The Last Three Months (Part I)

Hey there fellow CinemAddicts! Allow me to start off these next few blog posts with an apology. In the last three months, a lot has happened that has kept me from writing on this blog. Between a hand cast, spring break, a law review comment, finals, and a trip to Atlanta, I wouldn't blame you if you thought this blog was dead. But with the end of finals, the start of summer movies, and a quick shot of adrenaline, the blog is back! The next string of posts are part of a three-part post that will include musings from some of the movies that I've seen since I last wrote this blog. I planned to write each of these posts after seeing the respective movies, but unfortunately life got in the way (thanks a lot, life).  But without further ado, here is Part I of The Last Three Months

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Part I
The Nostalgia Effect or: Why I Love Jurassic Park

"Nostalgia. It's delicate, but potent. In Greek, 'nostalgia' literally means, 'the pain from an old wound.' It's a twinge in your heart, far more powerful than memory alone. [Nostalgia] isn't a spaceship. It's a time machine. It takes us to a place where we ache to go again. It lets us travel the way a child travels. Around and around, and back home again...to a place where we know we are loved." -- Don Draper, Mad Men

Let me try to explain. When I was three years old, I loved dinosaurs. I loved their confusing names and their unending variety, their strange features and impossible size. This was an unconditional love, the way a puppy loves its owners from the moment it meets them. My reason for loving dinosaurs was because they existed, or at least because they had existed. I was a T-Rex for Halloween the first year I could walk, the first movie I owned was The Land Before Time, and my favorite book was We're Back! A Dinosaur Story. So try to imagine my excitement when my parents told me that a movie was coming out about a dinosaur theme park. 

Jurassic Park was released on June 11th, 1993, two weeks after my fourth birthday. I'm sure I'd seen movies in the theater, but I can't remember any before Jurassic Park. The week the movie came out, I remember going to a family gathering and sitting by my aunt and uncle's pool. My extended family knew of my love for dinosaurs and could tell that I was excited about the release of a dinosaur-related film. Some of my relatives had already seen the movie and I remember them telling my parents that it may not be suitable for a kid my age. After all, it had been rated PG-13 for "intense science fiction terror." My parents understood everyone's concerns, but also knew that they had been telling me about this movie for almost a year. In the end, they agreed that they would see the movie first and determine afterward whether it would be ok for me to see it.

The next night, my parents sat down on the end of my bed to tell me about the movie.  They explained that it was far more complex than they thought it would be, but more importantly, it was far scarier than any movie I had ever seen.  The dinosaurs were so lifelike, they warned, that I may be afraid of dinosaurs forever. I couldn't believe it. How could dinosaurs be scary? They were too magnificent and magical to cause fear. They could only cause wonder. It had to have been a tough choice for my parents: they didn't want me to lose my love for these prehistoric creatures, but deep down they knew that perhaps no movie showed them as realistically as the one they had just seen. I remember arguing as much as a four year old could argue, but my parents wouldn't budge. I would have to wait to see Jurassic Park.

A week later, my spirits crushed and my feelings toward dinosaurs quickly going extinct, my parents woke me with a surprise. My grandparents were in town, and grandpa wanted to go see a movie. But he didn't want to just see any old movie...he wanted to see that dinosaur movie he had heard so much about. I could hardly contain my excitement. That afternoon my dad, grandpa, and I drove to the nearest theater,  purchased three tickets for Jurassic Park, and the rest--as they say--is history. 

I don't remember much about that first showing of Jurassic Park, partially because I was only four and partially because I've seen it so many times since that I can't possibly remember everything from my first viewing. I do remember my dad covering my eyes when the goat's leg is spit out on the car and during the now-famous Velociraptor kitchen scene, and I remember cheering as the T-Rex saves the day in the movie's finale. And of course I'll never forget the first time that Dr. Grant sees the Brontosaurus, with the unnerving rise of John Williams' score dropping away into a soft, reverent violin, making every heart in the theater twinge with wonder.  

Fast forward 20 years later.  Now a second-year law student, I have a workload more unfathomable than the prospect of dinosaurs ever coming back to life. But for one week in April of this year, I devoted myself to the 20th anniversary rerelease of what I can now unquestionably call my favorite movie. I've considered my favorite movie list a lot since Jurassic Park 3D, and each time I keep coming back to the same thought: there's no other movie I've seen that would make me as eager to find prescreening tickets, to post Facebook statuses, pictures, piano covers, and now a blog post just to show my excitement. For years, I've simply called Jurassic Park the "most entertaining movie" I've ever seen.  It's pure fun, made to make you smile with happiness, jump with fear, and stare in stunned disbelief. But maybe my definition of "favorite" has been wrong all along. Maybe "favorite" doesn't mean "best." Maybe it should be reserved for that one movie that makes you remember, that makes you ache, and that makes you feel like a kid again. After all, Jurassic Park's target audience was always supposed to be kids.

