The Eagle (2011)

We moved! You can now find us at our own location, MovieBoozer.com | Movies Measured by the Pint! Movies Rated by Beers! We also have a new forum!

By: Oberst von Berauscht (Four Beers)

Desperate to restore his family’s honor, Roman Centurion Marcus Flavius Aquila (Channing Tatum) ventures deep into the northern frontier of Britannia to recover the Eagle Standard lost in battle by his father. To the Romans, the Eagle Standard was a religious symbol of military honor and glory. Accompanying him is his slave Esca (Jamie Bell), who has sworn an oath of honor to not escape, or try to kill him, or anything…

A Toast

As an avid reader and watcher of documentaries, The Eagle’s greatest strength is in its stronger than average attempt to create a historically accurate depiction of the Roman frontier. The characters and events as depicted are not to my knowledge based on any true stories, however there is a great wealth of historical data as a basis for the way the characters interact with each other. Any historians will immediately recognize that the filmmakers have derived much of the film from classical sources.

Also in the film’s favor is stunningly beautiful cinematography; the film benefits much from location shooting in Scotland. Filmmaker Kevin MacDonald and Cinematographer Anthony Dodd Mantle deserve lauds for their efforts in every sequence.

Beer Two

Where the film falls flat is in the performances from stars Tatum and Bell, who never seem to be able to overcome a severe lack of enthusiasm. Whether it was a directorial choice or the actor’s decision to have both characters display no emotions whatsoever remains a mystery. The dialog itself does lead you to believe that a great deal of character development was cut from the film.

Some critics have ripped on the fact that some characters speak with American accents, which is an unfair criticism, as an authentic depiction would have them speaking Latin, and they do attempt to give the Barbarians a greater deal of accuracy by using the dead Gaelic language. But honestly, unless you’re a crazy anti-semitic drunk-driver, you’re probably not interested in boring the audience with 2 hours of Latin.

Who are you, and what did you do to Riggs?

Beer Three

This one goes to the poorly edited action sequences that are nearly bloodless, because they cut awkwardly away to coverage shots every time a blow is struck. This may be the fault of the studio, in a desperate attempt to give it a PG-13 rating. Not every movie needs to be bloody violent, but a movie that involves heads being chopped off and people getting all stabby with each other does need to be.

Beer Four

This one goes to the story, which fails at generating the level of inventiveness that obviously went into other aspects of the film’s production. At what point did Hollywood decide action heroes didn’t need character arcs? Both Tatum and Bell start the film as tough, manly men, and end the film the same way, oh, and supposedly they became friends. The problem is that there is no scene in the film that indicates they are starting to grow accustomed to each other, much less starting to bond.

Not even in the “Greco-Roman” way…

The most important part of the hero’s journey is that he is changed or grows in some way, and that never occurs.

Verdict

Plenty of material for the history buff; a missed opportunity otherwise.

Oscar Wrap-Up

We moved! You can now find us at our own location, MovieBoozer.com | Movies Measured by the Pint! Movies Rated by Beers! We also have a new forum!

Well, that was all quite anti-climatic. A bit less than a year of following the wires, watching the contenders, and forming opinions built up to a crescendo that was ultimately predestined. Here's the Good, the Bad, the Ugly for the 83rd Academy Awards.

The Good

The spread of awards ended up being quite democratic. Two films (Inception and The King's Speech) won 4 awards, The Social Network won 3, and three other films won 2 Oscars apiece. It's hard to quibble too much with any of the awards leading up to the end. I was very happy to see Reznor and Ross win for their excellent score for The Social Network and Inception heartily deserved the technical category wins it got.

The Bad

Even with the awards spread, this will still go down as the year that The King's Speech took some awards from far stronger contenders. Let me state this right here, I don't hate that film. I think that its legion of fans is entitled to their opinion and I have to respect the film's producers, the Weinsteins, for consistently being able to bend the opinion of voters to their will.

