Tuesday, January 22, 2019

How'd I Do? 91st Academy Awards nominations edition

overall: 82/107 (76.6%) (exactly the same as last year)
top 8 categories: 36/44 (81.8%)
acting categories: 16/20 (same as last year)

Best Picture calling this 8/9. Though I nailed all 8 nominees, I predicted a ninth.
A Star Is Born
Bohemian Rhapsody
Roma
Black Panther
Green Book
BlacKkKlansman
The Favourite
Vice

predicted: If Beale Street Could Talk

Oscar Nomination Predictions

Best Picture
A Star Is Born
Bohemian Rhapsody
Roma
Black Panther
Green Book
BlacKkKlansman
The Favourite
Vice
If Beale Street Could Talk

Director
Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born
Alfonso Cuaron - Roma
Spike Lee - BlacKkKlansman
Yorgos Lanthimos - The Favourite
Adam McKay - Vice

Actor
Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born
Christian Bale - Vice
Rami Malek - Bohemian Rhapsody
John David Washington - BlacKkKlansman
Viggo Mortensen - Green Book

Actress
Lady Gaga - A Star Is Born
Glenn Close - The Wife
Olivia Colman - The Favourite
Yalitza Aparicio - Roma
Melissa McCarthy - Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Supporting Actor
Sam Elliott - A Star Is Born
Mahershala Ali - Green Book
Richard E. Grant - Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Adam Driver - BlacKkKlansman
Timothee Chalamet - Beautiful Boy

Supporting Actress
Regina King - If Beale Street Could Talk
Rachel Weisz - The Favourite
Emma Stone - The Favourite
Claire Foy - First Man
Emily Blunt - A Quiet Place

Adapted Screenplay
Black Panther
If Beale Street Could Talk
A Star Is Born
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
BlacKkKlansman

Original Screenplay
Roma
The Favourite
Eighth Grade
Vice
First Reformed

Animated Feature
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Mirai

Production Design
The Favourite
Black Panther
First Man
Mary Poppins Returns
Roma

Cinematography
Roma
First Man
Cold War
The Favourite
First Man

Costume Design
The Favourite
Mary Poppins Returns
Black Panther
Mary Queen of Scots
Bohemian Rhapsody

Film Editing
The Favourite
First Man
Roma
A Star Is Born
BlacKkKlansman

Makeup and Hairstyling
Bohemian Rhapsody
Vice
Black Panther

Sound Mixing
First Man
A Star Is Born
Black Panther
Roma
A Quiet Place

Sound Editing
First Man
Black Panther
A Quiet Place
Mission: Impossible - Fallout
Ready Player One

Visual Effects
Avengers: Infinity War
First Man
Ready Player One
Black Panther
Solo: A Star Wars Story

Original Score
If Beale Street Could Talk
First Man
BlacKkKlansman
Mary Poppins Returns
Isle of Dogs

Original Song
"Shallow" - A Star Is Born
"I'll Fight" - RBG
"Trip a Little Light Fantastic" - Mary Poppins Returns
"All the Stars" - Black Panther
"The Place Where Lost Things Go" - Mary Poppins Returns

Documentary Feature
Won't You Be My Neighbor
Three Identical Strangers
RBG
Hale County This Morning, This Evening
Dark Money

