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Disney Animated Classics: Numbers 6-10 Ranking

The next five films are a unique bunch in the Walt Disney animation collection. Created during World War II with a very limited budget, these films consist of segments inspired by music and incorporate live action in a bid to reduce animation costs. Admittedly, this makes these films difficult to rank because they are completely different medium of film in my opinion to the regular offerings from the studio. However, despite the quantity of animation, the quality is still there and makes these films worth watching.

Since there are numerous animators working on various segments, it means that the style of animation isn’t consistent as well, allowing the studio to bring a more experimental approach that attempts to push animation even further than the revolutionary Fantasia. Some of the films are a lot more successful at achieving this than others but the passion to create fun and groundbreaking animation of quality is present in all of the films.

You can read the link to the previous ranking here:

Films 1-5

And now for the discussions of Walt Disney Classic Animation Studios films 6-10:

6) Saludos Amigos (1943)

Made in an attempt to unite the two Americas in the midst of World War II, Saludos Amigos is a tribute to various South American countries such as Argentina and Brazil. It comprises of various shorts as groups of Disney animators draw inspiration from the places they visit merging the classic Disney style with South American culture. The result sees Donald and Goofy learn about the countries and it also sees the introduction of iconic Disney character, Brazilian parrot, Jose Carioca. The film heavily features live action which makes me unconvinced whether it should belong in the Disney Classic Animation collection, but the animation we view is a real treat. My main downside with this film is that the balance between educational and entertainment is heavily swayed in favour of the former with a lot of lecturing overshadowing the animation at times. Each segment shows the live action footage and pictures that they took away from their trips narrated in depth and is then followed with the animated footage with the narrator repeating the information he has already told us. The heavy use of narration sometimes distracts because there is so much information and therefore we miss some of the cultural aspects in the animation itself. I found this particularly distracting in the first segment when Donald Duck visits “Lake Titicaca”. I don’t think that narration is needed during the animated parts because we already know the information.

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7) The Three Caballeros (1945)

If there were doubts about Saludos Amigos position in this list then The Three Caballeros knocks it entirely out of the park. Again, featuring a more forgiving dose of live action, this film yet again focuses on Donald Duck’s adventures as he learns about South America through his friend, Jose Carioca. This film feels like a huge improvement on its predecessor and features some unforgettable songs. It feels more focused and yet isn’t afraid to be completely bonkers with a bigger than life finale. It’s a shame that Disney don’t use Jose Carioca in its cartoons or merchandise more because he’s a brilliant character. Another part of this film that I enjoy more than Saludos Amigos is that it is a fun film that isn’t as serious. Although it is a film that is educating its audience on South American cultures, it doesn’t feel like its lecturing us which as I previously said is something that Saludos Amigos does a lot. My favourite moment in this film is the brilliant inclusion of the eccentric Aracuan bird, a bird that lives in the rainforest and has a unique (to say the least) song. It is the funniest 30 seconds ever and the song he sings will be stuck in your head for hours.

8) Make Mine Music (1946)

Make Mine Music attempts to follow in the footsteps of Fantasia by creating art inspired by pieces of music. There are some brilliant segments in this film such as “Peter and the Wolf” and “The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met” but the film as a whole seems disjointed and has a tendency to drag. The pieces of music don’t flow as well as they do inFantasia, perhaps this is due to a lack of narration or explanation, meaning that one minute we watch a peaceful river in the moonlight in the classically inspired “Blue Bayou” which then follows in to “All the Cats Join In”, a jazz inspired mash of 1940s adolescence. It feels that this shouldn’t be put as a feature film as it doesn’t successfully thread together. This isn’t to say that I don’t enjoy the individual segments but as a film watching experience it is rather jarring.

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9) Fun and Fancy Free (1947)

Much like The Three Caballeros, Fun and Fancy Free feels like an improvement on its direct predecessor. Rather than featuring numerous sporadic segments in one film, Fun and Fancy Free only features two stories with sandwiched narration by Jiminy Cricket. The first segment, “Bongo”, is shorter and tells the story of the titular character, a circus bear who escapes into the wilderness and his struggle to adapt. It feels like a combination of Fantasia and Bambi and manages to tell a fulfilling story without overstaying its welcome. The second segment and the focus of the film is the epic “Mickey and the Beanstalk” which is, unsurprisingly inspired by the fairy-tale “Jack and the Beanstalk”. Following Mickey, Donald and Goofy during a time of famine after a magical harp fairy is kidnapped by a giant, the three set off to get her back. It’s a lovable piece that is accompanied by the real world story of a party with renowned ventriloquist, Edgar Bergen, who is recounting the story to child actress, Luana Patten, and his dummies, Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd, in attendance also. Charlie McCarthy is quite a cynical character and his little quips here and there will have you howling.

