The Secret of Kells

THE SECRET OF KELLS

Up For: Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

The aesthetics of the Secret of Kells were phenomenal. The animation was spot on, with gorgeous scenes and brilliant animations. The score was exceptionally well done, with upbeat Celtic tunes and the fairy chanting of the young lady doing the voice of Aisling. The voices were well chosen despite the voice for the overbearing uncle, whose voice seemed detached from the mouth it was coming from.

The humor of Kells was worth the price of admission alone ($5 dollars at the Fargo Film Festival), with the opinionated (voiceless) cat following the lead character, Brandon, around on his chases and getting itself into trouble. The dialogue was well written and often humorous ("You can't find out everything from books, you know." "I think I read that once.")

The story was a downhill battle (in a bad way). The story of Kells started off powerful and intriguing, foreshadowing what was to come (or so you think). The formula of the film worked for the most part. A challenge would be laid out for Brandon and he would follow through on his adventure coming across challenges on his journey. Twice this happened where a path would be laid out for the characters to follow to get what they need. It was too bad the entire film did not follow this course because the end of the film trails off into nothingness, eventually leaving you with nothing to say about the end. There is no resolution, no moral, no understanding. I feel as though they took this story from the middle of a book and only showed a portion, with no 3 act structure.

Secret Of Kells was worth the viewing, but as far as Best Animated, Up still has that nomination locked and ready to take to the bank. Though Kells had its moments, I struggled through the middle of the jumbled storytelling, which is far from my easy viewing experience of Up. Though some films make you work to watch them, but it becomes worth it in the end, I would have been fine with leaving the film where it was when I lost interest.

(5 FILMS TO GO)

Drawing To A Close

With only 6 films left to view, 3 of which I cannot find anywhere:

Il Divo (Up for Best Make-Up)

Most Dangerious Man In America (Up for Best Documentary)

Which Way Home (also Up for Best Documentary)

My Oscar Challenge is growing to a close. I will save my final predictions after tonight when I view the remaining films (Secret of Kells, Burma VJ, and The White Ribbon), but I wanted to make a list of the films in order than I liked them, as so you may choose with the last few days before the Oscars of any you might want to see.

I have decided to view The Hurt Locker again as it was at the start of this challenge and I need a refreshment of it, so I may be posting another review of it later today.

List of Oscar Nominated Films in Order of Favorites
(Not Necessarily in the order I think they will win, but personal preferences throughout this entire Challenge...also not in the order of all time favorite)

Up In The Air
Up
Crazy Heart
Messenger
Transformers 2 - Revenge Of The Fallen
Hurt Locker
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Sherlock Holmes
The Cove
Blind Side
Last Station
Nine
Young Victoria
Invictus
Precious
An Education
In The Loop
A Single Man
A Serious Man
Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince
Food Inc.
District 9
Julie & Julia
Coco Before Chanel
Avatar
Princess & Frog
Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death
Paris 36
Bright Star
Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
Lovely Bones
Coraline

Feel free to comment on your thoughts or your favorites.

(6 FILMS (MORE LIKE 3 FILMS) TO GO)

The Last Station

THE LAST STATION

Up For:
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

This film deserves the story that preceded it.

A friend of mine and I decided to see this film at a 9:55pm showing on a Tuesday night. Upon purchasing our tickets and getting concessions, we walked to the numbered theater that it was playing. Upon arriving, we had to take a moment to stare blankly at the poster that was placed above the door of the entrance to the seating auditorium. Even the poster looked dull. With a name like The Last Station, and the time period, and the idea that the film revolved around a train, we were not excited...at all.

In the theater, we sat by ourselves for the previews and the first minutes of the film until a male (who looked as though he had stumbled into the wrong theater) sat down a few rows in front of us and continued on the journey of the film with us (eventually dropping an object that made the sound of shattering glass.... probably alcohol).

The Last Station, turns out, has hardly anything to do with a train. Instead, the film revolves around the hectic, yet passive life of the writer of War & Peace, Tolstoy, played by Christopher Plummer, who definitely earns his nomination (in comparison to his anti-climatic performance in Imaginarium of Doctor Parnannuss or his voice as Charles Muntz in Up). Helen Miren plays his eccentric wife, that is paranoid that Tolstoy's loyal advisor, Paul Giomatti, is trying to steal everything Tolstoy has earned from his writing by making his copyrights public domain for easier access to a wider audience.

In the fray of all of this, James McAvoy (widely known from his role in Wanted) enters to become Tolstoy's young secretary, learning more than he bargained for from a sexual Tolsoyan, Masha, played by gorgeous Kerry Condon.

