For Your Consideration

Cross posted from Yellow Bunting

Awards season is upon us and as every film geek knows it is a grand celebration of all the achievements made in Western (okay mostly American) film over the past twelve months. Saying that, it’s also a chance for every aforementioned film geek plus critics and casual observers to gripe and whine about the various “snubs” and omissions and for the nausea inducing, sycophantic interviews that forms half all of the multi channel coverage, the other half being those horrific “let’s rip into these otherwise successful and beautiful women by making offensive comments about their appearance” shows.

I have a love/hate relationship with awards shows. On the one hand gets everyone talking about films and I have to own up to enjoying my fair share of glitz and glamour. On the other hand it gets people whinging about films and the complaints over who has been omitted can overshadow the glory of those who win.

The best example of this is how the word “snub” becomes the buzzword on everybody’s lips as soon as the first batch of nominations are out.

There is always outrage that XYZ didn’t make it in or if Film A was nominated why wasn’t the guy who directed it? This year for example, Skyfall didn’t receive any Oscar nominations for its lead actor or director and wasn’t nominated for best picture.  Even at our own BAFTAs Skyfall is trailing behind Lincoln (which hasn’t even been released in the UK yet, much to the consternation of many British film goers) which got 10 nominations. Director Steven Spielberg has been “snubbed” by both BAFTA and the Academy who have both left him out of the lists for Best Director. Add into the mix the same arguments about animation and foreign film that come back year after year and you start to wonder why anyone bothers. Of course money plays a huge part as does ego and the fact that many awards and nominations are politically motivated but there is also the fact that these are good films.

It isn’t helpful to dwell on the negatives and flinging the word “snub” around just diminishes the achievements made by those who did make it in to the nominations. So I for one resolve this year to approach awards season with an open mind and view it as a way to be introduced to new films and discovered new, thoroughly deserving, talent.

Full list of Academy Award nominees here

Full list of BAFTA nominees here

7 Films to watch out for in 2013

Over at Yellow Bunting I posted a list of my top seven films for 2013 enjoy!

Review: Hugo

I love films about films, heck I'm a huge fan of films being self referential in general but this gem of a movie was especially good.

Picture from here

Review: The Hobbit (Spoilers)

The Lord of the Rings trilogy were the defining films of my childhood. It was the first time that I was aware that movies were actually made rather than just being there. It also later introduced me (via the extensive DVD extras) to the nuances of film making and probably sent me down the path I'm on today.

So you can imagine my reaction to the news that they were going to film The Hobbit. On Sunday I finally got my chance to go and see it! Warning: There be spoilers ahead.

Poster from here

Pause for the sound of tumbleweed...

Oh hello there! You probably don't remember me, it's Sarah who writes this blog and was then torn away by real life and wasn't even able to write a bunch of blog posts to come back with even though she has plenty of films to write about. So for now I will leave you with an article from FSR about my filmmaker of the moment Mr. Joss Whedon.

OFFICIAL: Citizen Kane is only the SECOND greatest film ever made...

Poor Orson Welles, turns out he has been beaten by ol' Alfred Hitchcock, specifically Vertigo.

Movie journal Sight and Sound, published by the BFI have released its 2012 list of the greatest films. It looks surprisingly like its other lists pun
blished every ten years.

However, Citizen Kane has finally been knocked off the top spot by Vertigo.

Film School Rejects has the complete list and where to see them. Have a watch, sit back and feel cultured.

Or you could go watch what you want and revel in being a populist.

Photo from here

In all seriousness, it can seem sometimes that lists like these can be detrimental to potential audiences. On the one hand we need to revere old classics and it can only be good thing for audiences to have these made available. On the other hand the thrill of new techniques and systems of filmmaking is not only engaging for the viewer but like everything, improvement comes from growth and adaptation. 

The problem is when you come down firmly on either side of this argument instead of finding a common ground. Not one film on the list was made in the last twenty years when arguably we have seen the greatest leap forward in filmmaking practises since the introduction of sound. There is nothing wrong with this in itself, and Sight and Sound regularly features modern films within its pages, but we need to keep in mind that the classics of tomorrow will be the films of today and their value, while not immediately quantifiable, should be kept in mind.

Whether you want to see it as an issue of high or low culture or amateur and academic critics, I feel that what this shows is that there is always a need to compartmentalise the culture we consume, to deem some 'worthy' and by that act deem the rest as somehow less. I for one think there is no such thing as a guilty pleasure, merely work that appeals to different facets of pleasure.

Fortunately for us the world is awash with list of the greatest and the best and they are as diverse as the film featured in them.

The use and abuse of Sigur Rós music in film

Whimsical Icelandic songmeisters Sigur Rós are the go to guys for movie scenes where you need to convey intense, conflicting emotions. Done well, it lends a gentle bittersweetness and emotional lift to a scene. Done poorly and it is tacky and fake. Done really badly and you'll want to tear your ears off.

Marvel Unveils Next Round Of Movies!

I adore a good superhero flick and Marvel seem to be at the top of their game in terms of this. The Avengers was an unprecedented crossover of epic proportions and Marvel are getting ready for phase two which will lead up to The Avengers 2.  Over at Total Film, the titles of the next few instalments have been released along with some posters and concept art!

Review: Midnight in Paris

After watching this I feel like I should be reading some great American literature

David Cronenberg

The latest in Film School rejects "6 Filmmaking Tips From..." series is David Cronenberg and is well worth a read! Now go and watch Dead Ringers or Eastern Promises...

The Purple Rose of Cairo

I heard about this film a few weeks ago and subsequently added it to my LoveFilm request list. I always enjoys films about films and this one was no exception with its delicate examination of fantasy and reality.

"I just met a wonderful new man. He's fictional but you can't have everything"

Tim Burton: A Filmography

Hot on the heels of my Dark Shadows review from last month, I rediscovered this little gem of a film by animator and film maker Martin Woutisseth: