tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55697503177553103222024-03-08T12:31:06.700+11:00Matt vs. the AcademyOne man's ridiculous attempt to watch every film ever nominated for a Best Picture Oscar.Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.comBlogger311125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-67421709100105525422024-03-08T12:10:00.007+11:002024-03-08T12:30:21.796+11:00Oscar Winner Predictions 2023<p>Well, my Oscar nomination predictions turned out to be my worst showing in about ten years. On the plus side, I correctly picked all 10 Best Picture nominees, which seems like it should be worth something. I also aced Best Costume Design for the third year in a row ... I'm not sure what that says about me.</p><div>Now, let's turn our attention to the winners. For the last couple of years, I've felt rather unsure about my picks due to a lack of clear frontrunners in most races. This year, however, most of the categories - particularly the big ones - seem unlikely to result in a surprise when the envelope is opened. Oppenheimer is almost certainly going to be mentioned a lot on Oscar night. I've pegged it for eight awards, which I'm fairly confident about, but it could even pick up one or two more. Three of the four acting races are essentially locks - Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey, Jr. and Da'Vine Joy Randolph. Only Best Actress is somewhat up in the air, with Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone basically alternating wins throughout awards season. But I'm putting my money on Gladstone to win the final battle.</div><div><br /></div><div>While some of the craft awards will very likely find themselves as part of the Oppenheimer sweep (Cinematography and Film Editing, amongst others), others are a little trickier. I've selected Poor Things for Production Design and Costume Design, in large part because of their BAFTA wins, but the Brits often have a slight bias towards British films, so the Academy might decide to stick to a more American film and award those two categories to Barbie instead. We shall see in a few days.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the meantime, you can <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mattvstheacademy/oscars2023-winners" target="_blank">check out all my predictions here</a>.</div><div><br /></div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-3703215144007041992024-01-23T00:57:00.000+11:002024-01-23T00:57:24.708+11:00Oscar Nomination Predictions 2023<p>Time for me to put on my Nostradamus hat and see if I can predict who's going to wake up to an Oscar nomination on Tuesday morning. Only 24 hours to go!</p><p>This year has been a strange one to predict. There's a small handful of films that have dominated my picks, which always makes me nervous. I've included the same four films in eight different categories and three of those films are together in a further three categories. In total, I've cited Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon and Poor Things 13 times each, followed closely by Barbie with 11 nods. Such domination by such a small selection of movies seems unlikely to come to fruition, but then again, lots of things have been changing over the last few years, so you never know. </p><p>In any case, for better or worse, <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mattvstheacademy/oscars2023-nominations" target="_blank">here are my predictions for the nominations of the 96th Academy Awards</a>.</p>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-45153037993158637632023-12-08T13:41:00.003+11:002023-12-08T13:41:32.409+11:001991 - Beauty and the BeastWith the actors' and writers' strikes behind us, Oscar season is well and truly heating up. Always an exciting time of year, in large part due to the glut of Oscar-bait movies that are released. Other than the <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/features/cillian-murphy-margot-robbie-barbenheimer-memes-box-office-success-1235820469/" target="_blank">Barbenheimer</a> duo, I've not seen many of the contenders so my watchlist is growing as rapidly as my anticipation for such titles as Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, May December, Napoleon, Past Lives, American Fiction, Poor Things, The Holdovers... So many movies, so little time.<br /><br />Meanwhile, next up in 1991's shortlist is the first animated film to gain a Best Picture nomination...<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TNKOuuGMv1LA7HTQ8Hp-2ETaT_2Tk7uUL8yatN0tfrDFRIEJtkespreVXIZWFsmrCaaTgMoKQ7VaI6EX85Yf99XmFxTrsFbMLMv0AjIJCJ4ZH5S2umLhnZAJxKAvl0xvvfuWPpAECXlAgtZLvipseQ0BA-cSrRvFi0TAR4ikdZOSH5H1bB10FGjixEE/s1500/Beauty%20and%20the%20Beast.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1011" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-TNKOuuGMv1LA7HTQ8Hp-2ETaT_2Tk7uUL8yatN0tfrDFRIEJtkespreVXIZWFsmrCaaTgMoKQ7VaI6EX85Yf99XmFxTrsFbMLMv0AjIJCJ4ZH5S2umLhnZAJxKAvl0xvvfuWPpAECXlAgtZLvipseQ0BA-cSrRvFi0TAR4ikdZOSH5H1bB10FGjixEE/s320/Beauty%20and%20the%20Beast.jpg" width="216" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">Beauty and the Beast</span></b><br />
<i><u>Director</u>:</i><br />Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise<br />
<i><u>Screenplay</u>:</i><br />Linda Woolverton<br />
<i><u>Starring</u>:</i><br />Paige O'Hara, Robby Benson, Richard White, Jerry Orbach, David Ogden Stiers, Angela Lansbury, Bradley Pierce, Rex Everhart, Jesse Corti<br />
<i><u>Academy Awards</u>:</i><br />
6 nominations<br />
2 wins, for Best Original Score and Best Original Song<br /><br />In this classic fairy tale, a heartless prince (Benson) is transformed into a monstrous beast by an enchantress, who explains that the only way to reverse the curse is to fall in love and be loved in return. Ashamed, the Beast isolates himself for many years in his castle, accompanied only by his servants who have themselves been transformed into household objects.<div><br /></div><div>When an old man, Maurice (Everhart), stumbles upon the castle after losing his way in the forest, the Beast imprisons him for trespassing. Maurice's daughter, bookworm Belle (O'Hara), tracks her father to the castle and makes a deal with the Beast: she'll stay with him in the castle if he lets Maurice go. As the two get to know each other, Belle slowly discovers that the Beast is not as gruff as his outwardly appearance would suggest.<div><br />It's not often the Academy nominates a family film for its big prize, and indeed, this was the first animated film to achieve the accolade, so that in itself gives Beauty and the Beast a permanent place in Oscars history. And while the traditional hand-drawn animation is certainly outdated compared to today's shiny 3D effects, the film's beauty (no pun intended) is genuinely charming. In fact, the truth is this picture does indeed employ some early computer animation techniques, culminating in the 3D background during the ballroom dance sequence, a groundbreaking feat for the time.<br /><br />This picture also came at a time when Disney was at its height in terms of musical animation (though, I suppose some would argue they've always dominated that space). The Little Mermaid was a couple of years earlier, with Aladdin, The Lion King and Pocahontas to follow soon after. All five of those films accomplished the double feat of Oscar wins for Best Original Song and Best Original Score. Some have complained that, while the songs may have deserved their respective wins, the only reason Alan Menken won four Score awards (Hans Zimmer scored The Lion King) was because Academy members didn't truly comprehend the distinction between a film's score and its songs. Certainly, the songs in Beauty and the Beast are worthy of praise due to their classic toe-tapping Broadway style and witty lyrics (hence the three nominations for Best Song) but I'd also argue that Menken's incidental music which underscores the scenes between the musical numbers is just as wonderfully emotive, well worthy of its win.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6Bzy0-RL97iew1QK9pni4HYH5CN3Qo_23gns5FMs6N1UVpAv57m9x8gKEHP4kBnR_tpUwZ1rD0gSWHs9z0ly5uzHMzmydchYdiRg77TtnFQ6-RqFFywje8yJk7_aINGiEglccz7zWJYKuW3wf0PyvhE9KCXQKSsa1lRhZR32r7vBouO3X3xx5qWJZZc/s600/Beauty%20and%20the%20Beast%20(Lumiere%20&%20Cogsworth).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="600" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6Bzy0-RL97iew1QK9pni4HYH5CN3Qo_23gns5FMs6N1UVpAv57m9x8gKEHP4kBnR_tpUwZ1rD0gSWHs9z0ly5uzHMzmydchYdiRg77TtnFQ6-RqFFywje8yJk7_aINGiEglccz7zWJYKuW3wf0PyvhE9KCXQKSsa1lRhZR32r7vBouO3X3xx5qWJZZc/w200-h117/Beauty%20and%20the%20Beast%20(Lumiere%20&%20Cogsworth).jpg" width="200" /></a>Along with witty song lyrics, the film's dialogue is often witty as well. It's easy to dismiss all these old-fashioned Disney kids movies as just that, exclusively for kids, but there's plenty of laughs for the grown-ups too. In particular, I enjoyed the banter between Lumiere and Cogsworth (pictured), expertly voiced by Jerry Orbach and David Ogden Stiers who sound like they had a lot of fun in the booth.</div><div><br /></div><div>Granted, it's often cheesy and over the top, both in the cheap laughs and the forced melodrama, so it doesn't hold a candle to the brilliance of a Pixar movie, but it's not quite as childish as I'd imagined. In the end, of course, this is a fairy tale, and the script plays to those strengths with its streamlined and efficient story, capped off by a satisfying, albeit cliched, ending.</div><div><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mattvstheacad-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "Beauty and the Beast";
amzn_assoc_default_category = "DVD";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "bc02a4e9bb88e1fe4f87a531c9b54b35";
amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "130";
amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products";
amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "top";
</script>
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script></div></div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-15782444691440428042023-10-05T21:23:00.003+11:002023-12-08T12:16:08.874+11:001991 - JFKOof, I'm yet again introducing a blog post by noting how embarrassingly long it has been since my last one. This time, it's just over a year (not including Oscar predictions). Hopefully, this slow pace won't remain for too much longer.<br /><br />
Let's dive in to another of 1991's Best Picture nominees...<br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavLDdmZiiU-b-h1ysLOJi8-CgIo9PwZ3XEqVZjOOUWpEGsN4ttwegTs9y3v52RRuHv6PY9SB0b6STN8isH4D0ZrD47Tqf8HfTf-hp4_RKa8zPpb9rtSqLEljhMZ1ZCXMfTKmcwgdkwMMv_u9SinpiaAb5gOpr2p_yeBKD5EgXATkYSEchQM068rj2m8A/s1500/JFK.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1018" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjavLDdmZiiU-b-h1ysLOJi8-CgIo9PwZ3XEqVZjOOUWpEGsN4ttwegTs9y3v52RRuHv6PY9SB0b6STN8isH4D0ZrD47Tqf8HfTf-hp4_RKa8zPpb9rtSqLEljhMZ1ZCXMfTKmcwgdkwMMv_u9SinpiaAb5gOpr2p_yeBKD5EgXATkYSEchQM068rj2m8A/w217-h320/JFK.jpg" width="217" /></a>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">JFK</span></b><br />
<i><u>Director</u>:</i><br />Oliver Stone<br />
<i><u>Screenplay</u>:</i><br />Oliver Stone & Zachary Sklar<div>(based on the books "On the Trail of the Assassins" by Jim Garrison and "Crossfire: The Plot that Killed Kennedy" by Jim Marrs)<br />
<i><u>Starring</u>:</i><br />Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Oldman, Michael Rooker, Jay O. Sanders, Sissy Spacek, Joe Pesci<br />
<i><u>Academy Awards</u>:</i><br />
8 nominations<br />
2 wins, for Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing<br /><br />
Shortly after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963, New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Costner) discovers that the alleged assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald (Oldman), had ties to his jurisdiction. Garrison and his team soon focus on anti-communist David Ferrie (Pesci) but when the FBI's own investigation clears Ferrie, Garrison drops the case.<br /><br />
Three years later, the government's official report on the assassination is released, but Garrison remains unconvinced that Oswald was the lone assassin. He speaks to several witnesses and gathers more evidence with an aim to bring businessman Clay Shaw (Jones) to trial for conspiring to kill Kennedy. However, Garrison's obsession with the case causes fractures in his marriage as his wife Liz (Spacek) confronts him about his priorities.<br /><br />
Speaking of obsessions, a school friend and I were absolutely captivated with this film as teenagers. (Not as obsessed as we were with the Back to the Future trilogy, but pretty close.) If memory serves, we saw JFK at least twice during its original theatrical run, and when it was released on home video, we pored over every detail. Watching it again for this blog - at least two decades since my last viewing - was an exercise in nostalgia. I was hooked right from the opening seconds of the film, as soon as I heard the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaHdQXcEqoY" target="_blank">hauntingly familiar sound of the snare drum</a>.<br /><br />