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10) Melody Time (1948)

Featuring a starry cast and seven musical segments, Melody Time was made with no expense spared on a $1.5m budget. The segment, “Blame is on the Samba” includes my favourite character, the elusive Aracuan bird who is his usual mischievous self. It’s a welcome return and a nice surprise that Disney decided to bring him back for an entire segment. With segments running as long as 22 minutes, this sees Disney allowing the artists to push themselves further. It definitely feels as though the Disney studio is beginning to recover from the effects of the war but Disney cleverly made sure to keep a focus on happiness and hope with lots of colours and joyful musical choices. Not to mention the favourite child duo at the time, Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten making appearances. It doesn’t quiet hit the highs of Fun and Fancy Free but the narration between segments brings a thread that is missing in Make Mine Music and it seems to flow better as a film because of this. I love the “Little Toot” segment particularly because it is charming and heartbreaking at the same time.

So with that, it’s time for the ranking. I found this particularly difficult because I have tried to balance how I felt watching the films when I was younger with how I feel about them now.

Without further ado, here is my ranking:

1) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

2) Fantasia (1940)

3) Bambi (1942)

4) The Three Caballeros (1945)

5) Pinocchio (1940)

6) Dumbo (1941)

7) Fun and Fancy Free (1947)

8) Saludos Amigos (1943)

9) Melody Time (1948)

10) Make Mine Music (1946)

That’s it for this post! It’s been interesting looking at films made during and after the war because Disney clearly felt that the studio should focus on lighter entainment rather than anything with dark undertones such as Bambi. Films 11-15 see a return to well-loved classics such as Cinderella and Peter Pan which I promise will be up much sooner than this one.

As always, let me know in the comments below whether you agree or disagree with my rankings so far? What would be your number 1?

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The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

On hearing the news that icon Doris Day had died yesterday, my mind immediately went to some of her greatest roles like Calamity Jane (1953) and Pillow Talk (1959); however, I always found myself most affected by her brilliant performance as the mother looking for her kidnapped son in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much. A remake of Hitchcock’s 1934 film of the same name, this Hollywood remake stars James Stewart and Doris Day as a husband and wife whose son, Hank, is kidnapped while they are holidaying in Morocco. It is revealed that their son is being used as a pawn while the kidnappers plan to assassinate an important ambassador during his visit to London. It’s a film that shows the importance of family in a time of politically turmoil that feels just as relevant in its post-war 1956 as it did in pre-war 1934.

The Man Who Knew Too Much is my favourite Hitchcock film and much of it is attributed to Doris Day in her role as Jo Conway McKenna. The role is clearly tailored for Day as she plays a professional singer. This may not seem like a stretch as we watch her beautifully sing the Oscar-winning song “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)” but this changes the moment Hank is kidnapped. Day effortlessly brings an emotional depth to her character that she hadn’t really displayed earlier in her career, showcasing her talents as a dramatic actress. In particular, her acting in the final act of the film shows an explosion of all these emotions and her distress and longing to see her son are brought to her heart-breaking final performance of “Que Sera, Sera” that seems worlds away from the performance at the beginning of the film.

Made with a large Hollywood budget, Hitchcock makes use of multiple locations across two continents and yet somehow, the murder scene that place in the open market of Marrakesh feels equally as claustrophobic as the climatic orchestral scene in the Royal Albert Hall. Hitchcock never allows the audience to let their mind wander in his films as we are quickly assured not to trust anyone. One of my favourite locations used is a small Taxidermist’s shop and the struggle James Stewart has escaping the workers is tense as he is almost stabbed by a swordfish. Another intense scene that is recreated in the remake is the chapel scene in which the protagonists discover that the kidnappers run a local church. As the mass is under way, they clear stand out in the congregation and it is only a matter of time before they have their confrontation with the criminals. Everything about this scene in both the original and remake is brilliantly done because Hitchcock ensures that everything is directed slowly. There isn’t much physical movement as the mass takes place, the hymns are slow and droll with the speaker calm and paced in his sermon. The suspense is driven up until the moment everyone has left and they are the last visitors in the church.

It would be a true crime not to talk about the music in depth. Aside from its Oscar-winning hit that became synonymous with Day throughout her life, music is also integral to its film because it is used for the climatic moment during the assassination attempt. As in the original, it is the clash of cymbals that signals the shot. The kidnappers play the piece on a record player beforehand so the audience knows the moment. This is a clever move on Hitchcock’s part because we then know the moment when the shot will occur. Opposed to the suspense of the chapel scene, the Albert Hall scene is faster paced as the music quickens and the camera shifts between the gunman, Day, the ambassador and the orchestra. I feel that Hitchcock improved on this scene from the original as he used the same musical piece but it feels that the suspense is really played out and the production feels bigger as a whole which I feel the original lacked.

It’s a shame that this film isn’t discussed as much as some of Hitchcock’s other films because although it’s not a horror in the traditional sense of the word (ie. Psycho and The Birds), it still contains elements of horror from the writing and directing. I think it is a film that shows Hitchcock not only pushing boundaries on filmmaking but also showing how he is willing to improve on his own work.

