Oscars Wrap Up

Normally, wrapping up the Oscars is exciting and fun, but there was just nothing to talk about this year.  Ha!  By now we know all of the winners, and here are my thoughts about the telecast.

I thought Jimmy Kimmel was funny and did a great job.  I liked all the cute bits about the candy and the tour bus.  He did a GREAT job poking fun at overrated Meryl Streep and Matt Damon alike.  I loved the montages of acceptance speeches (I once wrote an article about memorable Oscars speeches which you can read here.)  The idea of actors and actresses watching movies and talking about their inspirations was beautiful and not overdone.  Justin Timberlake set the tone right from teh beginning - can we get that guy an honorary Original Song Oscar?

It was a night of fun, even if the In Memorium montage featured the name and occupation of a person who died, but showed the picture of a very alive colleague.

My take on the winners:

Best Picture - I really loved Moonlight.  Envelope gaffe aside, it was a pleasure to see that film receive recognition, and I'm sorry that they didn't really get their moment in the sun.  I would have also loved to see Hidden Figures win the prize.  Like everyone, I was shocked to the core that the wrong winner was announced.  I can't imagine how heartbreaking it must have been for the LLL producers to have to put on their big boy pants and hand over the awards to other people.  But they did it with grace.  My heart especially goes out to Marc Platt (who I know a little bit), and who had a very similar experience at the Tony's as the producer of Wicked the year Avenue Q won.  (Not exactly the same, but similar.)  Jimmy Kimmel and Warren Beatty all handled the situation with class, and though I'm so sorry for the LLL folks, it proved once again that the more powerful stories are going to win.  Last year when we all thought The Revenant would win (a good, but not important movie), Spotlight pulled it out.  I'm starting to trust Oscar voters more and more.

Actor in a Leading Role - Well, add this to the percentage of time that the SAG winner did NOT match the Oscar winner.  A rarity indeed.  Casey Affleck was the frontrunner for most of awards season.  I had trouble deciphering why Denzel Washington didn't at least smile or nod when Affleck acknowledged him.

Actor in a Supporting Role - Mahershala Ali won, deserved it, and has given a series of wonderful acceptance speeches at every show.  What a class act.  I think his five day old baby was happy to give him the night off.

Actress in a Leading Role - Emma Stone was gracious and a shoo in.  

Actress in a Supporting Role - VIOOOOOOOOLLLLLLAAAAAAA!  I have supported her since her nomination for The Help, which she lost to Octavia Spencer for the same film.  Which also starred Emma Stone.  These three peas in a pod deserve the recognition they've gotten.  Now Viola's manager better be figuring out how to get Viola that Grammy so she can join the other EGOT winners.  And, she has officially joined my "favorite Oscars speeches of all time" list.

Animated Feature - I really hope that you'll see this film.  It has an important message about mistrusting the other, and what happens when the government foments fear among its citizens.  This film was a truly politically relevant film.

Cinematography - La La Land was a shoo in.  

Costume Design - It's nice to see that this category remains true to itself every year, and almost never follows the obvious "big film" choices.  However, if we're really awarding the best costumes, I stand by my assertion that Florence Foster Jenkins deserved it.  Check out the images online, you'll see what I mean.

Directing - Damian Chazelle spoke so beautifully, I almost don't feel badly about myself that he is only 31 and has already accomplished so much.  I loved how he acknowledged all of the important people who helped him achieve his vision.  PS, if you don't already know this - Mandy Moore is a choreographer who you can see on So You Think You Can Dance.  Not the Mandy Moore from This is Us.

Documentary Feature - There is no question that OJ was an unbelievable filmmaking accomplishment.  But 13th was the most important documentary of the year.

Documentary Short Subject - This year's batch was so strong it could have gone to anyone.  But these heroes from The White Helmets deserve recognition not just for the over 80,000 people they've rescued, but also for reminding certain people that ordinary humans value life, no matter where they are from. A rare moment when a Holocaust related story doesn't win.

Film Editing - Ugh, Hacksaw Ridge.  Ok, war movies win this a lot.  But seriously, could everyone stop acting like we love Mel Gibson again?  Seriously, it's distasteful.  How is it that we live in a world where Lena Dunham is more hated than Mel Gibson?  When did earnest and sometimes self righteous become more egregious than racist, sexist, homophobic, anti-semetic, misanthropic... oh wait, never mind. I know when.  Moving right along.

Foreign Language Film - Guys, I'm sorry to tell you that this was a political choice.  The Salesman was quite good, but it wasn't the most moving or the most impactful.  Land of Mine was a much stronger story, and A Man Called Ove was a much more touching one.  While we are at it, though the sentiments of the speech that the director sent were laudable, they failed to mention that Iran has some of the most stringent rules about travel there (if you have an Israeli stamp in your passport, you can't enter the country), and their human rights abuses are atrocious.  I suppose his life would have been in danger had he spoken openly about that, but let's keep his remarks in context, shall we?

Makeup and Hairstyling - Suicide Squad was a very mediocre film with great makeup.  Star Trek was a good movie with great makeup.  But, ya know, ok.  Suicide Squad for the win.

