The Academy, He Said

I don't think any of the recipients of the recent "Oscars" will agree with me, but I have to put my oar in the water on this issue. I don't care who wins the Oscars, because it is my personal belief that the awards, no matter what they say or do is just one other typically American attempt to find out who is Number One. The Academy and a lot of the winners will tell you that the honor of the award comes from the votes from their peers, which is true. The Academy will point to the tradition, glamour and the unparalleled success of the television broadcast of the awards. People care about who winds the major awards. But let's look at the process and the results.

Nominations and selection of the winners is carried out by a vote by the members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Only members may vote and many are restricted to their area of expertise, such as sound, lighting or photography. The major awards, acting, direction, script writing and music, are the ones that create all of the buzz, office pools and headlines. So what's wrong with this you say?

The process has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with making more money for the limited number of films involved in the process. and there in is the basis of my boycott of the awards. There is no way to pick the best film, best actor, best film or any other category. It is a matter of publicity, arm turning and emotional issues that lead to selections, that while they have merit, leave other worthy candidates in the pale.

I always paraphrase George C Scott when he said that if they want to pick the best performance they should have all comers play the same role and than pick the one they felt did it best. Please, I loved Forest Whitaker, Helen Mirren and Alan Arkin in their roles in what I thought were great films, but were they the best? We will never know because so many great performances are buried in films the Academy didn't consider. Rarely does a candidate get nominated from a film that does not have multiple nominations.

I know that the old chestnut about it being an honor to be nominated and winning is just the icing on the cake, but I defy you to name all of the nominees in each major category. No, it's all about number one and that does not advance the craft nor does it do anything to get people to watch more film. What it does is get people to watch the winners.

The television presentation is a ratings success, despite the annual complaints about how long it runs and the concerns of the stars using the occasion to plead their various causes. It's a moving issue of People or Vanity Fair magazine. The program is about who wears what, who comes with who. and who says what witty, quotable thing for the camera. In other words, it's another performance. I wonder if anyone is thinking of giving awards for the best performance at an award show?

Pans Lybrinth, He Said

El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan's Labyrinth:

This fantasy interwoven with a historical tale about 1940' Spain under the rule of General Franco, is from the abundantly creative mind of Guillermo del Toro. As our tale begins in the reality of Franco's Spain. An up and coming Captain is busy battling the remains of the resistance in rural Spain. For reasons that are not immediately apparent, he is transporting his pregnant wife and her daughter to his remote outpost.

The foreshadowing is clear. The young girl, Ofelia, is consumed with fairy tales, she does not like or trust her step father, and she loves her mother dearly. since her mother is trying to make a new life with this remote and implacable man. The problems are many. The wife is having a troubled pregnancy. The captain makes it clear that he is only interested in the child to carry on his name. The resistance has infiltrated his household and grows stronger.

Ofelia, takes us into the world of fantasy. She follows the path into the Labyrinth and comes to a hole that leads to a grotto. In this grotto she meets the Faun, who tells her that she is the daughter of a kind an loving king and that if she can prove herself, by completing three tasks before the moon goes full, she can return to the underground kingdom and live in happiness.

As our story flips back in forth from reality to fantasy, we are challenged as to which is more frightening of stories. Reality is bad enough with people being tortured beaten and killed, but fantasy produces grotesque and frightening creatures that represent our worst fears

The good wins out over evil, but not without a price. Ofelia is the hero of both stories and as such centers the divergent arch's. Del Toro's active and wonderful imagination is reflected beautifully on the screen. Excellent performances by Ivana Baquero as Ofelia and the deliciously evil Sergi Lopez, as Captain Vidal carry this story from the ridiculous into realm of sublime. This is a must see and I would opt for the large screen if I had a choice, in order to enjoy the special effects to the utmost

Volver - He Said

Volver is a typical Perdro Almodovar film in that it reflects his continuing fascination with women. In this film he tells the story of three generations of a family of women who are trying to find the answers to a lot of questions some of which are not apparent when our stories opens. What we find out in the beginning of our journey is that the mother of our two adult daughters Sole and Raimunda has died with their father in a fire. They are concerned about the condition of their older aunt, who has mysteriously survived even though she is a very confused state and appears unable to take care of herself. They discount the rumor that the ghost of their mother is caring for her.

Raimunda's husband is a drunk and is getting far to physical with his step daughter. When the daughter kills her step-father after he attacks her,Raimunda takes over an abandon restaurant next door to her apartment in order to use the freezer to hide the body of her dead husband. While secreting the body,Raimunda is approached by a representative of a movie company that needs a place to eat during a location shooting. Needing the money and still undecided what to do with the body, the whole story becomes very complicated.

We examine the relationship between Raimunda and Sole. We find out that Mom is able to look after more than the old Aunt when her spirit moves in with Sole. We find out the real story about the death of the girls parents and whoRaimunda's daughters father is.
Almodovar's story is complex and intriguing. I must admit I didn't see the surprise in the ending coming and it fit neatly. If you look past the murder of the dastardly husband and their ability to deal with the killing and get away with it, this film is touching, funny and exhilarating. It's a night of good fun and look at another cultures look at family relations. It also makes you glad that Penelope Cruz sisn't retire from acting to become Tom Cruise's wife.