February is at a close....

Alright, I have my two films to share on this second to last day of February 2010, and I don't foresee myself blogging tomorrow :) Overall, I had quite an enjoyable February! Lots of fun was had even with the crazy amounts of work - which I'm still sifting through. But I am looking forward to tomorrow, though I have NO clue what's in store for me. I hope it's fun and happy!

To the films! I saw An Education a couple weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. Carey Mulligan plays Jenny, a high school student in 1960s England who is much too smart and worldly for her small, English town. She falls prey to the advances of a much older Peter Sarsgaard, and from the beginning, you just know something's off about him. Regardless, you become mesmerized with the world Jenny finds herself in and the way her parents - played wonderfully by Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour - allow themselves to become smitten with their daughter's new suitor. The story is entertaining, but the production is fantastic! The film captures the 1960s so well - from the clothes, to the cars, to the music - it really makes you wish you were there. Honestly, I wish I had Jenny's wardrobe - gorgeous! What made this film for me - besides the production quality - was Carey Mulligan's performance. She was brilliant - completely believable and at ease. She very deservedly is nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award, and I'm looking forward to see who walks away with that statuette next week. I very much recommend you add this film to your To See List, and I hope you enjoy it!

Okay, so after weeks on my TV stand, I watched District 9. I thought, alright, this is a Best Picture nominee, I have to see what the fuss is about. Honestly, and I know that someone's going to disagree with me, I'm not quite sure why it was nominated. I mean, it was entertaining - in parts - some of the shots were pretty interesting, and the aliens were cool, but overall, I had some issues with it. First, the trailer for the film was AWESOME. The whole documentary look and feel - had they stayed with it - could have made the film really fantastic; yet, they kept going between doc and non-doc shots, and it was driving me crazy! The non-doc look was too glossy. The film should have stayed gritty and handheld like a documentary. Instead, there were random effects thrown in with framing that was just distracting. Second, the main character, meh, I could've done without. He was pretty annoying. Towards the end of the film I started feeling a tad more sympathetic for him, but overall, I wish the film had focused more on the aliens. They were way more interesting. Last, I get the metaphor, and yeah, it's a pretty creative one, but it didn't do it for me enough. All-in-all, I was a little let down, and I know that overall the reviews were very mixed on this. Of the people I've talked about District 9 with, it's pretty half and half on LOVE IT! or HATE IT! I guess, I'm kind of in the middle. But I do not think it deserves a Best Picture nod, and I'm pretty positive, had the Academy NOT expanded the list to 10 nominees, District 9 would NOT have made the final 5. At least, I'd hope not.

Film Preservation Blogathon

This week (Feb 14 to 21) marks the first Film Preservation Blogathon. It's a way to raise awareness about the importance of preserving some of the medium's most important resources. It also comes at a critical time for me because I'm writing my final paper for my Historic Preservation class on the importance of preserving film. There are a few staggering facts about the state of Classic Cinema. For one, half of American movies produced before 1950 have disintegrated or have been lost - 50%! And even more depressing: only 10% of all films produced before 1929 have survived - TEN percent! That's awful! With the rise in interest from both federal groups (the National Film Preservation Act was passed in 1988) and private organizations (Film Foundation and National Film Preservation Foundation), the preservation and archiving of film has become an important endeavor, and the Library of Congress, the Film Foundation, and companies such as TCM have made it a priority to see to the upkeep of the medium. As of December 2009 there are 525 films on the LOC's National Film Registry, and up to 25 new films (be it feature length, documentary, short, newsreel, etc) are added each year. Film became the 20th century's most important art form, and it continues to grow and morph as filmmakers experiment with new ways to tell stories. I salute those preservationists and archivists who devote their time and energy into maintaining film's legacy. Thank you! Thank you! Now, let's blog away!

Weihenstephaner So Close - and On Draft!

Now, I know this isn't a film related post, but I had to share this photo I took at my new favorite pub in Atlanta - Ormsby's (I actually took this pic a few weeks ago during my first trip to the Westside pub and have been back a few more times). I really wish I could be there right now, but it's Monday and I need to attempt homework and saving calories and money. Really, I'm not a big drinker. I do enjoy beer and wine, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't take much to get me tipsy - especially on an empty stomach. Anyhow, after my friend Alexa sampled what felt like every beer on draft (only to end up with a Sam Light in the bottle), her barely touched glasses ended up in front of me, and therefore, most of the people around that night think me a lush. But I was able to sample many tasty brews, and of all the beers I've tried from Ormsby's I haven't been disappointed, and therefore, I highly recommend you pop over to this new Atlanta establishment. They have delicious beer on tap - most specifically my favorite Weihenstephaner - great food, a super nice and knowledgeable staff, and a downstairs with some very fun games. I have a feeling, come Summer Fridays, you'll be able to find me at Ormsby's. I'm going to make this place "my place," where by the end of the Summer, everyone will know my name. Mission, set!

