With “Argo” now in tow (my 3.5 star review), the Oscar race is starting to flesh out. Only a handful of films that will be major contenders for any awards have not yet been screened at festivals or to the press, those being “Les Miserables,” “Zero Dark Thirty,” “Django Unchained,” “The Hobbit,” “Hitchcock” and “Promised Land.” The question will be if “Argo” has the legs to go all the way given its somewhat middling performance at the box office (it earned about $19 million and was #2 behind “Taken 2”). It’ll surely get a Best Picture nomination and likely more, but only time will tell.
Here then is an updated look at some of the news of the week and a slightly tweaked list of predictions.
“Flight” premieres at NYFF closing night
Robert Zemeckis’s first live action film since “Cast Away” is already being celebrated as great, complex studio filmmaking. Its strong outing practically cements Denzel Washington as a serious contender for Lead Actor and also has put John Goodman in the supporting conversation thanks to his other appearance this week in “Argo.”
Documentary Shorts Category has shortlist revealed
Eight short films have been selected as the potential five Oscar nominees from a list of 31 eligible titles. The list is as follows: (via Indiewire)
“The Education of Mohammad Hussein,” Loki Films
“Inocente,” Shine Global, Inc.
“Kings Point,” Kings Point Documentary, Inc.
“Mondays at Racine,” Cynthia Wade Productions
“Open Heart,” Urban Landscapes Inc.
“ParaÍso,” The Strangebird Company
“The Perfect Fit,” SDI Productions Ltd.
“Redemption,” Downtown Docs
“The Dark Knight Rises” in the hunt
Warner Bros. announced their For Your Consideration campaign this week, with the big surprise being the campaign for Anne Hathaway and “The Dark Knight Rises.” Hathaway’s role as Catwoman is being sold as a lead performance, which means she could find a spot in a slim field and be poised to not compete with herself in the supporting ranks for “Les Miserables.” See the whole Warner Bros. campaign.
James Gandolfini has secret part in “Zero Dark Thirty”
Michael Moore comments further on controversial documentary branch
Michael Moore, never one to usually be opinionated and vocal (cough, cough), made further criticisms/explanations about his expectations regarding the new rules for nominating films in the Best Documentary category of the Oscars. He was a proponent for the new rules that make the nominating process more inclusive, but he feels certain films have taken advantage of these possibilities, leaving for a crop of films, 160 roughly, that is just too big a mountain to conquer. At the same time, he hopes to expand the number of voting members in the documentary branch for next year’s awards season. (via Indiewire)
I needed to find a way to write about the Oscars. I’m constantly seeing news and updates in everything I read and everyone I follow on Twitter, so I know what’s happening almost as soon as they do.
But I don’t live in New York or LA. I don’t have press access to early film screenings. I can’t do more than follow distributors on Facebook and Twitter to get the same updates the pros do.
I’m viewing all this second hand, from just off the red carpet.
But that doesn’t mean I can’t share everything I’ve heard, and that doesn’t mean I don’t have my own take on all that’s going on.
So what I’ve decided to do is start a weekly column where I round up all the Oscar news I’ve found relevant in the past week and share it with my own spin. It’s the least I can do.
Up Till Now
Since this is my first “Off the Red Carpet” column, I feel it’s necessary to catch everyone up on all that’s happened in the race so far.
“Amour” won the Palme D’Or at Cannes, making it only the second time a director has won with two consecutive films. Director Michael Haneke won with his previous film, “The White Ribbon,” back in 2008. That film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, but came home empty handed. This one on the other hand is a contender for Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, Foreign Film and possibly more. It’s the story of an elderly couple of music teachers who is torn apart when one of them suffers a stroke.
The Oscar nominations have been moved up to the early date of Thursday, January 10, 2013, meaning that the nominations are in fact before the Golden Globes. This could prove troublesome for movies being released late in the year, but it’ll keep buzzy movies in the conversation just when they need to be.
David O. Russell’s “Silver Linings Playbook” won the People’s Choice Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival, making it the new front-runner for Best Picture.
It’s pronounced “que-ven-zha-ne.” Get to know the name.
Seth McFarlane of “Family Guy” and “Ted” was selected as this year’s Oscar host. Yes yes yes, younger demo, he was good on SNL, Hollywood insider, blah de blah. Just please no racist “Beasts of the Southern Wild” jokes from a talking blender. Continue reading “Off the Red Carpet – Week of 10/3 – 10/10”
“Vertigo” has now been named the #1 film over “Citizen Kane” in the 2012 Sight and Sound Critics’ Poll.