Original Score - La La Land was a lock from the beginning.  But I loved the speech that Justin Hurwitz gave.  Loved.

Original Song - City of Stars from La La Land is a good benign choice, but I gotta tell you, if my kids don't learn an instrument, they aren't skipping out on the JCC soccer team.  But now I'm thinking that they could win an Oscar and take me to the show, so I'm torn.

Production Design - I honestly think that Fantastic Beasts should win, but I can see how that last section of the movie really won the Oscar for LLL.

Animated Short Film - Piper has been my favorite since I saw it in the theater.  It was just too cute to ignore.  It's been a long time since I got this one right, so I was thrilled to see it win.

Live Action Short Film - I have to be honest, Sing is one of the last films I would have chosen for the big win, but it does have a strong values message.  I still really hope that you'll see Timecode.  Do everything you can to see it.

Sound Editing - The whole Arrival movie is about sound and language and these complicated layers.  I didn't expect the win, but I can see how it was chosen.

Sound Mixing - Seriously?  Hacksaw Ridge?  War movies are the second most chosen after musicals in this category.  (and it's a Cinderella story of finally winning after 21 nominations.) Still, if you're not going with LLL, can my beloved Star Wars get some love?  I was a little bit confused last night because I had read an article that 13 Hours was removed from consideration at the last minute due to illegal campaigning, but it was still announced in the package. Can we get some clarification on this?

Visual Effects - I know Jungle Book was an amazing feat, but go back and watch Dr. Strange.  I saw nothing like it last year.  It really deserved the win.

Adapted Screenplay - Moonlight had the rare screenplay and best picture win.  It was wonderful.

Original Screenplay - We knew Manchester by the Sea was going to win this category, particularly since Kenneth Lonergan actually wrote that dialogue to overlap on itself.  That's a rare thing.

Thank you to all you readers, tweeters, retweeters, reposters, and lovers of film.  We'll see you next year!

Who Should Win? Who Will Win?

Followers of the blog will know that this is my most stressful post of the year!  I've done a lot of research into what the Oscars "experts" think will win, and then I try to add in my own opinion, as well.  If you win big, send me 5%! (haha)  Actually, if you win big, please help me next year by sharing some of the blog posts and help me turn others onto this lovable hobby of mine.  Without further ado...

Best Picture
Should Win: Hidden Figures
What a beautiful and important film with a story that I'm certain many of us didn't know.  Last week, I felt confident that this would win, much like last year when the conventional wisdom was that The Revenant would win and I still (correctly) called Spotlight.
Will Win: La La Land
To be clear (and if you read my review), I LOVED La La Land.  I'm a musicals groupie and seeing some of the old Hollywood musical brought back to life felt like slipping on a warm bathrobe.  Many have argued that this film is being voted on by people in La La Land who have made it despite their early struggles reflected in the film, and so conventional wisdom suggests that it will win.  I still have a 10% chance hope that Hidden Figures takes the prize.

Actor in a Leading Role
Should Win: Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
The role in Captain Fantastic was so well done and unique, and if you read my post, this was an incredible film.  This was Viggo's top performance in his career.
Will Win: Denzel Washington, Fences
Ok guys, this is a tough one.  Casey Affleck has had the momentum and has been the presumptive winner for the entire awards season.  He's captured a large majority of the awards given out so far. But the SAG awards are the most predictive for acting awards - in the last two years, all four of the winners at SAG were the winners at the Oscars.  It doesn't happen every time in every category, but when Washington won at SAG, it completely changed my prediction.  Having said that, Affleck might still be the safer bet, so choose carefully!

Actor in a Supporting Role
Should Win: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Will Win: Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Like Dame Judy Dench before him, time on screen is not a good predictor of who should or will win. His performance was so powerful, and he's won almost everything in this category along the way.

Actress in a Leading Role
Should Win: Emma Stone, La La Land
Although that Isabelle Huppert was amazing in Elle.
Will Win: Emma Stone, La La Land

Actress in a Supporting Role
Should Win: Viola Davis, Fences
Will Win: VIOLA DAVIS
CAN I GET AN AMEN! Nobody even comes close this year.

Animated Feature Film
Should Win: My Life as a Zucchini or Zootopia
Will Win: Zootopia
In addition to cleaning up in most of the awards shows, this film is the most relevant to what we are seeing today.  The government telling you something doesn't mean it's true and doesn't mean it shouldn't be investigated.  Sound familiar?

Cinematography
Should Win: Arrival
The work on this film was amazing.  Shooting in dark spaces with strange lighting, multiple kinds of settings, landscape and tight spaces, really great work.
Will Win: La La Land
Also wonderful work, but I thought Arrival was better.

Costume Design
Should Win: Jackie
It was a gratuitous part of the film, but that scene where Jackie tries on all of her favorite outfits was priceless.
Will Win: Well..... it's going to be La La Land or Jackie
Here's the thing, Jackie did not win it's award at the costumers awards show and La La Land did.  I still can't decide, but the odds are that the "sweeper" film will do better than not, so if you're betting, I suspect the safer bet is La La Land.  But historically, the costume awards really go to period or fantasy pieces, somehow the costume design category isn't colored by rose glasses.  But I admit I have a secret suspicion this could be one of the rare upsets.

