I Watched All the Nominees for Best Documentary

Best Documentary Feature is one of those categories that gets stuffed into the middle of the show on Oscar night, just before a commercial break. It is unfortunate, as "documentary" might be my favorite genre of film. This year features some excellent nominees, however, and I took it upon myself to watch them all. 

The Act of Killing

Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen

What happens when someone is responsible for the deaths of a thousand people, but is never held accountable? That is the focus of this powerful documentary by Joshua Oppenheimer. More than 40 years ago, two men were among the many who carried out mass killings in Indonesia, and who are today revered by the paramilitary groups the rule the nation. 

Under the guise of having these two men reenact their killings in the style of a Hollywood movie, Oppenheimer manages to capture two sides of these killers. A side that is proud of their role in their nation's history, and can even laugh about their actions. And a side tortured by the guilt of having killed hundreds of people. 

Despite this incredible subject, the documentary falls short is a few respects. It pays too little attention to the history, and leaves the audience to their own devices to learn about the background. It also spends a lot of time on irrelevant scenes constructed by the men to be part of their "Hollywood movie" about the killings. In the end it feels like a hipster documentary about crimes against humanity. It sacrifices gravitas for misplaced tone of melancholy. Rating:

Cutie and the Boxer

Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher

This is a documentary about "famed" painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife Noriko Shinohara. I put "famed" in quotes because I had never heard of this person before, and by the look of their apartment, I don't think he is particularly successful. That isn't meant to be a knock on their apartment though. Seeing these two artists, who struggle with poverty, devote themselves to their craft is one of the most interesting parts of this documentary. However, there is not much else there.

The other part of this documentary that might make it worth seeing is story inside Noriko's art. It tells the story of her marriage with Ushio, and is filled with misgivings about his alcoholism and lack of attention paid to her. Yet after 40 years of marriage, it still seems that they in love. Cute, right? Ugh. No, it isn't. Ushio is not a good guy, and his most "famous" works of art fit well into the category of "a five-year old can do that." I'm really not sure what the Academy saw in this other than some good editing. Rating: 

Dirty Wars

Rick Rowley and Jeremy Scahill

There is no doubt that Jeremy Scahill has an agenda. This documentary explores the consequences of the war in Afghanistan, both for the Afghan people and for American foreign policy. The use of drones and the operations of the formerly secret JSOC have cost many innocent people their lives, though Scahill takes it a bit further and questions the guilt of the intended targets as well.

After seeing this documentary, there is no doubt that in some instances, the U.S. got it wrong. But in others presented, the documentary longed for someone making the counter-argument. A significant portion is spent on Anwar al-Awlaki, the American citizen targeted and killed by a U.S. drone strike in 2011. There was a lot about al-Awlaki I didn't know, but the way Scahill presents it is too open and shut. Not that he argues for his innocence, but that he argues against the killing of American citizens.

Nevertheless, this documentary was an incredible piece of investigative journalism. You cannot help while watching to think about how much Scahill has given up to pursue these unbelievable stories that would otherwise never be told. Not only does he take us to the Afghan families who have lost loved ones, he also takes us through a sea of Pentagon press releases outlining some alarming shifts in American foreign policy. It is well worth your time. Rating: 

The Square

Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer

A revolution happens before you eyes in this documentary about the protests in Egypt's Tahrir Square. Jehane Noujaim manages to cut through all of the media hype and tell the story of young people's efforts to bring an end to a brutal regime.

Like most Americans, I read about these protests casually, without passing too much judgement about them. I heard grumblings about something called the Muslim Brotherhood, and was unsure what to think when the military removed Mohamed Morsi from power last year. This documentary shined a bright light on those events, and brought them into focus, clarifying the religious and political tensions among these revolutionaries.

What is incredible about this documentary is how well it shows a small group of people seemingly pushing against the ocean, effecting change, and being disappointed in the aftermath. What is inspirational, is that these people refuse to give up. Every set back, every brutal attack, only seems to harden their resolve and increase their numbers. But the documentary does not try and render judgement. It leaves us worried and wondering about the future of  the 15th most populous nation on the planet. Needless to say, I will be following those events more closely now. Rating: 

20 Feet from Stardom

Morgan Neville

I love a documentary that makes me aware of something I already knew about. I already knew about rock and roll. But I wasn't aware that a surprisingly small group of back-up singers were responsible for so much of it. 20 Feet from Stardom manages to tell their story with charm and style.