For 50 years, “Citizen Kane” has sat alone as the greatest film of all time, much like its title character locked away in a giant palace, untouched.
Now, a giant has toppled.
Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” has bested “Citizen Kane” as the number one film ever made in the Sight and Sound Poll, a list organized by Sight and Sound magazine and voted on by critics and writers from around the world.
Roger Ebert calls the list essentially the only film poll that matters, and it is such because it has been conducted every 10 years since 1952 and surveys the best of the best in film.
Citizen Kane has been number 1 since 1962 when it overcame Vittorio De Sica’s “Bicycle Thieves,” the reigning champ from 10 years prior. Since then, “Vertigo” has been on every list since 1972, climbing to as high as number 2 in 2002. This year, “Vertigo” received 191 votes from its 847 participants, dwarfing “Kane’s” 151.
This year’s full list is as follows.
“Vertigo” – Alfred Hitchcock, 1958
“Citizen Kane” – Orson Welles, 1941
“Tokyo Story” – Yasujiro Ozu, 1953
“The Rules of the Game” – Jean Renoir, 1939
“Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans” – F.W. Murnau, 1927
“2001: A Space Odyssey” – Stanley Kubrick, 1968
“The Searchers” – John Ford, 1956
“Man With a Movie Camera” – Dziga Vertov, 1929
“The Passion of Joan of Arc” – Carl Theodore Dreyer, 1927
“Prometheus,” “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Brave” are all on my list of the most anticipated movies of Summer 2012.
I’m not going to lie; 2012 has been a surprisingly good year for movies thus far. I’m behind on the indie and foreign critical darlings that may show up on a few best of the year lists come December, but if this trend continues for the mainstream fare, we might just have one hell of a summer.
And yet, there are no doubt movies that frankly look terrible. It would be easy to just rave about the few I’m genuinely interested in, but I can’t exactly hold my tongue on all of them.
So just like I did last year, this is not a summer preview but a list of movies I’m actually interested in talking about.
Prometheus
Top 10 movies I’m pretty damned excited for this summer
Moonrise Kingdom (May 25)
Wes Anderson’s comeback live action film after the wonderful “Fantastic Mr. Fox” would normally have me rolling my eyes when I see how plainly Wes Anderson the trailer for “Moonrise Kingdom” is. But the cast additions of Bruce Willis, Edward Norton and Tilda Swinton to Anderson’s go-to lineup are what are so invigorating. If there’s one thing that concerns me, it has Anderson repairing with screenwriter Roman Coppola, who also did “The Darjeeling Limited,” possibly my least favorite Anderson film.
Prometheus (June 8)
I’ve seen more viral trailers and TV spots than I know what to do with for “Prometheus,” and yet still the story remains ambiguous as to its ties to Ridley Scott’s own masterpiece, “Alien.” Scott is one of those legacy directors that are still churning out great product on a regular basis today, and this looks like his best in a long time. The cast has both massive nerd and cinephile cred, and it happens to come out on my birthday.
Safety Not Guaranteed (June 8)
It’ll be interesting to see Aubrey Plaza in a leading role for a change, and Mark Duplass looks like her perfect match in this quirky indie comedy where a crazed Duplass tries to enlist her to travel back with him in time.
To Rome, With Love (June 22)
Woody Allen is one of the few directors today who can get anyone he wants in his movies. His latest film rounds out his European holiday that has taken him to Barcelona, Paris, and now Rome, and he’s brought with him Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Jesse Eisenberg, Penelope Cruz, Ellen Page and Greta Gerwig. This also marks the first time Allen has acted since 2006’s “Scoop,” which alone should generate some buzz. But some mixed reviews regarding Allen’s superficial treatment of Italians have me worried we may be back in the hole of his shrug-worthy films.
Brave (June 22)
More interesting than Pixar having its first dud in “Cars 2” is Pixar having its first female lead in “Brave,” the Medieval story of a princess (although she doesn’t yet seem like a blatantly marketed Disney princess) who is adept with a bow and casts a spell to change her fate. Pixar is the best for a reason, and a part of me bets this’ll snare that “Hunger Games” audience too.