I realize that it's almost unfair to open a blog with a Don Draper quote, but that Greek definition of "nostalgia" is just too perfect. Last month, for the first time in 20 years, I found myself transported back to my four-year old self. As I stared up at the 3D images projected above, I felt myself wanting to tear off my glasses like Dr. Grant, my mouth agape, my breath taken away. For what it's worth, Jurassic Park has stood up incredibly well to recent advances in CGI and digital moviemaking. The sick Triceratops scene is still incredibly bittersweet (who doesn't want to lean on the side of a breathing Triceratops and bob up and down with each inhale and exhale like Dr. Grant does?). The T-Rex scene in the rain--the only eight minutes of the movie absent any John Williams' score--remains a masterwork in editing and cinematography. And that first reveal of the Brontosaurus, regardless of some CGI aging, will be forever awe-inspiring.

Jurassic Park will never be the best movie ever made. It's far from it, and no offense will be taken by me if anyone feels that it's not even in Spielberg's best works. But for this lone blogger, it's my time machine to a simpler time. It's my carousel, my nostalgia creator, my childhood wrapped in 2 hours and 7 minutes. It lets me experience movies as I once did as a child, free of criticism or senility. And what more could I ask for in a favorite movie than to be one that is worth watching again and again and again?

It's Oscar Week!

I know I haven't posted anything since before the Super Bowl a few weeks ago, but this post wouldn't have been nearly as informed back then.  In the last two weeks, there have been various Guild award shows (Producers, Writers, etc.), the BAFTA's, the Grammys (that doesn't matter as much, but it happened, so count it), and I've seen the final Best Picture films that were still on my list (Amour and Beasts of the Southern Wild).  But now that all the minor league award shows are over, it's time to finally get excited for The Granddaddy of Them All, the Academy Awards!  And what better way to celebrate than by predicting the winners?

Before we go on, I must warn you that what you will read below is purely speculation.  If you are responsible for winning an Oscar pool this weekend (as I hopefully will be doing), feel free to throw all of the thanks my way.  But if you lose, this was not my fault.  The Oscars are like what happens after the drop in Harlem Shake videos...the only thing you can predict is that there will be craziness.  Even the greatest industry experts are often wrong.  With that said, in each category below I will give my pick for who I think WILL win, while also giving a mark for who I think SHOULD win.  Got that?  Just in case, I'll warn you one more time, but with more printed loudness: DON'T READ ANYTHING INTO THE "SHOULD" WIN CATEGORY EXCEPT FOR THAT I ENJOYED IT!  Also, keep in mind that in some of these categories I haven't seen all the nominees (but honestly, how many people in the world have seen all the nominees?), which may create some bias.  For your sake, I have broken these into categories of minor awards, technical awards, and the big awards.  So without further ado, here are my predictions for the 2013 Academy Awards.

X = Will Win

O = Should Win



Minor Awards

Best Short Film (Live Action)

             Asad
             Buzkashi Boys
(X)       Curfew
             Death of a Shadow
             Henry

Did I say in some categories I haven't seen all the nominees?  I guess I kind of lied.  In some categories, like this one, I haven't seen any of the nominees, so it's best to get this one out of the way early.  Anyway, Curfew, the story of a down-on-his-luck guy who is called to look after his 9-year old niece for a few hours (riveting stuff here, I know), is going off at 2/1 odds at goldderby.com.  I'm not even gonna pick a Should Win because I feel bad.


Best Short Film (Animated)

             Adam and Dog
             Fresh Guacamole
             Head over Heels
(X)(O)  Paperman
             The Simpsons: The Longest Daycare

Alright I've seen films in this category!  Only two, but still.  Look, I think Paperman is a lock to win this one.  It screened in theaters before fellow nominee Wreck-It Ralph, it stole the hearts of audiences everywhere, and even became a viral Facebook hit on Valentine's Day.  This film is two scoops of wonderful, and I fully expect it to take home the Oscar on Sunday.


Best Documentary (Short Subject)

             Inocente
             Kings Point
             Mondays at Racine
(X)        Open Heart
             Redemption

Look, I promise I'm going to seem like an expert in the upcoming categories.  These first four are pretty rough (I partially blame Netflix, who in past years has been great about putting Oscar-nominated documentaries up before awards are presented).  I'm just giving you the odds again on this one:  Open Heart, which follows a group of Rwandan children who set out to receive heart transplants that may save their lives, is going off at 21/10 odds.  If you don't like that, Inocente, which highlights a homeless immigrant trying to become an artist, is going off at 7/2.  Seriously, I apologize.


