The Oscars come and go and my most anticipated films of 2013

I got a kick out of the Oscars this year.  I felt the show moved along well, and as a musical theatre major, I thoroughly enjoyed the focus on music, although I would have loved to see more movie musicals represented.  I was happy with the winners and the films so I'll be one of the few who refuse to join the negative brigade.  I was thrilled to see Jennifer Lawrence win.  I think she is a shining star who has a wonderful career ahead of her.  It was also a joy to see Anne Hathaway win an Oscar for an incredible performance.  I am delighted that her "dream came true". 

I'm not sure what form my blog thoughts will take in the next year as I focus on some other life changes.  I know that seeing film inspires me and has always brought me great satisfaction.  I hope those who read along here can see that love shine through.   

Below I have posted my most anticipated films of 2013 as well as the the full list of Oscar winners this year.  'August: Osage County' is my favorite play, so to say my expectations may be slightly high would be an understatement.  I'm looking forward to seeing the Aussie women Kidman and Watts' performances as Princess Diana and Grace Kelly.  I'm always looking forward to a new Kate Winslet role and what will be the year of Benedict Cumberbatch.  I'm beginning 'Parade's End' on HBO tonight and will see him in the 'Fifth Estate', the second Hobbit film, 'August: Osage County', 'Star Trek', and 'Twelve Years a Slave' all this year.  Another Scorsese film with 'The Wolf of Wall Street' should be one to look out for, in addition to 'Inside Llewyn Davis' from the Cohen brothers.  'Saving Mr. Banks' should also bring out the nostalgia for me, as I was raised watching Mary Poppins as a child.  I can't wait for what looks to be another exciting year in film.   

August: Osage County
The Butler
Dallas Buyers' Club
Devil's Knot
Diana
Elysium
Ender's Game 
The Fifth Estate
Grace of Monaco
Gravity
The Great Gatsby
Inside Llewyn Davis
Labor Day 
Man of Steel
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Monuments Men
Out of the Furnace
The Place Beyond the Pines
Saving Mr. Banks
Serena
Star Trek - Into Darkness
Stoker
Trance
Twelve Years a Slave
The Wolf of Wall Street


85th Academy Awards

Best Picture
"Argo"
Best Director
Ang Lee, "Life of Pi"
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, "Lincoln"
Best Actress
Jennifer Lawrence, "Silver Linings Playbook
Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, "Django Unchained"
Best Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway, "Les Misérables"
Best Adapted Screenplay
"Argo"
Best Original Screenplay
"Django Unchained"
Best Cinematography
"Life of Pi"
Best Costume Design
"Anna Karenina"
Best Film Editing
"Argo"
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
"Les Misérables"
Best Music - Original Score
"Life of Pi"
Best Music - Original Song
"Skyfall" from "Skyfall"
Best Production Design
"Lincoln"
Best Sound Editing
(tie) "Skyfall" and "Zero Dark Thirty"
Best Sound Mixing
"Les Misérables"
Best Visual Effects
"Life of Pi"
Best Animated Feature Film
"Brave"
Best Foreign Language Film
"Amour"
Best Documentary Feature
"Searching for Sugar Man"
Best Documentary - Short Subject
"Inocente"
Best Short Film - Animated
"Paperman"
Best Short Film - Live Action
"Curfew"

'Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God'

Alex Gibney's 'Mex Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God', which premiered last night on HBO, shows that there is much that needs to be done in order for the Catholic Church to fully acknowledge the sexual abuse that has taken place over decades throughout the world.  This abuse has happened at the hands of religious leaders who prey upon helpless young children.  For the first part of the documentary, Gibney focuses on Father Lawrence Murphy, who was responsible for molesting hundreds of children at a Milwaukee school for the deaf.  Murhphy used his power for evil, as many children at his school came from families with non-signing parents and looked up to him with his ability to sign.  The abuse at the school shows us how the students' silence made it even harder for their experiences to come to the surface and into public knowledge.  Gibney interviews four men who were victims of Murphy and how they have struggled to be heard and for their experiences to demand action, even confronting Murphy in person in his later years.  Although actors have been utilized to let us know the words they sign, the expressions on the men's faces and the passion of their gestures tell us so much about how this has affected their lives and how it continues to haunt them.

The film's scope broadens as it goes on, detailing how Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, was at one time personally in charge of seeing every documented sexual abuse case.  The film also briefly covers the measures being taken to make the Vatican responsible in a court of law.  Little has changed however, and hundreds if not thousands of known pedophiles have stayed free.  'Mea Maxima Culpa' shows a flawed system, where religious leaders have been placed in a God-like position above the law.  The Catholic Church remains in the shadow of these horrific wrongdoings and must be forced by the government to answer to its people rather than God.  The system must transform, as far too many victims' voices have been silenced, left to wonder if true change will ever happen and if long-standing traditions of keeping these horrors hidden will end. 

