What I Saw: Carnage

What I Saw:   Carnage

Most of us were taught to be suspicious of mean people, but personally I find that it is nice people that I don’t trust. Their acts of charity are really debts that they’ll make you repay with interest; their compliments are merely a ploy to get you to acknowledge their superiority and thank them for judging you; and all the while their smiling faces hide their true intentions. What are you hiding, nice people, that could possibly require you to utilize so many deceptive techniques with such regularity?




The characters in Roman Polanski’s Carnage start out presenting their better angels. They are civilized, sensible and smiling. Before long, however, they turn into characters that I actually like! Christoph Waltz is the first truth-teller of the group. Initially pegged as the parent who is never present because he is always on his cell phone, he soon points out that it is the others who are actually distancing themselves from the situation through their false pleasantries. Kate Winslet plays his wife, a woman who tries so hard to make everyone happy that she makes me sick, and as luck would have it she ends up making herself sick too! Opposite them is John C. Reilly, dressed in his best sweater and making mindless small talk about flowers and cobbler, and Jodie Foster, who gets what she deserves as her insistence that people should be nice backfires horribly.

I rather enjoyed this film’s biting portrayal of our true psychological states, and the way that both the screenplay and the actors slowly peeled back the illusions of societal decency. My only complaint is that the film ended too abruptly for me. I wasn’t expecting a resolution or happy ending, mind you, but it would have been nice to see someone storm out or otherwise make clear that the conversation was over. Then again, if it had such a tidy and “nice” ending, I probably wouldn’t have trusted it!



Oscar Chances:

Although the film did not get any love from the Academy, it did receive Golden Globe nominations for Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet, and won France’s Cesar award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

As always, check the Tracker Pages in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the most updated predictions in all categories!
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85th Oscar Animated Feature Updates (3/16/12)

Typically when considering the animated film category, prognosticators look at the scheduled wide-releases and simply line them up based upon the studios that produced them. Last year, however, four foreign language films made the short list, and two of them received nominations.

I’ve stepped up my game to try to acknowledge this, looking for foreign and independent animated films that might sneak up and surprise us. In reality, fewer than 20 of these films will actually qualify, with the others foregoing U.S. releases, going directly to DVD or being disqualified. Still, I’m hoping to claim the bragging rights for being the first one to identify those surprises.

For the moment, I have moved The Lorax out of the top 5. Reviews seem to suggest that it is a solid kid’s story, but the critics don’t seem to be overjoyed by it the way they were with last year’s Rango. I am also beginning to wonder whether the supernatural themes of Frankenweenie, ParaNorman and Hotel Transylvania might lead to a situation where all three are overlooked. With their current release schedules being compressed within a two month time frame, it will be that much more difficult for one of them to emerge as the clear front-runner.



1. Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman for Brave (previous rank 2)
2. Hiromasa Yonebayashi for The Secret World Of Arrietty (Kari-Gurashi No Arietti) (previous rank 1)
3. Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt for The Pirates! Band Of Misfits (previous rank 14)
4. Peter Ramsay for Rise Of The Guardians (previous rank 4)
5. Richard Goldgewicht for Pablo (previously listed in 84th Oscar race, rank 21)



Alternates:
6. Tim Burton for Frankenweenie (previous rank 7)
7. Chris Butler and Sam Fell for ParaNorman (New)
8. Ken Daurio and Kyle Balda for Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax (previous rank 3)
9. Will Finn and Dan St. Pierre for Dorothy Of Oz (previous rank 19)
10. Antoine Delesvaux and Joann Sfar for The Rabbi’s Cat (Le Chat Du Rabbin) (previously listed in 84th Oscar race, rank 2)
11. Patrice Leconte for The Suicide Shop (Le Magasin Des Suicides) (previous rank 15)
12. Genndy Tartakovsky for Hotel Transylvania (New)
13. Jairo Eduardo Carrillo and Oscar Andrade for Little Voices (Pequenas Voces) (New)
14. Alex Williams for The Wild Bunch (previous rank 11)
15. Rich Moore for Wreck-It Ralph (previous rank 8)
16. Steve Martino and Mike Thurmeier for Ice Age: Continental Drift (previous rank 13)
17. Bibo Bergeron for A Monster In Paris (Un Monstre A Paris) (previously listed in 84th Oscar race, rank 24)
18. Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath and Conrad Vernon for Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (previous rank 5)
19. Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie for Aya Of Yop City (Aya De Yopougon) (New)
20. Anca Damian for Crulic: The Path To Beyond (Crulic: Drumul Spre Dincolo) (New)
21. Yoshimi Itazu and Satoshi Kon for The Dreaming Machine (Yomemiru Kikai) (previously listed in 84th Oscar race, rank 8)
22. Michel Ocelot for Tales Of The Night (Les Contes De La Nuit) (previously listed in 84th Oscar race, rank 12)
23. Antoine Charreyron for The Prodigies (La Nuit Des Enfants Rois) (previously listed in 84th Oscar race, rank 6)
24. Zack Keller and Ed Skudder for The Inventors (previous rank 27)
25. Hiroyuki Okiura  for A Letter To Momo (Momo E No Tegami) (New)