Foreign Language Film
Roma
Shoplifters
Cold War
Capernaum
Never Look Away


Wednesday, January 2, 2019

Everything I Saw in the Second Half of 2018




28.12 The Favourite (2018) [cinema]
27.12 The Hangover (2010) [in-flight movie]*
27.12 Avengers: Infinity War (2018) [in-flight movie]*
27.12 The Death of Stalin (2018) [in-flight movie]
26.12 Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) [iTunes]*
23.12 Inside Man (2006) [Netflix]*
18.12 Three Identical Strangers (2018) [in-flight movie]
12.12 Roma (2018) [Netflix]
8.12 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) [Blu-Ray]*
8.12 Won't You Be My Neighbor (2018) [Blu-Ray]
4.12 The Expendables (2010) [DVD]*
4.12 Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) [Blu-Ray]*
4.12 Wreck-It Ralph (2012) [Blu-Ray]*
1.12 A Christmas Story (1983) [DVD]*
28.11 John Leguizamo: Latin History for Morons (2018) [Netflix - one man show]
27.11 Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) [cinema]
23.11 The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018) [Netflix]
21.11 Creed II (2018) [cinema]
20.11 Rocky IV (1985) [Blu-Ray]*
18,20.11 Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) [DVD]
14,17.11 Dracula (1931) [Blu-Ray]*
10.11 Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) [cinema]
9.11 The Wolf Man (1941) [Blu-Ray]
7.11 Parenthood (1989) [Blu-Ray]*
1.11 Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016) [Amazon]*
30.10 A Star Is Born (2018) [cinema]
27.10 Bride of Frankenstein (1935) [DVD]*
20.10 and 27.10 Young Frankenstein (1974) [DVD]*
27.10 Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) [Blu-Ray]*
27.10 Corpse Bride (2005) [cinema]*
23.10 Halloween (2018) [cinema]
19-20.10 Frankenstein (1931) [Blu-Ray]*
19.10 Beautiful Boy (2018) [cinema]
16.10 First Man (2018) [cinema]
15.10 A Star Is Born (1954) [DVD]
13.10 The Sisters Brothers (2018) [cinema]
9.10 A Star Is Born (1937) [Amazon]
6.10 The Old Man & the Gun (2018) [cinema]
30.9 Band of Brothers Part X: Points (2001) [Blu-Ray]*
29.9 Band of Brothers Part IX: Why We Fight (2001) [Blu-Ray]*
29.9 Band of Brothers Part VIII: The Last Patrol (2001) [Blu-Ray]*
28.9 Band of Brothers Part VII: The Breaking Point (2001) [Blu-Ray]*
26.9 Band of Brothers Part VI: Bastogne (2001) [Blu-Ray]*
26.9 Band of Brothers Part V: Crossroads (2001) [Blu-Ray]*
26.9 Band of Brothers Part IV: Replacements (2001) [Blu-Ray]*
26.9 Band of Brothers Part III: Carentan (2001) [Blu-Ray]*
25.9 RBG (2018) [Blu-Ray]
25.9 Band of Brothers Part II: Day of Days (2001) [Blu-Ray]*
22.9 Band of Brothers Part I: Currahee (2001) [Blu-Ray]*
20.9 First Reformed (2018) [Blu-Ray]
19.9 The Wife (2018) [cinema]
12.9 The Silence of the Lambs (1991) [DVD]*
11.9 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) [DVD]*
5.9 Crazy Rich Asians 92018) [cinema]
4.9 To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018) [Netflix]
3.9 Her (2013) [Netflix]*
1.9 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) [DVD]*
25.8 The Rider (2018) [DVD]
22.8 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) [DVD]*
21.8 BlacKkKlansman (2018) [cinema]
18.8 Midnight in Paris (2011) [Blu-Ray]*
15.8 Avengers: Infinity War (2018) [Blu-Ray]*
15.8 Tortoise Wins by a Hare (1943) [DVD - animated short]
15.8 Bugs Bunny Gets the Boid (1942) [DVD - animated short]
15.8 Don't Give Up the Sheep (1953) [DVD - animated short]*
15.8 Feed the Kitty (1952) [DVD - animated short]
15.8 The Mermaid (1904) [DVD - short]
14.8 Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018) [cinema]
9-11.8 Tully (2018) [Blu-Ray]
8-9.8 Lincoln (2012) [Blu-Ray]*
8.8 Unsane (2018) [Blu-Ray]
8.8 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) [DVD]*
6.8 8th Grade (2018) [cinema]
4.8 Baton Bunny (1959) [DVD - animated short]*
4.8 Haredevil Hare (1948) [DVD - animated short]*
4.8 Awful Orphan (1949) [DVD - animated short]
4.8 Hair-Raising Hare (1946) [DVD - animated short]*
4.8 Fast and Furry-ous (1949) [DVD - animated short]*
4.8 Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears (1944) [DVD - animated short]
4.8 Elmer's Candid Camera (1940) [DVD - animated short]
2-4.8 Patti Cake$ (2017) [Blu-Ray]
26-28.7 Hugo (2012) [Blu-Ray]*
24-25.7 Labyrinth (1986) [Blu-Ray]*
21.7 7 Days in Entebbe (2017) [Blu-Ray]
21.7 Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) [Netflix]*
18.7 Beirut (2018) [Blu-Ray]
10.7 The Cured (2018) [Blu-Ray]
9.7 Double Lover (2018) [DVD]
8.7 Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018) [cinema]