Best Documentary (Feature)

             5 Broken Cameras
             The Gatekeepers
             How to Survive a Plague
             The Invisible War
(X)        Searching for Sugar Man

This documentary has had all of the buzz building around it in the past few weeks.  It follows two South Africans who set out to find what happened to their favorite rock idol, the American musician Rodriguez.  I wish I could say I'd seen it, as I've been trying to find a place showing it for weeks (again, this one is on Netflix...you really let me down, bro).  But take it from me.  This one's a winner.


Best Foreign Language Film

(X)(O)  Amour
             War Witch
             No
             A Royal Affair
             Kon-Tiki

You don't have to be a genius to figure out what film will win this award this year.  One foreign language film is nominated for Best Picture, the others are not.  I may have only seen one, but I'm gonna guess it deserves it.  Enough said.


Best Animated Feature Film

             Brave
(X)       Frankenweenie
             ParaNorman
             The Pirates! Band of Misfits
(O)        Wreck-It Ralph

I really want this award to go to Wreck-It Ralph.  No other movie created so much nostalgia for me this year, even with the terrible theater conditions I saw it in (the sound on the left half of the theater cut out every ten minutes for the entire movie).  But that was just me and other videogame-loving kids.  Real adults, such as critics, loved Frankenweenie, and Tim Burton has never won an Oscar.  Though this isn't the film he deserves it for, I think this is his year.



Technical Awards

Best Achievement in Visual Effects (Finally!  I've seen these movies!)

             The Avengers
             The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
(X)(O)  Life of Pi
             Prometheus
             Snow White and the Huntsman

The movie is about a boy and a tiger in a boat in the middle of the ocean.  Let me repeat that: the movie, which is up for Best Picture, spends the majority of its time dealing with a boy interacting with a tiger...on a boat...in the ocean.  This movie could not have been made with out special effects.  Sure, you could maybe say that about Avengers or The Hobbit (don't say it about Prometheus...Alien was far superior and far less confusing with little computer animation), but neither of those stories had anywhere near the emotional weight of Life of Pi.  Put this one in the awards bag and move on.


Best Achievement in Sound Editing

(X)       Argo
             Django Unchained
             Life of Pi
(O)       Skyfall
             Zero Dark Thirty

This may be one of the best years to tell the difference between this category and the next category, Sound Mixing.  This category deals with the ability to create sounds, such as the gurgling noise of a man being water boarded or the PING of a bullet ricocheting off metal.  Believe it or not, those things actually don't happen in a studio because they would likely result in some form of horrible injury.  The weird thing about the Oscars, though, is that the people voting aren't required to know that difference.  Here, I believe Skyfall should win for its ability to believably edit scenes involving bulldozers, trains, helicopters, machine gun cars, and burning buildings.  But Argo will likely take home the prize because Argo will likely be the movie of the night.  People vote for winners, even when they don't necessarily deserve it.  Argo is not not deserving...there's just better picks here.


Best Achievement in Sound Mixing

             Argo
(X)(O)  Les Miserables
             Life of Pi
             Lincoln
             Skyfall

How is sound mixing different from sound editing you may ask?  Well, I'll tell you.  Sound mixing is the ability to take all of the recorded sounds, put them into a mixing board, and find the correct balance between music, dialogue, and audio effects.  And did any movie do that better this year than Les Miserables?  Tom Hooper's choice to have the actors sing live was a widely publicized choice, and I would bet that it was in the back of every voters' mind when they casted their ballots.  I think that voters will forgive Hooper for subjecting us to Russell Crowe's singing voice and give Les Mis a much deserved Oscar here.


Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song)

             Before My Time (Chasing Ice)
             Suddenly (Les Miserables)
             Pi's Lullaby (Life of Pi)
(X)(O)  Skyfall (duh)
             Everybody Needs a Best Friend (Ted)

Look, I don't want to perpetuate the Adele-deserves-every-award-ever! stereotype any more than the next guy, but there's nothing else here that can take it down.  "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" is basically just a rip-off of "You've Got a Friend in Me," "Before My Time" includes Scarlett Johansson singing in the smokiest of voices, and "Suddenly" may be the least memorable song in Les Miserables (plus some weren't too pleased that an original song was in the movie anyway).  This one's going to Adele, and she's going to act all surprised and thank movie people for letting her be part of their world, and it's going to be in a British accent.


Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Score)

             Anna Karenina (Dario Marianelli)
             Argo (Alexandre Desplat)
(X)        Life of Pi (Mychael Danna)
(O)        Lincoln (John Williams)
             Skyfall (Thomas Newman)

I've listened to all of these scores in full since this nomination came out (and four of them before the nominations), and it's a toss up for me.  First of all, some of the year's best scores got snubbed pretty hardcore, especially Cloud Atlas (you could throw in Beasts of the Southern Wild and The Dark Knight Rises, too, but they aren't as deserving).  But if I HAD to pick a winner, I'd probably go with Life of Pi.  Mychael Danna creates a pretty unique sound in this score, and he deserves some recognition.  But I always have been and always will be a sucker for a good John Williams score, and his work for Lincoln matched the movie perfectly.  If either win, I'll be happy, but look for Danna to get his first win here.


Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling

             Hitchcock
(O)        The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
(X)        Les Miserables

This one is a tough for me.  The Hobbit definitely deserves this award (did you see the hairstyles of all those dwarves?), but it also wasn't a great movie.  Remember what I said before: these voters haven't seen all of these movies.  They vote for winners.  I hope The Hobbit wins this award, but I really see Les Mis adding a statute to its tally.


Best Achievement in Costume Design

(X)(O)  Anna Karenina
             Les Miserables
             Lincoln
             Mirror Mirror
             Snow White and the Huntsman

This category is the exception to the "vote for winners" rule.  When in doubt in the costume category, go with the period drama.  Always.  Four of the winners in the last 6 years have been period piece movies (Marie Antoinette, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Duchess, and The Young Victoria).  The only other two went to Alice in Wonderland (no period piece movies nominated) and The Artist (beating Jane Eyre, but isn't last year a wash anyway?).  I could see Les Miserables possibly taking this one, but I have to play the odds here.


Best Achievement in Production Design

             Anna Karenina
             The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
(X)        Les Miserables
             Life of Pi
(O)        Lincoln

From 2000 to 2005, this award went to the same winner as Costume Design.  But from then on, it went crazy, making this terribly unpredictable.  Because of that, I'm not going to bet on Anna Karenina taking this one home.  However, my dark horse for Costume Design is my lead bet for Production Design.  Les Miserables had some wonderful sets, especially the opening shipyard and the final number.  But if I was giving out the Oscars, I would have to go with Lincoln.  From the dark lighting, dense tapestry, and even that paddle steamer where Lincoln met with the Confederate delegation, Lincoln had some amazing production design going for it.  My head says Les Mis, but my heart thinks Lincoln.


Best Achievement in Editing

(X)(O)  Argo
             Life of Pi
             Lincoln
             Silver Linings Playbook
             Zero Dark Thirty

The editing award normally goes to fast-paced movies (see: Bourne Ultimatum, The Hurt Locker, The Social Network, etc.), and it would be no surprise to see it go to Argo this year.  The last 25 minutes of Argo were rivaled in suspense only by the last 25 minutes of Zero Dark Thirty.  But what Zero Dark Thirty didn't have to do was juggle scenes from different parts of the globe in its finale.  Argo jumps between Iran, Virginia, and Hollywood, all while keeping its expert pacing and tense feel.  The funny thing is that both Argo and Zero Dark Thirty are edited by the same guy (William Goldenberg), so either way, he's probably getting an Oscar here.  Just expect that Argo will get to count the Oscar as well.


Best Achievement in Cinematography

             Anna Karenina
             Django Unchained
(X)(O)  Life of Pi
             Lincoln
             Skyfall

Before even considering what I think will win this award, I had already marked down my (O) next to Life of Pi.  No film this year came anywhere near matching the beauty of Life of Pi.  Claudio Miranda (a protege of David Fincher) took the challenge of filming what was thought to be unfilmable, and turned it into a masterpiece.  Oh, and did I mention it was in 3D?  That's pretty important, as it was far and away the best use of 3D that I have ever seen (and yes, I remember Avatar and Hugo).  Mark it down, because this is one of the surefire bets of the night.



The Big Awards

Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

(X)        Argo
             Beasts of the Southern Wild
             Life of Pi
             Lincoln
(O)       Silver Linings Playbook

I've told you before about how Silver Linings Playbook is my favorite movie, so it's no surprise that I think it should win this award.  The writing was quick, witty, and inspired.  But what have you heard so far in this blog?  Winners win.  Argo already took home the award for Best Adapted Screenplay from the Writer's Guild, so it's basically a lock to win here.  Furthermore, this win could all but solidify Argo's Best Picture win (the only competitor in the Original Screenplay category is Zero Dark Thirty).  Don't get me wrong, I agree that Argo is well written.  I just really really liked Silver Linings Playbook.


