And the Oscar Won't Go to ... (Michelle's picks)

We spent the last week looking back on the biggest Oscar snubs in recent history. Now, in honour of tonight's big broadcast, we bring you what we think were the most notable non-nominations of the year.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:

• Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
• Jonah Hill, Moneyball
• Nick Nolte, Warrior
• Christopher Plummer, Beginners
• Max Von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

WHY HE DIDN'T GET NOMINATED: It's a movie in which apes ravage humankind in eventual escalation (possibly the previously released Wahlberg-starring sequel) to world dominance. It's not Oscar material, despite the ongoing campaign to get Andy Serkis the nom.

WHY HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Serkis makes ape Caesar more human than the humans in this film, even behind CGI. He creates a character you both sympathize with, wishing you could hold his hand at times and tell him it'll be OK, but who you also fear will lash out with unrestrained power. It's one of the most deeply emotional and moving performances of the year that the Academy failed to realize.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Drive, Newton Thomas Sigel

THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:

• The Artist, Guillaume Schiffman
• The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Jeff Cronenweth
• Hugo, Robert Richardson
• The Tree of Life, Emmanuel Lubezki
• War Horse, Janusz Kamiński

WHY IT DIDN'T GET NOMINATED: As Emily mentioned when she chose it for Best Pic, it's far too gritty and daring of a film to garner a nom.

WHY IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN: The hues, lighting and composition in this movie are beyond gorgeous. If you ask me, I'd compare it to fine art. Choices are bold and risky, and they more than pay off. What the Academy literally did not see, I really can't say.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Elle Fanning, Super 8

THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:

• Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
• Jessica Chastain, The Help
• Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
• Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
• Octavia Spencer, The Help

WHY SHE DIDN'T GET NOMINATED: Like Rise of the Planet of the Apes, sci-fi isn't a friend of the Academy unless it's got a political message (like District 9), though even then it's rare. Plus, kids don't get nominated as often as they should.

WHY SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN: Elle Fanning frequently stole scenes away in Super 8, amid an also amazing ensemble of kids. She was completely her age (which you can't always say for her famous sister) though created so much heartfelt depth to her character. Even when her character was acting in a movie within the movie, she was perfectly convincing.

BEST ACTOR: Ryan Gosling, anything (Ides of March, Drive and Crazy, Stupid Love)

THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:

• Demián Bichir, A Better Life
• George Clooney, The Descendants
• Jean Dujardin, The Artist
• Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• Brad Pitt, Moneyball

WHY HE DIDN'T GET NOMINATED: It's beyond me. Seriously.

WHY HE SHOULD HAVE: To me, this was the ultimate snub this year. In three stellar performances, Ryan Gosling proved he was more than young hearthrob and would be competent, award-winning actor for years to come, delivering expertly in comedy, drama and action. It was a dream year of a career which would only fittingly have been tied up with an Oscar nom (or even SAG).

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Sandra Bullock, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

THE ACTUAL NOMINEES:

• Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
• Jessica Chastain, The Help
• Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
• Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
• Octavia Spencer, The Help

WHY SHE DIDN'T GET NOMINATED: This is another one that's beyond reason, as was her win two years ago for Best Actress in The Blind Side. What the Academy saw then, I will never understand.

WHY SHE SHOULD HAVE: I was completely surprised by her performance in this film. After (overrated) The Blind Side performance and win, I wasn't expecting much but I was entirely blown away by her understated heart-wrenching performance of a woman who'd just lost her husband and was losing touch with her son. It was absolutely unforgettably touching.

Michelle's Top 10 of 2011, Part 2

5) Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I didn't really want to see this movie. When I first saw the trailer, I found no appeal in apes dominating the world, lashing out against cruel humanity, especially considering it was the prequel to a seemingly cheesy movie about more talking, plotting apes. But there seemed something more deeply sinister and compelling to the story. And there was. Through chimp Caesar, it begs to remind us that apes are people too (you know what I mean). Though it wouldn't have been possible without Andy Serkis behind the CGI, making us feel for Caesar, making him one of us. And yes, by the end, you'll be rooting for them as they wreck havok on our very own.


