The nominees for the 2012 Live Action Short Oscar alternate between expected and slightly less, all having something to do with time, its elusiveness and its ineluctable demands.
The nominees for the 2012 Live Action Short Oscar alternate between expected and slightly less, all having something to do with time, its elusiveness and its ineluctable demands. "Pentecost," directed by Peter McDonald, follows the travails of 11-year-old Damian Lynch (Scott Graham), whose father (Michael McElhatton) restricts his access to football (no playing, no watching, no listening), unless he completes his duties as an altar boy. The boy can't help but reveal his devotion to…]]>Love is in the air, as mandated by Madison Avenue, various greeting card manufacturers, and endless couples' arguments. Here are 10 ways to step outside the norm and avoid the annual festival of forced affection.
Love is in the air, as mandated by Madison Avenue, various greeting card manufacturers, and endless couples' arguments. Yes, it's that time of year again, time to celebrate a faux holiday originally created to honor a Catholic Saint, but was then later removed from the official Vatican calendar around 1969. Still, with untold dozens of roses to be bought and metric tons of candy and other confections to be divvied up, Valentine's Day will not…]]>The film's story of this Supreme Court victory lays out both its legal and moral import, and then turns back to Richard and Mildred Loving in intimate, evocative images.
Just tell the Court I love my wife. -- Richard Loving, 1967 "It was about 2 am and I saw this light, you know, and I woke up, and it was the policeman, standing beside the bed." As Mildred Loving remembers the night of 14 July 1958, you see a bright light on screen, a flashlight hovering in the dark. "He told us to get up," she goes on, "And we was under arrest." Here…]]>Starting with the most memorable and ending with the most dull (or clichéd), here’s what happened on “music’s biggest night”.
Performances at this year’s Grammy awards weren’t about gimmicks, special effects, or surprise appearances. Instead, the show became a celebration of the music and musicians that unite seemingly different people. Fittingly, in a year where so many important musicians passed away, the night was also about people using their talents to bid a fond farewell to those whom we will all miss. It was a night where legends were honored, rock stars danced to country…]]>The difficulty of communication is the focus of Mourning (Soog), showed in the long shots, long takes, and confined spaces convey Kamran and Sharareh's journey during a very long night.
"What was the message exactly?" A husband and wife, Kamran (Kiomars Giti) and Sharareh (Sharareh Pasha), are trying to sort out their roles in the crisis they face, namely, that the young boy in their care, Arshia (Amir Hossein Maleki), is suddenly an orphan, following a car accident. As they talk, they drive, with Arshia in the back seat, positioned between them as we watch them through the windshield. They also watch each other: the…]]>Talking Landscape exposes how "real life" only sometimes resembles efforts to describe it.
"It is now time to focus," says Andrea Callard at the start of Talking Landscape, a selection of the installment artist's "Early Media Work, 1974-1984." That work sneaks up on you over the course of the film, beginning with the first short, titled 11 thru 12: Callard stands behind an ironing board, pondering curiosity, and the possibilities provided by yellow objects. "If you want to find something," she says, "Sometimes you can look in the…]]>In the wake of a tragic loss within the music industry, the Grammy Awards actually went on a surprisingly respectful, understated route... before turning into the vapid technicolor circus that has become hallmark for the very worst of Grammy broadcasts.
If the 54th Annual Grammy Awards broadcast taught us anything this year, it's that there's a profound difference between the deeply personal and the overproduced. Hours before the broadcast began, people were wondering just how the show was going to address the elephant in the room: no less than 24 hours prior to taping, Whitney Houston -- the definitive pop diva -- was found dead in her hotel room at age 48. The world was…]]>Now back in a small world, a world both familiar and strange, Kelli does her best to return to the way things were.
Home from war, Kelli (Linda Cardellini) is dislocated. She arrives in the airport at the start of Return, the camera following close on her back as she looks for something familiar. The frame remains tight on her face as she looks, so you're as surprised as she is when her young daughter Jackie (Emma Rayne Lyle) approaches: as Kelli reacts abruptly, the camera jerks too, intimating the moment's mix of happiness and weirdness. An Ohio…]]>Perfect Sense presents the end of the world using an irresistible sci-fi/allegorical hook: humanity is literally losing its senses.
