Oscar Predictions

Oscar Sunday with here and with that comes the annual attempt to understand what the difference is between Sound Editing and Mixing.

The Oscars to me are a National Holiday. While I won’t ramble on about the meaning of the Oscars to me so we can get to the predictions, I will say this was a wonderful year for movies, one of my favorites in years. Below are my full predictions, including a few rambles on what I believe will win, and what should. Enjoy! And feel free to play along and brag if you get more right than me.

Predictions in BOLD
Winging It- (The Categories I know nothing about, just guessing)
Best short film, live action
"Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)"
"Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything)"
"Helium"
"Pitaako Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)"
"The Voorman Problem"

Best short film, animated
"Feral"
"Get a Horse!"
"Mr. Hublot"
"Possessions"
"Room on the Broom"

Best documentary short
"CaveDigger"
"Facing Fear"
"Karama Has No Walls"
"The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life"
"Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall"

Best sound mixing
"Gravity"
"Captain Phillips"
"Lone Survivor"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

Best sound editing
"Gravity"
"All Is Lost"
"Captain Phillips"
"Lone Survivor"
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

Things we sort of understand, so we pretend to be experts once a year-

Best production design
"12 Years a Slave" -- Adam Stockhausen and Alice Baker
"The Great Gatsby" -- Catherine Martin and Beverley Dunn
"American Hustle" -- Judy Becker and Heather Loeffler
"Gravity" -- Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woollard
"Her" -- K.K. Barrett and Gene Serdena

Best visual effects
"Gravity"
"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
"Star Trek Into Darkness"
"Iron Man 3"
"The Lone Ranger"

--- DUH!

Best film editing
"Gravity" -- Alfonso Cuaron, Mark Sanger
"12 Years a Slave"-- Joe Walker
"Captain Phillips" -- Christopher Rouse
"American Hustle" -- Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten
"Dallas Buyers Club" -- John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa

Best makeup and hairstyling
"The Lone Ranger" -- Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny
"Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" -- Stephen Prouty
"Dallas Buyers Club" -- Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews

Best costume design
"The Great Gatsby" -- Catherine Martin
"12 Years a Slave" -- Patricia Norris
"The Grandmaster" -- William Chang Suk Ping
"American Hustle" -- Michael Wilkinson
"The Invisible Woman" -- Michael O'Connor

Wait, I actually know how to enjoy these categories-

Best cinematography
"Gravity" -- Emmanuel Lubezki
"Inside Llewyn Davis" -- Bruno Delbonnel
"Nebraska" -- Phedon Papamichael
"Prisoners" -- Roger Deakins
"The Grandmaster" -- Phillippe Le Sourd

Best music (original song)
"Frozen": "Let it Go" -- Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez
"Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom": "Ordinary Love" -- U2, Paul Hewson
"Her": "The Moon Song" -- Karen O, Spike Jonze
"Despicable Me 2": "Happy" -- Pharrell Williams
"Alone Yet Not Alone": "Alone Yet Not Alone" -- Bruce Broughton, Dennis Spiegel

--- “The Moon Song” is a beautiful song from a beautiful film, but Disney has the lock on this if the Academy doesn’t get overwhelmed by U2’s star power

Best music (original score)
"Gravity" -- Steven Price
"Philomena" -- Alexandre Desplat
"The Book Thief" -- John Williams
"Saving Mr. Banks" -- Thomas Newman
"Her" -- William Butler and Owen Pallett

--- “Her” has the most beautiful music, but I have a feeling Gravity will have too much momentum at this point.

Best animated feature
"The Wind Rises"
"Frozen"
"Despicable Me 2"
"Ernest & Celestine"
"The Croods"

--- It’s just really good

Best foreign feature
"The Hunt" (Denmark)
"The Broken Circle Breakdown" (Belgium)
"The Great Beauty" (Italy)
"Omar" (Palestinian territories)
"The Missing Picture" (Cambodia)

Best documentary feature
"The Act of Killing"
"20 Feet From Stardom"
"The Square"
"Cutie and the Boxer"
"Dirty Wars"

The Big Ones

Best original screenplay
"American Hustle" -- David O. Russell and Eric Warren Singer
"Blue Jasmine" -- Woody Allen
"Her" -- Spike Jonze
"Nebraska" -- Bob Nelson
"Dallas Buyers Club" -- Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack

--- I’m betting with the heart here, but I expect American Hustle to win here

Best adapted screenplay
"12 Years a Slave" -- John Ridley
"Before Midnight" -- Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater
"The Wolf of Wall Street" -- Terence Winter
"Captain Phillips" -- Billy Ray
"Philomena" -- Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope

--- Although the script for Philomena is absolutely beautiful, this is all 12 Years

Best supporting actor
Barkhad Abdi -- "Captain Phillips"
Bradley Cooper -- "American Hustle"
Jonah Hill -- "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Jared Leto -- "Dallas Buyers Club"
Michael Fassbender -- "12 Years a Slave"

--- The ultimate lock of the night. Leto is just fantastic

Best supporting actress
Jennifer Lawrence -- "American Hustle"
Lupita Nyong'o -- "12 Years a Slave"
June Squibb -- "Nebraska"
Julia Roberts -- "August: Osage County"
Sally Hawkins -- "Blue Jasmine"

--- One of the two best races of the night. But I think Lawrence winning last year will send Lupita the needed votes

Best director
Steve McQueen -- "12 Years a Slave"
David O. Russell -- "American Hustle"
Alfonso Cuaron -- "Gravity"
Alexander Payne -- "Nebraska"
Martin Scorsese -- "The Wolf of Wall Street"
 

--- The other best race. Cuaron created an absolutely incredible cinematic achievement. I expect him to just beat out McQueen

Best actor
Bruce Dern -- "Nebraska"
Chiwetel Ejiofor -- "12 Years a Slave"
Matthew McConaughey -- "Dallas Buyers Club"
Leonardo DiCaprio -- "The Wolf of Wall Street"
Christian Bale -- "American Hustle"

--- Although I would love to see Leo or Ejiofor win, I feel this is Matty’s year.

Best actress
Amy Adams -- "American Hustle"
Cate Blanchett -- "Blue Jasmine"
Judi Dench -- "Philomena"
Sandra Bullock -- "Gravity"
Meryl Streep -- "August: Osage County"

--- All Cate, All Day. She was just wonderful. Sandra picked the wrong year to give her best ever performance

Best picture
"12 Years a Slave"
"The Wolf of Wall Street"
"Captain Phillips"
"Her"
"American Hustle"
"Gravity"
"Dallas Buyers Club"
"Nebraska"
"Philomena"

--- Although Her was my favorite movie on this list. 12 Years is by far the greatest film. One of the best, most moving films of the past decade, tonight is 12 Years night.

Top 15 Movies of 2013 Coming Soon!

I know it may be a bit late seeing as we are almost halfway through February but I am finishing up the final few films before I release my top 15 of 2013.

I have been finishing up on much research of every film released in 2013. With my complicated formula (My Opinion) I sorted through the good, the mediocre and the crap and I have made it a point to watch every good film of the year. At the time of writing this I have 3 more films I feel I need to watch before making my list. I hope to have this completed by the weekend and my list posted shortly after.

In the meantime, you should enjoy a couple music suggestions below.

Top 5 Movies of Sundance 2014

Something was definitely special about Sundance this year. 2014 marked the 4^th Sundance Film Festival I have been lucky enough to attend. The past three years Sundance has premiered some incredibly acclaimed films such as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Searching for Sugarman and Fruitvale Station. While the 2014 slate might not have a breakout Oscar worthy hit, from top to bottom I have never seen as many enjoyable, memorable films as the whole festival contained. 

All in all I watched 34 films in every Festival category, Narrowing the 34 to my top 5 favorites was incredibly difficult. Spending 10 days digesting films dealing with issues ranging from suicide to abortion to zombies to sugar addiction can be extremely overwhelming and exhausting. But alas, after much debate I narrowed my movies to my top 5, with two very worthy honorable mentions.

Honorable Mentions

Rudderless-

 Rudderless marks William H. Macy’s debut as a director and it appears that as good an actor as Macy is, he somehow might be an even better director.

     Rudderless is a very dramatic film about a father coming to terms with the loss of his son. The father played by the fantastic Billy Crudup honors his fallen son by putting a band together to play the son’s original music. The less detail I go into about this film the more enjoyable the film will be for all those who watch it.

