Oscars 2016: The Results

So now that annual Oscar ritual is over and done with for another year, let's see how many of my predictions turned out more than just a hunch.



Best Film:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Also incorrect. But apparently, the same goes for most other people who figured The Revenant would come out on top. Few guessed correctly that the underdog Spotlight would take home this particular trophy. It seems that in an overly conservative mood, the Academy decided against going with the flow of what's popular (which I generally applaud) and gave the Award to this conservative drama piece. A good film to be sure, but simply not noteworthy by most accounts. Solid drama, some damn fine acting, a topic that still shows social resonation... but hardly a piece of cinematic innovation or exploration that will haunt audiences for years to come. People who complain about Oscar snubs will cry foul at the sight of this one for a few years. I'll get over it a lot sooner.

Best Actor:
First Choice: Correct. This feels like making up to predictability now. Everyone opted for Leo, so Leo won, almost as if by popular demand. The Academy always throws in one or two of these to keep the masses contented. But hey, few will consider his work on The Revenant as unworthy of this praise. Not me at least, as I, too, was part of Team Leo.
  
Best Actress:
First Choice: Incorrect. Don't be such a Blanchett fanboy, guy...

Best Supporting Actor: 
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. Past success again proves to be no guarantee for present results.

Best Supporting Actress:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Incorrect. This was a tough one. To be honest, I'm a bit mad at the Academy for nominating Vikander for the disappointing The Danish Girl rather than the terrific Ex Machina in this category. She did a heck of a job in both films, but I reckon it was harder to pull off for the movie that didn't get the nomination here (what with all the CGI and such). Danish Girl turned out to be a letdown in every way but the acting. Seems that saved the day for Vikander here. It pays to play in more than one film each year.

Best Director:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Incorrect. Also a choice I hold umbrage against. Inarritu already won last year. Miller is 71 years old and has much shots at the gold left. This ought to have been his moment to shine. Whine whine, nag nag... This is another time the Oscars prove life sometimes just isn't fair.

Best Screenplay:
First Choice: Correct. I may not think Spotlight was the year's best film, but I never said it wasn't well written.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
First Choice: Correct.

Best Animated Film:
First Choice: Correct. Well, that one was a no-brainer.

Best Foreign Film:
First Choice: Correct. Also no real competition here. He said not having seen any of these films...

Best Cinematography:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Also incorrect. Dang it, I knew I should have gone with Inarritu after Birdman! What was I thinking...

Best Editing: 
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. Another tough one.

Best Production Design:
First Choice: Correct. I told you, seeing is believing on this one.

Best Costume Design:
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. Man, I really thought those dazzling Disney dresses would do the trick again. Guess the Academy doesn't fall for those anymore...

Best Hair and Make-up:
First Choice: Correct. Obvious.

Best Score:
First Choice: Correct. My ears served me well on this one. It was just too beautiful to be anything else.

Best Song:
First Choice: Correct. Good title for a song, it turned out!

Best Sound Mixing:
First Choice: Correct.

Best Sound Editing: 
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. The times Star Wars dominated the galaxy of sounds have ended. A new order has risen. Oh well, better luck next year, Star Wars!

Best Visual Effects:
First Choice: Correct. Because even the Academy thought Alicia Vikander was a Visual Effect in this one. Apparently, they considered her acting the same, otherwise they would have nominated her for this film. But all's well that ends well.

Best Documentary: 
First Choice: Incorrect.
Second choice: Correct. Indonesian genocide is so 2012, Amy Winehouse is all the rage today. And never again.


Correct: 11
Second choice: 5-4.
Incorrect: 9

Blast, these results are worse than last year... (Correct: 14, Second choice: 5-2, Incorrect: 7, FYI). Plenty of glaring obviousness again this year, but some major surprises and snubs. The Academy never makes things easy for both gamblers and movie insiders. Or people with a blog and too much time on their hands.

Oscars 2016: The Predictions

It's late January, so it's time for another round of predicting who will and won't go home with one (or more) of them little gold statuettes. Based on uncanny prior experience deducting winners, in-depth knowledge of the Academy's politics and personal acquantaince with all its members, I should get a lot of these right. Too bad I have little of the above, I'm just a guy with a gut feeling and an opinion, coupled with above average knowledge of movies and stuff. So there's bound to be a few misses here, but then, the Academy sadly never asks what I think. 