I'm going to leave Best Picture out of this, because this is the category where short-sighted historical decisions get consistently made, and it's not like it was much of a surprise this year. What I do think stunk to high heaven was Tom Hooper's win for Best Director. He is a talented director, and I'm looking forward to future efforts, but he is no David Fincher. This is the same body that never awarded Kubrick or Hitchcock for direction, and while Fincher isn't at their heights it's ridiculous that he'll have to keep making superior films and lose to inferior talent time and again until he gets his "overdue" award a la Scorcese. Nowhere do the broken politics of the Oscar process show through more than this category.

The Ugly

The show itself was just, well, ugly. The Oscars seem dead set against ever letting a pure comedian host again, probably to avoid having their delicate sensibilities offended. I didn't hate the idea of James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosting, although I was a bit confused by how they got the gig.

However, it became apparent right from the less than funny, trying too hard opening skit that this wasn't going to be all that good. About the time that Hathaway sung a song to Hugh Jackman and Franco appeared in drag with a highly disinterested look on his face I knew that it wasn't going to get any better.

Considering the vast array of talent to choose from year to year to do the hosting duties, you'd think they could have come up with somebody with a little more experience and inherent comic skill. Maybe they will next year.

Oscar Winners for 2010 Films, February 27, 2011

We moved! You can now find us at our own location, MovieBoozer.com | Movies Measured by the Pint! Movies Rated by Beers! We also have a new forum!

Well, that was disappointing... and entirely expected. Here are your winners:

Art Direction:

Inception

Cinematography:

Inception

Supporting Actress:

Melissa Leo, from The Fighter

Animated Short Film:

The Lost Thing

Animated Feature:

Toy Story 3

Adapted Screenplay:

The Social Network

Original Screenplay:

The King’s Speech

Foreign Language Film:

In a Better World

Supporting Actor:

Christian Bale in The Fighter

Original Score:

The Social Network

Sound Editing:

Inception

Sound Mixing:

Inception

Makeup:

The Wolfman

Costume Design:

Alice in Wonderland

Documentary Short:

Strangers No More

Live Action Short Film:

God of Love

Documentary Feature:

Inside Job

Visual Effects:

Inception

Film Editing:

The Social Network

Original Song:

We Belong Together from Toy Story 3

Directing:

Tom Hooper for The King's Speech.

Actress in a Leading Role:

Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Best Actor in a Lead Role:

Colin Firth in The King’s Speech

Best Picture:

The King's Speech

The big day is here!

We moved! You can now find us at our own location, MovieBoozer.com | Movies Measured by the Pint! Movies Rated by Beers! We also have a new forum!

Finish up those ballots and buy that liquor...

Join us on Twitter at 7pm/6pm/4pm depending on your time zone flavor as the Oscar broadcast starts off. We'll probably be making fun of the red carpet and giving some last-second analysis before the show itself kicks off an hour later.

That's where the Oscar Drinking Game factors in, and we'll be offering progressively drunker analysis pick by pick as the show goes one... enjoy!

Oscar Drinking Game Picks- Henry J. Fromage

We moved! You can now find us at our own location, MovieBoozer.com | Movies Measured by the Pint! Movies Rated by Beers! We also have a new forum!

And here are Henry J. Fromage's Oscar Drinking Game predictions, in order of presentation and with a lot of probably misguided analysis... down with The King's Speech!

Best Art Direction

I think – Alice in Wonderland

I want – Inception

Apparently Tim Burton movies always win here, although The King’s Speech got an Art Director’s Guild award recently. Inception won the BAFTA over The King’s Speech and also an ADG award (there are multiple categories including science fiction and period films), so…

Best Cinematography

I think – True Grit

I want – Inception

True Grit’s Roger Deakins is one of the most overdue artists in the entire industry. If The King’s Speech will sweep, it could start here, although this is probably the award it deserves the least. In my book Wally Pfister’s work in Inception was the most impressive.

Best Supporting Actress

I think – Melissa Leo, The Fighter

I want – Amy Adams, The Fighter

Leo’s been here before and did pretty well in the precursor awards (all of the non-Oscar awards that have been given out over the last couple of months). People have been turning up their noses at her self-campaigning. Everybody seemed to like Steinfeld’s performance, but she’s beaten Leo precious few times in the category. Bonham Carter may ride The King’s Speech to an award.

