YARDS OF GRAPEVINE | Movies, TV, Oscars & S'more

Those Oscar Missed: Best Production Design

Posted on November 18, 2012 by filmscorehunter

CONTRIBUTED BY JAKE THOMPSON

Best Production Design is one of my favorite Oscar categories. This is the category where artists can shine the most. There’s been so much great work over the years that was thankfully nominated (and most of them deservedly won, including Anton Furst’s work for 1989’s Batman and Dante Ferretti’s work for 2011’s Hugo). That’s what made it so difficult to find which films were snubbed in this category, and then to whittle that list down to a small number of major snubs. Nevertheless, I managed to find some major snubs (some are outright shocking when compared to those that were nominated).

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Posted in Oscar Talk | Tagged 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Room With A View, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Alien, Aliens, Amelie, Annie, Avatar, Barry Lyndon, Barton Fink, Batman, Best Production Design, Blade Runner, Bugsy, Coal Miner's Daughter, dante ferretti, Dreamgirls, Forrest Gump, Gandhi, Gosford Park, Hannah and Her Sisters, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, hugo, Jim Henson, Kagemusha, Legend, Moulin Rouge, Movies, oscars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Return To Oz, Rick Carter, Ridley Scott, Road To Perdition, Scatman Crothers, Sherlock Holmes, Sleepy Hollow, Snubs, Stanley Kubrick, Star Wars, steven spielberg, The Abyss, The Color of Money, The Dark Crystal, The Elephant Man, The Empire Strikes Back, The French Lieutenant's Woman, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Mission, The Shining, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Tin Drum, The Young Victoria, There Will Be Blood, Troy, True Grit, Victor Victoria, war horse, Watchmen, Yentl | 3 Comments

REVIEW: Anna Karenina

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

Leave it to director Joe Wright to turn a work of timelessness into a bravura exercise of over-the-top theatricality. An intoxicating film of vision and ambition, in Wright’s hands Anna Karenina looks like an impressionist painting that pays homage to artists as varied as Georges Seurat, Mary Cassatt, Max Ophuls, and Wang Kar-Wai. Whether you know Leo Tolstoy’s beloved novel will matter little when faced with this labyrinth of artistic experimentation, imagery, and scope. Wright turns Anna Karenina into candy for grown-ups to create a satisfying congruence between the materialistic themes in the story and his underlying vitriol towards the hoity-toity values of its wealthy characters.

By reducing Anna Karenina to a children’s game that freely jumps space and time, Wright makes a toyland out of what otherwise might have been a stuffy costume drama. Keira Knightley, with her youthful stares and childlike whining, embodies a heroine who we can relate to (due to her repression) yet disdain for her unwillingness to see beyond the privileges of her life. Nobody is to be liked in Anna Karenina and few can escape the accusations of hypocrisy. It’s Imperial Russia in 1873 and “adult” talk of “honor,” “dignity,” and “infidelity” are merely laughable words thrown around as if they mean anything more than selfishness when put in the mouths of such egotistical beings.

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Posted in Anna Karenina, Films, Movies, Reviews, Uncategorized | Tagged Anna Karenina, Atonement, cinema, Cinemtagraphy, Costumes, Films, Georges Seurat, Hanna, Impressionist, Joe Wright, Mary Cassatt, Max Ophuls, Movies, oscars, Reviews, Seamus McGarvey, Wang Kar-Wai | 8 Comments

Criterion Announces Chronicle of a Summer

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

“Chronicling” far more than only a summer, Jean Rouch’s 1960 documentary remains the definitive nonfiction project to probe the nature of moviemaking, acting, performance, and perspective. What a novel idea to film a group of random subjects, screen their footage for them, and then film that too. Rouch and co-director, Edgar Morin, do just that. The result is an interesting investigation of what it means to be truly “point-of-view-less” with or without capturing “performance” on-screen. Asking if any kind of film can be truly objective, Chronicle of a Summer, similar to Kiarostami’s Close-up, zeroes-in on a phenomenon that would gradually blossom into a polarizing art form 50 years later (known broadly as “Reality TV”). It’s un-scripted and it’s scripted. What’s being left out is written as much as a script by Tony Kushner might decide what’s being put in. Additionally, with straight-forward discussion by privileged students about race, policy, art, and the state of the world, Chronicle of Summer may look like a precursor to our current divided state. It also foreshadows the indefinable notion of “hipsters” that has become so prevalent in America.

