Silent Film Clips for class

The Falcon's Oscar Picks 2011

2010 was a phenomenal year for movies. Even with the Best Picture field recently widened, it felt as if every film deserved a spot. Unlike last year, when we endured stinkers like Avatar and The Blind Side, there were no bad movies in this year's race.

My least favorite offerings, The Kids Are Alright and True Grit, were still good films. Very good films. Best Picture worthy films.

To illuminate the difference between 2010 & 2009, one need go no further than examing the obligatory Coen Brothers offering. Last year's A Serious Man, a metaphoric, but ultimately quizzical foray into modern interpretations of ancient Judaic myth (I think...and I saw it twice, and I'm an English major), left everyone wondering where they missed a serious plot point. (Editor's note: I used all the good puns for this movie last year).

Grit, on the other hand was an atmospheric Coen-ization of a tried and true classic. It teemed with trademark Coen Brothers "dont-know-if-i should-laugh-or-cry" moments.

COSTAL'S WHAT IF HOLLYWOOD PLOT LINE: What if we could resurrect the old, crotchedy and girdled John Wayne from the original True Grit but cast him in a remake of Fargo directed by John Ford?

So, even though a double feature addition to the Costal house has kept me off the blog this season, here's my annual offering of ranked nominees:

10. True Grit: Moody and breath-taking. Hailee Steinfeld ran circles around that Dorothy Hamil bundle of androgeny who starred in the first movie (Nyaw...please find and add her name), but I felt like I was watching The Dude pretend to be The Duke.

9. Kids are Alright: Great performances (just ask the Falcon) and witty script, but at the end of the day I felt like the movie wasn't sure what it wanted to be. Not very funny for a comedy. Too silly for drama. And I hate the word "dramedy." Sounds like something I would take after taco night on a Carnival cruise ship. Were the lesbian stereotypes meant to be satirical? Was there an underlying message that male anatomy can wedge (ahem) itself into any Mommy and Mommy household? But it does have the best line of the year: "Marriage is a marathon." True dat, sisters.

8. 127 Hours: White knuckle thrill ride I watched through my fingers. James Franco, ivy league chic leading man, and Danny Boyle, intense Brit director who came to Oscar gold by way of zombies, are brillant. Franco literally played opposite a boulder and kept me hooked. But the film's short-coming is Boyle's. It felt truncated...amputated, if you will. Unlike Slumdog Millionaire, his Indian epic Best Picture of the '09/'08 season, this movie seemed to NEED Boylle's signature visual asides. He is known to ramble outside the confines of the narrative visually, providing music video-like vignettes within his films that are meant to accent the main plot line. Here they felt like plot fillers, not spices. A dense cranberry stuffing meant to mask a meager Thanksgiving bird. The result made the film seem both overdone and sparse at the same time.

7. Winter's Bone: I love Jennifer Lawrence. I love wolf sweaters. So slam dunk, right? The movie's ambling, journey sometimes played like white trash "Lord of the Rings." Yet, the all gal swamp boat ride was one of the most harrowing scenes of the season.  Kudos for exposing the greatness of John Hawks, though. And Jennifer Lawrence should be Natalie Portman big by next year's ceremony. And I don't mean preggers.

6. Inception: Visually stunning. Epic effects. Decent acting. Just plain fun. But the plot has more holes than Charlie Brown's Halloween costume. Director Chris Nolan will have his time. He rises with Spielberg-like speed to the blockbuster hall of fame. But not this year.

5.  Black Swan: Natalie Portman was phenomenal. The last 25 minutes are a death drive. But overall, the plot seemed overdone and passe. It does unveil the type of genre hybrid I think will become more common as audience tastes mature in our desensitized digital world. Speaking of "Swan Songs..."

4. Toy Story 3: Not a dry-eye in the house as Buzz and Woody take their final (hopefully), computer-generated bows. But the strength is in the trilogy overall, not in this individual installment. Toy Story is Hollywood most dependable brand of the past 15 years. It deserves recognition. But Acadermy voters will find a Best Animated win as praise enough. Otherwise, Oscar rarely gives out series awards like it did in '02 with Return of the King.

