The Wonderful World of Disney: Part 7

Aladdin (1992)

It's hard to objectively review Aladdin; I was as obsessed with this film as I was The Great Mouse Detective (1986) in my youth, and I've even starred in a musical theater version of it as the Sultan.  I have a lot of history with this movie, so reviewing it like I would most other movies is nearly impossible.  But here goes.

Set in Agrabah 1,000s of years ago, Aladdin introduces us to Aladdin the Street Rat and his pet monkey Abu, who steal bread and evade capture by the palace guards, until one day he meets Princess Jasmine.  He becomes the unwitting pawn in the Royal Vizier Jafar's plan to usurp the Sultan, and acquires a magical lamp with a Genie who will help him win the Princess' heart.

This whole movie is driven by the manic, over-the-top performance given by Robin Williams as the Genie, whose wide and varied impressions are right at home in the animated world (Williams would be called upon to voice several more animated characters in similar fashion).  Once again our Prince and Princess have to work out their relationship, as she only wants to be free to explore the world.  Of course Aladdin will use his Magic Carpet to grant this wish, and make her fall for him.  Jafar is a fantastic villain, though this movie fielded criticism from those who felt that he was the only Arab-like character in the film, with the rest leaning to a more caucasian look.  I would say Jafar doesn't look Arab at all and those people are secretly racist.

Howard Ashman and Alan Menken again supply the music, which is still pretty good (Friend Like Me, Prince Ali, and A Whole New World are the highlights), but unfortunately Ashman was HIV positive and died in March of 1991, before Beauty and the Beast could be released.  Tim Rice took his place, and though he is a skilled lyricist, overall the songs do not, as a whole, match up with Ashman & Menken's two previous films.  The only songs written by Ashman are Arabian Nights, Friend Like Me, and Prince Ali.  Howard Ashman is too often forgotten when remembering the great Disney legacy, but he supplied a unique voice to the movies he touched, and was key to crafting some of the greatest songs Disney ever produced.


The Lion King (1994)

Disney's Renaissance run arguably ends here.  Though the films that follow are not bad, they do not come close to the quality of the four films that make up Disney's second strongest run since the early 40s.  And the Lion King is Disney's most financially successful film to date, raking in $312 million in its initial run.  Lion King is so beloved that when it was re-released in 2011 in a 3D conversion, it was no. 1 at the box office two weeks in a row, prompting theaters to extend the initial two-week run much longer.  Lion King's lifetime gross (which includes an IMAX re-release in 2002) now stands at $422 million.  Not too shabby.

The film is about a lion cub named Simba who is told by his father, Mufasa, that he will someday rule the land.  Unfortunately his evil uncle Scar has other plans, and when Mufasa is killed in an "accident" Simba is convinced he is to blame, and flees in shame.  In exile, he meets two unlikely allies and learns the meaning of Hakuna Matata, to put the past behind him.  That's easier said then done, especially when the past comes back to find you.

I've made the songs a point of interest now, and Lion King's are again some of the strongest Disney has to offer.  Elton John and Tim Rice collaborated to produce Circle of Life, Be Prepared, and Hakuna Matata, all great songs in their own right.  There's also Can You Feel the Love Tonight, but I don't care for it too much, except when Elton sings it over the end credits.  This is the last collection of consistently great songs in the Disney catalog we've seen, and while there's one exception for me personally, the rest of the films to follow are lucky if they have one memorable song.

Lion King itself is a mixed bag.  While still a very good film, I feel it has some pacing issues.  The first half develops at a nice pace, but when Simba grows up the film suddenly throws the plot into high gear so we can get him back to Pride Rock (his home) to face off against Scar and keep the film under 90 minutes.  There are a plethora of great supporting characters including Timon (Nathan Lane), Pumbaa (Ernie Sabella) and Zazu (Rowan Atkinson).  Jeremy Irons is also effectively menacing as the villain, his silky smooth deep voice shaping one of Disney's more twisted villains.  The boldest stroke comes in Mufasa's death, in which Simba actually finds the fresh corpse and, crying, curls up into it.  It's pretty dark for Disney, who usually deal with parental deaths in backstory (if at all), so I have to give the movie major props for addressing this issue head on.  Overall, Lion King is still a strong entry into the Disney stable, and one I enjoy viewing over and over again.


Pocahontas (1995)

While Disney's "B" team was working on Lion King, the "A" team was working on Pocahontas because they thought it would be the better movie.  Unfortunately taking liberties with history (especially American history) proved to be a bigger knock against Disney then the liberties they take with fairy tales.  While I don't mind too much if history isn't accurately represented, I know there are those who do because they believe the rest of us are dumb enough to take it as straight fact.

The movie is about the first settlers to come to America, in search of Gold and land to settle a new English empire.  Unfortunately they clash with the local natives, and they come close to the brink of war until the love of Pocahontas and John Smith save the day.  So, Romeo and Juliet, accept they live (though one main character does exit the film injured).