Rouch’s film will be released on Blu-ray and DVD for the first time by the Criterion Collection on February 26, 2013. This continues the company’s string of exciting and diverse releases that surpasses what many considered a lukewarm slate in 2011.

The disc will include:

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Posted in Chronicle of a Summer, Criterion Collection, Documentary, Films, Movies, Uncategorized | Tagged 1960, Blu-ray, Chronicle of a Summer, cinema, criterion collection, documentary, Edgar Morin, Films, Jean Rouch, Movies, Nonfiction | Leave a comment

Fincher and Netflix Unveil House of Cards Preview

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

When the best show on “television” actually streams from the Internet, wins an Emmy for Best Drama, and the nation can’t stop talking about it, will the game be officially changed? It’s impossible not to think about this watching the mesmerizing preview for Netflix’s David Fincher-helmed Original Series, House of Cards. They’ve taken the bar set by quaint, but modest, Hulu productions (Up to Speed, Battleground) and launched it into the stratosphere. In my opinion, the moment the average TV watcher yearns to plug into the Internet for their favorite show, all media consumption – including feature films – will begin to shift. This will be a very good thing for creative output. House of Cards may do just the trick. The show premieres on February 1, 2013.

Posted in House of Cards, Netflix, Television | Tagged cinema, david fincher, Emmys, Films, House of Cards, Kevin Spacey, Movies, Netflix, television | Leave a comment

Variety’s Ten Greatest Scores

Posted on November 15, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

In a recent m usic-centric article, Variety polled 40 composers about the best scores of all time. The article also contains nice tidbits about this year’s Oscar race – including write-ups about Benh Zeitlin’s “Gumbo” style in Beast of the Southern Wild and Jonny Greenwood’s strings sounds in The Master – along with nice information about legendary scores of yesteryear. The accumulated list is not surprisingly saturated with the big four of Bernard Herrmann, Ennio Morricone, Jerry Goldsmith, and John Williams. The four make up 9 of the total 11 films cited.

1. “The Mission” (Ennio Morricone, 1986)
2.“E.T.” (John Williams, 1982)
3. “Psycho” (Bernard Herrmann, 1960)
4. “The Shawshank Redemption” (Thomas Newman, 1994)
5. “Star Wars” (John Williams, 1977)
=6. “Lawrence of Arabia” (Maurice Jarre, 1962)
=6. “Once Upon a Time in the West” (Ennio Morricone, 1968)
8. “Chinatown” (Jerry Goldsmith, 1974)
=9. “The Empire Strikes Back” (John Williams, 1980)
=9. “Planet of the Apes” (Jerry Goldsmith, 1968)
=9. “Vertigo” (Bernard Herrmann, 1958)

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Posted in Best Original Score, Films, Movies, Oscar Talk | Tagged Academy Awards, Bernard Herrmann, best original score, Chinatown, cinema, E.T., Ennio Morricone, Films, Jerry Goldsmith, john williams, Movies, Once Upon A Time In The West, oscars, Plaet of the Apes, Psycho, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, The Mission, The Shawshank Redemption, Vertigo | Leave a comment

OSCAR FORECAST: Best Picture 2013

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

Best Picture Predictions (as of 11-14-12):
Argo
Silver Linings Playbook
Lincoln
Les Misérables
Life of Pi
Django Unchained
Moonrise Kingdom
Hitchcock

Considering all the great movies that have appeared since I last wrote about Best Picture, there’s surprisingly little change from what I already thought. Lincoln, Argo, Silver Linings Playbook, and Les Miz remain frontrunners, while Life of Pi seems like a near lock contender. Still sight unseen, Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty could be Oscar bait or they might be busts. And until critics have their say, The Master, The Sessions, and The Beasts of the Southern Wild seem highly unlikely to sneak into this race.