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Everything I Saw in the First Half of 2018

Reversing a general 5-year downward trend, I saw more movies in the first 6 
months of 2018 than in the first half of any year since 2012.

The real difference came in repeat viewing or watching movies I'd already 
seen. The number of movies I saw for the first time was the lowest since I 
started keeping track in 2013. However, I saw more movies in the cinema than 
in any first half-year since I started keeping track in 2012.

Movies marked with * are those I had seen before.



26.6 Incredibles 2 (2018) [cinema]
26.6 Bao (2018) [cinema - animated short]
23.6 Hereditary (2018) [cinema]
20.6 The Avengers (2012) [Amazon]*
15.6 Love, Simon (2018) [Blu-Ray]
12.6 Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) [cinema]
9.6 Ocean's 8 (2018) [cinema]
6-7.6 The 15:17 to Paris (2018) [Blu-Ray]
6.6 The Commuter (2018) [Blu-Ray]
5.6 Annihilation (2018) [Blu-Ray]
2.6 Red Sparrow (2018) [Blu-Ray]
2.6 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) [Amazon]*
29.5 Deadpool 2 (2018) [cinema]
26.5 Early Man (2018) [DVD]
19.5 Disobedience (2018) [cinema]
11.5 Proud Mary (2018) [Blu-Ray]
8.5 Avengers: Infinity War (2018) [cinema]
5.5 The Florida Project (2017) [Amazon Prime]*
4-5.5 12 Strong (2018) [Blu-Ray]
4-5.5 Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) [Blu-Ray]*
20.4 Chappaquiddick (2018) [cinema]
14.4 The Sandlot (1993) [DVD]*
11.4 A Quiet Place (2018) [cinema]
7.4 Black Panther (2018) [cinema]*
6.4 Ready Player One (2018) [cinema]
4.4 Seinfeld s.2 ep. 12 (1991) [TV]
4.4 Isle of Dogs (2018) [cinema]
3-4.4 Planet of the Apes (1968) [DVD]*
3.4 Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (1980) [DVD]
1.4 Acts of Violence (2018) [DVD]
1.4 The Hateful Eight (2015) [Netflix]*
28.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks (2012) [Netflix]
28.3 Dave Chappelle: Equanimity (2017 - stand up comedy) [Netflix]*
27.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Colin Quinn (2012) [Netflix]
27.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Barry Marder (2012) [Netflix]
27.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Bob Einstein (2012) [Netflix]
23.3 Thor: Ragnarok (2017) [Amazon]*
21.3 The Incredible Hulk (2008) [DVD]*
21.3 Superman (1978) [Blu-Ray]*
17.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Joel Hodgson (2012) [Netflix]
17.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Brian Regan (2012) [Netflix]
17.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Ricky Gervais (2012) [Netflix]
16.3 Iron Man (2008) [DVD]*
16.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Larry David (2012) [Netflix]
16.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Chris Rock (2013) [Netflix]
15.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: John Oliver (2016) [Netflix]
15.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Kristen Wiig (2017) [Netflix]
15.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Trevor Noah (2015) [Netflix]
15.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Sarah Jessica Parker (2014) [Netflix]
15.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Stephen Colbert (2015) [Netflix]
15.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Alec Baldwin (2012) [Netflix]
14.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Jimmy Fallon Part 2 (2014) [Netflix]
14.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Jimmy Fallon Part 1 (2014) [Netflix]
14.3 Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: Jim Carrey (2015) [Netflix]
14.3 Dave Chappelle: The Bird Revelation (2017 - stand up comedy) [Netflix]
13.3 Dave Chappelle: Equanimity (2017 - stand up comedy) [Netflix]
13.3 Game Night (2018) [cinema]
10.3 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) [Netflix]*
10.3 Touche, Pussy Cat! (1954) [DVD - animated short]*
10.3 Little Johnny Jet (1953) [DVD - animated short]
