Oscar Link Roundup!

Who's pumped for the Oscars? I know I am! I love the excitement, I love the competitiveness of betting, I love the fashion, the show, the performances, and the celebration of cinema! I've rounded up a few links to get you ready and excited for the big show!

Hosting a party? We are! Here are Oscar party ideas from Brit & Co, Cupcakes & Cashmere, and printable ballots and bingo cards from How About Orange!

This reunion of the Oscar winners (for acting) in 2003 makes me all emotional. This one from 1997 is pretty amazing too... (parts 1 and 2)

This year's Oscar nominated films...acted out by children!  Tooooo funny.

20 of the most memorable Oscar speeches! Sacheen Littlefeather, anyone?

Another great memorable moments list! Louise Fletcher's speech makes me cry!

Memorable Oscars fashion! Oh Cher...

Tatum O'Neal and Anna Paquin winning their Oscars...so cute! I love kids, what can I say?

And finally, here's my favorite Oscar speech ever, hahaha. Love Rita Moreno!

Enjoy the show on Sunday!

Friday Quote: 12 Years a Slave

"I don't want to survive. I want to live."

12 Years a Slave (2013)

Bronson (2008)

According to pop psychology, a child raised with poor social skills is more likely to express him or herself through violence. When something is troubling them, rather than express their frustration verbally, they are more likely to resort to physical means to "get it out". If you ask me, this isn't too far removed from the impetus that moves an artist to create. Hans Christian Andersen is even credited as saying, "When words fail, music speaks." The same goes for dance, painting, filmmaking and all the other arts. In the case of Charlie Bronson, his art is violence. This is how he expresses himself. And unlike others that might dabble here and there, Bronson is a master at his craft.

Koko and the Ghosts (2011)

I had the immense pleasure of seeing this film over the weekend at the newly opened Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, CA. I felt really honored to get an opportunity to see a film from a country whose cinema is so rarely seen in this country, and this was a really fun one!

Koko (Antonio Parac) is a young boy recently praised for helping catch thieves with a group of his friends. After moving to a new town, he becomes involved in a new mystery involving the previous (and deceased) owner of his home. He's convinced the old man is a ghost, bent on reclaiming his home, and Koko's friends Zlatko (Kristian Bonacic) and Bozo (Ivan Maltaric) help him prove whether or not this ghost is real.

This movie had a fun Scooby Doo vibe to it, and all of the child actors were great. It very much felt like a children's film, and that's not a bad thing in this case at all. The story was told from the children's perspective, and unlike lesser children's films, the adults were not bumbling or foolish. Koko's parents in particular were very sympathetic, and there's a sweet scene between mother and son. Overall I had a very good time with this film, and I wish it could have more opportunities to be seen by American audiences. In fact, there's a sequel! Maybe I'll get to see that one someday...

Double-Bill: Ripley 'Round The World

Purple Noon and The American Friend

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Delivery systems are crucial. The way an idea is presented has great bearing on how it is perceived/accepted. For example, the work of James Joyce belongs inherently to the world of literature. When you try to translate something like Ulysses to film the results are horrific. What sounded beautiful on the page suddenly sounds ludicrous when coming out of an actor's mouth. The ideas are the same yet in one context we accept, in the other we reject.

For years Wes Anderson has been an acquired taste. Those who love his work love it unabashedly, those who hate it dismiss it as twee, quirky and overly mannered...and then he made Fantastic Mr. Fox. While it was by no means a huge hit, Mr. Fox yielded the greatest critical reviews of Anderson's career. It's currently ranked as 93% "fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes. So what had changed?

Anderson was still dealing with the same themes of family and loss, the camera moves were still precise and meticulous and the design was of course distinctly vintage. The only thing that changed here was the medium. What critics had found unbearable when performed by humans, suddenly became endearing when performed by animal puppets. Is it a fluke that three years later Moonrise Kingdom scored a 94%? Or did it just take a whistling, clicking, tail-less fox to hip them to what they were missing out on?

Friday Quote: The Adventures of Tintin

"There are plenty of others willing to call you a failure. A fool. A loser. A hopeless souse. Don't you ever say it of yourself. You send out the wrong signal, that is what people pick up. Don't you understand? You care about something, you fight for it. You hit a wall, you push through it. There's something you need to know about failure, Tintin. You can never let it defeat you."

