Wings (1927)

The film Wings from 1927 has the distinction of being the first film to win the Oscar for Best Picture.The story of WWI fighter pilots as heroes and humans is so well done. Stunning camerawork and a gorgeous soundtrack support the drama well. I realized that silent films do a great job of conveying the story with the performances. There are not a lot of dialogue cards in this film. The technical achievements are impressive. The human stories are also well told and quite sweet. The Shooting Star becomes Grandeur in the Sky...as it should. I really liked this film.

Oscar Picks 2016

This is where I post how I would vote if I were a member of the Academy. Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant were huge standouts to me this year. Star Wars: the Force Awakens was a crowd pleaser and Brooklyn was one of the nicest films of the year. I have really enjoyed this year in film. Popping the popcorn and tuning in on Sunday night. Wishing Chris Rock a good show! Happy Oscars!

Picture - The Revenant
Actor - Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant
Actress - Brie Larson - Room
Supporting Actor -Christian Bale - The Big Short
Supporting Actress -Jennifer Jason-Leigh - The Hateful Eight
Director - Alexandro Innaritu
Animated Feature - Shaun the Sheep
Foreign Feature - Son of Saul
Documentary Feature - Amy
Animated Short - Sanjay's Super Team
Live Action Short -Day One
Documentary Short - Body Team 12
Cinematography - The Revenant
Editing - Mad Max: Fury Road
Costume Design - Cinderella
Makeup and Hair Styling - Mad Max: Fury Road
Original Score - Hateful Eight
Original Song - Simple Song #3
Production Design - Mad Max: Fury Road
Sound Editing - Sicario
Sound Mixing - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Visual Effects - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Adapted Screenplay - Carol
Original Screenplay - Spotlight

Oscars 2016: The Films

Until I saw The Revenant I was sure that Mad Max: Fury Road was the best picture of the year. Now they sit side by side in my brain on an equal footing. I think The Revenant will take the Oscar. Of the animated films, Pixar's Inside Out will probably walk away with the statue, but the very charming Shaun The Sheep Movie was my favorite animated film this year. The documentary Amy pulled at a lot of heartstrings and was a nice tribute to a short career. Cartel Land and Winter on Fire could win just on the bravery of capturing the harrowing footage. The only foreign film I saw was Son of Saul. I'll be interested to see if it wins. All of the animated shorts were lovely in their own way. Pixar could walk away with this one too with Sanjy's Super Team, but World of Tomorrow did some innovative stuff. Live action short could go to Stutterer for the sentimental, Day One for the intensity or Ave Maria for a laugh.I got within 4 films of seeing every feature nominated for an Oscar. Not bad! It's been a good year for film.

Oscars 2016: The People

The most consistent thing I have been saying about movies this year is that the stories are OK, but the performances have been outstanding. The supporting acting categories for this year's Oscar will become a popularity contest because all 8 nominated performances are so good. I'm still not sure who I'll pick for my Oscaar Pool, but Jennifer Jason-Leigh for The Hateful Eight and Kate Winslet in Steve Jobs stand out. For the men I really can't pick, all were strong in their own way. Best Actor for me this year was Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant. Such intensity and commitment paid off. Inarritu could win Best Director for the film as well. It's really a masterpiece. The Best Actress will probably go to Brie Larson for her powerful performance in Room, But Saoirse Ronan put in some good work in Brooklyn so we'll see. Bravo to all!

Oscars 2016: The Sounds

Music sets tone and the emotional path in a film. Several beautiful scores accompanied the best films this year. John Williams did a nice job blending the nostalgic with new music in the score of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I really liked the score to The Hateful Eight for it's intensity and drive. I thought that the original songs this year were just alright. Simple Song #3 was the only one that impressed me. For all of the light sabers, robots and space chases I thought the sound in Star Wars: The Force Awakens was most effective. Though I thought the sound editing in Sicario really took you along for the ride.

Oscars 2016: The Sights

Everything we see on the screen feeds our senses. Two of the most stunning films to me this year were Mad Max: Fury Road and The Revenant. From editing to makeup to costumes to production design, editing and cinematography, both are stunning. Both are masterful in their visual effects, but I think based on pure emotion, Star Wars: The Force Awakens marries the old and the new to a wonderful effect. Costumes almost become a character in Carol and The Danish Girl. The Oscar could go to any of these and be well deserved.

Oscar Nominated Shorts Live Action

Every year they release the Oscar Nominated Shorts in three programs. Today I saw the Live Action Short Films.

Ave Maria is the story of a miserable family that breaks down outside a convent on the West Bank. The nuns have taken a vow of silence so the comedy lies in their efforts to communicate.

Day One shows us the first day of an interpreter in Afghanistan assigned to special forces. The harshness of the environment and the situations are an eye opener.

Everything Will Be OK gives us a front row seat to a kidnapping. Desperate and touching.