26. Seong-yun Oh for Leafie: A Hen Into The Wild (Madangeul Naon Amtak) (New)
27. Chris Sullivan for Consuming Spirits (New)
28. Luis Mandoki for Banking On Mr. Toad (previously listed in 84th Oscar race, rank 23)
29. Martin Clapp, Dorota Kobiela and Geoff Lindsey for The Flying Machine (New)
30. Terence Nance for An Oversimplification Of Her Beauty (New)
31. Eduardo Schuldt for Los Ilusionautas (New)
32. Remi Bezancon and Jean-Christopher Lie for Zarafa (New)
33. Barrett Esposito for Henry & Me (New)
34. Juan Jose Campanella for Metegol (Foosbal) (previous rank 22)
35. Wayne Thornley for Zambezia (New)
36. Jean-Francois Laguionie for Le Tableau (The Table) (New)
37. Kresten Vestbjerg Anderson, Thorbjorn Christoffersen and Phillip Einstein Lipski for Ronal The Barbarian (Roanl Barbaren) (New)
38. Kory Juul for White Tiger Legend (previous rank 17)
39. Saranne Bensusan for The Hunting Of The Snark (New)
40. Renato Barreto for Ivete Stellar Stone And Light (Ivete Stellar E A Pedra Da Luz) (New)
41. Stephane Berla and Mathias Malzieu for The Boy With The Cuckoo-Clock Heart (Le Mecanique Du Coeur) (New)
42. Tony Tang for Sky Force (New)
43. Anthony Bell for Norm Of The North (previous rank 6)
44. Ben Stassen for Sammy’s Adventures: The Secret Passage (A Turtle’s Tale) (Sammy’s Avonturen: De Geheime Doorgang) (previously listd in 84th Oscar race, rank 16)
45. Tom Walsh for Dwegons (New)
46. Deryck Broom and Roger Hawkins for The Lion Of Judah (previously listed in 84th Oscar race, rank 15)
47. Kevin Lima for Monkeys Of Mumbai (New)
48. Bill Boyce and John Stronach for Noah’s Ark: The New Beginning (New)
49. Keiichi Hara for Colorful (Karafuru) (New)
50. Leon Joosen for Saving Santa 2012 (New)


As always, check the Tracker Pages in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the most updated predictions in all categories!   
See Animated Feature predictions for other years HERE.
If you’re really into animation, check out the Animated Shorts also.
See predictions for other categories at the 85th Oscars HERE.
Switch to another year: 84th,  85th,  86th,  87th,  88th,  89th  
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85th Oscar Foreign Language Predictions (2012-2013 Awards Season) (3/13/12)

The director and cast of Just The Wind (Csak A Szel)

Making predictions for the Foreign Language race before the Cannes lineup has been announced may seem a little strange, but I enjoy learning about new films, and sharing some of the titles that have come to my attention. In truth, we’re almost half way through the eligibility period for foreign language films (which runs from October through September), so it is likely that a few films that will be entering the race have already been seen somewhere.

