MATEO AND RICKY'S 2013 OSCAR PICKS!

BY MATEO MORENO AND RICKY JONES

It's OSCAR TIME AGAIN!  Sunday will mark the 85th Annual Academy Awards and our writers Mateo Moreno and Ricky Jones are going head to head, picking their winners and telling the other how stupid they are for not going with their decision.  So here we go!

Best Motion Picture

• Amour
• Argo - WILL (Mateo)  WILL & SHOULD (Ricky)
• Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Django Unchained
• Les Miserables - SHOULD (Mateo)
• Life of Pi
• Lincoln
• Silver Linings Playbook
• Zero Dark Thirty

MATEO: The scope and sheer Achievement in making this epic musical (in my opinion the best movie musical in years) should have earned Les Mis the award. But with all the support of Argo after not securing a Best Director, it's become the clear front runner. 

RICKY:  Well, Mateo I will say that it is nice to see some Les Mis love for someone.  For some reason, there are so many haters of the film.  Sure, Russell Crowe's voice was not up to par but think of all the good it did for movie musicals.  With only two exceptions, Les Mis was filled with wonderful acotor/singers.  There was numerous moments that are like a master class in how to act a song.  As for Best Picture, ARGO deserves all the love it has been getting.  I was on the edge of my seat the entire movie.  It is by far my favorite film of the year and I am confident the Academy will agree. 

Achievement In Directing

• Ang Lee, Life of Pi - SHOULD(M)  SHOULD (R)
• Behn Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild
• David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
• Michael Haneke, Amour
• Steven Spielberg, Lincoln - WILL (R and M)

MATEO: Ang Lee made a once thought of unfilmmable novel and made a stunning movie. Some moments literally took my breath away and it used 3D technology in the very best ways. But Spielburg is so respected and he did do a wonderful job here. Since Best Picture wont go his way, I'm betting he'll collect here. 

RICKY:  It's a toss up between Ang Lee and Spielberg.  If Affleck was included, there would be a clear winner.  He deserved nominations for not only Argo but also for The Town and Gone Baby Gone.  Hopefully, this will be a lesson to the Academy and it will only be a matter of time before one of the best directors working today gets his award. In my opinon,  Ang Lee is a master of his craft.  Look at all the movies he has done: Brokeback Mountain, The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger. All the them are completely different and he isn't afraid to try to give us something new.  Spielberg is a living legend. The look of Lincoln was beautiful.  The cast is a Who's Who of Hollywood and some many of them get a moment to shine.  At least for me, the film had pacing problems and threated the audience as if they were all history buffs.  Maybe its just me but there were times I was a little lost here and there.  But it is leading in nominations, and if Argo is gonna get the love I'm sure it will get, the Academy is going to give a least couple awards to Lincoln. It's hard to bet against Spielberg so I'll go with him. 

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

• Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
• Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln - SHOULD & WILL (R AND M)
• Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
• Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
• Denzel Washington, Flight

MATEO: This is the easiest category to predict. Day-Lewis is stunning, as usual, so bet that he'll make Oscar history by becoming the first actor to win 3 Best Actor trophies. 

RICKY:  Yup, this isnt even going to be close.  We all knew Day-Lewis would win from the moment we saw the first picture of him on set.  Because it is so predictable, I would love it if Phoenix would take it.  I haven't been able to see The Master yet but all the buzz on his performance has been incredible.  But since he was publicly discussed about how he doesnt care about the award (hell, he may not even show up), there is no chance of this happening.

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

• Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
• Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook - SHOULD & WILL(R AND M)
• Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
• Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Naomi Watts, The Impossible

MATEO: Her performance was unanimously praised and actors are the biggest supporters of this film (and it has many). She's wonderful here in a role that, in less capable hands, might have turned shrill & unlivable. She was neither.

RICKY:  This is a tough one to call.  I wouldn't be surprised if Emmanuelle Riva won but she hasn't had any momentum with pervious awards. Chastain did solid work but her nomination will be her award.  I may be one of the only people who think Siliver Linings is the most overrated movie of the year but I did really enjoyed Jenifer Lawerence's performance. I'm going to agree and say Katniss Evendeen will be victorious.

