Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011)

Yes, I did see this. Disclaimer: I watched it because my sister basically forced me too. At the same time, I went in willingly as I was actually kind of curious about the movie - and, not being truly familiar with Mr. Bieber or his music, I thought it would be at least fair to give the kid a chance. Color me pleasantly surprised - it turns out that Justin Bieber is actually extremely talented! Behind all the frighteningly obsessed fans and the glamorous production value, Justin is just a regular Canadian kid who worked really hard and got really lucky. The story is interesting enough, but as far as filmmaking goes the movie is acceptable at best. For its target audience I think it's obviously is a 10/10 - the director completely caters to the fanbase and that's fine. But for the rest of us it's a bit of sensory overload. Though the film touches on the more serious (and more interesting) aspects of Justin Bieber's career (such as the loss of childhood that all prodigies face or the pressures from fans) it never delves into the depth that it could, and that would create legitimately compelling cinema (not that it was going for that in the first place). It's no masterpiece, and I haven't been quite caught Bieber fever (*heh*) but it was interesting enough and its 1.3 on IMDb really is uncalled for.

5/10

Waste Land (2010)

The most wonderful thing about this Oscar-nominated documentary is its unapologetic simplicity. Without a word of narration, a single fancy graphic, or any flashy editing techniques, Lucy Walker's "Waste Land" allows its fascinating subject (artist Vik Muniz's project to create recyclable materials into art in the world's largest landfill, Jardim Gramacho) to speak for itself, which it does with remarkable intensity and integrity. The "pickers" that are interviewed are all so unique and interesting, each one with a different personality and story. The editing is subtle but marvelous, giving just enough spotlight to the stark images of the landfill, but also juxtaposing the beauty of the people and of Muniz's art. Sure, most of why this film succeeds is Muniz's project itself, but the film's simplicity allows the amazing story to truly shine. It may not be as wildly engrossing as "Exit Through the Gift Shop" or as factually important as "Inside Job", but "Waste Land" is still a beautiful and moving piece of documentary filmmaking that is certainly worth seeing.

8/10

Inside Job (2010)

Any gripes I had with this film taking the Oscar away from "Exit Through the Gift Shop" dissipated shortly after I watched it. There's not much to really say about it besides the fact that it's so fascinating, so sharply written and so informative that it's impossible not to walk away feeling infuriated, and even a bit horrified. A testament to its greatness is that though I knew very little about the roots of the financial crisis going in, I now feel like I know everything there is to be known - the film's just that comprehensive. I'm not going to say I didn't get lost a couple of times, but overall the film does just what it sets out to do, allowing the facts to speak for themselves and intertwining interviews from all sides of the argument that simply strengthen the film's thesis. Finally, "Inside Job" should be considered the definitive example of documentary filmmaking's greatest technique - the "So-and-So declined to be interviewed for this film." I still like "Gift Shop" more as a film but it's obvious that "Inside Job" was the more important and relevant of the two and hopefully its winning raises awareness of the issues discussed in the film.

9/10

Oscar Nomination Day Laughs and Tears

DUDE DID YOU HEAR THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS WERE ANNOUNCED TODAY!!! OMG

Anyway, needless to say, like everyone else this year's slate of nominees gave me some things that made me really happy and also some things that made me not so happy. Though, honestly, more of the former than the latter. So, here's what I thought of the noms.

Things That Made Me Smile

• JACKI WEAVER. Sure, it came at Mila Kunis's expense (or was that Hailee Steinfeld's fault) but since Weaver was kind of iffy it made me so happy to hear her name being called. I can't wait to see her on Oscar night.
• JOHN HAWKES. What a very pleasant surprise! Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic but it's Dale Dickey and Hawkes that really shine in "Winter's Bone" so I'm glad to see at least one of them getting recognized.
• "How to Train Your Dragon" and "The Social Network" in Best Score. In fact, that whole Best Score category is pretty good. The music branch didn't screw it up too badly, did they! But those two are particularly deserving (more thoughts on this category later).
  
  
  What would "How To Train Your Dragon" have been without it's stellar John Powell score?
  
  
• "Dogtooth" in Best Foreign Film. HELLLLL YESSSSS.
• The Christopher Nolan snub. I know I'm going to get a lot of hate for that, and honestly I do feel sorry for the guy, but he was the weakest link in that category and though Id've preferred the spoiler to be Debra Granik or Luca Gaudagnino or someone like that the Coen Bros. are totally deserving.
• "Exit Through the Gift Shop" in Best Documentary. So, the Documentary branch has proven that they don't just care about relevant subject matter, and that they just award really good documentary filmmaking! Yea!
• "I Am Love" in Best Costumes. I think it speaks for itself, but the Costume Branch always seems to throw a bone to movie bloggers (remember "Bright Star" last year? heh)
  
  
Ooooh so pretty!


• Michelle Williams bringing the otherwise sadly ignored "Blue Valentine" to at least one nod. I wish it had been Ryan Gosling but I'm super happy for her since the performance was wonderful and she totally deserves it.
• The fact that I predicted 10 out of 10 in Best Picture. I mean, not that it was that hard, but still.

Things That Made Me Frown

• The lack of "Scott Pilgrim" in the visual effects category. I don't want to call it a snub because maybe it was never that realistic to begin with but it's a real pity.
• Andrew Garfield's snub. I suppose this is John Hawkes's fault and I'm happy for him but Garfield gives a fantastic performance and it's depressingly ironic how he was shafted, just like Eduardo in the movie.
• The Best Song category. I didn't really have any favorites going in but that group is really weak. I think this category becomes increasingly irrelevant as the years go along...
• Julianne Moore's "snub". The more I think of it, the sadder it is. In my opinion, Moore's performance is superior to Annette's and she is just as overdue as Bening, if not more so. It's odd how out of the two performances, it was Bening's and not Moore's that took off. I think Bening is totally deserving but I wish they'd gone for two leading lady noms from the same movie this year.
  