What is your favourite Hitchcock film? Let me know in the comments below!

Doris Day, 1922-2019

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Disney Animated Classics: Numbers 1-5 Ranking

For the next few blog posts, I will be ranking all of the Disney animated Classics from best to worst (in my opinion of course). I say worst really loosely because I honestly can’t think of a Disney animation that I truly hate . I will review 5 at a time before listing a ranking at the bottom of the post. The likelihood is that Snow White will probably come first as it is one of my favourite films overall but there are plenty of Disney films that get my love as well.

The definition of a ‘Disney Animated Classic’ is it must have had a theatrical release. Therefore, with the exception of The Rescuers Down Under (1992) and Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018), no sequels are included in this list as they were all direct to DVD releases.

As ever, feel free to comment with your own personal ranking. The best thing about blogging is being able to have discussions with people who also love film so I am really interested in hearing what you all have to say!

Nevertheless, here’s my reviews of Disney animations 1-5:

1) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

The one that started it all, I have already made my love for this film clear in a blog post that you can read here. An adaptation of the classic Grimms’ fairy tale, Disney fought all odds to prove initial critics wrong when they believed audiences wouldn’t have the attention span or interest in an animated feature and it paid off big time, giving Disney the revenue to build the iconic Disney Studio and start an empire that would become synonymous with the American Dream.

2) Pinocchio (1940)

Following the success of Snow White, Disney took on another classic tale, an adaptation of Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio. The story of a wooden puppet brought to life is charming and contains the classic song “When You Wish Upon a Star”. Pinocchio must show that he can be a good boy in order to become a real boy but he struggles, despite strong effort from his sidekick, conscience Jiminy Cricket. I actually think that Pinocchio is one of the darker films in the collection. It is full of manipulative characters such as Honest John and the evil Coachman and with scenes such as Pleasure Island and the encounter with Monstro the whale, Pinocchio is a tale of morality and questions what it actually means to be a good person.

3) Fantasia (1940)

The brilliance of this film cannot be talked about enough. Proving that he is willing to push even more boundaries in filmmaking, Fantasia looks at the relationship between animation and music. With music composed by Leopold Stokowski, the audience is transported into worlds of abstraction to clear stories filled with memorable characters. It’s hard not to think about “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” segment with Mickey’s iconic wizard hat and red cape. My personal favourite is the closing “Night on Bald Mountain” with it’s brilliant gothic colour palette, haunting beginning and middle as chaos ensues before evil becomes eclipsed by light giving the film a beautiful gently lit ending as “Ave Maria” is sung.

4) Dumbo (1941)

There are plenty of scenes and aspects of Dumbo that I love. The tale of the big eared elephant has touched the hearts of many since its release. It’s important message on how differences shouldn’t matter is one that resonates with all people. With songs that range from the melodic “Baby Mine” to the trippy “Pink Elephants on Parade”, Dumbo is film that seamlessly switches tone in a matter of minutes. Its short running time actually feels longer because of this. However, with all this said, it is not a film that has entirely dated as well as other classics due to its racial profiling with the Jim Crow scene criticised for its use of stereotypes and the disturbing imagery given in the song “Song of the Roustabouts”. It definitely makes Dumbo an uncomfortable film to watch with this in mind.

5) Bambi (1942)

One of the most charming films in the Disney library, Bambi is the story of a deer who learns the way of nature and life in the forest. The animation in this film is second to none and I definitely find myself appreciating it more every time I watch it. The beauty is that there is no strict plot in Bambi, it shows life happening to him and how he is affected from learning how to walk, to talk, make friends to the unforgettable scene where his mother is killed by an unseen hunter. The music and inevitability of the death scene is such a poignant one in the Disney library and is often referred to as the most heartbreaking moment in a Disney film and it’s easy to see why. It is a film that is unafraid to show the realities of life and the evilness of mankind. Not to mention the adorable best friend Thumper who provided the iconic line “if you can’t say nothing nice, don’t say nothing at all”. This film will break even the hardest of hearts.

So that’s the first five films all done and dusted. Now for the important part. Where do they rank?

Here is my ranking:

1) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

2) Fantasia (1940)

3) Bambi (1942)

4) Pinocchio (1940)

5) Dumbo (1941)

All of these films are classics in their own right and this isn’t to say that those in the last couple of places aren’t bad because they’re not. I just personally prefer other ones over them. In my next blog, I will be looking at films 6-10 so keep an eye out for that.

What do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know where you would rank these films in the comments below!

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Studio Ghibli

Studio Ghibli is a film studio renowned for its creativity, passion and maturity. There are no limits to the imagination. From the iconic characters such as Totoro and the Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro (1988) to the architectural brilliance such as the bathhouse in Oscar winning Spirited Away (2001) or the castle in Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), it’s impossible to watch a Ghibli film and not be impressed by the scope and detail.