And no worries: I have District 9 on my TV stand and a date to see An Education this week...so I'll have lots to share Movie-wise very soon!

Kyle Cooper, Title Designer

One of my favorite websites is The Art of the Title Sequence. It's all about those first few moments of a movie (or sometimes the last few) in which the credits appear. Now, in the early days of the cinema, opening and closing credits were simple: Title card here, list of cast and crew there. Well, along comes Saul Bass, the Godfather of Title Sequence Design. Bass was a graphic designer who found his way into the movie business in the 1950s and ended up working with Alfred Hitchcock and Otto Preminger to create some of the most well-known title designs and movie posters (link to Vertigo). He took those title cards, threw them away, and made the opening credits a crucial part to the movie, and often, a story unto themselves.

Hands down: Saul Bass has greatly influenced a number of designers - both in and out of the film business. Well, last night at the Plaza Theater here in Atlanta I attended a lecture by someone who was greatly influenced by Saul Bass: Kyle Cooper. Now, I'm sure most of you are thinking, "Hmmm...who's Kyle Cooper?" I'm sure his name is less than familiar, but if you're anywhere on the spectrum of general moviegoer to cinephile, you, most certainly, know his work. His first major title design that landed him on the map was for David Fincher's Se7en. From there, he's gone on to create the sequences for Braveheart, Spider-Man (1, 2, 3), Superman Returns, Mission Impossible, Iron Man, etc. etc. He also has a production company (his second actually) called Prologue Films which works in all realms of media. What they've done recently, and what Kyle Cooper executive produced, were the opening and closing credits for Sherlock Holmes - which were incredible. Really, really beautiful.

Cooper is a Mass native (holla!), is an alum of UMass Amherst and Yale Grad, and isn't afraid to let his Bahstan accent come out now and then. He's really set the bar for contemporary title design, and I have to admit, there are a few movies on his credit sheet that his work saved, in my opinion. Whether or not you're a fan of the titles (opening or closing), you should know that a lot of effort and thought go into them, and when you're as good as Saul Bass or Kyle Cooper, that work does not go unnoticed. I have a project coming up in my Cine/Edit class involving the creation of a title sequence. I wonder how much Coopah would charge me for his work? Hmmm....

Oscar Nods

Alright, earlier today the list of 82nd Oscar nominees were revealed. I can't say there were too many surprises. I also can't say that expanding the list of Best Picture nominees from 5 to 10 proves anything other than the inclusion of some less than worthy films - but that's my opinion. The obvious contenders are in there: Avatar, The Hurt Locker (which is REALLY fantastic), Up in the Air, Inglorious Basterds, and Up. I was a bit surprised to see The Blind Side on that list, but that just goes to show that the more you campaign and prostitute yourself, your movie can also be a Best Picture nominee! I netflixed District 9 which I've been eager to see since someone (who shall remain nameless) saw it without me. And I'm still planning on seeing An Education before it ends its theatrical run.

The acting nominations came as expected (will Sandra Bullock actually win??!), as did the directors. I'm super stoked and excited for Kathryn Bigelow (the director of The Hurt Locker) being included among her male cohorts (including her ex-husband, James Cameron). Last week she won the coveted Directors Guild Award - the first time a woman has done so. If she wins on March 7th, she'll make Oscar history, too, by becoming the first female Best Director Oscar winner. THAT would be awesome - LONG LONG overdue - and dash my hopes of accomplishing that feat. But I will be super thrilled to witness Ms. Bigelow's acceptance speech for a film that is so masculine in content, yet handled with such feminine care that it can rightfully be considered the best and most touching movie about the Iraq War so far.

My one beef with this year's nominees: Where the hell is Moon?! That movie was fantastic. Sam Rockwell was excellent. And I kept thinking about it long after I left the theater. I think that was a major oversight, and I wish the movie would be given the credit it rightly deserves.