Directing
Should Win: Damian Chazelle
Will Win: Damian Chazelle
NOW GO MAKE MORE MUSICALS, HOLLYWOOD!  Hamilton, anyone?

Documentary Feature
Should Win: 13th
Possibly the most important documentary of the year.
Will Win: OJ: Made in America
This epic 8 hour documentary is an unbelievable accomplishment (read my blog post about Documentary Features to see why), and I think people will want to honor the craft of this film as much as the story it tells.  Want to hear something interesting? This film, 13th, and I Am Not Your Negro all used the exact same piece of historical footage in their documentaries.  Watch for it.

Documentary Short Subject
Should Win: Extremis
I sobbed.  I sobbed.  I sobbed.
Will Win: The White Helmets
I know my rule is generally "never bet against the Holocaust story" (Joe's Violin), but this film is so timely, and Hollywood will relish showing good people doing heroic things in Syria, as much as a snub to this administration as anything else.  Also, I cried... a lot.

Film Editing
Should Win: La La Land
Will Win: La La Land
The freeway scene alone.

Foreign Language Film
Should Win: A Man Called Ove
Can I please beg you to see this movie?  It's available as a DVD on Netflix.
Will Win: The Salesman
It's enough that this film was very good and shows a different side of how we think about average Iranians, but the travel ban/suspension is more than enough for Hollywood to send a screw you to the President to get them to vote for this film.

Makeup and Hairstyling
Should Win: Star Trek Beyond
Will Win: Star Trek Beyond

Original Score
Should Win: La La Land
Will Win: La La Land

Original Song:
Should Win: How Far I'll Go, Moana 
Can I get a what what for my man Lin-Manuel Miranda!
Will Win: City of Stars, La La Land

Production Design
Should Win: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
I mean, every Harry Potter film SHOULD HAVE won this category.
Will Win: La La Land
For that very last montage alone.

Animated Short Film
Should Win: Piper
Will Win: Piper
I'm notoriously bad at picking this category but my other favorite was Pearl.

Live Action Short Film
Should Win: Ennemis Interieurs
This film is incredibly important and timely and is tied for my two favorites.
Will Win: Timecode
Ok, my favorite Oscars predictors have picked Ennemis Interieurs and La Femme et le TGV.  But the live action short category has a history of picking lighthearted, adorable, funny films over their more serious competitors.  You absolutely must see this film, so I'm going with Timecode.

Sound Editing
Should Win: Deepwater Horizon
Will Win: Hacksaw Ridge
Sound Editing loves war movies.  Full stop.

Sound Mixing
Should Win: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Will Win: La La Land
Sound Mixing loves musicals.  Full stop.

Visual Effects
Should Win: Dr. Strange
No kidding, that was the most creative, beautiful effects I've seen since Avatar.
Will Win: The Jungle Book
The entire movie was basically visual effects of animals around one live kid.  That's pretty impressive.

Adapted Screenplay
Should Win: Moonlight
My second choice would be Lion, but Moonlight is the darling of Hollywood.  There was even talk of this upsetting the Best Picture category!
Will Win: Moonlight

Original Screenplay
Should Win: I'd like to make a plug for 20th Century Women here, and also for The Lobster.
Will Win: Manchester By The Sea
The "big reveal" is so gut wrenching.  Very well told story (sorry, my friends who hated it.)

Passengers - 2 nominations and Hail Caesar - 1 nomination

Passengers
Music (Original Score) - Thomas Newman
Production Design - Guy Hendrix Dyas (Production Design) and Gene Serdena (Set Decoration)

This is the story of thousands of people in cryosleep on a spaceship traveling to colonize a new frontier from earth.  Without explanation, one of the passengers, Jim Preston, is awakened early and the loneliness is overwhelming.  Even with a spaceship filled with every kind entertainment, when you're totally alone, it's pretty easy to tire of those diversions.  So, Preston devises a plan to wake up another passenger.  Doing this has its consequences - being roused 90 years before arrival at the destination functionally means that it's highly unlikely that either of them will actually see the place their trying to go.  Once she has gotten her bearings, he must then decide whether to tell her that the malfunction that woke her up was not the same as his, and this dilemma could have a tremendous impact on their long term relationship.  They two are the only people in the world, so he must weigh his options carefully.

Truly one of the best parts of this fun film was the production design.  The set decorators and production designers did an amazing job of letting their imaginations soar without limits to envision what a high priced traveling spaceship might look like in an age where that kind of dream is possible. It's a movie worth seeing and enjoying.

Hail Caesar
Production Design - Jess Gonchor (Production Design) and Nancy Haigh (Set Decoration)

You've never seen the behind the scenes of old Hollywood like this, is what the Coen brothers would like you to think.  The story follows a studio professional whose job it is to keep the veneer of celebrity larger than life and scandal free to the adoring public.  One of the many issues with which he is struggling is that the studio's largest star has been drugged and kidnapped off the set of a huge, high budget film, and is being ransomed for $100,000.  He's got an Esther Williams genre star who is knocked up with no husband.  He's got gossip columnists sniffing around every day to see what they can pick up.