The casual observer will note that I didn’t include either the winner of the Berlin or Sundance Film Festivals in my to 5 (although both do appear in my top 15). Caesar Must Die won the Golden Bear at Berlin, just as A Separation did last year, and might be seen as a logical front-runner. I’m concerned, however, that the documentary nature of the film may mean that Italy will choose a different entry, one that might represent a larger portion of their national film industry. Meanwhile, Valley Of Saints, which took home the audience prize at Sundance, is a co-production of India and the United States, which could potentially lead it to be disqualified by the rules (simply a speculation, I have no proof), or overlooked by the Indian decision makers in favor of a film that is produced entirely within India. In both cases, I can anticipate moving them higher up my list if they are actually chosen by their selection committees.

I went with a list of 100 films this time instead of 50, because once I had spent some time learning about them I thought I might as well share them. While I have tried to create some balance between different countries and regions, I did not strictly apply the Academy’s one-film-per-nation rule to this round of predictions.

I also know that I have many international readers, so I encourage everyone to add suggestions in the comments section regarding films that are being released in your area, and to let me know if you have seen a film and think it should be moved up or down in the rankings. Enjoy!



1. Benedek Fliegauf for Just The Wind (Csak A Szel)
2. Marialy Rivas for Young & Wild (Joven Y Alocada)
3. Ji Huang for Egg And Stone (Jidan He Shitou)
4. Eytan Fox for Yossi (Ha-Sippur Shel Yossi)
5. Miguel Gomes for Tabu



Alternates:
6. Christian Petzold for Barbara
7. Aleksander Sokurov for Faust
8. Pablo Giorgelli for Las Acacias (previously listed in 84th Oscar race, rank 7)
9. Nikolaj Arcel for A Royal Affair (En Kongelig Affaere)
10. Rasit Celikezer for Can
11. Alberto Morais for The Waves (Las Olas)
12. Edwin for Postcards From The Zoo (Kebun Binatang)
13. Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani for Caesar Must Die (Cesare Deve Morire)
14. Musa Syee for Valley Of Saints
15. Maja Milos for Clip (Klip)
16. Quan’an Wang for White Deer Plain (Bai Lu Yuan)
17. Ursula Meier for Sister (L’enfant D’en Haut)
18. Kim Nguyen for War Witch (Rebelle)
19. Michael Haneke for Love (Amour)
20. Kar Wai Wong for The Grandmasters (Yut Doi Jungg Si)


21. Emin Alper for Beyond The Hill (Tepenin Ardi)
22. Catalin Mitulescu for Loverboy (O Agapitikos)
23. Julia Murat for Found Memories (Historias Que So Existem Quando Lembradas)
24. Levan Akin for Certain People (Katinkas Kalas)
25. Deepa Nehta for Midnight’s Children (Winds Of Change)
26. Ra’anan Alexandrowicz for The Law In These Parts (Shilton Ha Chok)
27. Clement Oubrerie and Marguerite Abouet for Aya Of Yop City (Aya De Yopougon)
28. Pen-Ed Ratanaruang for Headshot (Fon Tok Kuen Fah)
29. Konstantin Bojanov for Ave
30. Nawaf Al-Janahi for Sea Shadow
31. Alain Gomis for Today (Aujourd’hui) (Tey)
32. Patricia Benoit for Stones In The Sun (Woch Nan Soley)
33. Yi Seung-jun for Planet Of Snail
34. Julio Hernandez Cordon for Dust (Polvo)
35. Johnnie To for Life Without Principle (Dyut Meng Gam)


36. Alvaro Longoria for Sons Of The Clouds (Oulad Lemzun)
37. Hiroyuki Okiura for A Letter To Momo (Momo E No Tegami)
38. Pablo Trapero for White Elephant (Elefante Blanco)
39. Mads Matthieson for Teddy Bear (10 Timer Til Paradis)
40. Manoel De Oliveira for Gebo And The Shadow (Gebo Et L’ombre)
41. Brillante Mendoza for Captive
42. Giorgos Lanthimos for Alp (Alpeis)
43. Cedric Kahn for A Better Life (Une Vie Meilleure)
44. Markus Schleiner for Michael (previously listed in 84th Oscar race, rank 20)
45. Vibeke Lokkeberg for Tears Of Gaza (Gazas Tarer)
46. Jairo Eduardo Carrillo and Oscar Andrade for Little Voices (Pequenas Voces)
47. Ki-Duk Kim for Arirang
48. Mads Brugger for The Ambassador (Ambassadoren)
49. Antonio Chavarrias for Childish Games (Dictado)
50. Kleber Mendonca Filho for Neighboring Sounds (O Som Ao Redor)