Best Short Film (Animated)

I think – Day and Night

I want – Madagascar

Pixar dominated the category for a few years before falling short in the last few. Day and Night is stunning in 3-D, which the producers convinced the judges to screen it in. Pundits are getting behind The Lost Thing, but I preferred the dazzling array of styles and pacing of Madagascar, Carnet de Voyage.

Best Animated Feature Film

I think – Toy Story 3

I want – The Illusionist

Toy Story 3 is the biggest grossing, most beloved animated film of all time. This is a no-doubter.

Best Adapted Screenplay

I think – The Social Network

I want – Toy Story 3

Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay for The Social Network has been getting all of the much-deserved accolades since the beginning. It won at the Writer’s Guild Awards as well. It’d be very surprising if anyone else took this home.

Best Original Screenplay

I think – The King’s Speech

I want – Inception

If The King’s Speech somehow doesn’t capture this, it would show a shift away from its momentum towards Best Picture. The WGA picked Inception, but all of the momentum is going to the favorite.

Best Foreign Film

I think – Incendies

I want – Biutiful

This one is always interesting. You’d think picking the biggest name, which this year is Biutiful, would be fine, but that tactic has been defeated time and again. The only two I’ve seen are Dogtooth and Outside the Law, but the first is too strange and the second too conventional to come out with a win.

That leaves us with Golden Globe winner In a Better World and Incendies, the critical darling. Voters are never afraid of the lower-profile film here, and I think the reputation of Incendies as just being, well, better, will carry it through.

Best Supporting Actor

I think -- Christian Bale, The Fighter

I want –Jeremy Renner, The Town

Christian Bale’s been sweeping the precursors, but a King’s Speech sweep could get Geoffrey Rush a statue.

Best Original Score

I think – Alexandre Desplat, The King’s Speech

I want – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, The Social Network

The King’s Speech’s Alexandre Desplat still has yet with multiple nominations, but Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s score for The Social Network did the most amazing and unconventional job. Inception’s score by Hans Zimmer also has gotten a lot of love, but will probably be left behind.

Best Sound Editing

I think – Inception

I want – True Grit

These are the tech categories that Inception should dominate. True Grit is also in the conversation, however.

Best Sound Mixing

I think – The Social Network

I want – Inception

Inception will figure heavily here as well, although True Grit has been cited as a potential frontrunner as well. For my money, The Social Network has the most awesome examples of the craft, particularly the nightclub conversation between Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Timberlake’s characters.

Best Makeup

I think – The Wolfman

I want – The Way Back

The man in charge of The Wolfman’s makeup has won 8 times, and it is the most in-your-face nominee. Barney’s Version apparently does a masterful job with aging makeup, but I’m hoping The Way Back wins something.

Best Costume Design

I think – The King’s Speech

I want – True Grit

This one most likely comes down to Alice in Wonderland and The King’s Speech again. Burton’s films have never won here, and The King’s Speech won at the Costume Designer’s Guild, so I’ll have to go with them. Personally, I thought True Grit had some sweet work in this category.

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

I think – Strangers No More

I want – Sun Come Up

The only one that I found to be at all arresting was Strangers No More, and it’s also the only one I thought that offered all that much hope. Other important topics are covered, including environmental refugees, Chinese pollution, terrorism, and post traumatic stress disorder, but with varying degrees of effectiveness. Poster Girl does have the most emotion and could ride that to a win and The Warriors of Qiugang has been getting some notice as well.

Best Short Film (Live Action)

I think – God of Love

I want – Na Wewe

African-themed shorts often do well here, and Na Wewe is excellently done, doing a good job of building tension and offering commentary. The real crowd-pleaser and funniest of the bunch is God of Love.

Best Documentary

I think – Inside Job

I want – Restrepo

Inside Job has the most cachet and is topical. Critics liked Exit Through the Gift Shop best, but for my money Restrepo is one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen.

Best Visual Effects

I think – Inception

I want – Alice in Wonderland

Inception has to have this locked down. I’ll hedge my bets with Alice in Wonderland’s pretty legit effects, but it’d be a surprise to see anyone but Inception called here.

