Gravity, and Her Top the L.A. Film Critics Association Awards (Among Many Ties)

Today with Boston Society of Film Critics, the New York Online Film Critics Association, and L.A. Film Critics Association (LAFCA) announcing their winners, there is an aura of split decisions.  Today Boston and New York picked 12 Years a Slave, but L.A. deemed Best Picture a tie between Gravity and Her.  Beyond the New York (non-online critics) who picked American Hustle these films have been dominating forces with numerous wins for Nebraska, and Inside Llewyn Davis in acting and technical categories.  The lack of consensus proves this year has a lot of quality films, and this could be one of the most interesting award seasons to date.

As stated above the LAFCA deemed Best Picture a tie between Gravity and Her.  Gravity took home four prizes including Best Picture, Best Director for Alfonso Cuaron, Best Editing, and Best Cinematography.  Her won two prizes, Best Picture, and Best Production Design, the film was a runner up in three other categories.

"It's a tie" seemed to be a repetitive pattern throughout the live tweeting of these winners.  There was a tie in the Best Actress category between Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine, and Adèle Exarchopoulos, Blue Is the Warmest Color.  There was also a tie in the Best Supporting Actor category between James Franco, Spring Breakers, and Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club.  Once again Blanchett and Leto stick out as the front runners of the award season in the acting categories.

Based on the voting for Best Actor I think its safe to say there are four locks McConaughey, Redford, Dern, and Ejiofor.  I think Tom Hanks is vulnerable for Captain Phillips, and there are many actors who could swoop in to take his spot.  Yet do these awards matter?  The films that were most helped by these critics awards were American Hustle (although forgotten by the rest) and Her, these awards get their names out their and cement motion for them to potentially make waves with the Academy.  

On another note props to the great Megan Ellison for winning the New Generation prize; she deserves it!

• Best Picture: Gravity and Her (tie)
• Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity; runner-up: Spike Jonze, Her
• Best Actor: Bruce Dern, Nebraska; runner-up: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
• Best Actress:  Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine, and Adèle Exarchopoulos, Blue Is the Warmest Color (tie)
• Best Supporting Actor:  James Franco, Spring Breakers, and Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club (tie)
• Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave; runner-up: June Squibb, Nebraska
• Best Screenplay: Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke,Before Midnight; runner-up: Spike Jonze, Her
• Best Foreign-Language Film: Blue Is the Warmest Color; runner-up: The Great Beauty
• Best Feature Animation: Ernest & Celestine; runner-up: The Wind Rises
• Best Documentary: Stories We Tell; runner-up: The Act of Killing
• Best Music Score: T Bone Burnett, Inside Llewyn Davis; runner-up: Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett, Her
• Best Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Gravity; Runner-up, Bruno Delbonnel, Inside Llewyn Davis
• Best Editing: Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger, Gravity; Shane Carruth and David Lowery, Upstream Color
• Best Production Design: K.K. Barrett, Her; Runner-up: Jess Gonchor, Inside Llewyn Davis
• Douglas Edwards Independent/Experimental Film/Video Award:
• Cabinets Of Wonder: Films and a Performance by Charlotte Pryce
• The NEW GENERATION prize: Megan Ellison.

October Movies to See and Skip! (2013)

September was kind of a lame duck month, Lee Daniel's The Butler capitalized on the lack of quality/adult films, and the film scored the elusive 100 million dollar mark.  I have a feeling that once this films score numerous Gold Globe nominations it will be re-released and make even more.

On to the actual September releases, the films with the largest weekends were Insidious 2, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.  Insidious 2 had a big drop off, and will not hit the level of The Conjuring, they opened at the same numbers.  Cloudy 2 is approaching its second weekend, the film could hold tight, but it will not be an amazing box office marker.  Prisoners was a small drama, with great marketing which made about 21 million its first weekend, look out for this film at awards shows, it was also the runner up for the audience prize at the Toronto International Film Festival.

I think Don Jon did well for its subject matter, but word of mouth is that its the porn film, but its so much more.  The film is good, go see it.  Rush seemed dead on arrival along with the forgotten The Family and Riddick.

Can October save things?  There are at least 4 major Oscar contenders being released this month, will they live up to the hype, and bring people to the movies?

October 4th 

Gravity is the best film I have seen so far this year.  Read my review here http://eternalthoughtsofkevinsmind.blogspot.com/2013/09/gravity-is-one-of-most-awe-inspiring.html Do not miss this film, beautiful.

If Runner Runner was intended to be a comedy, then I am in, being that the film is supposed to serious then I am going to pass on this, maybe Affleck and Timberlake should think a little more carefully about their acting choices.

October 11th

Captain Phillips is fantastic, a must see film.  Tom Hanks is great.  I will add that the initial trailer made me skeptical, but the television spots and second trailer sold me.  The film also got a standing ovation at the NY film festival.  The film is also a combination of Paul Greengrass (Bourne, United 93) and Tom Hanks win, win.

Machete Kills looks like it will be more of a cult hit so if you want stay ahead of the game with this new Robert Rodriguez film then head to the theatres.  I think it looks pretty funny.