Best Film:
First Choice: I wanna say Mad Max: Fury Road, since that's the film I thought best of all the movies nominated I've seen. Which is less than half of them, admittedly. Gimme a break, the other half hasn't even been released here yet! I plan on seeing the rest ASAP. That being the case, I have a hunch it's gonna be The Revenant.
Second choice: The Big Short. Because Inarritu already won Best Picture only last year, so it wouldn't be fair to the others. Mind you, a lot of black people will remind you fairness is not something the Academy takes into account...

Best Actor:
First Choice: Leonardo DiCaprio. Nominated six times before. So don't you think it's about time as much as 'about time' can get?
Second choice: Michael Fassbender. Even though he didn't look much like Steve Jobs physically, he certainly got the rest right to make for a memorable performance.
 
Best Actress:
First Choice: Cate Blanchett. Because, you know... Cate Blanchett!
Second choice: Brie Larson. For getting stuck in a room and acting her way out.

Best Supporting Actor: 
First Choice: Christian Bale. Another hunch, but I'm not that impressed by this batch of candidates.
Second choice: Mark Rylance. Such a sweet, mild mannered performance. For a spy hellbent on destroying the US of A and the assorted freedom that goes with it. But still we like him.

Best Supporting Actress:
First Choice: Rooney Mara. Because I like to think Cate Blanchett's talent is highly inspirational. Getting intimate with her increases the acting capabilities of others, perhaps? Not to say Mara was no good prior to meeting Cate. Far from it in fact.
Second choice: Rachel McAdams. Because I've seen the other options on the big screen and I can't pick.


Best Director:
First Choice: George Miller. Because I want him to win, not because I think he actually will. Anybody capable of crafting such an insanely fantastic world at his advanced age and getting embraced by audiences and critics alike deserves to win.
Second choice: Adam McKay. A more likely scenario.

Best Screenplay:
First Choice: Spotlight. Seems the least unlikely candidate.
Second choice: Inside Out. It's gonna win Best Animated Feature for sure, but it quite deserves this one as well.

Best Adapted Screenplay:
First Choice: The Big Short. Because it's so highly intelligent and complicated. Oh no, it isn't, that's just what Wall Street wants you to think so nobody asks them the hard questions and they keep getting away with the shit they pull. And that's exactly what this script makes painfully clear.
Second choice: The Martian. A hunch. And because science is fun again.

Best Animated Film:
First Choice: Inside Out. Duh.
Second choice: I wanna say Shaun the Sheep, because I almost cried, but reason makes me say Anomalisa. Because it's unlike most animated features getting this nomination. It's not for kids, for one thing. So that makes it a different thing which deserves a chance to shine. But Inside Out is gonna take its glory, make no mistake.

Best Foreign Film:
First Choice: Son of Saul (Saul Fia). No competition.
Second choice: El Abrazo de la Serpiente. Still, no competition though.

Best Cinematography:
First Choice: This one is really hard. All contenders have very bold, innovative cinematography.  Sicario and Mad Max: Fury Road sure impressed me, but I think it's gonna be The Hateful Eight.
Second choice: Sicario. Because it's kinda the underdog here, and everybody loves an underdog.
EDIT: Fuck that, it's gonna be The Revenant, too!

Best Editing: 
First Choice: Competition is not as strong here. The Revenant.
Second choice: Mad Max: Fury Road.

Best Production Design:
First Choice: Mad Max: Fury Road. If you've seen it, you know full well why. Crazy production design for an insane world.
Second choice: The Martian.

Best Costume Design:
First Choice: Cinderella. Lavish got a new dimension. In 3D.
Second choice: Mad Max: Fury Road. Again, crazy.

Best Hair and Make-up:
First Choice: Mad Max: Fury Road. It's becoming my mantra in the technical department, but I just have strong faith in it.
Second choice: The Revenant. That's that handsome Leonardo DiCaprio fella under all that mud and blood, you know?

Best Score:
First Choice: The Hateful Eight. Same reason as Leo: it's high time after six snubs. Plus, he has been a master at his work for decades and this score was just totally brilliant. More so than the movie itself in fact.
Second choice: Sicario. Because it scared me, which it was supposed to.

Best Song:
First Choice: Spectre. Because the writing's on the wall. I didn't much care for it at first to be honest, but it really grew on me.
Second choice: whatever. Youth.

Best Sound Mixing:
First Choice: Mad Max: Fury Road, same as before.
Second choice: Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Best Sound Editing: 
First Choice: Star Wars: The Force Awakens actually. The soundscape of Star Wars is a universe on its own even now another has taken over, and at least one sound award should acknowledge that fact.
Second choice: Mad Max: Fury Road.

Best Visual Effects:
First Choice: Ex Machina. For being subtle and not drawing attention to itself, but still totally believable. For those who didn't know, Alicia Vikander doesn't actually look like that in real life, that's all VFX.
Second choice: Mad Max: Fury Road. Because of that whole Mad Max thing I got going here, in case you missed it.

Best Documentary: 
First Choice: The Look of Silence. Can't go wrong with Indonesian genocide. Part 2.
Second choice: Amy. Because it appeals to the masses more than Ukrain, Nina Simone or drug cartels.


Februay 28th will tell me how right, or rather, how wrong, I am. What a lovely day!

2015: Het beste en het slechtste in de bioscoop

Het jaar zit er min of meer op, dus is het tijd voor de gebruikelijke lijstjes. Welke films die dit jaar het licht in het donker vormden kan ik iedereen aanbevelen, en welke moet een ieder absoluut zien te vermijden? Hieronder de links naar de lijstjes zoals ik die heb ingediend bij mijn voormalige werkgever, MovieScene.nl, en mijn huidige, FilmTotaal.nl, gevolgd door mijn wat uitgebreidere originele tekst.

MovieScene: Beste Films 2015

MovieScene: Slechtste Films 2015

FilmTotaal Top 10


Top 10 Beste Films


1. Jurassic World

Nou nou, wie had dat aan zien komen voor een JP fanaat als ik... Objectief gezien natuurlijk niet de beste, maar over Jurassic ben ik nooit objectief geweest en iedereen mag het weten. Ondanks die paar tekortkomingen (rennen in hoge hakken en zo) die ik domweg negeer, bleek het een emotioneel weerzien (vier keer, veel te weinig eigenlijk) met een oude vriend die ik veel te lang heb moeten missen (veertien lange, onafzienbare jaren). Een werkend park en hordes dino's is precies wat ik wilde hebben en precies wat ik kreeg. Welcome to Jurassic World! In de negen titels hierna volgt die gewraakte objectiviteit.

2. Mad Max: Fury Road

George Millers krankzinnige comeback naar de gekkigheid die hem eind jaren zeventig op de kaart zette blijkt zowel voor fans van het eerste uur als de nieuwe generatie een volslagen surrealistische en hyperactieve hellevaart. 'Over the top' krijgt een geheel nieuwe invulling en het publiek de beste actiefilm in jaren. 'What a film, what a lovely film!'


3. The Martian

Sir Ridley weet science in space na Nolans bombastische en wetenschappelijk absurde Interstellar weer interessant te krijgen met een zowel intiem als episch drama. Louter topacteurs en Mars zag er nog nooit zo prachtig maar toch zo vervaarlijk uit. Plus de beste Lord of the Rings verwijzing ooit.


4. Ex Machina

Dit fenomenaal gespeelde drama kruipt onder je huid en zet de verhoudingen met je techologische gadgets weer op scherp. Machines zijn zowel verleidelijk als beangstigend in deze intelligente maar constant onheilszwangere Sci-Fi thriller. Oscars voor de hele main cast alstublieft!

5. Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

De hype was zoals verwacht een tikkeltje extreem, maar toch bleek TFA een geslaagde nieuwe Star Wars film die ons de teleurstellende prequels deed vergeten. Hoewel het verhaal bij vlagen een herbewerking van ouder materiaal leek, wist zowel de oude als de nieuwe cast te overtuigen. Het geheel werd met zoveel liefde door overduidelijke medefans geleverd dat het onmogelijk was er niet in mee te gaan. Toch zal ik meneer Abrams de begane misstappen bij die andere space opera franchise, Star Trek, niet vergeven.


6. Inside Out

Wie dacht dat Pixar tussen alle sequels door geen tijd meer had voor innovatieve ideeën bleek zich schromelijk te vergissen. De geest van Pixar leeft als nooit tevoren in deze Pixarfilm over de geest. Wederom een tranentrekker voor het hele gezin van de bovenste plank.


7. Sicario

In de 'war on drugs' is het recht de grootste verliezer, stelt pessimist Denis Villeneuve. Dankzij dit zenuwslopende drama moeten we hem gelijk geven. Intense spanning, fantastische acteurs en een luguber einde dat nog een tijdje na blijft galmen, alles wat we gewend zijn van onze favoriete Canadese zwartkijker.