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (June 22)
It’s not easy to make the apocalypse funny without being completely lewd and ridiculous, and Steve Carell seems like the perfect casting choice to do that. I can already tell he’s got great chemistry with Keira Knightly, and Patton Oswalt in anything is a sure thing. It’s directed and written by Lorene Scafaria, whose last project was “Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist,” which I didn’t much care for though.
Beasts of the Southern Wild (June 27)
Easily the most obscure title in my most anticipated list is this visionary indie that won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance this year. It’s a post-apocalyptic story about a girl and her father living in a bathtub on the open sea and the girl’s psychological ramifications that lead her to believe she’s responsible for all of the destruction. “Beasts of the Southern Wild” looks plain beautiful too.
Magic Mike (June 29)
I LIKE CHANNING TATUM’S PECS! I mean, Steven Soderbergh has been on a roll lately. Both “Contagion” and “Haywire” were off the beat and path, and this film, about the story of a male stripper, is likewise a jock strap of a different color. If it is good, Soderbergh will have more great movies in one calendar year than any director I can think of.
The Dark Knight Rises (July 20)
Yes. Yes. Yes. No, it’s not shot in Chicago anymore, but… Yes. At the very least I’m hoping everyone forgets about seeing “The Avengers” after this.
Ruby Sparks (July 25)
“Little Miss Sunshine” is one of those movies I can instantly get caught up watching if I see it on, and Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris finally putting out another film has just made my day. Paul Dano is a struggling writer who falls in love with the female character he’s writing, and they form a relationship when she actually appears out of thin air. Looks hilarious and adorable.
The Bourne Legacy
Yeah, I’d see it
Dark Shadows (May 11)
People have been ragging on Tim Burton for doing nothing but adaptations of already creepy, weird and quirky stuff (me included), and not many people would’ve said adapting a soap opera was a good idea, but the idea of Chloe Moretz working with Tim Burton, even in a small part, seems strangely perfect to me.
The Dictator (May 16)
“Borat” hasn’t aged well, and “The Dictator” isn’t even a prankumentary, but Sacha Baron Cohen put Ryan Seacrest in his place Oscar night when he dumped Kim Jong Il’s ashes on him. I’m sold.
The Intouchables (May 25)
I’m calling it right now: “The Intouchables” has Oscar bait written all over it. It’s the second highest grossing foreign film behind “The Passion of the Christ” and going strong, and it’s the saccharine story of a black man from the streets hired to care for a wealthy paraplegic. It looks like it has “Driving Miss Daisy” and “The Bucket List” rolled into one, in which case it could be absolutely terrible.
Oslo, August 31 (May 25)
All I know about this Norwegian film is that it was a Cannes competitor in 2011 and it’s one of the sleeper foreign art house movies to hit the states this summer. It’s the day in the life of a recovering drug addict and looks visually stunning.
Lola Versus (June 8)
Just about every critic officially fell in love with Greta Gerwig in “Greenberg” when she seemed like the most naturally attractive woman working in the movies today. She doesn’t look like a movie star; she looks like your girlfriend. But this movie about her bouncing back from a bad breakup is going to try and make her a movie star anyway.
Take this Waltz (June 29)
Like the “Little Miss Sunshine” team, this is another indie romance from a director who’s been on a long hiatus, Sarah Polley. Her last feature, “Away From Her,” is nothing like the young-love story of “Take This Waltz” but will likely share its spirit. Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Luke Kirby and Sarah Silverman star.
Your Sister’s Sister (June 29)
Mark Duplass is literally in everything this year. This mumblecore romance is not from him and his brother but from his previous director on “Humpday.” Duplass’s best friend Emily Blunt sends him away for a recovery weekend with her sister, played by Rosemary DeWitt, and a steamy hipster love triangle forms in the middle.
The Amazing Spiderman (July 3)
A friend of mine wondered how Andrew Garfield’s hair would possibly fit under Spiderman’s skin tight mask, but why ask questions when this is really just a remake of the original “Spiderman” with a new villain and wallpaper. I am curious to see Marc Webb’s follow-up to “500 Days of Summer” though.
The Bourne Legacy (August 3)
Matt Damon’s Jason Bourne was possibly the coolest action hero of the last decade. To replace him would’ve been a mistake. So new director Tony Gilroy, the man behind all the previous Bourne screenplays, has crafted a new story (not based on a novel) and a new hero, Agent Aaron Ross (Jeremy Renner). He’ll be interacting with all the existing Bourne characters in events before and after those of the trilogy. This and “The Avengers” will turn Renner into a bona fide star, and I’d pay good money to see Edward Norton in a villain role.