What's really unfortunate about this film is that the characters are all pretty bland, save the raccoon, hummingbird, and dog.  Those guys are awesome.  But John Smith and his crew (including the absurdly villainous Ratcliffe) and Pocahontas and her people are all boring.  Pocahontas doesn't want to marry the warrior even though she must because daddy said so (didn't we just see this exact storyline two movies ago?), and wants to be free, liberated and independent.  Ok, so I may sound like a hypocrite, but now that Disney has ditched the bland princess angle and tried to add depth to them, they need to add MORE depth instead of just the same inherit desire over and over again.  It was interesting at first with Ariel; Belle varied in a quiet and unusual way; and Jasmine had her own spunk.  But Pocahontas has no personality, and just wants to be free to run around.  Disney wouldn't push the envelope with its female characters until 2009, but lets not get ahead of ourselves.

There's only one fantastic song here in Colors of the Wind, which is beautiful to listen to and look at.  The other songs are all forgettable, though, but one great song is nothing to scoff at (its better then most movies accomplish).  Overall, Pocahontas is fairly forgettable, which is a shame considering the A team was working on this.


The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Now here is one of Disney's underrated classics, a film that slips under most people's radars or is simply forgotten because, lets face it, this was probably one of the last books you would have expected Disney to adapt.  There are very few animated films that appeal to both adults and children, and unfortunately a lot of recent animators think that means throwing jokes in that kids won't understand but adults will.  What it means to me is presenting interesting themes that the kids won't pick up on, but the adults sure will.  Hunchback achieves this magnificently.

Quasimodo lives in the cathedral of Notre Dame, ringing the bells and staying hidden from the rest of society because he is led to believe they will treat him like a monster.  One day he ventures down and meets a gypsy named Esmerelda, who teaches him the world is not such a cruel place.  Unfortunately his mentor and master, Frollo, wants to kill all the gypsies, and when Quasimodo provides refuge for Esmeralda, Frollo begins torching Paris, and one wonders where the King of France went during all this.

Frollo is one of Disney's best villains.  He is motivated by greed and anger, but underneath he is also driven by a sexual repression forced upon him by his faith that begins to erupt in the presence of Esmeralda.  In one of Disney's ballsiest songs Hellfire, Frollo confesses his feelings to a fireplace and wrestles with his lust as he determines he will kill Esmeralda or spare her if she accepts him.  As a child I never understood what the song was about, but as an adult I have a new appreciation and understanding of it, and it makes me love the film even more.

This is coupled with another daring move on Disney's part: Quasimodo does not end up with Esmeralda, who instead chooses the handsome Captain of the Guards, Phoebus.  Disney sets up the possibility of a romance between Quasimodo and Esmeralda, and there are two musical numbers about Quasi's desire for her, but alas, she chooses another, and its heartbreaking stuff.  In fact, if Quasi and Esmeralda had gotten together it might have ruined the movie a little.

While I wouldn't argue that the songs are the best in Disney's catalog, I will admit to loving most of them anyway.  The opening number The Bells of Notre Dame is one of my favorites, and Hellfire is one of the greatest villain songs of all time.  For me, this ranks as a personal favorite, and one that you might not remember much, but when you revisit it you will have a whole new appreciation for what Disney can do.


Hercules (1997)

Leaving no stone unturned, the duo of John Musker and Roger Clements (who also directed Aladdin) turned their sights to Greek Mythology, and it's safe to say going in the less you know about Greek Mythology, the more you'll enjoy this movie.  Many purists may have a hard time accepting the "bastardization" of several greek stories, but I say you know what, you only get one Disney greek mythology movie, might as well cram as many as you can in there.

Hercules opens with the birth of baby Herc to papa Zeus and Hera...yes, yes I know he isn't actually a God and is actually Zeus' son through one of the many women Zeus propagated with.  And Hades is the bad guy because he's the lord of the underworld and obviously he must be the devil, though in actuality Greek Mythology had no heaven and everyone went to the underworld.  But hey, someone's got to do it.  Sorry, I'm getting away from the plot.  Anyways, Hades is jealous because he hates ruling the Underworld, and plans to have little Herc assassinated because a prophecy says his rise to power will be thwarted by the little guy.  Herc is almost turned into a total mortal but retains some God powers, and the movie follows the Superman storyline as he grows up.  Danny DeVito plays a satyr named Phil who trains Herc, Pegasus shows up as Herc's horse, and he meets a spunky young lady named Meg.

Overall Hercules is one of those films thats better then you remember.  There's nothing remarkable about it (the music is fairly forgettable), but its still entertaining and Hades is a fairly charismatic villain. The Meg character is also a nice twist on the damsel in distress, as her sass and armor masks her true identity.  But this movie follows a Disney tradition of making actors who shouldn't sing, sing, and here we get Danny DeVito "belting" out a showstopper (he plays Phil).  Disney also convinced Mel Gibson to sing (in Pocahontas) and Kirk Douglas (in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea).  Robin Williams can get away with it, but not everyone else can.  Sorry Disney.

We're now entering another rough patch of Disney films, as they begin to decline in quality.  I will say some of the upcoming features surprised me in ways I was not expecting, but most of these films are fairly unremarkable and were a bit of a slog.  Still, we're almost there.  17 films to go.