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

• Alan Arkin, Argo
• Robert DeNiro, Silver Linings Playbook - SHOULD & WILL(M) WILL (R)
• Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
• Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
• Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained SHOULD (R)

MATEO: This is tough because Tommy Lee Jones is so great in Lincoln. But the combination of his rather unlikable off screen personality and DeNiro doing what many feel is "return to form" should push him over the edge.

RICKY: Hmmmmmm. Which old, white man will win for second time?  Arkin gave the exact same performace he has given before.  DeNiro has one brief moment where he should some range.  He shed a couple tears in that one scene but the rest of the time he just played a football obssessed father.  This is a role he could have done in his sleep.  The fact that these two actors are nominated instead of the wonderful work from Leonardo Dicaprio, Samuel Jackson, Brain Cranston, and maybe even Zero Dark Thirty's Jason Clarke is oh so lame.  But Deniro hasn't won an Oscar since Raging Bull so they give it to him and I will be pissed.

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

• Amy Adams, The Master
• Sally Field, Lincoln
• Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables - SHOULD & WILL (M R)
• Helen Hunt, The Sessions
• Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

MATEO: Her heartbreaking turn in Les Mis has not gone unnoticed.  She's won nearly every major award and will continue the trend here.

RICKY:  Sorry to rant yet again about Silver Linings but why is Jacki Weaver nominated?  I just don't get it.  Anne Hathaway will continue her winning streak and will accept her award in her fake "oh I can't believe I won" way and will be rude to her waiter at the after party.  It would be hilarious if Sally Field would be the surprise of the night and take it from her. Just hilarious.  But all jokes aside, Hathaway gives an emotionally vulnerable performance and deserves the win.

MATEO: We GET IT!  You didn't like Silver Linings!  Moving on now...

Best Animated Feature Film

• Brave - WILL (M)
• Frankenweenie
• ParaNorman
• The Pirates! Band of Misfits
• Wreck-It Ralph - SHOULD(M) WILL AND SHOULD (R)

MATEO: I'm a big Pixar fan, but the humor & originality of "Ralph" shouldn't go unnoticed.  But Pixar's only lost this race once (Cars lost to Happy Feet) and Brave is much stronger than that feature. Expect Pixar gold again.

RICKY:  Oh how wrong you are, my friend.  Wreck It Ralph will win.

Original Screenplay

• Armour, Michael Haneke
• Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino SHOULD AND WILL(R)
• Flight, John Gatins
• Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola - SHOULD (M)
• Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal - WILL (M)

MATEO: The weird, strange, wonderful world of Wes Anderson is on fantastic display here and almost all of his efforts should have won this prize. But I'd put my money, controversy or not, to Mark Bowl's human and powerful script.

RICKY:  I had very mixed feelings about Zero Dark Thirty.  The last hour of the film when they find Bin Laden's safe house was very impressive.  But until that, I couldn't help thinking how much I want to go home and watch Homeland instead.  It has a shot of winning but my pick will go to the great Tarantino.  It's one of his best screenplays.  Hell, he deserves the win for the skull scene alone.

Adapted Screenplay

• Argo, Chris Terrio WILL (R)
• Beasts of the Southern Wild, Lucy Alibar and Behn Zeitlin
• Life of Pi, David Magee
• Lincoln, Tony Kushner - SHOULD & WILL (R)
• Silver Linings Playbook, David O. Russell

MATEO: There's some push for Argo & Silver Linings but Kushner's poetic and riveting screenplay should come in first.

RICKY:  I'm going out of a limb here but I'm calling for an Argo win.  Kushner is the frontrunner and it would be great if he were to win.  But if Argo wins Best Picture, it's going to need to win a few other awards on the way.  I'd be fine with this choice.

