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(03/09/11 11:25pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A single line sits idly on an empty screen in Disney’s classic film “Fantasia.” It is soon given life, emotion and expression by a symphony in a flurry of color and light. Such is the art of animation. “Simple lines and shapes can move and be expressive of how humans move. Animators can extract that human quality and bring them into the world of these abstract elements,” said Andrew Bucksbarg, an assistant professor in the telecommunications department. “As an art form, it’s really vibrant and exciting.” Bucksbarg is an experimental animator himself. Through his own manipulation of sound and color, he has created what he feels are minimal but expressive works of art that emulate the full range of human emotion and movement from its most realistic to its most abstract. What Bucksbarg and countless other animation artists are doing today is not typically associated with the cartoons that amuse and educate children, but Bucksbarg knows there is a relationship between the experimental and the mainstream that drives their craft. A good animator has a familiarity with the body in the same way a dancer would, Bucksbarg said, and an artist can spend years studying how something moves until they get absorbed by the mainstream culture. We see their work in films, television and advertising, then they use what they earn to fund their own independent projects. Communications and culture graduate student Laura Ivins-Hulley said people usually associate animation with cartoons on television or mainstream products by Pixar and Disney. “Every now and then, someone will think of the art and claymations, but it’s fairly limited in how people imagine what animation looks like,” Ivins-Hulley said. This becomes a problem when animators seek funding. If they get it, they’re limited to shorts rather than features. This wouldn’t have been a problem in the heyday of Hollywood, when animated shorts were packaged along with feature-length A-pictures. Now that market has moved online, and with the advent of computer animation technology, artists are capable of a wealth of new innovation but are unable to break into the dearth of big-budget cartoon features. “I wish it were more feasible to be a short filmmaker,” Ivins-Hulley said. “I’ll see these really beautiful, imaginative, short animations from some 22-year-old student at CalArts who’s just starting to figure out who they are as an artist, and the person will disappear into Pixar.” Leslie Sharpe, an associate professor of digital fine arts, knows of the full scale of successes and failures of modern animators from her students and inspirations. “Animation within the art world has always been practiced by very important artists but has always been marginal in terms of its reception,” Sharpe said. “More recently, you see a lot more inclusion of animators as artists in galleries in very prominent ways.” Much of that, Sharpe said, is because of YouTube and other ways of immersing oneself in culture on the Internet. Two of her students were selected as part of the Guggenheim Museum gallery because of their work they posted on YouTube. Because of these tools to distribute art and animation widely, animation is highly prevalent in today’s culture, and educators are developing new techniques to reach kids using animation as an active tool in the classroom. “Children are immersed in a media-rich world, and these animated shows make up an important linguistic and cultural resource for children,” said Karen Wohlwend, an assistant professor in the Department of Literacy, Culture and Language Education of the School of Education. “There’s been quite a push in the last 20 years to open up classrooms to use these texts that they know and love and look at the ways that enriches their writing and reading, but it’s also to help them think critically about where these things come from and who makes these texts.” Arguably, children are not the demographic for experimental forms of animation, but if adults created a market for inventive short films the way they once did with Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny shorts, experimental animation may be right for kids after all. “It appeals to children for the same reason it appeals to us,” Wohlwend said. “Children take up these films in pretty complex ways. Cutting them off altogether would be impossible. What we want to do is teach them to respond and be selective in making choices, and we can assist with that.” Wohlwend explained that parents are highly influential in shaping children’s opinions on media because kids can easily pick up about their parents’ feelings. Their education becomes part of a give-and-take process between consumers and animators. Ivins-Hulley has found in her study of stop-motion films from the Czech Republic that existing animation typically draws from a society’s already established visual culture. Ivins-Hulley’s idea relates to Bucksbarg’s own dilemma of choosing between “showing a character” and “making them real” in his own animation. “Sometimes something not fully human is even more human,” Bucksbarg said.
(03/09/11 11:18pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When you went to the movies many years ago, you got to see a newsreel, a short film, a feature and, if you were lucky, a Mickey Mouse cartoon. That little guy was more famous than Shirley Temple. Today there isn’t much of a market for animated shorts at the movie theater. That market has moved online in the form of independent viral videos, music videos or remarkable segments from popular shows. But the studios once responsible for producing animated shorts for kids and adults have focused their attention on churning out poorly made Saturday morning cartoons or big budget, 3-D action extravaganzas with increasingly larger sequel numbers on the end. Now I’ll admit, “Kung Fu Panda” isn’t that bad. Even in loud, frenetic animated films, there is a considerable amount of craft that goes into making that panda somersault through the air, careen into everything and then fart. Yet the features that meet unprecedented critical acclaim by today’s standards have a diligently artistic craft that smacks you in the face (“The Secret of Kells”), a subtle expression of beauty (“How to Train Your Dragon”) or a genuinely sincere and original moral center (fill-in-the-blank Pixar film). In comparison, a generally respected list from 1994 of the 50 greatest cartoons ever made shares none of those qualities. Most of them actually find a way to be inventive, radical or do something that shatters the fourth wall. They have little plot and are classically cel-animated, yet each did something to move animation forward as an art form. Many of the shorts are familiar titles and for good reason. “What’s Opera, Doc?” (or the “kill the wabbit” cartoon) required tireless effort to create the six-minute short, and it parodies more obscure subjects than had ever been touched before. “Duck Amuck” broke the fourth wall by making the animator the biggest cog in Daffy Duck’s mayhem. Disney’s “The Band Concert” predated “Fantasia” with its use of elaborate musical arrangements. Tex Avery’s “Red Hot Riding Hood” was simultaneously an advertisement and a critique of Hollywood. “Three Little Pigs” was an embedded political message about how to survive the Depression, and “Der Fuhrer’s Face” was American propaganda about the horrors of living in Nazi Germany starring Donald Duck. This list consisted almost entirely of films before 1960, and it goes to show that no matter how many “Shrek” spin-offs we get, no one will invest the time or money to make another seven-minute short that will be as good and as popular as “Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century.” Today’s exceptions to that rule are Pixar, Nick Park’s “Wallace and Gromit” and the countless aforementioned YouTube stars.But the system to see their films is broken. The animated short category at the Oscars might mean something if people could see the films ahead of time, but the ones that get nominated may not be as radical or as difficult as some of the things you can find on YouTube. Last week’s box office champ “Rango,” love it or hate it, is what animated films and shorts could be. For all of “Rango’s” chaotic action, much of the film is filled with an irreverent, trippy and subtly homage-based imagery. Critics who loved “Rango” admired these isolated gems of animated wonder contained within the film. So why can’t Hollywood producers isolate those moments and package them into juicy shorts to accompany the madcap blockbusters to which they devote all their attention? That way we’d feel we’re actually getting something extra for our 3-D surcharge.
(02/28/11 11:03pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Oscar broadcast was so dull on Sunday night, we had to do something to keep ourselves busy. So members of the WEEKEND staff and former editor Cory Barker participated in a live chat throughout the ceremony.We racked up over 500 comments and an additional 100 reader comments throughout the agonizing four hour broadcast.For those of you who missed it, enjoy this sampling of some of the Greatest Hits of our live chat a la AV Club.As Scarlet Johannson is being interviewed on the red carpet:
Cory Barker: ScarJo's date is walking around daring someone to ask him who the hell he is.
