Still Alice

It's hard not to compare movies sometimes. With Still Alice, a film about woman with Alzheimer's, it's hard not to compare it to Away from Her, also about a woman with Alzheimer's. There are even moments like putting things in the fridge that don't belong that mirrored in both films. The key difference is that Away from Her is told from the woman's husband's perspective while Still Alice is trying to get in the head of Alice as she is losing everything.

Something I loved about the film is that it was very much set in the present; Alice uses her iPhone to help her adapt to the new realities of her life. Things like Words with Friends and Pinkberry are also important to the narrative.

It's easy to praise the acting of Julianne Moore in the film and much has been written doing so, which is why I don't feel obligated to add to it beyond saying that it's about damn time she's getting serious Oscar talk. But anyway, I'm going to instead praise the work of two actors I dislike as people, but was pleasantly surprised to enjoy in this film. Alec Baldwin is remains sympathetic as her increasingly distanced husband and Kristen Stewart is wonderfully cast as her seemingly petulant but ultimately loyal youngest daughter.

The movie is successful in what it aims to accomplish while featuring some fine performance. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

American Sniper

Sigh. I hate that I was compelled to see this film. It means I am also compelled to blog about it. That means I'm required to tell you that this is a well-made movie. Not an impeccably-made film that a Best Picture nomination would imply, but well-made all the same. So why did it pain me so to see it? Because it's such a disgusting piece of propaganda that made me feel like I needed to see a thousand Miyazaki films to get that warm fuzzy feeling back in my soul.

The unabashed racism on display is astonishing. There are three people who are not wholly demonized among the many Iraqi in the film. They are there to… well I'm not exactly sure: is it to free the people there? No, I don't recall any such discussion. In fact, anyone who might be seen as trying to free themselves either seen being greedy for wanting money from the invading forces or, are just plain evil (remember that boy with the grenade in all the commercials?). What is honestly discussed is the need to "fight them over there so they don't follow home." Seriously. This laughable notion is brought up in almost those exact words.

But if I were one who agreed with this ridiculous cannard, what would I think of the quality of filmmaking? Well, it's a slightly elevated action movie. The structure is petty basic to the degree that there's an enemy sniper whom the lead is constantly confronting, leading up to a final confrontation on the rooftops. A big difference is made by the presence of Sienna Miller. By my estimation she outshines Bradley Cooper as his embattled and just plain fed-up wife. For a movie that fails the Bechdel test so wholly, and has the main female character that I only a housewife, she still manages to be portrayed as a strong, independent woman who will only take so much her husband's hoorah crap. She's really the only character in the film the questions the war at all.

But how do I grade it? By soley it's filmmaking merits? I don't think I could do that in good conscience. This film has already inspired countless racist tweets along the lines of "American Sniper makes me wanna go out and shoot some fuckin Arabs" followed by several gun emojis. I don't want to feel like I'm in any way enabling bullshit like that, even by passively admiring the filmmaking. ⭐️

For further tweets and racism in Kyle's own words, see: https://storify.com/RaniaKhalek/american-sniper-chris-kyle-in-his-own-words

Oscar Nominated Short Films Documentary 2014

This may be the hardest category to judge. None of the nominees are particularly enjoyable, nor should they be based their subject matter. My selections will be based on quality over importance of message:

5. Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 – This is about as basic as documentaries come. You see the responders talk down a vet from suicide then they are interviewed about what they just experienced. There is talk of when they aren't successful, but it is never shown. I believe if it had there might've been a modicrum of resonance that the film was lacking. ⭐️⭐️

4. White Earth – There's a certain detachment in this film and it's subjects that I can't decide if it's positive. But there's also a slightly apocalyptic feeling to the whole film: from the perpetual flames of the oil fields at night, to the odd assortment of families living miles from civilization in campers, add zombies and I might as well be watching The Walking Dead. ⭐️⭐️

3. Joanna – I honestly would not have be able to tell this was a documentary if not for the category it was in. The documentation feels so invisible I refused to believe it was real. The relationship between the mother, ill with cancer, and her wise-beyond-his-years son is something I could've watched for hours and you really feel his pain as he is told the cancer is terminal (showing his reaction but not recording what is said is especially ingenious). ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2. Le Parka (The Reaper) ❤️– Probably the most shocking film nominated this year. Yes, it's about a man who has been slaughtering cows for the past quarter-century, but the way it's made makes it truly hard to watch. The cinematography never shoots anything head-on: whether it obscures the view of the killing chamber till its final moments or shoots something awful at an angle where you would normally not be looking, daring you to look at what's almost off screen. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1.  Nasza Klatwa (Our Curse) – Maybe my admiration of this film has more to do with timing than anything else. After seeing four depressing documentaries in a row, then getting to the final film and it's called "Our Curse" and it's about first-time parents who have a baby born with a defect that causes him to stop breathing when he falls asleep, I might be more than a little relieved to have it be life-affirming. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Odds? Crisis Hotline

The Boxtrolls

Laika studios has definitely proven its worth by bringing us three stop-motion animated films (Coraline, Paranorman, and now The Boxtrolls) all of which have garnered Oscar nominations in the Animated feature category. Coraline remains their best film but director Henry Selick (of Nightmare Before Christmas fame) left the company shortly after finishing it. But this has not stopped Laika from creating fine (though less substantial) films when everyone thought they'd be lost without Selick.

