LeapBackBlog 2013 Film Awards – Part 1: Technical Achievements

Film in 2013 was fantastic. We saw tons of wonderful performances, powerfully emotional dramas, hysterical comedies, gripping thrillers, big and entertaining blockbusters, and grand technical achievements. This year was particularly difficult in narrowing down my choices for my favorite films, performances, directors, and technical accomplishments. For example, I loved Amy Acker in Much Ado About Nothing and Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis, but neither quite made the list, and the same can be said for David O. Russell’s wonderful directing in American Hustle or Hoyte Van Hoytema’s sublime cinematography in Her (both just missing out on the list, when they would have made it in most other years). And, there are a number of good films that did not make the list either (and a few I have not yet seen). As it stands, the LeapBackBlog Film Awards are made up, through difficult deliberation, of the films that entertained me and grabbed me as something special, the performances that engaged me, and the craftsmanship that delighted me. These are my favorites of 2013.

Part 2: Supporting Performances

Part 3: Directors

Part 4: Leading Performances

Part 5: Films

Arcade Fire & Owen Pallett – Score – her

Her is a film that address emotions we all struggle with and openly embrace when it comes to our relationship hopes, dreams, and fears. Arcade Fire and Owen Pallett (as well as some additional contributions from Karen O) deliver a score that fits these emotions as well as the hip aesthetic of the film. Her has a cool pop-culture quality to it, and thus it is only fitting that Arcade Fire would be scoring the film. Their music fits the ambiance wonderfully, while also adding an additional emotional accent. It is wistfully optimistic, in that there is an inherent sadness (as there is with the main character Theodore) but also a real hope that happiness and true connection is still a possibility (here is their song Supersymmetry, written for the film).

K.K. Barrett – Production Design – her

K.K. Barrett has made a career out of making films that feature a fresh, modern, and sophisticatedly cool style (things like Being John Malkovich, Adaptation., Lost in Translation, Marie Antoinette, and Where the Wild Things Are). He does the same again with Her. From the costume design, set decoration, and set design/locations to the lighting, the film has a brilliant aesthetic of bright solid colors that pop against the mundane of normal life. Barrett does not just create his art for the sake of being art; it also fits really well with the film’s narrative. Theodore just wants to find connection, when he feels so alone. With his bright shirts, he is always singled out in the frame, amplifying the sense that he is separate from the world around him. Barrett’s design work in Her is extraordinarily cool (I want to live in Theodore’s world – his apartment, his office, the restaurant he goes on a date too – everything is so interesting and artistically compelling).

Judy Becker – Production Design – American Hustle

American Hustle is a film that will likely be best remembered for its standout performances, but also for its fabulous production design (and costume design, courtesy of Michael Wilkinson). The whole affair is grand game of dress up with outrageous hair styles and extravagant costumes, but Judy Becker’s work does something magical. It completely embraces the con-man genre and all the shenanigans that come with it, while also grounding the film in what feels like a realistic world. She offers a backdrop that is playfully nostalgic with a sense of realism as well (given the world of the narrative). It is splendid work.

Sean Bobbitt – Cinematography – 12 Years a Slave

12 Years a Slave is a heartbreaking tale of Solomon Northrup’s perseverance in the most treacherous and humiliating years of his life – a free man tricked and sold into slavery. Sean Bobbitt’s cinematography is beautiful as he uses natural lighting to great effect. The Louisiana plantations that Solomon finds himself tethered to feel lazily sublime and even whimsical through Bobbitt’s photography, remarkably juxtaposed to the horrors that Solomon witnesses and is forced to endure. But there is also a tension and inner darkness to Bobbit’s work as well, as if this exquisite backdrop only exists as a thin veil desperately trying to conceal a rotten and decaying society – a façade to hide pure evil (similarly to the way the film shows that really the true villain of the South is the honorable man who simply abides and takes part in slavery – who is more a villain Ford or Epps?). Bobbitt’s collaborations with Steve McQueen have and continue to produce some of cinema’s finest work. And, on a side note, Bobbitt’s photography for The Place Beyond the Pines was also very good.

Bruno Delbonnel – Cinematography – Inside Llewyn Davis

It is no secret that Bruno Delbonnel is one of my five favorite active cinematographers (along with Emmanuel Lubezki, Roger Deakins, Wally Pfister, and Robert D. Yeoman). He continues to bring his style of color saturated photography to the films he works on with such an elegant mastery. With Inside Llewyn Davis, he gives the film a feel and look that is almost surreal but at the same time very fitting for the time period and place (1960s Greenwich Village). It echoes the sadness of the film, while still adding a resonating beauty. It is phenomenal work.