51. Ruben Ostlund for Play
52. Babis Makridis for L
53. Kamen Kalev for The Island (Ostrovat)
54. Bety Reis, Irim Tolentino and Luigi Acquisto for Beatriz’ War (A Guerra Da Beatriz)
55. Lasse Hallstrom for The Hypnotist (Hypnotisoren)
56. Susan Youssef for Habibi: My Beloved (Habibi Rasak Kharban)
57. Kelichi Kobayashi for About The Pink Sky (Momoiro Sora O)
58. Mohammed Rasoulof for Goodbye (Be Omid E Didar)
59. Maiwenn Le Besco for Polisse
60. Bouli Lanners for The Giants (Les Geants)
61. Alfredo Leon Long for A Monkey Among The Hens (Mono Con Gallinas)
62. Jahmil X.T. Qubeka for A Small Town Called Descent
63. Lucy Mulloy for One Night (Una Noche)
64. Benoit Jacquot for Farewell My Queen (Les Adieux A La Reine) (previously listed in 84th Oscar race, rank 29)
65. Teona Strugar Mitevska for Man On Asphalt (The Woman Who Brushed Off Her Tears)


66. Jacques Audiard for Rust And Bone (De Rouille Et D’os)
67. Takashi Miike for Ichimei (Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai)
68. Aktan Aryn Kuba for Mother’s Paradise (Raj Dija Mamy)
69. Anca Damian for Crulic: The Path To Beyond (Crulic: Drumul Spre Dincolo)
70. Spiros Stathoulopoulos for Meteor (Meteora)
71. Boudewijn Koole for Kauwboy
72. Michel Lipkes for Malaventura
73. Fonseca Soares and Alexis Tsafas for The Girl With Big Eyes (A Menina Dos Olhos Grandes)
74. Sky Crompton for Citizen Jia Li
75. Petri Kotwica for Rat King
76. Daniel Dorobatu for Tau
77. Midi Z. for Return To Burma (Gui Lai De Ren)
78. Ngoc Dang Vu for Lost In Paradise (Hot Boy Hoi Loan - Cua Chuyen Ve Thang Cuol, Co Gai Diem Va Con Vit)
79. Davy Chou for Golden Slumbers (Le Sommeil D’Or)
80. Matthias Glasner for Mercy (Gnade)

81. Magnus Martens for Jackpot (Arme Riddere)
82. Gerardo Chijona for Ticket To Paradise (Boleto Al Paraiso)
83. Sharon Bar-Ziv for Room 514
84. Djamel Azizi for The Last Safari (La Dernier Safar)
85. Sameh Zoabi for Man Without A Cell Phone (Ish Lelo Selolari)
86. Bohdan Slama for Four Suns (Ctyri Slunce)
87. Joel Novoa for God’s Slave (Esclavo De Dios)
88. Ermanno Olmi for The Cardboard Village (Il Villaggio Di Cartone)
89. Shion Sono for Himizu
90. Gianluca De Serio and Massimillano De Serio for The Seven Acts Of Mercy (Sette Opere Di Misericordia)
91. Ognen Dimitrovska et. al. for Skopje Remixed
92. Phillippe do Pierpong for She Is Not Crying, She Is Singing (Elle Ne Pleure Pas, Elle Chante)
93. Everardo Valerio Gout for Days Of Grace (Dias De Gracia)
94. Alexander Hahn for Monsieur Taurins
95. Michale Boganim for Land Of Oblivion (La Terre Outragee)
96. Nathan Collett for Togetherness Supreme
97. Baltasar Kormakur for The Deep (Djupia)
98. Akhat Ibrayev for Fairytale Forest
99. Anka Sasnal and Wilhem Sasnal for It Looks Pretty From A Distance (Z Daleka Widok Jest Piekny)
100. Carlos Hernandez for Anything Else Than Air (De Puro Aire)



As always, check the Tracker Pages in the upper right hand corner of this blog for the most updated predictions in all categories!   
See Foreign Language predictions for other years HERE.
See predictions for other categories at the 85th Oscars HERE.
Switch to another year: 84th,  85th,  86th,  87th,  88th,  89th  
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