Lawless (August 31)
I would say “Lawless” is Director John Hillcoat’s feature film version of “Boardwalk Empire,” but this film has been in production hell for so long that Shia Labeouf would’ve probably been cast as Jimmy Darmody had people seen this film sooner. In fact, even this release date is tentative, so you may be going cold turkey for a little while longer.
Rock of Ages
I’m not really expecting much, but I guess it could be alright
Hick (May 11)
At this point, I’d pay to see Chloe Moretz in anything. I think she’s a terrific young actress. I haven’t heard of Director Derick Martini, but he’s notorious for being a filmmaker who earns bad press. “Hick” already has a 5.1 on IMDb. Ouch.
God Bless America (May 11)
This movie looks really bad spirited. Comedian turned filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait, who directed Robin Williams in “World’s Greatest Dad,” directs, and he’s made a story that a lot of people even more cynical than I may relate to and find hilarious. A man wanting to kill himself because of all the horrible people he sees on TV instead chooses to kill all the people he feels deserve to die, and he makes a teenage girl his accomplice. Fun.
Hysteria (May 18)
Oh boy! It’s “Love and Other Drugs” for the 19th Century! It’s the period drama of a doctor who invents the vibrator, or here called, “The Feather Duster.”
Rock of Ages (June 15)
Do people actually like ‘80s hair metal? The jukebox musical soundtrack for the very successful Broadway production of the same name looks more like a Buzz Ballads track listing than something hip and cool. This is director Adam Shankman’s first musical since “Hairspray,” a casting choice that makes more sense than Tom Cruise singing.
Savages (July 6)
Even from the trailer, “Savages” looks cliché, ridiculous and visually exhausting, just like Oliver Stone’s last mess of a movie, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.” Stone’s been off the deep end as a filmmaker for a number of years, and I’d be lying if I said I’m still curious to see what he does next.
Ted (July 13)
Is having animals or things that shouldn’t be able to talk act normally in the world just Seth Macfarlane’s thing? The teddy bear Ted has a voice that’s a blend of Peter and Brian, and I don’t need any movie that feels, sounds or looks anything like “Family Guy.”
Neighborhood Watch (July 27)
Could “Neighborhood Watch” be the new classic teen comedy that’ll make an obscene amount of money? Maybe. Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer directs. At least it’s not “Paul Blart 2.”
Total Recall (August 3)
I somehow have fond memories of watching the original, absolutely balls to the wall ridiculous and campy “Total Recall” when I was younger. This version by the director of all the “Underworld” films potentially looks no fun at all.
The Campaign (August 10)
No trailer for this yet, but how are we going to deal with two manchilds, Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, in the same movie? Director Jay Roach finally looks to be combining his penchant for directing cerebral, HBO political dramas (“Game Change,” “Recount”) with his penchant for stupid comedies (“Austin Powers,” “Dinner for Schmucks”)
Hope Springs (August 10)
I said that Meryl Streep really needs to stop doing characters and be a normal woman again in a movie. But you know what? She really needs to stop working with awful directors like Phyllida Lloyd and the man behind “Hope Springs,” David Frankel.
The Odd Life of Timothy Green (August 15)
I really must be a sucker for indie bait from good directors, because the premise of “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” actually has a lot in common with “Ruby Sparks,” only this whole movie has been Disneyfied. The trailer has at least 20 seconds of shots of a kid with arms wide open beaconing the heavens, which is hilarious.
Sparkle (August 17)
“Sparkle” is basically “Dreamgirls,” only a remake and not based on a real life Motown group. The cast features a bunch of R&B pop idols of today, like Jordin Sparks and Cee Lo, but its real pull is the new work of the late Whitney Houston.
Premium Rush (August 24)
Did you know Joseph Gordon Levitt actually crashed through a taxicab rear window and got 31 stitches in his arm while filming this movie? If an action movie with a bike messenger is really as interesting as this behind the scenes video is, then I’d see it.
Battleship
Oh dear god
Battleship (May 18)
It’s ridiculous to say “Battleship” is based on a board game, like “Pirates of the Caribbean” is really “based” on a Disney World ride. It probably would’ve made immensely more money if it was just called “Navy Explosion.” Regardless, it still looks like a worthless “Transformers” retread.