I wrote a top 5 Ghibli film list a couple of years ago on my previous blog and looking back, I wonder how I managed to pick 5 at all. Of course Castle in the Sky (1986) is my all time favourite but there isn’t a Ghibli film that I don’t think fondly of. The worlds created by studio icons Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata (who sadly passed away last year) have become ingrained in the minds of people of all ages and backgrounds. The genius of Ghibli films lies in their ability to connect with anyone who watches them.

Miyazaki films are renowned for the large scope in world building. On the surface, the films are filled with such groundbreaking imagination that anything is possible such as Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. A trait of Miyazaki (particularly his earlier work in the 80s and 90s) is his underlying discussion on mankind’s treatment of nature. He incorporates this subject through various contexts whether that is through sci-fi/action (Castle in the Sky), dystopic (Nausicaa: Valley of the Wind) or a historical Japanese setting (Princess Mononoke).

Takahata’s film are formed by Japanese heritage and history. His worlds are usually formed by the real world with his most well-known film being Grave of the Fireflies (1988), a traumatic biopic about a teenage boy and his younger sister struggling to survive in World War II Japan. The opening alone is enough to break even the hardest of hearts. My favourite of Takahata’s is his swansong, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013), a retelling of Japanese folklore about a baby who is found in a bamboo stalk. It is a beautiful piece about a woman’s place in society and is mixed with magic and tradition and yet seems so unique and groundbreaking at the same time.

As I said before, Castle in the Sky is my all-time favourite which I know is probably a very different choice from most people. When Sheeta, a young girl on the run from the authorities and pirates, falls from the sky and is found by young miner Pazu, they team up to find the floating Kingdom of Laputa, a castle in the sky. I remember the first time I watched it and was taken aback by how original it was and to me it was (and still is) a flawless film. The weird thing is that I am aware that it isn’t the “best” Ghibli film (I think that would probably go to either Whisper of the Heart or Spirited Away) but there’s a beauty in Castle in the Sky in how brilliantly huge the imagination is so early on in Ghibli’s career. There’s a fearlessness in how the film isn’t afraid to include flawed heroes and complex primary and secondary characters. Also, the music by Joe Hiasaishi (who is also a Ghibli icon) is nothing less than stellar.

What are your favourite Ghibli films? Let me know in the comments below!

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Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

When it comes to discussing musicals, there will be a few that spring to the minds of many such as West Side Story and The Sound of Music. One of the best and most iconic musicals ever is the 1971 film adaptation of Fiddler on the Roof. Following lovable milkman, Tevye (Topol) who lives in a small fictional town Anatevka that has a strong Jewish population. This community is in the midst of facing harassment from the current military regime and the film sees this harassment grow as tensions worsen. Directed by Norman Jewison from a script written by the stage production’s writer, Joseph Stein, Fiddler on the Roof remains a favourite among musical fans thanks to its array of songs and emotional storyline that still feels timeless today.

One of my favourite characters and performances, Topol is nothing short of exceptional throughout the film. Being the audience’s way into the world of Anatevka and often breaks the fourth wall by talking to the audience. He is an outsider to the wider society but it also seems that he is an outsider within his own community as well. In my mind, no one but Topol can pull the lead performance with such dedication and commitment to the character. It could be argued that Topol is synonymous with Tevye and vice versa but that is by no means an insult. Tevye is a deeply complex character, a man so ingrained in his religion and place in the community but there is also a struggle to fight against the ideals expected from him as he longs for more than what he has. who laments his life as a poor man as he tries to navigate the matches of his three eldest daughters. Tevye is a man who likes to talk and sing about the importance of tradition but the life he leads is anything but. He misquotes scripture, goes back on a promise to let the widowed butcher marry his eldest daughter, Tzeital, and allows a communist from Kiev to educate his younger daughters. Tevye is a man who wants to follow traditions but is inherently progressive which makes him an outsider amongst his own community at times.

Now I can’t write why I love Fiddler and not talk about the songs. From the lively intro “Tradition” to Tevye’s iconic soliloquy “If I Were a Rich Man” and of course the beautiful “Sunrise, Sunset”. There aren’t as many songs in Fiddler as there are in other musicals but each song makes use of the space and the cast onscreen. No two songs sound the same and yet they will be stuck in your head one way or other. With John Williamd adapting the music from stage to screen, the film doesn’t feel like a stage production at any point which can easily happen, especially when the locations are limited.

Another aspect that I appreciate is the colour palette for the film. Strong hues of orange glow against the rural backdrop of browns and greens. It brings a natural richness and peace to the film, particularly during the opening credits. Aside from the sunset glow, the candlelit setting for Tzeital’s wedding to Motel is another beautifully created scene and is directed flawlessly. Despite being set in an open space in the village with everyone in attendance, the reception after the ceremony feels claustrophobic as chaos ensues.

Overall, Fiddler on the Roof is a film that should be watched by all film fans not just musical fans. With a three hour running time, it’s easy to think that watching a musical for that long would be daunting and (dare I say) boring, especially if you’re not necessarily an avid musical fan but the pacing is fantastic and it doesn’t feel that long. With an intermission placed so you can easily take a break should you wish to, Fiddler on the Roof is an experience that should be enjoyed at least once. Featuring one of the best characters brought to the screen, it is sure to delight most people thanks to its fantastic music, captivating performances and beautiful landscapes.

What do you think of Fiddler on the Roof? Let me know in the comments below!

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91st Academy Awards – Technical Awards

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My last blog on this year’s Oscars concludes with the Technical awards. This year has seen a huge number of large scale blockbusters that heavily use CGI to achieve their vision as well as smaller films that rely on using what they have. Both methods take imagination and it’s great to see films recognised across this spectrum.
Just in case you want to read my other blogs on this year’s Oscars, I’ll put the links below here:
Acting Awards
Creative Awards – Part 1
Creative Awards – Part 2
Creative Awards – Part 3
Here is my roundup of this year’s technology award winners!

Best Visual Effects
It seemed that Black Panther was the favourite to take this award home but the team for Neil Armstrong biopic First Man won. I feel that this film was deeply overlooked in various categories, particularly sound editing and this one throughout awards season but to see it recognised for its terrifically executed effects was deserved. I don’t think I have ever felt so claustrophobic watching a film before but this film managed to accomplish this from the first scene. Although the cast was the main talking point for this film on its release, I think that the visual effects were the standout feature of this film.

Best Sound Editing
I was happy to see First Man nominated in this category but given that it was up against box office smash Bohemian Rhapsody, I knew that it would lose. Personally, I feel that First Man should have taken this home but Bohemian Rhapsody is a film that relies heavily on its sound editing. I think that First Man used sound in a way that I hadn’t expected or seen before.


Best Sound Mixing
Again, Bohemian Rhapsody was the expected winner here and didn’t disappoint. I was happy with the win considering how they utilised mixing the Rami Malek’s vocals with Freddie’s so it wasn’t simply a case of Malek lip syncing his way through the film. It helped enhance Malek’s amazing performance and I think the win in this category was thoroughly deserved.

Best Editing
A lot of wins for Bohemian Rhapsody in the categories in this blog and this is the one of the film’s wins that I strongly disagreed with personally. I think that my main problem with the film as a whole was its editing. There were scenes that consisted of numerous cuts that made the film jittery. The film on the whole doesn’t flow well because it is badly paced and the editing is one of the main contributors to this problem. I thought that Hank Corwin should have won this category for his brilliant editing in Vice. It was innovative and unexpected, keeping the audience in a state of discomfort as we didn’t know what would happen next. The editing in Vice reflected the erratic nature of its subject and I think it conveys this fantastically.

Best Cinematography
Without a shadow of a doubt, this was Alfonso Cuaron’s for the taking and he won it completely deservedly for Roma. He manages to convey the problems of a Mexican classist society by keeping the focus solely on protagonist Cleo. Cleo becomes an embodiment of the working class female and the struggles of living a life that seems to be against her. Her story is told in black and white but the film is anything but. It teeters on a spectrum of emotions as we see Cleo in her darkest moments as well as her happier times as she navigates a pregnancy. Cleo’s friendship with her employer is beautifully conveyed as well as the two women bond over their mutual struggles.

That’s it for my Oscars roundup! What did you think of this year’s ceremony? Leave your comments below!

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91st Academy Awards – Creative Awards (Part 3)

Now I’m well into my roundup of this year’s Academy Awards and the more I write about it, the more I realise just how many surprises there actually were. In my first blog I spoke about the acting awards (here) and the following posts looked at the creative awards with the first batch here and the second lot here.

In this post, I will discuss the last batch of”creative awards”: Best Original Score, Best Song, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Best Production Design.

Best Original Score

This year’s win in this category was surprising, going to Ludwig Gorranson for his score for blockbuster Black Panther. Up to this point, Black Panther had been sweeping the technical categories and minor creative categories with multiple wins so this wasn’t as much of a shock on the night. However, I personally preferred Nicholas Brittell’s spectacular work for Barry Jenkins’s If Beale Street Could Talk and hoped that he would grab the win. I hope that there are many Jenkins/Brittell collaborations in the future and I am sure that he will win his Oscar one day.

Best Song

This is the one category where they may as well not have even had any other nominees. Smash it “Shallow” from A Star is Born is instantly recognisable even to those who haven’t seen the film. It is a brilliant track and definitely the highlight of the film. Personally, the film overall was a little underwhelming for my taste but this win was beyond deserving. Not to mention the undeniable chemistry between the film’s leads, Bradley Cooper (who directed the film) and Lady Gaga (who won the Oscar for her songwriting), which was one of the major talking points of the night. I think the song’s place in the film is the perfect starting point for the relationship of the two characters. I’d honestly be surprised if anyone voted otherwise just because it was pretty much a given as soon as the film was released.

