onethreeandfive

The year is half over and I’m already pretty satisfied with this top 10 list. Some really special films on here. Can’t wait to see what the rest of the year holds.

10. Love And Mercy

I just saw this film this week and I was very impressed. What could have been a very typical mediocre musician biopic is elevated by the film’s extremely unique style. The editing and sound design really lets you get inside his head. Furthermore, it doesn’t follow the typical rise and fall and band break up structure of a musical biopic. It does something a lot more interesting. John Cusack and Paul Dano are fantastic in a dual performance as Brian Smith, but Elizabeth Banks was my favorite. I already knew she was awesome, thanks to her hilarious and occasionally surprisingly emotional, turn as Effie Trinket, but she really surprised me in this movie.

9. It Follows

I didn’t find this as scary as the reviews out of the Cannes Film Festival suggested. Nope. “The Babadook” is still the best scariest horror film of recent years. But, I still really liked this film. The wide framing is used perfectly, opening up a vast canvas of emptiness behind the characters out of which, really, anything could come. You’re constantly scanning the background in fear. Also, Maika Monroe really deserves a huge role now. She was great in last year’s underrated and underseen “The Guest” and she is even better here.

8. Me And Earl And The Dying Girl

I got to see this Sundance darling back in April. I think that occasionally the director gets a bit too carried away with style, drawing a bit too much attention to himself and the camera, much in the same way as “Birdman” unfortunately did last year. However, most of the time, the direction is spot on. This is such a clever warm joyful movie. You know where it’s going, but the style and the sly ways the movie upends convention and trope constantly delight. A beautiful ode to friendship and growing up, as well as an examination of the narcissism and self centeredness of adolescence. You’ll cry from laughing the first half and just plain out sob the second half.

7. Paddington

This isn’t cheating, is it? It came out in America this year. And what a delight! It’s a Wes Anderson children’s film, but warmer and more heartfelt than Fantastic Mr. Fox. (A great WA film, but a bit too cold and distant for me.) Everyone in the movie is having such a good time and it’s absolutely infectious. There’s so much great humor, based on clever wordplay (BEAR LEFT) and visual sight gags. Plus, it’s wonderful to have so many great British actors in a film hamming it up together. If only they found a way to fit in Dame Maggie Smith.

6. Ex Machina

There have been a lot of artificial intelligence movies lately. This joins “Her” as a great one. The movie has a rather small scale. It’s just three actors, (Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander, Domnhall Gleeson. ALL GREAT.) together in a house testing out a robot prototype, but the scale of its ideas is huge. Very thought provoking. Very intense. An incredible shocker of an ending. Highly recommended. Don’t read anything else about it. Just see it.

5. Mommy

This is such a beautiful heartbreaking film. I don’t really know what to say about it, except that every time I hear Lana Del Rey’s “Born to Die,” I tear up again.

4. Mad Max: Fury Road

I’m still at a loss to how this movie got made. It’s insane. It’s absolutely bonkers. It has a budget of 150 million. It has incredible and incredibly dangerous stunts. Who in Hollywood Ok’d this?

I have no clue. But I am so thankful for it, because it is one of the most brilliant action films I’ve seen in a while. It really is not much more than a 2 hour chase scene, but it is executed so beautifully and shot so well. The action is fluid, intense and gripping. It is a rare action film that develops character, setting and plot through action, through the interplay of the characters. The characters are sketched briefly, but not shallowly. And Charlize Theron is wonderful as Furiosa. Heartbreaking, badass.

This film will leave you breathless.

3. The Last Five Years

Admittedly, I have a huge bias towards this movie. I’m absolutely in love with the stage musical. And caution, it is a movie made specifically for fans of musical theatre. Everyone else, stay away. The lyrics are more complex every time I hear them. The central relationship becomes harder and harder to define. Who is at blame? The movie has no easy answers. But, it does have Anna Kendrick gloriously and perfectly belting out every note and nailing every emotional beat.

2. Inside Out

I’m still settling myself on this one. It’s certainly the most ambitious thing Pixar has ever done. It’s fast. It’s frenetic. It’s heartfelt. It’s beautiful.

It will make you sob.

And it’s a hard movie to write about, especially after only one viewing. I’m seeing it again ASAP. It’s about memory. It’s about childhood. It’s about loss. It’s about sadness. It’s about who we are. It’s about life.

1. Clouds of Sils Maria

And finally, my favorite film of the year. I really did not see this one coming. We had a screener at work for a month before it finally played and I was tempted to watch it. One of my coworkers watched it and said it was really boring and really slow. I had heard great things, but I figured watching it in the theatre would be the best way for me to enjoy it without distractions.

