Role Oscar nomination.  I cried on more than one occasion watching this film, and the challenge of how to balance objective morality and military exigency is well portrayed.

Theeb - 1 nomination

Foreign Film - Jordan; Directed by Naji Abu Nowar

Theeb is the story of brothers trying to assist a British officer who is importing train tracks to Jordan in 1916.  Along the way, they encounter bandits who try to kill them, and when the child (Theeb) is left on his own, he must find a way back to safety and must trust his own instincts to stay alive.

The story is basically a shoot out and then an unlikely buddy story, but I can't really figure out how this film made it to the top 5 foreign films.  The child is certainly cute, but each event is overly simplistic and for such a perilous situation, the young actor barely shows any fear.  Perhaps that was a character detail that he should be so unfazed by life and death situations with only revenge on his mind, but it might also be that the acting was just not that good.  It was a challenge to find this story to be believable, and required so much suspension of disbelief, that I couldn't really find what made the film compelling.  In the end, it felt like a linear story that your friend tells you that sounds like "and then this happened and then that happened," with no drama and little to engage the audience.

Son of Saul - 1 nomination

Foreign Film - Hungary; Directed by László Nemes

Son of Saul introduces the world to the Sonnercommandos - Jews in the concentration camps who were forced to sacrifice their innocence as victims, to become the perpetrators.  These are the people who helped to usher the new groups of fellow Jews into the gas chambers, and then they were the people to clean up the bodies once they had been killed.  They were treated marginally better than other prisoners, but were executed themselves every few months.  This film follows one of the Sonnercommandos, Saul, who becomes obsessed with wanting to provide a proper burial to a teenage boy who did not die during the gassing, but died soon after.  Without knowing the reasons that he takes on this quest - especially to find a Rabbi who can help him with the proper rituals - we can only assume that this child may remind him of his own child who we guess was murdered upon arrival to the concentration camp.

The style of this film would best be described as "in your face," where most of the movie the lead actor's face and head take up the majority of the frame.  One has to sometimes deduce what is happening around Saul, because the only thing that is sharp is his expressions, his desperation, his guilt, his anger.  There is no respite during this film - it is hard hitting and doesn't allow for the audience to rest from the intensity, much like there was no break for any victim of the Holocaust.

The Director, László Nemes, was asked many times why he wanted to make "another Holocaust film," and his answer was simple.  The reason we need another Holocaust film is because you are tired of the Holocaust.  We can never allow ourselves to forget.  

Mustang - 1 nomination

Foreign Film - France; Directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Five sisters whose parents have died live in northern Turkey with their grandmother and uncle.  On their way home from the last day of school, they are spotted playing at the beach with boy classmates, and their nosy neighbor turns them in.  The uncle begins to modify their home into a more and more secure prison, not allowing the girls to go out.  Then begins wedding season.

Innocently enough, the oldest two girls (who by 1st world standards would still be too young for marriage, but by more traditional religious standards are perhaps old enough) are matched - one with the boy that she loves, and one with a young man who seems at least age appropriate, even if the bride is reluctant.  As the girls leave the nest, the imprisonment becomes more severe, and the younger girls fear for their well being as they are clearly not old enough by any measure to get married.  The youngest of the five is very clever and entrepreneurial, and their lives may all depend on her.

Mustang is a very good film and hard to relate to from a western lens.  If we can agree objectively that young children shouldn't be married off against their wills (which I hope we can), then I think we will also agree that the tension in this film is handled perfectly, lulling us into a false sense of security as the first two reasonable marriages happen and then turning such a sharp corner into trapping the younger girls into disastrous situations.

Embrace of the Serpent - 1 nomination

Foreign Film - Colombia; Directed by Ciro Guerra

Embrace of the Serpent follows Karamakate, an indigenous person in the Amazon rainforest who is enlisted to help a German anthropologist who has fallen ill with a bizarre sickness.  It is rumored that the only thing that can cure him is a special plant called "yakruna," which acts as a metaphor plant representing the natural resources in the jungle. Karamakate is deeply resentful of the white man who has raped the resources of the jungle and brought violence over the rubber trees, and, adding insult to injury, kidnapped indigenous children to "socialize" them to become young Catholics.  

Parallel to this story is another botanist who comes 40 years later and find Karamakate and asks him to help find the yakruna plant.  It becomes clear that this scientist has another agenda, once again representing the deep betrayals that have transpired with the people of the jungle.

It's an excellent film - engaging, challenging, difficult to watch at times.  On balance, one must ask the questions about the good that natural resources can do versus the preservation of culture and being vigilant about removing everything that is in the jungle and the sea to the point of extinction. This film asks those questions brilliantly.