Best Foreign-Language Film

• Amour - Austria - SHOULD & WILL WIN. (R AND M)
• Kon-Tiki - Norway
• No - Chile
• A Royal Affair - Denmark
• War Witch - Canada

MATEO: Though Amour was, I feel, far too incredibly sad for my taste, it is a beautiful piece of filmmaking with touching performances by all three leads.

RICKY:  The Academy clearly loves this film so I don't see any way it loses.

Original Score

• Anna Karenina, Dario Marinelli
• Argo, Alexandre Desplat
• Life of Pi, Mychael Danna WILL (R)
• Lincoln, John Williams - SHOULD & WILL (M) SHOULD (R)
• Skyfall, Thomas Newman

MATEO: Williams,s last win was in '93 for Schindler's List.  I mean its just science. 

RICKY:  John Williams' score is gorgeous and I'd love to see him win. But I bet Life of Pi will take it.

Original Song

• "Before My Time," J. Ralph, Chasing Ice
• "Everybody Needs A Best Friend," Walter Murphy and Seth McFarlane, Ted
• "Pi's Lullaby," Mychael Danna and Bombay Jayashri, Life of Pi
• "Suddenly," Claude-Michael Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boulil, Les Misérables
• "Skyfall," Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth, Skyfall - SHOULD & WILL (R & M)

MATEO: Les Mis crew, it just ain't your year. This is the best bond theme in AGES.

RICKY:  No question about it.  Adele better be working on her speech. 

Acheivement in Production Design

• Anna Karenina
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Les Misérables 
• Life of Pi - SHOULD & WILL (M & R)
• Lincoln

RICKy:  It is possible that Les Mis could win but it's more likely the breathtaking Life of Pi will take it. 

Achievement in Cinematography

• Anna Karenina, Seamus McGarvey
• Django Unchained, Robert Richardson
• Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda - SHOULD & WILL (M AND R)
• Lincoln, Joanna Kaminski
• Skyfall, Roger Deakins

RICKY:  Life of Pi was one of the most visually enchanting films in years.  I will say though that I wish Prometheus was included in the nominees.  Although the movie has many haters, I thought it's cinematography was just as stunning as Pi's.

Acheivement in Costume Design

• Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran
• Les Misérables, Paco Delgado - SHOULD & WILL (M AND R)
• Lincoln, Joanna Johnston
• Mirror Mirror, Eiko Ishioka
• Snow White and the Huntsmans, Colleen Atwood

RICKY: Anna Karenina could sneak in there but I doubt it.

Best Documentary Feature

• 5 Broken Cameras
• The Gatekeepers
• How to Survive a Plague - SHOULD (M)
• The Invisible War
• Searching for Sugar Man - WILL (M & R) 

Achievement in Film Editing

• Argo WILL AND SHOULD (R)
• Life of Pi
• Lincoln
• Silver Linings Playbook - SHOULD (M)
• Zero Dark Thirty - WILL (M)

RICKY: Again, if Argo wins Best Picture it'll probably take this award as well. 

Achievement in Makup & Hairstyling

• Hitchcock
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Les Misérables -SHOULD & WILL (M & R)

Achievement in Sound Editing

• Argo
• Django Unchained
• Life of Pi
• Skyfall
• Zero Dark Thirty - SHOULD & WILL (M & R)

Achievement in Sound Mixing

• Argo
• Les Misérables SHOULD & WILL (R)
• Life of Pi 
• Lincoln
• Skyfall - SHOULD & WILL (M)

RICKY:  Tough call but I predict that the Oscars will show some love for the live singing on set for Les Mis. 

Achievement in Visual Effects

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
• Life of Pi - SHOULD & WILL
• Marvel's The Avengers
• Prometheus
• Snow White and the Huntsman

MATEO: No special effect this year was more impressive than Richard Parker. Fact. 

RICKY: Agreed.

ANIMATED SHORT

"Adam and Dog"

"Fresh Guacamole"

"Head Over Heels"

"Maggie Simpson in the Longest Daycare"

"Paperman" - SHOULD AND WILL (R & M)

RICKY:  Paperman's simple and heartwarming short made me actually care about an Oscar category I usually don't get excited about.