I shouldn’t have worried. This had me transfixed for the entire movie. This is the movie that Birdman should have been. It engages in a serious discussion of art in way more mature and interesting ways than the other film. While Birdman scoffs at modern cinema, primarily blockbusters, this movie argues for art in all forms of cinema, regardless of genre. In one scene, Kristen Stewart’s character analyzes all of the personality traits and tics of a superhero character and what can be brought to that role with a great actor. It’s a fascinating discussion, one of many in the movie, that blends ideas on art, acting, cinema, and perception.

This movie has fascination ideas about the actor and the process of creating a role in general. Indeed, a good half of the movie is just scenes of Kristen Stewart and Juliette Binoche practicing scenes with each other, bouncing snappy lines and continuously blurring the lines between fiction and reality.

The film grows in your mind after it finishes. What may seem small and meandering when you’re watching it becomes textured and brilliant afterwards. It’s stuck with me since I saw it in April.

Julliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart deliver award worthy performances. Chloe Moretz steals scenes over and over again. There is a lot I can say about this movie and I still am gathering my thoughts. But it is completely worth your time.

This week, I had a pretty amazing opportunity. I got to see The Sound of Music on the big screen.

I’ve wanted to do this for ages. It is, of course, one of my favorite movies (Haters to the left) and it’s such a beautiful film. But, it never seemed to play around me. Well, thanks to the Cinemark Classic Series, it finally did. And it certainly did not disappoint me.

I think the most memorable aspect of the experience was, pardon the pun, the wide aspect ratio. This wasn’t shot in Cinemascope, but Todd-AO, which was a widescreen 70mm format. And the film utilizes the widescreen format so well, especially in all those scenes shot on location. During “I Have Confidence,” I was struck on how Maria stood on a balcony in the center of the frame, only taking up about half the height of the frame, while the rest of the frame was taken up by the vast beauty of the Austrian mountains behind her. It was a framing I had never paid much attention to before, but the film is full of these. It really does take advantage of the beautiful locations and when they fill up the whole wall before you, it’s rather awe inspiring.

And the restoration of the film did not disappoint either. It wasn’t projected in 35mm, unfortunately, but digital was just fine. So many shots in this film looked like they could have been filmed this year. (Granted, of course changes in how editing and lighting techniques are handled in films nowadays that serve to immediately place this film in the 60’s.) The quality was that good. I saw details I had never seen before. The sets and costumeswere so exquisite and you could pick out the tiniest intricate things.

And to hear that music, that heavenly music, blasting through the speakers. Simply unforgettable. But, I think the most memorable thing about my screening was the crowd. It’s wonderful to see a classic film with a crowd and see how it plays. Lines you never thought were meant to be funny are greeted with uproarious laughter. You can hear little sniffles from various areas in the crowd. You can hear the hum of sheer excitement wafting from everyone in the room. And when you’ve watched this film by yourself or quietly with your family for years, the change in the experience is palpable.

So yes, it was everything I wanted and more. Maybe someday I’ll get to go to a sing along or see it in Imax.

Maria twirling around singing in the hills on Imax? Could it get any better?

K. I still have to work out my thoughts on “God Help The Girl” as a movie. It’s twee, perfectly charming and refreshing to see: A. An actual original musical not based on a Broadway show. Seriously the only original film musicals now are either Muppet films or the rare Disney animated musical. B. A film musical that’s not afraid to embrace the musical form. Too many musicals nowadays try to change the form into something it’s not. Jersey Boys was turned into a boring biopic, for example, which sucked all the energy out of it. Les Miserables tried to go all realistic with live singing and artsy cinematography. But this is unafraid to have people randomly burst out into colorful wonderful and well shot song. (Now I feel like writing a post on the modern approach to movie musicals and why IT’S NOT WORKING. To do list. )

It’s not without its flaws though. The characters do not have too much depth. The story is slight and there isn’t much driving the plot. The musical numbers pop up at random moments, sometimes without much explanation as to why they’re singing and how what they’re singing about. And the songs are of varying quality. Oh, and if you aren’t a big fan of musicals, STAY AWAY. STAY FAR AWAY.

And yet, I find this film very endearing. It’s low key indie, but very energetic, colorful and, dare I say it, Beatles-esque approach to its well worn story makes the thin narrative and characters almost forgiveable. But when Emily Browning is staring hypnotically straight into the camera and singing or when a wonderful production number like “I’ll Have To Dance With Cassie” comes along, it’s hard not to get swept into it.

Oh, and speaking of Emily Browning, after this film (and I also really liked her in Series of Unfortunate Events), I don’t know why she’s not a big star. She’s a good actress. She managed to be effective in the dramatic scenes focusing on her character’s struggles with anorexia while also fitting in perfectly with the music video-esque style of some of numbers. And she has such a lovely voice. It’s hard not to fall in love with her when she’s crooning straight to the camera.