   Rudderless was the perfect film to catch as a premiere. The fact there were no expectations going in mixed with the fact I hadn’t seen a trailer made it a truly fantastic experience. Rudderless brings to light an experience never before explored in a film that I can remember. It becomes an incredibly moving film and a movie that is hard to shake when you leave the theater.

Obvious Child-

  Obvious Child is the exact kind of movie you need in the middle of a film festival. Sundance does a wonderful job of selecting its films every year but obviously the ratio of drama to light hearted material is not exactly even. After seeing dramatic film on top of documentaries exploring pressing matters sometimes you need something that will make you laugh. Obvious Child provided that and a whole lot more.

  In a fantastic, possibly star launching role, Jenny Slate is wonderful as a stand-up comedian who finds herself heartbroken and lost in the world. After a drunken, one night stand, she discovers herself in an even worse position, pregnant. What follows is the very first abortion-romantic-comedy I have ever seen. It’s a truly hilarious film that in the end is incredibly moving.
Top 5

#5) Life Itself-

Roger Ebert may be the main reason I am writing this article now. Growing up, I watched At The Movies with Siskel & Ebert every week. As a kid, movies were on all the time at my house but I never knew the difference between a good and a bad one until I learned they could get “Thumps Up.” I became fascinated with their reviews, I rushed out to see all of their favorites and my true love of cinema began.

   Life Itself is a fitting tribute to the life and memory of Roger Ebert. Steve James directs this beautiful biopic that shows Ebert at his most vulnerable; the months and weeks before his tragic death. The film chronicles Ebert’s early days as a journalist to becoming the world’s most popular critic, and concluding with his battle with cancer.

   Life Itself was definitely the most moving thing I saw at Sundance. While death is a very prominent topic of the documentary it truly focuses on life. Ebert was a truly joyous man who did the most with his life and his love of people and their stories. This film left me with a very full heart and a true love of its subject.

#4) The Raid 2

The Raid premiered at Sundance in 2012 and I sadly missed it. In the months following I heard whispers of an incredible film from Indonesia that was changing the game of action films.

Well if The Raid:Redemption changed the game. The Raid 2 just invented a completely new one. Never have I seen a film more gruesome, violent, entertaining and enjoyable. The film plays out like the greatest video game you have always wanted to play.

 The first Raid is a truly entertaining film with a fantastic concept. Raid 2 has much more than just that. It is a fantastic film with a great storyline, wonderful characters, and action scenes that will blow your mind. I would be very willing to bet there will not be a single movie released in 2014 more entertaining than The Raid 2.

#3) Whiplash-

 

  

No film received as much success and acclaim as Whiplash. If you would like to read my full review you should click here. Whiplash was the very first film I watched at Sundance and it really set the bar for how great the festival was going to go.

    Miles Teller really showed what a breakout star he is ready to become as the jazz drummer student driven to be the best. J.K. Simmons as his abusive (both verbally and physically) instructor gives the best performance in any film in the festival. The films brings to light a lot of interesting issues when it comes to education, culture and where we are today. All of this happens with the backdrop of a truly entertaining and thrilling film. Definitely see this when it comes to a theater near you.

#2) I, Origins-

   No film had as much an impact on me as I, Origins. Days after seeing this film I kept thinking about it and searching for someone to talk about it with. In my 4 years of attending Sundance I have never seen a movie that I was as crazy about as this.

    I, Origins is a sort of sci-fi, futuristic, psychological thriller. I struggle to put it into a genre because it encompasses and does so much. The film is written and directed by Mike Cahill, who returned to Sundance after he debuted his first feature film Another Earth in 2011. Cahill has skyrocketed my list of favorite directors working now due to the fact he is making movies unlike anyone else. Cahill’s film explores issues dealing with science, religion, death and afterlife. It is a very deep film that is so incredibly, emotionally fulfilling.

    I am counting down the days until I get to see this film again. The 2 hours I spent in the theater watching this film were my most enjoyable 2 hours I spent at Sundance.

#1) Boyhood-

For as much as I absolutely loved I, Origins, I can’t argue that Boyhood was not the greatest thing at Sundance. That is because Boyhood might be the greatest accomplishment ever screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

    Boyhood is a monumental effort by Richard Linklater. Filmed for 39 days over 12 years, the film follows it’s central figure, a 6 year old boy, as he grows up all the way to the point where he leaves for college as an 18 year old. The cast remains the same and you watch them age alongside their characters. What this results in is possibly the most effective storytelling I have ever seen in a film.