What is most impressive is that Morgan Neville managed to avoid making this some sort of sob story. It could have easily devolved into a tale of an unfair studio system, but it didn't at all. It showed both the gratitude and the disappointment of some of these singers who longed for careers of their own, but are nevertheless proud and pleased with the work they've done. Rating: 


There were a couple of documentaries that got snubbed this year. I would have liked to see Blackfish and We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks nominated in place of Cutie and the Boxer and 20 Feet from Stardom, but it is the way it is. If it were up to me, I would give the prize to The Square. It was an incredibly intimate portrait of a modern political revolution, and highlighted the complexities of a country few Americans know anything about past 30 BC or so. However, I think The Act of Killing is headed for a win. It has one of the most powerful scenes in any documentary ever, and despite its flaws, it manages to evoke a wide range of emotions from viewers. In other words, it is documentary Oscar bait. 

The Favorites and Supposed Best and Worst of 2013 Movies: As told by a totally NOT pretentious film school graduate...

I hope you all had fun watching movies in 2013, cause I had so much fun that this list of 20 (plus a few honorable mentions) was a tough call out of the 78 movies I saw last year. I loved all the movies in my top 20 for different reasons and hope you get around to watching a few. For your reading pleasure I couldn't help but make a worst list as well.

1. Inside Llewyn Davis - Leave it to the Coen's to make a movie NOT about a musician that makes it big, but about the one who got forgotten. This bleak comedy deals with the soul in the face of failure and of course the Coen's (as usual) do not offer up any sort of definitive answers to the questions they pose; but with strong performances and a haunting folk soundtrack, the film is all the more powerful for it. It's a tough movie to watch at times but in the end it's a satirical tragedy of the finest and most entertaining caliber.

2. Prisoners – No other movie engulfed me with its plot and performances this year quite like this bleak drama. A superbly acted and written thriller that is as heartbreaking to watch as it is engrossing. Enough credit cannot be given to Hugh Jackman here as a father entrenched in a nightmarish dismantling of the American dream.

3. Mud – The most solid child acting performances in a long while as well as strong backup from Matthew McConahany, Sarah Paulson and Sam Sheppard. This drama manages to find power in it’s simplistic storytelling and by steering clear of the usual coming of age movie clichés.

4. Her - Though it may be a film about a man falling for his phone's A.I. operating system, it strikes a chord as the most honest and truthful romance in recent film history. Writer and director Spike Jonze manages to say so much from such a peculiar and subtle angle. Her pays off as an off beat sci-fi comedy and a bittersweet meditation on our reliance of technology and our troubles connecting with people.

5. The Spectacular Now – While it doesn't reinvent the wheel, this coming of age story embraces it's subject matter with disarmingly enchanting realism. With it's impressive young performances it manages to bottle up that daunting yet invincible feeling that seniors in high School find them selves caught up in as they head out into the world.

6. 12 Years a Slave – Transcending the subject matter, 12 Years became, for me, a film about what it is to be a human. The film unearths the cruelty and backwards thinking of Southern plantation culture as characters navigate through the cruel societal norms of America’s darkest time. Chalked to the brim with intense performances and gorgeous cinematography, this epic is worth every tear.

7. The Act of Killing - A look at the past atrocities of Indonesian death squad leaders through an absurdest challenge of reenacting their acts of murder in a movie within a documentary. This year was full of tough films to sit through. This was the toughest one to watch by far. 

8. Gravity –A thrill ride of a movie that’s as visually stunning as it is immersing. Easily the scariest film I’ve seen that you couldn’t logically put in the “horror movie” genre, but I’m terrified of space. At the end of the day when you walk out of Gravity you have to recognize it’s a one of a kind movie and there simply isn’t anything like it.

9. This Is The End – At it’s core This Is The End is a scathing dark horror-comedy that’s so self deprecating it’s hard to believe as you're watching it. Poking fun at celebrity culture as well as how unnecessary their careers are in the face of Armageddon. It also sports a third act that I dare you to try and forget.

10.  Frozen – Containing some of the sharpest (if not "like…totally" hippest) music in modern Disney history, Frozen makes some clever rearranging of the “Disney Princess” formula. The musical fairytale manages continuous charm even through some strange pacing choices.