Best Costume Design

Another category won by Black Panther and I can see why. One of the standout features of the film, the costumes were perfectly balanced between vibrant and muted costumes that had an eclectic mix between traditional tribal costume and a futuristic feel. I loved the hand-knitted pieces especially. Ruth E. Carter’s speech was one of my favourites of the night. I was sad that Sandy Powell didn’t win for The Favourite but the costumes in Black Panther are unique and haven’t been done before whereas I think The Favourite was enhanced by the makeup (badger) than the costumes themselves.

Best Makeup

Seeing as The Favourite was weirdly snubbed in this category, I am happy to see Vice recognised for the amazing transformation of its leading cast. The makeup allowed Christian Bale in particular to be completely lost in the role of vice president Dick Cheney. I personally enjoyed Vice a lot more than other people did so to see it win at all is welcome news.

Best Production Design

Another gong that went to Black Panther, I do think that this one should have gone to The Favourite. I understand that I am very biased to The Favourite but I do think it lost in categories that it shouldn’t have necessarily lost in. But also, these two films have great production design in their own way. Black Panther is a film that travels which gives the production team a chance to show of an array of various designs whereas The Favourite is mainly set in the one palace and is brilliantly designed to feel claustrophobic despite being an enormous estate.

That’s it for the creative awards. My next Oscars roundup will look at the technical awards.

What do you think of the winners? Do you agree with my thoughts? Let me know in the comments below!

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91st Academy Awards – Creative Awards (Part 2)

Continuing my roundup of this year’s Oscars, I will be discussing more of the Creative awards handed out on Sunday night. In my first blog I spoke about the acting awards (here) and the following posts looked at the creative awards (here). The array of topics from the winners and nominees show just how varied this year has been internationally. Without further ado, here’s my take on Best Animated Short, Best Live Action Short, Best Short Documentary, Best Documentary, Best Animated Feature and Best Foreign Film.

Best Animated Short Film

It was obvious that this gong would go to Pixar short Bao. The first Pixar short created by women, it tells the story of a mother-son relationship between a woman and a dumpling. It is a beautiful metaphor that shows the ups and downs of family life as Bao grows up and eventually starts to make questionable life choices. This film wasn’t for everyone and it’s understandable why but I loved it and thought it was a very touching and maternal piece of work. It brought something new to the table at Pixar, whose repertoire as of late has consisted of sequels and prequels and showed why audiences fell in love with it in the first place by injecting the passion and originality voiced by the animators and artists who work there.

Best Live Action Short

The winner of this award was Skin, a story of modern day racism in American which follows a Neo-Nazi who is kidnapped by a group of African Americans after organising a racial attack of his own and he is then tattooed completely black. The win in this category shows the importance to tell stories about the racial divide that still exists today.

Best Short Documentary

Nothing felt better for my feminist heart than seeing a crowd of women fill the stage to accept an Oscar for a film about menstruation. Period. End of Sentence explores women living in India whose education had been cut short due to their periods due to a lack of access to sanitary pads. A group of women team up and begin to manufacture sanitary pads so young girls and women can go to school and worship at temples. It is a brilliant insight into global inequality and puts to rest the patriarchal belief that gender equality exists. It also opens the gate for non-white female filmmakers to talk about subjects that are considered taboo in the same vein as Pakistani filmmaker, Sharmeen Obaid whose film, A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness that explores the so-called honour killings in her home country previously won an Oscar in the same category three years ago. The bravery that these women have to exploit these issues shows how powerful the medium of film is in communicating these topics to a society that tends to cover it’s ears to the problem.

Best Documentary

Free Solo follows rock climber Alex Honnold as he attempts to free climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. The filming itself proved to be a challenge as the production team had to ensure that Honnold was in no way hindered by bulky microphones or other film equipment. To do this they had a sound technician who knew how to rock climb and climbed alongside him. This is shows real innovation in filmmaking and brings a unique angle on this story rather than just having cameras at the top and bottom of the mountain.

Best Animated Feature

This year saw a welcome departure from the usual Disney win with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse winning the gong. It proved to be hugely popular mainly due to its inclusiveness in narrative as well as the animation itself which differs from the usual large-eyed computer animation that we have become accustomed to. This year also saw Wes Anderson’s return to animation with Isle of Dogs which was absolutely brilliant. Although not as strong as Fantastic Mr. Fox, Isle of Dogs gave the most star-studded cast from any of this year’s films and injected it into a tale about the love between a young boy and his dog.

Best Foreign Film

This category was one of the big competitions of the night. The pundits rightly put their money on Mexico’s entry, Roma, but it would be wrong to ignore the ferociously strong competition from Poland’s Cold War and Japan’s Palme d’Or winning Shoplifters. This year was a tremendous year for international film and I think Roma’s popularity specifically proves that mainstream audiences want to see non-English language films. There’s been a lot of debate on whether Roma should even qualify for awards season given that it is a Netflix film but I personally feel that using streaming it on Netflix means that millions of people will have a chance to watch a film that they may not ordinarily watch. I do think this debate played apart to its loss in the Best Picture race as I feel that the Academy may have felt that the Best Foreign Film win would suffice; however, there is no doubt that Roma was one of the most discussed films of the year and it won’t easily be forgotten.