Part 8 will cover:
Mulan (1998)
Tarzan (1999)
Fantasia 2000 (1999)
Dinosaur (2000)
The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

The Wonderful World of Disney: Part 6

The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

After the artistic, critical, and box office failure that was The Black Cauldron, Disney released what would become the slow return to their peak form, The Great Mouse Detective.  As a child, this was my favorite film, and revisiting it again it is not hard to see why.  The characters are all charming, the villain is great fun, the story is inventive, and it all builds to a killer climax.  Production on this film took only one year thanks to bolstered help from computers, which expedited the animating process considerably.

The premise is a simple one: Sherlock Holmes, but as a mouse.  Our hero is Basil of Baker Street (who happens to share a flat with Holmes), who is hot on the trail of the criminal mastermind Ratigan (Vincent Price).  He teams up with Dr. Dawson and a little girl named Olivia whose father, an inventor, was recently kidnapped by Ratigan.  Together, they set out to stop his nefarious plan of usurping the Queen's throne.

Most notable about this film is it is the first major use of CGI (though computer graphics had been employed in Black Cauldron) for the gears inside the clock tower.  Seeing it now, you can recognize that they are in fact not completely painted, but its a wonder to behold and serves as one of the film's best scenes.  The climax between Ratigan and Basil takes place on top of Big Ben, inside and on the face.  As far as Disney goes, this stuff gets pretty intense and dark, as Ratigan beats Basil to within an inch of his life (though of course our hero is victorious).

The film was directed by a team that includes Ron Clements and Jon Muskar, and I'll be repeating their names quite a few times in the coming reviews as they are responsible for some of Disney's successes and failings.  But with this feature they, along with Burny Mattinson and David Michener, have created one of my favorite Disney films, though it is not one that immediately stands out when recalling the classics.


Oliver & Company (1988)

With Disney, no stone is left unturned, so naturally we get Charles Dickens' classic Oliver Twist, but....updated to modern day New York, with most of the cast now dogs and cats?  Quoi?  Well, Disney usually makes the absurd possible!

Unfortunately they don't with this one.  While its not altogether that bad, with some fun characters voiced by Billy Joel and Cheech Marin, its just kind of a head scratcher why this movie exists.  The animals offer no new insights into the source material and, in fact, the story feels more convoluted in places.  Fagin is not a cunning, master thief, making him one of fiction's great anti-heroes, but instead is a bumbling hobo (voiced by Dom DeLuise) who has a huge debt with the formidable Sykes.  This character serves no purpose except to give the film an exciting climax, though he does have the most shocking villain death in Disney...ever.  Instead of merely falling to his death, he is plowed head on by a train.  Pretty brutal.

The rest of the movie has its moments, though.  The opening is a sad little story of a kitten that gets left in the adoption box, Billy Joel's Dodger gets a fun musical number, and the relationship between Jenny and Oliver is sweet.  But overall, this film is more for kids then adults, and even then it goes to some dark places in the end that may only be appropriate for kids no longer interested in seeing it.


The Little Mermaid (1989)

Disney Animation had struggled ever since Walt Disney's death in 1967.  The department came close to shutting down and their films became bigger and bigger failures as time went on.  Yet sometimes all the elements come together at the right place and the right time, and lightning strikes like you never thought it could.

I think the biggest reason Little Mermaid is such a huge success is because of the songs by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken.  The movie itself is still a fairly decent retelling of the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale, albeit without the Little Mermaid dying at the end.  There's a spectacular villain in the form of Ursula (Pat Carroll) and this marks the first time in Disney Animation that the Prince and Princess do not immediately fall in love with each other.  Well, Ariel is immediately taken with the Prince, but she has to work to get him to like her (without her beautiful singing voice).  And there are great supporting characters in the form of Sebastian, Flounder, and Scuttle.  Unfortunately, the Prince (who does have a name, Eric) is still pretty bland, but you can't have everything.

But my God, the songs!  Part of Your World, Under the Sea, Poor Unfortunate Souls, and Kiss the Girl.  You know at least two of those songs, and you would easily recognize the others if you heard them.  Not since The Jungle Book in 1967 has there been a collection of songs this good.  The showstopper, of course, is Under the Sea, which will have you smiling and will brighten your day.  Howard Ashman supplied the fun, creative lyrics, and if you don't know his name, there's a good reason for that which we'll touch on later.  Still, before this he wrote the lyrics for the musical version of Little Shop of Horrors (1986), which also features a slew of great songs.

All these elements combined to make this film a rousing success for Disney.  It took in $84 million and was ranked number 13 at the box office in 1989.  It revived Disney Animation and ushered in the Renaissance period, where some of the company's best work was put out.  Lastly, it was directed by Ron Clements and Jon Musker, who got their directorial kick-off with The Great Mouse Detective and brought the studio huge returns 3 years later.  It's a delightful film, and the fact that it even got made is nothing short of a miracle.


The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

Many forget that this film counts as one of the official Disney canon films.  It's the only sequel from the Disney Animation department, and it comes from one of the worst Disney films.  But surprisingly it becomes one Disney's better efforts, a mildly entertaining continuation of the adventures of Bernard (Bob Newhart) and Miss Bianca (Eva Gabor).