Back in the 90s, I bought into all of it. All the inconsistencies and anomalies surrounding the official story of JFK's assassination were mind-blowing to me and a slam dunk in the case against the lone assassin hypothesis. Now, of course, the conspiracy theory seems like nonsense. It's simply a lot of conjecture and circumstantial evidence. But here's the thing ... it doesn't really matter. The film itself is just so well put together that even if you think the content is all fairy dust and unicorn farts, you'll still be engrossed in the mystery, astounded by each new cockamamie revelation.<br /><br />
It plays a bit like an episode of Law & Order, the investigative team moving from one witness to the next, interviewing each while a visual flashback complements their testimony. Occasionally, however, this leads into perhaps the film's only drawback - it's just a series of information dumps. Laurie Metcalf's deep dive into Oswald is a good example. It's a straight five minutes of pure exposition about Oswald's past. Likewise, Donald Sutherland's cameo, which is about three times longer. In some ways, the whole movie is simply a laundry list of all the supposed anomalies related to the case. It's a lot to absorb, at times.<br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyccO6gmr_TbO70nJMZFTl_ROw7ESCShpSRhDUEVzBi1Qh-pdsSW7-KMcU4iAODOn95kZoTMiR5ZwORIc_hbFpR2MhLPVMkalvXoYG87PCZ5FFaxyf3lCLsEn1Repz9_9zWdw2gwPF_S-GtEGaj2KKmm4_Mwb8RsxaNsyXSCeMG1ubbVgk2iYUbc06Ow/s1555/JFK%20(Kevin%20Costner).png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="662" data-original-width="1555" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyccO6gmr_TbO70nJMZFTl_ROw7ESCShpSRhDUEVzBi1Qh-pdsSW7-KMcU4iAODOn95kZoTMiR5ZwORIc_hbFpR2MhLPVMkalvXoYG87PCZ5FFaxyf3lCLsEn1Repz9_9zWdw2gwPF_S-GtEGaj2KKmm4_Mwb8RsxaNsyXSCeMG1ubbVgk2iYUbc06Ow/s320/JFK%20(Kevin%20Costner).png" width="320" /></a>
Nonetheless, the film remains engrossing and entertaining every step of the way, which is no mean feat considering it's over three hours long. It achieves this due to some unique and stylised cinematography, along with the tense and unsettling editing, both of which earned well-deserved Oscars. John Williams' impressive score also contributes to the film's powerful atmosphere. Not only does the aforementioned snare drum riff deftly set the mood, but the main theme is memorably potent.<br /><br />
And what a cast! Led by Kevin Costner (pictured), who peaks with a gut-wrenching final speech, the entire cast, cameos and all, are superb. If I had to pick a few standouts, Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek and Joe Pesci each deliver compelling performances. For the trivia buffs, Oliver Stone cast his own young son, Sean, to play Garrison's eldest child. And that's an uncredited Martin Sheen voicing the narration at the beginning of the film.<br /><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mattvstheacad-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "JFK";
amzn_assoc_default_category = "DVD";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "bc02a4e9bb88e1fe4f87a531c9b54b35";
amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "130";
amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products";
amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "top";
</script>
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script></div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-56968497166285275572023-03-10T15:26:00.001+11:002023-03-10T15:26:58.077+11:00Oscar Winner Predictions 2022My picks for the Oscar nominations ended up being fairly average. Not my best performance by a long shot, but certainly not my worst either. But now it's time to look into our crystal ball at the winners.<div><br /></div><div>Looking back at my guesses from last year, I note that I introduced them with an astounding lack of confidence, bemoaning the fact that not many categories had any clear frontrunners. As it turns out, I managed to correctly peg 20 of the 23 categories, so I guess those slight favourites in each category wound up winning.</div><div><br /></div><div>I can only hope that the same thing happens again this year, because (and I'm going to repeat myself now) this is possibly the most up-in-the-air race I've ever had to predict. Best Animated Feature and Best Visual Effects are the two categories I'm most confident about. Almost everything else is primed for a surprise, particularly the acting categories. In most years, at least one or two (or sometimes all four) categories have a performer who has swept all the precursor awards, making the prediction quite simple. Alas, this year, no actor or actress has made a convincing sweep of anything. Best Actor and Best Actress are both two-horse races; Best Supporting Actress is a three-horse race; Best Supporting Actor is, I suppose, the one I'm most sure about, but it still wouldn't be a total shock if Ke Huy Quan didn't take home that prize.</div><div><br /></div><div>At least the Best Picture race is not quite as close as in recent years. Everything Everywhere All at Once is definitely the frontrunner, though it's not a sure thing. And my woeful record in this category (I've only correctly picked the winner once in the last eight years) makes me wonder whether the fact that I'm predicting it to win means that it won't. We'll find out on Sunday night.</div><div><br /></div><div>While we wait, feel free to <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mattvstheacademy/oscars2022-winners">check out all my picks here</a>. </div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-7486162600579873452023-01-24T13:33:00.002+11:002023-01-24T13:33:26.114+11:00Oscar Nomination Predictions 2022<p>It's Oscar season again! The nominations announcement is a little less than 12 hours away, so I'm posting my predictions just under the wire. I only just got back from a two-week family road trip around Western Australia, after which we adopted two adorable kittens, so suffice it to say, spare time has been fleeting these last few weeks. Hence, these are probably the most rushed picks I've ever made in the more than two decades I've been doing this. At least, that's my excuse if it all goes awry.</p><p>It seems All Quiet on the Western Front is the film with the most momentum right now. With an incredibly strong showing at the BAFTA nominations last week, along with its appearance in almost all of the Academy's own preliminary shortlists, I have a feeling it will pick up a bunch more nods than I've pegged it for. Not to mention that it's based on the same novel that was adapted into the <a href="http://mattvstheacademy.blogspot.com/2011/11/192930-all-quiet-on-western-front.html">Best Picture winner</a> at the 3rd Academy Awards way back in 1930. Anyway, look out for it to get lots of recognition is all I'm saying.</p><p>Each of the acting categories essentially has four performers with high odds of a nomination (not a guarantee, of course, but just very likely), so it'll be fun to see who gets that fifth spot in each category.</p><p>So without further ado, <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mattvstheacademy/oscars2022-nominations" target="_blank">here are my nomination predictions for the 95th Academy Awards</a>.</p>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-57896065092425993652022-09-19T21:40:00.001+10:002022-09-19T21:44:17.715+10:001991 - The Silence of the LambsI seem to be on a roll with the big-screen viewings of the nominees in this current year of review. First, it was <a href="https://mattvstheacademy.blogspot.com/2022/04/1991-bugsy.html">Bugsy</a> at the Los Feliz 3 in Los Angeles, and now, I've just taken in the eventual victor at the Randwick Ritz here in Sydney. I won't hold my breath waiting for the other three nominees to pop up on any local cinema's schedule, so this streak will likely end at two, but it was fun while it lasted.<br /><br />Continuing our look at the Best Picture nominees of 1991, here are my thoughts on...<br />
<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJ5iyyPjkVUG1IsV_gjrRdgZhQWRV6FUzPWybCWOU9HRP2iiEXhb850hnxC6rq63Q4KiCKcWo4_eGjGXqrpEzml_DnR_2tNQn8ItTZbjGDZ3Ya5TUY14WRegm47HPwVbIn0ESWjVgcdVZqu2mW-LNICWxYafmoXlkxisbuWgahpgLKz-cI8AkPIst/s1108/The%20Silence%20of%20the%20Lambs.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="751" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJ5iyyPjkVUG1IsV_gjrRdgZhQWRV6FUzPWybCWOU9HRP2iiEXhb850hnxC6rq63Q4KiCKcWo4_eGjGXqrpEzml_DnR_2tNQn8ItTZbjGDZ3Ya5TUY14WRegm47HPwVbIn0ESWjVgcdVZqu2mW-LNICWxYafmoXlkxisbuWgahpgLKz-cI8AkPIst/s320/The%20Silence%20of%20the%20Lambs.jpg" width="217" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Silence of the Lambs</span></b><br />
<i><u>Director</u>:</i><br />Jonathan Demme<br />
<i><u>Screenplay</u>:</i><br />Ted Tally<div>(based on the novel by Thomas Harris)<br /><i><u>Starring</u>:</i><br />Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Scott Glenn, Ted Levine, Anthony Heald, Brooke Smith<br />
<u style="font-style: italic;">Academy Awards</u><i>:</i><br />
7 nominations<br />
5 wins, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Hopkins) and Best Actress (Foster)<br /><br />
FBI agent in training Clarice Starling (Foster) is entrusted with an interview of notorious psychiatrist turned serial killer Hannibal Lecter (Hopkins) with the hopes that he can aid in the investigation of another fearsome murderer, known as Buffalo Bill (Levine). Lecter is reticent, placing conditions on his cooperation, but when Buffalo Bill kidnaps a senator's daughter next, the FBI ramps up its efforts to acquire Lecter's insight, raising the risk of his escape.<br /><br />With pulsating tension and some of the greatest misdirects ever committed to celluloid, it's easy to understand how The Silence of the Lambs became a paragon of the thriller genre ... or horror genre, for those of you who prefer to categorise it that way, which is admittedly understandable, considering the gruesome and frightening elements. However you classify it, though, it has rightfully earned its place in film lore. That elevated status is at least in part thanks to Howard Shore's sublime score, which perfectly complements the foreboding action. The <a href="https://youtu.be/oyyIcbb7lOE?t=55" target="_blank">main theme</a>, for example, is pure tension.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9pzdLysWtqLmJzjvxxU0kJ3lBJ587aN_hZO7sp0jbQFrsOU0UqVjuYH-dpC5pACK6GIDm46_5CM-xzaUURE_4VK9oWxIKOjs8vBk_xav_BFN7XIvvWDyldOFlZBs7fmFCWrE63CKaso8BufoIb4CWdR591XwHX1BFss74VYxtRKp6DQXDLbvqHtZ/s1600/The%20Silence%20of%20the%20Lambs%20(Anthony%20Heald).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="1600" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI9pzdLysWtqLmJzjvxxU0kJ3lBJ587aN_hZO7sp0jbQFrsOU0UqVjuYH-dpC5pACK6GIDm46_5CM-xzaUURE_4VK9oWxIKOjs8vBk_xav_BFN7XIvvWDyldOFlZBs7fmFCWrE63CKaso8BufoIb4CWdR591XwHX1BFss74VYxtRKp6DQXDLbvqHtZ/w200-h151/The%20Silence%20of%20the%20Lambs%20(Anthony%20Heald).jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Jodie Foster delivers a powerhouse portrayal as a woman proving herself in a man's world - aided by the script's cleverly subtle feminist overtones - displaying both Clarice's ambition and her inexperience with equal parts strength and vulnerability. In arguably his most well-known role, Anthony Hopkins offers the ultimate masterclass in how to portray that steely-eyed unsettling evil that has become so cliched nowadays. But his performance contains oodles of nuance, eschewing the monotone vocal delivery of so many other actors' villainous performances that followed. Ted Levine also impresses with a creepy-as-hell turn as the deranged and demented Buffalo Bill. Anthony Heald (pictured) also stands out, nailing the slimy, in-it-for-himself asshole. Both Foster and Hopkins won Oscars, contributing to the film's Big Five haul. For the uninitiated, that means it won Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and the Screenplay category it was eligible for, in this case Adapted Screenplay. All in all, a rather impressive feat, especially considering it was only the third (and, to date, the last) film to do so.<br /><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mattvstheacad-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "The Silence of the Lambs";
amzn_assoc_default_category = "DVD";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "bc02a4e9bb88e1fe4f87a531c9b54b35";
amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "130";
amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products";
amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "top";