Shok shows us two friends and the consequences of having something valuable like a bike in Kosivo.

Stutterer tells a tale of online romance for a young man who has difficulty speaking. The online relationship is great until the young woman wants to meet. He sweats it out until the surprise ending.

I find shorts very satisfying and liked all of these quite a bit. Well done.

Babe

Another movie recommended by EW for kids under 13, Babe is an interesting one. OK, I thought it was weird. The special effects are impressive, the story is simple and the ending is very satisfying. Once I got used to the talking animals, I enjoyed this film. A cute one to watch with the kids.

One Day in September

Director Kevin MacDonald was accidentally interviewed by Marc Maron for the WTF Podcast. His booker thought they had scheduled the comedian Kevin McDonald, famous for Kids in the Hall. MacDonald's interview turned out to be engaging and interesting. I had seen his films The Last King of Scotland and Touching the Void, but not his Oscar winner One Day in September so I rented it. I found a dramatic film that tells the horrific story of the terrorists, Black September, and the hostage taking of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Interviews with the surviving terrorist are chilling. The editing builds drama and moves the story. Oscar worthy indeed.

Oscar Picks 2014

Right now I have about 4 lists of Oscar picks. Two pools, what I would vote for and what I think will win. Here is how I would vote if The Academy asked.

Best Picture  Gravity
Best Director  Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity
Best Actor  Leonardo DiCaprio - The wolf of Wall Street
Best Actress  Meryl Streep - August: Osage County
Best Supporting Actor  Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club
Best Supporting Actress  Lupits Nyong'o - 12 Years A Slave
Best Animated Feature  Frozen
Best Foreign Language Film  The Hunt
Best Original Screenplay  Nebraska
Best Adapted Screenplay  Before Midnight
Best Costume Design  The Great Gatsby
Best Original Song  Happy
Best Original Score  Gravity
Best Documentary Feature  Cutie and the Boxer
Best Documentary Short  Cavediggers
Best Makeup & Hairstyling  Bad Grandpa
Best Production Design  Gravity
Best Cinematography  Gravity
Best Film Editing  Captain Phillips
Best Sound Editing  Lone Survivor
Best Sound Mixing  Inside Llewyn Davis
Best Visual Effects  Gravity
Best Animated Short  Room on the broom
Best Live Action Short  Just Before Losing Everything

Oscars 2014: The Films

All of the feature films nominated this year are worth seeing.I saw all but The Wind Rises, The Grandmaster, Omar and The Missing Picture, though I may be able to see The Wind Rises and The Grandmaster this weekend. Thanks to Netflix, all of the documentary films were on instant view and the Cable Car ran the shorts programs. Wonderful to have these films available when you don't live in a big city. Again, all of the nominated films are impressive. Keep an eye out for them when you are looking for rentals this year. Who will win the Oscars? I think Best Picture will go to Gravity. Best Animated Feature will probably go to Frozen. Best Foreign Feature could go to The Broken Circle Breakdown, or maybe The Great Beauty.  My favorite Documentary Feature was Cutie and the Boxer, but the Oscar will probably go to The Act of Killing. For shorts I'm picking The Voorman Problem for live action, Room on the Broom for animated and Cavedigger for documentary.

Pop the popcorn, get out your ballots and keep your fingers crossed for an entertaining awards show. C'mon Ellen. And the Oscar goes to.......

Oscars 2014: The People

When I look at the lists of actor, actress and director nominees, there's not one that would be a bad choice for the Oscar. This year was was rich with passionate performances and skillful direction. If the Oscar went to the most powerful performances Chiwetel Ejiofor, Meryl Streep, June Squibb, Leonardo DiCaprio or Barkhad Abdi would win. If it went to the most nuanced performance it would go to Jared Leto, Mattew McConaughey, Amy Adams, Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench or Lupita Nyong'o. Every director nominated turned out a film that was a signature piece. I'd like to see Martin Scorsese win, but Steve McQueen or Alfonso Caron will probably win. I think the actors who will win are DiCaprio, Streep, Nyong'o and Leto. If I were running the academy, I'd just buy an extra 20 statues and give them all a hearty "well done!"

Oscars 2014: The Stories

There is a wealth of material in this world on which to base a good story. In film an adapted screenplay is drawn from already existing material. I think Before Midnight was the most well written adapted screenplay this year. I'm torn between Her and Nebraska for original screenplay. Both were original and the dialog was outstanding. An interesting trend this year was the many films that were based on true stories.

Oscars 2014: The Sounds

Especially in a theater, the sounds of a film envelop us. It builds a mood and punctuates the drama. The film I felt this most in was Lone Survivor. I'd like to see the Oscar for sound editing go to this film. The music, along with the sounds of the city would make Inside Llewyn Davis my choice for best sound mixing. The music is the heartbeat of the film. the song Let it Go worked well with the story in Frozen. The score in Gravity worked with the visuals to take us to outer space.