The Adventures of Tintin (2011)

Thief (1981)

poster by Midnight Marauder

Man oh (Michael) Mann is this an angry picture! It's kind of hard to believe that this was his first feature. The fury and venom that is spewed in this film's final fifteen minutes is so intense you'd think this the work of someone who had been kicked around the system for decades. Absolutely no mercy. I guess in the end this was a reaction against his time in the television trenches. I'm sure the speed of a TV shooting schedule in the 70's wasn't very conducive to Mann's perfectionist tendencies. This film is Michael Mann showing what he could do when given free reign. This was him putting it all on the table just in case this was his only shot at feature filmmaking. This was his statement of intent, and boy has his career delivered on that promise.

Lazy Day Links

I'm feeling a little under the weather, and can't form complete sentences very well. So here's a link to a bunch of MOVIE TRIVIA QUIZZES, just for the hell of it. Thanks, Sporcle.com!

And here's a really awesome article on how to make any movie the perfect Valentine's Day movie...it's mostly a set of rules for any movie-loving couple to peacefully co-watch a film (definitely applies in our house!)

Finally, check out how your favorite movies should have ended...

I'll have more another day, I promise!

Double-Bill: Letts Make A Movie

Bug and Killer Joe

City Of God (2002)

There’s a lot to chew on in City of God, but what I found most intriguing was the evolution of the gangs in the film. Though everything is meticulously and excitingly depicted in the film, when I got to the end I still found myself baffled at how simple armed robbery was able to so quickly evolve into elaborate gang wars with excessive collateral damage? Seriously! In little more than a decade, the Cidade de Deus (d)evolves from something as (relatively) innocent as the quaintly named Tender Trio stealing gas canisters off a truck, to elaborate gang wars with excessive collateral damage. But then I guess that’s just capitalism. Someone invents the horseless carriage and before you know it there’s a billion-dollar industry and people fighting wars over the resource that makes those machines run. It doesn't matter if you’re from the favelas of Rio or the boardrooms of corporate America, the law of the land is survival of the fittest. Get your piece before someone else takes it. Kill or be killed. Isn't this a wonderful system?

Couples We Wish Were Real!

Happy Valentine's Day! 

In honor of this holiday of loooove, I thought I'd make a mini-list of actors I wish were a couple in real life. I'm not talking about any old movie couple, I'm talking about actors who've played a couple together at least twice. Here are my favorites...

Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara

As seen in: A Mighty Wind, Best in Show

Why? They're adorable, and they make great music together, whether it be the ridiculous "God Loves a Terrier" from Best In Show or the beautiful "Kiss At The End of the Rainbow" from A Mighty Wind.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

As seen in: Flying Down To Rio, The Gay Divorcee, Roberta, Top Hat, Follow the Fleet, Swing Time, Shall We Dance, Carefree, The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, and The Barkleys of Broadway. Whew!

Why? They're iconic, they make lovey-dovey eyes at each other like they're old pros (which, well, they are), and they're cute even when they're pretending to be mad at each other.

Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy

As seen in: Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight

Why? These two feel more real than most couples I've ever seen in a film. We've seen their cinematic romance span 18 years and I really wish these films were documentaries instead. I just love them.

William Powell and Myrna Loy

As seen in: The Thin Man series (six in all), and also Manhattan Melodrama, Evelyn Prentice, The Great Ziegfeld, Libeled Lady, Double Wedding, I Love You Again, Love Crazy, and The Senator Was Indiscreet (last one's just a cameo by Loy, but still, that grand total is 14 FILMS OMG)

Why? Why the heck not? They make marriage look stylish and fun and witty, and their chemistry is undeniable. I'm glad that they were at least dear lifelong friends. 

Here's to love and the movies! Who's your favorite actor pairing?

Friday Quote: Before Sunrise

"When you talked earlier about after a few years how a couple would begin to hate each other by anticipating their reactions or getting tired of their mannerisms - I think it would be the opposite for me. I think I can really fall in love when I know everything about someone-the way he's going to part his hair, which shirt he's going to wear that day, knowing the exact story he'd tell in a given situation. I'm sure that's when I know I'm really in love."

Before Sunrise (1995)

Capote (2005)

Traditionally biopics are made to glorify their subject. Any and all “dark” aspects of a person’s life are either ignored entirely or treated as obstacles that had to be overcome in order to achieve greatness. This is not the case with Capote. But then again this isn’t really a film about Truman Capote, he is merely the vehicle used to explore a more philosophical idea. This is a film about the ethics of authorship. What responsibility does an author have for his or her characters and their fate?