The film is comical but it's just not very funny.  There's little that is memorable about it, and as I write this, I am struggling to remember anything that really stood out for me.  Yes, the production design is old Hollywood, larger than life, and reflects sets like Ben Hur and Neptune's Daughter (two movies that most people reading this surely won't remember), so the clay available to mold by the production designer and set decorator was ripe for excellence.  But even the over the top characters are just cliche enough to be forgotten.  I'm an ardent fan of the Coen brothers, but this film just didn't get it done like so many of their others have.

Deepwater Horizon - 2 nominations and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi - 1 nomination

Deepwater Horizon

Visual Effects - Craig Hammack, Jason Snell, Jason Billington, and Burt Dalton

Sound Editing - Wylie Stateman and Renee Tondelli

Deepwater Horizon recounts the true story of the devastating British Petroleum (BP) oil spill off the coast of Louisiana, and the very brave professionals who both tried to prevent the spill and rescued each other from the fallout.  Perhaps the greatest demonstration for the need for regulations in America, this film captures what happens when a corporate entity prizes money above safety.  With little oversight of the regulations that do exist, companies take more and more risks seemingly without regard to the potential consequences.  At its heart, this film is a great action movie ably led by the always terrific Mark Wahlberg.  But the movie takes the time to let us know the characters, their families, their backstories, and the very real dangers they faced.  As always, we must remind ourselves that filmmakers have no obligation to the actual facts as they occurred, so those who love the film and are outraged by it, must also take the time to find out how much of the story was inspired by actual events, and how much was adding entertainment and imagination to how the events could have happened.  Nonetheless, I was not expecting to like the movie and I liked it very much.  Of note were the visual effects which required a tremendous level of complexity so that the viewer could almost feel what the people portrayed experienced.  It was well worth the time and the popcorn.

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

Sound Mixing - Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush, and Mac Ruth

Another in our "inspired by true events" stories, 13 Hours recaps the events of September 11, 2010 in Benghazi, Libya, where the American ambassador and three others were murdered as Libya was becoming a failed state.  Nearby, in a secret CIA outpost, former military contractors stood ready and waiting to help the overrun embassy as they were being attacked.  The siege lasted all night, and these brave men did what they could to usher as many people to safety as possible, and as we know, they didn't all survive.  

I was expecting this film to be much more political than it was.  In fact, the only reference to politics made in the film is a single comment recalling that Congress had cut the funding to embassies around the world, and therefore, this embassy did not comply with the regulations set for minimum standards to ensure personnel safety.  It was not the fortress it was supposed to be, and woefully understaffed for such a dangerous region.  I dearly hope that we have learned this lesson all too painfully, and that the other embassies in these kinds of regions will receive the funding they need to prevent further tragedy.

My main criticism of the film (not of the soldiers, not of the heroes) is that so much of it portrayed the battles, and not enough time was devoted to the story.  There was a very little bit where each of the incredible men with magnificent skills were on video chats with their families, and another small bit about how some of them knew each other.  I promise my criticism reflects a desire to know more about the people and who they are (or were).  Once you've seen many minutes of shooting at each other, it's very clear that the battle was grueling.  The people who fought bravely really deserved more depth.  I think they earned it.  

Allied - 1 nomination and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - 2 nominations

Allied 

Costume Design - Joanna Johnston

Allied is the story of a World War 2 Canadian spy, Max Vatan, who works for the British government. When partnered in Morocco with another spy, the beautiful Marianne Beausejour, the two pull off the assassination of the German ambassador and several prominent nazis.  In the midst of the operation, they fall in love.  They return to Britain and begin a more normal life together, while he continues to work for military intelligence.  Suddenly, some intel is delivered to Vatan's superiors that his wife isn't who she says she is, and that she is actually a spy working for the Germans.  Vatan believes in her innocence, and does everything he can to prove that she is trustworthy.  It's a fun film with great intrigue and suspense, and the costumes are indeed beautiful.  Period pieces always do well in this category.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Costume Design - Colleen Atwood

Production Design - Stuart Craig (Production Design) and Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration)

We are back in the magical world of Harry Potter, long before young Potter is born.  In these early days, magical people in New York have been threatened by a dangerous magician and outlaw. Meanwhile, Newt Scamander has arrived in the United States on his way to deliver a beast to an environment where he is more suited to live.  Scamander also discovers an insane protestor against magic (though she is right that it exists) who has been oppressive to the foster children in her care, only causing one of those magical children to build up a powerful and deadly rage that threatens not only her, but the city, as well.  

Not since Avatar have magical creatures appeared so fantastic on screen.  The world of beauty that is created in Fantastic Beasts is unbelievably captivating.  I was surprised that this film didn't receive a visual effects nomination just for the beasts!  The genius of the costume and production designs are that they are both period pieces (always do well in these categories) AND set in a world of magic, which I'm sure allowed these talented artists to go wild with imagination limited only by whatever budget constraints they were given.