Oscars 2014: The Sights

A very important aspect of any film is the visual. The images need to translate to a huge screen for the theater. It is a craft. The best this year has been in the movie Gravity. Taking place in the wide expanse of space and the small, claustrophobic confines of a space capsule, much of the drama is in the visual. I think Gravity could take the Oscar for Visual Effects, Art Direction, Cinematography and Editing. I wouldn't be surprised to see Prisoners grab the statue for cinematography because Deakins did some nice work there. I think the award for costumes will be between The Great Gatsby and American Hustle and makeup could go anywhere. Bad Grandpa would be deserving.

Oscars 2013

For the first time in over a decade I am watching the Oscars with my daughter and her husband. I usually watch alone, often by design, but the invitation to spend the weekend and stay over through Monday was too tempting. We will talk fashion, speeches, production and general snark. My son-in-law is overseeing the Oscar Pool with his wonderful sense of humor. Of the 53 nominated films, I have seen 46. It was a good year for My Oscar Project. Below are my picks if I were to cast an Oscar ballot. I am Red Carpet ready, and wishing Seth McFarland a good show.

Linda's Oscar Picks

Best Picture  Argo
Best Director Michael Haneke - Amour
Best Actress  Jessica Chastain - Zero Drk Thirty
Best Actor Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln
Best Supporting Actress - Anne Hathaway - Les Miserables
Best Supporting Actor- Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained
Best Foreign Feature - Amour
Best Animated Feature - The Pirates! Band of Misfits
Best Documentary Feature - Searching for Sugar Man
Best Animated Short - Fresh Guacamole
Best Live Action Short - Curfew
Best Documentary Short - Mondays at Racine
Best Costume - Anna Karenina
Best Makeup and Hairstyles - The Hobit
Best Original Screenplay - Moonrise Kingdom
Best Adapted Screenplay - Lincoln
Best Original Song - Skyfall
Best Score - Argo
Best Cinematography - Skyfall
Best Production Design - Anna Karenina
Best Visual Effects - Life of Pi
Best Editing - Argo
Best Sound Editing - Zero Dark Thirty
Best Sound Mixing - Les Miserables

Oscars 2011

Another film year has come to the end. Tonight The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will award the Oscar in 24 categories. For years now, I have used the list of nominees as a "must see" list of film leading up to the ceremony. Of the 56 films nominated, Ive seen 42 (foreign and short films are tough to find). A good year.
Here are my picks for the winners tonight. Gotta go pop the popcorn, dust off my tiara and tune in tonight, enjoy!

Best Picture The Social Network
Lead Actor Colin Firth - The King's Speech
Lead Actress Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Supporting Actor Christian Bale-The Fighter
Supporting Actress Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
Director David Fincher - The Social Network
Cinematography True Grit
Sound Editing Inception
Sound Mixing Inception
Visual Effects Inception
Art Direction Inception
Costumes The King's Speech
Makeup The Wolfman
Original Score The Social Network
Original Song We Belong Together - Toy Story
Animated Feature Toy Story 3
Foreign Language Feature Incendies
Documentary Feature Exit Through the Giftshop
Adapted Screenplay The Social Network
Original Screenplay The King's Speech
Film Editing The Social Network
Documentary Short Poster Girl
Animated Short Day & Night
Live Action Short The Crush

Friday Flick Picks 3/12/10

I haven't been in a theater for 2 weeks so I've got some serious catching up to do. Oh yeah, it's winter, I haven't missed much. Still want to see Alice in Wonderland, Cop Out and The Crazies. Also, the Green Zone has arrived in RI theaters. A Prophet is at the Avon and may get my attention. Miss the Oscar nominees? The Patriot Cinema's got a bunch, great deal for $1.99. Crazy Heart, An Education, The Last Station, Sherlock Holmes and Shutter Island all worth a look.

Oscar Party Photos 2010

On March 7, 2010 Susan, Sherri and I got our Hollywood on watching the Oscars' ceremony at Susan's house.
Susan made Swag Bags.....
There were snacks, ballots and libations.
Gowns.......
Julia Child's boeuf bourgenion a la Julie & Julia.
Wagers......

And the Wall of Fame. What a great night! Thanks to all who played along with me and my love of film. xoxo

Oscars 2010

The dust has settled on the 2009 film year and the Oscars have been handed out. The results can be found here. I had a little Oscar party for the first time ever. I brought all my ballots, food, beverage, photos and fandom to my friend's house. While the guys played poker, the girls enjoyed a little Hollywood immersion. The major awards were predictable. Surprises to me came with the writing awards for the Hurt Locker and Precious. For the record, Sandra Bullock was a bs nomination and a bs award, but she's a class act, gave a great speech and wore one of my favorite dresses of the night. A little slide show can be found here, now on the the films of 2010!!