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Posted in Best Picture, Films, Movies, Oscar Talk, Uncategorized | Tagged Academy Awards, Amour, Anna Karenina, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, best picture, cinema, Django Unchained, film, Flight, Hitchcock, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Moonrise Kingdom, Movies, oscars, predictions, The Master, The Sessions, The Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty | 1 Comment

Jonathan Levine’s Warm Bodies Trailer

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

It’s not usually the kind of film I look forward to, but staring ahead at early next year, the most interesting release might be Jonathan Levine’s Warm Bodies. Levine’s 50/50 was a surprise blend of comedy and drama with a peppering of unexpectedly acute observations about terminal disease, relationships, and love.

Warm Bodies, at first glance, looks to be in the vein of Shaun of the Dead, though I’m again intrigued by what seems like a thread of sincerity not generally displayed in pictures like these. Some may find it sappy, but I’m a sucker for films that are not afraid to commit to potentially sentimental choices. There’s a self-awareness to this trailer that doesn’t scream “cool,” the way others in this parody realm tend to. Additionally, the visual effects and makeup are top notch. Warm Bodies stars the always interesting Nicholas Hoult (A Single Man, About A Boy) and Teresa Palmer (also starring in Malick’s upcoming Knight of Cups). The film opens on February 1st, 2013.

Posted in Films, Movies, Trailers, Uncategorized, Warm Bodies | Tagged 2013, 50/50, A Single Man, About A Boy, cinema, film, jonathan levine, Movies, Nicholas Hault, Teresa Palmer, The Wackness, trailers, Warm Bodies | 1 Comment

Homeland, Ep. 207: The Clearing

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

As if slowly letting the helium out of a balloon, “The Clearing” diffuses the tension that made the past three episodes high points of the series and replaces them with divergent subplots that, for the moment, have little immediate pay off. Like resetting the pieces of a chessboard, this episode seems intent on being a transition place from where multiple characters take on new dramatic threads and Carrie and Brody attempt to regain their footing after some trying experiences. To call this the weakest episode of Season 2 would be fair, though it’s a forgivable misstep considering the fireworks that came before.

On the way to another fundraiser, Jessica surprises Brody with questions about whether he killed Tom Walker. A furious Brody demands answers from Carrie. They wind up rekindling a moment of romance before each thinks better of it. Concurrently, Saul questions the terrorist suspect Aileen Morgan, from Season One, about the identity of the man who orchestrated the Gettysburg massacre. Dana reveals to her parents that she and Finn killed a woman in a hit-and-run. Brody decides to risk his fate with congress by going to the police with his daughter’s crime. Carrie waits for Brody at the station and demands that he not file the report.

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Posted in Homeland, Reviews, Television, Uncategorized | Tagged Brody, Calire Danes, Carrie, cinema, Damien Lewis, Emmys, Films, Homeland, Movies, Reviews, Saul, Showtime, television | Leave a comment

REVIEW: West of Memphis

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Zac Petrillo

Amy Berg’s West of Memphis sets out to be the definitive account of a case that has lingered in the public psyche for close to a quarter of a century. An introduction by Peter Jackson (the film’s producer and major player) explains that this story has taken millions of dollars to open up and years of time, from some of the world’s biggest names, to help overturn. Even going so far as to denounce the three previous documentaries about the subject (Paradise Lost trilogy), Berg’s film purports to be as unbiased a procedural as can be made on the divisive topic. With this straight-forward approach comes a lack of emotion and heart-tugging that might otherwise be a relief, but here feels mildly off-putting.