</script>
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script></div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-62136326360887900442022-04-13T13:49:00.000+10:002022-04-13T13:49:02.970+10:001991 - BugsyFor the first time in over two years, I'm back in Los Angeles. In fact, only a few more days and I'll be heading home again to Sydney. But I haven't wasted the opportunity to catch a classic on the big screen. I ventured out to the historic <a href="https://www.americancinematheque.com/about/theatres/los-feliz-theatre/" target="_blank">Los Feliz 3 Theatre</a> to see another Best Picture nominee, presented in 35mm. While it was nice to experience the nostalgic graininess of a real film projector (as opposed to the flawless digital projectors currently in use almost everywhere), this particular print had clearly collected 30 years of dust, grit and hair, which was surely not what movie-goers in 1991 experienced. Nonetheless, watching old movies (it feels strange to me to call 1991 old, but I think that's undeniable now) on a big screen is still one of my favourite pastimes so I'm not complaining.<br /><br />So, let's begin our review of 1991's race for Best Picture by taking a look at...<br />
<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC47YvhYdyLdgl3ZQbQD8_rCypIUF8YXgWlwSGSAJWJtYItYIQrkKRVK-cTP4xf8K6x3P0Q9FZbW34l4x6OzyJcySTBdZloysSbx_a1yiBuB63dOYJzHZBXHlvIH3Kpdv1DkFAhSHzFEkC_UHnz6CuSjFmQ1VFNrFtLoCqwNX3QAaml2x22fbY1BEP/s1500/Bugsy.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1012" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC47YvhYdyLdgl3ZQbQD8_rCypIUF8YXgWlwSGSAJWJtYItYIQrkKRVK-cTP4xf8K6x3P0Q9FZbW34l4x6OzyJcySTBdZloysSbx_a1yiBuB63dOYJzHZBXHlvIH3Kpdv1DkFAhSHzFEkC_UHnz6CuSjFmQ1VFNrFtLoCqwNX3QAaml2x22fbY1BEP/s320/Bugsy.jpg" width="216" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">Bugsy</span></b><br />
<i><u>Director</u>:</i><br />Barry Levinson<br />
<i><u>Screenplay</u>:</i><br />James Toback<br /><i><u>Starring</u>:</i><br />Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould, Joe Mantegna, Bebe Neuwirth<br />
<u style="font-style: italic;">Academy Awards</u><i>:</i><br />
10 nominations<br />
2 wins, for Art Direction & Costume Design<br /><br />
It seems odd, if not a little cruel, that the title of this film is a nickname that the main character detests with a passion. Benjamin Siegel (Beatty) positively despises being referred to as Bugsy and he's not shy to let people know that. In 1941, Siegel moves to Los Angeles to take over a rival crime family's gambling business. Despite being married with two kids, he meets and falls in love with actress Virginia Hill (Bening), while visiting his friend George Raft (Mantegna) on set. While navigating his rocky romance with Virginia, he attempts to realise an extravagant dream of opening a casino in Las Vegas, securing million-dollar investments from long-time crime pal Meyer Lansky (Kingsley) and others. But soon, the casino's budget balloons out of control and Siegel has to scramble to keep things on track.<br /><br />Clearly an homage to classic film noir, from the script to the direction to the brilliant cinematography, Bugsy feels like it's from a different era. Everything except for the colour photography and the frequent profanities, I guess. The lighting, in particular, uses precisely the same techniques as those classic gangster flicks, creating a near perfect replica of 1940s cinema. Add to all that a captivating story that keeps you hooked and some divine and Oscar-winning sets and costumes, and you have yourself quite an exceptional motion picture.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwof-IFpdnAxU3xkrji025wPNqFj_0_Ba4Xw1KF-eTIUkvEA7w5GrM9MI_gf84etIjNDyO9gxvbzlSAsmiBwcw5nW2hP50_hYHCkSbWhtp_TyDckUzznmtTZ2u8-OaW8L2xC0Bf7s6B7RVsWzIJWN7jszmCf2Vw0BzLZkTrZZEuFIsCkeGUbn04OR/s1190/Bugsy%20(Annette%20Bening).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1190" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwof-IFpdnAxU3xkrji025wPNqFj_0_Ba4Xw1KF-eTIUkvEA7w5GrM9MI_gf84etIjNDyO9gxvbzlSAsmiBwcw5nW2hP50_hYHCkSbWhtp_TyDckUzznmtTZ2u8-OaW8L2xC0Bf7s6B7RVsWzIJWN7jszmCf2Vw0BzLZkTrZZEuFIsCkeGUbn04OR/w200-h109/Bugsy%20(Annette%20Bening).jpg" width="200" /></a>As Meyer Lansky, Ben Kingsley's accent is pretty atrocious but if you can get past that, it's a powerful performance. The Academy obviously agreed because he nabbed a Supporting Actor nod along with his co-star Harvey Keitel, also brilliant as Mickey Cohen. Headlining the film, Warren Beatty possesses the requisite charm, for sure, however there are moments when he plays Bugsy Siegel as surprisingly naïve. Still, he also received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. For me, though, despite being absent from the Best Actress shortlist, it's Annette Bening who steals the show. She absolutely nails the 1940s femme fatale in every way - a truly breathtaking performance.<br /><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mattvstheacad-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "Bugsy";
amzn_assoc_default_category = "DVD";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "bc02a4e9bb88e1fe4f87a531c9b54b35";
amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "130";
amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products";
amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "top";
</script>
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-43430434795247960192022-04-08T10:38:00.003+10:002022-04-08T10:38:34.220+10:00Best Picture of 1935<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit71-eJ43XB9jnHoxvhA-rKAm-zaug8t_eqWdPWcUUVf20J1HQPtL5V0G5n3f-D-KN6Tt-A4QSXlhR7h9gUqlXok9h8k7BWSlZYRS9X87yTQ784I1qr91kzO1azUaFBGGQiJz84nE9bzE/s1600/Oscar.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit71-eJ43XB9jnHoxvhA-rKAm-zaug8t_eqWdPWcUUVf20J1HQPtL5V0G5n3f-D-KN6Tt-A4QSXlhR7h9gUqlXok9h8k7BWSlZYRS9X87yTQ784I1qr91kzO1azUaFBGGQiJz84nE9bzE/s320/Oscar.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
Well, I've set yet another record for a single year of review on this blog. At almost twice as long as the previous record, this one took almost four years to complete! Granted, this was one of only two Best Picture contests that consisted of 12 nominees, but that still means that, on average, I only watched one film every four months. In any case, they've all been viewed now, so let's get to the business of crowning a winner.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>The nominees for Best Picture of 1935 are:</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Alice Adams</b></li>
<li><b>Broadway Melody of 1936</b></li>
<li><b>Captain Blood</b></li>
<li><b>David Copperfield</b></li>
<li><b>The Informer</b></li><li><b>Les Misérables</b></li><li><b>The Lives of a Bengal Lancer</b></li><li><b>A Midsummer Night's Dream</b></li><li><b>Mutiny on the Bounty</b></li><li><b>Naughty Marietta</b></li><li><b>Ruggles of Red Gap</b></li><li><b>Top Hat</b></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
As mentioned, this is the equal largest crop of Best Picture nominees in Academy history, so as one would expect, there's something for everyone - dramas, musicals, adventures, and almost every combination thereof. With such a variety of genres, separating them is no easy task. But to start, I'll remove a handful for no other reason than I just didn't find them as all-around entertaining as the others, though they all contained at least a few entertaining elements nonetheless. So, let's say goodbye to Naughty Marietta, David Copperfield, Ruggles of Red Gap and Alice Adams.</div><div><br /></div><div>Broadway Melody of 1936 and Top Hat are both exquisitely entertaining musicals, and A Midsummer Night's Dream is an exquisitely entertaining almost-musical. All three were in the running, but I'm foregoing them in place of heavy dramas, which I guess is precisely what the Academy often does, for better or worse. Also in the running was Captain Blood, a swashbuckling adventure, and fellow adventure flick The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, but for similar reasons to the musicals, they're being dumped too. Lastly, two captivating character-based dramas will also just miss out - Les Misérables and The Informer.<br />
<br />
That leaves Mutiny on the Bounty, the nomination leader of this awards year, and the eventual Best Picture winner. I'm going to side with the Academy once again and name it my favourite one of the year, too.</div>
<center>
<table cellpadding="15" style="text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td colspan="2"><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Best Picture of 1935</span></span></b></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Academy's choice</span>:</i></span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Mutiny on the Bounty</b><b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3i0Iao7B8hnB8F2EdHMVRDuxsrlaPmVHMaMbRZn4SwLWykrAPIncMfRg_VFnE4Hkp_Xi3dJe6v__6L6JshwbaC8BDj5atF1wJnM3_oJUFFDJnkoY0BUNBkTwUzz-43_7vrZKlAkAzKJl-df6sKGx3IcStRkSfrQ-WS-o0FURlDQ-Ft40BwkuPZNcz/s1000/Mutiny%20on%20the%20Bounty.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="707" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3i0Iao7B8hnB8F2EdHMVRDuxsrlaPmVHMaMbRZn4SwLWykrAPIncMfRg_VFnE4Hkp_Xi3dJe6v__6L6JshwbaC8BDj5atF1wJnM3_oJUFFDJnkoY0BUNBkTwUzz-43_7vrZKlAkAzKJl-df6sKGx3IcStRkSfrQ-WS-o0FURlDQ-Ft40BwkuPZNcz/w141-h200/Mutiny%20on%20the%20Bounty.jpg" width="141" /></a></div></div>
</div>
</td><td><div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Matt's choice</span>:</i><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Mutiny on the Bounty</b><br />
<b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXi7TotHebqLEsCQW44oeeWmuK9FAEMrEH90Kx-zQI1ol0C7Kv8VzsPgG3tqlt2GxOmErX3pFS3VFgb9W2YubsPmB-zla6cbazRk4oIUtAzYGcYMRbbEwnQAUiwf7vta8T8ZYsyQ-BeqwPxfMDwkIA_Ym45ph8XpqiizDCrnbwVK643nwJfnhttcP/s1000/Mutiny%20on%20the%20Bounty.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="707" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXi7TotHebqLEsCQW44oeeWmuK9FAEMrEH90Kx-zQI1ol0C7Kv8VzsPgG3tqlt2GxOmErX3pFS3VFgb9W2YubsPmB-zla6cbazRk4oIUtAzYGcYMRbbEwnQAUiwf7vta8T8ZYsyQ-BeqwPxfMDwkIA_Ym45ph8XpqiizDCrnbwVK643nwJfnhttcP/w141-h200/Mutiny%20on%20the%20Bounty.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; border-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-spacing: 2px;"></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="text-decoration: underline;">Your choice</span>:</i><br />
<i><br />
</i></div>
<script charset="utf-8" src="https://secure.polldaddy.com/p/11086037.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<noscript><a href="https://poll.fm/11086037">Best Picture of 1935</a></noscript>
</center>
<br />After four years of the mid-1930s, let's try something a little more recent and move forward in time to my adolescence. 1991 is a year I remember well, and while there are a couple of films on this list that I've viewed multiple times, there are surprisingly a couple of other films that I've never seen at all.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>And the nominees for Best Picture of 1991 are:</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><b>Beauty and the Beast</b></li>
<li><b>Bugsy</b></li>
<li><b>JFK</b></li>
<li><b>The Prince of Tides</b></li>
<li><b>The Silence of the Lambs</b></li>
</ul>
</div>Stay tuned...<br />
<br />Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-88452730417133488482022-04-06T07:57:00.001+10:002022-04-06T11:46:56.019+10:001935 - A Midsummer Night's DreamDespite my lack of confidence, my Oscar predictions this year (20 correct out of 23 categories) turned out to be my best ever. (Well, I once correctly picked 21 categories, but that was when there were 24 categories total, so as a percentage, this year was better.) I'd like to say it was all skill, but in the end, it turns out all the favourites and slight favourites came out on top, so there really weren't any major surprises... (I mean, there was obviously one big surprise on the night, but that's not what I meant.) The two main categories that I missed (Picture and Original Screenplay) were also gettable, to be honest, but for whatever reason, I ignored the late rise of CODA and Belfast, respectively, and stuck to my guns with The Power of the Dog and Licorice Pizza. If I'd gone ahead and chosen the slight favourites in those two categories, then Animated Short would have been the sole mistake.<br /><br />Now, here's the final nominee in 1935's Best Picture competition...<br />
<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4H_nKEu91ag966AiOiTnFU67rEbxRKgG-V9cUTEnp-Etk4fMVnXQCtV7gvR8lMWza3fvgDiJxNw2vR1QT4paelk6oQv9nBDPJtESbUviTJFrs0dLw1zGHSyEadvblCiHUWUIG_7wIG9fH7X9unlqtQmerOWWNhQW-qegfP-kd4x4dsk7q7Qqz_jIS/s2560/A%20Midsummer%20Night's%20Dream.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1707" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4H_nKEu91ag966AiOiTnFU67rEbxRKgG-V9cUTEnp-Etk4fMVnXQCtV7gvR8lMWza3fvgDiJxNw2vR1QT4paelk6oQv9nBDPJtESbUviTJFrs0dLw1zGHSyEadvblCiHUWUIG_7wIG9fH7X9unlqtQmerOWWNhQW-qegfP-kd4x4dsk7q7Qqz_jIS/s320/A%20Midsummer%20Night's%20Dream.jpg" width="213" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">A Midsummer Night's Dream</span></b><br />