That’s it for my second Creative awards roundup. My next post will look at the last batch of Creative awards: best song, best score, best costume design, best makeup and best Production design.

What do you think of the winners? Do you agree? Let me know in the comments below!

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91st Academy Awards – Creative Awards (Part 1)

For this segment of my Oscars 2019 roundup, I am looking at the four “big” categories in the creative department – both adapted and original screenplays, director and best picture. I have previously discussed my thoughts on the acting categories here. The screenplay categories are my favourite categories in the whole of awards season and this year provided an array of offerings from industry veterans and newcomers alike but ultimately we saw the veterans win the day.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Blackkklansman was one of my favourite films of this awards circuit. I knew it didn’t really stand a chance against the other Best Picture nominees that appeared to be more popular so seeing this great film recognised for its killer script was a great feat and to see the genius Spike Lee win an Oscar in competition was one of my personal highlights of the ceremony. This truly was his moment and although set in the 70s, the script seemed as though it could have been set this year. The timelessness shows not only his skill as a filmmaker but also breaks the illusion that we live in a society that is “equal” or “more equal” to make ourselves feel better. Spike uses this film as a vehicle to hold the mirror up to society through techniques such as combining footage from the news today with racist propaganda film The Birth of a Nation. The protagonist is the only black policeman in his unit so we get to see how he is treated within the African American community as well as the white men in power.

This script was my pick by far for the adapted screenplay award so I am thrilled that it won.

Best Original Screenplay

This winner was both a surprise and a disappointment in my personal opinion. Peter Farrelly won for the script for Green Book which was a very mixed film for me. My main issue with the film was its script. The story was lifted by the charisma of the actors rather by being lifted by the words they were saying. Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali did a fantastic job of carrying the film but sadly it seemed that they were driving a cardboard car rather than a real one.

My pipedream is to one day win the gong in this category so it tends to be the one I follow the most. My vote would have gone to The Favourite. The humour and depth of all three leads is unlike anything I have seen and to see a film treat three women with such vigour and respect was really refreshing. In my eyes, this was one of the major robs of the night.

Best Director

There was no doubt that Alfonso Cuaron would take the trophy home for Best Director. Whether or not Roma was to everyone’s liking, it cannot be doubted that this was the film Cuaron was born to make and could only be made by him. The vision was truly his as he took over practically every aspect of production including cinematography (which he also won) and co-editing. It’s rare that a film brings a first time actor award attention yet Cuaron created a star in the form of film lead Yalitza Aparicio, a recently graduated teacher who had no plans to enter acting and happened upon the audition by chance. Within the last six Academy Awards, Mexican filmmakers have won this gong with this being Cuaron’s second win in this category. In an industry where diversity still has a way to go, those statistics show good promise for the future of film.

Although Cuaron undoubtedly deserved his win, my personal pick would have been Yorgos Lanthimos for The Favourite but I knew Cuaron would take the gold and I am really happy for Roma’s success. Also, considering Lathimos had been largely left out of the director races for other awards, I was thrilled that he received a director nomination at all.

Best Picture

Now for the big one! We know the eventual winner of the big prize (Best Picture) went to Farrelly’s Green Book which some have viewed as deserving but others have already deemed will go down as one of the biggest mistakes in the Academy’s history. I think it’s too early to see whether it’s one of the biggest mistakes in the Oscars history but I do think it was the wrong choice. Usually this category tends to be a race between two (sometimes three) films but there was an array of films that had a chance this year all for different reasons. Green Book was among these but given that it was being consistently recognised for Mahershala Ali’s performance which I think is a huge bulk of its eventual win in this category, I didn’t think it would actually take it. I do feel strongly that this award should have gone to Roma or The Favourite because these films were experimental and yet had a lot of heart and love in them. I’m not sure I felt the same way about Green Book. As I said above, the script was too bland for my liking but also the context of production put me off. The fact that the film has all white male producers, director and screenwriters is already problematic. How do you make a film about the black American experience without a major black figure of authority behind the camera? I know I speak from a white female perspective but it just seemed so strange to me when you had other films in the mix such as Blackkklansman and Black Panther which proved to be popular with audiences and critics alike. On another note, I really feel that If Beale Street Could Talk should have been included in the nominees and considering films like Bohemian Rhapsody were included, there’s no reason why it was omitted.

I would have loved to see The Favourite or Roma take this award. I felt more of a connection with them. Both were films that stretch the imagination and remind me why I love films so much.

That’s it for this post. My next blog will look at another batch of creative awards including Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature and Best Foreign Film as well as the shorts.