Buzz on The Fifth Estate is that its a exciting (somewhat) and that Benedict Cumberbatch is great as Julian Assange the founder of Wikileaks, but this film apparently flounders in familiarity.  Asange is a complicated person, and I am not sure Bill Condon (Twilight) was the man for the job.

October 25th

Carrie is the only "scary" movie with a release date during this month, bad move.  The preview looks like a shot for shot remake of the original.  We saw how that played out for Gus Van Sant's Pyscho remake.  While Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore are well cast I can't imagine this story being necessary. 

If you are a fan of Stallone and and Schwarzenegger grasping for their action careers in their 60s and 70s than Escape Plan is the film for you, enough said.

Steve McQueen's film 12 Years a Slave is being marveled by critics, and is ahead in many prediction for the Oscars this year.  With a great cast, and being named the audience favorite (even with dark subject matter) at the Toronto Film Festival this is a must see film.

J.C. Chandor's follow up to Margin Call, entitled All is Lost starring Robert Redford looks less like a thriller and more like a meditative drama.  Reviews say that Redford is the star, and that this film could be his second acting nomination in his career. Go for Redford.

October 25th

I am not sure I like the way The Counselor is being marketed, and the whole "have you been bad" hash tag.  I admire Ridley Scott as a director, and Cormac McCarthy's work, but I have this guy feeling this film will flop.  McCarthy's material has been handled well (Coens-No Country for Old Men), and not as well (Hancock-The Road).  I imagine Scott will be more in the middle.

How do I say this without losing credibility, I saw the preview for Bad Grandpa, and laughed louder at the preview than any other in a long time.  I imagine all the funny parts are in the preview, I will probably watch this when it hits HBO.

Gravity is one of the Most Awe Inspiring Film Experiences Ever

Gravity (5 out of 5 Stars)

Directed by Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien, Children of Men)

Written by Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mama Tambien) and Jonas Cuaron (The Year of the Nail)

Starring: Sandra Bullock and George Clooney

After seeing the brief trailer for Gravity many times, I knew there was something special about this film.  I had heard the buzz from Venice, and Toronto, but still did not want to read a review, watch the second trailer, or even read a simple plot summary.  This was one of the films I was most excited to see this year, and I wanted to go without any context, the same way I viewed Pacific Rim, and this was a smart course of action on both accounts.

Without giving too much away, Gravity centers around two characters a medical engineer, Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) and an astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney) who are working on a project, but an accident causes things to go drastically wrong.  After the accident the two struggle to survive out in the middle of space.

One of the beautiful aspects of this film is the simplistic nature of the plot, but the magnitude with which the the story is told.  Most of the credit for the vision of this film belongs to esteemed director Alfonso Cuaron.  Cuaron's genius has brought many different films to life on the big screen, from the small character driven road trip Y Tu Mama Tambien, to what is widely regarded by Potter fans as the best film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and the post apocalyptic Children of Men which centers on the lack of fertility, and the potential for the first successful birth.  Cuaron creates a style all of his own; he is precise, and this film is proof that through this breathtaking experience there are still advances to be made in within film.

The film was shot in 3-D and while I hate this technology this is one of the most, if not the most powerful use of this technology.  The 3-D never felt like a gimmick nor did you feel as though Cuaron through both his direction and fantastic editing were trying to manipulate, but rather add to the sumptuous visual experience of this film.  Cuaron's work as both the director and editor on this film enhance the emotionally raw, and suspenseful nature of this film, which defies the odds.

The technical aspects of this film, make many other films out there look like child's play.  While Cuaron's vision, and direction are at the center, Emmanuel Lubezki's cinematography rivals the brilliant work he did with Terrence Malick's Tree of Life.  Lubezki has worked with Cuaron on all of his films, but Potter, and together this duo have combined to form some of the best visual experiences of the last 15 years.  Lubezki's work on Gravity should be studied, never duplicated, admired and be proof of the power cinematography has within a film.  The cinematography combined with the visual effects packs a punch in this film that will not be forgotten.

Along with the all of these elements the film's score by Steven Price sets the musical tone, fantastically creating moments where you sit on the edge of your seat as the intensity builds to a fevered frenzy.  Price recently did the score for the Simon Pegg/Edgar Wright film The World's End, but he is relatively new to the world of music composition within film, this will change.

While Gravity is mostly about the visual effects, there is something to be said about the performances, especially Bullock.  While I have never doubted Ms. Bullock's comedic timing, and she has proved her dramatic chops, in Crash, not in her Academy Award winning performance in The Blind Side, I did not expect this from her.  Bullock is great in this role and she helps sell the loneliness of the experience, the panic, the urgency, she makes you gasp for air as she does, because the film takes your breath away.

Gravity is a special film, and is one of the most awe inspiring film experiences I ever.  The film has both a visual and emotional impact that will have a lasting impact on audiences, and film auteurs for years to come.

What will the Venice and Telluride Film Festivals mean for this Years Oscar Hopefuls?