3. The Fighter: I didn't have room in my heart for the fighter. I wanted to call it over-rated. I wanted to dismiss it as "just another boxing movie." But the performances, and subsequently, the real-life characters burrowed into my sub-conscious. I found myself pondering Melissa Leo's character for weeks. Evil or misunderstood? Do I pity her or hate her? Does she, in real life, deserve to be applauded by Hollywood at the Oscars? Definitely not, but I suspect she will be.

During the film, I found myself willing Christian Bale's crackhead away from the crackhouse. His character could've gone either way at that climatic moment. Either scenario was plausible. And that's the power of the film. Investment. It's about investing in ourselves and our loved ones despite their trangressions. The film succeeds in demanding the same from its audience. The performances are so nuanced that the audience doesn't perceive the full complications or shades of each character until after the movie ends. That's a sign of greatness.

PS - Forget Black Swan! The sisters in this movie are scarier than any manic killer bird hallucination. Also, Amy Adams cat fight scene was hotter than the Portman/Kunis love scene. Maybe that says more about me than films, but, fahgettaboutit!



2. The King's Speech: Why not Best Picture? A bit dry. A bit short on climax. A bit long in self-importance. A bit too obviously built for the Oscar formula of handicap + Hitler = GOLD! Still, the interplay between Firth and Rush had my brain spewing a thesaurus of critical appraise words: clever, indelible, delightful. Yes, delightful! As lame as it sounds...delightful is the best word for it. Finally! A buddy movie for history buffs...and no cops...or dogs! Woo-hoo! 

1. The Social Network: Few things are as unique or satisfying as an Aaron Sorkin script. Like that guy you used to sit up all night waxing philosophy with in college. You know the one. The only one you couldn't beat at Risk. Its like that guy rings the doorbell, and for a few hours, it's cool to act smart again. You talk fast. You drop obscure pop reference allusions like Arnold dropped the Gooch. 

His dialogue makes me giggle and cringe, and usually, both at the same time. He brought us "you can't handle the truth" and "You want me on that wall!" Social Network is filled with such great one-liners and comeback dialogue moments that students asked me to put on the sub-titles, so they "didn't miss anything." Sigh! Swoon! Sorkin's the Justin Bieber to the twelve year old girl of my soul.

The actors were also phenomenal (Andrew Garfield got robbed). Some gorgeous cinematography (see: everyone making a fuss over the crew scene). The editing and shot sequence moved with a flow that mimiced the technological innovation it tells tale of. Equal doses of legitimate Zuckerberg controversy and cheesy Zuckerberg media stunting (SNL?) make it a perfect homage to "the" Facebook.

But enough about me!

Now, I shall channel the official Film Institute mascot, cinematic soothsayer and six time Tony award winner for his portrayal of Biff in the all-scavenger  production of Death of a Saleshen...The Film Falcon! Here are his official predictions:

Best Picture: King's Speech

Best Director: David Fincher, The Falcon knows its rare that there is an Oscar night split between film and director, but it will happen tonight because Tom Hooper (King's Speech) is too young and most people don't credit his direction as the strength of the film (which is plain silly, but hey, who am I? I'll be wearing sweatpants and holding newborns tonight while the Falcon is talking to E! and learning how to pronounce Bottega Vaneta)

Best Actor: Colin Firth, A Hollywood coronation is held fot a film about a coronation.

UPSET SPECIAL: Best Actress: Annette Bening, Never underestimate Oscar's need to hand at least one award to a winless journey woman who everyone assumes already one, but has not. Conventional wisdom stands that they can give it to Portman another year for a lesser performance. Reference number: Denzel.

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo

"The Fighter" Sisters Interview on www.HikariTakano.com from Hikari Takano on Vimeo.

Nominated for Best Short Animation

House Keeping...

127 Hours/King's Speech criticism due date pushed back till Wednesday, March 2nd. We need to discuss expectations about 50th Anniversary plans. Hold off until that happens.

And The Oscar Goes to....You

So...hi....Weisback, I am sure has filled you in on the sordid details of my absence. I shall return soon. In the meantime, here's a fun little writing assignment for you. A great deal was made of Colin Firth's acceptance speech at the BAFTAs. It was a slice-of-life rant in which he likened shooting The King's Speech to a rectal exam. It got me thinking...which is always bad for my students...if you won an Oscar, what would you say in your acceptance speech. Call Journal #19. Dont forget to thank the Academy and your film teachers. Due upon my return. Keep with your journals.