“Compassion” is the most important word in nonfiction storytelling. Helming an agenda-driven project, Berg understandably sides with the boys who have been wrongfully accused. Always a risk in projects that set out to exonerate people, there’s a troubling lack of compassion for those who have also suffered. Maybe not entirely the fault of the director, the battered town and those who have lost their children feel either strangely absent or like backwater caricatures who aren’t afforded a fair gaze from Berg’s lens.

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Posted in Central Park Five, Documentary, Films, Movies, Reviews, Uncategorized, West of Memphis | Tagged Amy Berg, cinema, Damien Echols, documentary, Eddie Vedder, Films, Henry Rollins, Jason Baldwin, Jeffrey Misskelley, Ken Burns, Nonfiction, oscars, Paradise Lost, Peter Jackson, The Central Park Five, West of Memphis | 4 Comments

Those Oscar Missed: Best Original Song

Posted on November 12, 2012 by filmscorehunter

CONTRIBUTED BY JAKE THOMPSON

Best Original Song has always been a bit of an odd category to me. I have found that terrible movies that still get Oscar nominations will fall into two categories. If it’s a bad big budget, effects-heavy blockbuster, it might land a nod in one of the technical award categories (sound, visual effects, makeup). If it’s a bad drama or comedy, it might land a nod in a music category (song). Examples include the awful 1987 film Mannequin, whose song “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” (performed by Starship) was actually nominated (music and lyrics by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren), the awful 1983 film Flashdance, whose song “Flashdance… What A Feeling” (performed by Irene Cara) actually won for that year (music by Giorgio Moroder, lyrics by Keith Forsey and Irene Cara), and the awful 1997 film Con Air (yes, THAT Con Air), whose song “How Do I Live” (performed by Trisha Yearwood) was actually nominated (music and lyrics by Diane Warren). It really bugs me to no end that good songs are written for such terrible movies, and that better songs to better movies should have taken their places. That is why I now shine a light on good films with terrific songs that were wrongly snubbed when the Oscar nominations rolled by.

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Posted in Best Original Song, Oscar Talk | Tagged A Star Is Born, A.R. Rahman, Academy Awards, Alan Bergman, Alan Menken, Albert Hammond, An Officer and a Gentleman, best original song, Bruce Springsteen, Bryan Ferry, Buffy Saint-Marie, Carole Bayer Sager, Cliff Magness, Con Air, Corpse Bride, Danny Elfman, Dead Man Walking, Diane Warren, Dolly Parton, Eye of the Tiger, Flashdance, Flying Dreams, Frankie Sullivan, Frayser Boy, Freddie Mercury, Giorgio Moroder, Henry Mancini, Highlander, Howard Ashman, Irene Cara, Jack Nitzsche, Jack's Lament, Jai Ho, James Horner, Janet Jackson, Jim Peterik, john williams, Kathleen York, Keith Forsey, Leslie Bricusse, Mad Max, Marc Shaiman, Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand, Mickey Rourke, Neil Young, Paul Williams, Peter Gabriel, Philadelphia, Poetic Justice, Princes of the Universe, Ramsey McLean, Remains of the Day, Rocky III, Sally Stevens, Sleepless In Seattle, Slumdog Millionaire, Streets of Philadelphia, Terry Lewis, The Karate Kid Part II, The Little Shop of Horrors, The Omen, The Secret of NIMH, The Sum of All Fears, the wrestler, Thomas Newman, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, Tootsie, Top Gun, Transamerica, Travelin' Thru, Trisha Yearwood | 2 Comments

YARDS OF GRAPEVINE | Movies, TV, Oscars & S'more

Those Oscar Missed: Best Production Design

REVIEW: Anna Karenina

Criterion Announces Chronicle of a Summer

Fincher and Netflix Unveil House of Cards Preview

Variety’s Ten Greatest Scores

OSCAR FORECAST: Best Picture 2013

Jonathan Levine’s Warm Bodies Trailer

Homeland, Ep. 207: The Clearing

REVIEW: West of Memphis

Those Oscar Missed: Best Original Song

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