The Last Station will take you through the full spectrum of emotion, making you laugh with its comedic timing and pace, while making you cry to the eventual demise of its main character (its historically accurate, so I'm not spoiling anything). It will make you distrust everyone, yet feel for each side of the argument.

Obviously, this film deserves the nominations it received and would not surprise me if it took the gold.

In the end, my friend and I left the film grateful for having experienced a film we would never have seen in a million years had we had a choice, and both agreed that our biggest challenge now would be persuading others to view the film so that they may experience the beauty that was this film.

(6 FILMS TO GO)

Wallace & Gromit-A Matter Of Loaf & Death

WALLACE & GROMIT - A MATTER OF LOAF & DEATH

Up For: Best Short Film, Animated

As the only short film I will be viewing this year, I do not have much to compare this film to. However, this film was solid. Nick Park definitely has enough background to achieve an Oscar from his work.

The story of the film is predictable and meant for children (even the subject matter is somewhat adult). The story is recycled from many other short stories, but the comedy is still there, especially in the facial expressions of Gromit (the dog). Overall, claymation is not my favorite, but it is tough, especially to get emotion to come from a lump of clay. I enjoyed the innuendos and allusions to other films like Ghost.

I will probably pick this as the film to win, since it was the most widely released and, essentially, the only short animated film I viewed in the Oscar Challenge

(7 FILMS TO GO)

The Lovely Bones

THE LOVELY BONES

Up For: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Did you happen to notice that this film was only nominated for one thing? There was a reason for that. This film was bad, through and through.

Yet the one, somewhat shining light of the film was the utter creepiness of Stanley Tucci as the neighborhood killer.

I often felt that if I were an emo 12 year old girl that loved the book, I would be absolutely enthralled with this film and it would probably be my favorite film, with meaning and emotion. But as a 22 year old adult male, this film was a glorified Twilight film without the vampires.

Sure, this film had Mark Wahlberg, a young actress playing the main character, an adapted screenplay, and lots of special effects, yet they did not get recognized. That should be a huge red flag for anyone with hopes for this film.

The story was laughable (yes, I am sure the book handles it better, but there is no saving it), the acting was ineffective, and the ending was absolutely horrible and justifiable.

Having seen the trailer, I expected so much more from this film and was unrelentingly let down. The Lovely Bones easily becomes one of the worst films I have viewed in the Oscar Challenge. Though Stanley Tucci was the only good part, I still do not see him winning against the powerhouse of Christoph Waltz, especially in this dismal excuse for a teen drama.

(8 FILMS TO GO)

Precious

PRECIOUS

Up For:
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Best Achievement in Directing
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Best Achievement in Editing

Precious, as it appears, is worth its weight in gold, at least Oscar gold.

Word of mouth made this film (and coincidentally the book) unappetizing to me. With thoughts of hating it before hand, especially with comedian Mo'Nique leading the nominations in a serious part, I was even more skeptical. On the other side of at least the film, I am confident that Precious will be leaving with at least some gold on Oscar night.

Mo'Nique... Wow... From films like Soul Plane to something substantial like Precious, backed by Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey, I thought this would be laughable. Now, she is all I think of when remembering this film. So vulgar and evil, she rocked the hell out of this part, making you hate her more than any villain you have ever hated in a film. Even when you think you might see the comedian in Mo'Nique, she hits you with an ash tray or throws a television at you and your baby, or forces you to eat hairy pigs feet. Her character was so pronounced that you were scared for Precious' life every time they were together. She deserves the win for this (even though I want Anna Kendrick to win). This will be the award I expect to come from the film.

Gabourey Sidibe, as Precious, could easily take the upset at the Oscars, next to Sandra Bullock. She is 100% a new comer and for that, the Academy may award her for the efforts put forth in her first big deal. In my personal opinion, she is because the actors and story around her are good. Sure, she may be a very happy person in real life, but she did not carry much of a presence in the film (and please do not tell me that that is what they were going for). Much like Quinton Aaron in Blind Side, there was little going on behind their eyes. I could not see them acting with all their body, just their responses to dialogue. So yes, for a first timer, she was terrific, but Oscar-worthy, not sure. Up against seasoned veterans, it should be interesting and may pull a Taylor Swift at the award show.

