"Hey, Johnny, what are you rebelling against?" "What've you got?" - The Wild One (1953)

From what I’ve gathered, this year’s selection of movies is not that impressive. I’ve had a tradition, since about 2007, to watch as many movies as possible from the Oscar nominees, and I believe this year has been one of the most productive years, in what concerns the topic. I can gladly say I have been able to watch every nominee from the Best Picture category, Best Director and obviously, Best Cinematography.

When I first taught of this article I was going to name it ‘ You Had Me At Hello’, because I wanted to cite a very annoying line to show my love for cinema. Cinema indeed, had me at hello, but I can’t say the same thing about the movies selected this year. It’s funny how, if you try to imagine how many of these movies will stand the test of time, the way I look at it, most of them fail. It feels wrong that some of them already have, since they’ve been released this summer and everyone in show business (at least) seems to have forgotten they exist, even if they are actually great movies, such as ‘The Tree Of Life’ or ‘The Help’.

From my experience, the movie that should win the title for the best picture, is, by all the Academy’s previous criteria, ‘The Help’ – good reviews, wonderful actors, box office hit, moral and social issues. I would whisper ‘Here’s looking at you, kid’ (Casablanca, 1942) to this movie. It was a pleasant surprise, honestly. 

But there are two others on the table: on the one hand, we have ‘Hugo’, which is great, really, but more of a kid’s movie, or more of a two-way ‘Cinema Paradiso’, if you want. I don’t recognize Martin Scorsese, the reckless smuggler, the ‘You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Well, who the hell else are you talkin' to? You talkin' to me? Well, I'm the only one here. Who the f--k do you think you're talkin' to?’ Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, 1976), where are you? I’ve already watched the 3D + catchy story + wonderful cinematography recipes work before (Avatar, 2009) and I really don’t want to see it work again, even if it’s for my beloved Scorsese.

‘I wouldn't worry too much about your heart. You can always put that award where your heart ought to be.’ (All About Eve, 1950) – if this is what makes you happy, then I guess you should have it, place that award next to the one you received for ‘The Departed’, but please know I thought ‘Taxi Driver’ or ‘Goodfellas’ or ‘Raging Bull’ or even ‘Gangs of New York’ would’ve deserved it more that ‘Hugo’. 

‘All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup’ (Sunset Boulevard, 1950). ‘The Artist’ is the first silent movie to be shot, with great success, after the talkies appeared. It’s also a form of reminiscence - a redemption for what the movies nowadays have become. I loved the cinematography, it follows the subject, it gives it meaning, substance and makes it a great silent movie. It should probably win, why the hell not? The public will love the controversy, the special, the never-seen-in-a-long-time or never-seen-before of this movie. This is no more that a filmmaker’s movie that ‘The Tree Of Life’ is. Sorry. 

‘The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.’ (Moulin Rouge, 2001) and so, ‘The Descendants’ is a soft drama, with hints of comedy - language, situations – and a great performance from George Clooney. This movie doesn’t really belong in this category. It’s too small, too tender, it lacks the magnitude of the story and the setting to be treated like one of the three above. I would rather it just got Clooney a well deserved Oscar for Best Actor. It doesn’t need the publicity, it couldn’t handle it. I am afraid it’s going to be crushed – the way I see it is more of an indie movie that an Academy Award winner and I appreciate when thing are in order and everyone knows where they actually belong.

"Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." (A Streetcar Named Desire, 1951). The magnitude of this play doesn’t even compare to this little, again intimate movie, ‘Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close’. I’ve read the book and loved it and I cannot see past that. The movie doesn’t even compare, but it managed to render the same feeling, the characters follow the same patterns as the ones in the book, and even if it doesn’t underline every detail I once adored in the book, it still managed to depict it in a colorful and subtle way. I love the fact that the Hollywood version of the book isn’t dramatic or pathetic, it’s just simple and soft spoken, just like the book itself. The 1^st person  perspective is kept and underlined by sounds and images. I feel like it deserves a place in the Best Cinematography section, the use of lenses and camera movement is really important and brings extra flavor to the story. 