Now, I'm a serious Potter fan so this world doesn't quite live up to the main tome of J.K. Rowling books, but it is the nearest facsimile thereof and I highly recommend it.

Foreign Film Nominees

Land of Mine (Denmark) - Martin Zandvliet

Land of Mine recounts the powerful true story of young German boys at the close of World War 2 who were trained to remove the land mines all over Denmark that had been planted by their fellow German soldiers.  The dilemma as a movie watcher is clear - all of the young people who were being put to work were clearly part of the German war machine so to root for them is to root for people who were part of the 3rd Reich.  Who knows what kind of atrocities they committed?  At the same time, many of these kids (probably age 14 - 17) died doing this dangerous work.  We see an evolution in the Dane officer who supervises them, who sees the difference between right and wrong in his own military world.  It's an excellent film.

A Man Called Ove (Sweden) - Hannes Holm

Makeup and Hairstyling - Eva von Bahr and Love Larson

Every year, I find a film that I refer to as the year's hidden gem.  I define the hidden gem by this criterion - a film that I hadn't heard of prior to the Oscar nominations which turns out to be among my favorites of the year.  This year, I have two hidden gems, and A Man Called Ove is one of them.  Ove is a curmudgeonly old man who is the self appointed neighborhood policeman.  He is the guy who leaves notes for people about which community rule they have violated, goes on rounds around the community every morning to check that everything is in place and as it should be, and yells at cars who drive on their roads, which they have deemed illegal.  One day, a family with two young daughters move in next door, and of course the entire family captures his heart, led by a pregnant and very tough mom who requires that Ove become more human.  At the same time, we follow Ove's young life with its share of tragedy.  This story is beyond touching and very much worth seeing.  It will fill your heart with joy.

The Salesman (Iran) - Asghar Farhadi

The Salesman captures the story of two married actors in Iran who are performing Death of a Salesman in Farsi.  One night, the wife goes home early and is brutally raped and attacked in her home.  The husband, Emad, sets off on a quest to find his wife's attacker, even if he is not clear on what he will do once he finds the man.  Meanwhile, his wife is suffering and he doesn't know what to do to support her - on or off stage.  It's a wrenching portrayal of a man who wants justice and a wife who wants peace.

Tanna (Australia) - Bentley Dean and Martin Butler

The story of two warring tribes who seek to find peace through the marriage of their children, but the son of one of the tribes and the young woman who is promised to the other chief's son have fallen for each other.  It's almost a reverse Romeo and Juliet.  The two young people run away to live on their own, but they discover that their choices are limited and their hope for the future is dwindling.  In addition, they realize that the consequences to their decision may have disastrous implications for their entire tribe.  The incredible part of this film is that the legend is being acted by real tribespeople in Australia, not professional actors.  It is a real accomplishment.

Toni Erdmann (Germany) - Maren Ade

I'm not even sure how to describe Toni Erdmann, except to say that if it were up to me, this film would be replaced by the excellent film, Elle, which didn't make the foreign film short list.  It's a tough one to describe - the main character is an older man who loves to pop in fake teeth and don wigs and act out absurd pranks in real life.  His daughter, a repressed business woman, is working to impress her company and a huge client, and is visited by her father who, when acting out these absurdist fantasies, calls himself Toni Erdmann.  She has the prankster inside of her, but it's buried deep deep under her perfect hair and perfect clothes.  While annoyed by her father, she also seems to love his antics because she keeps bringing him with her to extremely important events in her life. Their relationship arc is punctuated by a very surprising birthday party in which the daughter embraces Erdmann's crazy antics.  I didn't love this film, but in the right mood, it's like a traffic accident from which you can't look away.

Dr. Strange and The Jungle Book - Visual Effects nominees

Dr. Strange

Visual Effects - Stephane Ceretti, Richard Bluff, Vincent Cirelli, and Paul Corbould

Another Marvel masterpiece, Dr. Strange follows the life of Stephen Strange, brilliant surgeon and total narcissist, who loses the precise use of his hands in a terrible accident.  He discovers a monastery in Kathmandu where he learns the ways of a mystical force that allows him to join a group of monks sworn to protect the world and combat the forces of evil.  The Visual Effects in this film are remarkable - a combination of Inception and Avatar in their mind blowing beauty.  When I first saw this film, my first comment when it concluded was, "this will be nominated for Visual Effects."  Plus, the narrative is captivating enough that even folks who have no affinity for superhero films will love it.  It's an incredible accomplishment.

The Jungle Book

Visual Effects - Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones, and Dan Lemmon

We all know the story of The Jungle Book, and this film is one of Disney's attempts to remaking their animated stories into live action movies.  Little man-cub Mowgli has been raised by a pack of wolves, and when Shere Khan makes it clear that he intends to kill Mowgli if he doesn't leave the jungle, Mowgli must flee to safety among his own kind.  Along the way, he is escorted by his friend Bagheera, and they meet many characters along the way - some friendly like "Bare Necessities" appreciator big bear Baloo, and some dangerous like "Trust in Me" anaconda Kaa.  There is a truly standout performance by Christopher Walken as King Louie.  This film does justice to those of us who saw the original Jungle Book as children, and captivates those seeing this version as their first introduction.  The Visual Effects are spectacular and the animal wrangling incredibly impressive.  Even adults will love this film!

Documentary Features - 1 nomination each

Fire at Sea - Gianfranco Rosi and Donatella Palermo

When refugees flee from war torn countries like Syria, the Ivory Coast, the Sudan, Somalia, etc. on the way to Europe, often they come through a small Sicilian island called Lampedusa.  Italian rescue vessels do their best to save the people on boats who have been living in terribly dangerous conditions therein, or even, come to their aid when the boats sink.  Dozens of people die along their journeys, and many more arrive in desperate need of medical aid, which doctors on the island provide.  This sounds like a compelling film, but as much is spent on the daily mundane lives of a family on the island.  There is literally a scene of an elderly woman making a bed and listening to the radio.  It's an incredibly normal, slow life on the island, and the most compelling part of this side of the tale is a young child who needs to wear an eye patch to help strengthen his lazy eye.  I wasn't a big fan of this film.

I Am Not Your Negro - Raoul Peck, Remi Grellety, and Hebert Peck

James Baldwin was planning to write a book about his friends, three murdered civil rights leaders - Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Medgar Evers.  He got through 30 pages that are as relevant today as they were then in a conversation about race in America.  The film does an amazing job of overlaying Baldwin's writing over very current scenes of police brutality, murders of innocent people, and juxtaposes his words with the modern experience. The movie reminds us of the brilliance of his oratory, the unique nature of his life experience, and the topics he attacked head on.

Life, Animated - Roger Ross Williams and Julie Goldman

Life, Animated captures the life of Owen Suskind, a young man who was diagnosed with autism at age 3, when he lost his speech.  His parents were despondent, until they realized that he had memorized the Disney movies with which he (and many other kids with autism) had become obsessed.  Owen is on the verge of graduating from his program, where he runs a Disney appreciation club, and is facing the new challenge living independently in his own apartment.  There are so many wonderful things about this movie that I can barely describe them - I cried and screamed with delight at multiple points in the story.  It's a must see!

OJ: Made in America - Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlaw

Wow. This 7 hour accomplishment traces OJ from his early days as a USC football legend all the way until today, where he is serving a 33 year sentence for kidnapping and robbery.  In the film, every person to have touched OJ's life is interviewed (friends from football, people who defended him, Fred Goldman, Marcia Clark, Nicole Simpson's family members, officers, jury members, you name it), but the documentary also gives context to mistrust of the police starting back in the 1920's when the first innocent African American woman is killed by the police with no retribution.  There is no side to the ongoing debate about OJ's guilt or innocence that goes unexplored, and no element to what was happening in Los Angeles before and after that goes without review.

13th - Ava Duvernay, Spencer Averick, and Howard Barish

This film is truly the most important of the documentary features this year.  It's an examination of the prison system in America and its relationship to communities of color in America.  It features decisions made over the years that had the unintended (or maybe from a capitalistic view, intended) consequence of bringing America's prison population from a few hundred thousand in the 70's to over 2 million in 2014.  This film has a definite point of view, and not every statement in the movie should be taken as gospel.  But to dismiss entirely the argument that the documentary makes - when even conservative luminaries like Newt Gingrich clearly tell us that there is validity to questioning the issue before us - is simply a suspense of critical thinking to cling to a world view.  I will reiterate - this is the most important documentary I saw this year.

Jim: The James Foley Story - 1 nomination and Trolls - 1 nomination

*Just a brief reminder that due to the Oscars' shortened timeline from nomination announcements to broadcast, I have to combine reviews of many films.  Today I present two nominees for Original Song. The tone of the two films and the two nominees couldn't be more opposite to each other, but the other song nominees have been reviewed in other posts - see Animated Feature for the song from Moana, and La La Land for the two nominated songs from that film.

Trolls

Original Song - "Can't Stop the Feeling" - Music and Lyric by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Karl Johan Schuster

ADORABLE little Trolls tells the story of a community of Trolls who escaped certain destruction by the Bergens, evil giants who love to eat them!  After a 20 year exile from their home, trolls just wanna have fun and sing and dance and party and they forget that when you make too much noise, the Bergens can find you. They make just this mistake and the majority of the troll community is swept up and taken back to the Bergen village to be eaten, and to allow the goofy king to have his first taste of delicious troll.  But little Polly the troll (Anna Kendrick), who was not swept up in the mayhem is determined to rescue her friends, and she makes her begrudging, doomsday planning friend Branch (Justin Timberlake) help her.  The cast of talented singers make this animated musical a true delight.  I'm not sure that it will work for other adults - I'm pretty easily delighted - and when I saw this film, my son pointed out that I was laughing at more of the jokes than the kids in the theatre, but having said that, your average kid will love the film, and with all of the wonderful songs in it, you just might also.