As Oscar hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway enter the stage
following a pretty lame pre-recorded segment of them being included in
all the Best Picture nominees:
Matt Lyles : Franco smoked a joint while they were playing that. That's what all the smoke was.As the first award of the evening, art direction, goes to "Alice in Wonderland" over BWelk's pick in the category for the Outguess Ebert competition, "The King's Speech:" Brian Welk: WHAT ALREADY LOST MY $100,000!?As Kirk Douglas presents (eventually) the award for Best Supporting Actress:Cory Barker: Wasn't the goal of hiring the younger hosts to appeal to younger viewers? As the nominees for Best Supporting Actress are announced:Cory Barker: If you saw Animal Kingdom, I'll PayPal you a dollar. (Brian did)As BWelk goes 0-4 early on after "The Lost Thing" upsets Pixar's "Day and Night:"Brian Welk: How did the Academy not choose the one short
film that EVERYONE has seen? I'm not saying that based on quality but
simple technicality and logic. As Lee Unkrich gives his acceptance speech for "Toy Story 3" winning Best Animated Feature:Cory Barker: Hey Lee, you don't have to sell ANYONE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD about the awesomeness of Pixar. As Aaron Sorkin is announced as the winner for Best Adapted Screenplay:Cory Barker: [Enter Sorkin cocaine joke here.] As the music attempts to play Aaron Sorkin off stage:Mikel Kjell: Play him off keyboard cat.As Aaron Sorkin finally concludes his speech:Brian Welk: Good speech Sorkin. But Paddy Chayefsky's movie doesn't have Network in the title. The title IS Network. As they announce the nominees for Best Original Score and prepare to perform them live:Matt Lyles: How is a symphony going to play Trent Reznor?As "Inception" gets its first of three technical awards of the evening:Cory Barker: First thing I thought of when the INCEPTION title card hit at the end: That's some good fucking sound mixing. As the presenters continue to trudge through Sound Editing and Mixing:Cory Barker: Were all presenters required to take and subsequently fail a drug test? As the "Inception" train kept rolling:Cory Barker: I love how the last two winners have made sure to point out Nolan's awesomeness as to tell the Academy to go fuck themselves. After an awful auto-tuned version of "Harry Potter 7," "The Social Network" and "Twilight: Eclipse."Cory Barker: So that was this year's Ben Stiller in a terrible costume, right? As a certain African American female media mogul announces the Best Documentary nominees: Brian Welk: Oprah's Banksy. As the cast of "Sherlock Holmes" presents the next category:Brian Marks: Is Jude Law still relevant?And the Instant Poll results: 40% Yes 40% No20% Who's Jude Law?As Billy Crystal makes the one slightly funny appearance of the evening:Cory Barker: Jesus, has Bill Crystal aged since 1992?Brian Marks: He runs on a nuclear powered core.As Jude Law continues to prove his relevance: Cory Barker: And apparently, Jude Law when makes jokes about RJD's past it's cool. When Gervais does it, it's awful. On "Inception" getting snubbed from the Film Editing category:Cory Barker: How stupid is it that Inception wasn't even nominated in this category? Brian Welk: The time shifts and perspective shifts in Social
Network are totally Rashomon. As riveting as 127 Hours was, this
deserves it. Although I am surprised the big action movie didn't get a
nod. Cory Barker: But Inception doesn't work without the editing. (of course, apparently I'm the only person in this chat that likes Inception.) Brian Welk: Well, no movie "works" without the editing.Cory Barker: I HATE YOUFollowing a user comment that claimed "127 Hours" was the "BASIS of Film Editing:"Brian Marks: Yes, the best editing category was created decades ago in anticipation of 127 Hours As Jennifer Hudson introduced the third of four Original Song nominees:Mikel Kjell: Rock man is how hudson pronouced A. R Rahman's name, he should win this just because he is actually mega man I guess. As Gwyneth Paltrow, "Country music's newest star," starts to perform a song from "Country Strong:"Matt Lyles: The minute I come back I have to watch Gwyneth Paltrow singing country music? Fuck you, Academy. On Randy Newman's Best Original Song victory for "We Belong Together:"Mikel Kjell: Randy Numan is terrible Brian Marks: He used to be important. Before he sold his soul to Pixar. Mikel Kjell: Sing more about stuff you see Brian Welk: I thought he was exaggerating, but he really has been nominated 20 times. Matt Lyles: Randy Newman sounds too much like Christopher Walken for comfort right now. Cory Barker: There is no awards show that requires a full
calendar year of distance from it as soon as it's over like the Oscars.
Jesus this makes me want to drink heavily. As 11:00 rolled around:Matt Lyles: We've been doing this for 3 hours. Kirk Douglas took up half that time. As Celine Dion sings Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" over the In Memoriam segment:Cory Barker: Celine is thinking to herself: "I will never be in this montage. I will live forever."As the montage wraps: Matt Lyles: Corey Haim for the snub. Cory Barker: Thank god for the Internet and its ability to make Corey Haim not making the Necrology feel like a big deal. Matt Lyles: Corey Haim left a will. "I do not want to be in the In Memoriam segment if Celine Dion sings." Cory Barker: Matt Lyles, way to steal Tim Goodman's joke right off Twitter! As Tom Hooper accepts his Oscar for Best Director:Brian Welk: One of my friends pointed out that I look like Tom Hooper. Cory Barker: I mean loved The King's Speech, but fuck. C'mon. In 20 years, what movie gets remembered? Mikel Kjell: the damned
united is one of the best sports movies ever made but the direction was
just beautiful image after beautiful image, not a lot more than that. Cory Barker: Twitter hates Tom Hooper. As the Dude presents Best Actress:Cory Barker: Hey, it's TRON LEGACY's Jeff Bridges. As we near the end:
Cory Barker: Also when Dane Cook is making fun of your hosting through TwitPic, something might be wrong.Mikel Kjell: I dont think franco is high, I just think he doesnt give a shit about this anymoreAdam Lukach: I mean he's been hosting for 3 hours now. He's definitely come down if he was high. Cory Barker: I have to imagine that Franco is both high and trying something completely new with his performance. As Natalie Portman wins her Oscar for Best Actress:Cory Barker: Please don't laugh. Please don't laugh. As Sandra Bullock presents the award for Best Actor:Cory Barker: Sandra Bullock is awesome. I don't care. Judge me. Brian Marks: DoneAdam Lukach: Lots of judgment @ Cory As the clip from "The Social Network" plays in which Jesse Eisenberg recites, "You have the minimum amount of my attention:"Brian Welk: His speech is like an analogy for this broadcast. As Colin Firth claims his Best Actor Oscar for "The King's Speech:"Cory Barker: He's totally stuttering his way through this. Is this some sort of performance art? As we begin to make sickening realizations:Cory Barker: True Grit - 0, The Wolfman - 1, Alice - 2As "King's Speech" is declared The Best Picture of 2010:Mikel Kjell: Knew king's speech was going to win when they used it for the fucking narration of the nomineesCory Barker: I hope there's outcry on Twitter like the Grammys. "WHO THE FUCK IS THE KING AND WHAT IS HIS SPEECH." Adam Lukach: whatisakingsspeech.tumblr.com (not a real site) As the PS22 Choir performs "Over the Rainbow" as part of an Oscar finale:Adam Lukach: I hope Roman Polanski isn't there.