Documentary Shorts

Body Team 12 - David Darg and Bryn Mooser
Body Team 12 follows the horrific role of the Liberian Red Cross to carefully and safely remove the bodies of people who have died from Ebola from the poorest and most terribly vulnerable communities in Liberia.  They not only deal with the difficult task of keeping themselves from being in danger from the disease, they also have to manage the grief and anger of the deceased person's families.  Sometimes under threat of violence, they must sympathetically explain the dangers of traditional burial inside the community and lovingly deescalate situations that put these brave workers in danger.  It is a brilliant and compelling film told through the eyes of one nurse who is doing her job for the good of her country.

Chau, Beyond the Lines - Courtney Marsh and Jerry Franck
The long term effect of Agent Orange being dropped in Vietnam is a generation of children born with serious health issues and a variety of disabilities.  Many of these children are sent to "camps" where nurses care for them and educate them, all the while firmly believing that these children have no future.  Chau is one of these children who dreams of becoming an artist and fashion designer and his will and clever use of resources  remind us that determination and belief in oneself can catapult us into truly unexpected places.

Claude Lanzmann, Spectres of the Shoah - Adam Benzine
If you've never seen the masterpiece documentary "Shoah," you must finish reading this blog, and immediately begin your 10 hour journey into the Holocaust.  It is a landmark work, ironically never nominated for an Oscar but possibly one of the top five most important documentaries of the modern age.  Claude Lanzmann is the brilliant filmmaker who took 12 years to make the film and make the world truly understand what had happened, and often put himself and his crew in danger trying to get authentic accounts from Nazis who had survived the war.

A Girl in the River, The Price of Forgiveness - Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
The subject of honor killings is examined through the eyes of a rare survivor.  This film follows Saba, a young girl who married the boy originally chosen for her by her father when her uncle intervened and tried to have her marry his brother in law.  When her family discovered what she had done, they swore on the Quran that they wouldn't do anything to hurt her and then they dragged her to the river, shot her in the face and on her hand, and put her in a bag and dropped her in.  She survived and dragged herself to a gas station for help, and she had turned her face just enough to be injured but not murdered.  With her uncle and father in prison adamantly defending what they had done as their right, the community of elders pressures her and her lawyer to forgive them, which will most certainly release them from jail - to be forgiven by your victim (or your dead victim's family) is enough for the courts to forgive the crime itself.  And the need for harmony between the families is so great, that  to withhold forgiveness is tantamount to shunning of her and her new husband's family. Like Saving Face (a short subject documentary Oscar winner by this same filmmaker), the total devaluation of women and girls in society is disturbingly real.

Last Day of Freedom
In a most creative approach to documentary storytelling, Last Day of Freedom follows Bill Babbitt and his discovery that his ex-military brother Manny had committed murder under the strains of post traumatic stress disorder.  Compelled to do the right thing, Bill goes to the police to turn his brother in, but also to explain the mitigating circumstances for his brother who has never gotten treatment for his illness.  Questions of aggravation versus mitigation, what is an appropriate use of the death penalty, and who is responsible for military personnel who come back with mental injuries are examined beautifully in this short film, with the incredible use of animation as its medium.

Additional note:
Having now seen all 10 nominated documentaries (full length and short subject), special mention of Sheila Nevins and HBO seems imperative.  Without fail, each year her name is all over these documentaries, and the genre owes her a sincere debt of gratitude for identifying and supporting the powerful of non-fiction storytelling.

Trailers:

To see a trailer for A Girl in the River, click this link: 

http://oscar.go.com/nominees/documentary-short/a-girl-in-the-river-the-price-of-forgiveness

Boy and the World/When Marnie Was Here - 2 Animated Features

Boy and the World - Alê Abreu
Boy and the World follows a child who ventures out into the world (Brazil) and spends the rest of the movie trying to get back home.  It's a simple story (with the exception of one strange sequence) and its nomination is clearly based on very beautiful animation.  The people are not drawn in a sophisticated way, but it still works.  This is your day out if you were stone cold tripping, with intermittent looks at the underbelly and poverty of Brazil.  That makes the score for the film terrific and every time we see Brazil in its glory, the colors are incredible.

The story is fine but the colors are gorgeous.

When Marnie Was There - Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura
Fair warning, each year a Miyazaki style film is nominated, and somehow every year I'm thoroughly bored by it.