The other nominations were well-deserved and could easily be seen why they were chosen. The editing was great, with so much going on and special moments of effects that added to the film as a whole. The screenplay was complex and intriguing. From what I hear, the book is powerful yet completely vulgar and hard to read. The film takes the book and makes it into a more bearable version of this heart wrenching story. Though the editing will not live up to Avatar, the adapted Screenplay would not be a total stretch.

Best Picture, however, is not in Precious' future. Yes, it was a great film, but not that great and the honor of best in show will still probably fall on The Hurt Locker, Up In The Air, and in a twisted messed up world, Avatar.

(9 FILMS TO GO)

The Messenger

THE MESSENGER

Up For:
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Occasionally, the Oscar Challenge has helped shine a light on films that, for some reason or another, are glazed over by the local theaters and publicity as a whole. The Messenger was one of those films.

Without much knowledge going into The Messenger (only knowing its nominations with Woody Harrelson bringing in the Best Supporting Actor), I was skeptical. Minutes into the film, you see the main character portrayed by Ben Foster (a personal favorite of mine since the film Get Over It with Kirsten Dunst & Colin Hanks and recently Pandorum).

This film was phenomenal, deserving of anything that it gets but unfortunately probably not receiving much with the stiff competition. On a personal level, this film achieves in touching you and entertaining you in, not only a unique way, but a powerful way that makes you want to watch the film again just to experience it.

Woody Harrelson is on a role. Woody's performance in Zombieland deserved a nomination for some kind of award because he made that film shine as one of my favorite films of 2009. Now partaking in this powerful film, with one of the strongest and powerful performances I have ever viewed him in, I see that he has got the longevity to stick it out in the film industry with every year he grows older.

Like I stated, The Messenger will most likely not receive an award, especially up against the great Christoph Waltz and the screenplay for Hurt Locker, but it does not take away from this unique look at life outside of the war of the Army and the reactions of people finding that their hardworking sons and daughter, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers have died protecting their country.

The Messenger easily makes my list for top 5 films viewed during this Oscar Challenge and I challenge you to find it when it comes out on DVD and give it a shot despite lack of publicity.

(10 FILMS TO GO)

An Education

AN EDUCATION

Up For:
Best Motion Picture of the Year
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

The film An Education was unlike any film I saw it being. The trailers for An Education made the film look scandalous. The result was quite the opposite. Carey Mulligan plays a young woman in high school is ahead of her time. The young boys that want to date her are very immature (but allow for some funny parts, especially when one comes to dinner with Carey's father, played by Alfred Molina). Eventually, Mulligan's character meets a much older man with a love for music that wants to show her the world and the art that occupies it.

Instead of the normal film where everyone finds this inappropriate (a feeling you get more often than any of the characters), it lives to its name "An Education" in which the only people that find it unacceptable are the school heads, Mulligan's teacher as well as her headmistress played by Emma Thompson. Sure that she is learning more with her new older man, played by Peter Sarsgaard, she follows his love blindly.

Carey Mulligan is fantastic in this part, not showing her true age (which is 24) through the naivety yet brilliance of her young character. Any other year, Mulligan would undoubtedly take home the gold but with so many great performances this year, she may just be overshadowed by bigger names and stronger performances, especially when she faces other new comer Gabourey Sidibe from Precious.

Not sure An Education was strong enough to take home either Best Picture or Best Adapted Screenplay. I look at the nomination lists and the film simply does not jump out at me as a huge winner.

The music to this film was surprisingly upbeat and enjoyable. The opening credits song hooked me immediately, along with the fun graphics that accompanied it. As the mood changes through the film, the music corresponds effectively.

An Education, as a whole, was a solid film, strong all the way through, however, that can be said for more than half the nominees this year, leaving An Education to not live up to high expectations.

(11 FILMS TO GO)

Nine

NINE

Up For:
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Best Achievement in Art Direction
Best Achievement in Costume Design
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Absolutely loved this film. Characterization is my favorite part of stories, especially those of superhero stories and the like. Nine was completely filled with characters. The nominations for Nine were deserved but also inflicted confusion.

Costume & Art Direction were top notch. The sound stage with the set in progress for all the musical numbers was fantastic. Great concept, which I am guessing came from the Broadway play portion of this film. The music was phenomenal (not necessarily all the music, since some of the songs dropped the ball). The frustration begins with the song decision for the nominee: Take It All, sung by Marion Cotillard. Kate Hudson's and Fergie's musical numbers were fantastic.