Emmanuel Lubezki – Cinematography – Gravity

One might ask: “Why does Gravity feature 2013’s most impressive cinematography? All the visuals are created digitally.” Simple, while Emmanuel Lubezki and director Alfonso Cuaron worked with the visual effects team to create the look of Space, Lubezki still painstakingly needed to match everything that happens in the visual effects, lighting wise, on the actors’ faces when they were filmed live – no small task (in fact, a very difficult task). Lubezki’s lighting is perfect, beautiful, and enthralling. His collaborations with Cuaron continue to push the boundary of what is possible in film.

Anthony Dod Mantle – Cinematography – Rush

A lot of what makes Rush a great sports drama is its atmosphere of high stakes. Anthony Dod Mantle’s brilliant digital photography gives the film all the atmosphere it can handle. His work creates a thrilling and realistic experience for the audience, often giving them the feeling that they are right there with the drivers, whipping around the track. His ability to mix his footage with actual footage seamlessly is also paramount to the film’s perceived realism and ability to pull the audience into its narrative. As much as I like and support film still being shot on film, Dod Mantle continues to make a strong argument for digital.

Steven Price – Score – Gravity

Gravity is an exciting, intense film. Steven Price’s score works perfectly with the visuals and emotions of the film, creating an ‘edge of your seat’ experience for the audience. The music also captures the feeling of isolation very well. There is a removed sense to it, a sadness that comes from being lost and alone (the piece entitled Don’t Let Go is a good example). Working with director Alfonso Cuaron, Price plays with his score as well. There are moments in which he blows it out to jolt and captivate the audience. It is wonderful work. And, on a side note, his score for The World’s End is very good too.

Adam Stockhausen – Production Design – 12 Years a Slave

Adam Stockhausen’s production design in 12 Years a Slave is paramount to the film’s success, as he must create a world that feels as honest and natural as possible. He does this and more. The film looks and feels real, which only pulls the audience further into the narrative and emotional power of the film. Solomon’s world is bright in the North as a free man, but when he finds himself enslaved his world becomes utterly bleak. His cramped, dark, and decrepit world is presented in the shadow of the grand homes of his masters. Stockhausen is able to put the audience in Solomon’s place, making the experience all the more devastating, haunting, and ultimately uplifting (in that Solomon does preserver in the face of everything that would strive to bring him down).

Hans Zimmer – Score – 12 Years a Slave

Hans Zimmer’s score for 12 Years a Slave is probably my favorite of 2013. Not because it is necessarily the best composed music (though, it is quite elegant and moving – his piece entitled Solomon comes to mind), but because Zimmer also employs incredibly raw (almost off-putting) distorted noise as well to create a very visceral and unnerving experience (the score used during the riverboat scene when its paddlewheel is thrashing is particularly intense). It is this modern musical aesthetic applied to what is otherwise a very naturalistic period piece that stands out and is so striking. It is ambitious and brilliant work from Zimmer, collaborating with director Steve McQueen. Zimmer also provided great musical scores for Man of Steel, The Lone Ranger, and Rush in 2013.

Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) – Review

Review: Inside Llewyn Davis is a circular character drama that uses the 1961 Greenwich Village folk music scene to show the audience something about themselves, about humanity. The film is about a struggling folk singer and guitar player Llewyn Davis. He is kind of an asshole, favoring the integrity of his music over all else. He has bad manners and a surly disposition, leaving him short on friends to freeload off. Davis is desperately trying to make a career out of his music, but it just does not seem to be working out – on top of that he is dealing with the death of his former partner Mike, who recently committed suicide.

Like many of the Coen Brothers’ films, Inside Llewyn Davis is a parable with an antihero at its center. Here, the lesson appears to be about the beauty of artistic expression, when humanity is otherwise often marred in ugliness. Davis is completely unlikable in almost every way. He is a leach who does not seem to care about anyone other than himself, just grinding it out trying to play music as a source of employment. And yet, when he does perform there is something marvelous to it. The Coen Brothers expose the man as being deeply passionate and affected by life – how else could he absolutely capture the emotions of the songs he plays and resonate so strongly with the audience?