MATEO'S TOP 10 FILMS OF 2012

BY MATEO MORENO 

1) LES MISERABLES (PG-13) Victor Hugo’s classic novel from 1862 was turned into a highly successful stage musical in the 1980’s that went on to win Oliver’s, Tony Awards, and worldwide success.  Various attempts to bring it to the screen have occurred but none successfully.  Now Director Tom Hopper (The Kings Speech) has finally brought the beloved musical to the screen in a beautiful and breathtaking version.  Hugh Jackman commands every scene as Jean Valjean, a man who has spent 19 years imprisoned, partly due to him stealing a loaf of bread for his dying sister.  His powerful performance never lets up here, and his emotional singing is stunning.  Anne Hathaway is breathtakingly beautiful as the suffering Fantine, a woman turned to prostitution to pay for her daughter to live.  Heart wrenching and honest, Hathaway has never been this good on screen, and her emotional performance, plus one of the best versions of “I Dreamed a Dream” I’ve ever heard, are sure to nab her an Academy Award.  Amanda Seyfried breathes life into Cossette, a character often underplayed and sometimes boring.  And Samantha Barks proves again what a wonderful role Eponine is.  Her voice is beautiful and her unredeemed love story is as beautiful as ever.  Also great are Aaron Tveit, Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, and Daniel Huttlestone.  Many critics and fans alike are up in arms with some of the “talk singing” instead of only belting out the tunes and true it does make the musical sounds different, but in an authentic, beautiful, and cinematic way.  Even with the miscasting of Russell Crowe, Les Miserables is a stunning achievement in filmmaking, and one of the best film musicals I’ve ever seen.

2) SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (Rated R) David O. Russell has made a wonderful career out of portraying damaged characters (The Fighter, I Heart Huckabees, Three Kings) and his latest adaption is no exception.  Bradley Cooper shines as Pat, an ex-teacher just out of the mental institution and living with his parents (a superb Robert DeNiro and classy Jacki Weaver).  Once out, he connects with a young girl named Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a woman who has many problems of her own.  She agrees to help him out with his problems in exchange for something she needs done.  To tell you any more would ruin the beautiful surprises this movie has in store for you, but rest assured it’s a beaut.  Cooper and Lawrence are a perfect match, both shimmering with raw, emotional performances.  Robert DeNiro, as Cooper’s father, hasn’t been this good in years.  A tearful confession scene between him and Cooper will make even the most stoic of men reaching for a Kleenex.  As it reaches and pushes towards its climax, the film does what films rarely do: it gets better.  Truly the most authentic and enjoyable romance to come out in some time.

3) THE MASTER (Rated R) Paul Thomas Anderson always seems to have people adoring his films for their originality and strong performances.  Or they have people up in arms, protesting their strangeness, unable to connect, and sometimes simply “don’t get it.”  Put me in the former category, as he is truly one of my favorite American filmmakers, and his latest continues on his strengths as a unique voice.  Joaquin Phoenix plays Freddie Quell, a lost soul who comes under the guidance of Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the leader of a cult entitled “The Cause” that specializes in “hope, understanding, attention.”  But enlightenment is not exactly what happens through the course of the film.  Phoenix is phenomenal as Freddie, manic and violent in once scene and a protective puppy dog wanting desperately to learn something in the next.  Had it not been for Phoenix’s very public distain for awards, he would be one of the top contenders this year.  Hoffman is equally impressive but in a much more quiet and moody role.  The fact that you truly don’t know if his cult leader actually believes in the nonsense that he preaches is the beauty of the performance.  Amy Adams also turns in a great performance as Hoffman’s dedicated wife.  It’s not an easy film to digest, and may even take a couple viewings to full embrace, but The Master is intriguing, powerful, and bound to stir up discussions.

4) THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER (Rated PG-13) Not since the days of John Hughes has a movie dealing with high school struck such an honest and emotional core.  Stephen Chbosky, adapting and directing his own novel, paints a beautiful portrait of a young introvert Charlie (Logan Lerman), who doesn’t really fit into anywhere.  That is until he stumbles into a group of “misfit toys.”  Siblings Patrick (Ezra Miller) and Sam (Emma Watson) become his best friends, first love approaches his doorstep, and all of the pain and struggle of high school is dealt with in a refreshingly honest way.  Lerman is quietly powerful as the boxed in teen, and Miller is the charmingly wonderful friend you always wish you had growing up.  Watson proves she’s no one trick Harry Potter pony with a heartfelt, loving performance (and also a spot on American accent).  The adults in the film also turn in great performances; Dylan McDermott in just a few scenes shows what a great dad can be, Paul Rudd brings a great humane touch to Charlie’s favorite teacher, and Melanie Lynskey adds a sweltering darkness to the tone of the film, one that never leaves.  It’s truly a film that didn’t nearly get the attention it should have got in theatres.  Give it its attention now.  It’s well deserved.

5) BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (Rated PG-13) Director Benh Zeitlin’s moody and breathtaking take on a small community in the bayou (based on the play Juicy and Delicious by Lucy Alibar) is surely the sweetest tale of success.  It was made for very little money (less than $2 million) and features a cast of almost complete unknowns.  Quvenzhané Wallis plays Hushpuppy, a six year old girl living in “The Bathtub,” a southern Delta community with her father (Dwight Henry).  With the rising flood waters and her father’s health steadily decreasing, Hushpuppy goes on a search for her mother and while doing so, encounters life.  Wallis is truly remarkable and could become the youngest Oscar nominee ever.  Her gentle and wide eyed view on a world she doesn’t understand is evenly matched with Henry’s tough love and sometimes chaotic father.  The fantastical addition of a prehistoric beast called Aurochs adds a darkened fairy tale element to the film.  It’s truly a wild, original, and beautiful meditation on growing up in a poor bayou and should be seen by everyone who loves original cinema.

6) MOONRISE KINGDOM (Rated PG-13) Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, The Fantastic Mr. Fox) brings his originality to this sweet story of two outcast kids (Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward) who fall in love in a sleepy New England town and go on the run, forcing their families and Scout Troops to go searching for them leading to a wild, out there adventure.  Showing up in the star studded adult cast is Anderson regulars Jason Schwartzman & Bill Murray along with Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, and Bob Balaban.  Both Gilman and Hayward give top notch performances as the young, on the run lovers, and the adult cast all turn in unique and strong takes (Norton, Murray, and Willis especially strong).  It’s filled with all the strange unique oddities that come with an Wes Anderson film and also comes with all the charm and beauty they entail.  It’s a film oddly special in every single way.

7) THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (Rated R) Joss Whedon had two films he was involved in this year (the spectacular The Avengers and this).  Both films were crackling with humor and originality, but because it’s unlike any horror movie you’ve seen, Cabin is the one that hits my Top 10.  Knowing too much about this movie will spoil the fun (as is the case with a few of my Top 10 films this year) but I’ll say this much.  Five friends (Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kanz, Jesse Williams) take off for a weekend getaway in the woods and stay inside a rustic cabin, where things go horribly wrong all weekend.  Co-Writer/Director Drew Goddard and co-writer Joss Whedon create a new breed of Horror film; one that’s not fully horror, not fully action, and not fully comedy.  It’s a strange mix of all three and every bit of it works.  They approach each horror clique and march right past it to spectacular results.  Fran Kanz (recently seen on Broadway in Death of a Salesman) is the standout main cast member, while Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins both give great performances as…well you’ll have to see. Buckle up and enjoy the ride, because they most definitely take you on one, and it’s a doozy.