Perfect Sense is a romance, of sorts, set during a global plague. This context might recall Steven Soderbergh's chillier Contagion, which framed its medical investigation with a disaster-movie's emotional pull. Perfect Sense goes at the problem differently, with an irresistible sci-fi/allegorical hook: humanity is literally losing its senses. First, large swaths of the population lose their sense of smell. Weeks later, taste follows. It only gets worse from there, with collective and individual adjustments staggered…]]>As Sean looks for something "real" in Journey 2, he's drawn to the Vernians' diehard faith in the non-fiction of Jules Verne's books.
"The island is real!" So concludes Sean (Josh Hutcherson) when he finds a coded message from his long-absent grandfather, Alexander (Michael Caine). That would be the Mysterious Island, titular subject of Jules Verne's 1874 novel and now, the movie called Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. You might appreciate his delight, as the rest of Sean's experience is so resolutely unreal. Set four years (more or less) after Journey 1, also known as Journey to the…]]>Failing to entertain is one thing. Wasting Washington et. al., that's something else all together.
Safe House is a lot of talent doing a whole lot of nothing. It offers a familiar premise (rogue spy wants to prove its the good guys, not him, behind all the dirty work) and one of the most bankable stars on the planet (two time Oscar winner Denzel Washington). In support, such stellar performers as Sam Shephard, Vera Farmiga, and Brendan Gleeson make up for Ryan Reynolds' lack of gravitas. But in a clear…]]>The Vow is a conventional love story with a ghostly chasm in the middle, a weepie for Valentine’s Day cinemagoers.
Leo (Channing Tatum) and Paige (Rachel McAdams) are stepping out into a snowy Chicago one evening. They’re young, married, and in love. But the couple will pay the price that accompanies any snow-bound car trip late at night at the start of this sort of movie: when they stop to share a moment of passion, a truck rams them from behind. Paige, in excruciating slow-mo, is thrown through the windshield. When she wakes up, she…]]>This distinction between what the film's designated pros know and what you know -- or can guess, based on your experience with these sorts of films -- quickly turns tedious in Safe House.
"What's that?" asks Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), indicating a teeny-flashdrive-file an MI-6 agent has just sold him. "It's going to make the world a much smaller place for you... For both of us," comes the ominous answer. As Tobin Frost hides the file away, Bourneishly injecting it into his thigh at the start of Safe House, you know too well that the adventure on which he's embarking will be equal parts international espionage, high-tech weaponry,…]]>In the ever-evolving world of advertising, there is a trend rising in, quite literally, every direction: 3-D Mapping Projection.
Though I do cringe at paying extra, I admit that I’ll go to the occasional 3-D movie in theaters, just to see how different the experience is. What I didn’t realize until very recently, was that I could get a similar experience for free, just by standing on the sidewalk at the right time and place. In the ever-evolving world of advertising, there is a trend rising in, quite literally, every direction: 3-D Mapping Projection.…]]>While some want to question his authorship, there is no denying the lasting influence of William Shakespeare. These 10 titles prove that with accolades to spare.
From declarations of undeniable greatness to questions of legitimacy, the literary world continues to be fascinated by one William Shakespeare. The famed playwright remains a historical enigma, a question almost everyone can answer outright, but can't fully understand completely. While the postmodern age has spent inordinate amounts of time trying to figure out if a failed actor in England really did create some of the most amazing theater pieces ever written, the various medias surrounding…]]>Unfortunately, the two days didn’t provide enough time to see everything, but that’s what the rest of the year is for.
The Sundance Film Festival is in no way easy to get to. Though it’s only 45 minutes from Salt Lake City, the small town of Park City requires you to steer through a canyon that, like this year, can find itself closed to all traffic due to weather during its busiest weekend. The 10-day festival that happens each January is not only the most coveted of North American film festivals, it’s also the most glorified.…]]>Films about LGBT people that are aimed at mass audiences win awards; films about LGBT people that are aimed at LGBT audiences… not so much. So, here's the Queer, Isn't It? Best Pic nominees.