Best Film Editing

I think – The Social Network

I want – The Black Swan

Here’s a battleground category between The Social Network and The King’s Speech. The former deserves this win, and should get it, but a win here is often a sneak peek at who’ll be getting the main prize, so The King’s Speech could certainly take it.

Best Original Song

I think – We Belong Together, Toy Story 3

I want – I See the Light, Tangled

Randy Newman does well and his song “We Belong Together” has strong emotional resonance with Toy Story 3’s story. “If I Rise” might be 127 Hours’ only chance to take home some gold and the Academy does like composer A.R. Rahman.

Best Director

I think – David Fincher, The Social Network

I want – Darren Aronofsky, The Black Swan

David Fincher is due and deserving and has swept every precursor up to the important Director’s Guild award, which The King’s Speech’s Tom Hooper took home in a huge upset. BAFTA (Britain’s Academy Awards) went back to Fincher, though, and if Hooper can’t win with home field advantage I’ve got to hope that sense has returned and Fincher will get it.

Best Actress

I think – Natalie Portman, Black Swan

I want – Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole

Natalie Portman has been sweeping the precursors, but Annette Bening had frontrunner status before The Black Swan released and is seen in a lot of circles as due. Still, it’d be surprising to see them go any direction but Bening. Kidman's quietly devastating performance didn't get the same accolades, but deserved to be in the conversation.

Best Actor

I think – Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

I want – James Franco, 127 Hours

Colin Firth was anointed the favorite before any of these movies even released, and he hasn’t even been budged a bit since then.

Best Picture

I think – The King’s Speech

I want -- The Social Network

This is The Social Network vs. The King’s Speech. The Social Network had all of the critical and precursor awards support all the way up until last month. Then, first the Producer’s Guild, then crazy, crazy Directors Guild, and last the Screen Actors Guild all shifted the momentum to The King’s Speech, which was cemented as the frontrunner with some frankly undeserved Oscar nominations. Producer Harvey Weinstein is a miracle worker, getting Shakespeare in Love a head-scratching win over Saving Private Ryan. Maybe voters will follow the critical acclaim back to The Social Network, but they’ve so consistently made short-sighted decisions that I doubt it.

For the record, The Black Swan was my favorite movie of the year, but I’m picking The Social Network as my want to win out of protest.

Oscar Drinking Game Picks- Oberst von Berauscht

We moved! You can now find us at our own location, MovieBoozer.com | Movies Measured by the Pint! Movies Rated by Beers! We also have a new forum!

Here are Oberst von Berauscht's Oscar Drinking Game picks, once again in order of presentation at the Awards show.

Art Direction:

Want: Inception

Think: True Grit

Cinematography:

Want: Inception

Think: Black Swan

Supporting Actress:

Want: Hailee Steinfeld

Think: Melissa Leo

Animated Short Film:

Want: Day & Night

Think: Lets Pollute

Animated Feature:

Want: Toy Story 3

Think: Toy Story 3 (Because there is no way Toy Story 3 is not going to win)

Adapted Screenplay:

Want: 127 Hours

Think: The Social Network

Original Screenplay:

Want: Inception

Think: The King’s Speech

Foreign Language Film: (I admittedly did not see any of these films, so my choices are based solely on here-say, submitted here just so you know how I’ll be drinking!)

Want: In a Better World

Think: Biutiful

Supporting Actor:

Want: Christian Bale in The Fighter

Think: Geoffrey Rush in The King’s Speech

Original Score:

Want: 127 Hours

Think: The Social Network

Sound Editing:

Want: Inception

Think: Tron: Legacy

Sound Mixing:

Want: Inception

Think: True Grit

Makeup:

Want: The Way Back

Think: The Wolfman

Costume Design:

Want: True Grit (That Bear Suit alone!)

Think: Alice in Wonderland

Documentary Short: Total Crapshoot, had to guess on this one.