But anyway, on to the Boxtrolls! The film's main message of people (and boxtrolls) changing their nature for the better is fine, but as lesson it's heavy handed and repeated ad nauseum. What I really found sort of beautiful was depiction of fathers: one who, by her own admission, is a poor father dispite being the towns "mayor-like" figurehead and another who has a wonderfully caring adoptive father despite being another spiecies that is (falsely) accused of being a man eating monster.

If I had any problems with this film, it would be ineffable to describe: it's funny, heartwarming, and features some fine stop motion animation (though some movement has been gussied up with CGI). ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oscar Nominated Directors 2014

One of my favorite categories, but hard to judge because a great director is often invisible:

5. Mortem Tyldum (The Imitation Game) – There is a pretty wide gap in quality between Tyldum's work on this and the other nominees. His film is held together only by some fine acting and the important story it tells but not by his work as a director. His work is paint-by-numbers and nothing more.

4. Bennett Miller (Foxcatcher) – Acting and atmosphere. While I can't pretend to know much about how one can get these three actors (Carell,Tatum, and Ruffalo) to be beyond what we thought possible for them, but it is quite apparent that it is Mr. Miller's handiwork at play. Also, atmosphere: this is one of those true stories that could've easily come across as a Lifetime Movie for men, but plays more like slow-build horror film.

3. Wes Anderson (The Grand Budepest Hotel) ❤️ – Anderson has spent the last twenty years refining his certain idiosyncratic style and this is the movie that shows he has perfected it. If you're not a fan, this will not be the movie to convince you, but for the initiated, this every thing you could want and more.

2. Richard Linklater (Boyhood) – Mr. Linklater had an idea more than a decade ago (about the same time I discovered him) and it was sort of an impossible one. While the film lacks the poignancy of his "Before" trilogy, it certainly justifies itself beyond being an odd little experiment. It is with the hype and adulation it's getting (even if I still prefer the aforementioned "Before" trilogy).

1. Alejandro González Iñarritu (Birdman) – Birdman is one of the most unique films I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. Not only is his film unique in story, humor, and technique but also full of a cast that he got at the top of their game.

Odds? Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Oscar Lists

For Oscar season I be reviewing, to the best of my abilities, what I think should win in each category. Doing this I will also use star ratings when applicable and give my commentary on my choice when I can (what's the difference between Sound Mixing and Sound Editing anyway.) My choices will be presented in ascending order to what I think is most deserving.

1. = What should win

❤️= What I wouldn't mind winning or would think would be neat if won (even if others deserve it more)

Oscar Nominated Short Films Animated 2014

5. The Bigger Picture – My negative feelings towards this short have more to do with the subject matter than its overall quality. Visually it's immensely inventive, with the characters drawn into a 3D space and interacting with 3D objects. The story however is depressing as hell and deals with unpleasant characters that made it difficult to appreciate. ⭐️⭐️

4. A Single Life – Funny and nicely animated but at 2 min. 17 sec., it is way too short to be taken seriously. At least the past nominee Fresh Guacamole while shorter, I believe, it also more inventive. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3. Me and My Moultan – Here's where things get tricky: I have to decide whether I take into account things apart from its quality and enjoyment factor. In this case do I take into account that the director has won in this category before or judge it on its own merits? Well I chose the latter and realize it would be about the same place. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2. Feast ❤️ – If it weren't for iffy gender politics, I might've really loved this short. I mean, come on, doggy! Anyway it's a Disney production and it doesn't feel fair to compare something that literally has Scrooge McDuck money (since this is a trademarked character of theirs) to an independent labor of love like The Bigger Picture must've took years to finish. But this tale of the love between a dog and his human, a dog and his food, a man and his lady love, and finally a dog an his food again is a poignant one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1. The Dam Keeper  – OMG! TEH FEELS!! This Miyazaki-esque story might take a little work to get into (what with its anthropomorphic animal characters to the post-apocalyptic setting lurking on the edges) but it's ultimately worth it for its uniqueness and the aforementioned feels. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Odds? Feast

Oscar Nominated Short Film Live-Action 2014

5. Boogaloo and Graham – How many short films do we need about the Irish Troubles? Ones like this the setting is superfluous. ⭐️⭐️

4. Parvanah –  If you thought this story migrant worker befriending a native Swede in Switzerland would fall into the same pitfalls of the fine but overly preachy The Visiter, you'd be wrong. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

3. Aya – Clever idea, fine performances and script make it easy to overlook the crummy ending. Lovely scene that examines the sensuality of classical piano playing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️

2. The Butter Lamp ❤️ – Brilliant ideas on how to construct a film with no obvious plot in sight, while also cleverly using a static camera to its best. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

1. The Phone Call – Some films aim to find new and interesting ways to tell a story (see: The Butter Lamp) while a film like this aims to be perfect in its execution.… and it mostly achieves that goal. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Odds? Probably The Phone Call

Re-launch (or a Cleansing Fire)

I tried blogging before, but constantly felt myself nitpicking to a degree that my cumulative work amounted to an intro, two ramblings on Richard Linklater films and a completely unfinished best of the year list. I suppose I could've left that stuff on but explain that I was basically starting anew, but SCREW IT, CLEANSING FIRE!! So what should anyone who reads this expect? Movie thoughts mostly: reviews, lists and such. Also probably thoughts on general geekery, things too long for Twitter and any stories of mine I don't hate.

A note on reviews: When I review a film (or anything else) I like to keep things simple. Zero to four stars with no half stars. This means zero stars = strongly dislike, one = dislike, two = ambivalent or mixed, three = like, four = love.