Jim: The James Foley Story

Original Song - "The Empty Chair" - Music and Lyric by J. Ralph and Sting

This documentary follows the extraordinary life of James Foley who was a "conflict photojournalist," or someone who specialized in traveling to war torn places to document what was happening.  This kind of work took him to the most dangerous places in the world - Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq - all the places you think of when you think of countries decimated by fighting.  He put himself in precarious situations, but was beloved by his friends, fellow journalists, and, of course, his family.  In 2012, Jim was captured by ISIS and eventually beheaded.  This film recounts that story in vivid detail.  The song, "The Empty Chair," is beautiful and haunting and truly a standout.  This film's nomination almost begs to recognize HBO, a true leader in the world of the documentary genre.  In the last several years, you'd be hard pressed to find an Oscars nomination season that doesn't include HBO in its list.  For those of us who love documentaries, we owe a great debt of gratitude to Sheila Nevins and her team.

Animated Feature Films

Kubo and the Two Strings 

Animated Feature Film - Travis Knight and Arianne Sutner

Visual Effects - Steve Emerson, Oliver Jones, Brian McLean, Brad Schiff

Young Kubo is the son of a legendary samurai father and a formerly powerful mother who has been drained of all of her powers protecting him.  Kubo discovers that if he finds magical objects, he can assemble his father's suit of armor and protect himself and the town from evil forces conspiring against him.  Kubo is a wonderful animated film with excitement, a beautiful moral, and an inspiring story.  The visuals are absolutely incredible and it's a pleasure for both kids and adults.

Moana

Animated Feature Film - John Musker, Ron Clements, Osnat Shurer

Original Song - "How Far I'll Go," Music and Lyric by Lin Manuel Miranda (video below)

O-M-G it's Lin Manuel Miranda does animation.  This is the Hawaiian legend of young Moana, whose island is threatened by a depletion of food resources because of a curse that has been placed upon it by a demi-god named Maui.  Moana, the daughter of the king, realizes that if she is able to restore the stolen object that created the curse, she can heroically save her people.  Though she gets off to a rocky start with convincing the demigod to help, she stands her ground and faces all of her fears to become the woman and the queen she is meant to be.  The music and the story are amazing! It's refreshing to see a Disney heroine whose purpose has nothing to do with finding a man.  (How Far I'll Go is the Original Song nominated, and if you are seeing this on the web, you can click just below to hear it.)

My Life as a Zucchini

Animated Feature Film - Claude Barras and Max Karli

This film really touched my heart.  It is the story of little Zucchini whose mother dies, and he has to move to a group home.  On his way, he meets a kind police officer who takes a personal interest in his happiness, and who keeps in touch with little Zucchini and comes to visit on a regular basis. Eventually, Zucchini and the children at the group home become a small family, and when a young girl arrives who works her way into Zucchini's heart, their lives become permanently entwined.  What a beautiful movie.

The Red Turtle

Animated Feature Film - Michael Dudak de Wit and Toshio Suzuki

The Red Turtle begins with a man being stranded on a lonely island.  He does everything he can to build rafts to make his way back to civilization, and each time he tries, something comes along to destroy it.  We discover that a red turtle has been purposely sabotaging his efforts, and he gets angry and kills the turtle by flipping it onto its back.  By the next morning, the turtle has become a beautiful woman, with whom he shares his life and has a son, and all three of them live together joyfully on the island.  There is no dialogue in this film, it is told only through visuals.  I found it bizarre.

Zootopia

Animated Feature Film - Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Clark Spencer

Little rabbit Judy Hopps has a dream to become a police officer in the world where only the big, tough animals inhabit that role.  She becomes a cop, but is given humiliating tasks, with no one sharing her confidence in her abilities.  She meets a slick (some would say sly...) fox who isn't always on the up and up.  Suddenly, animals go missing, and it's going to take Judy's clever mind and quick reflexes to solve this mystery that has more sinister intention than she realizes.  While Zootopia is an adorable film, there is a powerful lesson to be learned about trust and fear and the crazy decisions people make when they are making assumptions about what harm others might do.  Sound familiar?

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - 2 nominations

Sound Mixing - David Parker, Christopher Scarabosio, and Stuart Wilson
Visual Effects - John Knoll, Mohen Leo, Hal Hickel, and Neil Corbould

We have arrived at the FanGirl favorite, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.  Doesn't it just feel good to have Star Wars back in the mix at the Oscars?  Yeah, it does.  I know.

Remember that time when Luke Skywalker and the rebel fleet were able to blow up the Death Star because of a small flaw in its construction?  A two meter opening that would deliver a deadly blow that Luke characterized as not much bigger than womp rats?  If you remember that you're going to love this post and you most certainly already know that this film is the tale of how the Death Star got that flaw and how the rebel alliance came to know about it.  This time, there's a whole new cast of characters and a whole bunch of retcon that will set any Star Wars fan's hair on fire.  (RETCON: retroactive continuity, or, providing an explanation in the history of a storyline, often this serves to explain what could be perceived as holes in the originally presented story)

Rogue One doesn't begin in the usual Star Wars scrawl (which I didn't like), and in fact, the basics for this film come in the very first scrawl presented in Star Wars: A New Hope (the original film).  Jyn Erso is a girl who has had to raise herself (with the help of rebel fighter Saw Gerrera) after her father was taken by the Federation to design and construct the Death Star. Flash forward fifteen years later and through a series of events, she ends up on a mission to help retrieve the plans for the rebel alliance, aided by a group of accomplished fighters and believers in the force.  If you read the scrawl from Episode IV, you already know the fates of this group of heroes, and still, every moment is engaging.  I expected to love it, and I loved it.

