I'm getting ready for the big night;my red carpet outfit is my Green Lantern t-shirt (not because it won any Oscars) and my sweat pants. I'm watching "The Great British Baking Show" until the ceremony starts. As you could probably tell by attire tonight, I'm not all that interested in what people wear. They are inevitably dressed better than I will ever be. My hope for tonight is the show lasts less than 4 hours. Hope springs eternal. I saw all but 18 of the nominated films, and somehow I have to get better at seeing the documentaries and the foreign films, but those are always a crapshoot, and sometimes not even released in the U.S., or perhaps not in the Twin Cities. Five minutes to go.
Neil Patrick Harris is singing the opening number. He is really talented, I'll say that for Doogie Howser. Anna Kendrick and Jack Black have joined NPH. That was really good. I have to say, I never really remember the opening sequence from year to year, and I may never remember this, but it was good (and tasteful).
The first award is for Best Supporting Actor, presented by Lupita N'yongo from Twelve Years a Slave (someone needs to put her in another film). My sentimental favorite is Robert Duvall for The Judge. We'll see. Edward Norton was great in Birdman, but he'll get more opportunities. J.K. Simmons is the critics' favorite, and he was transcendent in Whiplash. Simmons just won. I'm actually really okay with that. He has done so many different roles over the years, including the dad in Juno and Emile Skoda in "Law and Order". And the insurance commercials.
Liam Neeson is presenting (sometimes you forget he has such a great Irish accent) two of the nominees for Best Picture, including The Grand Budapest Hotel and American Sniper. If you have not seen The Grand Budapest Hotel, you should check it out. It's definitely quirky, and I thought charming.
Dakota Johnson (Fifty Shades of Grey) is presenting "Lost Stars" sung by Adam Levine from Begin Again. He also sang the song in the movie. I like the song, but nobody has been talking about it, for some reason people prefer the song from The Lego Movie.
Some of these commercials are better than the over-hyped Super Bowl ads. Edith Piaf is singing "Je regret ne rien" for a Cadillac commercial. Classy.
Jennifer Lopez and Chris Pine are presenting the award for Best Costume Design, Inherent Vice, Into The Woods, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Maleficent are nominated. The Grand Budapest Hotel just won its first Oscar of the night; I did think Maleficent was very well done, though and I haven't seen Inherent Vice.
Reese Witherspoon is now presenting the Best Makeup and Hairstyling, including Foxcatcher, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Guardians of the Galaxy. The Grand Budapest Hotel is on a roll, they just won their second Oscar.
Okay, maybe I jumped on the pro-commercial bandwagon a little early. Damn Edith Piaf.
Wow, Nicole Kidman is really tall. She is co-presenting the Best Foreign Film with Chiwetel Ejiofor. I've only seen Ida and hated it. Ugh, it seriously just won. The director started off on a great speech and then got extremely carried away, talking through the play-off music.
Boyhood and The Theory of Everything, and Birdman being shown for Best Picture. Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel surprised a lot of people with how they have kept their momentum.
"Everything is Awesome" from The Lego Movie is being sung by Tegan and Sarah complete with dancers. I must be the only person in America who thought this song was annoying as hell. And I still think that. Oh good, another commercial break.
They tell me that the Best Animated Short and Live Action Short will be announced soon. My pick for the Animated Short is The Dam Keeper, but we'll see. The Live Action is tougher, but I would love to see The Phone Call with Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent win; Sally was very powerful, basically acting only to Jim Broadbent's voice on the phone. Oh, Kerry Washington and Jason Bateman are now presenting. I did enjoy Boogaloo and Graham. The Oscar goes to The Phone Call. Very nice. the winners make the long walk from the back of the theater and make another long speech. This is going to be a long night. I guess the animated shorts will come later.
Best Documentary Short is next. I only really loved one, Crisis Hotline: Veterans, Press 1. Yes, and that just won as well. This short film is so moving. Maybe it's no accident that two films about Crisis Centers have won the Oscars tonight.
Viola Davis (The Help, Doubt) is introducing the Governors Award that was awarded to Maureen O'Hara, Hayao Miyazki (The Wind Rises), Jean-Claude Carriere; Harry Belafonte received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.
"I'm Not Going to Miss You" from the Glen Campbell documentary Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me is being sung by Tim McGraw. I haven't seen the film, but the song is very moving. Wow. If that loses to The Lego Movie, I will be very irritated.
I wish they didn't have these little shenanigans, just do the awards. He's kind of doing Michael Keaton in Birdman mixed with JK Simmons in Whiplash.
Sound Mixing nominees are American Sniper, Birdman, Interstellar (haven't seen it), Unbroken, Whiplash. The winner is Whiplash. That's two awards for this movie tonight. Without looking, I think this is the only nomination for Unbroken. I can tell this speech is going to go long (this is the key word so far). Sound Editing nominees are American Sniper, Birdman, The Hobbit (too LONG), Interstellar, Unbroken (I guess this is the second nomination for Unbroken). I wish I understood the differences in the two categories; I'm sure there is a difference, I just don't get it. American Sniper won this award.
Best Supporting Actress is being presented by Jared Leto. I hope Laura Dern (Wild) wins, but odds are not with her. Patricia Arquette for Boyhood is the favorite; Meryl Streep in Into The Woods(I don't think Jared Leto was joking when he said it was almost a requirement to nominate Streep for an Oscar); Keira Knightley in The Imitation Game; Emma Stone in Birdman as Michael Keaton's rebellious daughter (she will be nominated again, she is so good in different roles like in The Help). Patricia Arquette won. I just hated that movie so much. She did just give a killer speech about equal rights for woman in America which got a fist pump from Meryl.
I just broke out my neck pillow.
The song from Beyond the Lights (haven't seen it yet) "Grateful" is being sung by Rita Ora. Another song that is a million times better than the Lego song. I'm not bitter, I did like the movie, but I don't get how the song is so awesome.
Visual effects are up next. My guess is Guardians of the Galaxy. But, I think it's anyone's guess with three super hero movies up for it. What? Interstellar just won. Damn, now I have to watch it. Marvel just got no love.
This could be funny, Kevin Hart and Anna Kendrick. Best Animated Short is up now. WHAT? Feast won. I do not get this at all. It was good, but not better or even more creative than The Dam Keeper or The Single Life.
The Animated Feature film is next. Zoe Saldana and Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) are presenting. The Boxtrolls is my favorite, but I don't have a good feeling about it, especially after the last award. I've only seen two of the nominees, so I'm kind of handicapped here. Big Hero 6 won. That is one I have not seen, but it's out on DVD this week. You should still see The Boxtrolls.
Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) are presenting Best Production Design. Could this be another win for The Grand Budapest Hotel or will Into the Woods take this? Third win of the night for The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Best Cinematography with Birdman, The Grand Budapest, Unbroken, Mr. Turner and Ida. Birdman won, and it's the first win of the night. I haven't seen Mr. Turner, but it's on the list. I thought Ida had a good chance with this because of the use of black and white filming, and while I loathed the movie, it was well-filmed.
I like the music they are playing as the presenters approach the microphones. Little snippets of movie songs, I don't know if they are all Oscar winners, but it's a nice touch. It's kind of like "Name that Tune".
The In Memoriam section is going to start, and I'll be crying. There were a lot of talented people who died this past year Robin Williams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mickey Rooney, James Garner, Maya Angelou, Anita Ekberg, H.R. Giger, Richard Attenborough, Ruby Dee, and so many more. Some names are just footnotes or answers to trivial pursuit questions to us now, like Luise Rainer (The Good Earth), some are such a part of our consciousness we cannot remember watching movies without them, like Robin Williams, others we never knew their names, but felt their impact on the movies we loved, like H.R. Giger and his set designs. Jennifer Hudson is singing a tribute song. I think she sang last year, maybe that was at the Grammy's (?). She has a voice that carries with it a sense of remembrance and love. I must be getting sentimental as it's my bedtime.
Tonight is being brought to you by Samsung.
The editing award is next. I heard somewhere that Boyhood is the favorite because there should be an award for editing twelve years of crap. Okay, that is not a reason. Whiplash picked up its third (?) award tonight. I'm a little surprised, I thought American Sniper or Imitation Game would get it. It doesn't seem like there's a 'big' winner, at least so far. The Grand Budapest Hotel and Whiplash have won multiple awards. We still have the other actor awards to go and the screenplay awards.
Terrence Howard is presenting the other nominees for best picture, including Whiplash, The Imitation Game, and Selma. He is overacting just a little, I think. I kind of want to watch The Imitation Game again.
I have only seen one of the documentary features this year, and that's my favorite category. I've only seen Finding Vivian Maier, and the others look very interesting and compelling. Citizenfour won; it is with Edward Snowden. It's the Pentagon Papers of our time (right or wrong I don't know).
Ugh, more commercials. I'll be back. I must take something for my hacking cough.
Octavia Spencer (part of a running joke with Neil Patrick Harris and his locked box of Oscar picks) is introducing John Legend and Common to sing "Glory" from Selma. First, can I say, we need more of Octavia Spencer, she is funny, but also a great dramatic actress. I really like this song. I'm not a big rap fan, but this is a good integration of traditional singing by Legend and rapping by Common, with a powerful message. I got chills when I heard this at the end of the movie. I'm getting chills now as the singers walk under a mock bridge. Okay, for about the fifth time, if any of these songs lose to the Lego song, I may give up this blogging thing. People are actually crying in the audience. THAT"S a powerful song.