‘Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine.’ (Casablanca, 1942) This is exactly what I feel about the moment in time Woody Allen decided to go back to, it’s the era of the bohemian, almost decadent Paris, where abstract and surreal meet, post dadaism and pre existentialism – but with influences from both. I’ve pondered on the topic of pseudo-intellectualism in connection to this movie, but it’s just an awakening. The character is still a younger version of Woody Allen, with the same angst, he’s still neurotic and wonders about the emptiness of living in the exterior world and wished to keep the interior world alive. Magic realism- hell yes, come right in!

'Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'. (That's goddamn right.)" (The Shawshank Redemption, 1994) – the motto of the movie, of the team, of the players, the main character? The revival of a baseball team. I must admit, I didn’t care about the subject, so I am really going to be subjective on this one. The only thing I actually enjoyed was watching the two male performances – both Brad Pitt and fat kid from ‘Superbad’ Jonah Hill were great. I believe it would be fair if the Oscar for the Best Supporting Actor went to this one.

'Enough of symbolism and these escapist themes of purity and innocence.' – (8½, 1963) What the heck, Steven Spielberg? But on a more awkward note, please don’t win Best Cinematography, just for that weird shot of a sunset at the end of the movie, in which even the skin tones or the grey on their clothes is orange. 

‘Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore.’ (The Wizard of Oz, 1939). Oh no no no, believe me, we’re not. This is the type of movie a lot of people categorize as pretentious, artsy, European maybe. I must say I loved every shot, every piece of musical composition, every detail, every whisper, every look. I loved the omniscient angle, as if an angel was following the characters, the good old-fashioned family life, the evil in their lives, the lingering of lost people, the strict education, the bad deeds, the ignorance, the perverseness, the malice, the redemption, the bliss. It’s an honest picture of life – from birth until death and afterwards. If it isn’t going to win any other prize, I would love it if it would at least win Best Cinematography, because it really deserves it. Although, a little recognition wouldn’t hurt Terrence Malick, for Best Director. 

Jack: [voice over] Brother. Keep us. Guide us. To the end of time. (The Tree Of Life, 2011)

Best Picture	Best Director
The Artist – Thomas Langmann	Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
The Descendants – Jim Burke, Jim Taylor and Alexander Payne	Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Scott Rudin	Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
The Help – Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan	Alexander Payne – The Descendants
Hugo – Graham King and Martin Scorsese	Martin Scorsese – Hugo
Midnight in Paris – Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum
Moneyball – Michael De Luca, Rachel Horowitz, and Brad Pitt
The Tree of Life – Dede Gardner, Sarah Green, Grant Hill and Bill Pohlad
War Horse – Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy
Best Actor	Best Actress
Demián Bichir – A Better Life as Carlos Galindo	Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs as Albert Nobbs
George Clooney – The Descendants as Matt King	Viola Davis – The Help as Aibileen Clark
Jean Dujardin – The Artist as George Valentin	Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as Lisbeth Salander
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as George Smiley	Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady as Margaret Thatcher
Brad Pitt – Moneyball as Billy Beane	Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn as Marilyn Monroe
Best Supporting Actor	Best Supporting Actress
Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn as Laurence Olivier	Bérénice Bejo – The Artist as Peppy Miller
Jonah Hill – Moneyball as Peter Brand	Jessica Chastain – The Help as Celia Foote
Nick Nolte – Warrior as Paddy Conlon	Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids as Megan Price
Christopher Plummer – Beginners as Hal Fields	Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs as Hubert Page
Max von Sydow – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close as The Renter	Octavia Spencer – The Help as Minny Jackson
Best Writing – Original Screenplay	Best Writing – Adapted Screenplay
The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius	The Descendants – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash from The Descendants (novel) by Kaui Hart Hemmings
Bridesmaids – Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo	Hugo – John Logan from The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Margin Call – J.C. Chandor	The Ides of March – George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon from Farragut North by Beau Willimon
Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen	Moneyball – Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin; Story by Stan Chervin from Moneyball by Michael Lewis
A Separation – Asghar Farhadi	Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré
Best Animated Feature	Best Foreign Language Film
A Cat in Paris – Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli	Bullhead (Belgium) in Dutch and French – Michaël R. Roskam
Chico and Rita – Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal	Footnote (Israel) in Hebrew – Joseph Cedar
Kung Fu Panda 2 – Jennifer Yuh Nelson	In Darkness (Poland) in Polish – Agnieszka Holland
Puss in Boots – Chris Miller	Monsieur Lazhar (Canada) in French – Philippe Falardeau
Rango – Gore Verbinski	A Separation (Iran) in Persian – Asghar Farhadi
Best Documentary	Best Film Editing
Hell and Back Again – Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner	The Artist – Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front – Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman	The Descendants – Kevin Tent
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory – Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky	The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo – Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter
Pina – Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel	Hugo – Thelma Schoonmaker
•     Undefeated – TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas	Moneyball – Christopher Tellefsen
Best Art Direction	Best Cinematography
The Artist – Laurence Bennett and Robert Gould	The Artist – Guillaume Schiffman
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 – Stuart Craig and Stephanie McMillan	The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Jeff Cronenweth
Hugo – Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo	Hugo – Robert Richardson
War Horse – Rick Carter and Lee Sandales	The Tree of Life – Emmanuel Lubezki
Midnight in Paris – Anne Seibeland Hélène Dubreuil	War Horse – Janusz Kamiński