But, Davis is also not completely lost. When he finds out that he may have impregnated Jean (and thereby potentially ruining her home life with her partner Jim), Davis does not hesitate to step up to pay for the abortion. Yes, it is easy to say that he is eager to pay to avoid any future responsibility, and this is probably partially true, but he also could have just as easily told her that it was her problem to deal with (which would be in line with how he behaves in other situations, like abandoning a strung-out Roland Turner). This indicates that on some level he does care about Jean – who is in a way his moral compass. Davis also seems to care about the Gorfein’s cat Ulysses, as if saving the cat will somehow make up for all his other bad deeds. Still, in the end, Davis is fairly despicable and hard for the audience to get behind.

That said, the Coen Brothers do something quite interesting with their portrayal of the world around him to get the audience on his side (though, I am not sure it will work for every viewer). Basically, Davis is shown as a pure musician and one who is genuinely talented. The Coen Brothers interact with the world of the film and all the other characters through the perspective of Davis – who more or less looks down on everyone else. Thus, the other characters are either just as awful as (if not more so than) Davis or laughably goofy. Thus, the audience too takes on Davis’s perspective of superiority, which allows the film to work as a comedy as the Coen Brothers roll out a series of odd characters and situations for Davis to encounter.

The musical performances are really the standout aspect of the film, which some ways works as a musical – on a much purer level than the typical musical structure viewers are used to as filmgoers. Davis delivers a number of fantastic performances and the audience are treated to a few others from supporting characters as well (like the hilarious Please Mr. Kennedy). It is in these performances where the film and Davis expose their souls, where the beauty and emotional power of the music is put on display to shine, erasing all the ill feeling the audience might feel towards Davis. Despite being an ugly person, his music is something special and the audience is able to see something deeper, truer inside him (which creates a connection). This speaks to humanity in general. Throughout our existence, humanity’s history is littered with unmistakable heinous repulsiveness, yet our history too is filled with monumental achievements of grace (often resulting from the arts). There is a dichotomy within people, they have it within themselves the ability to destroy and create wonders. The beauty and emotion of Davis’s music may in fact come out of his tortured life. It is his release. The music allows Davis to show his emotions (grief, loss, a joyful exuberance for the music, and so on), and may in fact be his redemption.

Another interesting aspect of the film is the circular narrative structure that the Coen Brothers employ. The film starts and ends with the same sequence, a flash forward that the audience does not realize is a flash forward until the scene happens again to end the film. In between, the audience experiences a week in Davis’s life, as he desperately tries to make something of his career, going up to Chicago to play for a music promoter/club owner. Like many of the Coen Brothers’ narratives, the world just seems to have it out for Davis (some of which he probably brings upon himself). As much as he wants to make it as a performer, everything seems to be working against him. The audience sees him struggle for a week with really nothing to show for it. Has he even grown as a man or learned anything new? But as with other Coen Brothers’ films, the point is not so much the character, rather he is just a foil for them to express something deeper – which is really more up to the audience’s interpretation than an exact meaning.

Inside Llewyn Davis is odd and quirky, like most of the Coen Brothers’ work. But additionally, some viewers may find it to be overly long in parts (I am specifically thinking of the road trip to Chicago sequence). While the pacing did not bother me, I can see it being an issue for those not fully engaged in the narrative, as it is a bit slow.

The music in Inside Llewyn Davis is onto itself a good enough reason to see the film (especially for fans of folk music), but the Coen Brothers offer so much more with their typically irregular characters and penetrating parable narrative.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: The Coen Brothers, who briefly ventured closer to a conventional Hollywood narrative with True Grit (though, still a film I really liked), have found their way back to making wonderful, strange films with Inside Llewyn Davis, which feels in some ways like a companion piece to Barton Fink and A Serious Man, and musically maybe a bit of a continuation of O, Brother Where Art Thou? The Coen Brothers continue to distinguish themselves as true American auteurs, with each new film both expanding their impressive catalog and exploring something new and grand. Each of their films (minus a couple) is a cinematic treat.

As stated many times above, the music in the film is fantastic. The Coen Brothers and executive music producer T-Bone Burnett have assembled and crafted a very strong array of folk songs that entertain and get to the soul of their performers. However, Bruno Delbonnel’s cinematography may be the film’s most impressive aspect. It is at the same time surreal and felicitous, creating a feeling within the audience that they are watching a time-soaked period drama (which they are) – it feels both old and new. It also perfectly echoes the grief stricken sadness of Davis, thereby fitting the tone very well. There is even a slight hint of nostalgia, despite all the characters being fairly unlikable. Jess Gonchor’s production design provides a real authenticity to the film, as everything looks and feels as it should. Gonchor also succeeds in using his design to speak to who these characters are – which particularly can be seen in Mary Zophres’s costume design.