That's why I was encouraged this year when I started watching When Marnie Was There.  It is the story of a young orphan who lives with foster parents who suffers from asthma.  Concerned for her welfare, they send her to live with good friends in an ocean town.  Her social anxiety is significant as she tries to forge relationships.  One night, she comes upon a wealthy little girl who lives in a mansion nearby, and they become fast friends.  But something just isn't right and though she spends time with her friend inside the mansion, in the light of day, the home appears totally abandoned and decrepit. I spent the majority of the movie thinking, "there better be a good payoff at the end of this film, because this is insane."

The film does payoff with explanations too coincidental to have any basis in reality, and the majority of what she experienced is entirely unexplainable.  I'm all for suspension of disbelief, but this is ridiculous.  As always, the animation is lovely, but once again, I'm recommendation a pass on this year's version of the same film.

**Please forgive the double post today, but we only have a certain number of days left and a few extra movies to review!

The Look of Silence - 1 nomination

Documentary Feature - Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen

The Look of Silence is the second documentary nominee from Joshua Oppenheimer examining the aftermath of the genocide in Indonesia which saw the mass murderer of a million people purported to be communists.  To really get this film, I highly recommend starting with the first installment (not that this is technically a sequel), The Act of Killing.  That film asked perpetrators of the genocide to re-enact their terror for the film, thereby asking them to relive their actions.

In this second installment, we follow Adi, an optometrist who is haunted by the murder of his older brother who was accused of communism.  He meets personally with killers and their families, and watches video that Oppenheimer had collected of killers explaining in great deal the specific murder of his brother.  In all cases, no one takes responsibility, some are still quite proud of what they did, and the killers' families universally deny that they knew what their family member had done, even in the face of video footage showing that they did indeed know.

This documentary is excellent but I believe needs the context of the first film to truly grasp the level of denial that Indonesians still have about what happened in their country.  To me, the most frightening part of the film came during the credits.  It is clear that the filmmakers used a great deal of Indonesians on the crew from the lowest to the highest positions, and they all almost universally chose to be credited as "anonymous."  I would venture a guess that at least half of the people who worked on the film were anonymous, which only suggests that the violence and danger is in no way laid to rest for acts that transpired in the 60's, but that the threat is very real and very current.  And the lack of responsibility taking and the lack of accountability in the country means that it could still happen again.  I am deeply worried for the lead character who bravely starred in this film looking for answers, as I feel his life is in danger now that the movie is out in the world.

I have to mention that it is clear that these filmmakers spent years and years building relationships with people so that they felt comfortable admitting their sins and inviting them into their homes.  That is the work of a true documentarian - not just capturing the story, not just distilling the story in such a way that explains the situation, but building real relationships with sometimes terrible people, or people who did terrible things enough so that they are willing to expose themselves to their friend, the filmmaker.  Bravo to Joshua Oppenheimer who did this work so phenomenally as to end up with two Oscar nominated documentaries.

Winter On Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom

Documentary Feature - Evgeny Afineevsky and Den Tolmor

Winter on Fire is the story of how ordinary citizens demanded change in their country and were willing to make every sacrifice in order to get it.  Ukraine was on the verge of joining the European Union when their President Yanukovych decided to make an alliance with Putin's Russia instead. That's when the people began to call for his resignation.  

The bravery and determination exhibited by these ordinary citizens facing armed militias and police is remarkable.  Even as police purposely shot at medical personnel trying to help the wounded, they did not back down.  Now we know that this is not where Ukraine's troubles ended, but seeing how their relentless pursuit for peace unfolded, one can't help but be inspired.

Bravo to Netflix for this excellent film.

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared - 1 nomination

Makeup and Hairstyling - Love Larson and Eva von Bahr

The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is the Forrest Gump of Sweden.  With his life-long love of blowing things up, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home after detonating a wolf who ate his favorite cat.  On the day of his 100th birthday, he decides to leave the nursing home and crosses paths with a gangster who hands him a suitcase with 50 million Swedish krona (the currency).  He meets a kind older man along the way, and they begin an adventure which involves elephants, circus trucks, gangsters, all the while reliving his life history that accidentally brings him into contact with Stalin, Harry Einstein (Albert's brother?), Oppenheimer, Reagan, and even turns him into a double agent for Russia and America during the 80's.

The movie is slower paced but really funny.  It's a coincidence movie and if ever Allan Karlsson and Forrest Gump were to get in a room, the history of the modern world would collide into one incredible story.

The movie is nominated for makeup and hairstyling, and it does a convincing job of turning a young man into a progressively older man.  It's not quite enough to win an Oscar, but like "Bad Grandpa" from last year's Oscars, the makeup is enough to convince us from the start that this man is indeed 100 years old.