10.3 Jerry's Cousin (1951) [DVD - animated short]
10.3 Hatch Up Your Troubles (1949) [DVD - animated short]
10.3 Mouse Wreckers (1948) [DVD - animated short]*
8.3 Captain America: Civil War (2016) [Netflix]*
7.3 Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405 (2017) [YouTube - short]*
6.3 Ant-Man (2015) [Blu-Ray]*
6.3 Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) [Blu-Ray]*
4.3 90th Academy Awards (2018) [Network TV]
4.3 The Square (2017) [DVD]
3.3 On Body and Soul (2018) [Netflix]
2.3 "The Sponge" s.7 ep.9 of Seinfeld (1995) [syndicated TV]
2.3 Black Panther (2018) [cinema]
28.2-1.3 Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) [Blu-Ray]*
28.2 Call Me By Your Name (2017) [download]*
28.2 Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) [Blu-Ray]*
27.2 The Shape of Water (2017) [download]*
24-25.2 Only the Brave (2017) [Blu-Ray]
25.2 Heroin(e) (2017 - Oscar-nominated documentary shorts program) [cinema]
25.2 Knife Skills (2017 - Oscar-nominated documentary shorts program) [cinema]
24.2 The Post (2017) [download]*
24.2 Thor: The Dark World (2013) [Blu-Ray]
23.2 Molly's Game (2017) [download]*
21-22.2 Iron Man 3 (2013) [Blu-Ray]*
21.2 Roman J. Israel, Esq. (2017) [Blu-Ray]
20.2 Watu Wote (2017 - Oscar-nominated live action shorts program) [cinema]
20.2 The Eleven O'Clock (2017 - Oscar-nominated live action shorts program) [cinema]
20.2 My Nephew Emmett (2017 - Oscar-nominated live action shorts program) [cinema]
20.2 The Silent Child (2017 - Oscar-nominated live action shorts program) [cinema]
20.2 Dekalb Elementary (2017 - Oscar-nominated live action shorts program) [cinema]
20.2 Loveless (2017) [cinema]
17.2 The Avengers (2012) [Blu-Ray]*
15-16.2 Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) [Blu-Ray]*
13.2 Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405 (2017 - Oscar-nominated Documentary shorts program) [cinema]
13.2 Edith + Eddie (2017 - Oscar-nominated Documentary shorts program) [cinema]
13.2 Traffic Stop (2017 - Oscar-nominated Documentary shorts program) [cinema]
12.2 Thor (2011) [Blu-Ray]*
11.2 A Fantastic Woman (2017) [cinema]
10.2 Iron Man 2 (2010) [Blu-Ray]*
10.2 Achoo (2017 - Oscar-nominated animated shorts program) [cinema]
10.2 Weeds (2017 - Oscar-nominated animated shorts program) - [cinema]
10.2 Lost Property Office (2017 - Oscar-nominated animated shorts program) [cinema]
10.2 Garden Party (2017 - Oscar-nominated animated shorts program) [cinema]
10.2 Revolting Rhymes (2017 - Oscar-nominated animated shorts program) [cinema]
10.2 Lou (2017 - Oscar-nominated animated shorts program) [cinema]*
10.2 Negative Space (2017 - Oscar-nominated animated shorts program) [cinema]
10.2 Dear Basketball (2017 - Oscar-nominated animated shorts program) [cinema]
10.2 The Incredible Hulk (2008) [DVD]*
8.2 Iron Man (2008) [Amazon]*
6.2 Hostiles (2017) [cinema]
5.2 The Insult (2018) [cinema]
5.2 The Breadwinner (2017) [cinema]
3.2 The Big Sick (2017) [Amazon]*
31.1 Phantom Thread (2017) [cinema]
30.1 Get Out (2017) [DVD]*
30.1 Marshall (2017) [Blu-Ray]
29.1 Faces Places (2017) [cinema]
29.1 The Disaster Artist (2017) [cinema]
27.1 Loving Vincent (2017) [DVD]
27.1 Strong Island (2017) [Netflix]
26.1 Lucky (2017) [DVD]
24.1 Wonder (2017) [cinema]
24.1 Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2017) [Amazon]
23.1 The Post (2017) [cinema]
23.1 Last Men in Aleppo (2017) [Netflix]
19.1 All the Money in the World (2017) [cinema]
17.1 I, Tonya (2017) [cinema]
16.1 American Made (2017) [Blu-Ray]
13.1 Stronger (2017) [DVD]
10-11.1 Victoria & Abdul (2017) [Blu-Ray]
9.1 Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool (2017) [cinema]
8.1 Wonder Wheel (2017) [cinema]
8.1 Happy End (2017) [cinema]
6.1 Coco (2017) [cinema]*
5.1 Molly's Game (2017) [cinema]
4-5.1 Okja (2017) [Netflix]
4.1 Icarus (2017) [Netflix]
3.1 mother! (2017) [Blu-Ray]
2.1 Call Me By Your Name (2017) [cinema]