At this point numerous films are being shown, some for the first time, some as repeats from Cannes at both the Venice and Telluride Film Festivals.  How do both of these festivals shape the Oscar crystal ball?  One thing is for sure, both festivals now provide a huge boost for strong contenders to gain even more momentum.

Venice Film Festival

Here is a graph from Wikipedia on the winners from the 2000s:

2000	The Circle (Dayereh)	Jafar Panahi	* Iran
2001	Monsoon Wedding	Mira Nair	India/ United States/ Italy/ France/* Germany
2002	The Magdalene Sisters	Peter Mullan	Ireland
2003	The Return (Vozvrashcheniye)	Andrey Zvyagintsev	* Russia
2004	Vera Drake	Mike Leigh	United Kingdom
2005	Brokeback Mountain	Ang Lee	United States
2006	Still Life (Sanxia haoren)	Jia Zhangke	China
2007	Lust, Caution (Se, jie)	Ang Lee	United States/ China/ Taiwan
2008	The Wrestler	Darren Aronofsky	United States
2009	Lebanon	Samuel Maoz	* Israel
2010	Somewhere	Sofia Coppola	United States
2011	Faust	Alexander Sokurov	Russia
2012	Pietà	Kim Ki-duk	* South Korea

What this graph tells Oscarologists, and film lovers all over is that winning the Golden Lion (Best Picture) may mean nothing.  Only one film in the last 12 years went on to be nominated for Best Picture, it did not win, and that was Brokeback Mountain in 2005.  Vera Drake scored 3 big nominations, Director, Actress, and Screenplay in 2004, and in 2008 The Wrestler scored two nominations for Actor, and Supporting Actress.  The rest of the films made no impact.

Venice has always been a bit of a wild card, with films in and out of competition, The Master received a significant Oscar bump, but nothing else made the mark.  In 2011 films like Shame, Ides of March, and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy all started their trek to Oscar at Venice, but most of them were regulated to smaller categories.

One thing about Venice, and its impact this year is that you can be sure the reviews for Gravity will help spark even more interest, and that the film is on a rocket to mass critical support, the film is also going to be screening at Telluride.

Telluride Film Festival

The beauty about this film festival, is that the line-up is announced mere days before the actual festival, which builds the anticipation.  After seeing this year's line-up I am certain that many of the films will be in contention for numerous Oscar categories, but how has this festival impacted Oscar? One word, Argo.

Last year's Best Picture winner received thunderous applause at Telluride, and it was then that many Oscar pundits predicted it would not only be a contender for Best Picture, but also the front runner to win the big prize, and they were right.  These festivals are becoming more and more important with regard to setting that strong original buzz, and making films stand out.  Amour was the other major film which continued the festival march here after Cannes.

This year's line-up has a lot of buzz attached, with Nebraska, Inside Llewyn Davis (both Cannes films), then there is All is Lost, Labor Day, Blue is the Warmest Color, The Past, The Invisible Woman, and once again Gravity.

This line-up is stacked with prestige from great directors, and will launch numerous, acting, screenplay, and technical nominations, but which of these films listed above will make Picture, and Director?  I am excited to hear the buzz, but together these festivals prove that you have to start fast to get your name out there otherwise you may never hit the ground running.

Oscar Predictions (2013)-August is Never too Early

What will this year's Oscars look like?  Who will be the major players?  Does Harvey have the magic once again?  All of these are just a few of the questions people are asking now, but with the season getting underway, and heavy hitters like Fruitvale Station, Blue Jasmine, Nebraska, and Inside Llewyn Davis getting good press, there may be a lot of contenders already out there.  Here are my very very early August predictions.

Best Picture
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
August: Osage County
Blue Jasmine 
Fruitvale Station
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Lee Daniel's The Butler
Nebraska

Best Director
Ryan Coogler, Fruitvale Station
Joel and Ethan Coen-Inside Llewyn Davis
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Lee Daniels-Lee Daniel's The Butler 
David O. Russell- American Hustle

Best Actor 
Bruce Dern- Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor- 12 Years a Slave
Michael B. Jordan-Fruitvale Station
Robert Redford- All Is Lost
Forrest Whitaker-Lee Daniel's The Butler 

Best Actress 
Cate Blanchett- Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock-Gravity
Judi Dench- Philomena
Julia Roberts- August: Osage County
Kate Winslet-Labor Day

Best Supporting Actor 
Josh Brolin- Labor Day
Michael Fassbender- 12 Years a Slave
Harrison Ford-42
John Goodman-Inside Llewyn Davis
Tom Hanks- Saving Mr. Banks

Best Supporting Actress 
Amy Adams- American Hustle/Her
Sally Hawkins- Blue Jasmine
Octavia Spencer-Fruitvale Station
Meryl Streep- August: Osage County
Oprah Winfrey-Lee Daniel's The Butler

Best Original Screenplay
American Hustle
Blue Jasmine
Fruitvale Station
Inside Llewyn Davis
Nebraska

Best Adapted Screenplay
12 Years a Slave
August: Osage County
Before Midnight
Foxcatcher
Labor Day