When you’re dealing with fiction, the moral implications are pretty small. Fiction writers can safely indulge their God complex by pardoning and punishing characters as they see fit and nobody takes notice outside of literary critics and university students. But what about non-fiction? What are the moral ramifications of those authorial decisions when the author is a real life participant in the narrative and has the power to control how things will play out? We are no longer simply dealing with hypotheticals. Real lives are in the balance and even the smallest decisions can have grave ramifications. It is easy to send someone off to die when they are nothing but words on a page, it is much harder to do when they are flesh and blood.

Say Anything... (1989)

When this time of year rolls around (aka Almost-Valentine's Day), I like to revisit my favorite romantic movies. This is one of my favorites. The story is simple...Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack), a kickboxing, pretty-average guy intends to woo the beautiful and ambitious Diane Court (Ione Skye).  Lots of people think it won't work, but their chemistry can't be denied. Writer/director Cameron Crowe takes this simple story and breathes life into it. These characters feel real, awkward, relatable. John Cusack and Ione Skye do a wonderful job with their characters, and they're surrounded by knockout performances by the supporting actors, particularly Lily Taylor as Lloyd's best friend Corey, and John Mahoney as Diane's doting father. This film is a classic about young love. Who doesn't look at John Cusack and think of him standing solemnly, holding that boombox high in the air? This is definitely one worth revisiting this week. Here's to love!

PS - This movie is streaming on Netflix!

PPS - The commentary track is awesome, if you own or rent it.

PPPS - "In Your Eyes..."

Three Kings (1999)

The fall of 1999 was a big turning point in my life. It was the start of my sophomore year of high school and I had just joined an after school arts program that would eventually take over the rest of my high school experience. It was a transitional phase between one group of friends and another. During this brief window of time I read two very formative books (Breakfast of Champions and The Catcher In the Rye), discovered albums like Weezer’s Pinkerton and Led Zeppelin’s Houses of the Holy and saw lots of really good movies. I particularly remember watching Fight Club the night before I took the PSAT and American Beauty immediately afterwards.

In addition to all the other ways my life was changing at the time, 1999 was also the beachhead of my political awareness. I took to progressive politics with the fury of a Catholic convert. I wrote editorial for the school paper questioning the official story of The Kennedy Assassination and a term paper on how Malcolm X was a personal hero! Within a year I would be attending Nader rallies at the Long Beach Arena. As such, Three Kings was a great film to see at this time. David O. Russell crafted the perfect film for my burgeoning political awakening and my already deeply entrenched love of cinema. This movie was funny, the filmmaking was admirably showy, the action was intense and the humanist message was overwhelming. When I received my first DVD player as a birthday present the following fall, this and American Beauty were the first two discs I got. Perhaps it's time to upgrade it to Blu-ray...

Double-Bills: Appetite For Destruction

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and The Blues Brothers

Friday Quote: I Love You Again

"Ever since you got off that boat you've been chasing me like an amorous goat. You've tried your darnedest to make me fall in love with you and now you have. So from now on I'm going to do the chasing, and believe me, brother, you're going to know you've been chased."

I Love You Again (1940)

Listening to Edward Scissorhands

It's been a little while since I invited our readers to revisit a particular film's score, but this one is very near and dear to my heart and I thought it was worth a shout-out. Edward Scissorhands (AKA the patron saint of angsty teens everywhere) is such a profoundly sad and wonderful character, and his tale is perfected captured by the music of Danny Elfman. Yes, the team of Tim Burton and Danny Elfman at this point is easily parodied, but when it works it works. This is a fairy tale, and the music takes you to that world of pastel houses, hedge animals, crazy hairdos, and Edward. The track below is my personal favorite, used in the scene where Edward is carving an ice sculpture and the girl he loves is dancing...

Enjoy.

The Act Of Killing (2013)

It's kind of hard to feel guilt over a terrible thing when your entire country insists on praising you for it. And I'm not even talking about "reality TV terrible", I'm talking "genocide terrible". The reality of present day Indonesia makes the wildest and most satirical parts of Network seem tame by comparison. In a matter of seconds this film can swing from hilarious, to heartbreaking, to horrific and back again. The fact that this is a documentary only serves to make the world it depicts even more frightening. Just the tiniest little push and that could be America, France, England, or anywhere. The only thing that keeps me from completely losing faith in humanity is the end of this film.

R.I.P. Philip Seymour Hoffman

Another one of the greats is gone. It's heartbreaking to see someone this talented leave us too soon. Our thoughts are with his family during this impossibly difficult time. His legacy will live on in the movies.

Double-Bill: Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day and Groundhog Day