Oscars 2012 Death Race Update: 2 weeks to go
Submitted by Sarah D. Bunting on February 12, 2012 – 10:11 PM10 Comments
Since we last convened:
Anonymous
Footnote
Drive
Kung Fu Panda 2
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
and a Best Actor overview
Coming up:
The Muppets
Pina
W.E.
Puss In Boots
Chico & Rita
I’ve pulled ahead, the shorts are at IFC Center…hope is not dead.
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Tags: Anonymous Drive Footnote Kung Fu Panda 2 movies Oscars 2012 Death Race Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Oh noes, you have to see W.E.? Thanks for taking one for the team.
What, was there no makeup nod for Ifans’s eyeliner?
I liked that movie better than you did, but it required of me a herculean leap over its many, many, many preposterous-nesses. Which I made because, well, I’m a sucker for this stuff.
But back to the eyeliner. I amuse myself by wondering how long I could live on the budget-line allotment for Ifans’s eyeliner. Probably a couple of years. Not nearly so long as I could live on the budget allotment for Anjelina’s eyelashes in The Tourist, which would undoubtedly see me to retirement.
So, you’ve inspired me to try my own Oscars Death Race this year. I’m at 36, so there’s some hope. However, there are probably a few that will end up being impossible; only 2 of the foreign language films are even showing within an hour of me (ah, Vermont) and the theater where I saw the documentary shorts was missing God is the Bigger Elvis for no apparent reason. Either way, I’m enjoying the challenge. There’s not much to do besides watch movies when it’s 7 degrees outside, and I’m watching a number of movies that while I never would have watched them on my own, I end up finding them at least fun and interesting (such as Kung Fu Panda 2 and Warrior).
Of course, my boyfriend thinks I’m nuts.
I liked your review of Footnote – it was dead-on. Israeli film seems to go in waves of themes (moral degeneracy amongst the ultra-Orthodox, directors with PTSD from the Lebanese war, eviction of settlers, etc.). When I saw it and another Israeli film (Restoration) at TIFF last year, my reaction was “I guess this year’s trend is ‘semi-autistic dads who can’t relate to their families’, pretty benign by Israeli film standards”. Footnote was the better example simply for the academic setting and the technique.
I’ll look forward to your take on In Darkness.
@Rachel: Your boyfriend is correct.
@cayenne: Thanks! I think In Darkness hits here next week so I’ll see it then.
And I actually saw W.E. and Chico & Rita right in a row yesterday. Whiplash aside: W.E. was not that bad, and C&R was not that good.
@Rachel, I am in the exact same situation; only two of the foreigns will come to me (A Separation and In Darkness, right?), according to my local theater’s website. Also, “God is the Bigger Elvis” has been left out of the documentary shorts program.
But my Oscar Racing is not a full commitment, either. I’m allowing myself to skip Albert Nobbs. I did sit through both Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and The Iron Lady yesterday, so I’m torturing myself a little.
Heh. “Death Race 1600: W. Shakespeare (or SOMEONE) is the last one standing after a marathon presentation of the entire theatrical output of Marlowe, Jonson and Webster in a single week.@
Eyeliner in the 17th century? Who knew?
@Rachel: Oh, Vermont. That’s where I grew up, and if a movie’s not showing at the Nickelodeon (or whatever it’s called now) or the Savoy, well, good luck. (And good luck in general with the craziness of this venture.)
I can’t wait to hear what you thought of Pina.
I loved it so much.
That review is up at Press Play. The short form: I was bored; I was bored; I was mildly intrigued, then bored; I was angry at being bored; the movie quietly went to work on me; I was captivated; I was angry at myself for being bored before; I wanted to watch it again.
Wenders does that to me every time, too.