<i><u>Director</u>:</i><br />William Dieterle, Max Reinhardt<br />
<i><u>Screenplay</u>:</i><br />Charles Kenyon, Mary C. McCall, Jr.<br />(based on the play by William Shakespeare)<br />
<i><u>Starring</u>:</i><br />James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Mickey Rooney, Dick Powell, Ross Alexander, Jean Muir, Victor Jory, Anita Louise<br />
<u style="font-style: italic;">Academy Awards</u><i>:</i><br />
4 nominations<br />
2 wins, including Cinematography<br /><br />
Shakespeare's enduring romantic comedy, A Midsummer Night's Dream follows four lovers (de Havilland, Powell, Alexander & Muir) as they succumb to the magic of hidden fairies in the forest. Under orders from King Oberon (Jory), mischievous sprite Puck (Rooney) uses an enchanted flower to cause the humans to fall in love with each other. Meanwhile, the fairy queen Titania (Louise) is bewitched into falling for a man named Bottom (Cagney) who has, in turn, had his head transformed into that of a donkey.<br /><br />While Midsummer is arguably one of Shakespeare's most overdone plays (certainly his most overdone comedy), there's a reason it's been so popular among producers, both theatre and film alike. There are elements of magic and fantasy and slapstick and word play and romance, all rolled into one. And this production executes each of those elements very well, adding its own spin on a few things but in a way that matches the tone of the source material and doesn't feel out of place.<div><br /><div>Clearly, the production's focus here was the fantasy side of things. They've pulled out all the stops to deliver some solid entertainment, cleverly adapting the story to include plenty of music and dance and magical special effects, which I'm sure were awe-inspiring at the time. In fact, while the myriad fantastical sequences are entertaining in their own right, they also shrewdly serve as a way to break up the dense Shakespearean dialogue. Indeed, the extravagant establishing scene of the forest is quite the mesmerising spectacle, something stage versions of the play could only hope of achieving.<div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5mC7PEh_MYuGnu9GwKbFHQEeht4WBQ6Rl-znn4-GzqWClGuYaUDxuiWQDw0shP6ASnZChd2WFUPYDGhXotGHTVqFRVcCrhImNlNNxhkdPhn-0CR2cLDDPDZiIKFPmsC7OIwYR5DaqKGT8Ayd-LB9b-BMMMoSOD9b_aRgvT9u5SDyd6JWA5cVjB9G/s2048/A%20Midsummer%20Night's%20Dream%20(Mickey%20Rooney).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1596" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr5mC7PEh_MYuGnu9GwKbFHQEeht4WBQ6Rl-znn4-GzqWClGuYaUDxuiWQDw0shP6ASnZChd2WFUPYDGhXotGHTVqFRVcCrhImNlNNxhkdPhn-0CR2cLDDPDZiIKFPmsC7OIwYR5DaqKGT8Ayd-LB9b-BMMMoSOD9b_aRgvT9u5SDyd6JWA5cVjB9G/w156-h200/A%20Midsummer%20Night's%20Dream%20(Mickey%20Rooney).jpg" width="156" /></a>James Cagney is clearly having a ball as Bottom the Weaver and his cheerful enthusiasm is infectious. A teenaged Mickey Rooney plays Puck with such wild abandon that I can't decide whether the performance is brilliantly quirky or just embarrassingly over-the-top. In more than a couple of scenes, it almost seems like he's having a drug-induced trip. Also worth mentioning is rubber-faced comedian Joe E. Brown, who a couple of decades later would deliver possibly <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZymBti7700" target="_blank">the most famous last line of any movie</a>.<br /><br />A Midsummer Night's Dream holds the unique distinction of being the only film to win a competitive Oscar in a category for which it wasn't even nominated. At the time, the Academy allowed write-in votes, so despite the film not receiving a nod for Hal Mohr's enchanting cinematography, it garnered enough support that it ended up taking home the trophy. The Academy changed its rules the following year.<br /><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mattvstheacad-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "A Midsummer Night's Dream 1935";
amzn_assoc_default_category = "DVD";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "bc02a4e9bb88e1fe4f87a531c9b54b35";
amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "130";
amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products";
amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "top";
</script>
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script></div></div></div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-54904960153527225302022-03-26T15:23:00.000+11:002022-03-26T15:23:31.095+11:00Oscar Winner Predictions 2021<div style="text-align: left;">My nomination predictions this year didn't turn out to be my best performance. In fact, it was probably one of my worst in recent memory. And to be honest, predicting the winners is going to be just as complicated. There are a lot of categories this year without a clear frontrunner. Many have slight favourites, but many more are up in the air. I'm most confident about Jane Campion becoming the third woman to win Best Director and Will Smith taking home his first Oscar, and maybe there are a couple of other sure things (or close to it), but other than that, I'll just have to hope that my educated guesses are enough.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Best Picture, which has often been my Achilles' heel recently, is once again a tough nut to crack. The Power of the Dog seemed like the frontrunner for most of the season, even if it was only a slight advantage, but CODA is now coming home strong, so could pip Dog at the post. I'm genuinely torn between the two, but I've selected The Power of the Dog without confidence. <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mattvstheacademy/oscars2021-winners" target="_blank">You can check out all my picks here.</a></div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-20936061909196658062022-02-07T18:49:00.001+11:002022-02-07T18:49:34.545+11:00Oscar Nomination Predictions 2021Here we are once again, awaiting the announcement of the coveted Oscar nominations. It's hard to believe it's been a whole year since the last one, but that's probably because it hasn't been. The elongated 2020 season has accordingly created a slightly abbreviated 2021 season. But there was still plenty of time for filmmakers to release some entertaining and award-worthy movies.<div><br /></div><div>I've still got a lot to catch up on, but my favourites so far include Being the Ricardos, CODA and Tick, Tick... Boom, all three of which could quite reasonably see their names on the Best Picture contenders list (and potentially several other categories) come Tuesday. Another film I really enjoyed this season is The Harder They Fall, though I expect that may struggle to get nominated for anything. Its best shot is Best Original Song, but even I haven't predicted it securing that nod.</div><div><br /></div><div>Dune and The Power of the Dog are poised to be the nomination leaders and my predictions reflect that. West Side Story and Belfast will likely see a strong showing, too. As for the rest of my guesses, we'll see how it all pans out. If you're interested in assessing my powers of Oscar prognostication, <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mattvstheacademy/oscars2021-nominations" target="_blank">here are my nomination predictions for the 94th Academy Awards</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Before I sign off, though, here's something to look out for when the nominees are announced in a little over 24 hours. For the last two years running, one of the Best International Feature (formerly Best Foreign Language Film) nominees has also found itself on the Best Documentary Feature shortlist - Honeyland in 2019 and Collective in 2020. Surprisingly, it had never happened prior to that, and perhaps even more surprisingly, it's likely to happen for a third year in a row, thanks to Denmark's Flee. And although I've only pegged it for those two nominations, there's a decent chance it'll pull a third citation for Best Animated Feature, which would make it the first film to receive nods in all three of those categories. Never thought I'd get this excited about a Danish animated documentary, but that's the effect the Oscars have on me, I guess.</div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-7480977015311338152022-01-04T08:47:00.000+11:002022-01-04T08:47:50.850+11:001935 - The InformerHappy New Year! Awards season is beginning to ramp up and there are a lot of exciting titles in the running, barely any of which I've seen as yet. I did get the chance to watch <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encanto_(film)" target="_blank">Encanto</a> with my family the other night and thoroughly enjoyed it. No doubt we'll be hearing its name mentioned when the Best Animated Film nominations are announced. And with new films from Oscar-bait directors Anderson, Branagh, Campion, McKay, Scott and Spielberg, among many others, I'm looking forward to potentially adding some new favourites to my all-time list.<br /><br />For now, let's begin the new year with one more of 1935's Best Picture contenders...<br />
<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLsfSn-tYiv0e9DIeTE_I2sba4qZCU4Dsjdhq08e3qRriUjD98vcBc2z8OTS4lyRRHVn7DJQdQ7ABryQHlSGgec0tiyEtZovTQH_N6byuHVho0D_msH1ljzLtcIe1SPpbhvD-0Zu-fQMccVYOy3BYMvWajbxumlZLvPK2GKxnyRTuyhdYmbQxAozNu=s2193" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2193" data-original-width="1675" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLsfSn-tYiv0e9DIeTE_I2sba4qZCU4Dsjdhq08e3qRriUjD98vcBc2z8OTS4lyRRHVn7DJQdQ7ABryQHlSGgec0tiyEtZovTQH_N6byuHVho0D_msH1ljzLtcIe1SPpbhvD-0Zu-fQMccVYOy3BYMvWajbxumlZLvPK2GKxnyRTuyhdYmbQxAozNu=s320" width="244" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSG4U4xZnlWpLgrQ-hX7Zxaa0ftznaOdDGT7ignUxOlICxpmvKhTHzG4_LohjqmR0hKoRZr_dpXntfdIFcZ214HcyW0G9G92mYfvO3agGXdCY1DtPx_x67OOnAITKZVKGgWyUEFHnyc8/s1178/The+Lives+of+a+Bengal+Lancer.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Informer</span></b><br />
<i><u>Director</u>:</i><br />John Ford<br />
<i><u>Screenplay</u>:</i><br />Dudley Nichols<div>(based on the novel by Liam O'Flaherty)<br />
<i><u>Starring</u>:</i><br />Victor McLaglen, Heather Angel, Preston Foster, Margot Grahame, Wallace Ford, Una O'Connor<br />
<u style="font-style: italic;">Academy Awards</u><i>:</i><br />
6 nominations<br />
4 wins, including Best Director and Best Actor (McLaglen)<br /><br />
It's 1922 in Dublin during the Irish War of Independence and Irish outcast Gypo Nolan (McLaglen) wanders the streets in a melancholy state. He stumbles across a poster offering a £20 reward for the capture of one of his old friends, Frankie McPhillip (Ford), with whom he fought against the British. Gypo's girlfriend, Katie (Grahame), dreams of escaping her troubled life in Ireland, but moving to America doesn't come cheap. In fact, rather coincidentally, two tickets to America cost exactly £20. No points for guessing what happens next.</div><div><br />The Informer is a keen study in guilt, specifically the behaviour of a reluctant snitch. Director John Ford knows how to create tension and he expertly conveys the anxiety Gypo feels. Taking place over the course of a single evening, the story moves at a slow and very suspenseful pace. Joseph H. August's photography is stunning, a fine example of film noir cinematography, despite the film not really falling into the film noir genre. The moody lighting streaking across the fog, along with some superb shot composition, makes for some captivating visuals.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5BWAkmq-FPF6X7gTtpc47xg15vYFOGwPzdF2iaAJ3Ibzj3gQg3na2o_pZe8Kema2QzwgKUCnP3EeVPZNiRGx9I7nDf5oF67imHh1EPlW6cwgnAfHPWpm_72fArByCgkGcSOvRAygWTtDnmefgjUxTTTmFXWoJNWxgZjnC2BVvffHEO9ZZ_K-59H6L=s1472" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1072" data-original-width="1472" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh5BWAkmq-FPF6X7gTtpc47xg15vYFOGwPzdF2iaAJ3Ibzj3gQg3na2o_pZe8Kema2QzwgKUCnP3EeVPZNiRGx9I7nDf5oF67imHh1EPlW6cwgnAfHPWpm_72fArByCgkGcSOvRAygWTtDnmefgjUxTTTmFXWoJNWxgZjnC2BVvffHEO9ZZ_K-59H6L=w200-h146" width="200" /></a>The performances from most of the cast are perhaps more melodramatic than average for this era - and I'm not just talking about the atrocious Irish accents. Nonetheless, despite McLaglen's overacting, he ended up winning the Best Actor Oscar. If I had the vote, I undoubtedly would have voted for any of the three nominees from <a href="http://mattvstheacademy.blogspot.com/2020/07/1935-mutiny-on-bounty.html">Mutiny on the Bounty</a> over McLaglen. I wonder if those three did in fact split the vote, allowing McLaglen to slip through. Then again, overacting wasn't as distasteful back then, so maybe the majority of Academy voters genuinely appreciated McLaglen's performance. For my money, Preston Foster (pictured) was the standout. Maybe he was aided by a more stoic character but he seemed to be less melodramatic than the rest.</div><div><br /></div><div>The film garnered six nominations, though not for cinematography, sadly. Its main rival was Mutiny on the Bounty, which happened to be nominated in exactly the same six categories. The Informer was the big winner on Oscar night, taking home four awards, the most of any film that year. But Mutiny on the Bounty had the last laugh by taking out Best Picture.</div><div><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mattvstheacad-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "The Informer 1935";