In some ways the film is episodic, with sequences feeling separate and insular – characters coming in and out. There are many small performances, all of them strong. Garrett Hedlund has almost no dialog, for example, but feels so dynamic on-screen. Other great small supporting performances come from Ethan Phillips, Stark Sands, Max Casella, Justin Timberlake, F. Murray Abraham, and especially Adam Driver (who just steals the Please Mr. Kennedy scene). John Goodman plays Roland Turner, an obnoxious aging cripple jazzman. As unlikable as Davis is, Goodman’s Turner makes him appear in a much better light (if only for a moment). Carey Mulligan is fantastic as Jean, a young woman and folk singer who is both fed up with Davis and probably secretly still has a thing for him (because why else would she care so much about him or be so infuriated by him). Her scene in the park opposite Davis is maybe the most compelling, acting wise, of the film (really, I kind of wish there was more between these two as their chemistry is electric). Oscar Isaac is brilliant as Llewyn Davis. He has always been a good character actor, but this film sees him at his best. He plays Davis to be a dirt bag, yes, but behind all that is a man who is in intense emotional pain. Maybe all his bad behavior is just a protective front or him acting out against a world that has seemingly never given him a real chance, instead taking so much from him.

Summary & score: Fans of the Coen Brothers will again be enchanted by yet another great character driven parable, and in addition Inside Llewyn Davis offers incredibly moving and entertaining musical performances. 8/10

Dark Shadows (2012) – Review

Review: Dark Shadows is funny and reasonably entertaining, but lacks good supporting characters and a clear tone. The film is about Barnabas Collins, a fisheries tycoon who is cursed by a witch for loving another woman. A curse that finds him turned into a vampire after failing to save his beloved. Trapped in a coffin for two hundred years by the townspeople, also turned against him by the witch, Barnabas is finally set free in 1972. Upon his release, he strives to return his family and family business to prominence, while adjusting to the times. Director Tim Burton and his films are chiefly known for their gothic visual style, which he mattes over every project, whether it is warranted or not. Dark Shadows lends itself nicely to the visual style of Burton, and is a good fit. Burton also has a definitive tone to his work, something like a playful macabre. Again, Dark Shadows is a good fit, as it has themes of both darkness and sort of a situational fish-out-of-water comedy to it. However, Burton has a little bit of trouble with the tone here. Yes, the film is funny, largely due to the antics of Barnabas, but Burton seems to uncharacteristically subdue the darkness. Barnabas, though a nice charming fellow who cares about his family above all else, is still a vampire, vicious and inherently evil. Yet, while Barnabas does kill innocents, Burton treats him as an affable hero, sweeping his crimes under the rug (blaming them merely on the nature of the beast). Much more interesting would have been the exploration of the duality of Barnabas – how do he and his family reconcile his good family acts with his seemingly unforgivable acts against humanity? Burton spends essentially no time addressing this issue – probably because this is supposedly a family film (though, honestly it would have worked better as an R-rated horror comedy). Thus, tonally, Dark Shadows is a mess. The audience is not quite sure how to feel about the characters. This is also compounded by Burton essentially not caring about any of the principal supporting characters, giving them all almost nothing to do in the film. It is the Barnabas Collins show, which is fine, but giving the other characters some narrative (dramatic) weight would have helped the audience fully connect to the story (something that does not seem to happen). The supporting characters just occupy space in relation to Barnabas. Even Angelique Bouchard, the co-lead and witch that curses Barnabas is never really fleshed out making her motives (and thereby the whole plot) fairly shallow. However, all that said, the film is still enjoyable on a comedy level, and because it is visually magnificent. The best Dark Shadows can hope for is to be remembered as a forgettable fun adventure/fantasy comedy, and at worst just another sad reminder of how much talent Burton use to have and how at present he seemingly has lost it all.