Best Writing (Original Screenplay)

             Amour
(O)       Django Unchained
             Flight
             Moonrise Kingdom
(X)        Zero Dark Thirty

Movie characters were meant to be written like Quentin Tarantino writes them.  Conniving, sly, forthright, and humorously humorless.  Tarantino has won this award before, but for a movie that had slightly less racism (Pulp Fiction).  The last time he tackled a subject that toed the line this closely (Inglorious Basterds), he was nominated, but didn't win.  Expect that to happen again here.  Mark Boal's Zero Dark Thirty is an expert script that has the challenge of covering a ten-year span full of minute details.  Not only does that take a lot of research, but it makes for a difficult character study when the character he's writing about is still undercover in the CIA.  It may not be as well-written as Django, but Zero Dark Thirty is still worthy of this Oscar.


Best Performance by a Supporting Actress

             Amy Adams (The Master)
             Sally Field (Lincoln)
(X)(O)  Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)
             Helen Hunt (The Sessions)
             Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook)

With apologies to the other nominees, as soon as Anne Hathaway started singing I Dreamed a Dream, this race was over.  Her legendary one shot, one take scene about 20 minutes into Les Miserables stole the film...almost to the extent that the rest could never recover.  Though she's only on screen for maybe 15 minutes max, Anne is the clear winner here.  Helen Hunt is probably the second most deserving actress with her confident role as a sex surrogate in The Sessions, but it just doesn't compare.  Take it away, Anne.  May this award be a second choice in your growing arsenal of weapons against self doubt.


Best Performance by a Supporting Actor

             Alan Arkin (Argo)
             Robert De Niro (Silver Linings Playbook)
             Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)
(O)        Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
(X)        Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

This is the closest race of any on Oscar night.  Christoph won the Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA, but Philip Seymour Hoffman won the Critics' Choice.  Meanwhile, Tommy Lee Jones and Robert De Niro continue to be the odds on favorites at 13/5.  I feel like Christoph will take the award here, but I think the fact that he won the same award two years ago hurts him rather than helps him.  Of the other nominees, I think Tommy Lee Jones deserves it most, both for his performance as Thaddeus Stevens and for this face.  Just be wary with whoever you end up picking because this award could pretty much go to four of the five nominees without me being upset or surprised.


Best Performance by an Actress

             Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
(X)(O)  Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
             Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)
             Quvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)
             Naomi Watts (The Impossible)

The fact that this battle came down to Jessica v. Jennifer seems unfair to the other actresses.  All five of these performances were unbelievable, and all for different reasons.  However, it's probably no surprise that my pick for who should and will win is Jennifer Lawrence.  Jennifer Lawrence is the best.  See here.  And here.  And neither of those have anything to do with her tornado of a performance in Silver Linings Playbook.  While all five of these nominees showed incredible strength in their performances, none showed the emotional range of Lawrence.  She wins my heart, and hopefully the Oscar.


Best Performance by an Actor

             Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)
(X)(O)  Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
             Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables)
             Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
             Denzel Washington (Flight)

I really feel bad for any actor that is nominated in the same year as Daniel Day-Lewis.  It just isn't fair.  Bradley Cooper, Hugh Jackman, Joaquin Phoenix, AND Denzel Washington all gave the best performances of their career, and it's not going to matter one bit.  Day-Lewis is just too good.  Think of how many movies you talk about where you use the character's name, not the actor's.  Not too many, right?  Lincoln is that rare movie, where the decisions made in the film are made by Abraham Lincoln, not Daniel Day-Lewis.  And for a star of his caliber to disappear into a role like that...that's just something you hardly ever see.


Best Director

             Michael Haneke (Amour)
             Ang Lee (Life of Pi)
             David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)
(X)       Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
             Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

If you follow movies, you know about the controversy surrounding this award.  Kathryn Bigelow and Ben Affleck may be two of the biggest directing snubs of all time, and they both happened in the same year.  Therefore, by default, we are left with Steven Spielberg winning this award.  Lincoln was great, but think of it in the pantheon of Spielberg movies.  What would it rank, like 10th at best?  And that's being EXTREMELY generous.  Spielberg is still my favorite director, but he's lost Oscars for way better movies than this.  I'm not even gonna put a Should Win mark on this award because the two directors that should win weren't even nominated.