Want: Killing in the Name

Think: Sun Come Up

Live Action Short Film: Another case of the “It’s not on Youtube, and I’m not driving to downtown Chicago to go to an obscure theatre”

Want: The Crush

Think: Na Wewe

Documentary Feature: Of these, I only was able to get a hold of “Inside Job”

Want: Restrepo

Think: Inside Job

Visual Effects:

Want: Inception

Think: Inception

Film Editing:

Want: 127 Hours

Think: The Social Network

Original Song:

Want: If I Rise from 127 hours

Think: We Belong Together from Toy Story 3

Directing:

Want: Black Swan

Think: The Social Network

Actress in a Leading Role: I’ll just come out and say that Haliee Steinfeld from True Grit was a leading role, and was sad to see her nomination relegated to the supporting category. Had the nominations been less political, I’d have her at the top of my list here.

Want: Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine

Think: Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Best Actor in a Lead Role:

Want: James Franco in 127 Hours

Think: Colin Firth in The King’s Speech

Best Picture:

Want: 127 Hours

Think: The Social Network

Herr Oberst Talks About Cinema

Film is a medium from which entertainment and art may be created, and are not mutually exclusive.

In other words:

To summarize; my approach to reviews evaluates these aspects of film, a film may be none of these, it may also be all of them, or anywhere in between. There are some films which, while artistically strong, may not suit my personal tastes, and I try to take that into consideration (and hopefully spin some humor into the mix).

With that said I have set aside a few minutes today to give my list of Oscar picks. I will be listing two choices for each category, one for the film I would like to see win, another for a film that I think will win. I should note that I haven’t seen every nominated film, but have made every effort to see as many as possible. I’m listing my picks as part of the MovieBoozer Oscar Drinking Game, which we will (rest assured) be playing as we watch the events unfold and throw down some mean Twitter commentary on February 27^th.

Oscar Drinking Game Picks- SG2

We moved! You can now find us at our own location, MovieBoozer.com | Movies Measured by the Pint! Movies Rated by Beers! We also have a new forum!

Well, it's that time! Here are our Oscar Drinking Game picks, starting with SG2's. The order of these picks follows the order that the awards will be handed out on Sunday night!

Best Art Direction

I think – Inception

I want – Alice in Wonderland

Best Cinematography

I think – True Grit

I want – King’s Speech

Best Supporting Actress

I think – Melissa Leo, The Fighter

I want – Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

Best Short Film (Animated)

I think – The Lost Thing

I want – Let’s Pollute

Best Animated Feature Film

I think – Toy Story 3

I want – How to Train Your Dragon

Best Adapted Screenplay

I think – The Social Network

I want – True Grit

Best Original Screenplay

I think – The King’s Speech

I want – The Fighter

Best Foreign Film

I think – Biutiful

I want – Dogtooth

Best Supporting Actor

I think -- Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

I want – Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Original Score

I think – Inception – Hans zimmer

I want – The Social Network – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Best Sound Editing

I think – TRON: Legacy

I want – True Grit

Best Sound Mixing

I think – The Social Network

I want – True Grit

Best Makeup

I think – Barney’s Version

I want – The Way Back

Best Costume Design

I think – True Grit

I want – The King’s Speech

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

I think – Killing in the Name

I want – Poster Girl

Best Short Film (Live Action)

I think - Wish 143

I want - The Crush

Best Documentary

I think – Inside Job

I want – Waste Land

Best Visual Effects

I think – Inception

I want – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Best Film Editing

I think – The Social Network

I want – 127 Hours

Best Original Song

I think – We Belong Together, Toy Story 3

I want – If I Rise, 127 Hours

Best Director

I think – David Fincher, Black Swan

I want – Darren Aronofsky, The Social Network

Best Actress

I think – Natalie Portman, Black Swan

I want – Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

Best Actor

I think – Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

I want – Jeff Bridges, True Grit

Best Picture

I think – The Social Network

I want -- Black Swan

Waste Land (2010)

We moved! You can now find us at our own location, MovieBoozer.com | Movies Measured by the Pint! Movies Rated by Beers! We also have a new forum!

By: Henry J. Fromage (2 Beers)

This is the final piece of the Oscar documentary features category. This is one hell of a category, and analysis will be forthcoming tonight. All of the films are very strong in their own ways, and this is no exception.

Waste Land tells the story of a world-renowned Brazilian artist, Vic Muniz, who is known for using a variety of strange materials like sugar, peanut butter, and diamonds paired with photographs to create works of art which show worldwide. His latest project is to create recreations of famous paintings using garbage as his medium, but the statement he’s making isn’t what you think it’d be.

