Bittersweet semi-autobiographical swansong for Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away etc.) Somewhat controversial topic looking at the life of Jiro Horikoshi, who designed fighter planes, but in no way does the film glorify war or justify Japan’s actions. If anything, it celebrates creativity, dreams and the design process, and one can’t help but sense that Miyazaki is reminiscing the days of his youth (just as in the more sugary From Up On Poppy Hill (2011)) and mourning the passing of his own (more than) “ten years in the sun”. This year Frozen was the crowd pleasing, money spinning Academy Award winner, but The Wind Rises was the more deserving
Tag Archives: Oscars
The Wind Rises ‘Kaze Tachinu’ (2013, dir. Hayao Miyazaki): bittersweet, semi-autobiographical swansong
American Hustle (2013, dir. David O. Russell): a lot of fun!
David O Russell is in top form, rejoined by his Silver Linings Playbook principals (Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence), plus further “it” actors of the moment Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner (plus more uncredited cameos). The film dramatizes the ABSCAM FBI sting operation of the late 70s/early 80s which nabbed several corrupt politicians including Congressmen, told from the viewpoint of the small-time conman (a nearly unrecognizable Bale) who was hired to be its brains. Though not as crowd-pleasing as Silver Linings (the characters are not as likeable and more one-dimensional, dialog not quite as sharp, and plot not as simple as a rom com), the movie will surely be a contender for top gongs, and thoroughly deserves its 7 Golden Globe noms so far. A lot of fun!
Gravity (2013, dir. Alfonso Cuaron): 90-minute cinematic CGI thrill ride, tailor made for IMAX
See it in IMAX (3D is optional). Very simple movie where the premise is the plot – an accident happens in space and the novice astronaut needs to survive. A 90-minute cinematic CGI thrill ride, alongside Sandra Bullock, who based on her performance will be in the hunt for her 2nd best actress gong.
Oscars 2013: a disappointing showering of love for Affleck’s Argo
Of the acting awards I can support all 4 (Jennifer Lawrence for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, Daniel Day Lewis for LINCOLN, Anne Hathaway for LES MISERABLES and Christoph Waltz for DJANGO UNCHAINED), plus Ang Lee for directing LIFE OF PI – but I was very disappointed with the Academy for showering Ben Affleck with love for ARGO (best picture).
It was a good movie, but simply not as a great as any of the others that were nominated – how about any of those 5 above + ZERO DARK THIRTY, for a start? We’ve seen the Academy dole out gongs ‘retroactively’ for snubs of prior superior work (e.g. Martin Scorcese finally winning for THE DEPARTED), but Ben Affleck’s previous movies don’t qualify there. Or maybe the insular delusion of “Hollywood saves the day” was just too tempting not to vote for (more cynically, maybe they thought that every extra viewer who sees the film because it won, and can be brainwashed as to Hollywood’s social value, is worth compromising the integrity of the award). Either way, badly played Academy voters, badly played.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012, dir. Kathryn Bigelow): complex, politically ambiguous, well executed, fictionalized account of the Bin Laden takedown
“We don’t know what we don’t know”
“What the f*ck does that mean?”
(Take that, Mr Rumsfeld)
Gripping yarn of CIA agent ‘Maya’ and her single-minded 12-year quest to hunt down Bin Laden. However, it will likely forfeit Best Picture at the Oscars due to the controversy around its alleged support for torture, e.g. the film doesn’t show all the false leads generated that wasted the CIA’s time. It does provide fascinating insight into how an intelligence officer operates, though on this count the movie has been criticized by CIA agents for over-egging the indiivdual hunches and contributions of ‘Maya’ (and underplaying teamwork and the reams of boring desk analysis).
Les Miserables (2012, dir. Tom Hooper): Occupy the Oscars!
“Occupy the Oscars!” Tom Hooper’s movie of the British staging of the French musical of the 1862 Hugo novel is a must-see for anyone who appreciates epic stories, contemporary musicals or well-crafted cinema in general. Warning for those who are not already fans of the musical: some effort is required to enjoy this masterpiece, not unlike the attention needed for a screening of Jackson’s LOTR trilogy, but still much less than a classical opera.
Hooper has chosen a straight up-and-down adaptation, with the only risk he’s taken to have the actors sing “in scene” (not lip-synched). In general this works well, but the trade-off is that the soundtrack will not be a perfect concert-hall recording – though combined with the excellent on-screen acting and cinematography, it’s suitably epic and powerful. Anne Hathaway’s Fantine is deserving of a Best Supporting Actress gong on the strength of her show-stopping solo. Hugh Jackman’s Valjean is a solid contender for Best Actor, and newcomer Eddie Redmayne’s Marius impresses. On the other hand, Russell Crowe’s Javert is merely serviceable. And Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter’s comic Thénardiers were unexpectedly understated.
My only (admittedly minor) quibbles are that Hooper could have taken more creative risks. E.g. musically, Samantha Bark’s Eponine numbers might have gone more jazzy/soul, and the requisite new-song-for-the-film ‘Suddenly’ sounds manufactured for a Best Original Song nod by taking inspiration from past syrupy Disney/Pixar winners. On the staging front, they could have changed up on the repeated close-ups of every soloist’s tonsils (yes we get it, they’re not lip-synching), and the entr’acte CGI tracking shots up into the air and down again.
WetWareGames 
12 Years A Slave (2013, dir. Steve McQueen): showing us the closest thing to a living Hell on earth
Addendum: After it’s well-deserved Academy Award for Best Film, and further reflecting on the movie, I’d have to remark that being a non-white in the 19th century American South was the closest thing to a living hell on earth. In every way as horrifying, de-humanizing and fundamentally evil as the Holocaust.
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Posted by Jokersmiley on January 25, 2014 in Film Reviews, Passive Media, Social Commentary
Tags: 12 Years A Slave, Academy Award, Best Film, Brad Pitt, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Oscars, Solomon Northup, Steve McQueen