8. Ant-Man

Na de teleurstelling van Avengers: Age of Ultron waren we wel toe aan iets heel anders, iets kleiners. We kregen het letterlijk in deze superheldenkomedie met een hart van goud. Ondanks het opstappen van Edgar Wright blijft zijn stempel qua komische opzet en energieke montage goddank herkenbaar behouden.

9. Er Ist Wieder Da

Lachen om Hitler, mag dat? Ja hoor, maar de boodschap dat de komst van een nieuwe Führer met even onfrisse opvattingen als de oude dichterbij is dan we wellicht zouden denken, gaat niet aan de kijker voorbij. Hilarisch maar confronterend tegelijk.


10. The Walk

Robert Zemeckis' ode aan doorzettende durfals kent een simpel plotje maar wordt met bijzonder veel vaart en enthousiasme verteld. Maar het is de techniek die deze bioscoopervaring compleet maakt. De derde dimensie wordt zelden met zoveel effect geleverd. Mensen met hoogtevrees kunnen wellicht beter thuis blijven. Jammer genoeg zal deze film in de thuisbios lang zo'n indruk niet maken.


Troep zat er helaas ook genoeg tussen dit jaar...

Top 5 Slechtste Films


1: Vacation

Wat vroeger werkte, werkt nu vast ook wel, dachten de Hollywoodbonzen. Dus gaan we weer met de Griswalds op vakantie in de wetenschap dat alles fout zal gaan. Inclusief de grappen, want de humor is wel heel erg onleuk. Hoeveel lichaamssapgrappen kunnen er doodslaan in één klucht? En waarom moet alles sowieso terugvoeren op fysieke en seksuele onzekerheden in deze zeperd? Als alleen de auto nog een beetje op de lachspieren werkt, weet je dat het goed fout is gegaan.

2: Fantastic Four

Au... De slechtste Marvelbewerking tot nu toe. Wat ging er mis? Zo te zien alles, want werkelijk niks deugt aan dit fantastische viertal. Wie dacht dat de FF in 2005 al op hun bek gingen: het kan dus nog flink veel erger. Schrap dat vervolg a.u.b.!


3: The Green Inferno

Eli Roths kannibalenfilm met wel heel weinig kannibalisme, die veel te lang de tijd neemt om de irritante hoofdpersonen richting de kookpot te sturen waar we ze het liefste zien. Daar is een woord voor: saai.


4: Knock Knock

Eli Roth (alweer) imiteert Funny Games maar dan met twee wulpse maar vervelende jongedames. Dat pakt opvallend preuts uit en wordt nooit eng of confronterend. Wel slaapverwekkend.


5: Fifty Shades of Grey

Ik besef me dat ik de doelgroep niet ben, maar ik krijg het niet warm van al dit kitscherige gedweep met zweepjes. Wat mij betreft de saaiste seksscènes van 2015 in de minst opwindende erotische thriller. 


2015 werd van tevoren al geacht een jubeljaar voor de industrie te zijn met het aangekondigde overweldigende filmaanbod. Hoewel de kassa's naar verwacht behoorlijk vaak en hard rinkelden (geloof me, ik heb het gevoeld!), viel het inhoudelijk beschouwd toch een tikkeltje tegen. De hype overheerste, maar werd meestal niet echt waargemaakt. Blockbusters die alles mee leken te hebben vielen tegen (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Spectre), voor elke heropgezochte klassieke reeks die onze gunst verwierf (Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Mad Max) viel er een andere vies tegen (Terminator, Vacation, Fantastic Four) en het aantal verrassingen vanuit het onafhankelijke/arthousecircuit was ook niet overdadig hoog. Wat dat laatste betreft moet ik eigenlijk mijn mond houden, want als deze lijstjes iets duidelijk maken is het dat ik het dit jaar veel te mainstream heb gehouden en te weinig aandacht heb geschonken aan de rest. Uiteraard heb ik er in mijn taak als recensent wel een aantal mee kunnen pikken, maar tijdgebrek heeft mij desondanks genoopt er te veel links te laten liggen. Daarin ligt dan gelijk een goed voornemen voor 2016... Minder hype, meer de grenzen opzoeken.

Today's News: spin-off, remake and sequel trailers galore

Catching up on the news of the past week(s), here's a bunch of trailers for y'all.