(02/24/11 2:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Predicting the Oscars is a science in the sense that it is not a science at all. If it were, I would have an entire spreadsheet that proves more critics chose “The Social Network” as the best movie of the year than any other movie, and by a long shot, too. I can also point to data trends of the Academy over the last five, 10, 20 or 83 years and make predictions that way. And yet the science comes in that it is most logical to expect the unexpected and predict based on what is most expected of the Academy and no one else. With that “logic,” it seems absurd that anything but “The King’s Speech” can actually walk away the big winner Sunday night. Does it actually make the most sense to you or me? Possibly not, but the same is true of a dozen other Oscar categories, and this is WEEKEND’s feeble attempt to make light of that Academy mindset.Best PictureThere was a time when this was a two horse race, and if I really wanted to be charitable, I’d say five films had a shot. “Black Swan,” “The Fighter” and “True Grit” all have outside chances of winning the big prize based on their amount of critical acclaim, other awards they’ve already snatched up and the stories a win would tell. However, “The King’s Speech” will be king. Here is a classic Hollywood film that has performed immensely well at the box office. It is inspirational, visually stunning, brilliantly acted and is all true to boot. Unlike it’s rival, “The Social Network,” all of its greatness is up there on the screen, and it is the overwhelming favorite that anyone can appreciate. If “The Social Network” stands any sort of chance, it is because its level of critical acclaim is overwhelming, a Golden Globe win does actually mean something and it has the ability to define the year of 2010 better than any other film can.ActorIn the same way that the greatness of the “The King’s Speech” is up there on screen, so is Colin Firth’s performance. We can see how much work he put into his role in every stutter, in every pause and in every completed sentence. He lost to fellow nominee Jeff Bridges last year, but he is a phenomenal actor that deserves this Oscar. Although Jesse Eisenberg’s low-key performance may have an outside shot, it is Firth’s race to lose. Supporting ActorAlthough the best indicator in this category is who won the Golden Globe, I would bet Christian Bale would take this even if he had lost the Globe. Like Firth, he’s all there, and he too is portraying a real life character. What’s more, the feeling of anguish and pain brought by the character’s drug use is a great incentive to the Academy. If “King’s Speech” sweeps, Geoffrey Rush may ride that wave, but it’s a tough guess.ActressThis is possibly the richest group of nominees in the Oscars, but Natalie Portman has saturated herself in the media as America’s sweetheart. “Black Swan” works because of her level of depth and complexity. But it’s also a success story to know that she put herself through hell in learning how to dance and lost a lot of weight in the process. Annette Bening did some great screen acting in “The Kids Are All Right,” and her upset could come because it’s the only comedy.Supporting ActressThe hardest acting category to predict is the Supporting Actress category. Melissa Leo has long been the front runner for her performance, which is as big and commanding as the other nominees’. But she may split her vote with Amy Adams. And although Helena Bonham Carter is in the front running film, it has quickly become the consensus that Hailee Steinfeld actually played the lead in “True Grit.” If the Academy were to ever heap acclaim on a young actor, this would be the place to do it. DirectingFor eight of the last 10 years, the Director’s Guild winner has matched up perfectly with the Oscar winner for Best Director. And for seven of the last 10 years, the Oscar winning director has matched with the Best Picture winner. Tom Hooper won this year’s DGA award, and if we assume a “King’s Speech” victory, then it would be unwise to bet against him. But David Fincher won the BAFTA, an award that would logically go to a Brit, and he too is a formerly nominated, legacy director yet to make his mark. Adapted ScreenplayAside from being the most dialogue heavy of all the nominees, Aaron Sorkin’s “Social Network” is the best “adaptation” of a biography, crafting a story that is part true and part enchanting fantasy. Original ScreenplayBelieve it or not, “Inception” won the Writer’s Guild award, and “The Kids Are All Right” is a witty, feel good comedy that won’t win any other awards, but I’ve said it before; this is a “King’s Speech” year.Documentary FeatureThe Academy likes to think that their award recognizes a film that makes a statement, like an endorsement of a cause. “Inside Job” is a hard-hitting journalistic take on the economic crisis in America with a real timely pull. But people are curious about seeing Banksy, who, after his “Exit Through the Gift Shop” nomination, has apparently been leaving his mark around Los Angeles.Animated Feature“Toy Story 3” will win, hands down.Art DirectionThe aesthetics of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Inception” are certainly the showiest, but “The King’s Speech” will go on a roll, and its glorious palace setting has a good chance to sweep up this award as well.CinematographyI wrote a column about all five nominees in this category, but Roger Deakins of “True Grit” has been nominated nine times and never won. Now he’s modernized Western on-location cinematography the way John Ford would have. He’s a lock.Costume DesignMaybe I just can’t in good faith pick “Alice in Wonderland” to win an Oscar, but it has been my experience that the historical costume dramas typically claim this award. Guess which Best Picture nominee is also a nominated costume drama: “The King’s Speech.”Film Editing“The Social Network” thrives on creating seamless shifts between past and present, different perspectives and different tones. It keeps pace with Sorkin and really makes the Facebook movie come alive.Foreign Language FilmThe movie everyone has heard of is “Biutiful,” but that’s always the worst way to select a winner in this category. “In a Better World” from Denmark won the Golden Globe, but there is some festival buzz surrounding the French Canadian “Incendies.”MakeupIt goes to the one with the most of it, so “The Wolfman.”Best Original ScoreTrent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s “Social Network” score was by far the most effective, and it is certainly a front runner. But don’t count out Alexandre Desplat for “King’s Speech,” who (1) gave a more classical entry into the category, (2) is part of the leading film and (3) is an actual composer with his fourth Oscar nomination.Original SongThe nominees are weak this year, so the best bet is Randy Newman’s “We Belong Together” for “Toy Story 3.”Documentary Short SubjectThis is basically a shot in the dark, but of all the nominees, “Strangers No More” seems most up the Academy’s alley.Short Film (Animated)The most widely seen of these nominees is Pixar’s “Day and Night,” and it is a good one.Short Film (Live Action)Here’s another shot in the dark, but I’m going with “Wish 143,” about a sort of Make-a-Wish-Foundation movie. Sound EditingThe winner is typically the biggest, baddest, loudest action movie. “Tron: Legacy” is nominated, but bet on “Inception.”Sound MixingSee Sound Editing: “Inception.”Visual EffectsThe Academy may respond to the 3-D of “Alice in Wonderland,” but “Inception” made Paris fold in on itself.