8) FLIGHT (Rated R) Director Robert Zemeckis returns to live action filmmaking with this very adult, very ambitious story of Whip Whittaker (Denzel Washington), an airline pilot who ends up landing his failing plane and saves the lives of almost everyone on board, instantly becoming a hero.  Though once the investigation starts, Whip’s story is much more than it seems.  Turns out he was drunk and high while flying the plane, thus instantly making his life much more complicated.  Zemeckis stages the landing in such a spectacular fashion that it takes your breath away, and THEN the movie starts.  It’s as if the ending to most films begins this one, and the real drama ensues.  Washington turns in another fantastic and complex performance as Whip.  His darkness and addition makes you cringe yet you’re always on his side wanting him to get better.  Kelly Reilly as a fellow addict whom Whit begins a relationship with, is also quite wonderful.  Her pain is mirrored in Whit, yet while she’s on the road to recovery, he seems to be stuck in neutral.  Among the rest of the cast giving strong supporting performances are Bruce Greenwood, Don Cheadle, and John Goodman as Whit’s drug “brother.”  It’s not the soaring hopeful story you might expect from the trailers, but that’s where its strength is; it’s much stronger than what you think going in.  And doesn’t leave you when you come out.

9) THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (Rated PG-13) Truly an epic finale to an epic trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises is a rollicking, thrilling film that places a very battered Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in an almost peaceful Gotham City.  Still reeling from his run in with The Joker years ago, he’s put away his mantle, letting the newly restructured city take care of itself.  But when a new force of evil appears in the form of Bane (Tom Hardy) Batman must once again return to the streets, this time aided by a jewel thief Selena Kyle (Anne Hathaway) and a idealistic young cop (Joseph Gordon Levitt).  The structure of this final piece of Nolan’s Batman puzzle is splendid, and incredibly exciting.  Not only has that, but he (along with co-writers Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer) fully fleshed out these Gotham characters.  Bane, never a favorite of mine in the comics, makes a frightening nemesis here, and Hardy relishes it completely.  And Bale’s Batman/Bruce Wayne continues to deepen and grow.  Looking back on all three films, it really is a phenomenal piece of work, showing that not all Superhero movies need to be this gritty and dark.  But it sure did work for this Batman series.  It breathed new life into the Caped Crusader, one life that won’t go away for a very long time.

10) LIFE OF PI / NOT FADE AWAY / YOUR SISTERS SISTER (Rated PG-13 / Rated R / Rated R) In a three way tie for the tenth spot come three vastly different films.  To begin, Life of Pi is the ambitious Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel.  It centers on a young boy named Pi (played with determined ambition by Suraj Sharma) whose family is moving their beloved zoo of animals across the sea heading to Canada.  A storm hits, crushing their vessel into the sea, scattering its remains every which way.  Pi awakes, floating on a lifeboat with a few surviving animals, most notably a 450 pound Bengal Tiger who he names Richard Parker.  The story is an epic one of survival against all odds and a deep meditation on faith, never centering on one religion or way of belief, but on faith itself.  The relationship forged between a boy and a hungry tiger is fascinating, and Lee does a great job adapting a “unfilmmable” novel.  In order to fully embrace the film, you must separate it from the novel.  Appreciate them both on their own merits and you will see the spectacular beauty of the film (also, make sure you see it in the eye popping 3D.  The visuals often literally took my breath away.

Not Fade Away is the directorial debut of David Chase, creator of The Sopranos.  It’s a quiet and passionate tale of a group of kids in the 1960’s forging together to create a rock band and make it big.  John Magaro, Will Brill, Jack Huston, and Brahm Vaccarella are all great as the kids wanting to make a dent in the music scene, each bringing a touch of humor and passion to their roles.  Bella Heathcote is the luminous vision to Magaro’s passion and she adds a great balance to his determined performance.  As Magaro’s father, James Gandolfini is touching and subtle as he strains to connect with his son.  The ending, which I found beautiful, may divide audiences but overall it’s a quiet, strong love letter to rock and roll.