Idina Menzel is presenting (with Neil Patrick Harris making the obvious joke about John Travolta's pronunciation of her name last year) and out comes John Travolta. They are doing the Best Original Song category. This is tough, there are a few tear jerkers in the bunch. And "Glory" won! There is hope for the Academy yet. So amazing. No mispronounced names and back slaps all around. Common and John Legend probably gave the best acceptances speeches I have heard in a while.
The sounds of Willy Wonka are being played right now, the overture (?), I don't know, but it was beautiful.
Scarlett Johanssen is introducing a fiftieth anniversary tribute to The Sound of Music (I love Scarlett but Lucy was horrible). They're showing a montage right now. I do love that movie; we grew up on it, watching it every year. So long, farewell, auf wiedersehn, good night. Lady Gaga is going to sing some songs, I guess. She's really making the rounds, she sang at the tribute to Stevie Wonder that was on last week. I was enjoying it, but I think she butchered "Edelweiss". I wonder if Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer are in the audience. I am not seeing them. Insert sad face. Oh wait, Julie Andrews just walked onstage. And it looks like nobody knew it was happening. I was lucky enough to see Julie Andrews live in "Victor/Victoria" in Minneapolis over 15 years ago. I think everyone loves her. She is presenting for the Best Original Score. Alexandre Desplat is nominated twice, The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Imitation Game. And he won for The Grand Budapest Hotel and he is up the nosebleed seats. It will be a while before he gets down there. Is that four wins for The Grand Budapest Hotel?
Is there any character, real or imagined, dumber than the yellow M&M? If I'm lucky tonight, the Oscars will end in 30 minutes. I don't think it's my lucky night. I think there are six awards to go.
Eddie Murphy is going to present, and after the minor fiasco at the Saturday Night Live 40th anniversary show, it's good that he doesn't have to be funny. This is for the Original Screenplay - my pick is The Grand Budapest Hotel, but you should take a look at Nightcrawler if you have not. Birdman wins. That's good, too. I'm not going to be upset over it. I wonder if this means that Michael Keaton will pick up the Oscar.
Oprah (does she even need to use her last name?) is presenting Best Adapted Screenplay: American Sniper, The Imitation Game, Inherent Vice (haven't seen it), The Theory of Everything, Whiplash. Hmmm. The Imitation Game wins. How do they decide? I'm so glad I actually don't have a vote. Graham Moore just gave another powerful speech about being different and embracing your difference (I'm not doing a great job at the short hand here) but he got a standing ovation. Best Director with Ben Affleck is next. Eleven o'clock is within reach. I'm sorry, but the alarm goes off at 5:30, so tick tock.
Will Richard Linklater win, Wes Anderson or Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu? I really don't think Foxcatcher is in the game, and I'm not sure people really know who Morten Tildum, director of The Imitation Game is. Inarritu wins; he just picked up the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Birdman.
Three more awards, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Picture.
I watch too many movies. I couldn't remember what Cate Blanchett won her Oscar for last year. Blue Jasmine, I didn't have to look it up, but it took me a while. She is presenting Best Actor. I think it was nice that Steve Carell was nominated, but I don't think it's really going to happen. Bradley Cooper in American Sniper; Michael Keaton in Birdman, Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game - a possibility; Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. Michael Keaton is a favorite. Ugh, such decisions. Wow, Eddie Redmayne just won. He certainly did an amazing job transforming himself. He's so young. I hope this doesn't bring down some weird Oscar curse, because he has a lot of good work ahead of him.
Matthew McConaughey is presenting the Best Actress award. I was supposed to see Still Alice today and I just couldn't leave the house. What is that thing on his face? Who let him out of the house like that? Oh, back to Still Alice, Julianne Moore seems to be the odds on favorite and I can't really say because I didn't see it yet. Marion Cotillard is nominated in another movie I haven't seen. Felicity Jones from The Theory of Everything is really good, but I don't think strong enough to beat Julianne Moore. Rosamund Pike was creepy and psychopathic (she and Louis Bloom would be perfect partners in crime). I loved Reese Witherspoon in Wild, there has been virtually no buzz about it at all. Julianne Moore 'won'. I say 'won' because now she gets to kiss that weird thing on Matthew McConaughey's face. Or maybe she didn't. I looked away. I think people are so happy she won. I love seeing the 'younger' actors win, but sometimes it's really wonderful to see someone like Julianne Moore win, someone who has been in a lot of movies, some good, some not, but so appreciative.
The Best Picture is up next, but now Neil Patrick Harris is wrapping up his schtick with his Oscar picks with the Price Waterhouse Coopers guy. Poor Octavia Spencer has been a great sport. But seriously, the damn show is 30 minutes over, please, I want to go to bed.
I think I have the croup.
Sean Penn (or Mr. Charlize Theron) is presenting for the Best Picture. I'm so excited. Drumroll. Nice suspense by Sean Penn. Birdman wins the big prize. I think I would have been happy with any of the films, really, they were anywhere from very good to great.
And that's it for tonight. It looks like the awards were spread out among the different movies. Michael Keaton is a class act.
We'll see you all next year. Nice job, NHP.
p.s. please excuse any typos or factual errors as I was flying by the seat of my sweatpants.
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2015 nominees and more: Nightcrawler, American Sniper, The Good Lie
So far, I have watched all but 18 of the nominated films. I have avoided The Hobbit part 3 because it's just too long to sit in a theater and I stopped caring, and I could have watched Inherent Vice today on-demand, but that was 148 minutes and I'm not up for paying $9.99 for the privilege, so I'll wait until it gets to the library. If the body and spirit are willing, I will see Still Alice and maybe Two Days, One Night tomorrow.
2/13/15 Nightcrawler, nominated for Best Original Screenplay, 2014
This movie was out in Cleveland when I visited in December and my brother really wanted to see it, but I wussed out. It seemed too 'scary' for me. Back then I had a sneaky feeling that it would be nominated for something, if only to torture me. And sure enough, Dan Gilroy was nominated for his original screenplay. Crap. I put on my big girl pants and watched it at home. It was not scary, but suspenseful, so it was still creepy, but I was able to handle it. My brother, on the hand, was irritated that I watched it. Jake Gyllenhaal is Louis Bloom, kind of a scavenger type, trying to make a buck. He comes upon an accident and sees cameramen (including Bill Paxton) filming the scene and learns that they will sell the video to any news station that will pay. Louis is a very quick study and buys some equipment and begins selling his footage, which tends to be more gruesome than his competitors, to a news station managed by Nina Romina (Rene Russo). He also hires an 'intern' Rick Carey (Riz Ahmed) to drive and help him. Bloom is just creepy looking, with greasy hair pulled back and this tense, wiry body and a speech pattern that is unnerving. Bloom learns that the more graphic the footage, the more money he can get, and that leads him to cross more than a few ethical and moral lines. Nina seems to have no compunction about putting it on the air, and her relationship with Louis evolves from a purely business transaction to a dramatic shift in power in Louis' favor. It did not end how I thought it would, that's for sure. I thought Gyllenhaal's performance was really great (creepy, but great) and powerful. He is a total sociopath. The Best Actor category is full of great nominees, and it's inevitable that someone would get left off the list, but Gyllenhaal was certainly worthy of consideration. I liked the movie a lot more than I thought I would, which is maybe why it made a bigger impression on me. I thought it was an intelligently written script.
2/14/15 American Sniper nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, 2014
The last movie that I can recall that created such intense conversation (or vitriol) is The Last Temptation of Christ, and I don't think it was really the same kind of controversy. I tried not to read too much of the reviews, criticisms or analyses of American Sniper because I wanted to see it with as open a mind as possible. American Sniper, stars Bradley Cooper as real-life Navy SEAL and sniper, Chris Kyle. Kyle was Kyle was killed by a young man he was trying to help, but before he died, Kyle wrote an autobiography/memoir and some of what he wrote is what is at the heart of the controversy. I didn't read the book, so I cannot comment (some issues have been settled in the courts); other comments have been made that the movie glorifies war, and since it's a fact-based movie, there are complaints about events not being portrayed accurately. As far as the movie is concerned, I really liked it. I thought Bradley Cooper did a tremendous job playing Kyle, he seemed to convey the intensity of his job as well as his love for his family and his conflicted feelings of being away from his family, but his desire to stay and protect his fellow soldiers. Sienna Miller played Kyle's wife Taya, and I thought she was okay, not great (I have heard Miller's name many times, but had to look up what movies she had been in, and lo and behold, she was in my least favorite nominee Foxcatcher as well). Clint Eastwood is a much better director than an actor, in my opinion, and he manages to get incredible performances out of actors, like Cooper. In my opinion, there is nothing about the movie that glorifies war, if showing someone's best pals getting blown away is 'glorification'. I think it shows the brutality of war and the effects of war on the participants and the families. It's worth seeing, and you can make up your own mind about Chris Kyle and the wars in which he fought.