                                                                           

                    (*Yellow = Seen)

The One With The Book And The Right To Closure

I knew what to expect when I first started reading this book, a few days ago. I knew about the ultra romantic setting, the premise was simple: a little girl meets a man who came from the future and with every conversation he tells her things about her future – or actually, about their future together. After a few chapters we are in the present – she is 20, he is 28 – and they meet for the first time, more precisely, he meets her for the first time, she first met him when she was 6.

The book doesn’t have the most spectacular development, the most disturbing fact is stated in the beginning, when we find out he time travels. The following is actually a recording of their encounters when she’s a kid, or of their present days, up to his death.

So this is a pretty romantic book, probably really catchy for teenagers (especially because of the language, the perfect love story or the taste in music of the protagonist), but I’m not saying I didn’t like it. It was a pretty easy read, so I devoured it in a few days, reading avidly until I reached the back cover.  

What really puzzled me was the idea that prevails: waiting for someone your entire life. I find it unfair and I feel it has already been suggested in a bunch of books considered classic literature. A modern writer should give into the social pressure and just admit this is never going to happen nowadays. And it almost didn’t happen in the book either. Until it did. I feel that people should be able to get closure (even if it’s a matter of right or wrong, death or relationships). I hate the hook (as Barney, the character of ‘How I Met Your Mother’ names it) and I admit I have been under its influence too and I know how it feels. This is why I find it unfair to also read about it in a book I actually liked up to the last chapter where she’s 82 and waiting for their last date.

It’s like a person that’s brain dead, you’ll always live with an IF locked deep inside your life. It’s like living your life being unhappy, but hoping that someday you will find happiness.

I know artists should reach catharsis through their art – I do exactly the same thing and I can barely call myself an artist – but if you read the acknowledgement, Niffenegger actually claims the waiting has worked for her – NOOO!, just as it worked for Penelope. 

I send this book out there with the closure issue as a warning. I recommend it to girls, mostly, because even the male characters are pretty feminine in actions. Don’t get fooled by the time travel thing, it’s still a romance and should be treated as one.

Call It Quits

ALT + F4 real life until I can get back to Bucharest. Over here, I’m protected by my room and the nice smell of fresh coffee. I’ve always seen this room as my own paradise, where I was always buried in books and movies and surrounded by pictures and music and, why not, love.

So about this, this year I’m diving deep into the Valentine’s Day cliché, because I’ve just realized I’ve never done it. It seems appropriate since I’m single and happy for the first time in my life. I’m making plans. I’m going to spend the entire day in my room, with coffee and tea, ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife’ (I’m going to tell you more about this, don’t worry) and the Oscar nominated movies. Probably some Led Zeppelin and Billie Holiday to mix it up. The heart-shaped box of chocolates is never going to happen, sadly.

I never liked Valentine’s Day [before]. But somehow I’ve never been able to make myself actually believe it. Just like everyone else, I don’t think there should be a special day to share your love. But, since there is, why not do it? Maybe it’s age making me wiser and less of a h8ter, but I actually think people should find reasons to celebrate certain days. My brain just needs to acknowledge the fact that certain days are better than others, or that they are just somehow special to me.

So, I’m celebrating Valentine’s tomorrow. Even if it’s just for the sake of my brain and the fear of Alzheimer. I’ll dedicate this day to love (I’ll just turn it into a guilty hedonism) and to the people who have found love.

Prescilla Etienne and Erwann Chopin, à la votre!