A young boy in Australia (who is not Australian, I might add.  Must have moved from LA) is kidnapped by the menacing poacher McLeach (George C. Scott) because the boy, Cody, knows the whereabouts of a very rare bird, the Golden Eagle, and her egg nest.  So its Miss Bianca and Bernard to the rescue as they commandeer another Albatross (this time voiced by John Candy) down under.  Along the way they meet a helpful Aussie mouse named Jack, a pack of sadistic nurse mice (in one of Disney's strangest scenes) and of course, the golden eagle Marahute.

It's a fairly short film, but its a lot better then the first outing, with more energy and better characters.  The villains morals are fairly scrambled, as he is prepared to feed Cody to the Crocodiles multiple times before something interrupts him.  That's said, its still a fun little adventure, and I imagine the opening scene plays very well on the big screen.  Its one of those fantastical moments infused with a bit of Disney magic, before it gets mired down in convention.


Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Arguably, this is the best Disney film since the studio's founder passed on.  I'm not counting Pixar, I'm talking strictly about films that have come out of the Disney Animation department.  None have done it better then this.

The main character, Belle, doesn't only dream of marrying a prince, she's more interested in reading her books (which does involve a princess meeting her Prince Charming).  The villain Gaston is not evil to his core, he's just a vain, stuck up individual who gets insanely jealous at the end.  The Beast is also a vain creature, but his horrifying transformation has humbled him, and the idea of romance between our two characters is out of the question.  And, once again, the songs are all fantastic.

Be Our Guest.  Beauty and the Beast.  Gaston.  Something There.  Belle.  The Mob Song.  All of these are fantastic numbers, and I can't think of too many musicals that can boast such an impressive line-up of songs.  Once again this comes from the minds of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken hard at work, and it takes a good fim and it makes it great.  Anyone who knows me well knows I love singing along to Be Our Guest.  It's Disney's best song, in my opinion.

And the fact that Belle and the Beast have to work their relationship is, while obvious considering he's a monster, a refreshing take on Disney's tired Princess formula.  True he turns into a human at the end, but she truly cares for him and at this point its a little added bonus.  Most Disney films going forward would let the relationships between their characters build, instead of automatically assigning them the role of couple straight away.  Rounding out the film is a cast of fantastic supporting characters, including the candlestick Lumiere, Cogsworth the Clock, Mrs. Potts, LeFou, and many others.  This is Disney at its best, like it hadn't been seen since 1940, and like we may not see until 2042.

Part 7 will cover:
Aladdin (1992)
The Lion King (1994)
Pocahontas (1995)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
Hercules (1997)

In Defense of the Academy Awards

This year there was an interesting addition to the short film packages in theaters: winners from last year's Oscars spoke at length about their process, what it was like winning an Oscar, and what it meant.  The winner for Best Live Action Short last year made an interesting observation: when he was nominated, he was elated, and thought this was the best moment of his life.  But a month later, at the ceremony, all he could think was he better win the damn thing.

In the 24 hours since the ceremony has ended, I've been reading a lot of various ops about Seth MacFarlane's hosting job (which seems to be getting a lot of hate) and how racist the Academy has become awarding the two white people from Django (Tarantino and Waltz) and not even recognizing the African-American cast, or sexist for not nominating Bigelow for a direction (even though she WON three years ago).  Then there are those complaining about the apparent snubs of Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty, which were both frontrunners at one time or another.  To everyone complaining, I would just like to say: get over yourself.

The Oscars are of course highly flawed and mostly predictable (hell, I got 18 right, and some of my friends did better).  If the Oscars were the only awards show in town, I wonder what would have really won.  If we didn't have Golden Globes and Guild awards to fill the time in January and February leading up to the big show.  The Oscars are informed by the Guilds, but this year the Oscar nominations were announced two weeks earlier then usual, before most of the guilds had announced their nominations, and the Academy had to think for itself.

What happened?  Well, they only shared two directing nominations with the DGA (which is usually a helpful indicator, but this year was useless), and nominated Beasts of the Southern Wild for a whole slew of stuff which wasn't really seen anywhere else.  That was surprising and unexpected.  And then Affleck was snubbed and the pity party began.  I wonder if Argo would have won if the guilds hadn't handed Argo all their awards first.

Yes, the Oscars are flawed.  But so what.  Nothing's perfect.  What I really want to touch on is MacFarlane.  I thought he did a fine job as host: the Shatner opening went on way too long, but MacFarlane delivered his jokes, no matter how offensive they seemed, and smiled whether they landed or not.  But no one is ever satisfied.  MacFarlane was too offensive and rude, singing about boobs and making jokes about Daniel Day-Lewis being so into his role that he would try and free Don Cheadle.  Boo-fucking-hoo.  Last year, Billy Crystal was host, and I liked him too.  But gosh, apparently he was too boring and safe, not taking any risks and just rolling with the program.

Hosting is difficult, and I don't like every host.  Martin & Baldwin and Hathaway & Franco marked two of the worst years for the ceremony ever because they had no shared chemistry.  The pairing can work, but only if the hosts are someone like Amy Poehler and Tina Fey.  And while I'm not saying we shouldn't judge our Oscar hosts, I'm thinking maybe we are more critical of them then just about anything else.  