11.  The Secret Life of Walter Mitty – While it gets a bit too heartwarming and gooey for it’s own good sometimes, Ben Stiller’s effort at a more serious tone pays off and balances itself out. It's easy to get swept up by this celebration of living life to the fullest and shows new range for Ben Stiller as a director and an actor.

12. Blue Jasmine – Cate Blanchett is a force of nature in this wickedly sardonic story of a high society woman on her way to poverty. Forget Bullock in space, Blanchett is acting out gold in this darkly hysterical and at times heartbreaking Woody Allen dramedy. While I've enjoyed other Woody Allen movies more, it's reassuring to see he still can challenge his viewers.

13. The Place Beyond the Pines – While tedious in nature, this story of men and their legacies is potent. Giving off a sprawling epic feel while remaining closed off and intimate, it crackles with sturdy performances from Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Dane DeHaan. It’s a tough watch, I won’t lie there.

14. The Kings of Summer – It’s certainly more absurd than other coming of age movies this year, but this youth in revolt story has immense heart that never lets up with outstanding youthful performances and one hell of a fun supporting bit for Nick Offerman of Parks and Rec.

15. The Wolf of Wall Street – Did you ever want to see Leo DiCaprio do…..well I don’t know but

he probably does it in this three hour romp of debauchery and blackest of black comedy. There’s a twenty minute drug overdose sequence in this movie that by itself should be grounds for giving Leo and Scorsese an Oscar in any year where 12 years a Slave wasn’t a thing.

16. August: Osage County - Being a fan of playwright Tracy Letts certainly helped my expectations for this movie adaptation of his award winning play. While it's certainly a movie with each actor at full scene chewing capacity, with a cast containing Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper and Benedict Cumberbatch I accepted the theatrics. This country bumpkin Greek tragedy may have been two hours of watching the most vicious family feud ever but I loved every moment.

17.  Stories We Tell - A documentary that explores an intimate family secret as told through home movie-like reenactments and unusually intimate interviews with each family member. It explores how the past becomes perspective after time and the nature of re-telling stories. Beautifully executed and warmly intimate and compassionate. 

18. Dallas Buyers Club - While Matthew McConaughys' performance is a primary reason this drama succeeds, the story manages to find so many rich layers within it's moral dilemma of committing illegal acts to self treat terminal illness. It's certainly uncomfortable, moving and even darkly comical but mostly the film is strikingly urgent in it's stance on FDA and pharmaceutical companies being bed buddies.

19. Captain Phillips - As Tom Hanks portrays the earnest and heroic Captain Rich Phillips, he reminds us why he has those two Oscars. Paul Greengrass has crafted a tightly wound thriller that chronicles a cargo ship being taken hostage by Somali pirates and it might be his best work. How well Greengrass can hold suspense without pushing audiences' trust is a great talent and with Tom Hanks' earnest portrayal of Phillips this tense action drama is a masterfully paced biopic all the way up until it's fever pitch ending.

20. You're Next - While the budget or acting isn’t up to normal standards for the average moviegoer, You’re Next delivers good old 80’s “slasher” film fun converting the overdone “home invasion” sub genre into a big buttery vat of campy and corny thrills. Even without the acting chops or the budget of bigger horror films, it’s heart is in the right place from square one to the final frame.


Honorable Mentions:
(There's just never enough room on these lists) 

American Hustle - Okay so yeah I didn't like this movie as much as everyone else. It was fun and I

had a good time watching it but it seemed a bit too set on being structured exactly like Goodfellas. While Christian Bale gives a wondrous transforming performance again and Louis C.K. was perfectly cast as himself (if he were in the FBI) I couldn't get past the feeling that the whole movie was trying too hard. Bravo on the wigs and costumes but it arrives a bit overcooked and relies too much on audiences eating up moments where these lovable actors are dancing around to old 70's hits. It's a lot of fun and I'll be eager to see what David O. Russel directs next but this one didn't hit strike it with me as Silver Linings Playbook, Three Kings or even I Heart Huckabees did. 

Pacific Rim - Talk about pure unadulterated Summer movie fun. Leave your expectations of witty dialogue and complex plots at the door. This is after all a movie about giant Gundam wing style robots fighting giant sea monsters and it out to make you "ohh" and "ahh." I'm always a fan of Guillermo Del Toro has cooked up and while Pacific Rim is unlike his previous horror action movies it is solid fun and well worth watching on a big screen.