When this year's Academy Awards nominations were announced in January, LGBT film buffs scoured them in the annual ritual of counting the number of LGBT-oriented films that got nominations. Last year was the year of the lesbian, with both Black Swan and The Kids are All Right landing multiple nominations each. This year, the whole spectrum of the rainbow is represented. There's both transgenderism and lesbianism in Albert Knobbs, while The Girl with the Dragon…]]>"What was it like coming back to America after fighting in Vietnam?" asks an off-screen narrator. A 22-year-old black man nods and begins to talk...
"What was it like coming back to America after fighting in Vietnam?" asks an off-screen narrator. A 22-year-old black man nods and begins to talk, his weary expression suggesting this is a question he's prepared to answer, but one he dreads. "It's almost the same as when I left, " he begins. "I say this because when a man goes to fight for his country and then comes back over here and almost have to…]]>"What was it like coming back to America after fighting in Vietnam?" asks an off-screen narrator. A 22-year-old black man nods and begins to talk...
"What was it like coming back to America after fighting in Vietnam?" asks an off-screen narrator. A 22-year-old black man nods and begins to talk, his weary expression suggesting this is a question he's prepared to answer, but one he dreads. "It's almost the same as when I left, " he begins. "I say this because when a man goes to fight for his country and then comes back over here and almost have to…]]>What happens when an admitted auteur makes a grand -- and quite insular -- artistic statement? Critics are dumbfounded, which means it's time for our preservationist pair to break out the accolades.
Calum Marsh: As you know, Jordan, the films we tend to gravitate toward in this column are mostly obscure or neglected, like forgotten late-career coups by otherwise canonical directors or great films considered "minor" by the high guard. Zabriskie Point, an English-language drama by legendary Italian director Michelangelo Antonioni, represents a different sort of case altogether: widely available as an inexpensive, reasonably high-quality Region 1 DVD and unforgotten by anyone who's seen it, Zabriskie Point's…]]>Body and Soul and Defining Beauty: Ms. Wheelchair America both feature admirable subjects who have "overcome obstacles," and also take refreshingly unconventional approaches to these subjects.
"I can't answer the questions people sometimes ask," says Mariana Tembe. When people ask how she gets dressed on her own, or how she takes a bath, she can only say that she does it like they do. She dresses her young son, then sits him on the bed beside her, combs his hair and then combs her own. "For me, it's essential to be pretty," she smiles. Mariana lives just outside Maputo, Mozambique's capital…]]>Ben Gazzara: 1930 - 2012. What can you say about Gazzara? He was relevant in every decade going back to the '50s.
Still reeling from the sad news about Don Cornelius, it's painful to acknowledge the loss of another irreplaceable master, Ben Gazarra. Some good tributes out there. What can you say about Gazzara? He was relevant in every decade going back to the '50s. And it wasn't just his longevity or his unique, idiosyncratic style(s); he was old school in the sense that he radiated that aura: above all, he was a man.That might not sound…]]>Though this was clearly a defining year for the actress, here are five other interesting things to know about the Oscar nominee's career in the entertainment industry.
The votes are in! The list of nominees for the 84th annual Academy Awards was announced on January 24th by the lovely Jennifer Lawrence. While most of the contenders were predictable, given their recent nominations for Golden Globe or SAG awards, going into the process the one wild card in the bunch was this summer’s female-driven blockbuster comedy Bridesmaids. Though the Academy has not favored comedies in the past, there was speculation that the film…]]>Though this was clearly a defining year for the actress, here are five other interesting things to know about the Oscar nominee's career in the entertainment industry.
The votes are in! The list of nominees for the 84th annual Academy Awards was announced on January 24th by the lovely Jennifer Lawrence. While most of the contenders were predictable, given their recent nominations for Golden Globe or SAG awards, going into the process the one wild card in the bunch was this summer’s female-driven blockbuster comedy Bridesmaids. Though the Academy has not favored comedies in the past, there was speculation that the film…]]>Ah the internet. Bottomless pit of knowledge about news past and present, outlet for self-expression, facilitator of human connection, and… mecca of questionably offensive video montage parodies?