Though of course then there's the question of the winners.  A lot of people complain because the Oscars don't choose what me and my friends liked.  Apparently they're out of touch and don't like rewarding the big money makers anymore.  I'd say that problem is more of a Hollywood issue then an Oscar issue; if Hollywood would put out more great, popular material like they once did, then maybe the box office and Oscar divide would be less vast.  The top 5 grossing movies of 2012 were, in order, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hunger Games, Skyfall, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.  In 2011 they were Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Transformers, Dark of the Moon, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part I, The Hangover Part II, and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  We all have our opinions (I love Skyfall), but each set of 5 are probably not all the best 5 of the year.  Especially 2011, holy crap was that a bad year.

What really matters is your opinion.  Hell, its great when your favorite is nominated and even better if it wins, but how often does Best Picture line up with your best of the year?  Last time I did was in 2007.  But I still enjoy the show and I enjoy the filmmakers getting the chance to stand in the spotlight and say a few words.  The Oscars are the only American broadcast show that honor many technical achievements, such as Editing, Cinematography, and Sound Design.  They also honor Short Films, shining a light on works that we would otherwise might not ever hear of.  I care who wins because I make predictions and enter into a contest with my friends, and when my picks aren't right, I'm disappointed.  But only fleetingly.  Once the show is over and I have my tally, I'm content.  I make it a game.

People, stop taking the Oscar picks so personally.  You know what you like.  You know what the best film of the year was for you.  Are you really so insecure that you're going to get upset if a bunch of old racist, sexist white guys don't pick yours to win (or even nominate it)?  I love movies, and I'm grateful that there is one show a year that takes the time to honor the masters of their craft, that pays tribute to cinema's rich history.  The Oscars can take themselves too seriously and thats why I appreciated MacFarlane.  He was relaxed and called attention to the spectacle.  The alternative is the MTV Movie Awards, which named Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 as movie of the year.

The 85th Annual Academy Awards

Another year has come and gone, and I had my best ever year in Oscar predictions!  Hooray, especially when I feared this year would be my worst in a while.

The show itself ran over 35 minutes thanks to tons of musical performances.  This year was a tribute to the musicals, and boy did we get our share.  Performers from Chicago (2002), Dreamgirls (2006), and Les Miserables (2012) belted out the showstopping tunes, though there are better movie musicals they could have used.  Where was Singin' in the Rain (1952), arguably the best movie musical of all time?  I know that movie was shunned, but the Oscars usually have no shame parading classics, even if they didn't reward them at the time.

MacFarlane was a capable host, and a fantastic singer.  Always sporting a smile, it was hard not to like him, even if it felt like he was reaching at times.  His opening bit with Shatner was a bit odd, but the Boobs song was bold and inspired, and he kept the energy going throughout the night, even singing a closing song over the end credits after Best Picture.  Helped bring some closure to the show, which usually just randomly ends.

There was also a tribute to Bond, which I loved of course, and a member of my alma mater represented on the Oscar stage handing out statues.  Jennifer Lawrence did a face plant, and Russell Crowe sang live (though he wasn't that bad).  The show ran long, so my only advice would be to try and bring it back to 3 hours like last year.  For instance, Shirley Bassey could have sung Goldfinger under the Bond montage and Babs could've sung The Way We Were under the In Memoriam instead of singing it after the fact.  Little things like that would have saved about 5 minutes.

But I digress.  Here now are my predictions matched with what won.

Original Screenplay
Prediction: Amour
Winner: Django Unchained

Adapted Screenplay
Prediction/Winner: Argo

Visual Effects
Prediction/Winner: Life of Pi

Sound Mixing
Prediction/Winner: Les Miserables

Sound Editing
Prediction: Life of Pi
Winners: Zero Dark Thirty and Skyfall

Live Action Short Film
Prediction/Winner: Curfew

Animated Short Film
Prediction/Winner: Paperman

Production Design
Prediction: Anna Karenina
Winner: Lincoln

Original Song
Prediction/Winner: "Skyfall" from Skyfall

Original Score
Prediction/Winner: Life of Pi

Makeup and Hairstyling
Prediction/Winner: Les Miserables

Foreign Language Film
Prediction/Winner: Amour

Film Editing
Prediction/Winner: Argo

Documentary Short
Prediction: Open Heart
Winner: Inocente

Documentary Feature
Prediction/Winner: Searching for Sugar Man

Directing
Prediction/Winner: Life of Pi

Costume Design
Prediction/Winner: Anna Karenina

Cinematography
Prediction/Winner: Life of Pi

Animated Feature
Prediction: Wreck-It Ralph
Winner: Brave

Supporting Actress
Prediction/Winner: Anne Hathaway in "Les Miserables"

Leading Actress
Prediction/Winner: Jennifer Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook"

Supporting Actor
Prediction: Robert DeNiro in "Silver Linings Playbook"
Winner: Christoph Waltz in "Django Unchained"

Leading Actor
Prediction/Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis in "Lincoln"

Best Picture
Prediction/Winner: Argo

That's all!  Next year I'll try and do even better!