(02/24/11 2:21am)
Why they should, might, and won't win
(02/24/11 12:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Every Best Picture winner has a story to tell, and I don’t mean a screenplay. The movie that wins Best Picture each year always has a narrative to go along with it, the kind that film historians will be reciting years from now and the same kind producers are selling to the Academy as we speak. It’s becoming more preordained each day that “The King’s Speech” will triumph against the field. While I once imagined the story a victory for “The Social Network” to tell, that narrative is dwindling as we approach a moment of history that will be more familiar in terms of the Oscar history we already know.But each of these stories does deserve to be told, if only for the reason that nearly anything could happen Sunday.Dark horse nominees like “True Grit,” “The Fighter” and “Black Swan” each have yarns to spin.For the Coen brothers, if they win, they can be assured that they were the directors to revive the Western. Before people saw “True Grit,” it was seen as the remake of a John Wayne movie, and now it is becoming the film that modernized Western dialogue and on-location cinematography. What better way to tag the film as a true “epic” than an Oscar win?For “The Fighter,” it’s that the true story of the year can be something down-to-earth and relatable. A Best Picture win for it would say, people like Micky and Dicky are real. We know these people. They’re not Harvard nerds or reckless explorers or royalty. And it would mean a chance to see more great sports movies, maybe even recreate the “Rocky” legacy. For Darren Aronofsky and “Black Swan,” suddenly we’d all get the hint that a real art film could win the biggest award in Hollywood. Critics said winning an Oscar allowed the Coens to make “A Serious Man.” Aronofsky is one of our finest new directors. Imagine what he could do if given the credit (something much better than an X-Men movie).Those stories are all possibilities and promising ones at that, but the one that is most likely to stick belongs to the “The King’s Speech.” Every year audiences waste millions of dollars on extravagant action films, mindless comedies and needless sequels, and this year they took a break to see a film where people simply talked, laughed and cried. It was a film that looked more like a movie from the Golden Age than any in the last decade. It told an inspirational story of how a timid monarch led the masses into the most memorable war of all time and how he did so through personality, hard work and friendship. That’s the story Hollywood wants to tell in 2010. It’s not a bad one. Audiences will eat it up and in fact have already. However, these are the Academy values we’re more familiar with. Last year they surprised us by demonstrating how politics, great filmmaking, women directors and low popularity can conquer all, and it became the biggest fluke in Oscar history. It’s a shame, because I would’ve thought the narrative for “The Social Network” would already be written for the historians. It’s a film that defines how we communicate here and now. It’s a time capsule, sealed and buried for future generations.And yet, what will those future generations discover when they dig up “The Social Network”? They will see the same brilliantly understated and intelligent film we all did. I hate to think that a movie as good as “The King’s Speech” could be dated years from now, but its historical narrative has been told before.I can’t rewrite Oscar history, but hopefully this bit of discussion and dissent allows me to add my own chapter.
(02/10/11 12:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There are two types of people in the world: People who know the difference between art direction and cinematography and people who don’t. Those who do know include a large number of Academy members. Those who don’t know want the Oscar ceremony shortened by awarding such categories on a separate evening the way they would for the Grammys or the Governor’s Awards. And as interesting as the main categories are, the awards for things like sound mixing, sound editing, film editing, art direction and cinematography do not have locked-in winners just yet. In many ways, these are the categories worth thinking about the most. A number of editors, DPs and sound guys have been doing brilliant work with brilliant directors for decades, and an Oscar in one of these categories really does indicate greatness in a way the acting categories may not. Case in point: Does anyone honestly feel Sandra Bullock is a great actress all of a sudden? This year is huge for cinematography, and all five films deserve a place on this list. “Black Swan,” “Inception,” “The King’s Speech,” “The Social Network” and “True Grit” are the nominees. All five cinematographers have been faithfully working with their film’s respected directors throughout their entire careers, and some have shown their terrific craft in other great-looking films as well. Matthew Libatique has worked on all of Darren Aronofsky’s films save “The Wrestler,” but he also did both “Iron Man” movies and a few of Spike Lee’s recent films. His camera work was the reason “Black Swan” could feel elegant and hypnotic or trashy and psychotic. This is the fourth Oscar nomination for Wally Pfister, all of which are for Christopher Nolan films, and the Oscars can often favor action films in this category. Jeff Cronenweth has been working with David Fincher and still is on “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” and his “Social Network” cinematography may not be showy, but there is a delicate craft that goes into it. And who can forget Danny Cohen’s work in “The King’s Speech”? I particularly noticed the giant, yet striking empty wall when Bertie first began speech therapy with Lionel. The front-runner, however, is Roger Deakins of “True Grit.” Deakins has now been nominated nine times and has never won. Although he has been working since the ’70s and shot nearly all of the Coens’ films, two Best Picture winners and “The Shawshank Redemption,” it took going to the friggin’ desert before anyone noticed how good he was. However, Best Cinematography does often turn some heads at the Oscars. It’s the sound awards that get hustled through every year. The awards usually go to the loud action movies namely because, in terms of sound editing and mixing, they typically have the most. In this case, that film is “Inception,” which is likely to sweep the technical awards. But read what film blogger Jim Emerson has to say about the sound mixing in “True Grit” and its nominee Skip Lievsay: “Remember this? Mattie and Rooster are perched up in the hills, waiting for Lucky Ned Pepper and his men to show up. A man on a horse comes riding up the trail below. It’s dark and he’s too far away to get a good look at, but the moment he dismounts we know who it is. How? A faint jingling of spurs. Lievsay has brought that kind of wit and imagination to sound design for many years.” These people too are repeat nominees, utterly devout to their directors and veterans in churning out good, solid work film after film. They work hand-in-hand with the film editors, and I’m impressed by their craft too. In Film Editing, the front-runner is likely “The Social Network,” which thrives on its seamless shifts in time and perspective, giving it that enchanting “Rashomon” style of storytelling. Although if I had to choose, I’d award Best Film Editing to Jon Harris and “127 Hours.” I would also argue this film is the snub in the cinematography category, but here’s a film that is literally trapped in time and space, and through the careful yet frenetic editing of jump cuts, wipes and alternating between queasy and steady cam, we get a riveting, quick and intense film. Although, I wouldn’t necessarily count out the nominees for “The King’s Speech,” “Black Swan” or “The Fighter.” It takes editing to make a speech come alive, or a ballet, or a boxing match, or any film for that matter.