4) X-Men: First Class

Superhero movies are very formulaic. Act one: A superhero is born. Act two: Evil is born. Act three: Superhero fails against evil. Act four: Superhero strengthens and defeats evil. Right? But this one is different. It's the X-Men flick that goes against the entire series, contradicting story lines and re-defining characters. And thankfully so. What makes this superhero movie stand out against all others is threefold: the story, the acting and the just plain awesomeness. The story is complex, it's about how evil is rooted and the story of how friends with a common enemy became enemies themselves. The acting is amazing. It's almost a toss-up between frenemies James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, but Fassbender takes it, convincing you that there is some righteousness behind his evil. And then it's just awesome: Watching the mutants harness their powers, picking out familiar faces during the recruitment, then duking it out with the big guns. It puts the rest of the series to shame.


3) Insidious

Yeah, I know judging from the photo above, this movie doesn't look very scary. But that's because I was too scared to search for a different one. Seriously. I can't say much without spoiling it but after a couple moves into a new house, strange, chilling, supernatural things start happening. I saw this movie in theatres and came home running it over and over in my head, afraid to turn the lights off, afraid to go to bed, afraid of the dark and eerie shadows. It went on for days. And when the fear finally went away, it came out on DVD and I watched it again. And it began again. This is exactly why I watch horror movies, the fun in fear, which I rarely get. But I can guarantee you watching this one again will bring nightmares back.


2) Super 8

This was one of the most anticipated movies of the year for me, so it also came with the greatest fear of disappointment. But surpassed my expectations. The J. J. Abrams-directed, Steven Spielberg-produced sci-fi seemed like a darker E.T. And it kind of was. Though what made this movie for me was the kid-cast. Led by Joel Courtney and Elle Fanning, the crew of kids witnessed an awesomely CGI-ed train wreck as it unravelled into mystery and pulled them along with it. These young actors gave some of the most convincing performances I've seen all year, or even ever. Alongside, they've also got a subplot where they're shooting a zombie movie with Joe's (Courtney) Dad's camera, homemade firecrackers and all that good stuff. And then it's screened it during the credits. And let me tell you, it's just as awesome as the movie itself.

1) Midnight in Paris

This movie is sci-fi and fantasy disguised as drama. It's a fairy tale for grown ups, really. Not to mention, it's the funniest movie I've seen all year. Of course everyone is nostalgic about some period in history, some place in the world, some famous faces of the past. And a movie that explores one person's daydream of that is more than charming. But to a girl who loves Paris and literature, this movie becomes nearly her own daydream. Plus, it's hilarious in the most surprising places. "Have you ever shot a charging lion?" Ernest Hemingway (Corey Stoll) asks Gil (Owen Wilson). WHAT?! And Salvador Dalí (Adrien Brody) on about rhinoceroses, and Gertrude Stein's (Kathy Bates) writing advice! So good.

Honourable mentions: Scream 4, Moneyball

Emily's Top 10 of 2011, Part 2

5) Midnight in Paris

I haven't officially told the other Filles this (for fear of being disowned for eternity and then some), but I have never been a Woody Allen fan. However, Midnight in Paris made me think it was time to give the old guy -- or at least his non-starring films -- another chance. I was completely entranced throughout his latest, City of Love-set film, which takes Owen Wilson's Gil from present day to his dream era (the 1920s) with the strike of a magical time-turning clock. It sounds goofy, but it's quite the opposite, thriving on the dreamy quality of its backdrop and the pleasantly unexplained appearances by historical figures like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald and Salvador Dali. Molly Ringwald once suggested that it was possible to "OD on nostalgia." If that's true, I think I nearly did watching this, and I'd gladly do it again.