December 6, 2010 Class Notes

This...That...oh and Gotham Awards...and zombies!

Daniel Day-Lewis Is Spielberg's 'Lincoln'

Daniel Day-Lewis Is Spielberg's 'Lincoln'

Tons going on locally...let's discuss attending some of it

The Noyes Museum has partnered with the Stockton PAC to bring a variety of really cool and cinema-relevant artistic events to the So Jo (not normally known for its arts scene). Check them out here. I think the Monday monologues sound especially fun and cool.

Also, a Steve Martin-penned play is coming to Stockton, tix are cheap, let's talk about getting out there!

Week's Reading: Preservation

Preservation: Why Are Films And Videos Disappearing?


Nitrate Films

Nitrate-base film stock, in theatrical use until 1951, is hazardous to store and decays even in controlled archival storage. No way has been found to prevent the self-destruction process to which every foot of nitrate eventually will succumb. And there is no mistaking the end result. The film surface becomes sticky, and the image shifts and fades beyond recall as the celluloid itself turns first into a coagulate and finally into brown powder. In the final stage of decomposition, the flashpoint is lower than that of newsprint and, because the gases given off by the decomposing nitrate can build up pressure, spontaneous combustion is possible.

The technology for archival preservation has existed for more than 30 years, but the work remaining to copy nitrate films onto modern acetate "safety" stock is enormous. American archives presently hold approximately 105 million feet of nitrate film (of the unique or best surviving material on a title) which will take 15 years to preserve at the present rate of copying. Nitrate holdings awaiting preservation in private and corporate hands, including newsreels, major studio collections, American films in foreign archives, and independent productions, are estimated to be equal to that currently awaiting copying in the archives.

Color Films

Virtually all current production for film and television today consists of color film in single strip emulsion. It has been learned from bitter experience that, unlike the earlier three-strip Technicolor process, today's color film can fade irretrievably in as little as five years. The gradual shifting of color values can advance quickly to a point at which the original release quality cannot be recovered without making compromises in contrast, definition, and overall image quality.

Unlike the problem of preserving nitrate films, where the method of preservation is well known, there is no practical solution for preserving the color in single strip emulsion safety film. There are a number of possibilities, including improved, longer-lasting film emulsions, laser holographic techniques, videodisc, and digital storage, but they require further research and development.

The only way to preserve color images is to generate three black-and-white records of each of the primary colors. But the cost for this easily can be $40,000 per feature-length film, plus subsequent charges for storage, maintenance, and the retrieval of a recombined, correctly registered color image from the separations.

At present, the only cost-effective means of dealing with color fading is to slow it down by storing color films in vaults designed to maintain below freezing temperatures and low humidity. This is a stop-gap measure, however, and while cold storage may prolong the life of color films, it cannot ensure their survival until the time when it may be possible to transfer the images onto an archivally stable medium.



The "Vinegar" Syndrome

As early as 1912 safety (non-flammable) film stock was developed for non-theatrical use. This "diacetate" safety film was used extensively in educational, religious, and amateur films, and often gives off an odor of camphor.

Modern safety film bases usually are composed either of acetyl cellulose (triacetate) or polyester (product names "Estar" or "Cronar"). When exposed to a flame, modern safety film will curl and extinguish itself. When properly stored over the course of its lifetime, safety film should not decompose over time and is estimated to have a shelf life as long as that for good quality paper, approximately 200 to 300 years. Proper storage will also minimize shrinkage and brittleness in the film.

It is important to note, however, that during the past several years, archivists and technical experts have learned that triacetate film is not always as stable as was once believed. In a number of collections, acetate degradation has been identified as a new and potentially serious problem for preservationists. Commonly referred to as the "vinegar syndrome" (because of the strong vinegar-like odor given off by deteriorating acetate), acetate degradation proceeds in a way not dissimilar to nitrate deterioration, although without the flammability factor. The problem has proven to be especially serious in films improperly stored in high temperature and humidity environments, where many aspects of deterioration--loss of plasticizer from the base causing curling, buckling, shrinkage, and brittleness--are clearly accelerated. It is also believed that the problem is contagious, and that degrading acetate films can infect other films stored in the same area.