  
It's okay Julianne. You'll get your Oscar soon.


• Mila Kunis won't be an Oscar nominee. I'm totally okay with her not getting nominated (duh, Jacki Weaver), but the idea of her being an Oscar nominee was so awesome to me. Plus, what clip would they have used for her? HA!

So there you have it. All in all, it's a pretty satisfying group of nominees and I can't wait for the big night. Comment below on your reactions to the big announcement! :)

Exit Through the Gift Shop

Documentaries are difficult to judge, and the more and more I see the less I really know how to critique them. It seems like even the most poorly edited, lazily made documentary can be fascinating if it's based on the right subject matter. On the other hand, one watches a movie like "The Cove" (a brilliant, brilliant documentary), which not only features a compelling topic, but is wonderfully crafted, and realizes how effective the documentary can be.

I felt like I really witnessed something like that when watching "Exit Through the Gift Shop". The film is a documentary directed by infamous street artist Banksy, which begins by seemingly being a documentary about the general street art movement and then moves seamlessly into the biography of "Mr. Brainwash" - formerly Thierry Guetta, a compulsive cameraman who previously followed and filmed street artists and then became himself an overnight sensation in the art world.

What makes "Exit" work is that does everything that a documentary should do, and it does it perfectly. First of all, it features a very interesting and little-known topic (the world of street art). Secondly, it also spotlights two extremely complex people - Thierry (who is easily one of the most interesting figures in this year of cinema) and of course, Banksy himself. Finally, it is perfectly edited, a must for any documentary. The film seamlessly blends footage of the creative process of the street art, talking head interviews, and narrative content to create a fast moving, constantly absorbing 86 minutes that, while tackling several topics, never once becomes unfocused.

Unlike this year's other famous doc "Catfish", which was certainly entertaining and compelling in its own way, "Exit Through the Gift Shop" does not rely on any gimmick to keep the viewer interested - it succeeds solely on its quality as a film and its perfectly highlighted subject. Of course, there is the ever-circulating question of its validity. I personally think that it's real - however, like I said about "Catfish", even if it wasn't, it would still be a fantastic film that not only educates but makes an interesting statement on what art really is. And did I mention that it's actually extremely funny as well?

I know it's been said time and time again by bloggers, audiences and the critics' awards groups but I'll add my accolades to the pile - "Exit Through the Gift Shop" is ridiculously interesting and a true testament to what a documentary should be.

See it: if you're interested in art, great documentary filmmaking, human psychology, or mysterious British dudes.

Skip it: if you think street artists are vandalizing punks. Grrrr.

9/10

(By the way everyone I'm trying something new with the "see it skip it" thing. I'm thinking about making it a consistent review feature. Like? Dislike? Opinions below!)

Some Invisible Ramblings on "Catfish"

Because I'm trying to support the hype, I'm writing the following in white! So only highlight it and read it if you've seen the movie or you don't really care about it being spoiled for you.

So here we go. This was a really engrossing movie, and it definitely lives up to the hype. Not knowing anything about it was truly part of the movie's success - watching the events unfold as they did was simply mesmerizing. Just when you think you know where the movie is going, it totally switches around on you and something completely new happens.

And perhaps the most stunning accomplishment of "Catfish" is its expansive emotional range. There are moments of genuine sadness, and moments that are simply hysterically funny. And when we finally meet Angela, and see the life she's living and the digital life that she's created for herself, we're confronted with so many gut reactions that we almost feel as though we ourselves spent 8 months in a relationship that probably did not really exist.

Of course, the film could have taken the easy way out and portrayed Angela as a freak, or a weirdo, but instead, even though her actions are seriously socially reprehensible, the film treats her with so much sympathy that we truly realize the kind of desperation that she feels and her actual motivation for doing what she did.

There's definitely the doubt as to whether or not it's real. But in my opinion, it would still be a great film either way. If it's real (which I do believe it is), then it's an extremely well-crafted, entertaining, thought provoking documentary that is truly timely. If it's fake, it's marvelously acted, intelligently written, and brilliantly marketed (and it still asks the important questions).

So maybe the film succeeds more on its story than its merits of filmmaking, but it was definitely worth all the hype and is the perfect documentary for our times. It's actually just mind-blowing and it'ss been stuck with me ever since I saw it.

Spoilers end!

8/10

An Education...Literally

Guess what guys...Andrew at Encore Entertainment was gracious enough to let me do a guest post! So go check it out if you wish. :) It's about some of my favorite, obscure documentaries. Yea!

No Impact Man: The Documentary (2009)

I'm totally an environmentalist, but at first the Colin Beaven and his wife seemed a little bit annoying. However, as the movie went along, you realize how really committed these two are - Colin to his project, Michelle to Colin. It was really inspiring, and it's great to see someone take their beliefs and basically become the opposite of a hypocrite. On a filmmaking level, it's not perhaps the most engrossing documentary, but it is nice because it's completely minimalist and doesn't force a lot of facts on you, which was a good choice. Instead of trying to educate about the environment, it chooses to just give you a picture of this family, which is far more successful. You can argue that the whole thing is just a publicity stunt, which even Beaven admits is partially true, but it's still a pretty amazing thing he did and though this isn't the most engrossing or groundbreaking doc it's interesting just based on its subjects.

7/10

Happy Earth Day!

Make the most of it, ya'll.