2/14/15 The Good Lie, not nominated, 2014
This is another movie from 2014 that was based on a true story which was also told in the documentary The Lost Boys of Sudan. The big name in the film is Reese Witherspoon who plays Carrie Davis who works at an employment agency, but she is really a supporting role here, the stars are the Sudanese refugees who play Sudanese refugees, Mamere, Jeremiah, Paul and Abital. These four, plus older brother Theo, leave Sudan as young children and make their way , thousands of miles, avoiding soldiers and wild animals, to a refugee camp in Kenya. Theo gets captured, and his absence and self-sacrifice stay with the other four, especially Mamere, his real brother, as they grow up in the camp and then move to America. The four are part of a group of refugees who won the lottery and get to come to America, to cities like Boston, Fargo and Kansas City. I was moved by this story when I watched the documentary (crying, I might add) and I was moved by The Good Lie as well. America is made up by the story immigrants; immigrants from Europe, South America, Asia and Africa, and this is a 21st century immigrant story. The movie is probably not as real and harsh as the real experience, but it's a movie, and I'm okay with that (maybe because I have seen other documentaries on the topic). It is still touching to see these young people fly to America (they had never flown before), try to eat airplane food, understand how the phone works, and to appreciate the miracle that is pizza, oh, and learn English. It's charming to see how the young men (Abital, being a girl, is separated from her friends and is sent to Boston whereas the boys are sent to Kansas City) bond with Carrie and her boss, Jack (Corey Stoll), and also try to maintain ties to their roots. The movie was rated PG-13, and I can only think it's because of the war scenes early on, and perhaps the minor drug use, because there is no sex and very little swearing. It may not seem like a typical family movie, but I would recommend it. The title is explained in the movie, and I would hate to spoil it for you, but it was very powerful.
2/16/15 Thoth, Best Documentary Short Subject, 2001
Thoth is adopted name of Stephen Kaufman (born c. 1956), a street performer, who at the time of this documentary, is living and performing in New York City. I don't now that my one-dimensional description of Thoth or his work will do it justice. Thoth's attire is reminiscent of the Aztec or Mayans, but his performance is classically infused, he plays the violin and sings in an operatic voice, but the words of his own language, while dancing. Yeah, it's hard to describe. Stephen Kaufman's mother is from Barbados and she was a world-class timpani player and his father was a doctor of Russian-Jewish heritage. The unlikely couple divorced after several years of marriage, and Stephen had a difficult relationship with his father, and he also suffered from the racism of the time and developed his own universe. Thoth is very well-spoken and thoughtful when he describes his life and his art and choices he has made. There was something about Thoth and his story that was compelling to me. I would have loved another 30-40 minutes of documentary, but there you go. This was available on Netflix if you are so inclined.
2/20/2015 Lucy, 2014
I want my dollar back from the library.
2/13/15 Nightcrawler, nominated for Best Original Screenplay, 2014
This movie was out in Cleveland when I visited in December and my brother really wanted to see it, but I wussed out. It seemed too 'scary' for me. Back then I had a sneaky feeling that it would be nominated for something, if only to torture me. And sure enough, Dan Gilroy was nominated for his original screenplay. Crap. I put on my big girl pants and watched it at home. It was not scary, but suspenseful, so it was still creepy, but I was able to handle it. My brother, on the hand, was irritated that I watched it. Jake Gyllenhaal is Louis Bloom, kind of a scavenger type, trying to make a buck. He comes upon an accident and sees cameramen (including Bill Paxton) filming the scene and learns that they will sell the video to any news station that will pay. Louis is a very quick study and buys some equipment and begins selling his footage, which tends to be more gruesome than his competitors, to a news station managed by Nina Romina (Rene Russo). He also hires an 'intern' Rick Carey (Riz Ahmed) to drive and help him. Bloom is just creepy looking, with greasy hair pulled back and this tense, wiry body and a speech pattern that is unnerving. Bloom learns that the more graphic the footage, the more money he can get, and that leads him to cross more than a few ethical and moral lines. Nina seems to have no compunction about putting it on the air, and her relationship with Louis evolves from a purely business transaction to a dramatic shift in power in Louis' favor. It did not end how I thought it would, that's for sure. I thought Gyllenhaal's performance was really great (creepy, but great) and powerful. He is a total sociopath. The Best Actor category is full of great nominees, and it's inevitable that someone would get left off the list, but Gyllenhaal was certainly worthy of consideration. I liked the movie a lot more than I thought I would, which is maybe why it made a bigger impression on me. I thought it was an intelligently written script.
2/14/15 American Sniper nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, 2014
The last movie that I can recall that created such intense conversation (or vitriol) is The Last Temptation of Christ, and I don't think it was really the same kind of controversy. I tried not to read too much of the reviews, criticisms or analyses of American Sniper because I wanted to see it with as open a mind as possible. American Sniper, stars Bradley Cooper as real-life Navy SEAL and sniper, Chris Kyle. Kyle was Kyle was killed by a young man he was trying to help, but before he died, Kyle wrote an autobiography/memoir and some of what he wrote is what is at the heart of the controversy. I didn't read the book, so I cannot comment (some issues have been settled in the courts); other comments have been made that the movie glorifies war, and since it's a fact-based movie, there are complaints about events not being portrayed accurately. As far as the movie is concerned, I really liked it. I thought Bradley Cooper did a tremendous job playing Kyle, he seemed to convey the intensity of his job as well as his love for his family and his conflicted feelings of being away from his family, but his desire to stay and protect his fellow soldiers. Sienna Miller played Kyle's wife Taya, and I thought she was okay, not great (I have heard Miller's name many times, but had to look up what movies she had been in, and lo and behold, she was in my least favorite nominee Foxcatcher as well). Clint Eastwood is a much better director than an actor, in my opinion, and he manages to get incredible performances out of actors, like Cooper. In my opinion, there is nothing about the movie that glorifies war, if showing someone's best pals getting blown away is 'glorification'. I think it shows the brutality of war and the effects of war on the participants and the families. It's worth seeing, and you can make up your own mind about Chris Kyle and the wars in which he fought.
2/14/15 The Good Lie, not nominated, 2014
This is another movie from 2014 that was based on a true story which was also told in the documentary The Lost Boys of Sudan. The big name in the film is Reese Witherspoon who plays Carrie Davis who works at an employment agency, but she is really a supporting role here, the stars are the Sudanese refugees who play Sudanese refugees, Mamere, Jeremiah, Paul and Abital. These four, plus older brother Theo, leave Sudan as young children and make their way , thousands of miles, avoiding soldiers and wild animals, to a refugee camp in Kenya. Theo gets captured, and his absence and self-sacrifice stay with the other four, especially Mamere, his real brother, as they grow up in the camp and then move to America. The four are part of a group of refugees who won the lottery and get to come to America, to cities like Boston, Fargo and Kansas City. I was moved by this story when I watched the documentary (crying, I might add) and I was moved by The Good Lie as well. America is made up by the story immigrants; immigrants from Europe, South America, Asia and Africa, and this is a 21st century immigrant story. The movie is probably not as real and harsh as the real experience, but it's a movie, and I'm okay with that (maybe because I have seen other documentaries on the topic). It is still touching to see these young people fly to America (they had never flown before), try to eat airplane food, understand how the phone works, and to appreciate the miracle that is pizza, oh, and learn English. It's charming to see how the young men (Abital, being a girl, is separated from her friends and is sent to Boston whereas the boys are sent to Kansas City) bond with Carrie and her boss, Jack (Corey Stoll), and also try to maintain ties to their roots. The movie was rated PG-13, and I can only think it's because of the war scenes early on, and perhaps the minor drug use, because there is no sex and very little swearing. It may not seem like a typical family movie, but I would recommend it. The title is explained in the movie, and I would hate to spoil it for you, but it was very powerful.
2/16/15 Thoth, Best Documentary Short Subject, 2001
Thoth is adopted name of Stephen Kaufman (born c. 1956), a street performer, who at the time of this documentary, is living and performing in New York City. I don't now that my one-dimensional description of Thoth or his work will do it justice. Thoth's attire is reminiscent of the Aztec or Mayans, but his performance is classically infused, he plays the violin and sings in an operatic voice, but the words of his own language, while dancing. Yeah, it's hard to describe. Stephen Kaufman's mother is from Barbados and she was a world-class timpani player and his father was a doctor of Russian-Jewish heritage. The unlikely couple divorced after several years of marriage, and Stephen had a difficult relationship with his father, and he also suffered from the racism of the time and developed his own universe. Thoth is very well-spoken and thoughtful when he describes his life and his art and choices he has made. There was something about Thoth and his story that was compelling to me. I would have loved another 30-40 minutes of documentary, but there you go. This was available on Netflix if you are so inclined.
2/20/2015 Lucy, 2014
I want my dollar back from the library.
2015 nominees - The Imitation Game, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Judge and more
A little less than two weeks to go and I have 21 movies to watch. I'm hoping to get a few more done in the next week. Wish me luck.
1/31/15 The Imitation Game, nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, 2014
If you're counting, The Imitation Game is nominated for 8 awards this year, right up there with Birdman. I was reading a little bit about the movie as I do after I watch it and there is some criticism about different historical aspects of the film. I will say the same thing here that I said about Selma, sometimes things are done in a film to make the narrative flow better or film better or able to fit into a 2 to 2 1/2 hour time frame. I am just going to review the movie and let you make up your own mind (I will probably be doing the same thing when I see American Sniper this weekend).