Men in Black III (May 25)
Are the original “Men in Black” movies actually good? What was the last genuinely good thing Will Smith’s been in? Has a movie other than “Toy Story 3” with a “3” on the end of it ever been good?
Snow White and the Huntsman (June 1)
Oh yeah, screw “Mirror Mirror,” because we need a dark version of “Snow White.” That Disney cartoon was really getting dated. Better just make it into “Lord of the Rings” and cast Bella Swan and Thor.
That’s My Boy (June 15)
Ugh. Adam Sandler, go away. And why did you have to take Andy Samberg with you?
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (June 22)
I’ve never seen a trailer of this movie where people didn’t laugh their heads off at the title. But it’s based on a graphic novel and done by the guy who did “Wanted!” Yeah… and?
G.I. Joe: Retaliation (June 29)
See, I don’t know why more ninjas don’t have sword fights on the sides of cliffs. It makes perfect sense.
The Expendables 2 (August 17)
As I was watching trailers before “The Avengers,” “The Expendables 2” was the only one that didn’t have a ridiculous amount of CGI and was actually grounded on planet Earth. It almost makes me want to see how ridiculous it is for that very reason, but then, no.
Myrna Loy’s Nora Charles has an adorable look when she scrunches her face like a badger in a knowing and casual embrace of her husband Nick’s drunken tom foolery. One time she does it while he’s poking fun at her over the phone, right after he’s sent her on a detour to Grant’s Tomb, and the two have such wonderful, good-hearted chemistry that you can bet he knows she’s doing it.
This is what most people liked best about “The Thin Man,” a delightful, smart and quick crime comedy that had a strong story and a clever concept but was almost completely overshadowed by Powell and Loy’s sparks. The pair of them communicate instantly that they are a married couple who knows each other very well and are capable of wittily snipping at one another without batting an eye. Instead they trade smirks and off-the-cuff remarks, and their swift wordplay and punch lines as dry as their martinis make them so easily likeable. They also have one of the cutest and most iconic movie dogs, the loveable Asta.
And whereas most crime comedies use their plots as filler for a comedy vehicle, “The Thin Man’s” story is never secondary to Powell and Loy’s good fun. It’s about a comfortably married couple so wealthy that the pair of them can lie around all day drinking and throwing parties for anyone who needs a quick pick-me-up. Nick is a retired detective from California dragged back into snooping based on his wife’s prodding that it’s probably a fun diversion. A family friend has gone missing and is suspected of murder, and everyone begs Nick to get involved, even though he confesses it’s getting in the way of his drinking. Continue reading “Rapid Response: The Thin Man”
The MPAA is being a bully. It teases us with misleading ratings and then pummels us with violence. It saps all the fun and meaning out of naughty words. It dangles interesting and important films just out of reach. And it holds a stubborn grudge when anyone thinks to complain about it.
Never have we been more irritated by the MPAA’s annoyances than recently with the upcoming documentary “Bully.”
“Bully” captures middle and high school students in their everyday social lives in an effort to point out the cruel behavior of teenage bullies that led one of its student subjects to suicide.
It was bound to be controversial, but the MPAA bestowed the film with an R-rating because it contains “some language,” effectively restricting it from the under-17 teenagers it depicts.
School field trips have been cancelled, teen advocates have generated petitions, producer Harvey Weinstein has threatened to abandon the MPAA, and critics have thrown around as many four-letter words as those used by the kids in the movie.
And after similar controversies with films like “The King’s Speech” and “Blue Valentine,” the latter of which initially received an NC-17 rating, effectively banning it from most movie theaters, it has become clear the MPAA rating scale needs rethinking. Continue reading “The MPAA is a bully”
We love the movies. That’s why we watch the Oscars.
Did I mention that we love the movies? And did I mention that Billy Crystal loves the movies? Oh yeah, we love the movies, the old classic ones that aren’t all really classics, but some new ones too that definitely aren’t classics but people might actually recognize.
But rather than show you how much we love the movies with actual funny jokes or parodies, we’ll just tell you how much we love the movies and play it real safe all night. That way you’ll watch next year so long as you didn’t completely hate us, right? And how could you hate us when we all love the movies so much?
Sunday night’s Oscars were eye-rollingly mediocre, and part of the reason for that was an adamant position on not doing anything that might be too risky, too offensive or even too gaudily awful of a joke or skit that might alienate people from changing the channel. Continue reading “2012 Oscars Recap”
The Academy really shook up the Awards season with their 2012 Oscar Nominations.