Your Sisters Sister is a beautiful, sparse film that follows two best friends and a sister in a remote cottage.  Still reeling from the death of his brother a year ago, Jack (Mark Duplass) is invited by his best friend Iris (Emily Blunt) to her father’s cabin to take some time off and recuperate, think about life, and be alone with his thoughts.  Once he arrives he finds out he’s not alone; Iris’s sister Hannah (Rosemary Dewitt) is also at the cabin.  The next morning, Iris shows up to join Jack there and over the course of a few reveling days, all of their lives are changed.  Trust me when I say the less you know the better (I know I’m a broken record.  But it really is true!).  Duplass is charming and relatable and Dewitt digs into her characters layers with an honest force that’s relatable and hard to watch.  Emily Blunt is radiant here, funny and charming, mixing it all into a beautiful performance.  Each time I see her, I like her even more.  Lynn Shelton (Humpday) has directed a beautifully intimate film that’s largely improvised by its cast, and due to that really add authenticity to it.  Watching it I really had no idea where it was going to go but each step I loved.  Heartfelt and witty, Your Sisters Sister is my final choice for favorites of 2012.  And though it may go unnoticed by the award show circuit, it shouldn’t go unnoticed by you.

Recapping the NYFF at 50

BY MATEO MORENO

The 50^th Annual New York Film Festival (sponsored by the Film Societyof Lincoln Center) kicked off on September 28^th and I, along with my festival cohort Matthew Cody Lang, have seen a large variety of films and it’s JUST the beginning (the festival continues to run through Oct. 14^th).  The NYFF offers a wide range of films, from the indie to the big budget, director’s perspectives, and reunions of classic films (hello The Princess Bride!).  Periodically, Lang and I will check in on what has been on our radar, from the Must see’s, the Should see’s, and the ones to “skip.”  Let’s dive in.

MATEO’S PICKS:

MUST SEE

Frances Ha (currently unrated, recently picked up by IFC films, release date: unknown).  Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale, Greenberg) continues his exploration into the odd and unique with Frances Ha, the current “highlight” of the festival for me.  It centers around a young woman named Frances (co-writer Greta Gerwig of Inglorious Basterds) and her best friend played by Mickey Sumner.  Frances is a young Brooklyn-ite dancer who loves spending every single moment with her bestie, sometimes to the chagrin of men she dates.  Throughout the course of the film, we watch Frances deal with becoming the second most important person in her best friends life, apartment hopping, flying to France on a whim, and learning what it means to begin to “grow up.”  Baumbach has, along with his creative partner Gerwig, created a less obnoxious Girls (and this comes from someone who watches the HBO hipster hit), and at times the black and white beauty of a film reminds you of a Brooklyn version of Woody Allen’s Manhattan.  The direction is precise and spot on; the script crackles, and the acting (especially Gerwig and Sumner) pull you in and give you people you can both relate and like.

Life of Pi (Rated: PG-13, “ release date: November 21st, 2012) is a stunner of a film, especially if you see it in 3D (which you most DEFINITELY should).  It’s based on the novel by Yann Martel and follows a young boy, nicknamed “Pi,” whose family owns a Zoo.  Early on as a child, he’s fascinated with a beautiful Bengal Tiger, which his father is quick to point out is “not his friend.”  When the family decide to sell the zoo, they pack all the animals and head to the sea where they are met by a whopper of a storm.  It destroys the ship and leaves Pi shipwreacked on a life boat, alone with that same Bengal Tiger.  From there he must learn to survive not just the elements, but survive being next to a hungry Tiger.  Fans of the book (myself included) have long thought this novel was “unfilmmable” but Director Ang Lee has made a stunningly glorious film here.  True, it’s not quite as deep as the novel is, and some of the lyrical poetry may be lost a bit, but it’s a different medium, and through that shift change the beauty is transferred to the visual.  I myself lost my breath a few times simply by the beauty of it all.  Lead actor Suraj Sharma turns in a brave and focused performance as Pi.  Just wait until the flying fish sequence or any of the underwater shots.  It’s simply gorgeous.

