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.

Spectre - 1 nomination

Original Song - "The Writing's On The Wall"- Music and Lyric by Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith

Spectre is the latest in the James Bond saga, and The Writing's on the Wall is not the first Bond song to be nominated for an Oscar, most recently won by Adele for Skyfall, and is in fact, the 5th Bond song to be nominated.  As always, the song has lots of strings and orchestration, and has suitable drama to do Bond justice.  I must admit that it took my listening to the song a couple of times before I really connected to its appeal.  Now, I can't really get enough of it, especially those amazing Sam Smith falsetto notes.  

At the same time, Spectre was an excellent Bond film.  The next in the Daniel Craig as Bond series, we follow James as he tries to identify and root out the global organization up to no good known as SPECTRE.  The film is a tribute to the early Bond years that were less reliant on gadgets and more compelling because of the stories.  Bond keeps pace with the current world as this evil plot centers around cyber-security and global terrorism.  For a great popcorn film, Spectre has it all.

Youth - 1 nomination

Original Song - "Simple Song #3" - Music and Lyric by David Lang

Youth is another one of those very labored films that asks you to sit through multiple iterations of musings about life in order to get to the point of the movie.  Michael Caine plays a retired orchestra conductor who is on vacation with his best friend (who is writing a screenplay with his quirky and hipster writing team) musing about life.  He receives a request from the Queen to perform a song he wrote for his wife (who is suffering with severe alzheimer's), which he refuses to do without her. There are other characters with their own story lines - his daughter who has recently been left by her husband, a young famous actor trying to get in the headspace of a challenging role - but none is really so engaging or capturing as to make this movie worth it, I'm sad to report.  There is a great cameo by the great Jane Fonda, who represents the conscience of the film in some ways, she seems to say "get over it, this is your life now, stop clinging to youth."  And she looks damn good while she is doing it.  
The Oscar nominated song is Simple Song #3, which is a gorgeous piece of music.  Do yourself a favor, listen to the youtube video below and save yourself from the film.

Racing Extinction - 1 nomination

Original Song - Music by J. Ralph; Lyric by Anohni

Racing Extinction is a superb documentary in which activists are working to stave off the next (and 6th) major extinction event in the world's history.  Scientists predict that we could potentially lose half of the world's species within the next century unless we turn the tide.  Using creativity in public spaces and going after the worst actors in the endangered species illegal markets, the filmmakers hope to call public attention to this catastrophe.

The film is well worth your time.  It is surprising that it didn't make it into the Documentary Feature short list, except that category is so jam packed with excellence, it was hard to make it to the final 5. Those who follow the Documentary Feature Oscars history will remember the Director of this film from the Oscar winning film, The Cove, which also dealt with hunters of protected species, particularly dolphins and whales.

Though candidly the song is not really my cup of tea stylistically, in the context of the film it worked much better than it does as a stand alone.  Let's face it though, I'm a better evaluator of film than I am of music, I can only tell you that this song worked in the movie but not so well when I listen to it without context.  I've included the youtube video because visually this version is stunning and makes the song much more bearable.

50 Shades of Grey - 1 nomination

"Earned It" - Music and Lyric by The Weeknd, Ahmad Balshe, Jason Daheala Quenneville and Stephan Moccio

50 Shades of Grey, more than any other film this year, exemplifies my motto for this blog, "I see all the movies so you don't have to see the bad ones."  I'd love to find even one good thing to say about this film - the acting was incredibly wooden, the premise was fundamentally misogynistic, and the screenplay was so boring.  If you haven't heard of the film, whose book was categorized as "mommy porn," a young virginal college student meets a rich and powerful man who will lavish her with gifts and lifestyle in exchange for engaging in a non-committal relationship centered around mild S&M.  I could talk for hours about the absurdity of this film, but that would give it far more attention and detail than it deserves.  You get the picture.

The nominated song starts well - with a strong tango-like beat and a beautiful opening.  I thought the song fizzled once it hit the chorus as it faded into a pop song with interesting strings in the background.  The lyrics are unimpressive, and I don't see this song as strong enough to win an Oscar.

It is rare when I can't find a single thing I like about a film, so in that regard, 50 Shades of Grey has achieved one notable accomplishment - even the likes of the ever-wonderful Marcia Gay Harden couldn't save a single scene.