Frances Ha – As much as I tire very easily watching stories of twenty-something’s in various states of arrested development (I'm staring at you HBO's Girls), this was a charming movie with an even more charming leading lady in Greta Gerwig who co-wrote with Noah Baumbach. While she may frustrate you and even challenge your devotion to her with silly and childish antics, Frances manages to win us over and gain not just our sympathy but our empathy as we recall a time where we may have been just as lost as her.  

Evil Dead - You can't exactly re-create the lighting in the bottle that occurred when director Sam Raimi and actor Bruce Campbell accidentally made a quintessential cult horror classic. So how do you remake the king of campy movies? You run the other way and make it as seriously bleak, dark and as vomit inducing as possible. The remake of Evil Dead is for daring moviegoers and horror fanatics alike as it is quite a disturbing and gut wrenching gore fest...but I can't say I was bored one moment throughout.

The Great Gatsby – Sure this Baz Luhrmann circus is overdone, over the top and self-indulgent but isn’t that the very nature of a fella’ like Gatsby and the very nature of the 20’s Fitzgerald was indicting? With a fitting anachronistic soundtrack and pitch perfect casting this overcooked hot mess at times seems to dish out the original themes of the book perfectly…even if it fudges some of the minor details.

Rush - This racing drama may not have the emotional core that binds previous Ron Howard movies like Apollo 13, Cinderella Man or even The Grinch but it's impressive none-the-less. As it tells the story of two dueling Formula 1 racers in the 70's you get a great sense of perspective from both men. I feel a lesser director would have created one of these main characters to be the antagonist and yet Howard tells the true life story from both sides equally which is to say a bold move.

Man of Steel – As unpopular as it is to even say you enjoyed this movie…I don’t care. I've never been a fan of Superman movies (I'm a Batman guy) and this film was the first presentation of his origin story where I understood the emotional journey of Clark Kent. The legendary tale is approached as a coming of age story entangled in science fiction camp. While I credit mostly the David S. Goyer script for the movie's emotional core and not Zak Snyder's direction, I'm proud to say that despite it's Michael Bay-esque third act...I was thoroughly entertained by this popcorn flick and as I felt in 2005 after watching Batman Begins, I am for the first time intrigued and excited to see where they go from here. 

Star Trek: Into Darkness - While the first film had so much fun proclaiming itself as the NEW Star Trek, this sequel seemed very quick to take it back as they tread over old villains and even old plot points from previous and lesser Star Trek movies. Despite my frustrations with it's reluctance, I enjoyed this movie immensely <photo id="11" />as it is a thrill ride of a movie and some quality performances for a Summer blockbuster, particularly from Benedict Cumberbatch as...errr...(COUGH)...can we just spoiler it already? This is stupid...make up a new villain and stop re-using old ones. Naw...but I liked the movie, really.
  
THE WORST:

Here's the fun part. I try to see the best in every movie and then there are some movies that you really

disliked and you think "maybe I'm not artsy enough or I'm too stupid to get it" like Spring Breakers...but then there are some that are so unforgivably bad that you have to warn people as they tell you they're on their way to see it...and those are...

1. Riddick - Imagine Cast Away...but instead of Tom Hanks it's Vin Diesel and instead of Wilson volleyball you get a stupid alien dingo. That's the first act of the third Riddick adventure. After that they pretty much follow the plot of Pitch Black and REALLY hope we don't notice. In addition the movie doesn't go through tone shifts so much as debilitating dementia in forgetting what genre it is or ever who the damn hero is in the story. I enjoyed Pitch Black and felt that Summer movie buzz from the space opera sequel, Chronicles of Riddick but this third adventure that attempts to make "craft" a more intimate story reveals Richard B. Riddick is more engaging when more is going on around him.

2. Scary Movie 5 - You might say..."But Eric, this is just asking for it. You know it's going to be bad!" Well I believed in miracles for a half a second as I picked it off the rental store shelf and then quickly after starting the movie realized miracles are a crock of shit....Now aside from the slap stick opening scene with Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan and the Benny Hill theme (which is pretty fun) this movie can't even make up it's mind on what a scary movie is. Black Swan and the latest Planet of the Apes reboot would not be first on my list of "scary movies" to parody. It's a little too easy to make fun of this one...I feel a little bad, but only a little.