SHOULD SEE

The Paperboy (Rated: R, Millennium Films, Release Date: 10/5/12) is director Lee Daniels follow up to Precious and it’s sure to stir up quite a mixed reaction.  It centers around 20 year old Jack (Zac Efron) who falls in love with a woman named Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman), a death row junkie who falls for a manshe’s never met (Hillary Van Wetter, played by John Cusack).  Jack’s brother Ward Jensen (Matthew McConaughey) is drafted to defend Hillary and through his investigation starts to uncover a dirty pool of corruption in 1960’s Florida.  It’s a throwback film, for sure, thrown back to the 1970’s both in visual style and storytelling.  Daniels recreates it here pretty vividly and audiences so far have been radically divided on the finished result.  Whether you love it or hate it, it’s a film unlike any out right now, so see it and decide for yourself.  Deceptive Practice (currently unrated, seeking distribution, release date: unknown) is a new documentary following magician/actor Ricky Jay over the spread of his career thus far.  It showcases his influences, his mentors, and enlightens you on a magician who has remained in the public eye for years but hasn’t really had anything delving into his past.  Jay’s participation sheds a very interesting light on his own upbringing and the ghosts of magican’s past.  Finally there’s The Bay (Rated R, Release date: November 2nd, 2012) Barry Levison’s (Diner, Rain Man) new “found footage” eco-thriller.  It tells the “unknown” tale of a small town which was wiped from the map due to a deadly outbreak instantly hushed up by the government.  Levison directs the film (with mostly unknown actors) with a solid footing into both storytelling and pulsing build.  Though the film peeters off towards the end, it is still a worthwhile smart entry into a genre that doesn’t normally think farther than scaring the audience.  Then there’s Camille redouble (Camille Rewinds) (now out in France, US release date unknown), a French remake of Peggy Sue Got Married and follows the story pretty closely.  Camille is an unhappy actress who falls down, hitting her head, and awakes as herself back in High School.  She looks the same but everyone else is much younger.  Though the film adds a few unique and interesting touches, it ends up feeling a bit like leftovers, but it does have a great lead in actress/director Noémie Lvovsky.  Not that leftovers are bad, because these are often quite funny and charming, and changes things just enough to add some spice.

SKIP IT

Three titles have stuck out like a sore thumb in the barrage of films passing through, and not in a good way.  Brian DePalma’s Passion (US release date unknown) stars Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace (the original Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is a remake of the French Film Love Crime and starts as a corporate dirty dealings guilty pleasure and true to its promise, it entertains.  For the first hour that is.  McAdams runs an ad agency in NY and Rapace is her fastest rising star.  What follows I won’t spoil because, just in case you do see it, it’s the only worthwile part of the film.  Halfway through things take a turn for the murderous thriller kind, and DePalma attempts to channel Hitchock but mostly in the theatre I was in, channeled unintentional laughter.  It’s a shame because it does start strong and McAdams is great here.  The film however is far from it.  Aquí y allá (Here and There) (US release date unknown) is the latest entry into the “dogma” style, meaning just leaving the cameras rolling in an almost “documentary style” realness and casting mostly non actors in the roles.  It follows a man returning to his family in Mexico after working in the US and… well that’s about it.  Nothing really happens in the film, and there’s nothing interesting happening here either.  The acting is below subpar but can’t be really called terrible because most of the time they’re just staring off into the distance.  La guerra dei vulcani (The War of the Volcanos) (US release date unknown) is documentary with a really interesting story but a documentarian with no idea how to successfully tell it.  It’s far too short for all the juicy Hollywood tidbits it needs to tell (running time is around 50 minutes) and instead of telling us the story of two feuding “Volcano” projects in the Golden Age of Hollywood involving Ingrid Bergman, Anna Magnani, & Roberto Rossellini, it opts to mostly use dialogue from the films themselves, which gets old fast and doesn't successfully tell the story like it should.  Do yourself a favor and skip the film but read about the drama that ensued this period of history.  You're welcome.

THE 50TH ANNUAL NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL IS RUNNING THROUGH OCTOBER 14TH, 2012 at FILM SOCIETY LINCOLN CENTER, NYC.  FOR FULL SCHEDULE INFORMATION VISIT http://www.filminc.com