4) Scream 4

This long-awaited (at least in this permanent Woodsboro resident's horror comedy-heavy record books) sequel and possible final chapter in Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven's killer, genre-slashing series, cut me real deep. Sure, the actual opening (if you don't plan on seeing the movie, it's one of those movie-within-a-movie sequences that you either get or want to gut) could have been bloodier, but the parts leading up to it (particularly the Anna Paquin/Kristen Bell scene) were actually ingenious, and it almost made the beautifully brutal ending an even bigger surprise. In my review of the film (which brought Neve Campell's Sidney Prescott back to the home of the first film's events, where a new Ghostfaced slasher was on the loose), I said it might just be my new favourite scary movie. I'm going to retract that because, to be honest, it's not really scary. But it most definitely is one of my favourite new movies. And I'm too much of a fangirl to be ashamed to admit it.

3) The Muppets

I didn't get a chance to review this Jason Segel-penned Muppet masterpiece, but had I found the time, I would have given it one of this year's only solid As. To quote the puppet pals' theme song (and borrow from many heartfelt fan reviews), this smile-a-second musical tribute to Kermit, Miss Piggy and co. was truly the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational and Muppetsational movie of the year. For lifelong fans, like the gigantic presence that is Segel (who originally revealed his fandom--and freakly bod--in Forgetting Sarah Marshall), The Muppets was a fitting return to flat-out punny form after the flop that was Muppets in Space. For those who did not grow up with the furry friends, it was the perfect, meta first meeting (the plot was about the Muppets trying to save their Studio and careers from disappearing). I'm not sure that life really is (as the first song of the film states), a "Happy Song." But when I left the theatre, I certainly felt like it.

2) Super 8

As a toddler, I had two favourite movies: Beetlejuice and E.T. (Yes, I had awesome parents.) Although I definitely fancied myself a mini Lydia Deets, my heart truly belonged to Steven Spielberg's out of this world cinematic creation. I loved it so much that I wore out the VHS tape my mom made of it. Twice. Watching Super 8, an '80s, suburban-set sci-fi produced by Spielberg and directed by J.J. Abrams, I felt like I was phoning home yet again. Like E.T., it gave its intergalactic sidestory just as much screentime as it did its tweenage stars (including Oscar nominee-in-training, Elle Fanning), whose characters were just trying to make a monster movie before a mysterious train crash-landed on their town. Apparently big budget, modern sci-fi films with heart aren't as a alien as I thought they were.

1) Drive

2011 was the year of the Gos'. The actor, who was once only known for his brief stint in the Mickey Mouse Club and a semester or two aboard Breaker High, busted out of his carefully carved, critically-acclaimed indie boy shell (see: Lars and the Real Girl, Half Nelson) and tried his hand at some mainstream stuff (Crazy, Stupid, Love and George Clooney's The Ides of March). But the role that really stopped traffic was his fearless take on the nameless stuntman in Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive. From the opening credits (with their wicked Pretty in Pink font) to the extremely grim ending, that film is just like the Gosling every blog has fallen head over feet for -- a beautiful contradiction in terms, purposefully never quite choosing whether it wants to be a straight-up new wave romance or a gritty, Tarantino-without-the-talk mob drama. This off-the-wall, darkly comedic tone made it hard to predict, which is way more than you can say for most action films of recent history. But as you found out fairly quickly, as soon as Gosling's inner gears started cranking and his baby blues opened real wide (either looking at his wannabe lover Carey Mulligan, or his next victim), you were in for one of the wildest joy rides of your life. Or at least your year.

Honorable mentions: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, Young Adult, Martha Marcy May Marlene

Home Theatre Tuesday (Nov. 22, 2011)

Each week, we bring you a quick run-down of what's out on DVD so you don't miss the hits and you can skip the misses.

Must buy: Super 8

Super 8 may kick off with a train wreck of epic (and possibly extraterrestrial) proportions, but J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi adventure film is anything but that. It blazes pre-established trails smoothly and near-effortlessly and moves at a pleasant pace. It’s fast enough to make it worth your while, but slow enough to give you a chance to take in the oft-missed scenery – which in this nostalgia-heavy case, is made up of the love lives, pet projects and various monstrosities (!) facing a group of tween cinephiles in 1970s Ohio.