3. The Purge - What a cool concept squandered, suppressed to the lowest common denominator and churned out into a cliche filled home invasion movie.

4. The Internship - I can live with the fact that it's a big old Google ad with a sorta coherent plot stuck in the middle...but this movie had to be PG-13? All that does is make us wish Google could invent a time machine for us to go back to 2005 when Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson made good rated R comedies...like Wedding Crashers.

5. Oz the Great and Powerful - What the what!? This is neither engaging enough for adults or really

cutsey enough for kids. It's messy and unorganized and really just makes you wish Disney had bought the rights to Wicked and made that a movie instead of this half-cooked and poorly acted 3-D cluster.  Shame on you Sam Raimi...even Spider-Man 3 had it's decent moments...yeah...I said it!

Biggest Disappointment:

Nebraska - I love Alexander Payne as a director but oh man I thought this movie was boring. Every scene impressed me with how tedious and banal it was. Certainly Bruce Dern gives an endearing performances I wasn't really buying Will Forte as a credited dramatic actor. I'm sure I'm out of the age range this movie's aiming for and that's fine. The large percentage of senior citizen Academy Awards voters were clearly moved so it has a fan base. Maybe I'll revisit it when I'm a senior citizen and enjoy it then...

American Hustle

Had I been on it, I might have been able to see this tone shift coming. Like it was back in 2010, when The Social Network was all but certain to cruise to a Best Picture win until The King's Speech swept it to steal it all, American Hustle seems to be coming for 12 Years a Slave. Entertainment reporters seem to be swayed by what they are hearing: Academy voters love David O. Russell's film. 

Most analysts are looking to tonight's Producers Guild Awards to give them a sense of how strong this shift is, but the model I use to predict the Academy Awards doesn't seem to think that matters. If 12 Years a Slave wins tonight, and Alfonso Cuarón wins the Directors Guild Award as many suspect he will, then it turns out that American Hustle is still the favorite.

What is difficult to reconcile, however, is that when I don't assume the winners of those awards, the model thinks 12 Years a Slave is a sure thing. So somewhere hidden in the data is a forecast that things are not going to turn out like we think they will at the guild awards. I suspect that things will come into focus at the Directors Guild Award on Friday. If Steve McQueen doesn't go home with an award, 12 Years a Slave is likely a sinking ship.

The Case for Gravity

With the Oscar race well underway, I find myself once more dismayed by the prevailing opinion. According to the experts, 12 Years a Slave is well on its way to an Academy Award for Best Picture. And in a year with so many stand out performances, screenplays, and marvels of film-making, that may very well be its only award. 

I liked 12 Years a Slave. It is the rare kind of film that offers an experience more than a narrative. For a couple hours I visited the American South circa the 1850s, and I didn't like what I saw. The tale of Solomon Northrup is worth telling, and Steve McQueen told it well. 

Yet the film didn't manage to move me. It didn't get me attached to Solomon's life in the north because it opened with Solomon already a slave. It didn't manage to frighten me because it never took a moment to explain the rules. I was uncomfortable watching Chiwetel Ejiofor hang from a tree, but I didn't understand why no one would cut him down, or why children felt comfortable coming out to play once the struggle stopped. The power of the sex scene was lost by showing it twice, and the reunion at the end was overly reserved. In short, I just don't think this was the best picture of the year. 

My vote for Best Picture was easily won by Gravity. Alfonso Cuarón and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki had already proven themselves with Children of Men, but with Gravity they took their craft to a new level. The gorgeous photography combined with the unfathomably long shots are cinematic magic, and these are only two pieces of the technical masterpiece that is Gravity. Every element of the film-making was part of the storytelling. From the sound design to the special effects, the entire production was crafted to give the audience an experience only possible at the movies. 

But where I think Gravity really earns the right to be called the best picture of the year is in the story and the performances. Sandra Bullock's career isn't filled with many examples of Thespian prowess, but she carried this film with ease. The story also manages to do what film-makers like Terrence Malick and Lars von Trier dream of. It is the story of life, its obstacles, and the capacity of humans. Behind the thrills, it was genuinely moving. 

Gravity is almost sure to win the Oscars for visual effects, sound mixing, sound editing, and cinematography. It will likely win for score and editing. Cuarón is the frontrunner for Best Director, and Sandra Bullock is Cate Blanchett's only real contender for Best Actress. Are we really thinking about giving Best Picture to something else?