amzn_assoc_default_category = "DVD";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "bc02a4e9bb88e1fe4f87a531c9b54b35";
amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "130";
amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products";
amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "top";
</script>
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script></div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-25640955638074424732021-06-18T14:44:00.000+10:002021-06-18T14:44:58.555+10:001935 - The Lives of a Bengal LancerThe Emmys, television's equivalent to the Oscars, begins voting today to select its nominees. One of the perks of all the (tiny) parts <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1316534/" target="_blank">I played</a> on American TV shows over the last few years is that I got to join the Television Academy, allowing me to vote in the Emmys. And oof, I thought it was difficult finding time to watch movies. The sheer volume of Emmy-eligible content is entirely overwhelming. It would be literally impossible to watch every episode of every show vying for a nomination, so if you have any recommendations of shows that I absolutely shouldn't miss, please help me whittle down my shortlist.<br /><br />Meanwhile, here's another picture in contention for the 1935 Best Picture Oscar...<br />
<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSG4U4xZnlWpLgrQ-hX7Zxaa0ftznaOdDGT7ignUxOlICxpmvKhTHzG4_LohjqmR0hKoRZr_dpXntfdIFcZ214HcyW0G9G92mYfvO3agGXdCY1DtPx_x67OOnAITKZVKGgWyUEFHnyc8/s1178/The+Lives+of+a+Bengal+Lancer.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1178" data-original-width="780" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJSG4U4xZnlWpLgrQ-hX7Zxaa0ftznaOdDGT7ignUxOlICxpmvKhTHzG4_LohjqmR0hKoRZr_dpXntfdIFcZ214HcyW0G9G92mYfvO3agGXdCY1DtPx_x67OOnAITKZVKGgWyUEFHnyc8/s320/The+Lives+of+a+Bengal+Lancer.jpg" /></a></div>The Lives of a Bengal Lancer</span></b><br />
<i><u>Director</u>:</i><br />Henry Hathaway<br />
<i><u>Screenplay</u>:</i><br />Waldemar Young, John L. Balderston, Achmed Abdullah, Grover Jones, William Slavens McNutt<div>(suggested by the novel by Francis Yeats-Brown)<br />
<i><u>Starring</u>:</i><br />Gary Cooper, Franchot Tone, Richard Cromwell, Guy Standing, C. Aubrey Smith, Kathleen Burke, Douglass Dumbrille<br />
<u style="font-style: italic;">Academy Awards</u><i>:</i><br />
7 nominations<br />
1 win, for Best Assistant Director<br /><br />
The recalcitrant Lieutenant McGregor (Cooper) is serving in British India with the Bengal Lancers, soon joined by newcomers Lieutenants Forsythe (Tone) and Stone (Cromwell), the latter being the son of the unit's colonel (Standing). The Lancers are attempting to prevent a potential incursion led by Mohammed Khan (Dumbrille), but their individual loyalties to the regiment are tested at every turn.<br /><br />The Lives of a Bengal Lancer is often classified as a war movie yet, in truth, it doesn't feature a lot of actual war. There's really only one battle scene, appearing right at the end of the film, though it's so spectacularly staged, including some impressive stunt work, that it makes up for the prior lack of thrilling combat. That said, there's plenty of adventure and drama, so it certainly remains a gripping yarn, if a little clichéd at times, exploring the conflict between military loyalty and individual morality. There are several sequences involving subordinates disobeying orders in an attempt to save their fellow soldiers from doom. Indeed, one of the main relationships in the story, that of the stereotypical military dad who doesn't know how to show emotion and his largely incompetent son who just wants to make his dad proud, is representative of the struggle between military discipline and humanity.<br /><br />This film also lays claim to being the genesis of the "we have ways of making you talk" trope, often spoken by a villain excited by the thought of torturing the hero. The original line here is actually "<a href="https://youtu.be/SMldC5_M22E" target="_blank">We have ways to make men talk</a>" and it's a testament to the excellent (and Oscar-nominated, by the way) script. Despite some of the situations and characters feeling a bit trite, the dialogue is top-notch. Subtext abounds and expository speeches are avoided, and I'm a sucker for a script that doesn't spell everything out all the time, so this was right up my alley.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZY3FTmMOu0PjLKRPq4hlMCgldMN5u7Gslr_XvsZ4y9ZZ4Rulq35u8xMzzuBCBNNKCRCh3st0u3vjeYnNEThkoSwO8Tx8RWcmVJiXNjAuA7i2twCZ-LElEfcD6XcxD7Q8vSNebrCIqRk/s900/The+Lives+of+a+Bangal+Lancer+%2528Franchot+Tone%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="900" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZY3FTmMOu0PjLKRPq4hlMCgldMN5u7Gslr_XvsZ4y9ZZ4Rulq35u8xMzzuBCBNNKCRCh3st0u3vjeYnNEThkoSwO8Tx8RWcmVJiXNjAuA7i2twCZ-LElEfcD6XcxD7Q8vSNebrCIqRk/w200-h149/The+Lives+of+a+Bangal+Lancer+%2528Franchot+Tone%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I feel like I've been saying this a lot lately, but the entire cast is impressive. Perhaps I'm harbouring a latent prejudice that old movies must necessarily contain over-the-top acting so it's always a surprise when they don't. I mean, to be fair, these films obviously can't compare to the naturalism of modern acting, but it's never quite as terrible as I imagine it's going to be. Either that or I'm just getting used to the ham. In any case, the ensemble here is genuinely pleasant to watch, with Franchot Tone being the standout, in my opinion. He supplies most of the comic relief for the film, but it's all an understated tongue-in-cheek humour and not at all slapsticky. Sadly, though, none of the cast were nominated for Oscars. Of the picture's seven nominations, it only walked away with one award, namely Best Assistant Director.<br /><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mattvstheacad-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "Ruggles of Red Gap";
amzn_assoc_default_category = "DVD";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "bc02a4e9bb88e1fe4f87a531c9b54b35";
amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "130";
amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products";
amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "top";
</script>
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script></div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-54781263084115043202021-06-10T19:52:00.004+10:002021-06-10T19:52:43.593+10:001935 - Ruggles of Red GapOne of the things I miss about living in L.A. (and New York, for that matter) is the prevalence of revival cinemas. Being the home of Hollywood, there was never a shortage of film events to attend and I particularly loved going to see classic movies at the <a href="https://thenewbev.com/" target="_blank">New Beverly</a> and the <a href="https://americancinematheque.com/about/theatres/egyptian-theatre/" target="_blank">Egyptian</a>, among many others. The options in Sydney for this type of thing are limited at best, though with new movies relatively scarce in the last 12 months, many mainstream cinemas here have been adding older classics to their rosters, so there's perhaps a larger selection than usual right now. In my younger days, however, I lived near the spectacular <a href="https://www.orpheum.com.au/" target="_blank">Orpheum</a>, where I managed to see 70mm prints of Ben-Hur and Lawrence of Arabia. I also saw midnight screenings of the original Star Wars trilogy at the <a href="https://www.ritzcinemas.com.au/" target="_blank">Randwick Ritz</a>, which, along with their current prolonged retrospectives of Charlie Chaplin, Pedro Almodovar and Nicole Kidman films, have several Bette Davis vehicles scheduled in the upcoming weeks and months. There's a handful of Best Picture nominees in there, so I may catch one of Davis' films on the big screen to begin the next year of review.<br /><br />First, though, I'll need to finish 1935's crop of nominees, which includes...<br />
<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORYbystJ12LG0Pb8Pf8FOtcOJuqJ-1IjRGq7fPJfBwkpESYodz4j9oKD03iOXhqo-W8rlwjA-gFLcndRRNGiQquO_VnZUEWHLY8zW3VTqluvlhfjEREy2YdTS2k9-xuGaNuw0I5ERH3M/s885/Ruggles+of+Red+Gap.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="885" data-original-width="580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjORYbystJ12LG0Pb8Pf8FOtcOJuqJ-1IjRGq7fPJfBwkpESYodz4j9oKD03iOXhqo-W8rlwjA-gFLcndRRNGiQquO_VnZUEWHLY8zW3VTqluvlhfjEREy2YdTS2k9-xuGaNuw0I5ERH3M/s320/Ruggles+of+Red+Gap.jpg" /></a></div>Ruggles of Red Gap</span></b><br />
<i><u>Director</u>:</i><br />Leo McCarey<br />
<i><u>Screenplay</u>:</i><br />Walter DeLeon, Harlan Thompson, Humphrey Pearson<div>(based on the novel by Harry Leon Wilson)<br />
<i><u>Starring</u>:</i><br />Charles Laughton, Mary Boland, Charlie Ruggles, ZaSu Pitts, Roland Young, Leila Hyams<br />
<u style="font-style: italic;">Academy Awards</u><i>:</i><br />
1 nomination<br />
0 wins<br />
<br />This awards year was a bit of a Laughton-fest. Charles Laughton stars in yet another nominee, this time as an obedient and experienced British manservant named Marmaduke Ruggles. While in France, his employer, the Earl of Burnstead (Young), regrettably loses Ruggles in a poker game to a newly wealthy American couple, Effie (Boland) and Egbert Floud (Ruggles; that's Charlie Ruggles the actor, not Marmaduke Ruggles the character, obviousy). So off Ruggles goes to the Flouds hometown in the American West, where both Ruggles <i>and </i>Egbert have trouble adjusting.</div><div>
<br />Perhaps it's a little reductionist to label Ruggles of Red Gap as a classic fish-out-of-water story, but it certainly presents that way. That said, the fish doesn't actually get out of the water until about thirty minutes into the film when Ruggles finally arrives in America. And soon after, there is admittedly a deeper theme underlying the shenanigans. It's really about a man finding his own worth and not just succumbing to his lot in life.</div><div><br /></div><div>There is a modicum of American patriotism exuding from the picture, too. Ruggles recites Lincoln's famed Gettysburg Address almost as if he's hearing the words "all men are created equal" for the first time, which contributes to the film's definite vibe of moral superiority over Britain's class system. But I'm not sure comparing Ruggles' situation to slavery is all that fair. Plus, of course, the irony that the only black person in their circle is a literal servant seems to be lost on everyone involved. But if we were to pick apart the problematic themes in films of this era, we could be here a while.</div><div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzngHO937AZesCrPGSkL60CsPbzPb7TtNjFEII8Sh_K7_xuUuRbdX8pplm1G-mp7A0TIJ8WYJn2_VAji4myXh59O3ekQeh4ee0b0M5RnQH7Qxt3SMZuypnUiKUOYutK3kedZ5-yA3icU/s1096/Ruggles+of+Red+Gap+%2528Charles+Laughton%2529.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="1096" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKzngHO937AZesCrPGSkL60CsPbzPb7TtNjFEII8Sh_K7_xuUuRbdX8pplm1G-mp7A0TIJ8WYJn2_VAji4myXh59O3ekQeh4ee0b0M5RnQH7Qxt3SMZuypnUiKUOYutK3kedZ5-yA3icU/w200-h149/Ruggles+of+Red+Gap+%2528Charles+Laughton%2529.png" width="200" /></a></div>This is one of three 1935 Best Picture contenders Charles Laughton appears in and it's such a refreshing change of pace for him. As <a href="http://mattvstheacademy.blogspot.com/2021/06/1935-les-miserables.html">Javert</a> and <a href="http://mattvstheacademy.blogspot.com/2020/07/1935-mutiny-on-bounty.html">Captain Bligh</a>, he brilliantly encapsulates the hard-nosed and unlikable authority figure, so it's wonderful to see him have some fun with a character on the other end of the spectrum. He's endearing and funny as Ruggles, particularly when he's smiling drunk (pictured). His support cast are also fantastic, especially Roland Young as a nobleman with a lost soul, and Leila Hyams as the charming and age-inappropriate love interest of said nobleman.<br />