Read the rest of Emily's review.

Also out: Conan the Barbarian

While some critics praised the visuals and cinematography of this 80s fantasy remake, most others docked it for it's poor dialogue and (lack of) story. Selling itself almost solely on an epic war battle, though falling to obvious criticism, it sounds like Immortals, if you ask us. 

Super 8

 

 Photo: Paramount Pictures
 (8 is more than enough.)

Starring Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler. Directed by J.J. Abrams. 112 minutes. PG

Super 8 may kick off with a train wreck of epic (and possibly extraterrestrial) proportions, but J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi adventure film is anything but that. It blazes pre-established trails smoothly and near-effortlessly and moves at a pleasant pace. It’s fast enough to make it worth your while, but slow enough to give you a chance to take in the oft-missed scenery – which in this nostalgia-heavy case, is made up of the love lives, pet projects and various monstrosities (!) facing a group of tween cinephiles in 1970s Ohio.

Abrams pulled off an unimaginable feat while advertising Super 8, keeping the previews completely spoiler-free. In various interviews, the Lost creator, Star Trek director and Cloverfield producer has said that it was an attempt to recapture the magic of movies from his youth: the element of shared, in-theatre surprise. While he most definitely achieves that, he provides professional popcorn munchers with an even more pleasant punch line. He presents a film that completely ignores the last twenty or so years of high-budget, low-plot summer blockbusters, and picks up where Jaws, Back to the Future and Jurassic Park left off, using an out-of-this-world occurrence (and the spectacular special effects that come along with it) as the back-drop for down-to-earth dilemmas -- instead of the other way around. 

 

While the setting, soundtrack (Best “My Sharona” sing-a-long since Reality Bites!) and oddly in-style costumes (High-waisted flares and pastels!) harken back to many a terrific late 1970s, early 1980s drive-in flick (i.e. Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goonies), Super 8 would be best subtitled as E.T. meets Freaks and Geeks. That is, if the geeks bowed down to George A. Romero as opposed to Steve Martin. And the freaks were played by AJ Michalka (yes, the half of Aly and AJ) and David Gallagher (yes, the blonde boy from 7^th Heaven). 

The movie’s title refers to the type of film a group of young horror/fantasy movie nerds and budding filmmakers (Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Gabriel Basso) are using to record scenes for their short zombie movie. Since they are trying to get the freaky little flick into a festival, they have decided to spend their summer shooting, scripting, scouting locations and talking about it obsessively. Although not technically the leader at the film’s outset, the group’s Sam Weir is Joe Lamb (brand newcomer Courtney, who is Emile Hirsch’s doppelgänger in looks and Henry Thomas' in acting), a talented little monster make-up artist and model builder with who just lost his mom (in an unexplained accident) and as a result, is slowly losing his deputy dad (Kyle Chandler, TV’s Friday Night Lights). 

Things are going well for Joe and co. until the film’s director, Charles (Griffiths, a camera-wielding Chunk) realizes they’re missing something major: character development. It’s why people “care about what happens,” he says. So they enlist an older girl, Alice (Elle Fanning, who is giving her sister a run for her hard-earned money in the sincerity department), to play their leading man’s wife and a possible victim. But their plan gets slightly derailed when, well, that train I mentioned earlier crash lands all over their set, and sends strangely small white boxes and their creepy AP science teacher flying. 

At this point Abrams could have gone all-out B-movie, focusing directly on the Monster Squad-style pursuit of what will become a car engine-stealing, dog-thwarting force. But he takes a note from Charles – and his co-producer, Steven Spielberg, who injected feeling into mainstream sci-fi and fantasy films many times over throughout his impressive career. Sure, there are some crafty creature creep-outs (one scene literally seemed like a tribute to the bus attack in Jeepers Creepers 2), but Super 8 really soars when it zooms in on the human relationships which come out of them.  One of the best scenes is when the kids are all sitting at a diner, stealing each other’s fries and shooting the middle school shit. And don't get me started on the moment when Alice and Joe finally get some zombie face-time.