Best Picture

             Amour
(X)       Argo
             Beasts of the Southern Wild
             Django Unchained
             Les Miserables
             Life of Pi
             Lincoln
(O)       Silver Linings Playbook
(O)       Zero Dark Thirty

For those of you who just scrolled down to this award (I know you did...it's ok), you probably could have seen this coming.  I like Argo a lot.  But I also like Silver Linings Playbook (obviously) and Zero Dark Thirty.  I've seen all three movies at least twice, and I still can't place one movie solidly above the others.  If any of these three movies win, it's a successful Oscar night.  None of my musings matter, though, because it's going to be Argo.  It's won every award leading up to this night.  Everyone in Hollywood wants to see the Ben Affleck Redemption Train complete its journey.  And you know what?  I think I want to see it too.  I still don't think Argo is a better movie than the other two films I've mentioned here.  But I remember the old Ben Affleck--the one who was amazing in Good Will Hunting--and it's good to have him back.  So here's to you, Ben!  And to the other movies?  I think Lester Siegel said it best...


Do you agree with my picks?  Disagree and think you can beat me at the Oscar game?  Feel free to let me know what you think.  Thanks for reading!

Stranger Than Fiction: "Warrior" and the Harbaugh Bowl

Can we all take a step back and think about what we saw last Sunday?  We witnessed sheer improbability, the kind that should only happen in movies.  I'm not talking about Joe Flacco leading a team to the Super Bowl or the 49ers coming back from being down 17-0.  I'm talking about the impossible fact that two brothers, born 15 months apart, are going to be coaching against each other in the biggest game in American sports.

Can you even fathom what the odds of that are?  Here, I'll give you a little help.  There are about 314 million people living in the U.S. right now.  Of those people, 32 were deemed qualified enough to coach an NFL team this year.  32 out of 314 million.  That equates to about 0.0000001% of the US population.  Out of that minuscule number, only two coaches go to the Super Bowl.  You want a visualization of that?  Here's a helpful graphic about the probability of winning the lottery.  You see that number on the bottom?  That number is more probable than the chances of any given person growing up to be a coach in the Super Bowl,  EVEN IF you take out the female population (not that they can't become football coaches...there's just never been one in the NFL).  So you can see, the fact that either of the Harbaugh's ended up in the Super Bowl is improbable enough.  But the chances of both brothers ending up with the last remaining teams in the same year?  Well, that's about the same as finding a needle in a stack of needles.

But this is why we love sports--it always provides the greatest of drama.  Sports headlines can be so crazy that even Manti Te'o couldn't fake them.  We've heard the mantra time and again: "You can't make this stuff up," or "you could not write a script like this."  The meaning is two-fold: (1) what you've just seen is so crazy that no one in their right mind could have possibly dreamt of it before just now; and (2) what you've just seen is so crazy that even if someone had thought it up before, everyone would've dismissed it as meaningless fiction.

Enter Warrior.

I was reminded of this little movie as soon as I imagined seeing two brothers face off in the Super Bowl.  I figured others might make the same connection, but after looking up how much the movie grossed, I realized that probably wasn't the case.  Warrior was released in early fall 2011 to critical acclaim, but poor box office numbers.  As such, it was out of theaters in 8 weeks, dismissed by the populace as meaningless fiction (that's a callback, y'all).

The set up of Warrior at first seems improbable, but may now sound familiar.  Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton play two brothers who were separated at a young age by different family loyalties, yet now find themselves battling their way through opposite sides of a mixed martial arts championship bracket.  Hardy plays Tommy (looking as scary, if not scarier, than he does in The Dark Knight Rises, and giving perhaps the best performance of his young career), a lifelong fighter who as a teenager had dreams of breaking the record of the legendary Greek wrestler Theogenes.  In the other corner, Edgerton plays Brendan, the older brother who never was as good of a fighter, but can still hold his own in the ring.  Meanwhile, Nick Nolte plays their father (in a role that earned him a well-deserved Oscar nomination), a former alcoholic struggling to regain the respect of his two sons.  The name of the film could apply to any of these characters, and we're reminded of it each time a referee starts a fight with the same three lines: "You ready?  You ready?  Let's go to war!"

The fighters eventually hear about the Sparta championship, a 16-person bracket meant to pit the best fighters in the world against each other.  Throughout the film, Sparta is constantly referred to as "the Super Bowl of mixed martial arts."  The creator of the tournament (played by director Gavin O'Connor, who one can argue has directed the two best sports films of the last decade with this and Miracle), gushes that "growing up, we always wanted to know who the toughest kid in the neighborhood was.  Now we get to see who the toughest in the world is."  Ironically, the two brothers end up in the tournament in different ways and make their way to the championship, shrinking the field back to the neighborhood once again.