(01/27/11 3:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>We've always wondered about that sign outside of Mother Bear's that touts it as the 4th best pizza place in the nation. It's good pizza, and we're not knocking it, but there are so many other types of pizza around the country of all different shapes and sizes.Here are just a few.Hawaiian pizzaTo say Hawaiian pizza is from Hawaii is about as uninformed as saying Pizza Hut is Italian. The name derives from the toppings of pineapple and ham, and Honolulu native and IU sophomore Karen Lee doesn’t even care for it. “Honestly, most people in Hawaii don’t eat Hawaiian-style pizza,” Lee said. “Our menus are very tailored toward Asians with the large Asian population there, so we enjoy pizzas with Thai peanut sauce instead of normal marinara.” Lee also said the pizza at Aver’s or Mother Bear’s is creative enough to do well in Hawaii.Chicago pizzaThe pizza in Chicago is known as some of the best, and there are four kinds. Whether you want deep-dish, stuffed, pan or thin-crust, there is a pizza for you in the Windy City. The deep-dish style originated at the still-standing Pizzeria Uno in 1943, and by cooking the crust first and layering the toppings and cheese heavily, Chicago invented a style completely different from the Italian original. That expanded in the 1970s when Giordano’s and Nancy’s added more toppings over crust to create stuffed pizza. For something “lighter,” as in no fork and knife necessary, Chicago thin crust pizza is still a crunchy yet saucy treat. “Nothing compares to a Giordano’s deep-dish pizza,” said IU junior Maggie Dunphy, who is from the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Ill. Dunphy said you get more of the delicious crust for your pizza in Chicago than anywhere else. “Thin crust just holds the pizza together, but in deep-dish the crust is definitely accented,” Dunphy said. California pizzaAlthough Wolfgang Puck and California Pizza Kitchen are almost everywhere, the best place to get authentic California-style pizza is still where it originated in 1980: Berkeley, Calif. IU graduate and Berkeley resident Livy Wilz can’t speak more highly of a pizza style willing to experiment in cheeses, vegetables and meats over sauce and grease. Wilz recommends a Berkeley staple, The Cheese Board Collective pizzeria. “The pies at the Cheese Board have a fairly thin crust, no sauce and are topped with garlicky-fresh, local and all-vegetarian ingredients,” Wilz said. “The pizza that they serve here is more like a frittata or something that you would get in Italy compared to what you find elsewhere in America. They combine things that you wouldn’t normally expect on a pizza, like squash, kale or sweet corn, but it’s always delicious.”St. Louis pizzaMemphis has its barbecue and New Orleans has its jambalaya, but those aren’t the only cities located on the banks of the Mississippi River to have a trademark food. St. Louis is known nationwide for its unique brand of thin-crust pizza, which is usually made with Provel cheese. IU junior and St. Louis native Andrew Blank loves his hometown pie but said he understands the reluctance of others to try it. “It’s been my experience that many non-St. Louis natives have trouble acquiring a taste for this style of pizza.” Blank doesn’t hold a grudge against Bloomington pizzerias for not serving his hometown pies, though. “The pizzas at places like Mother Bear’s or Aver’s, for example, are more substantial, more dense, which is a nice change of pace,” he said. New York City pizzaNo other city in America immediately evokes images of pizza quite like New York. Its thin, foldable slices are as much a staple of American food culture as apple pie and Cracker Jack. IU freshman and Manhattan native Matt Lederman said he likes his hometown pies so much that eating pizza in Bloomington is a wholly unappealing prospect. “New York City pizza is amazing. I can’t eat the pizza here because of it,” he said. Some of that aversion, no doubt, comes from the Midwest’s penchant for a somewhat thicker crust than what they eat on the East Coast. Not being in the world’s biggest grocery center anymore doesn’t help, either. “It has the perfect-sized crust and always really fresh ingredients,” Lederman said about his beloved NYC pies. In his mind, Monroe County’s pizzerias just don’t stand up. Detroit pizzaDetroit has a long history with pizza. Domino’s founder Tom Monaghan also owned the Detroit Tigers from 1983 to 1992, and entrepreneur Mike Ilitch currently owns both Little Caesars and the Detroit Red Wings. Beyond the big chains, though, Detroit has forged its own pizza identity by inventing a variation on the Chicago-style deep dish that keeps locals coming back for more.IU junior Matt Boyd said he prefers Buddy’s Pizza among local Detroit pizzerias. “They win awards every year, and their pizza is a mix between a basic pan pizza and Chicago-style. It’s not quite deep-dish, but it’s a little thicker and has toppings and sauce below the cheese with another layer of sauce on top,” he said. Boyd hasn’t found anything like Buddy’s in Bloomington, but he does enjoy Mother Bear’s and Monroe County Pizza. Of course, there is still one way he can feel like he’s furthering the Detroit pizza cause here at IU.“There is a Little Caesars if I want to support the hometown company,” he said.
(01/27/11 12:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Sometimes you have to take the small victories in life. When we only complain about the things that didn’t turn out to be big victories, we get nowhere. Imagine if there was a place where everyone just moaned about all the things that didn’t go entirely their way. Oh wait, it’s called the Internet. But I digress. The Oscar nominations came out Tuesday, matching the predictions of many. Yours truly guessed 41 of 45 nominations in the big categories. However, if I had predicted what I felt the nominees should have been, my score would have been a lot lower. But as it stands, I’m satisfied with my guesses and surprised by a number of the smaller categories and nominees to be found in each. None of these may have any bearing on the final outcome, but they’re interesting to talk about while reflecting on some of the best films of the year. The biggest standout to me is that both “127 Hours” and “Winter’s Bone” received Best Picture nominations, pushing out “The Town,” which is, admittedly, not a great film. It’s a sign to me that Academy voters did their research and checked their biases at the door. “Winter’s Bone” is such a small indie film, and here it is up against “Toy Story 3” and “Inception,” the box office champs of the year. The nomination for newcomer Jennifer Lawrence was preordained, but now you have John Hawkes nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and he’s one more reason to go back and revisit the film. Also, the controversy over “127 Hours” seems to have gone by the wayside after receiving six nominations. Audiences were so terrified of passing out while watching it that James Franco’s grandmother called people “pussies” on Funny Or Die. Perhaps now there has been a change of heart. I chuckle at nominations like Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter” for being nominated for, of all things, Best Visual Effects. Truly “Hereafter” is an, ahem, sci-fi, fantastical aesthetic masterpiece. And I smile at nominations like “I Am Love” for Best Costumes because I can no longer say it got “completely” forgotten. Were there snubs? Of course there were! I can name a half dozen films that didn’t get the nominations they deserved, but I can name a half dozen more that did. I would’ve been torn up for instance if Michelle Williams was not nominated for Best Actress for “Blue Valentine.” I am disappointed Ryan Gosling wasn’t nominated as well, but that means great things for Javier Bardem in “Biutiful,” which has a slight chance of actually changing this race. I’m disappointed to not see any of “The Social Network” supporting cast in the running, but it is perhaps reassuring to know that Jeremy Renner is an actor here to stay and with great potential. I’ll also have to seek out the two documentaries “Gasland” and “Waste Land” following their nominations, because to be honest, I had reservations regarding “Waiting for Superman.” That film could’ve been a lock to win in this race, but now Banksy is the one we’re all looking for (as if we haven’t been already). Although for an Academy that appears to be more receptive to interesting films, they may not have flinched on “The Ghost Writer” and Roman Polanski or “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World” and everyone who has seen it (including myself), heralding it as a cult classic. I mean seriously, why was Beck not at least nominated for Best Original Song for “Scott Pilgrim”? Was it because Sex Bob-Omb is only here to make us think about death and feel sad and stuff? Sorry, sorry, small victories. Like Trent Reznor for Best Original Score! Actually, that would be a big victory in my book.