What Happened, Miss Simone? - 1 nomination

Documentary Feature - Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby and Justin Wilkes

Nina Simone had a powerful voice and an incredible talent.  This film is the story of her life, helping us to navigate how a piano savant became a jazz singer and then a civil rights activist.  We begin to understand her difficult relationships, her troubled marriage, her abusive parenting, all of which seemed to lead to an apparent nervous breakdown that caused her to abandon everything and move to Liberia.

The musical pieces are wonderful and the seething anger that pours out of Simone is palpable.  This documentary puts together interviews with people now including her daughter and Attallah Shabbaz (Malcolm X's daughter), and culls through years of archival footage to hear from the artist herself.

I can't tell if I left the film finding Nina Simone to be a sympathetic character, but I did leave with a new appreciation of her life.  (Available on Netflix)

Cartel Land - 1 nomination

Documentary Feature - Matthew Heineman and Tom Yellin

Cartel Land points its lens at the drug cartels in Mexico which have terrorized locals, killed innocents, and created a lucrative but dangerous industry south of the border.  On both sides of the fence, vigilante groups are fighting - from within Mexico, fighting the cartels and trying to save people, from the United States, fighting to keep Mexicans from coming in, some of whom are coming from the cartels with drugs.  Both groups are heavily armed.

The thing about this documentary is that it's mostly depressing because of the Sisyphean nature of the problem - both well meaning vigilante groups can keep pushing their rocks up that hill, but will never get to the top.  In Mexico, the deep governmental corruption and the dissent within the leadership of the peace through protection movement are too insidious to have an impact.  In the United States, it's hard to know what would have an impact, but the diversity of reasons that people are engaging in this battle - which range from the pure and authentic to the deeply racist - make for a group that is as scary and disturbing as the cartels themselves, particularly because they are heavily armed and have empowered themselves with authority that has no basis in legality or reality.

It's hard to know the point of this film, other than perhaps how utterly hopeless the situation is.  As you know, when I complain of the exclusion of a worthy film from nomination, I usually take the time to point out which film for which it could have substituted.  For me, The Hunting Ground was far more worthy of nomination than Cartel Land, though I can still recommend Cartel Land as an interesting and worthy movie to see.  (Cartel Land is available on Netflix streaming.)

Amy - 1 nomination

Documentary Feature - Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees

Oh, Amy, you broke my heart.

Following the story of Amy Winehouse's rise to fame and success with her extraordinary talent, Amy is a powerful and difficult documentary to watch.  If there was ever any doubt that a hard childhood and disconnected parenting have an effect on our adult lives, and that the company we keep matters, this film eliminates it completely.  

We literally watch Amy Winehouse transform from a remarkable singer who has energy and enthusiasm for life on her way to the professional top into a marked up substance abuser on her way to the emotional bottom.  We see her descend before our very eyes.  In addition to her personal struggles, we see how the people surrounding her use her for their agendas, with few people left in her life who genuinely have her best interests at heart.  You almost feel like you need a shower after you watch the film.

The juxtaposition of the lyrics to Winehouse's songs to what was happening in Amy's life changed her music for me forever.  This brilliant device used by the filmmakers gave context to the decline we all witnessed around the world in real time, which helped to explain her tragic death.  So sad.  So unnecessary.  So worth the watch.

Cinderella - 1 nomination

Costume Design - Sandy Powell (also nominated for Carol's costumes this year, 2 out of 5 categories, not too shabby!)

In case you've never heard the story of Cinderella a million times, here it is.  Sweet and perfect Cinderella loses her mother and her father remarries.  Her evil stepmother has two daughters who have no taste and are terribly rude.  They all torment Cinderella, take her room and make her move into the dusty old attic (where, animated mice live) even though there are a jillion rooms in the mansion, and treat her like dirt.  Nonetheless, she is kind to them and becomes their personal slave. Her father dies and the veneer of any kindness once given is now full throated venom.  While out and about, she meets the dreamiest of guys who fails to share that he is the Prince on his way to being King.  When they meet, he is immediately captivated by her, and when he is pushed to find a royal bride, he convinces his father that he should throw a royal ball and invite all of the women of the area (hoping to see Cinderella again), in addition to all of the Princesses in the surrounding areas.

Cinderella's dreams of going to the ball are thwarted by more cruelty from the witch who is her stepmother.  Off she and the stepsister go to the ball.  Poor Cinderella.  Thankfully, C's fairy godmother shows up, makes her gorgeous and sends her to the ball with the admonition that all of this magic stuff wears off at midnight.  She goes to the ball, is plucked from obscurity thanks to her incredible beauty, she and the Prince dance and fall immediately in love, and off she scurries at midnight, leaving only a shoe - a clue for the Prince to use to find her foot.  Thankfully, there is not a single woman in the entire kingdom with whom she can share shoes because this glass slipper has been custom-made for her foot.  Eventually they find each other and live happily ever... you know how it goes.