I'm frankly surprised that Rogue One didn't receive more nominations - Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound Editing, and Production Design are among the obvious choices.  Perhaps the academy and especially its skilled tradespeople have come to expect the incredible work from the Star Wars franchise, and therefore are reluctant to laud their colleagues.  Last year, when Ex Machina won in the Visual Effects category over Star Wars, my suspicion was confirmed.  Nonetheless, both the Sound Mixing and the Visual Effects are extraordinary and certainly worthy of recognition.

Sully - 1 nomination

Sound Mixing - Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman

Surely you already know the story of Chelsey "Sully" Sullenberger who heroically landed a plane in the Hudson to save all of the passengers on board after birds flew into and knocked out several of its engines.  This film dramatizes that landing and the investigation that took place in its aftermath by the National Travel Safety Board.  The story shows officials' suspicions that the landing was actually a result of pilot error.  It's an intense film and the best part of the movie was when they showed what transpired in the cockpit while the emergency was taking place.  Tom Hanks was on everyone's "will be nominated for Lead Actor" list.  I wouldn't have been surprised to see it on a possible Best Picture list.

But here's the part that you only find out when you do a little research on your own.  The bulk of the story focuses on what feels like a witch hunt to prove that the pilots were at fault. The dramatic hearings squarely depict seemingly disappointed NTSB officials who, upon realizing that there was no pilot error, must begrudgingly admit that he is innocent of the charges.  This never happened. There was indeed an NTSB investigation as is required of all flights that have disastrous or near-disastrous endings.  By all accounts, the report that the NTSB issued following the investigation praised Sully for saving the passengers and crew. And the simulations that are depicted in the film to demonstrate pilot error?  Well, in real life, they only predicted an ability to get to another airport in about half of the attempts.

I know I say this with at least one film every year.  Narrative movies are not documentaries.  Filmmakers have no obligation to show you the events as they occurred.  They have no obligation to do research, to show a balanced view of the actual story, or to deliver anything other than entertainment.  (I say this now and well in advance of my forthcoming review of "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi," which will surely be more controversial.)  To take biographic films as gospel of real life events is an error in judgement.  

So, while I enjoyed the film and the sound mixing is terribly well done,  I am glad that this film didn't become the official narrative of the amazing Sully Sullenberger.  The truth of his story will always be more impressive and more heroic than this film could ever depict.

Star Trek Beyond - 1 nomination and Suicide Squad - 1 nomination

Please note that the Academy shortened the time between nominations and show by a whole week, that's seven days of reviews, so I've had to get a bit creative in order to get you reviews of all the 63 nominated films.  Today, I'm combining two of the three Makeup and Hairstyling nominees, and the third will be in the post about all 5 foreign films.  Next year, the Oscars are on March 5, so I'm hoping they will go back to a 40 day time period between announcements and broadcast.

Makeup and Hairstyling - Joel Harlow and Richard Alonzo

How to summarize Star Trek Beyond?  Our gang of fearless star voyagers encounter a murderous alien bad guy and have to protect the universe from his evil intentions.  This time on a planet where the beings already hate the Federation, and one from among them forges a bond of friendship with the officers and helps them avert the danger and win over the beings so that they can see that the true intention of the Federation is galactic peace.  So sure, variations on the theme.

But you know what?  I liked it.  I like the themes that Star Trek promotes, I like the action, I like the comedia del arte character archetypes, I like the incredibly creative makeup and hairstyling, I just like science fiction!  This is a film that is not going to change the Star Trek universe and make it something that it's not, but everything about it is engaging, if you like that sort of thing.  And I do.

Makeup and Hairstyling - Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio Gregorini and Christopher Nelson

Viola Davis may be killing it by the Fences, but she did some pretty stupid stuff in Suicide Squad.  In the name of using a very big bad to aid US Defense, Davis releases a force unexpectedly too evil and too powerful to control.  Someone has to fight this supernatural being, so she assembles a ragtag group (yes, I know it's cliche, stay with me) of super villains to do the job.  We meet a whole gang of DC comics anti-heroes - Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, you name it.  We get to learn each of their origin stories while The Joker tries time and again to break lover Harley Quinn out of the Squad and back into his life of crime.

Followers of this blog know that I love a good superhero movie, and even a good anti-hero movie. The nomination is absolutely well deserved - the makeup and the hairstyling are unequaled.  But the movie is a little bit slow, far fetched (even as comic book movies go), and just has a little bit of work to do to compare to the genius of the Marvel universe.  Don't get me wrong, I was mostly entertained, but I'm a really easy mark when it comes to enjoying movies and I can usually find something redeeming.  There is a lot of humor in the darkness of the movie, and who doesn't love Will Smith? 

It's not a great film, but if the filmmakers can learn from this film and screen a few more Marvel movies to analyze what makes them great, there could be a great sequel in the mix.