(01/25/11 3:12pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“The King’s Speech” reigned supreme when the Oscar nominations were announced this morning, claiming a total of 12 nominations including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director and nominations for its entire leading cast. Director Tom Hooper’s film about the speech impediment of King George VI is a front-runner in the Oscar race after winning at the Producers Guild Awards, and it beat out Western remake “True Grit” with 10 nominations and Facebook biopic “The Social Network” with eight. “The King’s Speech,” “The Social Network” and “True Grit” are three of the 10 nominees in Best Picture for the second year in a row. Box office favorites “Inception,” “Toy Story 3” and “The Fighter” scored nominations, as did the smaller independent and limited release films “127 Hours,” “Winter’s Bone,” “Black Swan” and “The Kids Are All Right.”Front-runner in the Best Actress race Natalie Portman was nominated for her work in the ballet thriller “Black Swan,” which received five nominations. She’s expected to win out against the now four-time nominated Annette Bening (“The Kids Are All Right”), Oscar winner Nicole Kidman (“Rabbit Hole”), Michelle Williams (“Blue Valentine”) and newcomer Jennifer Lawrence (“Winter’s Bone”).One Best Actor nominee is the co-host of the Oscar ceremony, James Franco. Franco was nominated for portraying explorer Aron Ralston in Danny Boyle’s drama “127 Hours,” which surprised critics by receiving six nominations. The remaining Best Actor nominations included last year’s winner Jeff Bridges (“True Grit”), first time nominee Jesse Eisenberg (“The Social Network”), front-runner Colin Firth (“The King’s Speech”), and surprise nominee Javier Bardem for his film “Biutiful.”“Biutiful” was also nominated for Best Foreign Language film of the year, and Bardem’s nomination snubbed Robert Duvall for his work in “Get Low.” Other surprises included John Hawkes’s nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category for his work in “Winter’s Bone” and Jacki Weaver in the Best Supporting Actress category for “Animal Kingdom.” The pair pushed out candidates from “The Social Network” and “Black Swan,” respectively. The Academy Awards will be held on February 27.The full list of the nominees in all 24 categories can be found below.Best Picture“Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers“The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers“Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers“The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers“The King’s Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers“127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers“The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers“Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer“True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers “Winter’s Bone” Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers Actor in a Leading RoleJavier Bardem in “Biutiful”Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”Colin Firth in “The King’s Speech”James Franco in “127 Hours”Actor in a Supporting RoleChristian Bale in “The Fighter”John Hawkes in “Winter’s Bone”Jeremy Renner in “The Town”Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech”Actress in a Leading RoleAnnette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone”Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”Actress in a Supporting RoleAmy Adams in “The Fighter”Helena Bonham Carter in “The King’s Speech”Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”Animated Feature Film“How to Train Your Dragon” Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois“The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet“Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich Art Direction“Alice in Wonderland” Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan“Inception” Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat“The King’s Speech” Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr“True Grit” Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy HaighCinematography“Black Swan” Matthew Libatique“Inception” Wally Pfister“The King’s Speech” Danny Cohen“The Social Network” Jeff Cronenweth“True Grit” Roger Deakins Costume Design“Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood“I Am Love” Antonella Cannarozzi“The King’s Speech” Jenny Beavan“The Tempest” Sandy Powell“True Grit” Mary ZophresDirecting“Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky“The Fighter” David O. Russell“The King’s Speech” Tom Hooper“The Social Network” David Fincher“True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen Documentary (Feature)“Exit through the Gift Shop” Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz“Gasland” Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic“Inside Job” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs“Restrepo” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger“Waste Land” Lucy Walker and Angus AynsleyDocumentary (Short Subject)“Killing in the Name” Nominees to be determined“Poster Girl” Nominees to be determined“Strangers No More” Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon“Sun Come Up” Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger“The Warriors of Qiugang” Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon Film Editing“Black Swan” Andrew Weisblum“The Fighter” Pamela Martin“The King’s Speech” Tariq Anwar“127 Hours” Jon Harris“The Social Network” Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter Foreign Language Film“Biutiful” Mexico“Dogtooth” Greece“In a Better World” Denmark“Incendies” Canada“Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)” Algeria Makeup“Barney’s Version” Adrien Morot“The Way Back” Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng“The Wolfman” Rick Baker and Dave Elsey Music (Original Score)“How to Train Your Dragon” John Powell“Inception” Hans Zimmer“The King’s Speech” Alexandre Desplat“127 Hours” A.R. Rahman“The Social Network” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Music (Original Song)“Coming Home” from “Country Strong” Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey“I See the Light” from “Tangled” Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater“If I Rise” from “127 Hours” Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong“We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman Short Film (Animated)“Day & Night” Teddy Newton“The Gruffalo” Jakob Schuh and Max Lang“Let’s Pollute” Geefwee Boedoe “The Lost Thing” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann“Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)” Bastien DuboisShort Film (Live Action)“The Confession” Tanel Toom“The Crush” Michael Creagh“God of Love” Luke Matheny “Na Wewe” Ivan Goldschmidt“Wish 143” Ian Barnes and Samantha WaiteSound Editing“Inception” Richard King“Toy Story 3” Tom Myers and Michael Silvers“Tron: Legacy” Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague“True Grit” Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey“Unstoppable” Mark P. Stoeckinger Sound Mixing“Inception” Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick“The King’s Speech” Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley“Salt” Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin“The Social Network” Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten“True Grit” Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. KurlandVisual Effects“Alice in Wonderland” Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi “Hereafter” Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell“Inception” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb“Iron Man 2” Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick Writing (Adapted Screenplay)“127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy“The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin“Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich“True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen“Winter’s Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini Writing (Original Screenplay)“Another Year” Written by Mike Leigh“The Fighter” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson; Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson“Inception” Written by Christopher Nolan“The Kids Are All Right” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg“The King’s Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler
(01/20/11 3:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Whether the title “Western” evokes a sense of nostalgia or a grimace on one’s face, this genre of entertainment is an indisputably influential one. Starting in 1903 and continuing into the present day, the Western has contributed immensely to American pop culture. Here are a few of the more memorable and timeless movies.Silent Era“The Great Train Robbery” (1903) Believe it or not, this black-and-white silent film was the first narrative cinematic experience ever created. This prototypical classic details the standard outlaws vs. the sheriff pursuit throughout its eleven minute duration. This movie rode in on the coattails of other Western-based entertainment including the dime novel and, of course, “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West.” Interestingly enough, this Western was shot on location in New Jersey of all places. Not so rustic, eh?“The Iron Horse” (1924)As one of John Ford’s earliest and rarest films (technically he’s uncredited), this silent epic charts the construction of the transcontinental railroad that connected East to West. This Western was typical of the genre in the silent era, the kind of film that celebrated American achievement (a boldly stapled-in shot of Abraham Lincoln’s statue bust closes the patriotic film) and touted film itself as an expression of an art form and a historical document.John Ford Era“Stagecoach” (1939)Westerns were never the same after John Ford made “Stagecoach,” arguably one of the most influential films ever made. With John Wayne in the lead role, it redefined the hero as less than fully noble. But more importantly, it changed kinetic action scenes entirely. There’s a famous chase between a group of Native Americans and the stagecoach Wayne is trying to protect that is a marvel of black-and-white cinematography.“High Noon” (1952) In Fred Zinnemann’s black-and-white classic of the American West, two great strides were made for the genre. First, Tex Ritter’s beautiful, tragic rendition of “Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’” was the first true Western theme song, a concept that composers like Ennio Morricone would run with in the 1960s. Second, its sheriff hero (Gary Cooper) isn’t greeted with support from the townspeople he hopes to enlist in a posse to help arrest a group of bandits coming to town on the noon train. Instead, they react with indifference, and he’s forced to gun down the criminals alone. He leaves the town silently and somberly, the entire Western genre uprooted behind him.Golden Era“The Searchers” (1956) John Ford stormed back to the Western genre in 1956 with this feature starring John Wayne that shone a harsh, honest light on the racism inherent in the frontier experience. When Wayne’s young niece is kidnapped by Comanche Indians, he undertakes an obsessive quest to find her that eventually spans over a decade. When he does find her, he decides she’s become so assimilated with the Comanche that he should just kill her. Of course, he eventually relents, but even the ostensibly sunny closing shot after her happy reunion with her family is tinged with pathos: There’s no place for Wayne in the family, so it’s back to the frontier he goes.“The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962) This John Ford studded classic starring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart entails the vintage 1960s Western ambiance that one would fully expect. The plot concerns itself with outlaws who live outside the fumbling arms of the law, a machismo gunslinger who keeps the town in one piece and an educated city boy who just wants to bring law and order to the rough-and-tumble town. Chock full of saloon scenes, standoffs and resonate one-liners, this film pushes the viewer to ask, “Why isn’t every man as righteous as John freakin’ Ford?”Revisionist Era“The Wild Bunch” (1969)Sam Peckinpah released “The Wild Bunch” to some of the most polarizing reception of all time in 1969. That’s because the film was, and is, one of the most violent ever made. The film follows a ruthless bunch of bank robbers whose last big score goes horribly wrong. It’s a coldly suggestive film about the nature of fate, all punctuated by an explosively violent gun battle against the entire Mexican army that goes on for about 15 minutes in the film’s finale.“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969)In an era marked by exceptionally dark, violent Westerns, this film by George Roy Hill (which eventually lent part of its title to star Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival) put the lawless world of frontier robbery in a much more lighthearted context, and even adapted some of the Summer of Love’s feel-good vibes to a frontier vista. It will forever be remembered for its anachronistic employment of “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” and the witty banter between leads Redford and Paul Newman. It endures because it embodied a free, drug-laced era, even when the rest of its genre tried to ignore those truths.Modern Era“Unforgiven” (1992) As the star of some of the most instantly recognizable Westerns ever made, it only makes sense that Clint Eastwood’s masterpiece as a director would come in a bold redefinition of the genre. Recipient of four Oscars, “Unforgiven” is likely the most inspired, important Western made post-“Searchers.” Eastwood turns the myth of the Western hero inside out at point-blank range through the barrel of a shotgun. The relative dearth of Westerns made since then can probably be at least partly attributed to a reluctance to try to follow this film.“True Grit” (2010) This Coen brothers remake augments the slovenliness of a Western marshall played by Jeff Bridges, who sets out on a mission to find a killer. This film may be a bit more true to the real “grit” of what the Wild West actually entailed for pioneers and the like. The standard American Western is not dead with this revitilization of the tradition. Given a 95 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, this film breathes some life into a film commonly thought of as “old hat.” Way to go, Bros.