      Linklater creates a time capsule for every year from 2002 to 2014. The audience becomes a member of this family. You follow the kids through all the issues that kids in broken homes deal with. You become attached to every member of the family and you find yourself truly pulling for them.

     Not much happens in this 164 minute film, but at the same time everything happens. It is an honest depiction of what it feels like to grow up. Although it’s a very lengthy running time you don’t want the film to end. When it’s over you feel like you have lost 4 members of your family for good. I have never experience a film like Boyhood before and I don’t know if I ever will again. It’s truly a remarkable cinematic achievement.

Here is a full list of all the movies I saw at Sundance:
Whiplash
A Man Most Wanted
Stranger By The Lake
Ping Pong Summer
Fishing Without Nets
I, Origins
Obvious Child
Cooties
Boyhood
Finding Fela
Hoop Dreams
Life Itself
Private Violence
Hellion
Battered Bastards of Baseball
Song One
The Raid 2
Blind
Skeleton Twins
Happy Christmas
Life After Beth
Dear White People
Alive Inside: Story of Music and Memory
20,000 Days on Earth
The Case Against 8
Listen Up Phillip
Rudderless
They Came Together
Fed Up
Frank
Wish I Was Here
To Kill A Man
Rich Hill
The One I Love

Top 5 Movies of Sundance

Every January in the coldest of winter, thousands flock to the cold Mountain streets of Utah to sit in libraries, high school auditoriums and theaters. Among the thousands are the newest crop of emerging filmmakers that are living their dream and hoping to be the next Tarantino or Aronofsky, two directors who premiered their first feature in Park City.

This was my 3^rd year traveling to the Sundance Film Festival. What the festival has evolved to mean to me is much more than an opportunity to stargaze and binge on next year’s possible indie breakouts; it is a time of inspiration and self-evaluation.

Sundance is the farthest thing from Hollywood. The egos are few and far between. Sundance is meant to be is a platform, a chance for people to catapult into the spotlight and into superstardom. But unlike the “celebrities” of Honey Boo-Boo or Kardashian fame, these are actors, actresses and filmmakers who have yet to be discovered and for this week have their one shot, their chance for the Weinsteins, the Fox Searchlights and the masses to see what they can bring.

This hope and excitement is contagious. It floats through shuttles driving around town, it’s present in every single screening and it carries you through the streets. It takes a hold of you and you begin to feel inspired and ask yourself, why not me? There is no place like Park City and no better time than the Sundance Film Festival. Any film lover, artist, or dreamer should experience it at some point in their life.

This year I was fortunate enough to see 16 films during my 5 days in Park City. Below you can see the list of everything I have seen by visiting the festival page if you care to read more.

The greatest part of seeing films in Park City is the lack of any reference to what you are seeing. Audiences and critics have never seen these films so you have no clue if you are seeing a future Oscar contender or the next Norbit. The lack of a trailer means you are hinging your choices on what to see based on two sentence descriptions. So most choices are a roll of the dice, trusting your urges and hoping you walked into the right theater. Then the lights go out, the movie begins and when it ends, it’s now time to talk to the other people in the audience to see if their opinions matched yours.

Alright, enough of talking about how great Sundance was. Here are my top 5 films of Sundance*

Honorable Mention-
The Way, Way Back & Hell Baby
These are two completely different movies. One is the product of an Academy Award winning writing team and the other is the product of two men who brought us Reno 911.

The Way, Way Back is one of the many films at Sundance, which focuses on a child overcoming the effects of divorce. The writing team behind The Descendents make their directorial debut with this coming of age film about a 14 year old kid who breaks out of his shell by working at a water park over the summer. Sam Rockwell owns this film and raises the question why he isn’t a bigger star. After being acquired for $10 million by Fox Searchlight, you will be seeing this movie in theaters soon.

Hell Baby was exactly what I needed, when I needed it. It is in no means a good film. But, boy is it a good time! Hell Baby will be on par with Grandma’s Boy, Dude Where’s My Car? or any other thoughtless film you can think of, that college kids put on to enjoy over beer and other activities. The stupid, corny jokes require absolutely no brain power to enjoy. I laughed harder in this movie than anything I saw at Sundance, and it was really nice to turn my brain off for 90 minutes. I could see this film getting a wide release, thanks to its comedic star power, but a long theatrical run I highly doubt. However I do see it having a prolonged life on college campuses and drug dealer’s shelves for years to come.

#5- Sound City

Dave Grohl’s passion project about the famed California music studio really struck a note with me. This fantastic documentary chronicles the history of the Sound City studio where bands such as Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Nirvana and others recorded some of the greatest albums in music history.

Grohl felt the urge to tell this studio’s story and what results is a beautiful narrative and also a few surprise cameos and music performances. Any lover of music will appreciate this film. And anyone can watch it now as it is available on demand.

#4- S-V/H/S

The sequel to last year’s Sundance premiere V/H/S, S-V/H/S, vastly improves on everything good about the first one. This horror anthology which chronicles unfortunate souls being killed through first person video accounts, which for some reason are all then transferred to V/H/S tapes in 2013… Hmm… But don’t get stuck on that detail.

I was one of the few people I know who enjoyed V/H/S. The clever concept and entertainment of two of the short films was enough for me to get over the lack of through-line and ridiculousness of the other parts. But, S-V/H/S, is a drastic improvement on the first. All 4 of the shorts provide scares, creativity and entertainment. The third chapter is from the mind of the director of 2012’s The Raid: Redemption, and his 20-minute segment may be the most fascinating short film I have ever seen. I am sure this film will be playing art houses soon. If you appreciate a good horror film, see this, the 3^rd chapter of this film is worth the price of admission.

#3- In a World…

Lake Bell, wrote and stars in this film about the world of voice-over actors. This clever, funny, and cute movie has a hilarious script brought to life by a truly great comedic cast. Bell, Demetri Martin, Nick Offerman, Ken Marino and more all provide laugh after laugh, but what makes this movie rise above the crop is the amount of heart it has. This film has yet to pick up a distributor but I am sure it will and should be on Netflix or on demand some day soon.

#2- The Spectacular Now

This film is an all-star Sundance collaboration. The director of last year’s award winner Smashed teamed up with the writing team of 500 Days of Summer to create what I believe is one of the most gripping coming of age stories I have ever seen. Project X’s Miles Teller and The Descendents’ Shailene Woodley both provide my two favorite performances of the festival. Teller plays the popular, good looking senior guy who masks his fears of the future by making jokes and sneaking shots from his flask. Teller spends most of the movie trying to avoid making any decision that will affect his future until he meets Woodley, a sweet, innocent, vulnerable girl. What follows is the self-destruction of one character and their weight bringing everyone else down with them.

This film stuck with me long after I left the theater. The performances and script make this film truly touching and a movie I can’t wait to see again. I can see this movie coming out in theaters in the Fall. Don’t miss it.

#1- Toy’s House

My favorite thing about going into some Sundance movies is the fact that you have no idea what you are seeing. For this film, I was swayed to see it solely by the fact it starred Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally. I read those names and didn’t read anything else about the plot or anything. Then the very opening scene grabbed a hold of the audience with amazing visuals and sound, and it never let me go.

Toy’s House deals with its central characters, a group of high school freshman, and their desire to get out of their small town and away from their even smaller minded parents. This desire pushes them to build their own house in the middle of the woods and survive on their own.

This film, mirrors the childhood innocence it captures, it’s a feel good film filled with adventure, comedy and fun, but it ‘s also a reflection on growing older and the importance of friendships and family. I got lost in this film and I absolutely loved every minute of it. In the three years I have been going to the Sundance Film Festival, this is my favorite film I have seen there. I hope this film gets the release it deserves, if it does, please see it.

Full List of Movies Seen

Breath In
Toy’s House
The Spectacular Now
Which Way to the Front Line
Sound City
Blackfish
Upstream Color
Shorts Program #3
S-VHS
A.C.O.D
Prince Avalanche
Don Jon’s Addiction
Hell Baby
In a World…
The East
The Way. Way Back

*Unfortunately there were some critically praised films I did not see that may be widely talked about soon. Some of these (Fruitvale, Before Midnight, Stoker, After Tiller and more)