Cause that would be a bit obvious

Rather, he travels to the largest landfill in the world, Jardim Gramacho in Rio de Janeiro, to use the garbage pickers there as his models and assistants and use the portraits they make to gain them some recognition and better their lives.

A Toast

The heart and soul of this film is the small group of residents of Gramacho that become his models. Their stories are sad, and their lives are about what you’d expect for people who spend the entire day picking through garbage for recyclable materials.

However, they have a innate dignity and will to succeed that puts most of us to shame. These people have dreams, especially Tiao, president of the trash-picker’s association, which he created and nurtured from nothing into an entity with a real say in the realm of recycling and trash collecting. He discusses Machiavelli and Nietsche with a depth of knowledge that is amazing, especially considering his secondary education has come from books other people have thrown away.

So, what’s your excuse again?

The cinematography is excellent, with a real eye towards contrasting the simple beauty of a traveling sun with the bleak images that occur underneath it. The music, which was done by Moby, also turns into a powerful emotional catalyst when art starts to take shape.

Beer Two

Less impressive is Muniz and his production crew. He’s also risen out of poverty, and his story is worth being told. Still, his ego shines through, especially as the movie opens with a talk show host telling him he’s one of the greatest artists alive. While this adds interest to the film, the following images of his work on display at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and elsewhere would have done the job.

This is also reflected in some overblown rhetoric as he’s planning the trip which feels more scripted than anything. This sort of insincerity is what Banksy attacks in fellow nominee Exit Through the Gift Shop and is part of the reason why modern art has the reputation it does. Even Muniz himself intimates that the real crazy people in this world are the ones who buy it.

That square black one is so much more interesting than the rectangle one!

Verdict

This documentary is well worth watching for the hidden world of trash pickers it uncovers and the amazing people that populate it.

The Illusionist (2010)

We moved! You can now find us at our own location, MovieBoozer.com | Movies Measured by the Pint! Movies Rated by Beers! We also have a new forum!

By: Henry J. Fromage (2 Beers)

This is the least known of the Animated Feature Oscar nominees, but I’ll give you a sneak peek and let you know that it deserves to be nominated. It is based on an unproduced script by French mime, actor, director, and all-around beloved figure Jacques Tati.

Although sculpture seriously confused him

Apparently the script was too personal for him to film, and there are a few theories why. One was that he wrote it for his youngest daughter, and she’s the one who okayed the director, Slyvain Chomet’s, adaptation. The other is more poignant yet, in which it was a letter to, and the only public acknowledgement of, his estranged eldest daughter, whom he abandoned while she was a child.

Which in some cases… might be merciful?

The story concerns an aging magician who craft is becoming less appreciated by the day. He meets a teenage girl while giving a small performance in Scotland, and she ends up accompanying him to the big city of Edinburgh He develops a father-daughter relationship with her, but eventually finds there are limits to his generosity, no matter how much he enjoys employing it.

A Toast

Tati’s style borrowed a lot from silent films and the singular style they can bring to bear with comedy and melodrama. Chomet preserves the best of this, and the result is funny and sad in a way you don’t usually experience with modern films.

There is nearly no dialogue, and what there is employs a mixture of English, French, and Gaelic, which deemphasizes the words the characters say and forces you to observe their bearing and actions to learn about them. The score is quite good, and helps fill in some of the gaps the dialogue leaves.

A final raise of the glass goes to the animation, all hand-drawn, which is excellent and sometimes even stunning, particularly a fast-paced, 360 degree tour of Edinburgh.

Oh, and the feral rabbit is hilarious

Beer Two

When the clown attempts suicide, you know that this movie won’t be all fun and games. Sometimes the bitter overwhelms the sweet, and towards the end you start to wonder if this love letter to either of his daughters is more of a diatribe calling her a naïve, money-greedy dunce who’ll always need a man to take care of her.

Which has a way of working itself out sometimes.

Verdict

I haven’t seen any of Tati’s work, but I’m looking to rectify this. There are whispers that this didn’t do the script justice, but all I can say is that it looks pretty good to me. I’ll take bittersweet and beautiful every time.