Ah the internet. Bottomless pit of knowledge about news past and present, outlet for self-expression, facilitator of human connection, and… mecca of questionably offensive video montage parodies? Well ok, the last one isn’t really what most people generally think of when connecting to the world wide web, but a current trend of posting these videos in the form of “Sh*t People Say” is, in fact, taking the YouTube world by storm. It seems that the…]]>Beautifully and evocatively, Bill Morrison's film traces the changes of fortune for the mines and miners, the industry and communities of Northern England.
The shoreline seems far away at first, as the camera in The Miners' Hymns approaches from over the sea. But it's not long before you're over land, green and yellow planting fields giving way to rows and rows of homes, roads and parking lots. A couple of titles note the former site of Ryhope Colliery (1857-1966) and then, the former site of Silksworth Collilery (1869-1971). These are the names of Durham coalfields, the dates marking…]]>Looking beyond the aesthetic surface of the series, what is the true motivation behind Mad Men’s frank depictions of these troubled social times? Is sexism being used as some sort of nostalgic trope, or does Mad Men actually delve deeper and explore these issues?
Mad Men chronicles the lives of Madison Avenue advertising executives in the early 1960s. The show revolves around an advertising agency called Sterling Cooper, later Sterling Cooper Draper Price (SCDP), and its enigmatic Creative Director Don Draper. Since its premiere on AMC in the summer of 2007, Mad Men has received overwhelming critical acclaim for its “unflinching portrayal of Eisenhower/Kennedy-era sexism” (Schwarz, 4) and has built a dedicated viewership of rapid fans. Additionally, much has…]]>The journey in Unfinished Spaces begins with reconsidering the hopes and confusions of Cuba just after the Revolution, the politics and the struggles that go on to this day.
"To Fidel, everything had to be the greatest in the world," says Selma Diaz. "To him, they were the best in the world, not just the best in Latin America. They had to be the best schools of art in the world." Under her narration, the camera in Unfinished Spaces makes its way along brick corridors and up stone stairways. As the structure appears both old and empty, in some disrepair, you might guess this…]]>If you’re a statistically average person, what are your chances of following these people’s lead and successfully preparing for social collapse? Well, pretty long, unless you have quite a few acres of land lying fallow in the country and a couple hundred thousand extra dollars.
The American suburb is rooted in doomsday. Take the prototype of Levittown, modeled after the workers’ compartmentalized homes at the Oak Ridge Manhattan Project compound. Or, a decade later, Ike’s Interstate Highway System, which nurtured the modern suburb by enabling brisk commutes between city centers and outskirts but was mainly built to facilitate mass evacuation in the event of atomic war. There’s a reason the indivisible suburban unit’s called the “nuclear family.” So, how far…]]>Hopefully, the found footage gimmick will give way after the first episode, since it would be a shame to shoot all of the Amazon from one camera on some guy’s shoulder.
Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) is the beloved host of the popular nature TV show, The Undiscovered Country. For 22 years, he's been bringing the world to people’s living rooms, telling his rapt audience that “there’s magic out there.” As The River opens, Emmet Cole is missing. He disappeared six months earlier on his latest expedition to the Amazon, which he took without his family or his usual crew. When Emmet is presumed dead, his son,…]]>Downton Abbey reveals not only the play of chance that often confounds choice, but the power of social class to confine choice within established boundaries -- and we're comfortable with that.
“Mitt Romney is a rich man, but is Mitt Romney’s character formed by his wealth? Is Romney a spoiled, cosseted character? Has he been corrupted by ease and luxury? The notion is preposterous.” -- David Brooks, “The Wealth Issue,” New York Times, 19 January 2012 “As a man is, so he sees.” -- William Blake Whether we believe or not that a person’s character can be formed by wealth or, for that matter, by poverty,…]]>Special programs devoted to cinematic greats like Alfred Hitchcock or Deborah Kerr might be the flashiest part of an archivist’s job, but fiction curator Jo Botting also enjoys tracking down rare films and ensuring the next generation gets to see them.
The theater lights dim, and everyone’s attention turns to the screen as a story comes to life. But what happens after the screenings end and the film is relegated to moviegoers’ memory? Who decides whether, years from now, that film will again grace another screen or be re-introduced to new audiences? Jo Botting, Fiction Curator at the British Film Institute (BFI) National Archive, can answer those questions first-hand. She helps ensure that the world’s cinematic…]]>