Top 10 of 2012

Last year I didn't make a top 10.  This was due to a few reasons: first, my final semester of college and two-month tour of Europe deprived me of any free time with which to actually see films.  Second, my funds were low due to my Eurotrip and moving to Los Angeles.  Finally, 2011 wasn't a very inspired year for film, and the top 10 I had fashioned at that point was somewhat disappointing to me.  Most of 2011's films are best left ignored.

2012, on the other hand, was a fantastic reawakening of the art of film for me.  Hollywood put out some of its best content in years, and the indie films were just as strong.  A lot of films built up hype and delivered, and there were very few let downs this year with quite a few surprises.  I define a 2012 release as any film that receives a domestic US release between Jan. 1 - Dec. 31st, 2012.  But lets not mince any more words.  Here, now, are my top 10 films of the year 2012.

#10.  Life of Pi, 127 min.  PG

I was fairly skeptical about Ang Lee's newest film, Life of Pi, mainly because his recent slew of features (Lust, Caution; Taking Woodstock) sufficiently underwhelmed me.  So I was pleasantly surprised when his latest film turned out to be one of his best.  The story of a young boy nicknamed Pi who becomes stranded on a life boat with a man-eating tiger is both harrowing and inspirational as he survives for months in the open ocean.  The movie's true achievement is in the tiger, named Richard Parker, who is mostly a CGI creation but develops a personality of his own.  The movie doesn't kid around; this tiger is dangerous, and elevates the film from a guy in a lifeboat by himself to a haunting survival tale.  The ending inspires a lot of debate as it somewhat undermines everything you've seen, but still, Life of Pi is a sumptuous, visual feast.

#9.  The Cabin in the Woods, 95 min.  R

I've recently given up researching upcoming movies because a lot of the time you spoil the surprise and whats going to happen.  So when I heard about Cabin in the Woods, and that by revealing the story you spoil the fun, I decided to not listen to anything regarding this film.  But if you haven't seen it yet, too bad.  Much like Scream (1996) the movie is a dissection of the horror genre, and poses the question Why do we enjoy watching young people die?  We slowly watch as five college students visit the eponymous cabin, only to end up in their own zombie slasher film.  Turns out they're participating in an age old ritual to please a horrifying demon that resides beneath.  Where the film really delivers is in the climax; just when you think they've gone as far as they will go, they go the extra step you were hoping for.  It's a violent film, but also glorious, and in the end, do we really want to go on living just to appease angry demon gods?


#8.  Silver Linings Playbook, 122 min.  R

This offbeat family dramedy from David O. Russell was another pleasant surprise, coming out of Toronto with the audience award.  Bradley Cooper stars as a recently released mental patient who believes he can repair his damaged marriage.  He meets-cute with another social misfit played by Jennifer Lawrence, and together they heal each other.  The summary doesn't sound like much, but with a cast that includes Robert DeNiro, Jacki Weaver, and a restrained Chris Tucker, Russell delivers a tour-de-force of acting that elevates the material to a level it shouldn't be at.  True, the ending is somewhat clichéd, but the real revelation here as that these characters are happy being mediocre.  At their dance competition they only need to score a 5/10, and are happy with that result much to the confusion of their competitors.  Maybe we've become accustomed to being mediocre, but regardless, Silver Linings Playbook is an entertaining and fascinating look into the lives of these unbalanced individuals.

#7.  Zero Dark Thirty, 157 min.  R

Zero Dark Thirty is the unfortunate victim of too much hype; in the months leading up to its release, early reviews and pundits were singing the praises and predicting this would take home the big gold come Oscar night.  I'll be surprised if it wins anything at this point, but that speaks more the politics surrounding this film then the actual film itself.  While I do not consider it an amazing achievement, its still a damn fine thriller and procedural.  Director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal were already developing this film when Osama Bin Laden was assassinated, and they quickly rewrote the ending to incorporate the event.  Jessica Chastain gives a fantastic lead performance as Maya, the CIA operative which the film credits as producing the information that to Bin Laden's whereabouts.  The film's depiction of torture has been a hot issue surrounding the film since its release, but the film has no political agenda other then to show these events.  People need to stop complaining about the film not taking a stance, because guess what, you should think for yourselves.  And whether you like it or not, torture happened.  Zero Dark Thirty can't change that fact.  Whether it worked or not is another issue.


#6.  Amour, 127 min.  PG-13

As far as Michael Haneke films go, this one is pretty straightforward, though it still ends in Haneke's signature fashion of open-endedness.  Jean-Louis Trintignant plays Georges, whose wife Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) slowly loses control of her mental facilities and begins to slip away.  It's the subject of many a Hallmark movie, but Haneke uses a tender hand as we witness Georges' never ending dedication to his wife, even as she becomes less recognizable as herself.  True love stands up to one final test, one couples vow to each other all over the world, and that is to care for each other in health and in sickness.  It's a tough and heartbreaking film to watch because its the future for all of us, if we are so unlucky to live that long.