When the Academy introduced the new rule for Best Picture nominees, they wanted an element of surprise added back into the Oscar race.
They got it.
It seemed as if we all knew what was coming as soon as the graphic was flashed on screen such that only eight nominees would make it into the Best Picture race, with “War Horse” and “The Tree of Life” being the surprises.
But as if to slap all the Oscar prognosticators in the face for thinking the Academy was predictable and boring, Academy President Tom Sherak announced “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” last, a movie long thought dead in the minds of critics and bloggers. I in fact picked all eight of the other nominees save for “Extremely Loud,” and to see it pick up not one but two nominations was something of a gut punch.
The film was critically panned, and rightfully so. What shocks me is how of all the performers in that film, Max von Sydow was the one to steal the last spot in the Best Supporting Actor category, effectively robbing Albert Brooks of a nomination for his chilling work in “Drive.”
This is the first time in several years I have not seen all the nominees prior to their announcement, but I quickly saw ‘Extremely Loud” the same afternoon. I left flabbergasted into wondering why this not only irritating and cloying film, but one that often is more literally hurtful and painful than it is melodramatic and soppy, not only has enough people who like the film but have more than five percent of people who feel it is the best movie of the year. Continue reading “2012 Oscar Nomination Analysis”
“Hugo” and “The Artist” lead a field of nine films for the Best Picture Oscar after being announced by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Tuesday morning.
New rules for Best Picture voting indicated that anywhere from five to 10 films could be nominated, leaving the exact number uncertain until this morning when Academy President Tom Sherak and former nominee Jennifer Lawrence announced the full list of nominees.
The other Best Picture nominees included “The Descendants,” “Midnight in Paris,” “The Help,” “Moneyball,” “War Horse,” “The Tree of Life” and the long thought dead in the water “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.”
The current Oscar frontrunner, the silent, black and white movie “The Artist,” took home 10 nominations, including for Best Director Michel Hazanivicius, Best Actor Jean Dujardin and Best Supporting Actress Berenice Bejo. Martin Scorsese’s children’s fantasy “Hugo” however made the race interesting by leading the pack with 11 nominations.
George Clooney and Brad Pitt found their long presumed spots in the Best Actor category, but fellow A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio was left out altogether in favor of Jean Dujardin, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’s” Gary Oldman and “A Better Life’s” Demian Bichir. DiCaprio’s film “J. Edgar” was forgotten as well.
Also performing strongly was the comedy “Bridesmaids,” scoring a nomination for Melissa McCarthy for Best Supporting Actress and for Best Original Screenplay, despite not receiving a Best Picture nomination.
Meryl Streep received her record 17th Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in “The Iron Lady,” and she’ll be up against Michelle Williams, Viola Davis, “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’s” Rooney Mara and “Albert Nobbs’” Glenn Close.
The Academy surprised in many of the smaller categories as well, only nominating two songs from “The Muppets” and “Rio” for Best Original Song. What’s more, the Academy removed the Oscar powerhouse Pixar from contention by not nominating the poorly reviewed “Cars 2” for Best Animated Feature.
Iran’s “A Separation,” which is not only the front runner in the Best Foreign Language film category, is now also a serious contender in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.
The Academy Awards Ceremony will be held on Sunday February 26.
Arcade Fire released the music video of their 2010 song “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” yesterday, and as I consider putting together a best music videos of the year list, this video unlike anything I’ve ever seen, or better yet experienced, just jumped to the top of my list.
It’s an interactive web based music video directed by Vincent Morisset (he also directed this year’s “Inni,” an art house concert film) in which the viewer makes the video come alive by dancing or moving in front of a web cam, and it can be found at www.sprawl2.com. It’s constructed using still frames and HTML such that as the user moves faster or slower to the song, the characters on screen move accordingly in their patterned choreography.
“For a long time, I’ve been wanting to do an interactive project without any interface. Something really primitive and fun. A web experience free of clicks or buttons,” Morisset said on his website. “The idea is to affect the pacing of the film with your movements. You are invited to dance in front of your webcam. There is no specific rules, no complicated “minority report” tricks. Just an invitation to move your arms or your butt on the music. The quicker you move, the faster the frames play. You slow down, the characters in the video slow down. You freeze and the video starts to loop on the beat, creating a new choreography in the choreography.” Continue reading “Arcade Fire Sprawl 2 Interactive Music Video”