Maybe I’ll have a better idea of how to rate or evaluate it when I watch it again. Cause I’m going to watch it again as soon as possible. I’ve been playing the album all day. Right now, I feel like 6 or 7 out of 10, but that could increase a bit on a second viewing.

If you do go for it, I’d recommend you actually listen to the album first. Spend some time with the music. Learn about what each song is saying and how it all fits together. Then watch the film. You might find some of its cliche twee-ness or other problems off putting, but at least you might come out of the experience really liking the music. Here’s a link to the soundtrack.

“I must say, I find that girl utterly delightful. Flat as a board, enormous birthmark the shape of Mexico over half her face, sweating for hours on end in that sweltering kitchen, while Mendl, genius though he is, looms over her like a hulking gorilla. Yet without question, without fail, always and invariably, she’s exceeding lovely. Why? Because of her purity. That’s a good sign, you know. It means she gets it. That’s important.”

Okay, I couldn’t resist opening with this quote. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is easily my favorite film from last year and this quote, like many lines in that gem, is perfect. This line is enough to make me tear up, but then again, a lot of stuff in GBH does. It’s that perfect. But, I digress. This is a review of Cinderella and I included this quote because I think it captures how I feel about the new remake.

Why remake Cinderella? It’s been done to death and no one was really asking for a new version. We all have our favorites. Mine, of course, is the 90’s Disney television film with Whitney Houston and Bernadette Peters, the queen. And the flawed Disney animated film is pretty definitive. It’s just not necessary.And on top of that, the story of Cinderella is pretty dated too.

And yet, the release of this movie is, I think, something pretty special. This film is such an antidote to the dark pessimism in movies nowadays. We have dark fairytale imaginings, like Maleficent, which are cynical and also, rather poorly made. The superhero films (Though this is thankfully being mitigated by films like Guardians of the Galaxy) are dark and brooding when comics are supposed to be joyful and fun. I mean, the Dark Knight is an absolute masterpiece and I want more films like it, but I don’t want it to take over the industry. Because dark, brooding and cynical films are taking over, which in moderation, is okay, but in excess is kind of exhausting and depressing. We live in a cynical time and sometimes I think that if masterpieces like “The Sound of Music,” “West Side Story,” or say “The Wizard of Oz” got released today, they could be dismissed for being too unrealistic or something ridiculous like that.

But “Cinderella” is a push back against this modern trend towards the cynical. It’s completely optimistic, championing the triumph of virtue, love and forgiveness. It doesn’t try to make Lady Tremaine into a misunderstood heroine. It doesn’t make the King into an evil sexist pig. It doesn’t strip Prince Charming of the little personality he had and turn him into a brainless witless oaf. (Sorry Maleficent. No not sorry.) It’s a very traditional take on the story. But what it does admirably is that it takes the simple story and it adds shade to it. Lady Tremaine is still a villain, but we understand her a bit more.

Cinderella is still kind of passive and a doormat, but her whole character arc is changed and is more interesting and touching. It’s not a traditional romance anymore, but rather a coming of age story, I think. And Lily James is wonderful as Cinderella. If anyone is responsible for making Cinderella feel like a more real character, it’s her. She projects so much life and wit into the role, along with a very constant warmth. It’s an endearing performance, a far cry from her obnoxious Downton Abbey character. Cate Blanchett is fabulous as Lady Tremaine too. But we all knew that anyway.

Furthermore, it’s just an absolutely gorgeous film. The amazing sets, the GORGEOUS costumes and the camerawork all feel like they come out of some 1950’s classic Hollywood film. You see a crowd and you see costumes from every shade of the rainbow and it’s just wonderful. The production design feels like a blend of Golden Era Hollywood, Disney and a Jane Austen film or Downton episode.

Now, there are some flaws. The dialogue is awkward in places and the script, as my mom put it, was rather trite. There is narration throughout the entire film and it is way overdone and annoyed me. I thought they went a bit too far with the special effects in the “Midnight” sequence, though it is a rather talky films, so Disney probably wanted to keep the kids awake. And it is a bit too traditional in that you have to accept the flaws and dated aspects of the Cinderella narrative to enjoy it.

And yet, in spite of all this, and I’ve seen it twice now, this film manages to be exceedingly lovely. I’ve enjoyed it both times. It’s refreshing and heartfelt.

And it’s going to win the Oscar for Best Costume Design. #justsaying

And now for what will win…

I HAVE NO CLUE. Seriously, last year was so easy. I got 22/24 correct and now I’m completely lost.

I fully expect a lot of these to be wrong, but this is what I think right now. And I’m sure I’ll change these all within a couple hours

Best Picture : Boyhood (MAYBE BIRDMAN THOUGH. Or these two could cancel each other out and GBH could shock.)