#5.  Looper, 119 min.  R

Time travel thrillers are always open to plot holes, and if you start looking into Looper, you'll notice them.  But that doesn't stop this film from being one of the most exciting sci-fi adventures in years, with a story that spends the first hour setting up a dystopic future, and then the second hour on a farm.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Joe, who earns his income assassinating targets from the future.  One day his target is Bruce Willis, who he recognizes as his older self, and botches the job.  To say anymore would give away all the fun, but I've seen it twice and the film still holds your attention every time.  Writer/director Rian Johnson has constructed a fascinating universe, and I eagerly anticipate his next release.


#4.  Holy Motors, 115 min.  NR

I don't even know where to begin with this one.  It's such an inspired piece of cinema mania that constantly reinvents itself, and I know I'll be buying it as soon as its released on DVD.  Denis Lavant gives the best performance of the year as M. Oscar, a man who rides around in a limo, adopts different disguises, and then goes out and acts wild.  He starts as a beggar woman, then becomes a motion capture artist, a troll, a teenager girl's father, and several other bizarre roles.  Eva Mendes is also in this in her strangest role to date (pictured above), but I wouldn't dare spoil anything for you.  It's film that has to be experienced, and I look forward to sharing it with all my friends.


#3.  Argo, 120 min.  R

Ben Affleck has become one of Hollywood's finest directors.  What he crafts is not necessarily high art, but its damn fine popcorn entertainment and thats just as hard to do.  Argo is the retelling of the Iran hostage crisis, as six fugitive American diplomats hole up in the Canadian Prime Minister's house during the overthrow of the Shah.  Ben Affleck miscasts himself as Tony Mendez (the real guy was hispanic), the CIA operative who comes up with the absurd plan of making a fake movie to get the hostages out.  True the film isn't an accurate depiction of what happened, and there's a failed subplot involving Affleck's son, but the film balances comedy with drama, and ratchets up the tension in a finale so fierce that the audience lets out a collective sigh of relief when its all over.  Affleck may take creative liberties, but hey, its Hollywood, that's what they do, so quit whining.


#2.  Moonrise Kingdom, 94 min.  PG-13

Wes Anderson's latest is a charming tale of two young lovers who escape their homes to find their own bit of paradise, which ensues in an island-wide hunt for the youngsters led by Bruce Willis and Edward Norton.  With a cast that also includes Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton, this is classic Anderson, with his odd pans and stylized staging.  The two young actors, Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, are fantastic, and the movie playfully yet beautifully illustrates young love.  It all builds to an absurd climax, but by that time you're totally willing to go wherever the film will take you.  Wes Anderson's quirky nature can get on the nerves of a few, but for me, it works to the film's advantage in a sweet adage to when love was simple.


#1.  Skyfall, 143 min.  PG-13

Skyfall is something of a miracle.  Coming off the very disappointing Quantum of Solace (2008), and surviving the bankruptcy of MGM, director Sam Mendes had to pull out all the stops.  And what he manages here is a Bond film that shakes up the formula while staying true to it.  The villain, Silva (Javier Bardem) isn't out for world domination but rather has a personal vendetta to fill.  There is no classic Bond girl, though Bérénice Marlohe fills the role of the doomed woman who falls for Bond.  It's a film that recognizes Bond as a relic, yet still an important force in our ever-changing, scarier world.  It's the best looking Bond, with Roger Deakins as director of photography, has the best Bond song in years sung by Adele, and features fantastic performances from Bardem and Judi Dench (as M).  Not to mention chase scenes that deliver and final battle that takes place in a most unexpected location.  For Bond nerds, this film is a godsend, and everyone else is lucky to be along for the ride.


Other odds and ends:

Best Director: Sam Mendes for Skyfall
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence fo Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor: Denis Lavant for Holy Motors
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway for Les Miserables
Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem for Skyfall

Most Overrated Film: Lincoln
Worst Film of 2012: Prometheus

Top 50 Movies of All Time (2013 Edition)

It's been a little over four years since I last made a top 50 list.  I've seen a lot of films since then, so I figured it was time to revise the list.  Of course it's ever-changing and would be different if I made it again tomorrow.  These lists are more to capture what I thought in the moment.  I could easily list 100 movies, but 50 is a challenge and I don't prescribe to an easily made list.  I've decided to do away with ranking the movies, which I know is not fun, but I have a hard time picking a number one, and numbers 11 through 50 are arbitrarily ranked anyway.  Each title contains a link to a trailer or movie clip.

12 Angry Men (1957)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
The 36th Chamber of Shaolin (1978)
Amadeus (1984)
Another Year (2010)
The Battle of Algiers (1966)
Being John Malkovich (1999)
Blade Runner (1982)
The Blues Brothers (1980)
Brazil (1985)
Casablanca (1942)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Ed Wood (1994)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Fantasia (1940)
Forbidden Games (1952)
The Godfather (1972)
The Gold Rush (1925)
Grand Illusion (1937)
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
Jaws (1975)
L.A. Confidential (1997)
The Last Picture Show (1971)
Last Year at Marienbad (1961)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Minority Report (2002)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Out of the Past (1947)
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
Pinocchio (1940)
The Producers (1968)
Psycho (1960)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Ran (1985)
A Separation (2011)
Seven Samurai (1954)
The Seventh Seal (1957)
The Social Network (2010)
Spirited Away (2001)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
The Wages of Fear (1953)
The World of Apu (1959)
Vertigo (1958)
Wings of Desire (1987)
Woman in the Dunes (1964)

Les Misérables (2012)

Tom Hooper was probably the wrong person to direct the big screen adaptation of the hit musical Les Miserables.  Its not that he's a bad director; his King's Speech (2010) won him an Oscar, though I think most remember that film for Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush then they do for Hooper's direction.  He's better at framing small, personal relationships and playing with more subtlety.  I admire King's Speech a great deal, but I don't think it showed Hooper having the know-it to direct Les Miserables.  This is almost like when David Yates took over the Harry Potter franchise, a move I still say was a poor one on the producers' part.