Saturday, March 17, 2018

2017 Oscar-nominated Documentary Shorts



The documentary short subject category is typically filled by films that take a laser focus on either small profiles of interesting people or subjects or profiles that bring to the fore a microcosm of a much broader issue.

Under the first heading you’d find Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405 and Knife Skills. The former is a profile of a middle-aged woman who has suffered most of her life from mental illness and depression, but through her art (painting and sculpture) she finds an outlet for her anxieties. The film is structured in a way that the circumstances of her life are pieced together over the course of 40 minutes so at first we wonder, given her unusual speaking style, if perhaps she suffered something physical. Eventually we learn about her childhood with a father who loved her but had trouble verbalizing his love and a mother who loved her but may have caused serious psychological harm without realizing it. Childhood OCD gave way to a nervous breakdown and eventually electro-shock therapy, which I was flabbergasted to learn is still administered. There are aspects to her personality that seem so child-like and innocent, but beneath the surface she has a firm understanding of everything and of how to work through it to have something like a “normal” life. It’s both inspiring and heartbreaking.

2017 Oscar-nominated Live Action Shorts



As usual, the Live Action Short category in this year’s Academy Awards is a collection of some of the finest filmmaking you’ll likely never see. It’s such a shame that there’s so little commercial market for these movies. Like most previous years, the five nominees include one comedy to brighten the mood if you choose to watch all five as a single program.

Dekalb Elementary is inspired by a real 911 call. A disturbed young man walks into a school with a rifle wanting to die. He threatens the receptionist and a few other employees as the school goes into lockdown and the police arrive. He feeds instructions to the receptionist to give the dispatcher over the phone to then pass on to the police on scene. Through about ten harrowing minutes the receptionist uses compassion to talk the perpetrator down as he begins to regret his decision. Director Reed van Dyk maintains the tension across the film’s running time and the unfortunate reality is that the subject matter would play s timely in any month of the last few years.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Top Ten of 2016

As it turns out, I never posted my top ten list for 2016. I had it mostly worked out at the time, but never got around to finalizing and posting it.

Very often, after a year has passed I come to regret certain decisions, but looking back I still think I can stand by this list.

10. El abrazo de la serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent) dir. Ciro Guerra - This was Colombia's entry in the Foreign Language Film category for the 2015 awards year. It was nominated, but opened commercially in the United States in early 2016, hence its inclusion on this list. Stunning black and white cinematography and a sedate tone make this one of the year's best, a meditative adventure story that weaves Heart of Darkness themes into a quest to find a mystical life-saving and mind-altering plant.

97th Academy Awards nomination predictions

Best Picture Anora The Brutalist A Complete Unknown Conclave Dune: Part Two Emilia Pérez A Real Pain Sing Sing The Substance Wicked Best Dir...