Anyway, The Imitation Game focuses on the British efforts during the Second World War to decrypt "Enigma" the code used by the Germans. There were many people who worked on code-breaking during the war, but Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) may be the most well-known. The movie uses a two-fold flashback format (I just invented that term), starting in the 1950s, after the war, going back to the Second World War and then back to when Alan was in school. I think it's effective, giving a good framework for the narrative. Turing was a mathematical genius, portrayed as socially awkward as a child and adult; he was also homosexual, which in England was a crime. One criticism about the movie was that Turing's homosexuality was hidden or perhaps close to being written out of the story. I appreciated the way Turing's homosexuality was at the edges of the plot, I thought it added to the tension of the coding process as well as the mystery I felt the director was trying to add. If people watch the movie, and don't know he was gay, it gets revealed slowly; if you watch the movie and do know he's gay, then I think it's still taut because you wait to see how others find out. It also lets the code-breaking be part of the story. The film opens in 1950s Manchester where Turing is living and that is where he has an encounter with the police and we begin to learn about Turing and his time at public school (private school in America) which was torturous. His one lifeline was a friendship he formed with a classmate. Turing applies to join the team of code-breakers, but isn't very impressed with the team he has, so he asks to bring on some new blood via a crossword puzzle. One of the new recruits is Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley in an Oscar-nominated role), who by virtue of being a woman is also a bit of an outcast because she is not able to work with the men directly (it would be unseemly; I think this was mainly due to her parents' conservatism). Joan and Alan become friends and she tries to help translate for him when he has difficulties with his co-workers. The team is under a lot of pressure to crack Engima because Germany was winning the war. Cumberbatch is tremendous; he is a chameleon, last year he was in 12 Years a Slave and The Fifth Estate (as Julian Assange), two very different characters, and now a third (many more really, but math isn't my strong suit). He really humanizes this man who was a mathematical genius, social outcast by virtue of being gay and more than a little awkward, but also passionate about breaking the code. Hopefully, like Selma, The Theory of Everything and American Sniper, people will watch The Imitation Game and learn more about the subject at hand: World War II, code-breaking, mathematics and Alan Turing (in this case). It's been tough to pick my favorite movie; I think I either loved them or loathed them, but this is definitely at the top of the list.
1/31/15 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, nominated Best Visual Effects, 2014
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set years in the future after Rise of the Planet of the Apes with the only recurring characters being some of the apes, including Caesar (played by Andy Serkis). Humans have been killed off by a deadly virus and are in quarantined off areas. A group of humans goes into an area dominated by apes in order to get the power going again. Malcolm (Jason Clarke) is the leader of this small group, but Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) is the leader of the humans back at the compound. Malcolm is not interested in any confrontation with the apes and tries to form a relationship with Caesar. Caesar is a very knowing leader, understanding the real politick of letting the humans accomplish their task or face all out war. Unfortunately, some of his cadre do not agree with his thinking, including Koba, who leads a treasonous attack on Caesar and those loyal to whom and blames it on the humans. I grew up on the original Planet of the Ape film series and the television series, and I think I like how the newer films have not tried to redo the originals, but have used them as a trellis to build their stories. I think I wrote in my review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, if I even wrote one, that I would prefer the apes over the people. I enjoyed the movie, it had good action and a good story (the ape-centric story, not human). It's nominated in the Visual Effects category and it's up against Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America 2, X-Men and Interstellar, and those are pretty heavy duty effects movies. Several people over the years have tried to make the argument that actors like Andy Serkis, who wear the body sensors and then their features are computer enhanced, but the actors actually act, should be eligible for Oscar nominations. Serkis was also Golum from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It hasn't happened, but it should and at some point Serkis is going to have to be recognized for his contributions to this performance style.
1/31/15 The Judge, nominated Best Supporting Actor 2014
I wanted to see The Judge when it came out in the theaters, but at almost two and a half hours, I just couldn't do it. But, I was going to see it even if it wasn't nominated for an Oscar, however, Robert Duvall snagged a nomination for his role as Judge Joseph Palmer, a tough judge and a tougher father. His strict hand pushed his middle son away, Hank Palmer (Robert Downey, Jr.), a brash defense attorney, who hasn't been home in years. Hank only returns for the funeral of his mother, but is unexpectedly detained when his father is accused of murder. The story is as much about the relationship between the Palmer family (older brother Glen is played by Vincent D'Onofrio and youngest brother Dale is played by Jeremy Strong) as it is about the trial of Judge Palmer. There's a subplot involving Samantha Powell (Vera Farmiga), Hank's ex-girlfriend, that was annoying to me. I think it was the corn pone accent that Farmiga used (the movie is set in a small Indiana town); I don't know if it was an authentic accent, but it did not fit, or maybe it was the blonde hair or the tattoo, something didn't work for me. Duvall was great as the hard-ass judge, still trying to control his adult sons and himself as he undergoes chemo treatment for cancer. As I was writing, I started thinking of another Duvall role where he played the martinet father and Marine as the titled role in The Great Santini. I think Duvall has a chance at the Oscar (certainly over Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke). Overall, I liked the movie, it was nice to see Robert Downey, Jr. do something besides Iron Man (I love Iron Man, but still, it's good to change it up), and he and Duvall go toe to toe. I would love to see D'Onofrio in more roles, he is so great.
2/1/15 How to Train Your Dragon 2, nominated Best Animated Feature, 2014
I remember watching the first How to Train Your Dragon and thinking it was okay, I guess it didn't move my needle the way it did for some people, so I wasn't all that rushed to see the sequel. Curse my list! It wasn't bad, and there were parts where I enjoyed it, but eh, not necessary. Hiccup is back and quite the dragon master. He meets his mother, who left him and his father when he was a baby. I don't know, honestly, I really didn't care enough to pay too much attention. The thing that I kept focusing on was that both Hiccup's parents have Scottish accents and yet Hiccup has none. That bothered me. I'm not sure why this made it and The Lego Movie did not; I thought the The Lego Movie was more creative in its universe and mixing in the human element as well as the story and dialog. I didn't think HTTYD was that inventive. Go see Boxtrolls.
2/1/15 Begin Again, nominated Best Original Song, 2014
Begin Again is a light, no-brainer romantic comedy with a pop music soundtrack. There is nothing wrong with that; I know some people think I'm a snob, and I suppose I am sometimes, but this was a great break after some of the heavy movies I had been watching. Keira Knightley (as Gretta James) and Mark Ruffalo (as Dan Mulligan) star as a songwriter and music producer, respectively. Adam Levine plays Dave Kohl, Gretta's ex-boyfriend. Dave and Gretta go to New York for Dave's burgeoning music career where they become estranged (probably not unpredictably) and Gretta feels homesick. At an open mic night, Gretta is invited by her friend, Steve (James Corden) to sing a song, which she does. This catches Dan's attention and they begin a collaboration. The set up in the movie is a little less direct than that recap just was. The two decide to collaborate on a record using the sounds of the city as well as some non-traditional musicians, or perhaps unexpected is a better word (?). Honestly, those were my favorite parts of the movie; it reminded me of music videos from the 1980s (oh my god, I can't believe I just went down that road; what's next AARP membership?). Gretta has her relationship with Dave and Dan has his complex relationship with his daughter (Hailee Steinfeld) and ex-wife (Catherine Keener). I thought Keira Knightley was pretty good as a singer, I guess she had not sung on stage before. Begin Again was directed by John Carney who also directed Once (a movie about which I am ambivalent at best). "Lost Stars" is nominated for Best Original Song (I wonder if Adam Levine will sing on the Oscars).
2/7/15 Boyhood nominated Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, 2014
WHY??????? Why did this have to be nominated? If you have read the blog, you may recall that I was not a big fan of Linklater's trilogy Before the End of Time cannot come soon enough, or something like that. Well, I'll be danged, he came up with another movie that everyone loves, except me. If you have not read or heard anything about the movie, the big draw is the fact that it was filmed over twelve years, so we see the characters age as the actors age. Yep. People getting older - they made a movie. The movie starts with Mason (Eller Coltrane) aged 6, lying on the grass waiting for his mother, Olivia (Patricia Arquette). At home, we also meet Mason's older sister, Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) and learn that Olivia is divorced from the kids' father, Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke). We follow the family through Olivia's bad marriage decisions (she's three for three), Olivia going back to school to eventually become a college instructor (or professor, I'm not sure) and Mason and Samantha's journeys as the family gets uprooted several times (I will say, having moved once when I was younger, I think I'm still scarred) and Mason's first loves and difficulties with authority. I did not care, I didn't think any of the characters were likable or admirable, and having been a petulant teenager (some would say petulant adult), I know kids aren't cute and precocious all the time and life isn't a bowl of cherries. I did not need an almost three hour movie to tell me that. I don't mind real life being reflected back at me, and I don't mind high-minded art, but I abhor pretentiousness. My pick for Best Supporting Actress is Laura Dern (Wild)and Best Supporting Actor as I mentioned above is Robert Duvall in The Judge, although Birdman may be the night's big winner.