Though we know where the movie is going to take us, Warrior is still able to turn old fighting cliches into a winning formula.  In most fighting movies, there is one hero that the audience connects with.  In Warrior, there are two.  By the time the two brothers meet in the final bout, we can't decide who deserves our fandom more: Tommy, the war hero who would use the winnings to support the family of his fallen friend, or Brendan, the struggling family man who needs the money to make his house payments.  We are reminded of a telling line given early in the movie by Nolte: "The devil you know is better than the devil you don't."  But what happens when your opponent turns out to not be the devil at all, but your brother?  The movie handles this question with a surprising honesty--a trainer states before the fight "he's not your brother...he's in the way,"--but it's an answer that creates an unusual moral dilemma.  Obviously only one can win, but the movie has enough drama and storylines that people sitting next to each other in a theater may just be rooting for different characters.

What the filmmakers could never have dreamed is that this fictional scenario could turn into our current reality.  The improbability of two brothers meeting in the championship is treated with stunned disbelief in Warrior, and this Super Bowl matchup deserves the same.  The comparisons are fun, too.  Jim Harbaugh is like Tommy: he's the younger brother with a feisty personality, a former quarterback chasing what he could never do as a player, and perhaps a better coach than his brother.  His 49ers have overpowered nearly every team in the last 10 weeks, and are favorites again in the championship.  John Harbaugh is like Brendan: the older brother who never had a professional career, but can more than hold his own when it comes to football knowledge.  His Ravens may have an aging defense, but they've seen everything before and are smart enough to adapt to each game.  And while their parents Jack and Jackie may not be recovering alcoholics or divorced, they do share one large problem with Nolte's character...who to root for.  How can they possibly choose?  It's amazing really: the Harbaugh's have taken what is traditionally a reason to get together with family and made it their own.  Like the characters in Warrior, they're playing a family game, but this time we've all been invited to watch.

If these comparisons mean nothing to you now, I'd suggest watching Warrior in the next week before the Super Bowl.  I'm giving it my stamp of approval, and I hope you'll be able to say the same.  You'll be surprised how moving it is, how raw the fight scenes are (seriously, I don't know how they filmed this movie without actually beating each other up a bit...here's an edited clip of the first fight just so you can see what I mean), how happy you'll feel after seeing Jennifer Morrison receive a text message, and how shockingly similar the story is to the Harbaugh Bowl.  By the time the announcer jokingly says to "lock up your china" because "the boys are at it again," you'll be sufficiently hooked, and hopefully you'll agree with what I've said.  

Even if you don't watch it, be prepared for the family battle of the century this weekend.  We've been given a rare treat as sports fans; a real situation seemingly based on a fake story.  This game deserves the ridiculous hype that it will receive, if only because I believe it will be as good of a game as Warrior is a movie.  So without any further hype from me, I'll leave you with these three lines:

"You ready?  You ready?  Let's go to war!"

For those interested, Warrior can be found on Netflix Instant.  As always, feel free to comment below.  Or don't.  Whatever.

Top 10 Of 2012

2012 may have ended over a half month ago, but it's finally time to post my Top 10 list of the 2012 movie year!  My delay is a product of certain movies not being released in the Twin Cities until last weekend (looking at you, Kathryn Bigelow) and the second semester of law school starting back up.  So please, only blame me partially.

Now I know what you're all thinking...how did Scott pass up such a perfect opportunity to make yet another Twelves pun with a Top 12 list?  Let's just consider it a New Year's resolution.  Or you could also say that I only saw 36 new offerings in 2012 (apologies to Amour, which has not been released yet in my area), and putting 1/3 of them on a top list just seemed wrong.  Just a small disclosure before we get to the Top 10: this list represents merely the movies that I enjoyed most this year.  It is not swayed by any awards show voting or critics choice list.  That being said, if you agree with some of these movies, that's cool.  If you don't, that's cool, too.  This list is meant to spark discussion, to give suggestions to others on what I believe to be the best movies of the year, and to get more readers (shameless blog plug!).  But without further ado, here are my picks for the top movies of the last year.


10:  The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Call me a sucker for angsty teenage drama, or for movies about kids who enjoy their English class, or even for Emma Watson, but The Perks of Being a Wallflower delivered on all of those things and more.  This movie starts out seeming like your typical high school movie about the nerd who gets picked on, yet finds other people who are like him.  But the third act takes an emotional turn that packs a wallop for any viewers willing to give this movie a chance.  With good comedy, acting, and especially writing by the novelist-turned-director Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower snuck into my movie-viewing heart and into my Top 10.


9:  21 Jump Street

You're going to have to take my word on this for now, but I promise this list won't be filled with movies about high school.  21 Jump Street was an early spring release in 2012, which means that it had pretty much no expectations.  But right out of the gate, this film proved that it was nothing to pass over.  This movie was the second in a big year for Channing Tatum (Haywire, The Vow, Magic Mike), but it was the first to prove that he has the comedic chops to carry a story like this.  Oh, and shocker, Jonah Hill is a funny guy too.  With a car chase that breaks every genre cliche, an actually funny Ice Cube, and cameos from members of the original series, 21 Jump Street took what little expectations it had and shattered them.