(01/13/11 12:50am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Curse David Fincher and his digital wizardry! All I was trying to do was watch the special features on “The Social Network” Blu-ray, and leave it to him to include a way to Benjamin Button me and my life a year in advance. Yes, I’m now even gladder to be Swedish thanks to Fincher’s own “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” cleaning house at the box office in late December, but the entire future is not that bright. In the quick glimpse I saw of 2011, I was surrounded by the same images appearing again and again. 3-D! Sequels! Superheroes! Steven Spielberg! Natalie Portman! Cowboys! Aliens! They were everywhere, and I was not convinced 3-D needed to be until Scorsese showed me and everyone else how it was done with “Hugo Cabret.” You’d think Marty had been making family fantasy movies his entire career with this visually wonderful film. It and Tarsem Singh’s “Immortals” were the only two 3-D films that seemed to be innovating with the technology. Along with 3-D came the sheer plethora of big franchise sequels to tout the gimmick. With “Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” “Cars 2,” “Happy Feet 2,” “Final Destination 5,” “Paranormal Activity 3,” “Transformers 3,” “Pirates 4,” “Scream 4,” “The Hangover Part II,” “Kung Fu Panda 2,” “Spy Kids 4,” “Breaking Dawn: Part I,” “Alvin and the Chipmunks 3-D” and “Piranha 3DD,” there are more than enough sequels to now tarnish “Toy Story 3”’s reputation as the best movie ever made with a number on the end of it. The numbers on the ends of those movies are nearly outnumbered by the amount of superheroes flying into action. Thor, Captain America, The Green Lantern, The Green Hornet and the X-Men are all getting adaptations this year. Apparently Iron Man was lonely in 2010, so all the other Avengers need to show up to keep him company. And guess how many of these movies Steven Spielberg has a hand in? He’s only producing “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” “Cowboys & Aliens,” “Real Steel,” “I Am Number Four” and J.J. Abrams’ much buzzed about “Super 8,” but he also directed “War Horse” and the first of three of “The Adventures of Tintin,” both of which come out in December. But you’d better start your Team Natalie campaigns now. The soon-to-be Oscar-winning actress is starring in four projects in 2011. Portman’s doing the comedies “No Strings Attached” with Ashton Kutcher and “Your Highness,” the David Gordon Green medieval comedy with Danny McBride, James Franco and Zooey Deschanel. But she’s also in “Thor” and “Cloud Atlas” from “Run Lola Run” director Tom Tykwer. Take it from a person who’s seen the future; she’s on her way to becoming America’s sweetheart. Although you don’t need to go to the future to predict one thing about Portman: she’ll get married and give birth!
(01/13/11 12:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mark Zuckerberg is an asshole. Or is he? Natalie Portman is pregnant. Or is she? Banksy’s documentary is real and so is his subject Thierry Guetta. Or are they? The answers to those questions are: probably not, yes and who cares? Trivial as those questions may be, they will play a very important role in the ongoing Oscar race. As is always the case but rarely widely known is that who will win at the Academy Awards is very much dictated by real world politics, gossip and controversy. It’s the reason critics are often wrong in predicting the outcome because quality is typically not the only factor in deciding a winner. But whereas other awards shows have lost credibility because of their political lean, the Oscars are the only award left that seems to reflect the bigger picture in the surrounding world. I refer back to my original examples. Back when “The Social Network” was released, Mark Zuckerberg donated a large sum of money to charity. Are the two events necessarily related? No, but it was made to appear that way. Now as ballots are distributed to Academy voters for nominations, Facebook is in the news again, this time for receiving a $450 million investment from Goldman Sachs. If and when Facebook becomes publicly traded, it will speak to the company’s significance on our society. David Fincher’s movie conveniently does the same thing, so how do you think Columbia exec Scott Rudin is going to pitch that “The Social Network” is the film to vote for? Rumors are also abounding that Natalie Portman’s pregnancy and engagement to her choreographer on “Black Swan” was announced in a timely enough fashion to earn a sympathy vote for Best Actress. It’s a bit of a stretch to make that presumption, but the whole idea is to create an image here. You don’t often become America’s sweetheart by just being cute, especially when the movie she’s in doesn’t scream adorable. And Banksy and “Exit Through the Gift Shop”? Well, this intrigues me on a number of levels, none of them particularly relevant to the quality of the documentary. Even though there is no shred of actual proof, there are still rumors that the film is an elaborate prank played on us by the most notorious and reclusive artist of the decade. What’s more, if Banksy’s film wins, is it possible he could show up to claim his award? These are the narratives that are being spread around because when it becomes impossible to choose between quality, voters look at the message a win would send. “Exit Through the Gift Shop” speaks to the nature of art and the counter culture that supports it. Playing up the idea that voting for the film suggests an embracement of the counterculture that is street art, even if Banksy has no chance of coming out of hiding, is all the more appealing. Think back to when “The Hurt Locker” was gunning for Best Picture. The story against it was not that it made no money or that Kathryn Bigelow has no other real masterpiece to her name. Instead it was that Mark Boal may have plagiarized the screenplay or that the film didn’t accurately depict the life of a soldier. In the end, the film’s victory sent a message that the Iraq War is an unpopular one, and the war does something to the soldiers we send there. It’s also a great film. And so is “The Social Network” or “Black Swan” or “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” But no one cares about that.
(12/22/10 6:43am)
The original “True Grit” was released in 1969. It was a classical
Hollywood Western when Butch and Sundance and “The Wild Bunch” were redefining
the genre. The film was a fun throwback, and there are likely no better
directors today than the Coen brothers to attempt to revive that same
nostalgia.