1/31/15 The Imitation Game, nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, 2014
If you're counting, The Imitation Game is nominated for 8 awards this year, right up there with Birdman. I was reading a little bit about the movie as I do after I watch it and there is some criticism about different historical aspects of the film. I will say the same thing here that I said about Selma, sometimes things are done in a film to make the narrative flow better or film better or able to fit into a 2 to 2 1/2 hour time frame. I am just going to review the movie and let you make up your own mind (I will probably be doing the same thing when I see American Sniper this weekend).
Anyway, The Imitation Game focuses on the British efforts during the Second World War to decrypt "Enigma" the code used by the Germans. There were many people who worked on code-breaking during the war, but Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) may be the most well-known. The movie uses a two-fold flashback format (I just invented that term), starting in the 1950s, after the war, going back to the Second World War and then back to when Alan was in school. I think it's effective, giving a good framework for the narrative. Turing was a mathematical genius, portrayed as socially awkward as a child and adult; he was also homosexual, which in England was a crime. One criticism about the movie was that Turing's homosexuality was hidden or perhaps close to being written out of the story. I appreciated the way Turing's homosexuality was at the edges of the plot, I thought it added to the tension of the coding process as well as the mystery I felt the director was trying to add. If people watch the movie, and don't know he was gay, it gets revealed slowly; if you watch the movie and do know he's gay, then I think it's still taut because you wait to see how others find out. It also lets the code-breaking be part of the story. The film opens in 1950s Manchester where Turing is living and that is where he has an encounter with the police and we begin to learn about Turing and his time at public school (private school in America) which was torturous. His one lifeline was a friendship he formed with a classmate. Turing applies to join the team of code-breakers, but isn't very impressed with the team he has, so he asks to bring on some new blood via a crossword puzzle. One of the new recruits is Joan Clarke (Keira Knightley in an Oscar-nominated role), who by virtue of being a woman is also a bit of an outcast because she is not able to work with the men directly (it would be unseemly; I think this was mainly due to her parents' conservatism). Joan and Alan become friends and she tries to help translate for him when he has difficulties with his co-workers. The team is under a lot of pressure to crack Engima because Germany was winning the war. Cumberbatch is tremendous; he is a chameleon, last year he was in 12 Years a Slave and The Fifth Estate (as Julian Assange), two very different characters, and now a third (many more really, but math isn't my strong suit). He really humanizes this man who was a mathematical genius, social outcast by virtue of being gay and more than a little awkward, but also passionate about breaking the code. Hopefully, like Selma, The Theory of Everything and American Sniper, people will watch The Imitation Game and learn more about the subject at hand: World War II, code-breaking, mathematics and Alan Turing (in this case). It's been tough to pick my favorite movie; I think I either loved them or loathed them, but this is definitely at the top of the list.
1/31/15 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, nominated Best Visual Effects, 2014
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is set years in the future after Rise of the Planet of the Apes with the only recurring characters being some of the apes, including Caesar (played by Andy Serkis). Humans have been killed off by a deadly virus and are in quarantined off areas. A group of humans goes into an area dominated by apes in order to get the power going again. Malcolm (Jason Clarke) is the leader of this small group, but Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) is the leader of the humans back at the compound. Malcolm is not interested in any confrontation with the apes and tries to form a relationship with Caesar. Caesar is a very knowing leader, understanding the real politick of letting the humans accomplish their task or face all out war. Unfortunately, some of his cadre do not agree with his thinking, including Koba, who leads a treasonous attack on Caesar and those loyal to whom and blames it on the humans. I grew up on the original Planet of the Ape film series and the television series, and I think I like how the newer films have not tried to redo the originals, but have used them as a trellis to build their stories. I think I wrote in my review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, if I even wrote one, that I would prefer the apes over the people. I enjoyed the movie, it had good action and a good story (the ape-centric story, not human). It's nominated in the Visual Effects category and it's up against Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America 2, X-Men and Interstellar, and those are pretty heavy duty effects movies. Several people over the years have tried to make the argument that actors like Andy Serkis, who wear the body sensors and then their features are computer enhanced, but the actors actually act, should be eligible for Oscar nominations. Serkis was also Golum from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. It hasn't happened, but it should and at some point Serkis is going to have to be recognized for his contributions to this performance style.
1/31/15 The Judge, nominated Best Supporting Actor 2014
I wanted to see The Judge when it came out in the theaters, but at almost two and a half hours, I just couldn't do it. But, I was going to see it even if it wasn't nominated for an Oscar, however, Robert Duvall snagged a nomination for his role as Judge Joseph Palmer, a tough judge and a tougher father. His strict hand pushed his middle son away, Hank Palmer (Robert Downey, Jr.), a brash defense attorney, who hasn't been home in years. Hank only returns for the funeral of his mother, but is unexpectedly detained when his father is accused of murder. The story is as much about the relationship between the Palmer family (older brother Glen is played by Vincent D'Onofrio and youngest brother Dale is played by Jeremy Strong) as it is about the trial of Judge Palmer. There's a subplot involving Samantha Powell (Vera Farmiga), Hank's ex-girlfriend, that was annoying to me. I think it was the corn pone accent that Farmiga used (the movie is set in a small Indiana town); I don't know if it was an authentic accent, but it did not fit, or maybe it was the blonde hair or the tattoo, something didn't work for me. Duvall was great as the hard-ass judge, still trying to control his adult sons and himself as he undergoes chemo treatment for cancer. As I was writing, I started thinking of another Duvall role where he played the martinet father and Marine as the titled role in The Great Santini. I think Duvall has a chance at the Oscar (certainly over Mark Ruffalo and Ethan Hawke). Overall, I liked the movie, it was nice to see Robert Downey, Jr. do something besides Iron Man (I love Iron Man, but still, it's good to change it up), and he and Duvall go toe to toe. I would love to see D'Onofrio in more roles, he is so great.
2/1/15 How to Train Your Dragon 2, nominated Best Animated Feature, 2014
I remember watching the first How to Train Your Dragon and thinking it was okay, I guess it didn't move my needle the way it did for some people, so I wasn't all that rushed to see the sequel. Curse my list! It wasn't bad, and there were parts where I enjoyed it, but eh, not necessary. Hiccup is back and quite the dragon master. He meets his mother, who left him and his father when he was a baby. I don't know, honestly, I really didn't care enough to pay too much attention. The thing that I kept focusing on was that both Hiccup's parents have Scottish accents and yet Hiccup has none. That bothered me. I'm not sure why this made it and The Lego Movie did not; I thought the The Lego Movie was more creative in its universe and mixing in the human element as well as the story and dialog. I didn't think HTTYD was that inventive. Go see Boxtrolls.
2/1/15 Begin Again, nominated Best Original Song, 2014
Begin Again is a light, no-brainer romantic comedy with a pop music soundtrack. There is nothing wrong with that; I know some people think I'm a snob, and I suppose I am sometimes, but this was a great break after some of the heavy movies I had been watching. Keira Knightley (as Gretta James) and Mark Ruffalo (as Dan Mulligan) star as a songwriter and music producer, respectively. Adam Levine plays Dave Kohl, Gretta's ex-boyfriend. Dave and Gretta go to New York for Dave's burgeoning music career where they become estranged (probably not unpredictably) and Gretta feels homesick. At an open mic night, Gretta is invited by her friend, Steve (James Corden) to sing a song, which she does. This catches Dan's attention and they begin a collaboration. The set up in the movie is a little less direct than that recap just was. The two decide to collaborate on a record using the sounds of the city as well as some non-traditional musicians, or perhaps unexpected is a better word (?). Honestly, those were my favorite parts of the movie; it reminded me of music videos from the 1980s (oh my god, I can't believe I just went down that road; what's next AARP membership?). Gretta has her relationship with Dave and Dan has his complex relationship with his daughter (Hailee Steinfeld) and ex-wife (Catherine Keener). I thought Keira Knightley was pretty good as a singer, I guess she had not sung on stage before. Begin Again was directed by John Carney who also directed Once (a movie about which I am ambivalent at best). "Lost Stars" is nominated for Best Original Song (I wonder if Adam Levine will sing on the Oscars).
2/7/15 Boyhood nominated Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Best Editing, 2014
WHY??????? Why did this have to be nominated? If you have read the blog, you may recall that I was not a big fan of Linklater's trilogy Before the End of Time cannot come soon enough, or something like that. Well, I'll be danged, he came up with another movie that everyone loves, except me. If you have not read or heard anything about the movie, the big draw is the fact that it was filmed over twelve years, so we see the characters age as the actors age. Yep. People getting older - they made a movie. The movie starts with Mason (Eller Coltrane) aged 6, lying on the grass waiting for his mother, Olivia (Patricia Arquette). At home, we also meet Mason's older sister, Samantha (Lorelei Linklater) and learn that Olivia is divorced from the kids' father, Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke). We follow the family through Olivia's bad marriage decisions (she's three for three), Olivia going back to school to eventually become a college instructor (or professor, I'm not sure) and Mason and Samantha's journeys as the family gets uprooted several times (I will say, having moved once when I was younger, I think I'm still scarred) and Mason's first loves and difficulties with authority. I did not care, I didn't think any of the characters were likable or admirable, and having been a petulant teenager (some would say petulant adult), I know kids aren't cute and precocious all the time and life isn't a bowl of cherries. I did not need an almost three hour movie to tell me that. I don't mind real life being reflected back at me, and I don't mind high-minded art, but I abhor pretentiousness. My pick for Best Supporting Actress is Laura Dern (Wild)and Best Supporting Actor as I mentioned above is Robert Duvall in The Judge, although Birdman may be the night's big winner.