<br />Ruggles of Red Gap belongs to a relatively short list of films whose Best Picture nod was its sole Oscar nomination. This phenomenon occurred a bunch of times in the 1930s, but it's been almost seven decades since the last time it happened, which was for 1943's <a href="http://mattvstheacademy.blogspot.com/2015/09/1943-ox-bow-incident.html">The Ox-Bow Incident</a>.<br /><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mattvstheacad-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "Ruggles of Red Gap";
amzn_assoc_default_category = "DVD";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "bc02a4e9bb88e1fe4f87a531c9b54b35";
amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "130";
amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products";
amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "top";
</script>
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script></div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-22071688998321815962021-06-04T11:04:00.000+10:002021-06-04T11:04:11.778+10:001935 - Les MisérablesThis year's extended Oscar season finally wrapped up at the end of April and, while my prediction result was fairly average for me (17 correct out of 23 categories), my prediction <i>about </i>my predictions was pretty spot on. I figured I'd struggle with a few up-in-the-air categories and, indeed, I didn't succeed in the crap shoot that was the Best Actress race. I did, however, peg the similarly unpredictable Best Film Editing category, but that was essentially my only success from those unsettled races. On the other hand, I surmised that this might be the first time in six years I correctly identify the Best Picture winner, and that prophecy was indeed fulfilled, thanks to Nomadland.<div><br /></div><div>While we wait (a slightly shorter amount of time than usual) for the next Oscar season, let's take a look at another nominee from the Best Picture race of 1935...<br />
<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTCMzmZlsFoE7453kMlIOcLgYia7KkqNAN82ZIN7_X24r6oKAazR26ttub38mEun8VehyYQuXT7-w9SUD7H9JRA-a2mWe_o3nr5JvR8okfAxG96FgRTG6d8vBlioPnDdm7pArlOcMcJw/s2604/Les+Miserables+1935.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2604" data-original-width="1704" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTCMzmZlsFoE7453kMlIOcLgYia7KkqNAN82ZIN7_X24r6oKAazR26ttub38mEun8VehyYQuXT7-w9SUD7H9JRA-a2mWe_o3nr5JvR8okfAxG96FgRTG6d8vBlioPnDdm7pArlOcMcJw/s320/Les+Miserables+1935.jpg" /></a>Les Misérables</span></b><br />
<i><u>Director</u>:</i><br />
Richard Boleslawski<br />
<i><u>Screenplay</u>:</i><br />
W.P. Lipscomb<br />
(based on the novel by Victor Hugo)<br />
<i><u>Starring</u>:</i><br />Fredric March, Charles Laughton, Cedric Hardwicke, Rochelle Hudson, Frances Drake, John Beal<br />
<u style="font-style: italic;">Academy Awards</u><i>:</i><br />
4 nominations<br />
0 wins<br />
<br />Not to be confused with the Hugh Jackman-Russell Crowe musical version (also nominated for Best Picture) or, for that matter, any other adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel, this one stars Fredric March as the 19th century French peasant Jean Valjean, who is sent to the galleys for stealing bread. While there, he encounters a humourless by-the-books guard named Javert (Laughton). Upon release, Valjean struggles to re-enter society until a kindly bishop (Hardwicke) gives him a break. Several years later, living as Monsieur Madeleine, Valjean owns a factory and has become so well-loved among his peers that he is offered the mayorship of his adopted town. But Javert, now a police inspector, is suspicious of the new mayor and may uncover his secret past as a convict.<br />
<br />For modern tastes, this adaptation of Les Misérables is quite stagey and contrived at times, which is perhaps something you'd expect from a musical, but alas, this version has no songs. The most egregious artificial moments, however, occur fairly early on in the film with the latter half achieving a somewhat more realistic tone. Still, it was made in the 1930s, so... well, cheese was the name of the game.<br />
<br />Despite all the artifice in the story's execution, Victor Hugo's source material, having clearly stood the test of time, is obviously gripping enough to keep the film entertaining, even at its most cheesy. Oddly, though, Eponine's death (sorry, spoiler alert) is mostly glossed over, a missed opportunity for a melodramatic moment, one that the famous musical adaptation would later <a href="https://youtu.be/VfxjW-bGo6Y?t=164" target="_blank">accomplish perfectly</a>. This film also inexplicably changed Valjean's prison number to 2906, instead of the novel's 24601, which is much catchier, though its catchiness may again be due to the <a href="https://youtu.be/4kUHT0k5VSA" target="_blank">Broadway musical's legacy</a>.<br />
<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4vBGbLnljL4rHj6ASSMN48JwKR6dVY-tsM2JVWfc05Oz5WrZmL_P2alpplq6T0N7_fQctOsmz2ODFg_uoQ4rSuspMiIl9y20frfcfKK3UXOEta4hJrfPoNhurjx77OrU8wOm5Wm8bdM/s576/Les+Miserables+1935+%2528Drake+%2526+March%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="576" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ4vBGbLnljL4rHj6ASSMN48JwKR6dVY-tsM2JVWfc05Oz5WrZmL_P2alpplq6T0N7_fQctOsmz2ODFg_uoQ4rSuspMiIl9y20frfcfKK3UXOEta4hJrfPoNhurjx77OrU8wOm5Wm8bdM/w200-h150/Les+Miserables+1935+%2528Drake+%2526+March%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a>But enough of these unfair comparisons to the evocative power of music. This picture is indeed very watchable, thanks in large part to some genuinely compelling performances. Fredric March as Jean Valjean is often touching, though in the first section of the film, his character seems to be perpetually confused in a rather overwrought fashion. In fact, as Valjean the pauper, March seems to have chosen to embrace the stereotype, then later, as Valjean the respected member of society, the portrayal becomes more naturalistic.<br />
<br />Opposite March is Charles Laughton, typecast as the stoic prig (indeed, this was the same year he played Captain Bligh in <a href="http://mattvstheacademy.blogspot.com/2020/07/1935-mutiny-on-bounty.html">Mutiny on the Bounty</a>), and he is exceptionally powerful as Valjean's ruthless nemesis Javert. In a standout role is Frances Drake (pictured above, with March), who makes the most of her relatively small but showy part as the jealous Eponine, despite her eyebrows being drawn all the way to her ears.<div><br /></div><div>The film didn't win any Oscars from its four nominations. Along with Best Picture, it was cited for Cinematography and Film Editing, which are both well deserved since the film is beautifully cinematic. You'd think the director should have gotten recognised for that, too, but Richard Boleslawski sadly missed out. His deputy, Eric Stacey, however, did get a nod in the now defunct Best Assistant Direction category.<br /><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mattvstheacad-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "Les Miserables 1935";
amzn_assoc_default_category = "DVD";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "bc02a4e9bb88e1fe4f87a531c9b54b35";
amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "130";
amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products";
amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "top";
</script>
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script></div></div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-21907477445381383082021-04-24T09:17:00.001+10:002021-04-24T09:17:45.716+10:00Oscar Winner Predictions 2020<div>Despite my lack of confidence in my nomination predictions, it was a fairly average showing for me in the end. Not my worst result, but certainly not my best, either.</div><div><br></div><div>As for predicting the winners, this feels like one of the most up-in-the-air races for a long time. Even some top categories, like Film Editing and Original Song, are completely wide open with no obvious frontrunners. Then there's Best Actress, which could go in almost any direction. In fact, at least four of the nominated leading ladies could realistically win on Oscar night. This is honestly shaping up to be a very unpredictable ceremony.</div><div><br></div><div>That said, despite all that unpredictability, Best Picture seems like it's Nomadland's to lose. Not since Birdman six years ago have I correctly picked the top prize, so this might be the year I finally make a successful prediction in this category. Mind you, upsets and surprises are Best Picture's specialty, so I probably shouldn't get too cocky.</div><div><br></div><div>We'll find out all the answers in a couple of days, but for now, <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mattvstheacademy/oscars2020-winners">here are my predictions</a> for this year's Oscar winners.</div><div><br></div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-6614912394518622832021-03-13T13:09:00.003+11:002021-03-13T13:09:43.424+11:00Oscar Nomination Predictions 2020<p>We're nearing the home stretch of this extended awards season, so it's finally time for the Oscar nominations. Ahead of Monday's announcement, I've cobbled together my predictions of who will hear their name called out. And when I say "cobbled", I mean "cobbled". I haven't had the chance to see many of the contenders so far, so a lot of these predictions feel like stabs in the dark. Not to mention, <a href="https://deadline.com/2020/09/bafta-film-awards-rule-changes-diversity-female-directors-membership-voting-1234583390/" target="_blank">BAFTA overhauled their voting procedures</a>, which probably means they'll be less of a predictor than they usually are, making the prediction process that much more difficult. I've ended up relying quite heavily on the guilds for my picks, to the point that, in some cases, I've literally just matched the guild's choices precisely. We'll see how that pans out.</p><p>Despite my lack of confidence this year, for posterity's sake, <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mattvstheacademy/oscars2020-nominations" target="_blank">here are my predictions</a> for the 93rd Academy Award nominations.</p>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-3295758965482931622020-12-28T18:32:00.001+11:002020-12-28T18:32:40.263+11:001935 - Captain BloodI've managed to squeak in one more review before the end of the year, which is somewhat surprising since we're well and truly in the midst of the school holidays here in Australia. It's also usually about the time of year that awards season would be heating up, but with the delay of the Oscars ceremony by a couple of months, there's a strange feeling of limbo. Still, lots of Oscar bait movies have already been released with more to come, so I'll try to cover some of that in the coming weeks.<br />
<br />For now, here's the next Best Picture contender from 1935...<br />
<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuakV5995fhqtxkFz05WWKatEtWX0wqDZekQulGfYv_pec3MULQczgvgPovGxO3vZyn5RzyTuXlRHiuyXjoDN5CLeCE_JPUsGdZRF2QmLTwLux0Ibvl51hJkClBwZpEj0FGCmjvfwtMY/s577/Captain+Blood.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="577" data-original-width="386" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuakV5995fhqtxkFz05WWKatEtWX0wqDZekQulGfYv_pec3MULQczgvgPovGxO3vZyn5RzyTuXlRHiuyXjoDN5CLeCE_JPUsGdZRF2QmLTwLux0Ibvl51hJkClBwZpEj0FGCmjvfwtMY/s320/Captain+Blood.jpg" /></a></div>Captain Blood</span></b><br />
<i><u>Director</u>:</i><br />
Michael Curtiz<br />
<i><u>Screenplay</u>:</i><br />
Casey Robinson<br />
(based on the novel by Rafael Sabatini)<br />
<i><u>Starring</u>:</i><br />Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone, Ross Alexander, Guy Kibbee, Henry Stephenson<br />
<u style="font-style: italic;">Academy Awards</u><i>:</i><br />
2 nominations<br />
0 wins<br />
<br />17th-century physician Peter Blood (Flynn) is arrested for treating an enemy of the crown, bundled up with other rebels, and shipped to the Caribbean colonies to become a slave. In Jamaica, a colonel's niece, Arabella Bishop (de Havilland), purchases Blood and assists in getting him the coveted role of doctor to the governor. Blood is understandably restless, though, and soon organises an escape with his fellow captives, where they plan to sail the seas as a pirate crew.<br />
<br />As a classic swashbuckling adventure, Captain Blood certainly doesn't disappoint. There's a lot of adventure with plenty of swashes being buckled, including an excitingly tense sword fight on a rocky beach and a spectacularly epic pirate ship battle. Granted, you have to wait a while for most of this excitement to begin since the first half of the picture is mostly straight drama, but the anticipation holds our attention well in preparation for the exhilarating second half.<br />