SBIFF Outstanding Performer of the Year Jennifer Lawrence manages to save awkwardly moderated tribute

I was very excited to head down to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival yesterday to attend the Outstanding Performer of the Year tribute to Jennifer Lawrence.  What I wasn't expecting was how distracted I would be by the moderation of the event, conducted by executive director Roger Durling.  Normally, the moderator is the encyclopedia of knowledge about the performer, engaging them in a colorful dialogue that runs the gamut from talking about their early life before acting to where they find themselves in their career as they look to the future.  After messing up a fact about Lawrence's involvement in local theatre early on (which was also documented in the program), Durling turned the evening into a one-sided gushing over Lawrence, often bringing the program to a painfully awkward lurch, forcing Lawrence to shrug her shoulders or put in a position of having nothing to respond to.  Thankfully, the talented young actress has a great unfiltered manner and was able to save the night on several occasions with a funny aside to the audience or a self-deprecating joke.

After twenty minutes, the conversation fell into the pattern of Durling telling Lawrence that she was fantastic in a role and then simply asking what it was like to work with the director.  This format seemed to hold for the rest of the night.   While I couldn't agree more with Durling on the skill Jennifer Lawrence has shown over the course of her young career, I expect moderators to do their homework and show up with a knowledge of the performer.  I would have loved to see the night moderated by a Leonard Maltin, Anne Thompson, Dave Karger or Kris Tapley, journalists or historians who seem to have no problem connecting with the young performers they often interview.  I will give credit to Durling for assembling a wonderful clip package of Lawrence's career so far, and I enjoyed opening the evening with clips of Carole Lombard in 'My Man Godfrey', Claudette Colbert in 'It Happened One Night', Barbara Stanwyck in 'The Lady Eve', Diane Keaton in 'Annie Hall', and Cher in 'Moonstruck', in roles that showed their great balance of comedic tones and drama.  Closing the night by saying he has trouble taking compliments, you would think Durling would be able to put himself on the opposite side of the table and make the night a little more relaxing.  It's unfortunate that for most of the people sitting around me in the beautiful Arlington Theatre, it was a night of squirming in our seats. 

Under six weeks to push the Oscar baby out

Last week's Academy Award nominations definitely brought some shockers, which is always inevitable.  Most of the chatter has been all about Ben Affleck being left off the list for 'Argo' and Kathryn Bigelow for 'Zero Dark Thirty'.  Let's not forget they are still Academy Award-nominated producers for their films though.  Some say bad press for 'Zero Dark Thirty' may have hurt Bigelow's chances, as the director has come under fire for crafting a pro-torture film which she has been left to defend again and again, most recently in the Los Angeles Times.  Despite the snubs, it really was wonderful to see Michael Haneke and Benh Zeitlin recgonized for their work, allowing foreign and indie films a place at Oscar's table, a place that so many often complain should be there.  Throughout the year, I often hear friends talking about the great indie or foreign films that are being passed over for the mainstream critical hits.  As far as the Best Director nominations go, we do all have to remember that it is less than 400 people who decide those nominations.  It's a very small branch of the Academy that often likes to do their own thing, with results often very different from the DGA, Globes, BFCA, and other groups. 

Awards Daily's Sasha Stone posted a great piece yesterday stating the case for 'Lincoln'.  As someone who grew up cherishing Spielberg's films, I could very much to relate to her words.  For me, 'Lincoln' is the best film of the year and will be looked at in history classes to come and cherished by many, especially for its exceptional writing by Tony Kushner and standout performances by Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones, among others.  As Sasha Stone said in the above article, "Lincoln is a subtle, quiet, subdued, meditative masterpiece."

Are there other films I enjoyed this year?  Very much so.  'Looper' was a incredible idea that seemed lifted out of an entirely original sci-fi universe.  'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' broke my heart and put it back together.  'Silver Linings Playbook' was full of great characters, and Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence gave their best performances with big careers still to come.  'Argo' was tensely paced and had me on the edge of my seat thoughtout, even if I already knew the ending.  'Life of Pi' was a visual wonder and prompted many discussions with friends and family after the viewing and having read the novel.  'Beasts of the Southern Wild' was a visual wonder and little Quvenzhané Wallis had me captivated throughout the beautifully sad film.

I still have a few films left to get to before the Oscars are handed out February 24th, including 'Amour', 'Zero Dark Thirty', 'The Master', 'The Sessions' and 'Django Unchained', but I can't wait to dig into them over the next month and keep the eye-opening 2012 film season going on into the beginning of 2013. 

85th Academy Award nominations

I'm back.  Here's the complete list of today's nominations.  More commentary on the season to come on Wednesday.

http://oscar.go.com/nominees