This nomination is for costuming and boy does it deserve it.  From the ridiculous to the sublime, the saying goes, and every single stitch in this film is amazing.  Cate Blanchett plays the evil stepmother (and speaking as a stepmother myself, these brothers Grimm and I need to talk about how they ruined it for all of us with this bad press), and her wardrobe in this film is even more amazing that Cinderella's herself.  The costumes DO make this film bearable and I'm embarrassed to say (as a feminist who really thinks this whole story is absurd; come on Cinderella, stand up for yourself just once!), that I actually enjoyed it.  I highly recommend going online to check out the costumes, if you appreciate the elegance of the time portrayed.  They are truly special.

Straight Outta Compton - 1 nomination

Original Screenplay - Screenplay by Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff; Story by S. Leigh Savidge 

Straight Outta Compton follows the story of gangster rap super-group, N.W.A., whose famous songs like F*ck Tha Police and Gangsta Gangsta changed the face of rap music.  Tired of the police brutality they experienced and surrounded by neighborhoods filled with drugs, crime, and hopelessness, NWA tapped into the anger of a generation and hardened rap music that had been filled with songs about butts and knockin' boots.  Their rap was angry, political, counter-culture, and misogynistic.  The screenplay follows the group's rise, their squabbles, and their relationship with their manager, Jerry Heller, who is portrayed as a sleazy guy who manipulates the band and fosters jealousies and turmoil.

Full disclosure, I am friends with Jerry's nephew, a person whose integrity I believe to be of the highest degree who witnessed all of this as a young man, and he resolutely stands by his uncle, and claims that the portrayal of the relationship is patently false.  I believe him.

Nonetheless, even though I was not a fan of N.W.A. at the time that they were popular, my mind was opened to their music and their story through this excellent film.  The nostalgia of the songs resonated, and one simply cannot miss the genius that came through their lyrics.  It's incredible to see young stars we know today coming through their recording studio doors (Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, etc.) and it's especially interesting knowing the senseless, violent deaths that came after the movie ends.  In some cases, the inability to escape the gangster lifestyle overshadowed the talent that clearly ran through all of their veins.

As I always say, movies are not documentaries, and even documentaries are not always the whole stories.  What I hope is that those who loved the film and want to know more about these characters will be inspired to learn their true stories, when not glamorized by a Hollywood tale.

The Hunting Ground - 1 nomination

Original Song - "Till It Happens to You" - Music and Lyric by Diane Warren and Lady Gaga

The Hunting Ground is another powerful documentary from Kirby Dick (the Director who made "The Invisible War" about rape in the military).  This time, he explores rape on college campuses and how administrators respond (or don't) to it.

Candidly, I struggled with this film - as important and powerful as it is - because I used to work in Student Affairs and all of the professionals I know care deeply about their students and are champions for survivors and men and women alike who report rape.  I know a handful of Deans and Vice Presidents on campus, and I simply can't see them counseling women not to report, to cover it up, or to make their lives miserable.  Having said that, there is no question that it is in a university's interest to have low crime statistics, and when it comes to the greek system and athletics, there is a vested interest in preserving the veneer of perfection given how alumni contributions impact schools.

It's important to note that only a small percentage of those who are assaulted even report rape, and some of the reason is the way that they are publicly shamed.  This film also tracks how young college students are taking power and using the legal system to hold universities accountable to their "duty of care" and "duty to protect" the students on their campuses.  Seeing these women use their personal power is especially inspiring, and seeing them both create networks and education for each other is exciting.

I recently posted a comment on a friend's Facebook post about rape in America, and another commenter immediately attacked me and reported that "most men" have been falsely accused of rape, which is a patently false accusation without basis in fact or statistics.  And fresh off that comment, I had the opportunity to view this film, making it even harder to swallow.  Knowing that there is an underbelly of defensiveness from certain audiences makes me wonder how they would respond to this question: "if the movie is wrong by half, isn't it STILL imperative that we protect people from violence on our college campuses?  And if we dismiss allegations simply because we are uncomfortable, aren't we part of the problem?"

At any rate, I think the song nominated for this film is the most powerful and haunting of all of the nominees.  Diane Warren is no stranger to the Oscars (this is her 7th nomination) and this collaboration with Lady Gaga may be her best yet.  I hope you'll listen to the song and see the film.