<br />Carrying the film is Aussie star Errol Flynn in his star-making role as the titular character. He's quite the steely-eyed charmer, which ironically ends up causing some disbelief at the thought of him becoming a pirate. Frankly, he comes across as too pleasant to all of a sudden embrace stealing and pillaging as a way of life, let alone become known as the "Terror of the Caribbean." In all fairness, though, there are later moments where Flynn displays appropriate ferocity, and he sells that well, but it's not a smooth transition getting there and ultimately his friendly demeanour returns (or perhaps it never really left). In any case, his on-screen persona obviously struck a chord with audiences as this was the first of many swashbuckling roles for Flynn, including arguably his most famous role in The Adventures of Robin Hood (to be reviewed on this blog at some point).<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2lCChs71cyGiDQFkHi36qDZOVe_8vAMirEr5uk8O_3Si_u_ZLOwtFN76EQ-HBHuMO6PhxQoDvFNtmut9ttXeZoJpJOwTBfY2WnsWE35H2FHvoz6oMCBWZ7E3fxTQqq59qzj-RgYoyLQ/s500/Captain+Blood+%2528Flynn+%2526+de+Havilland%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF2lCChs71cyGiDQFkHi36qDZOVe_8vAMirEr5uk8O_3Si_u_ZLOwtFN76EQ-HBHuMO6PhxQoDvFNtmut9ttXeZoJpJOwTBfY2WnsWE35H2FHvoz6oMCBWZ7E3fxTQqq59qzj-RgYoyLQ/w133-h200/Captain+Blood+%2528Flynn+%2526+de+Havilland%2529.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Also making a star turn was ingenue (at the time) Olivia de Havilland. This wasn't quite de Havilland's film debut - that came earlier in the same year with fellow Best Picture nominee A Midsummer Night's Dream - but it was the beginning of her on-screen pairing with Flynn. The duo (pictured) shared the screen seven more times in as many years, most notably with the aforementioned Robin Hood. Despite being a newcomer to cinema and having to portray such an underwritten stereotypical damsel, de Havilland holds her own in Captain Blood, launching a lengthy and auspicious career, in which she eventually won two Best Actress Oscars.<br />
<br />Of the large supporting cast, all are excellent, with standout performances from Basil Rathbone as the rival French pirate captain and Henry Stephenson as the diplomatic Lord Willoughby. Officially, the film only received two Oscar nominations - for Best Picture and Best Sound Recording - but Academy rules at the time allowed for write-in candidates and, since they also announced runners-up, we're able to see how popular Captain Blood was among voters. Along with its two official nods, the film scored second place for its director Michael Curtiz, as well as third place for its screenplay and score (and a rousing score it is). As for Best Picture, it wound up garnering yet another third place.<br /><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mattvstheacad-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "Captain Blood";
amzn_assoc_default_category = "DVD";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "bc02a4e9bb88e1fe4f87a531c9b54b35";
amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "130";
amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products";
amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "top";
</script>
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-54888748419495445392020-12-14T21:36:00.004+11:002020-12-14T21:39:02.980+11:001935 - David Copperfield2020 is almost over and, boy, has it been a doozy. Australia is handling the pandemic considerably well at this moment in time, though I realise that's not the case in a lot of other places around the world, so it really gives new meaning to the phrase "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lucky_Country">the lucky country</a>". It's all the more poignant considering the fact that up until just a few months prior to the outbreak, I was a resident of California, a region that sadly does not seem to be faring as well. But with vaccines beginning to be rolled out in a few countries, let's hope that 2021 will allow us to return to some semblance of normal.<br />
<br />In the meantime, I've checked out another nominee from the 1935 Best Picture contest...<br />
<br /><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAXk2pWfikas_k-ISFDNS0nT_vTd9VUMK-aS64FuiarngNhaMIKRKXVOtR1AQC-5mATWVOEQeFjsyHUkKnQLWer0dQOLpuPSSdpwhcEaupd-XbvWWOYmJlsLw9vzEtQMuX_1j2BY5Wak/s890/David+Copperfield.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaAXk2pWfikas_k-ISFDNS0nT_vTd9VUMK-aS64FuiarngNhaMIKRKXVOtR1AQC-5mATWVOEQeFjsyHUkKnQLWer0dQOLpuPSSdpwhcEaupd-XbvWWOYmJlsLw9vzEtQMuX_1j2BY5Wak/w209-h320/David+Copperfield.jpg" width="209" /></a>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">David Copperfield</span></b><br />
<i><u>Director</u>:</i><br />
George Cukor<br />
<i><u>Screenplay</u>:</i><br />
Hugh Walpole, Howard Estabrook, Lenore J. Coffee<br />
(based on the novel by Charles Dickens)<br />
<i><u>Starring</u>:</i><br />Frank Lawton, Freddie Bartholomew, W.C. Fields, Lionel Barrymore, Madge Evans, Maureen O'Sullivan, Edna May Oliver, Lewis Stone, Elizabeth Allan, Roland Young, Basil Rathbone <br />
<u style="font-style: italic;">Academy Awards</u><i>:</i><br />
3 nominations<br />
0 wins<br />
<br />
Born after his father's death, young David Copperfield (Bartholomew) lives with his flighty mother (Allan) until she decides to get remarried to the less-than-friendly Mr. Murdstone (Rathbone). Soon, David's mother passes away, too, so Murdstone sends the newly orphaned boy away to London, but his adventures don't stop there. He travels from place to place, meeting various characters and, as an adult (Lawton), continues his exploits, experiencing love, loss and laughter.<br />
<br />Perhaps shamefully, I've never read Dickens' book so was mostly unfamiliar with the story. Ironically, I still don't feel all that clear on the story even after watching this adaptation. I mean, it's not that it's hard to follow at all, but the plot moves so quickly that it feels like we're just getting highlights. David moves from one period in his life to another, meeting new people and then saying goodbye to them just as quickly. I know, I know, this has become a common critique of mine about novel adaptations, particularly in early Hollywood, where it seems screenwriters were afraid to leave anything out when adapting a long piece of literature, resulting in relationships and scenarios not given the time they need for growth in order to feel genuine. With that in mind, it seems there has been no shortage of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/find?q=david%20copperfield&s=tt&ref_=fn_al_tt_mr">film and TV adaptations</a> of varying lengths of Dickens' classic (including a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Episode-2/dp/B07C7WHRBZ/">mini-series with a pre-Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe</a> as the young David). I would think, however, in these days of peak television, this story would make a fine limited series, allowing an entire episode to explore each plot point, instead of the fifteen minutes or so that this version affords. But I digress...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZJg0VBhwqN0cmMiedpjactJc73EE2Td53MiIdxDdydpC7goxConXQKWTSHLlQjBqYqDdz-wl8LmK3GC9dB4NlsY7w20ZU3FewMxr_7rpsXyZwQ3fR7N_wpTs3PdeFMRrcxWdsaDiSes/s1600/David+Copperfield+%2528Lawton%252C+Fields%252C+Young%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1208" data-original-width="1600" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZJg0VBhwqN0cmMiedpjactJc73EE2Td53MiIdxDdydpC7goxConXQKWTSHLlQjBqYqDdz-wl8LmK3GC9dB4NlsY7w20ZU3FewMxr_7rpsXyZwQ3fR7N_wpTs3PdeFMRrcxWdsaDiSes/w200-h151/David+Copperfield+%2528Lawton%252C+Fields%252C+Young%2529.jpg" width="200" /></a>There is no doubt this is melodrama. Not just the performances, but a lot of the craft feels overly theatrical, too. For instance, after walking through a fierce storm, young David's clothes are suddenly and strategically ripped in a very aesthetic fashion. Shortly after that sequence, in place of smelling salts, David is offered two nondescript bottles, each with a large novelty label: Salad Dressing and, somewhat inexplicably, Anchovy Sauce.<div><br /></div><div>It's not all hopeless, though. In fact, many of the short snippets of story are indeed entertaining, a testament to George Cukor's direction. Though, I suppose if I'm going to credit the director for the captivating segments, I must also hold him at least partially accountable for the broad caricatures that are most of the performances. Frank Lawton as the adult David is eternally happy and kind in a stereotypical way, which I suppose helps create a feel-good film, but his character just comes off as uninteresting. On the other end of the interesting spectrum are two actors worth mentioning: Roland Young (pictured on the right, with Lawton and W.C. Fields) is just the right amount of conniving as Uriah Heep, and Lennox Pawle is a breath of fresh comedy as the not-quite-all-there Mr. Dick. Pawle's performance is delightfully affable in its absurdity with an uncanny resemblance to both the appearance and slapstick style of Chris Farley, only slightly less erratic. Ultimately, the picture received only two other nominations beside its Best Picture nod - one for Editing and another in the now-defunct Assistant Director category. But on Oscar night, it finished empty-handed.<br /><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mattvstheacad-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "David Copperfield 1935";
amzn_assoc_default_category = "DVD";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "bc02a4e9bb88e1fe4f87a531c9b54b35";
amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "130";
amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products";
amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "top";
</script>
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script></div><div><br /></div>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-34627110231250860062020-07-19T16:34:00.001+10:002020-12-14T21:37:13.751+11:001935 - Mutiny on the BountyWith so much going on in the world right now, this silly little movie blog seems somewhat insignificant (even more insignificant than it did before, if that's possible), but maybe it'll be a welcome distraction for somebody. And with all the big film releases getting delayed again and again, next year's Oscars may be a little light on eligible content if things don't pick up soon, so maybe reading about Oscar history will be all that's left. In any case, with the next Academy Awards ceremony shifted back a couple of months, I'll see if I can catch up a bit by getting a few more of these reviews done before then.<br />
<br />
So, here are my thoughts on the eventual Best Picture winner from 1935...<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauYHY-12jAo1EdaolURcwUlAsIYapgiRa14KBUoRMu2AB9MQarvwqTX6pjeKZd1hj2sfam10xGi2dU72CvknjrUl2w6hx2Vo6R9GE7H2m-EUp1NzNmWZMOoaDA5RtdX-Lfm6vLZNoA_g/s1000/Mutiny+on+the+Bounty.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="707" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgauYHY-12jAo1EdaolURcwUlAsIYapgiRa14KBUoRMu2AB9MQarvwqTX6pjeKZd1hj2sfam10xGi2dU72CvknjrUl2w6hx2Vo6R9GE7H2m-EUp1NzNmWZMOoaDA5RtdX-Lfm6vLZNoA_g/s320/Mutiny+on+the+Bounty.jpg" /></a></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Mutiny on the Bounty</span></b><br />
<i><u>Director</u>:</i><br />
Frank Lloyd<br />
<i><u>Screenplay</u>:</i><br />
Talbot Jennings, Jules Furthman, Carey Wilson<br />
<div>
(based on the novel by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall)<br />
<i><u>Starring</u>:</i><br />
Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone, Herbert Mundin, Eddie Quillan, Dudley Digges, Donald Crisp, Movita, Mamo<br />
<u style="font-style: italic;">Academy Awards</u><i>:</i><br />
8 nominations<br />
1 win, for Best Picture<br />
<br />
The HMS Bounty leaves 18th century England's shores on a two-year mission to Tahiti. Serving as the ship's captain is the tyrannical William Bligh (Laughton), famed for issuing inhumane and often unjust punishments to his crew. His lieutenant, the kind Fletcher Christian (Gable), finds himself at odds with Bligh on several occasions, leading to an eventual ... well, take another look at the film's title.<br />
<br />
<div>