(12/09/10 1:04am)
Our editors' and writers' picks
(12/08/10 11:48pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There’s no better time than not-the-end-of-the-year to write my end–of-the-year-column. So rather than rate the movies and the year as a whole, I thought I’d reflect on the most important things I’ve learned throughout 2010. My top 10 list might change in the next few weeks, but my perception won’t.Every single year is back loaded with good movies, and more people are recognizing it as a problem.As is fairly obvious with the timing of this issue, I have been unable to see some of the best, Oscar-bait movies of the year.It’s a long held strategy to slowly market a movie throughout awards season to build buzz. But for as much as I complain now, I likely complained just as much every year before.As the Oscars beg for ratings, analysts are saying the key is simply to make everything earlier. That would make the half dozen or so movies I’ve yet to see infinitely more accessible to wider audiences prior to the end of the year. And with digital distribution, a good number of Academy voters are seeing no reason not to.Ten is a good number.Say what you will about what looked like an Academy publicity stunt last year, but doesn’t knowing there will be 10 films in the Best Picture category just make the race more interesting? The fact that “Inception” and “Toy Story 3” are sure-fire locks will put a lot of minds at ease. It also shakes up the other races, because with so many great movies breaking into the Best Picture field. It makes it harder to sort out who gets cut from the categories that still have five nominees.Some movies, no matter how good, require a beating with a stick before people see it.For anyone who hasn’t seen “The Social Network” yet, it’s likely because of the reservation that it’s just a Facebook movie. They are wrong.The same goes for “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” which has been inappropriately tagged as the hipster film of the year.The MPAA rating system is getting ridiculous.Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips wrote a great column saying he was done with the MPAA, who assigned “The King’s Speech” an R-rating following an improvised scene of Colin Firth repeatedly uttering the f-word. He questioned how a period piece character drama could possibly get the same rating as “Saw 3-D.” A valid question.James L. Brooks’ “How Do You Know” suffered the same fate until it was appealed to help its awards chances. And I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of scene is in the indie romance “Blue Valentine” that would warrant an NC-17.Iraq War films will never be seen as “accurate.”I was a bit surprised when a lot of backlash surfaced prior to “The Hurt Locker’s” Best Picture win as being inaccurate, plagiarized, what have you. The same goes for “Green Zone,” and it was all reiterated in one issue we put out of WEEKEND on Veterans Day. With all due respect to the article and the soldiers profiled in it, if the war on screen was not the war they were fighting, whose war should it have been?They say you never take an expert to a film about their own field, and apparently that applies to veterans as well, but I don’t think any filmmaker ever claimed their film was the real deal. Case in point: “The Deer Hunter,” “Platoon,” “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Apocalypse Now” are not documentaries, and they are only “realistic” in their cinematic style. “The Hurt Locker” is the same.However, “Restrepo,” an Afghanistan War documentary shot in the Korangal Valley is the real deal, and everyone, enlisted or not, should seek it out.The grass is always greener on the other side.I won’t deny I have some criticisms on 2010. They are valid, if not bitter.The funny thing is, I did the exact thing in 2009, and now I point to it as something of a model.All I can really do is ultimately come to the conclusion that there were some good movies and some bad ones, and by the time next year rolls around, all that’s worth remembering are the good.
(12/08/10 11:35pm)
The show must go on
(12/08/10 11:30pm)
LCD Soundsystem tops WEEKEND's list of the best albums of the year.
(12/08/10 11:15pm)
WEEKEND breaks down the Top 20 movies of 2010.
(12/02/10 1:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Oliver Hopkins, Duncan Kissinger, Michael Preuschl and Marcus Tedesco are only four freshmen from Indianapolis, but as Hotfox, they’ve quickly catapulted to the top of the local music hierarchy by being named Best Local Band. We sat down with the band to talk about its latest album “You, Me and the Monster” and upcoming shows on Dec. 8 at the Bishop and Jan. 14 at the Earth House in Indy along with Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s.Weekend: Tell us about how the band met and how you all started up.Oliver Hopkins (vocals/guitar): Duncan and I actually got together around seventh grade, and we started playing music in late grade school. We met Mikey in high school, and Duncan and I were writing songs. It was really only January of this year that Duncan, Mike and I decided we were going to do this together. Michael Preuschl (drums): Oliver and I played in different bands in high school. We would play shows together, and it wasn’t until senior year when those other bands had run their course that we started.Weekend: Describe the recording process you had on “You, Me and the Monster” with Tyler Watkins (Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s).Duncan Kissinger (guitar): The week we got out of high school, we started recording. It was originally only 16 days that we were going to do that, and we ended up being there the whole summer. It was a long process.Hopkins: We hung out, listened to all the songs and played them acoustically to make sure the structure was something we could work with. We made sure they were still interesting and had some life to them. Preuschl: A lot of writing occurred in there, especially for me at least drum wise. A lot of the things were really solidified, and we took this ball of clay, if you will, and really made it into something that was good.Weekend: How did you meet up with Watkins?Kissinger: Late sophomore year or junior year of high school, Oliver and I came across the MySpace page for Queensize Studios, and we thought it would be really cool if we messaged him, and we could record there. We were just messing around. It was like three in the morning, and we were just writing songs trying to be ambitious (laugh), and Tyler responded. We got in touch with him randomly on MySpace, and he liked our music. He’s been really supportive.Hopkins: And he wasn’t a pedophile. We met him on MySpace and he was a solid man.Kissinger: Yeah, it’s pretty cool to have someone as well versed as he is around us because he has been very good to us and very influential. We also met a lot of big names in the Indy music scene through him, such as Crafty, Everything, Now! and Thunders. Hopkins: It’s nice to have support from those bands, bands that we definitely listen to and dig what they’re doing. It was cool to have that reciprocated by them playing on our record for us and them being interested in our melodies. Weekend: You said in your NUVO interview that this album would have a deeper, darker sound. Does it, and what can new listeners take away from it?Hopkins: I was at first thinking it’s a deeper, darker thing, but the record has some balance to it. It has its lights and darks. And a lot of the really darker songs didn’t make the record. That was because we were writing songs in the studio. We would be ready to record, and Tyler would go to the restroom, and he came back one time and we already had a song written. It was just a complete creative period.Weekend: How would you say you’ve handled the transition between Indy and high school to Bloomington and college?Hopkins: The body of material has really helped us. In high school we were playing songs that were really in the moment. But as our music grows, we’ve been able to handle a somewhat faster pace, playing shows to keep up with everyone down here. But we’ve also been able to hang back and enjoy the ride. It became more about the music down here. We’re just another set of kids playing music. There are thousands of people playing music down here. We can’t wave our album around like it’s the Holy Bible. We are a humble addition to all the music here in Bloomington.Weekend: How would you describe the music scene in Bloomington? What’s it like playing shows here?Preuschl: It’s refreshing. There’s a music scene in Indianapolis, and not a half bad one either.Hopkins: But they’re all people that came from Bloomington.Preuschl: Yeah, and I say refreshing because the very first night we were all here together, we saw a show for $4, and it was a great show. You can’t see a show in Indy for $4. It was really exhilarating to see that this is what we’re here for. Kissinger: And everything is more concentrated. Down here, everyone that plays music is around this campus.Hopkins: Compared to people in Indy, there were a lot of people who were older than us. They were 23, and we were 15. We had homework and stuff, and down here, you make your own rules. Bloomington is a place with open arms for musicians.Weekend: How do you feel about your newfound success and also winning Best of Bloomington?Hopkins: I want to thank the people that put our name in. That’s really kind of them. There are a lot of bands in Bloomington, and I don’t think you could pick one best band. The Broderick really is fantastic. So there is a better band that could be the best of Bloomington, or the best of anything. But it’s really humbling. It’s good to know that people know who we are, that we’re not some invisible thing that came down from Indianapolis and not just another blip of a band. Kissinger: We haven’t even been here for like a quarter of the year!To hear Hotfox's album, "You, Me and the Monster," you can listen to it online here: http://www.musicalfamilytree.com/band/hotfox