The cast of Nine was a male's wet dream! Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Fergie, Marion Cotillard, as only the start. Each woman figure brought about their own style and characterization. Every woman figure you could have in your life was portrayed. The mother, the wild child, the mistress, etc. Each with their own song and aspect. The image of Fergie playing in the sand accompanying her song was vivid, while Kate Hudson's vogue-ish dance and song were pure sex, the image of her beaded clothing still shaking when I remember the film.

The biggest concern I have with the nominations given to the film was the lack of Lead Actor nomination for Daniel Day Lewis, and for many reasons. For starters, his character was brilliantly played. The interview sequence, he in his sunglasses the entire time, witty remark after witty remark to the press, his acting was spot on. I would watch that again and again. Though his singing was not the greatest, he still took on that feat and concurred it. He brought out the best of each and every woman that was opposite him (and they brought out the best in him, each in a different way). I do not believe Penelope Cruz would have gotten the nomination if it was not for Daniel Day Lewis. The fact that she was nominated over Nicole Kidman or Marion Cotillard was astounding. The biggest reason I wanted to see Lewis nominated was for the entertainment of Oscar night. The excitement would have been so much more if it were Clooney, Bridges, Firth, & Lewis. Four huge names head to head and not sure who was going to win. Clooney & Bridges blow everyone else away in the category as it stands now and that is too bad because it kills any excitement.

Overall, the film was exactly what it needed to be. It is getting tougher to determine what will make the Best Of categories, but this is definitely up there in all of its categories. I would love to see Cruz win. Though I do not agree with the song choice, seeing this film take home any awards would not be a bad thing. If you enjoy Chicago, this is a nice film by the same director. Though Chicago blows it away, the editing of the musicals into the back and forth of the conversations is fantastic and will be worth the watch. Otherwise, the film is worth the women alone.

(12 FILMS TO GO)

The Princess & The Frog

THE PRINCESS & THE FROG

Up For:
Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
(2) Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

Where do I begin with The Princess & The Frog? What happened to Disney films?

Before viewing Princess & The Frog, I revisited two Disney classics, Aladdin and The Lion King. Now yes, they are classics and therefore rule all in the kingdom of Disney, but honestly, Princess & The Frog is no where even in the ball park of the originals. That said, even in the field of animated features that it is in, I believe it fails, and in several aspects, including the categories it is up for.

The songs were (and still should be) the guiding light of the Disney genre. I could recite to you the lyrics to the songs of most all the major Disney films. Two days removed from Princess & The Frog and I can recite maybe three words from the movies one nominated song "Almost There" (singing that part and that part only over and over in your head is not recommended). I feel with even several more viewings (please God don't make me), I would still not catch onto the songs because they were unexciting and unremarkable. Disney is a worldwide powerhouse, so obviously I can see the film winning its nomination for that fact only, but Up and Fantastic Mr. Fox were light years beyond this film, songs or no songs.

The characters were too specific for a Disney film. A black "princess", a Southern belle, and Hispanic princess? I know they were building up the Southern theme in New Orleans, but it got to be a little much. That aside, the messages that were being pumped across were too much for me as well. The voodoo shadow man being in "debt" to the demons, his "friends" on the other side while the main "princess" (not actually a princess until the final minutes of the film) is advocating for hard work to earn what she wants (so much so that she neglects everything else).

Some of the characters, however, were enjoyable. The voice of John Goodman added light to his character of Big Daddy. Though hardly in the film much (as were most of the supporting characters), his voice lightened up the darkness that was this film. The voodoo shadow man was excellent. Instead of recycling the likes of their other villains, Disney still knows how to create a unique villain that could stand next to the others in a line-up and still look unique. The voodoo mama was good as well (though, once again, hardly even in the film). The best character of all was a caricature of the Southern hillbilly in the form of a lightning bug. Every line coming from the cartoon characters tiny little mouth were hilarious.

For a child's film, the Princess & the Frog contained some dark subject matter. Though the voodoo demons were scary in their own way, (SPOILER ALERT!!!) the death of a certain beloved character was handled adult-ish, as though children would understand what was going on. I would not want to be the parent explaining what the death of that character meant. Sure, it can be told off as just a film, a fantasy, but to subject your children to death at such a young age seems anti-naivety.

The children that were in the film during my screening were enthralled with this film. They laughed at parts that I would never find funny, they were close to balling during the death scene, and it dawned on me that these Best Animated Features should truly be judged by children, because though adults get something out of the films a majority of the time, these films are ultimately made for children to enjoy and adults should not be judging them. So maybe that is what I will tell myself if this film wins on Oscar night to make myself feel better. I say, "the children must have decided the winner of that one."

(13 FILMS TO GO)