What did you think of the winners and losers in these categories? Do you agree? Let me know in the comments below!

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91st Academy Awards – Acting Awards

So Sunday night was the 91st Academy Awards and as usual, I stayed up for them so suffice to say I am still recovering!

The night was full of expected wins (here’s looking at you “Shallow”) and even more surprises. Given that there is a lot of debate regarding the awards (particularly the Best Picture winner Green Book), I thought I would give my opinion on some of the awards. In this post, I will be discussing the acting awards.

Best Supporting Actress
By this point in awards season, it appeared to be Regina King’s Oscar to lose and she didn’t disappoint, claiming the Best Supporting Actress gong for her nuanced turn in Barry Jenkins’s brilliant adaptation of James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk. It was a performance that allowed King to shine as the matriarch who is determined to fight for justice for her daughter’s partner in jail. It was nice to see this film recognised because it was wrongly snubbed in major categories including Best Picture which had rightly caused a furore on social media.

This category was full of strong competition, particularly from Rachel Weisz’s incredible performance as Lady Sarah in The Favourite. She had won the BAFTA a couple of weeks ago and personally, she would have been my first choice for the award. That being said, it is wonderful seeing King being recognised in film after a long absence from the big screen.

Best Supporting Actor
Much like King, this was Mahershala Ali’s for the taking. Having won the same award two years ago for his stellar turn in Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight, his acting talents are still very much fresh in Hollywood’s mind and he continued his winning streak as the genius Dr Shirley in feel-good piece Green Book. Admittedly, I didn’t really get on with this film as a whole (I will explain more later) but the performance Mahershala gives cannot be ignored nor his win argued. He is brilliant playing the pianist touring the deep south chauffered by Tony, a white New York Italian security guard who proves to be Dr Shirley’s polar opposite performed brilliantly by Viggo Mortensen. Ali brings such an elegance and grace to his performance showcasing the struggle of Dr Shirley.
Having swept every supporting actor award, this was one of the expected wins; however, I can’t not mention Richard E. Grant who has been charming the globe with his enthusiasm this season and bringing a much needed injection of joy that the film industry needs during the politically turbulent backdrop. That being said, Mahershala was my choice to win and he has continued to cement his status as one of the greats.

Best Leading Actor
Like the two previous awards, this gong also had a clear frontrunner in the form of Rami Malek for his performance of Freddie Mercury in the audience favourite Bohemian Rhapsody. I have been a fan of Rami’s since his supporting turn in The Master and knew it was only a matter of time before he achieved even more success which came from his appearances on TV in Mr Robot. His performance as Freddie was clearly no easy feat as the film had a very troubled production due to allegations against director Bryan Singer. I have to be honest, I wasn’t a fan of the film as a whole. I wish I loved it because I am a huge fan of Queen and Malek but the script was poor and pacing was all over the place. I do believe that it is Malek’s performance that carries the whole film and the charisma that made it so enjoyable for audiences.

I do think that while this performance was a huge hit with critics and audiences, there were other performances in the same category that I feel were more deserving. I also feel that we’re going to see Malek in even better roles in the future. Personally, my vote would have gone to Bradley Cooper for his performance as fading country star Jackson Maine in his directorial debut, A Star is Born. Not only is it his best performance to date, it is a turn that proves how timeless the film’s plot is while discussing current themes in the 21st century.

Best Leading Actress
My favourite category of the night (pun intended). The best surprise of the night saw Olivia Colman win for her portrayal of Queen Anne in Yorgos Lanthimos’ phenomenal The Favourite. I can’t even begin to explain how much I enjoyed this film. It was flawless in every way from the script to the make-up and of course, the cast particularly the three leading ladies (Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone). Olivia was my pick for the gong the whole way through awards season. As much as I love Glenn Close, I felt that giving her the award would be more of a celebration of her entire career rather than her performance in The Wife specifically. Of course, Close doesn’t ever put a foot wrong, there’s a reason why she has led such a successful career but this felt that it was more about her previous Oscar losses in the past. What was even better was Colman’s reaction and speech. She was clearly just as shocked as everyone else at her win but she showed exactly why she has captured everyone’s heart. It’s so wonderful to think that “Sophie from Peep Show” has become a Hollywood Leading Lady.

Now as I said, Colman was my choice for this award. She is flawless in every role she takes whether it is a small British sitcom or a big Hollywood film. She brings a nuanced humour that also has a depth to it and makes even the smallest character three dimensional. I am so excited to see what she does next. I am also certain that Glenn’s big Oscar moment will come eventually and it will be for a performance as memorable as Fatal Attraction. I also feel like I should give a shout-out to Melissa McCarthy’s career defining turn in Can You Ever Forgive Me? which showcased McCarthy’s range and allowed her to break out of the comedic trope that she is known for.

That’s it for my acting awards roundup. What did you think of the acting award winners? Let me know in the comments below!

My next blog will look at the original and adapted screenplays, director and Best Picture awards.