The most common gauges on safety stock are 70mm, 35mm, 16mm, 8mm, Super-8mm, and a number of early gauges which utilized diacetate safety including 9.5mm, 22mm, 28mm, and some 17.5mm (positives only.)

Television & Video Tape

At the four major television networks, there are an estimated 100,000 television programs. Combined with the holdings of the major television archives and syndicators, as many as 200,000 hours of television are being safeguarded.

Much of the early 1940s and 1950s live television programming is lost for the simple reason that it was never recorded on any medium. Until the late 1950s and early 1960s, television shows were mastered onto films or were recorded onto kinescopes (photographed onto film directly from television screens during broadcast). Such programs can be preserved as films. Videotape came into use in the late 1950s as a means of recording television shows. The survival rate for programs recorded on tape -- and even today's broadcasting -- may be as low as that for the very early years of television, since attempts at preservation are hampered by a lack of knowledge concerning the useable life of videotape.

Estimates of the shelf life of videotape range from as low as 5 to 20 years, to as high as 100 or more years, An enormous amount of television programming survives only on videotape. However, since tapes are erasable for re-use, economic rather than archival considerations can often dictate the survival of any given program.

One more significant problem for television preservation concerns equipment. Because of the rapid development of videotape technology, equipment to record and play back tapes has often become obsolete. Formats -- such as the half-inch reel-to-reel portable machines of the late 1960s and early 1970s -- are no longer in use today. As a result, the work of many independent video artists, as well as anthropologists or sociologists, is endangered because the equipment needed to preserve their works is frighteningly scarce. This is equally true for a widely-used format such as two-inch broadcast tape. Thus, for television preservation, there is a need to preserve equipment as well as programming to ensure that the images may be retrieved and viewed in the future.

To address the area of videotape preservation, the Center has initiated a number of projects. These have included the two-year "National Moratorium on the Disposal of Television Programming," initiated in 1986, and the preparation of comprehensive national guidelines for "The Selection of Television Programs for Retention and Preservation." These selection guidelines were distributed to the nation's television networks, broadcast groups and production companies in 1988.

In 1987, the Center organized the first national conference for local television news archives, the largest and fastest growing constituency in the moving image archival field today. In 1990 it completed the negotiation of an agreement between Capital Cities/ABC Inc., the UCLA Film and Television Archive, and the Museum of Television and Radio that facilitated the donation of the history of ABC's entertainment programming -- over 20,000 programs from 1950 to 1980 -- to the national collection. Currently, the Center is overseeing a federally-funded grant project to write and publish a basic curatorial manual covering all aspects involved in the administration of television newsfilm and videotape collections.

Coming this Spring...the must-see movie of the year....GRAPE FIGHT

Do the Right Thing Assignments

The following articles shall be used to complement our viewing of Do the Right Thing. Journals, both when collected and when checked for completion, will be graded for both English and history.

The first, reaction will be Journal #11, is about Tyler Perry and his audience. The second, coupled with your general "review" or reaction about the movie (remember: reviews are based on preference, not analysis, trust me, that will come later) to be labeled as Journal #12.

The film will be finished on Tuesday (you have triple media on Monday). Wednesday, journals will be checked. If they're done, we will watch The Messenger. If not (and let's face it...), we will begin a writing workshop (which will occur on the following Monday if you do succeed).

Did we lose the greatest TV parents of all time this week?

This week, the entertainment world lost two of the most beloved TV parents of all time (Tom Bosley 1927 - 2010, Howard Cunningham on "Happy Days" & Barbara Billingsley, June Cleaver on "Leave It to Beaver").

Leads me to wonder (Journal #10), if you could choose a TV mom and dad to replace your own, whom would you choose and why?

Definitive lists of the greatest TV parents have been compiled by TV Guide and something called Mother's Day Central. 

Journal #6: We Used to Wait Film (Arcade Fire)

The how-to!

"The thin line between entertainment and war"

The Most Impressive Piece of Performance Art I have Ever Seen

Dave Letterman Was In On The Joaquin Phoenix Hoax, Too