Technical, aesthetic & acting achievements: Tim Burton, save for Big Fish, has failed to make a single film on the same level of his early work (directing Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood and producing The Nightmare Before Christmas) in over thirteen years. Even his most staunch advocates have started to back away. While Dark Shadows is disappointing, it is still a decent film, which is more than can be said for his three previous (which are all terrible): Corpse Bride, Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Alice in Wonderland. With Dark Shadows, Burton seems to only care about giving frequent collaborator Johnny Depp a platform to create yet another exaggerated character, nothing more. The film really offers nothing to take away from it. However, I will continue to hold out hope for Burton’s return to form (he still has some goodwill left from his early work). Another frequent collaborator, composer Danny Elfman contributes a great score (here is a suite). It is not his best work with Burton, but it is a strong score nonetheless, though somewhat overshadowed by the wonderful soundtrack (things like Donavan’s Season of the Witch or The Moody Blues’ Nights In White Satin). Maybe the best aspect of the film is its cinematography. Bruno Delbonnel’s style perfectly melds with Burton’s, creating the most beautifully shot film of 2012 to date (if only Burton could have employed more landscape shots). Production designer Rick Heinrichs is a great fit for a project such as Dark Shadows, and his wonderful design work is showcased throughout the film. Despite the fact that many of the supporting characters are merely there to occupy superficial roles that serve the plot (in a minor way in most cases), Michelle Pfeiffer, Jackie Earle Haley, Helena Bonham Carter, and Jonny Lee Miller give it their best (l particularly liked Miller and Haley in their small roles). Chloe Grace Moretz (who was the breakthrough actress of 2010 with Kick-Ass and Let Me In, and an actress I generally like) is fairly awful in this film, overacting terribly (making me think that either Burton directed her performance that way, or just did not bother to give her notes and bring it down a notch). Bella Heathcote stands out it her debut performance (at least in a principal role in a major release), harkening back to Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice or Edward Scissorhands a bit (I can see her working well again with Burton). Eva Green is also great as the witch Angelique. She is scorned yet playful enough to make it fun (now if only her scorn and motives were given a bit more real backstory and drama). Johnny Depp is the best part of the film. His Barnabas is fantastic – being both very funny and out-there, but drawn in enough for the audience to relate to his pain (but again, more drama would have been better – Burton just kept this film way too light). Depp’s great skill seems to be in creating characters that are over-the-top and yet still real and organically motivated.

Summary & score: Ultimately it is the lack of true dramatic weight and a mismatched tone that hold Dark Shadows back, and yet it is still funny and enjoyable in a summer blockbuster throwaway sort of way. 6/10

Movie of the Week – A Very Long Engagement

This week’s movie is A Very Long Engagement (2004).

The French romantic epic set against The Great War is about Mathilde and her unwavering search for her fiancé who disappears in no man’s land, after being sentenced to death for self-mutilation along four other men. The film plays like a detective mystery – with each new clue or piece of information, Mathilde comes closer to finding out what really happened. This is auteur director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s second film with actress Audrey Tautou (their first was Amelie). He is working again with screenwriter Guillaume Laurant, brilliant cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel, editor Herve Schneid, and production designer Aline Bonetto (same group as with Amelie). Composer Angelo Badalamenti scored the film; he also worked with Jeunet on The City of Lost Children. Tautou stars as Mathilde, and Gaspard Ulliel, Dominique Pinon, Ticky Holgado, Marion Cotillard, Jodie Foster, Tcheky Karyo, and many more make up a fantastic supporting cast. A Very Long Engagement has a lot of the same quirkiness and great offbeat scenes as Amelie, but also has an epic scale to it with WWI’s war of attrition shown in graphic detail. Tautou is wonderful in the film, playing Mathilde as being outwardly strong but inwardly scared though resolute and hopeful. She is not ever going to give up until she knows the truth. It has some of the most beautiful cinematography, as well, from the last decade. It is a must for fans of grand romances and war films. Check out the trailer.

Available on DVD and Streaming

Movie of the Week - Amelie

This week’s movie is Amelie (2001).

The French film is about a young girl who is a little strange due to a sheltered upbringing. One day she decides to start helping people and in the process she comes to realize she is alone and is just in need of help and love. The film is directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet (one of the great auteurs of the last two decades) and he put together one of the best technical crews ever to work on the film. Every aspect is brilliant, from Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant’s lovely script full of humor and emotion and Yann Tiersen’s memorable and fantastic score, to the visual brilliance and illumination of Bruno Delbonnel’s cinematography and Aline Bonetto’s production design, mixed with Herve Schneid’s interesting editing. The film is a perfect collaboration between the filmmaker and other artists on the project (as well as being my favorite film). The cast is also wonderful, headlined by Audrey Tautou’s star making performance as Amelie Poulain. What makes the film great and one of the best of the last decade is its quirkiness, its beautiful sense of the artistic nature of the medium and the emotion it evokes in the viewer. It is a splendid film to say the least. Check out the trailer.

Amelie [Blu-ray/DVD]