A cornucopia of shorts - documentary, animated, live action - 2015 nominees
The thing about short films is the writer/director has very little time to tell their story, anywhere from 2 to 50 minutes, I would say averaging 15 minutes. That's not a lot of time when you consider that most feature films seem to go two hours. Sometimes it works great and sometimes it doesn't. I didn't feel that this year's nominees were as strong as last year's, and that's across the board, but most notably for me, the documentaries this were...disappointing. Without further ado, all short films are herein reviewed for your edification.
Documentary shorts
If you've been reading the blog for a while, you already know I love documentaries, and if you read last year's entry on the documentary shorts, you know I had some pretty strong feelings about them. I am disappointed to say that aside from one entry, I was left a little unsatisfied.
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 (USA)
My constructive criticism on this film is it should not have been first in the order because it set my expectations very high. Within only 2 minutes, I was tearing up. This documentary is about the Crisis Hotline that veterans or their families can call if they feel stressed, depressed or suicidal or that they may harm their families. It's in upstate New York and is staffed by people trained in mental health, around 10% are veterans themselves. Some staff is interviewed and while also having some of the calls video recorded (we never hear the calls, just the responses) and you can feel the tension and the emotion from the responders as they try to talk a veteran out of killing himself or talk to the mother of a soldier on Christmas Eve. The teamwork is incredible; the responders are in constant contact with emergency coordinators who will call local authorities if additional intervention is needed. After the calls, the supervisor follows up with the responder to see how they are doing because it is a draining experience. Some of the calls last longer than an hour and they are filled with a roller coaster of emotions. The statistics are astounding: on average, there are twenty-two veteran suicides a day, almost one an hour. This movie humanizes those statistics. I think this should win the Oscar not only because of the relevance of the topic in this country now, but also the movie does the best job of conveying its ideas and is better grounded in a narrative than the other entries, in my opinion.
Joanna (Poland)
You may think I'm a heartless shrew, but just because a topic is touching does not mean it has been translated into a good documentary (again, my opinion). And I think that's the case here. Joanna of the title is very sick, but is trying to carry on with her young son and husband. In fact, we see a lot of little John, playing and being a very precocious little boy. Occasionally we get a glimpse of Joanna lying down or looking frail, but there is no narration or sub-titles to give us more explanation. We see through a window, with no sound, the moment that Joanna and her husband tell John that his mother is very sick (or dying, I'm not sure) and we see him crying. That truly was heartbreaking to watch; John is a very expressive young man, so he didn't hold back. Then we get the only real information in the form of Joanna's birth and death dates. Joanna had a blog, but I was unaware of it when I watched the movie and I would guess that many viewers were also unaware at the time. I think the running of the camera and just shooting may work better in long form documentaries because you have more time to learn about the people, but this did not work for me. I think a really good opportunity was lost.
Our Curse (Poland)
Our Curse is another film that is going to make me look like some bitter bitch. A lot of what I said for Joanna is my issue here, although we at least got some direct to the camera dialog from the parents. Our Curse refers to Ondine's curse which is a congenital respiratory disorder that involves the failure of the nervous system that allows us to breathe while we're sleeping; individuals who suffer from it are required to be on a respirator. Leo is Tomasz Sliwinski's and Magda Hueckel's newborn son who has Ondine's Curse. Magda and Tomasz sit on the couch, drink wine and contemplate their future and Leo's future to the camera. We see them as they care for Leo, having to change his ventilator tube, taking him out for a walk, etc. It is awful watching Leo struggle to breathe through his trach hole as they try to insert the tube. We listen as Magda challenges someone from the hospital (a social worker?) about having to pay for the battery for the ventilator while another family recently received theirs for free. Leo is definitely a cutie, and nobody likes to see a child suffer like that, and the film ends on a high note with Magda and Tomasz dancing with Leo and scenes of Leo eating and playing. BUT, again, I think a good opportunity was lost. Tomasz directed the film, and perhaps another eye or an interviewer or something would havemade it work for me.
The Reaper (Mexico/Nicaragua)
I'm not sure what to say here. This is an existential piece that went awry. The Reaper of the title refers to Efrain, a worker in a slaughterhouse in Mexico. Efrain has been doing this working, killing bulls, for twenty-five years and we hear his narration over scenes of death and gore. He has a lot of insight into his feelings about the job, what it means to him and to his family, but unfortunately, I think any kind of intellectual enlightenment was lost on me with the intense and constant visuals of bulls being slaughtered or their carcasses stripped or blood being washed away. It was the type of visceral experience that turned me off and all I could think of was I wanted to walk out (and some people did). I'm not naive, I know where hamburgers come from, but I think one or two shots would have sufficed. Another 'what might have been' moment.
White Earth (USA)
White Earth was filmed in the oilfields in North Dakota, and shows us what life is like in what has become a community filled with migrant workers from all over the country and outside of the country as well. One of the children interviewed was born in North Dakota and her family goes back generations. She is not so sure of the oilfields and is looking forward to the day they are gone and life can get back to normal, when she could walk around without being apprehensive. She was wary of the new kids that came with their families, but then says they have become her friends. The young man interviewed is probably around 13 or 14 years old and he is staying in North Dakota with his father, who does not mind his son doesn't go to school as long as he is home to answer the phone when his father calls. He spends his days playing video games, walking around the trailer park. He actually has some pretty spot on observations about oil and gas, and is no longer enamored of the North Dakota winter. An immigrant woman is also interviewed, she is a mother and wife, who moved her kids from California to be closer to her husband and keep the family together. She works, cleaning trailers and toilets and making food; she wondered to another worker if the Americans would be angry she was there, taking their jobs, and the worker says, no, why should they be? Everyone was coming here (North Dakota) to find their dream. I liked this film and the lens at which it looked through this latest boom industry.
Animated Shorts 2/7/15
I'm not sure what the criteria is for the animated shorts (or the feature length animated films, either); I'd like to think it would be a combination of story and animation techniques, personally I'm still a sucker for hand-drawn animation.
Me and My Moulton (Canada/Norway)
My friend and I weren't sure what the purpose of the story was, perhaps it was semi-autobiographical? The narrator is the middle daughter out of three, and she talks about her parents, who are a little different than the other parents (in fact, her father is the only person in the whole town who has a mustache). She seems very frustrated by her parents' methods, particularly when it comes to getting her and her sisters a bicycle, one bicycle to share. Instead of getting a bicycle locally, they insist on buying a bicycle from England. It turns out it is a Moulton, which was a non-traditional design. There you go, that's the story. The animation was somewhat interesting, and there were definitely some funny lines. Not certain it should beat out some of the other short films we saw.
The Bigger Picture (UK)
The Bigger Picture caught my eye more for the animation style, which seemed like pastel chalks and some three dimensional material in a technique that I don't think I can really describe (sorry, not very helpful), but it was pretty cool. The story was about two brothers, one who takes care of his elderly mother and one who doesn't really, but is happy to take credit for it. The dilemma that the brothers face is a common one today, how to care for elderly parents and when do you make the decision to put your parent in a home. It was touching and relevant, and the style was innovative from my perspective, but it wasn't my favorite and I don't think it will win.
Feast (US)
Feast is a Disney short, and predictably cute. It stars a dog, later named Winston, and his new owner, and food. The unnamed owner loves to share people food with Winston and the two of them forge quite a bond, until the man meets a girl and Winston begins to just get dog food. This mildly depresses Winston, but his spirits are lifted when the couple split up and the man stops paying attention to what Winston is eating. Winston wins the girl back and the couple get married, and Winston is happy with his lot in life, until he meets a strange creature, a baby (or in Winston's mind, a feeding machine). And everyone lives happily ever after. It was adorable, but I don't think it was groundbreaking in story or animation.
A Single Life (The Netherlands)
At three minutes, A Single Life was the shortest of the shorts. Pia, the only character in the story, gets a record in the mail and as she plays it, she finds that she as she speeds it up, her life speeds up, or she can back up the record and go backwards in her life. It was fun and a lot of content was packed into 180 seconds.
The Dam Keeper (US)
The Dam Keeper was probably my favorite of the shorts. The main character is a pig who has taken on the responsibility of the dam keeper in town after his father did the job (I can only assume the father is deceased based on the melancholy look the pig gives a family picture). The dam appears to be part of a windmill, and after the pig cranks the windmill, he goes off to school where is made fun of and teased but the other students. The pig is sad and lonely until he meets a new student, a fox, who also sketches. The fox makes funny sketches of some of the bullies and shares them with the pig. After the pig and the fox have a misunderstanding resulting in hurt feelings, the pig is late to wind the windmill and disaster befalls the town. When the pig realizes his mistake, he hurries home to right the wrong. I really loved the story, which was sweet and had a good message about friendship. I also liked the animation, which was a similar style to The Bigger Picture.
Live Action Shorts
The live action shorts were my favorite collection this year. I may not have understood all of them, but those that I didn't, I still found whimsical and interesting. Last years's films set the bar very high, and I don't think this year's elicited the same emotions, they were good.