Best Director – Birdman (Ugh. Terrible movie. Maybe it will win Best Picture and Boyhood will get directing)

Best Actor – Eddie Redmayne

Best Actress – Julianne Moore

Best Supporting Actor – J.K. Simmons

Best Supporting Actress – Patricia Arquette

Best Adapted Screenplay – The Imitation Game

Best Original Screenplay – The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Foreign Film – Ida

Best Documentary – Citizenfour

Best Animated Feature – NO NO NO. IT’S THE LEGO MOVIE. NOT THE CRAPPY DRAGONS SEQUEL. #why

Film Editing – Whiplash

Best Song – “Glory” from Selma, even though it’s pandering, manipulative and has awful lyrics and a cliche Gospel refrain. They’re not going to make the mistake of snubbing Selma again.

Best Original Score – The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Best Cinematography – Birdman (though GBH could sneak it)

Costume Design – GBH

Makeup and Hairstyling – Guardians? GBH? GUARDIANS? GBH? ummm… Grand Budapest Hotel…..yeah..I think…

Production Design – GBH

Sound Editing – American Sniper

Sound Mixing – Whiplash

Visual Effects – Interstellar

Short, Live Action – The Phone Call.

Short, Animated – Feast

Short, Documentary- Crisis Hotline

Well, the Oscars are tonight. Everyone else has their basketball and their Super Bowl and their Final Four or whatever. I have the Oscars. Sure, they’re basically meaningless, a bunch of old white guys deciding the best films of the year and always getting it wrong, but they’re a bunch of fun. I get waaaaay to into them. Anyway, the nominations did get a lot of things right, but also a whole lot wrong and if I had my way, this is probably how the Oscar categories would shake out.*

*Shorts, foreign films, and various crafts omitted, as I frankly have no clue what I’m talking about.

BEST PICTURE (I’ll pick up to 8, since that’s how many the Academy picked.)

Boyhood,(Winner)

Grand Budapest Hotel

Whiplash

The Immigrant

Gone Girl

The Babadook

Nightcrawler

A Most Violent Year

BEST ACTOR

Ralph Fiennes – Grand Budapest Hotel (Winner)

Joaquin Phoenix – The Immigrant

Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler

Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything

Tom Hardy – Locke

BEST ACTRESS

Marion Cotillard – The Immigrant (Great in Two Days, One Night, but this is BETTER)

Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl (Winner)

Emily Blunt – Into the Woods

Scarlett Johannson – Under the Skin

Julianne Moore – Still Alice

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Ethan Hawke – Boyhood

Edward Norton – Birdman

J.K. Simmons – Whiplash (Winner)

Chris Pine – Into the Woods

Tony Revolori – The Grand Budapest Hotel

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Patricia Arquette – Boyhood

Meryl Streep – Into the Woods (Winner)

Tessa Thompson – Dear White People

Emma Stone – Birdman

Tilda Swinton – Snowpiercer

BEST DIRECTOR

Richard Linklater – Boyhood

Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel (Winner)

David Fincher – Gone Girl

Ava DuVernay – Selma

Damien Chanzelle – Whiplash

ANIMATED FILM

The Lego Movie (Winner)

Big Hero 6

Song of the Sea

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

The Boxtrolls

CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Immigrant (Winner)

Gone Girl

Interstellar

Birdman

COSTUME DESIGN

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Into the Woods (Winner)

Mr. Turner

FILM EDITING

Whiplash (Winner)

Boyhood

Gone Girl

The Babadook

The Grand Budapest Hotel

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Into the Woods

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Winner. FOR TILDA SWINTON)

Guardians of the Galaxy

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Interstellar (Winner)

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Theory of Everything

The Immigrant

Gone Girl

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Everything Is Awesome – The Lego Movie (Winner)

Lost Stars – Begin Again

The Hanging Tree – Mockingjay Part 1

Not About Angels – The Fault in Our Stars

The Last Goodbye – The Hobbit: The Movie: Part 3: Battle of the Five Armies: Part 1: Of 2.

PRODUCTION DESIGN

The Grand Budapest Hotel (Winner)

Mr. Turner

Into the Woods

The Immigrant

Snowpiercer

VISUAL EFFECTS

Guardians of the Galaxy

Interstellar (Winner)

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Noah

Under the Skin

WRITING (Adapted)

The Imitation Game

Whiplash

Gone Girl (Winner)

Inherent Vice

Into the Woods

WRITING (Original)

Boyhood (Winner)

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Nightcrawler

The Lego Movie

A Most Violent Year

Okay. That’s everything.

So what would be the tally, then?

Boyhood – 2

The Grand Budapest Hotel – 4

Gone Girl – 2

Into the Woods – 2

Whiplash – 2

Interstellar – 2

The Lego Movie – 2