The emotion-heavy script is a bold choice on Abrams' part, leaving some questions unanswered and leads undeveloped as far as the big mystery goes, but it makes for a much more moving movie-going experience. You could argue that the film relies too heavily on this retro formula and tired kiddie adventure tropes, and doesn’t break any new ground as a result. However, in this day and age, it's quite the opposite. This generation needs to see that while decepticons and 3D dragons may look cool, without a great story and character to back them up, there's little to actually care about. Super 8 shows us that alien activity, in terms of blockbuster film content and tone, is not something to be afraid of, but fearlessly explored.  A-

Stay Classy: E.T.:The Extra-Terrestrial

Maybe you’ve never heard of it. Maybe you’ve always wanted to see it. Or maybe you’re just tired of the new. Whatever your reason, the classics are always worth a nod. In Stay Classy, we look some of the films that started it all and how they hold up today. So sit back while we reel through the past.

Photo: Universal Pictures

(I love you, space man.)

E.T.: THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
Year released: 1982

How it fared back then: The Steven Spielberg-directed masterpiece, which follows a young boy and his family after he befriends a loving but lost little alien, got off to a pretty slow start with audiences. It only garnered a standing ovation at the world's most fickle and famous film fest, Cannes, got nominated for nine Oscars and became the highest grossing movie ever (a title it held until Jurassic Park came out).

Why it's lasted: The effects still impress, perhaps even more so in the age of awful CGI. The acting, mainly done by child actors (including a very young, very adorable Drew Barrymore) is remarkable. The score still haunts. And the story? It couldn't be more timeless. I mean, when you look past all the spaceships and scary government men in astronaut suits, it's really just a tale of star-crossed (literally) bromance. You can't help but feel right at home with the little wrinkly guy and his earthly BFF, Elliot (Henry Thomas). I mean, I remember hearing about this girl who would rewatch it so much as toddler, she broke the tape! She had an E.T. t-shirt too, which her mom had to wash after she'd gone to bed so she could wear it again the next day. For that fair-haired mini cinefille and millions of others, E.T. will always be right here. (Imagine I just pointed to my heart.)

Classic moment: THE WHOLE MOVIE. Seriously, though. It's perfect in so many ways. It's funny (E.T. hiding out in the closet, "Penis breath!"), scary (what's inside the shed!?), touching (damn you, John Williams!), original and despite the alien activity, remarkably real (did you know Spielberg shot most of this from a child's level, just to get in the same head space as E.T. and Elliot!? And that the kids' reactions during the finale weren't faked?!) There are so many moments to love—and rewatch to excess. But if I had to pick just one that is guaranteed to make your heart light up in the dark (and not spoil the magic for those who haven't seen it), it would have to be the flying bike scene, in which a basket-bound E.T. plays Peter Pan to Elliot and co.'s Wendys in an effort to escape. It's a dream come true for the child inside of all of us. Not to mention an indelible image, inspiring countless tributes and even a logo.

Does it still hold up? Does E.T. love Reese's Pieces? I mean, really. There's a reason this has been re-released multiple times. And that Universal still has a ride dedicated to it at both it's Florida and California parks (The Back to the Future ones ironically, only exist in the past). And that Neil Diamond wrote the song, "Heartlight" (I'm not joking). If you need more proof look at Katy Perry and J.J. Abrams. The girl who kissed a girl , has dedicated a whole, very S&M-y song to the intergalactic superstar. Or at least the inappropriate imagery his name can conjure up. And Mr. Abrams is releasing a movie that looks like a full-length homage to the film (but with mysteriously hostile, non-dress wearing aliens): Super 8. And guess who's on board with it? Mr. Spielberg, himself! I don't know about you, but this now fully-grown, t-shirt-loving girl's level of excitement for that movie is out of this world.