Exception to the ruler
Stick to the script: Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator abandons improv to follow in the footsteps of filmic fanatics. (Illustration by Steve Murray)
Oscars 2012: We can rebuild him — Time to give the Academy Awards a million-dollar makeover
In the interests of livening up — and speeding up — the awards broadcast, here are a few simple techniques for making the Oscars more enjoyable for everyone. I’d like to thank the Academy and remind them that the music they hear is playing for them.
No shorts, please; we’re feature filmmakers
Short films often get short shrift, although they do have their own festivals now. And this year Toronto and Vancouver filmgoers actually had a chance to see the nominated live-action and animated films. The fact remains, however, that most moviegoers know little about the short films and less about those who bear the unfortunate and misleading title of short-film makers. Documentary shorts, this applies to you, too.
More suggestions…
Escape from L.A.: On the set of The Black Marks with Kurt Russell and Jay Baruchel
It’s three weeks into filming The Black Marks, a heist film written and directed by Jonathan Sobol. Today, the cast and crew are at the Ancaster Fairgrounds in Hamilton, Ont., shooting the scene that introduces Crunch (Kurt Russell), a third-rate daredevil and art thief who is looking worn from a stint in jail; his dubious love interest, Lola (Katheryn Winnick); and his sidekick, Francie (Jay Baruchel). Photos: Darren Calabrese/National Post
The Force is gone with this one: Why 3D will do little to improve Star Wars
A long time ago, in this very galaxy, Star Wars was a great film. Sadly, after his glorious pinnacle of creativity, George Lucas started a downward slide and ended up hacking away at his own legacy. (Illustration by Steve Murray)
Oscar nominees 2012: Hugo, The Artist, The Descendants score top nods
Martin Scorsese’s lavish 3D adventure Hugo won 11 Oscar nominations Tuesday, ahead of silent movie The Artist with 10 nods for Hollywood’s top cinema awards.
The third most nominations went to baseball movie Moneyball starring Brad Pitt and veteran director Steven Spielberg’s equine epic War Horse, which each got six nods.
Hugo’s nominations included the best picture category, where it is up against eight other movies including The Artist, which has been a favorite for the Oscars after a string of wins and nods in other awards shows.
The other movies nominated for best picture are The Descendants, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Help, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, The Tree of Life and War Horse. (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
Despite three entries at Sundance, Canadian documentaries are in dire shape
With three documentaries in competition, a feature film in the spotlight and a buzz-ready debut in premieres, this year’s Canadian contingent at the Sundance Film Festival may be the best in recent memory. But while official agencies have been quick to put out logo-laden news releases and party invitations celebrating our success, filmmakers say it’s no time to wave the Maple Leaf.
The Canadian funding system that gave birth to hometown heroes in the past, and the very core of the documentary tradition spawned by John Grierson, has been eroding in recent years, as a result of continuing budget cuts and shrinking broadcast windows.
Documentary production in Canada declined to its lowest level in six years, resulting in rising unemployment in the documentary field as a whole, according to Getting Real, a March 2011 report prepared by the Documentary Organization of Canada.
“Essentially, we are finding less and less support,” says Peter Wintonick, a veteran documentary director and producer who attended Sundance in years past with projects such as Manufacturing Consent, a film about linguistic guru Noam Chomsky. (Illustration by Andrew Barr)
Friday the 13th: Jason Voorhees’ body count
Friday the 13th comes three times this year, so in honour of this auspicious date we are revisiting Andrew Barr and Mike Faille’s visual representation of slasher star Jason Voorhees’ body count. The Friday the 13th hockey-mask afficiando has waged a one-man war against the evils of premarital sex, drug use, being a teenager and not being Jason Voorhees.
Power Dressing: The Iron Lady and the style of Margaret Thatcher
Baroness Thatcher, three term British Prime Minister — the first and to date only woman elected to that post — had a political career from 1959 to 1990. Phyllida Lloyd’s The Iron Lady spans over forty years, her rise from grocer’s daughter to world leader, and encompasses forty-something costume changes. Her style, in a word? Precise. And impeccable. (Photos: Alliance)