Live Action Shorts - Review of all 5 nominees

Ave Maria - Basil Khalil and Eric Dupont
Ave Maria is the story of religious Jews on their way home who get into an accident outside of a Palestinian convent whose nuns have taken vows of silence.  The family is nervous to stay at the convent and so together they must come up with any kind of solution that helps get the family back home and out of disrupting these nuns' lives.  Anyone watching this film with a critical eye will ask why a religious man can't dial a telephone because of the Sabbath but can drive a car on the Sabbath (both tasks being equally forbidden to religious Jews), and how the Sabbath has come in broad daylight on a Friday, but if you can suspend disbelief on both counts, this short film is very cute.

Day One - Henry Hughes
What a powerful story of an Afghani-American woman who has joined the armed forces to serve as an interpreter.  On her first day, the unit is sent in pursuit of a bomb maker, and when they arrive at his home, they discover his pregnant wife is pregnant and giving birth, but that the baby's arm is outside of her body and the baby is possibly dead already.  In this scary moment, cultural traditions must be respected, medical emergencies must be tended, and the safety of the military unit must be safeguarded.  In just a short time, this film tells an incredibly tense and engaging story. (Trailer not available on youtube, you can see it on the Academy's site: http://oscar.go.com/nominees/short-film-live-action/day-one)

Everything Will Be Okay - Patrick Vollrath
(Spoilers) Everything Will Be Okay finds a desperate father scared to death that he might be losing any custody rights for his daughter taking action to kidnap her from the country.  The shrewd little girl figures out what is happening, and does what she can to convince him that this is the wrong thing to do, and she uses her wits to inform her mother that there is still time to fix the situation.  (Trailer not available on youtube, view it on the Academy's web site: http://oscar.go.com/nominees/short-film-live-action/everything-will-be-okay-alles-wird-gut)

Shok - Jamie Donoughue
This film is perhaps the saddest of the five nominees, in which two best friends in Kosovo are trying to live like normal children as war and hatred surrounds them.  Their lives are constantly in jeopardy especially because they are of different ethnic backgrounds, making their friendship even more dangerous at this time in history.  As the war drama unfolds, we choices that threaten their families and their lives.

Stutterer - Benjamin Cleary and Serena Armitage
We know the Academy loves comedy in the short film genre, and this film was adorable.  A stutterer has been in an online relationship for six months - a safe space for him to be given his ability to talk freely, unhindered by his severe stutter.  When the woman in question offers to meet in person, he must decide if he is ready to reveal the impediment, and we wonder if fear of rejection will thwart him from potentially meeting the woman of his dreams.  But does she have a secret of her own?

I understand that all of these short films are available on iTunes, and they are well worth a viewing!

Animated Shorts - Reviews of all 5 nominees

Bear Story - Gabriel Osorio and Pato Escala
Bear Story is the sweetest little tale of a sad bear who has created a hand-cranked diorama which tells the tale of a bear who was kidnapped away from his family to be enslaved by the circus.  When he finally escapes and tries to return home, his wife and child are gone leaving only a ransacked apartment.  I think Bear Story is one of the two animated shorts with the strongest chances of winning, but I still have research to do, so it's too early to call!  See my post for my predictions the day of the Oscars.)

Prologue - Richard Williams and Imogen Sutton 
This strange short takes place 2400 years ago with two Spartan soldiers and two Athenian soldiers who are fighting to the death. As they battle, a little girl witnesses their fight and runs away in fear.  The drawings in the animation are incredibly detailed and beautiful. It's just not a very interesting or compelling story.  (I can't find a good trailer on YouTube for this film, so here is a link to the Academy's site in which they have a trailer available for viewing: http://oscar.go.com/nominees/short-film-animated/prologue)

Sanjay's Super Team - Sanjay Patel and Nicole Grindle
Sanjay's Super Team is a beautiful depiction of a very modern dilemma, an older generation committed to religion and tradition, and a younger generation interested in modern conveniences and technology and having trouble connecting to the practices of the past.  In this visually spectacular film, little Sanjay, forced to sit with his father and pray at the small shrine in his house, finds a way to connect with the tradition through his modern lens, and the results are absolutely delightful.

We Can't Live Without Cosmos - Konstantin Bronzit
This is the story of two best friends in the Russian space program hoping to make it onto the rocket launch.  They have been friends their entire lives always dreaming of the stars.  When they are both selected to be the astronaut and the first alternate, the launch proves to be a turning point in both of their lives from which neither can return.

World of Tomorrow - Don Hertzfeldt
This film is a hilarious and bizarre story of Emily and a visitor from the future who turns out to be her.  The future is a place where people who can afford it upload their memories into a clone and continue to do so for generations.  Emily of the future tells a fantastical story of her life and all of the crazy developments of the world and of space, including time travel.  Original Emily (Emily prime) is just a little girl and finds all of this as nutty as the rest of us.  The film is very funny and is available on Netflix.  Well worth the time.