For its era, Mutiny on the Bounty contains some epic production values. While there are still many obvious studio sets with an ocean image merely projected onto the background, there are just as many shots of actual ships on the actual ocean. Similarly, while much of the action was shot along the Californian coastline, the production also utilised Tahiti itself for some scenes.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Historically speaking, it seems the film hits all the major plot points in a relatively accurate fashion, though from my admittedly brief research, it's unclear whether Captain Bligh was truly as horrible as he is portrayed here. Likewise, the real Fletcher Christian may not have been as charming and compassionate as Clark Gable. And while it's true that Christian married a native Tahitian woman, it seems unlikely the courtship was the love-at-first-sight romance presented in this film. This was the height of British colonialism, after all. Still, being a Hollywood movie, there had to be a love interest, so there was no way the studio would have left that part out, but considering the bulk of the movie consists of a bunch of men confined together at sea for months on end, there was limited opportunity for a leading lady. As such, the relationship between Christian and Maimiti is glossed over quite considerably.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Jsh9yH3C1LFP9LqKNFUsZZrydt_Ic_H9A6PbaJCc7zvyG7PPzlGhXDOCB_qpqA9rpnbYd1PMgLAsCkOEYws5xcKOs-RHjWWVs5lHFxQCfy_cQNOHyUtYQhEwr6ctGkYUgToJ2Kvxk1g/s831/Mutiny+on+the+Bounty+%2528Gable+%2526+Laughton%2529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="831" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Jsh9yH3C1LFP9LqKNFUsZZrydt_Ic_H9A6PbaJCc7zvyG7PPzlGhXDOCB_qpqA9rpnbYd1PMgLAsCkOEYws5xcKOs-RHjWWVs5lHFxQCfy_cQNOHyUtYQhEwr6ctGkYUgToJ2Kvxk1g/w205-h156/Mutiny+on+the+Bounty+%2528Gable+%2526+Laughton%2529.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
Comprising mostly British characters, it's not surprising the film's cast includes a decent number of British actors, led by Charles Laughton, who nails the pompous, heartless megalomaniac. Clark Gable (pictured with Laughton) and Franchot Tone, on the other hand, don't even attempt British accents, though at least they both speak with a theatrically eloquent American sound. And if you look very closely at the ship's crew, you might catch two unexpected faces. Future star David Niven appears as an uncredited extra, as does James Cagney, who was already well-known at the time, but apparently sweet talked his way into the background one day when he unintentionally stumbled across the set.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Mutiny on the Bounty is one of only three films (along with The Broadway Melody and Grand Hotel) to boast Best Picture as its sole Oscar win. It also holds the record for the most Best Actor nominations for a single film with Laughton, Gable and Tone all competing in the same category due to the fact that the Supporting Actor category didn't exist yet. Indeed, it's entirely possible the supporting awards were introduced (only one year later) as a result of this film's domination of the leading category.</div>
<br />
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mattvstheacad-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "Mutiny on the Bounty";
amzn_assoc_default_category = "DVD";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "bc02a4e9bb88e1fe4f87a531c9b54b35";
amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "130";
amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products";
amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "top";
</script>
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script></div>
Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-75229004035278277422020-04-04T18:28:00.001+11:002020-04-04T18:38:46.440+11:001935 - Top HatI'm ba-aack!<br />
<br />
First, let me gloat about my Oscar predictions from this year. I correctly picked 21 of the 24 winners, the best result I've ever achieved in the more than two decades I've been making predictions. I only missed Sound Editing and the two big ones, Director and Picture. Perhaps the most miraculous part, though, is that I managed to ace all the short film categories!<br />
<br />
Now, after the longest period of inactivity (not counting Oscar predictions) in this blog's history, I've returned with a new review. And a lot has happened since my last post almost two years ago. The biggest of those happenings is that I said goodbye to Los Angeles late last year and moved the family back to Sydney. Though, as a dual Australian-US citizen, I'll still travel back to LA a couple of times a year for my career, so it's not a permanent goodbye.<br />
<br />
In fact, I was there a couple of weeks ago right before everything got serious in the world. Within a few days, the entertainment industry all but shut down, so I cut my intended trip short and returned to Australia, just in time it seems. A 14-day self-isolation imposed on all returning international travellers had already come into effect by the time I arrived, so with not much else to do, it was the perfect opportunity to watch the next film for this blog. I don't expect it will continue like that, though, because now the kids are staying home from school, meaning the days are full for me once more.<br />
<br />
Before we get to the review, there's one piece of exciting news that I've been saving for some time. I had discovered this a while back, but wanted to wait for this film's review to bring it up. Through a genealogy site, I found out that I'm (distantly) related to none other than Frederick Austerlitz, better known as Fred Astaire! We're 11th cousins, to be precise. Our common Czech ancestry dates back to the 17th century, where we apparently share great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents.<br />
<br />
So at long last, let's pick back up where we left off with yet another musical from the Best Picture race of 1935...<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgIlotjqaSV2Mfsco6TQ_Dh_Bw_9c0AyQjVzTGC6GDq4Zb1k3EZWy9RzVQN4wzZCr_JDB23xYYWv9Nsu7l-F1lv8VILq-C3pKqvtpmHDS1EXs_FV_D0KdAYdg06VHq5VEoOjDS5Raq2Q/s1600/Top+Hat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="497" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfgIlotjqaSV2Mfsco6TQ_Dh_Bw_9c0AyQjVzTGC6GDq4Zb1k3EZWy9RzVQN4wzZCr_JDB23xYYWv9Nsu7l-F1lv8VILq-C3pKqvtpmHDS1EXs_FV_D0KdAYdg06VHq5VEoOjDS5Raq2Q/s320/Top+Hat.jpg" width="210" /></a>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Top Hat</span></b><br />
<i><u>Director</u>:</i><br />
Mark Sandrich<br />
<i><u>Screenplay</u>:</i><br />
Allan Scott, Dwight Taylor<br />
<i><u>Starring</u>:</i><br />
Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Erik Rhodes, Eric Blore, Helen Broderick<br />
<u style="font-style: italic;">Academy Awards</u><i>:</i><br />
4 nominations<br />
0 wins<br />
<br />
American dancer Jerry Travers (Astaire) arrives in London in preparation for producer Horace Hardwick's (Horton) next big show. At his hotel, Jerry loses himself in a tap dance, oblivious to how noisy it is for society girl Dale Tremont (Rogers), who is trying to sleep in the room directly below. The two meet cute and Jerry begins his romantic pursuit of Dale, hindered by the fact that Dale thinks he's the married Horace.<br />
<br />
Top Hat is a wonderful example of the big budget musical of the 1930s. Snappy tunes from the incomparable Irving Berlin - including a bunch of time-tested classics like "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails" and "Cheek to Cheek" - are complemented by some snappy tap dancing. In fact, as one would expect from a Fred Astaire flick, there's an abundance of tap numbers, but they avoid a sense of repetition thanks to some highly innovative choreography. Each dance feels distinctive with several moments eliciting an audible "wow" from me. Not to mention that it's the greatest dance pair in movie history that are performing the routines so, of course, it's immensely visually pleasing.<br />
<br />
Now, it wouldn't be a big budget musical without big budget sets, and the production design on display here is nothing short of extravagant. Art director Van Nest Polglase's outdoor Venice set (pictured) is particularly stunning, even though it may sacrifice realism for the sort of polished bigger-is-better ostentation that makes Las Vegas hotels such a magnificent sight. Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if the architects of <a href="http://www.venetian.com/" target="_blank">The Venetian</a> used this film as inspiration.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TyxDV5iO_rO7DghdWmL1u4BxFpUm_1Z5hVNzw_8oPnx13IwwRmOn3LVWHupt-5eKBkRZAH-yQhVqbM8zI7UqBXeAdDf-A5rZYuXAS6RhJqwvTgLbnRduNWI3aoMHKDs1TTfG36LXpZo/s1600/Top+Hat+%2528set%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="720" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2TyxDV5iO_rO7DghdWmL1u4BxFpUm_1Z5hVNzw_8oPnx13IwwRmOn3LVWHupt-5eKBkRZAH-yQhVqbM8zI7UqBXeAdDf-A5rZYuXAS6RhJqwvTgLbnRduNWI3aoMHKDs1TTfG36LXpZo/s200/Top+Hat+%2528set%2529.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Perhaps, though, the picture's weakest point is the paper-thin storyline. While the dialogue is witty and entertaining, the plot is about as contrived as you can get. It pins itself entirely on the farcical case of mistaken identity that subsists literally for the entire film. That makes for a lot of scenes in which characters speak in terms that are <i>just</i> vague enough to maintain the misunderstanding between them.<br />
<br />
Despite the flimsy plot, the witty words are buoyed by a greatly comic supporting cast, including the always affably innocent Edward Everett Horton, whose double takes are sublime. And unless you're looking out for it, you'll almost certainly miss (I did!) a young Lucille Ball as a flower shop clerk.<br />
<br />
<script type="text/javascript">
amzn_assoc_placement = "adunit0";
amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "mattvstheacad-20";
amzn_assoc_ad_mode = "search";
amzn_assoc_ad_type = "smart";
amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon";
amzn_assoc_region = "US";
amzn_assoc_default_search_phrase = "Top Hat";
amzn_assoc_default_category = "DVD";
amzn_assoc_linkid = "bc02a4e9bb88e1fe4f87a531c9b54b35";
amzn_assoc_default_browse_node = "130";
amzn_assoc_title = "Shop Related Products";
amzn_assoc_search_bar = "true";
amzn_assoc_search_bar_position = "top";
</script>
<script src="//z-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/onejs?MarketPlace=US"></script>Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-25231263986749668772020-02-09T00:31:00.001+11:002020-02-09T00:31:39.326+11:00Oscar Winner Predictions 2019My nomination predictions a few weeks ago turned out to be some of my best ever, particularly in the major categories. I suspect a similar pattern will follow regarding my winner predictions since the main races are shaping up to be quite predictable. The acting categories, in particular, all seem like foregone conclusions. And while I wouldn't be too surprised if Parasite takes one or both of Picture and Director, I'm putting my (metaphorical) money on 1917 taking the top prizes.<br />
<br />
The craft and technical categories, on the other hand, are a different kettle of fish altogether. Almost all of them (save for International Feature and Makeup) have at least two nominees that could reasonably be named the winner. It's going to be an interesting Oscar night, that's for sure.<br />
<br />
To take a look at my official picks, <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mattvstheacademy/oscars2019-winners" target="_blank">just click here</a>.Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-32118803047341290112020-01-12T22:37:00.000+11:002020-01-12T22:37:01.286+11:00Oscar Nomination Predictions 2019Despite letting this blog gather dust (not forever, I promise), I'm back briefly to share my annual predictions for the Oscar nominations, due to be announced in a little over 24 hours. It seemed a tad easier to predict certain categories this year than it has been in recent memory, though I guess that remains to be seen. I've generally played it safe, picking fairly traditional candidates, though that's resulted in a final tally that has four different films each receiving 10 nominations, which seems a bit unlikely. So, in most categories, I suspect that at least one of those traditional selections will be replaced by a less expected film that could be earning its only nomination.<br />
<br />
If you'd like to take a look at my picks, <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mattvstheacademy/oscars2019-nominations" target="_blank">you can find them here</a>.Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5569750317755310322.post-53248758128561897402019-02-23T18:59:00.002+11:002019-02-23T18:59:31.073+11:00Oscar Winner Predictions 2018Well, my Oscar nomination predictions turned out to be fairly average, especially considering how well I did with the nominations last year. Maybe I can save face with some decent winner predictions, though I'm not sure that's going to happen either. The trend of the Oscar winners becoming harder and harder to predict continues. It feels like there are even fewer sure things this year than there were last year, and last year there were hardly any.<br />
<br />
So, without further ado, <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/mattvstheacademy/oscars2018-winners">here are my predictions </a>for who's going to take home Oscars on Sunday night. Happy Oscars weekend!Matt Fosterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317583098531787395noreply@blogger.com0