Les Miserables is not subtle.  Characters sing everything they feel, and sometimes what they sing is heartfelt and wrought, and sometimes its simply pining for a loved one who will not love them back.  There is nothing wrong with being big and grand, but Hooper doesn't seem to know when to focus intimately on his characters and when to let the camera and editing take over.

Les Miserables is a sprawling story, but the core focus is on criminal Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), a man serving a 19 year sentence for stealing a loaf of bread.  He is paroled, but Javert (Russell Crowe) is sure to let him know that he'll always be watching since he believes criminals never reform.  Through various circumstances, Valjean decides to seek redemption by taking in an orphaned child and raising her as his own, before he's caught in a student uprising that forms a feeble attempt at a Second French Revolution.

There are many solos throughout this movie; its an operetta, and people tend to sing through most of these.  While I'm fine with this art form, I find Hooper's staging of many numbers to be insufferable.  I should note that I have no familiarity with the stage musical beyond listening to the cast album, so this is my first time really seeing the material.  Just throwing that out there.

Where it does work is when characters have hit rock bottom.  Early on, Valjean contemplates the charity of a preacher, and vows to reform his life.  Jackman, sporting a great, big, bushy beard, infuses this song with great gusto and establishes what we can expect from the coming performances.  Next is Anne Hathway as Fantine, the mother who just wants to earn enough money for her child, and is forced into prostitution to do so.  After her first customer, she lays, shamed, and sings I Dreamed a Dream.  Hooper holds on Hathaway's face for the entire duration of the song and never once cuts away.  Its a stunning performance, and will bring even the most skeptical close to tears.  I don't like making predictions in reviews, but Hathaway is a shoe-in for Best Supporting Actress.

But once Hathaway departs you realize she has cast a shadow over the rest of her co-stars.  Hooper repeats the use of close-ups during emotional solos, but none of the actors come close to matching Hathaway, except perhaps for Eddie Redmayne's performance of Empty Chairs at Empty Tables.  But Eponine (Samantha Bark) pines for a love that will never be hers, Valjean decides to save a certain character, and Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) & Marius (Redmayne) fall in love.  Hooper focuses on their faces, and while the actors are all admirable, they can't hold my attention for three minutes the way Hathaway did earlier.

Perhaps I would have found it more bearable if Hooper found more compelling ways to stage some of his songs.  A Heart Full of Love, which is a powerful ballad, is fairly boring when we simply cut back and forth between Seyfried and Redmayne singing to each other through a fence gate.  It's boring, boring, boring!  However, you can sense where Hooper knew to maybe add a little more to the editing, and that is with Javert.  Russell Crowe can't sing very well, and he looks like he's suffering through this role just trying to get by, which is a shame since Javert is easily the most interesting character.  His two big solo numbers, however, are covered and shot to hide the stiff performance, and it works.  I was more entertained by Javert's songs, though the singing was off, then I was by many other solos where the singing and acting were better.  Film is not the stage, and if you don't realize that, you're lost.

Hooper's framing also irritates me.  Many times characters are placed in odd parts of the screen, or facing the edge of the screen with a big blank wall behind him.  This is not artful, its artless, and a cheap way to seem cooler and edgier.  And his mad focus on close ups makes the Master of the House song almost incomprehensible, as we watch Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter maliciously pickpocket their guests, but only at the edge of the frame.  It's still a good song, but the camera direction is as muddled and confusing as the fights in Batman Begins (2005).

For all the bickering, though, I did enjoy large portions of the film.  Javert and Valjean's story is a great moral lesson on black-and-white versus redemption, and Fantine's descent to the bottom is heart wrenching.  The revolutionaries hopeless battle is also hard to watch, and little Cosette's desire to just be loved is very touching.  There's a lot of stuff that works here, and I want it known that the good does outweigh the bad.  However, I get very frustrated when someone was so close to making a great movie, and let time cut them short.  It was little more then a year ago that it was announced this movie was going to be made, and I feel Hooper had to be more economic in planning out his shots when dealing with the huge subject matter.

The live singing has been touted about this film for awhile now, and it works.  The actors are allowed to live in the moment, and it lends a natural aesthetic to the whole picture.  But perhaps it was this live singing that also lead to more unbroken takes, since many takes were most likely disimilar to the last.

Whatever the case, Les Miserables is a bit of an endurance.  Fans of the musical should love parts of it, and newcomers may find an appreciation for this story.  Of the three most recent operettas released, which includes The Phantom of the Opera (2004) and Rent (2005) this one is the best.  But that's faint praise.