Parvaneh (Switzerland)
Parvaneh is a young girl from Afghanistan working illegally in Switzerland to send money home to her family. When we meet her, she seems quite lonely and not afraid, exactly, but timid. Parvaneh needs to go to Zurich to send money to her family but because she does not have the proper ID to send money and is not 18, she can't send it. She wanders the streets looking for someone who will help her; she gets turned away by a few people, but then meets a young girl (whose name I didn't catch and she is credited as 'punk girl) who is willing to help for a 10% cut. Unfortunately the girl does not have her ID on her, so they have to go to her house to get it. By the time they get back to the Western Union office, it's closed. The punk girl invites Parvaneh to a rave and then they'll go the office in the morning. Parvaneh lets her hair down at the rave, drinking alcohol, removing her head scarf and dancing. She is almost assaulted by one of the party goers but the punk girl comes to her rescue. The girls get the money sent off and Parvaneh goes back to the village she is staying. You get the feeling that both girls have been changed by their encounter. I'm not sure what exactly touched me about the film, but something did, and I really liked it. I think it was the unlikely friendship and the growth, especially on the part of Parvaneh.
Butter Lamp (France/China)
Butter Lamp at first seemed like a documentary. A roaming photographer is taking pictures of nomadic Tibetans (I looked that up, because I thought they might have been Mongolian or Nepalese) in front of a variety of backdrops, including a tropical island, the Great Wall of China, Tiannamen Square and Disney World. The photographer interacts with the different families, offering props and encouragement. It kind of reminded me of photographers throughout the American West in the 1800s taking photographs of families, often the only photographic evidence of their lives. I don't know if there was a 'point', but I didn't mind, I find that part of the world fascinating so it was fun to watch.
The Phone Call (UK)
The Phone Call, like the UK entry from last year, featured three fairly big name English actors (Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent and Prunella Scales). Sally Hawkins is Heather, a worker at a crisis center in England and she begins her shift by taking a call from 'Stan' (Jim Broadbent). Stan has swallowed several pills in a suicide attempt due to his continued depression at the loss of his wife, Joan, (Prunella Scales) two years earlier. Heather talks to Stan about his life, and tries to get him to give her more information so she can send help. He is strongly resistant to any help. When he realizes that he is close to death, he gives Heather his real name, and she remembers he called before. She does send an ambulance, but it's too late. We hear Stan and Joan chatting and they're clearly happy to see each other again. Heather takes some of Stan's advice and goes out to hear some jazz with her co-worker. Even though this seems like a sad film, I took a sense of optimism and a plea to live life. I thought Sally Hawkins was wonderful (she is generally wonderful in everything I've seen her in) and she was acting to a voice, we never see Jim Broadbent, and she conveys empathy and genuine caring in her voice and her facial expressions.
Aya (France/Israel)
Aya leads you down one path and then takes a twist. My friend and I talked about this one for quite a bit. Aya is at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, waiting for someone, but we don't know who, when she is asked to hold a sign for another arrival. When the arrival gets there, Aya acts like she is the driver and starts driving the man, a judge in a music contest, to Jerusalem. On the trip there, Aya tries to talk to Mr. Overby, a Danish music researcher. There is a quiet seduction that is happening and neither one seems to be aware of it until they get to the hotel. Mr. Overby invites Aya up to his hotel to talk, as she goes to park her car, she changes her mind (or maybe she never intended to go up in the first place) and heads back home. Even then, we're really not sure of her intentions as she seemingly tries to pick up someone in her apartment building. Aya enters the apartment and we discover who she was meant to pick up at the airport. My friend and I couldn't figure out what made Aya pick Overby up in the first place: a sense of spontaneity, a sense of adventure, a chance romantic encounter? I liked the quirks in the story, the air of mystery.
Boogaloo and Graham (Northern Ireland)
Last year's anthology ended on a funny note, which I appreciated after the heaviness of the day, and this compilation was no different. Boogaloo and Graham are two chickens that Jamesy and Malachy are given by their father. The film is set in Belfast in 1978, a time when the conflict in Northern Ireland was well underway; this fact is alluded to in the film, not directly highlighted. The boys treat the chickens as pets, putting them on leashes (to the amusement of the British soldiers), giving them baths in the house (to the consternation of their mother) and also being incredibly smelly. When their mother gets pregnant (quite graphically described by the boys), she decides that the chickens must go. In an effort to save the chickens, the boys plan a late night escape, discovered by their father. The boys run through the streets of Belfast, with their father chasing after them and they are brought up short by a gunshot. Luckily, the family is safe, but dad takes the boys back home. Unwilling to kill his boys' chickens, dad hides an egg under Boogaloo, ensuring that as long as Boogaloo lays eggs, the chickens are safe. This one is charming, funny with a touch of drama. The funny one won last year, and for some reason I see the voters going another way, perhaps for Parvenah, The Phone Call or Aya (I can't make up my mind).
The shorts may be available on Amazon or other avenues if they are not in your local theaters. I hope you are able to see them.
Documentary shorts
If you've been reading the blog for a while, you already know I love documentaries, and if you read last year's entry on the documentary shorts, you know I had some pretty strong feelings about them. I am disappointed to say that aside from one entry, I was left a little unsatisfied.
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 (USA)
My constructive criticism on this film is it should not have been first in the order because it set my expectations very high. Within only 2 minutes, I was tearing up. This documentary is about the Crisis Hotline that veterans or their families can call if they feel stressed, depressed or suicidal or that they may harm their families. It's in upstate New York and is staffed by people trained in mental health, around 10% are veterans themselves. Some staff is interviewed and while also having some of the calls video recorded (we never hear the calls, just the responses) and you can feel the tension and the emotion from the responders as they try to talk a veteran out of killing himself or talk to the mother of a soldier on Christmas Eve. The teamwork is incredible; the responders are in constant contact with emergency coordinators who will call local authorities if additional intervention is needed. After the calls, the supervisor follows up with the responder to see how they are doing because it is a draining experience. Some of the calls last longer than an hour and they are filled with a roller coaster of emotions. The statistics are astounding: on average, there are twenty-two veteran suicides a day, almost one an hour. This movie humanizes those statistics. I think this should win the Oscar not only because of the relevance of the topic in this country now, but also the movie does the best job of conveying its ideas and is better grounded in a narrative than the other entries, in my opinion.
Joanna (Poland)
You may think I'm a heartless shrew, but just because a topic is touching does not mean it has been translated into a good documentary (again, my opinion). And I think that's the case here. Joanna of the title is very sick, but is trying to carry on with her young son and husband. In fact, we see a lot of little John, playing and being a very precocious little boy. Occasionally we get a glimpse of Joanna lying down or looking frail, but there is no narration or sub-titles to give us more explanation. We see through a window, with no sound, the moment that Joanna and her husband tell John that his mother is very sick (or dying, I'm not sure) and we see him crying. That truly was heartbreaking to watch; John is a very expressive young man, so he didn't hold back. Then we get the only real information in the form of Joanna's birth and death dates. Joanna had a blog, but I was unaware of it when I watched the movie and I would guess that many viewers were also unaware at the time. I think the running of the camera and just shooting may work better in long form documentaries because you have more time to learn about the people, but this did not work for me. I think a really good opportunity was lost.
Our Curse (Poland)
Our Curse is another film that is going to make me look like some bitter bitch. A lot of what I said for Joanna is my issue here, although we at least got some direct to the camera dialog from the parents. Our Curse refers to Ondine's curse which is a congenital respiratory disorder that involves the failure of the nervous system that allows us to breathe while we're sleeping; individuals who suffer from it are required to be on a respirator. Leo is Tomasz Sliwinski's and Magda Hueckel's newborn son who has Ondine's Curse. Magda and Tomasz sit on the couch, drink wine and contemplate their future and Leo's future to the camera. We see them as they care for Leo, having to change his ventilator tube, taking him out for a walk, etc. It is awful watching Leo struggle to breathe through his trach hole as they try to insert the tube. We listen as Magda challenges someone from the hospital (a social worker?) about having to pay for the battery for the ventilator while another family recently received theirs for free. Leo is definitely a cutie, and nobody likes to see a child suffer like that, and the film ends on a high note with Magda and Tomasz dancing with Leo and scenes of Leo eating and playing. BUT, again, I think a good opportunity was lost. Tomasz directed the film, and perhaps another eye or an interviewer or something would havemade it work for me.
The Reaper (Mexico/Nicaragua)
I'm not sure what to say here. This is an existential piece that went awry. The Reaper of the title refers to Efrain, a worker in a slaughterhouse in Mexico. Efrain has been doing this working, killing bulls, for twenty-five years and we hear his narration over scenes of death and gore. He has a lot of insight into his feelings about the job, what it means to him and to his family, but unfortunately, I think any kind of intellectual enlightenment was lost on me with the intense and constant visuals of bulls being slaughtered or their carcasses stripped or blood being washed away. It was the type of visceral experience that turned me off and all I could think of was I wanted to walk out (and some people did). I'm not naive, I know where hamburgers come from, but I think one or two shots would have sufficed. Another 'what might have been' moment.