Teaser Bondfilm Spectre online

Lots'o tease indeed. No big action showing Bond what he does best (bedding ladies, recklessly driving vehicles and violently offing baddies), just setting the tone and atmosphere and providing hints at the bigger plot without offering explicit explanations as to the how and why. If this teaser was a summary of the final product (unlikely, but you never know), you'd definitely know Sam Mendes returned to the director's chair, after the equally introvert and slower paced (but all the same very good) Skyfall. Nevertheless, the sense of an upcoming big confrontation is felt throughout this preview. British Intelligence up against a criminal rival of equal strength and proportions led by the always infectiously nefarious Christoph Waltz, there's gotta be blood. More major characters up for the block then? I doubt that, as most of them have just been introduced in the previous installment. There's definitely a side character or two eligible for being sacrificed for some emotional conflict. Or maybe Mendes will surprise us all again and kill off Bond himself. So the studio can move on with Idris Elba in Daniel Craig's place, seeing as those perpetual rumours circling the web just won't die. After all, dead or not, James Bond always returns, in whatever guise.

Nieuwe trailer Mad Max: Fury Road

The same can be said for Max Rockatansky. Though he definitely returns less often than 007, as he's now at four films in 36 years as opposed to 24 in 52 years. But in many ways, this franchise is very similar to the James Bond movies. You've got a tenacious, lethal and handsome protagonist that doesn't necessarily have to be played by one single actor, stuck in a world full of ever ongoing violent political intrigue (just over cruder resources, like water and fuel) providing explosive action with gun fights and car chases and what have you. And he, too, occasionally gets laid (just not nearly as frequently). The new trailer again makes Fury Road appear like an epic film, though finally a bit more plot is added to the many fabulous shots of chase and fight scenes in beautiful desert vistas. That plot does bear a bit of a resemblance to The Road Warrior, it's hard to deny. But that was kinda to be expected. After all, reintroducing the character and his environment with a new main star after 25 years does lean towards the makings of a reboot. So story wise, I don't expect too many surprises on a narrative level. But hey, it beats a fullblown remake. At least enough variation is offered to make the movie feel fresh and new enough for the fans as well. I just hope the same can be said for the two sequels Mr. Hardy already signed up for. I've already seen him do the Thunderdome thing - you know the drill; two men enter, one man leaves - with Batman, after all.

Nieuwe trailer Poltergeist

This appears less fresh and new. But this of course is a total remake. Of a fairly classic genre film that has since spawned its fair share of inspirations, sequels and rip-offs. Which begs the question what this new Poltergeist movie has to often, other than its recognizable franchise name which the studio no doubt hopes will be enough to convince audiences to pay for it in theatres. Going by this trailer, I'll skip this remake. I just don't see anything worth my while that I haven't seen before. The plot of a family being haunted by ghosts up to no good has scared itself to death at this point. There have been good variations on the theme (The Conjuring springs to mind as the most recent example), but a much larger number of shitty versions plagues the horror genre. I'm surprised to see good actors like Sam Rockwell and Jared Harris jumping on board of this remake though. Were they in need of money, did they have time on their hands, or is there just more to this remake than meets the eye? I don't know, and I'm not likely to find out upon this film's release. I don't usually dabble in horror remakes, I find the whole concept just too scary.

Titel tweede Walking Dead serie onthuld

Eerste teaser Fear the Walking Dead

Here's another scary thing, a second Walking Dead series. First and foremost, it must be said that I love the currently running show. It's utterly compelling television exploring the human condition under the toughest of circumstances, rife with all manner of grizzly ghouls out for human flesh and exciting action scenes to match. But what is the need for a second show? I can only imagine it offering more of the same concept. The only thing that makes it stand out against the original show is the time frame, which explores the infection from the get-go. And I'm not sure whether I'm too keen on the revelation of that mystery, as it proved simply irrelevant in the current series. We really don't need to know why the world has gone to hell, as The Walking Dead is all about showing how people react to that fact of life (or better, death). As far as I'm concerned, the cause of the infection can remain a mystery indefinitely, we're simply not encouraged to want to know, plus its revelation wouldn't add to the story, more likely just take away from it. Fans can come up with all manner of funky theories as to the how and why of the situation, but when it has aired on theories, that's that over with. Other than that, Fear the Walking Dead (I do kinda like that title) is likely to follow an all too similar scenario of plot lines as its concurrent show features. Which means it will be fun and thrilling to watch at best, just not nearly as inspired or innovative. But maybe I'm just entirely wrong and the show proves as catchy and exciting as its predecessor. After all, AMC pulled the same stunt with Breaking Bad, and I hear Better Call Saul turned out to withstand most initial skepticism. Here's to hoping...