White Earth (USA)
White Earth was filmed in the oilfields in North Dakota, and shows us what life is like in what has become a community filled with migrant workers from all over the country and outside of the country as well. One of the children interviewed was born in North Dakota and her family goes back generations. She is not so sure of the oilfields and is looking forward to the day they are gone and life can get back to normal, when she could walk around without being apprehensive. She was wary of the new kids that came with their families, but then says they have become her friends. The young man interviewed is probably around 13 or 14 years old and he is staying in North Dakota with his father, who does not mind his son doesn't go to school as long as he is home to answer the phone when his father calls. He spends his days playing video games, walking around the trailer park. He actually has some pretty spot on observations about oil and gas, and is no longer enamored of the North Dakota winter. An immigrant woman is also interviewed, she is a mother and wife, who moved her kids from California to be closer to her husband and keep the family together. She works, cleaning trailers and toilets and making food; she wondered to another worker if the Americans would be angry she was there, taking their jobs, and the worker says, no, why should they be? Everyone was coming here (North Dakota) to find their dream. I liked this film and the lens at which it looked through this latest boom industry.
Animated Shorts 2/7/15
I'm not sure what the criteria is for the animated shorts (or the feature length animated films, either); I'd like to think it would be a combination of story and animation techniques, personally I'm still a sucker for hand-drawn animation.
Me and My Moulton (Canada/Norway)
My friend and I weren't sure what the purpose of the story was, perhaps it was semi-autobiographical? The narrator is the middle daughter out of three, and she talks about her parents, who are a little different than the other parents (in fact, her father is the only person in the whole town who has a mustache). She seems very frustrated by her parents' methods, particularly when it comes to getting her and her sisters a bicycle, one bicycle to share. Instead of getting a bicycle locally, they insist on buying a bicycle from England. It turns out it is a Moulton, which was a non-traditional design. There you go, that's the story. The animation was somewhat interesting, and there were definitely some funny lines. Not certain it should beat out some of the other short films we saw.
The Bigger Picture (UK)
The Bigger Picture caught my eye more for the animation style, which seemed like pastel chalks and some three dimensional material in a technique that I don't think I can really describe (sorry, not very helpful), but it was pretty cool. The story was about two brothers, one who takes care of his elderly mother and one who doesn't really, but is happy to take credit for it. The dilemma that the brothers face is a common one today, how to care for elderly parents and when do you make the decision to put your parent in a home. It was touching and relevant, and the style was innovative from my perspective, but it wasn't my favorite and I don't think it will win.
Feast (US)
Feast is a Disney short, and predictably cute. It stars a dog, later named Winston, and his new owner, and food. The unnamed owner loves to share people food with Winston and the two of them forge quite a bond, until the man meets a girl and Winston begins to just get dog food. This mildly depresses Winston, but his spirits are lifted when the couple split up and the man stops paying attention to what Winston is eating. Winston wins the girl back and the couple get married, and Winston is happy with his lot in life, until he meets a strange creature, a baby (or in Winston's mind, a feeding machine). And everyone lives happily ever after. It was adorable, but I don't think it was groundbreaking in story or animation.
A Single Life (The Netherlands)
At three minutes, A Single Life was the shortest of the shorts. Pia, the only character in the story, gets a record in the mail and as she plays it, she finds that she as she speeds it up, her life speeds up, or she can back up the record and go backwards in her life. It was fun and a lot of content was packed into 180 seconds.
The Dam Keeper (US)
The Dam Keeper was probably my favorite of the shorts. The main character is a pig who has taken on the responsibility of the dam keeper in town after his father did the job (I can only assume the father is deceased based on the melancholy look the pig gives a family picture). The dam appears to be part of a windmill, and after the pig cranks the windmill, he goes off to school where is made fun of and teased but the other students. The pig is sad and lonely until he meets a new student, a fox, who also sketches. The fox makes funny sketches of some of the bullies and shares them with the pig. After the pig and the fox have a misunderstanding resulting in hurt feelings, the pig is late to wind the windmill and disaster befalls the town. When the pig realizes his mistake, he hurries home to right the wrong. I really loved the story, which was sweet and had a good message about friendship. I also liked the animation, which was a similar style to The Bigger Picture.
Live Action Shorts
The live action shorts were my favorite collection this year. I may not have understood all of them, but those that I didn't, I still found whimsical and interesting. Last years's films set the bar very high, and I don't think this year's elicited the same emotions, they were good.
Parvaneh (Switzerland)
Parvaneh is a young girl from Afghanistan working illegally in Switzerland to send money home to her family. When we meet her, she seems quite lonely and not afraid, exactly, but timid. Parvaneh needs to go to Zurich to send money to her family but because she does not have the proper ID to send money and is not 18, she can't send it. She wanders the streets looking for someone who will help her; she gets turned away by a few people, but then meets a young girl (whose name I didn't catch and she is credited as 'punk girl) who is willing to help for a 10% cut. Unfortunately the girl does not have her ID on her, so they have to go to her house to get it. By the time they get back to the Western Union office, it's closed. The punk girl invites Parvaneh to a rave and then they'll go the office in the morning. Parvaneh lets her hair down at the rave, drinking alcohol, removing her head scarf and dancing. She is almost assaulted by one of the party goers but the punk girl comes to her rescue. The girls get the money sent off and Parvaneh goes back to the village she is staying. You get the feeling that both girls have been changed by their encounter. I'm not sure what exactly touched me about the film, but something did, and I really liked it. I think it was the unlikely friendship and the growth, especially on the part of Parvaneh.
Butter Lamp (France/China)
Butter Lamp at first seemed like a documentary. A roaming photographer is taking pictures of nomadic Tibetans (I looked that up, because I thought they might have been Mongolian or Nepalese) in front of a variety of backdrops, including a tropical island, the Great Wall of China, Tiannamen Square and Disney World. The photographer interacts with the different families, offering props and encouragement. It kind of reminded me of photographers throughout the American West in the 1800s taking photographs of families, often the only photographic evidence of their lives. I don't know if there was a 'point', but I didn't mind, I find that part of the world fascinating so it was fun to watch.
The Phone Call (UK)
The Phone Call, like the UK entry from last year, featured three fairly big name English actors (Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent and Prunella Scales). Sally Hawkins is Heather, a worker at a crisis center in England and she begins her shift by taking a call from 'Stan' (Jim Broadbent). Stan has swallowed several pills in a suicide attempt due to his continued depression at the loss of his wife, Joan, (Prunella Scales) two years earlier. Heather talks to Stan about his life, and tries to get him to give her more information so she can send help. He is strongly resistant to any help. When he realizes that he is close to death, he gives Heather his real name, and she remembers he called before. She does send an ambulance, but it's too late. We hear Stan and Joan chatting and they're clearly happy to see each other again. Heather takes some of Stan's advice and goes out to hear some jazz with her co-worker. Even though this seems like a sad film, I took a sense of optimism and a plea to live life. I thought Sally Hawkins was wonderful (she is generally wonderful in everything I've seen her in) and she was acting to a voice, we never see Jim Broadbent, and she conveys empathy and genuine caring in her voice and her facial expressions.
Aya (France/Israel)
Aya leads you down one path and then takes a twist. My friend and I talked about this one for quite a bit. Aya is at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, waiting for someone, but we don't know who, when she is asked to hold a sign for another arrival. When the arrival gets there, Aya acts like she is the driver and starts driving the man, a judge in a music contest, to Jerusalem. On the trip there, Aya tries to talk to Mr. Overby, a Danish music researcher. There is a quiet seduction that is happening and neither one seems to be aware of it until they get to the hotel. Mr. Overby invites Aya up to his hotel to talk, as she goes to park her car, she changes her mind (or maybe she never intended to go up in the first place) and heads back home. Even then, we're really not sure of her intentions as she seemingly tries to pick up someone in her apartment building. Aya enters the apartment and we discover who she was meant to pick up at the airport. My friend and I couldn't figure out what made Aya pick Overby up in the first place: a sense of spontaneity, a sense of adventure, a chance romantic encounter? I liked the quirks in the story, the air of mystery.
Boogaloo and Graham (Northern Ireland)
Last year's anthology ended on a funny note, which I appreciated after the heaviness of the day, and this compilation was no different. Boogaloo and Graham are two chickens that Jamesy and Malachy are given by their father. The film is set in Belfast in 1978, a time when the conflict in Northern Ireland was well underway; this fact is alluded to in the film, not directly highlighted. The boys treat the chickens as pets, putting them on leashes (to the amusement of the British soldiers), giving them baths in the house (to the consternation of their mother) and also being incredibly smelly. When their mother gets pregnant (quite graphically described by the boys), she decides that the chickens must go. In an effort to save the chickens, the boys plan a late night escape, discovered by their father. The boys run through the streets of Belfast, with their father chasing after them and they are brought up short by a gunshot. Luckily, the family is safe, but dad takes the boys back home. Unwilling to kill his boys' chickens, dad hides an egg under Boogaloo, ensuring that as long as Boogaloo lays eggs, the chickens are safe. This one is charming, funny with a touch of drama. The funny one won last year, and for some reason I see the voters going another way, perhaps for Parvenah, The Phone Call or Aya (I can't make up my mind).
The shorts may be available on Amazon or other avenues if they are not in your local theaters. I hope you are able to see them.
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