8:  Skyfall

Never in his 23-movie history has James Bond looked so old, and I mean that in the best way possible.  Skyfall was Daniel Craig's most Bond-feeling film, yet this movie still took brave steps in toying with genre expectations.  Steps such as Bond actually being shot (007 has been shot at 4,662 times in his spy career, yet only been hit once), Javier Bardem playing a bi-sexual villain, and a climactic scene that shan't be spoiled here.  But back to that "old" comment: Bond sports a beard for part of the film, can't shoot his targets, and contemplates paintings of warships being taken out of commission.  But with this world-weary spy theme, Sam Mendes creates arguably the best Bond film ever.


7:  Lincoln

From the moment the curtains part, you can tell that this film is an Academy darling.  Daniel Day-Lewis is perfect as the 16th President, and deserves every award that will be thrown at him.  But what makes this movie even more perfect is how it takes what could have been a boring story about collecting votes and turns it into a riveting tale of back room political drama.  The credit for this must go to Steven Spielberg, who is in top form here (or even to John Williams, who never fails to create a dramatic score).  The natural lighting, calm pacing, and the casting of great character actors for every minor part makes Lincoln a joy to watch.  While it may run a bit too long (Samuel L. Jackson was right on where it should have ended), Lincoln is worth the price of admission, as it's an important history lesson with modern ramifications.

6:  The Avengers

Of the three blockbuster superhero movies that were released this summer, The Avengers probably had the second-highest expectations (behind that little movie about Batman), but it was also the only one that exceeded them.  This movie was the most fun you could have in theaters the whole year.  When the heroes finally assemble on Nick Fury's invisible flying aircraft carrier (yea, it's that kind of movie), Joss Whedon's script takes off.  The jokes are whip-smart and the action well-paced.  It's a movie that has too much, but never feels like it.  Special credit goes to Tom Hiddleston (who has the most villainous smile since Jeremy Irons), Robert Downey, Jr., and Mark Ruffalo for suspending our disbelief and turning what could have been an over-the-top campfest into the second-best superhero movie ever (again, Batman gets in the way of everything).


5:  Les Miserables

For a story that spans 17 years, Les Miserables never once felt long.  Tom Hooper's risky, yet brilliant decision to remove almost all spoken dialogue and to have the actors sing live paid off with huge dividends in both the box office and in the story.  The obvious stand-outs are Hugh Jackman (who carries the entire film) and Anne Hathaway (who steals the movie with only about fifteen minutes of screentime).  But Eddie Redmayne and newcomer Samantha Barks deserve recognition as well for creating a tragic second half of the movie that lingers long after you leave the theater.  With its soaring musical numbers and bittersweet story, Les Miserables may well be my favorite musical of all time (though take that with a grain of salt because I'm not a huge musical guy).


4:  Life of Pi

I'm sure you've heard by now that Yann Martel's award-winning novel was considered by many to be unfilmable.  But if all unfilmable books turn out as good as this one, that's all Hollywood should make. Though there's no official award for it, Life of Pi deserves special recognition for being the most beautifully shot movie of the year.  And when I say beautiful, I mean b-e-a-utiful!  Ang Lee turns your typical boy-stuck-in-the-middle-of-the-ocean-with-a-Bengal-tiger story into a masterpiece of filmmaking.  A shout-out also to Suraj Sharma, who carries this film all by himself (with a little help from the year's best CGI).  With a heartbreaking story, an important message, and an ending that will leave you staggering, the fact that movies can be this good just might make you believe in God.


3:  Argo

You gotta hand it to Ben Affleck.  The guy could have given up and gone full Charlie Sheen on us a long time ago, but instead he decided to turn himself into one of the best young directors in Hollywood.  Argo doesn't pull many punches in creating an entertaining story.  From the opening raid of the US Embassy in Iran to the thrilling escape in the final 25 minutes, Argo is as straight-forward as entertaining movies come.  But as any good moviemaker knows, being "straight-forward" only looks easy.  Though he plays the main character, Ben Affleck makes the smart decision to get out of the story's way and let his other castmates drive the narrative and have fun.  Alan Arkin gets to play himself, John Goodman gets to make fun of the industry, and Bryan Cranston gets to yell like Walter White.  What's not to love?


2:  Zero Dark Thirty

It took almost a month for Zero Dark Thirty to expand nationwide, but man was it worth the wait.  If you thought Lincoln had fun political drama, you haven't seen anything yet.  This story is a decade-long narrative from September 11th to the day Bin Laden was killed (spoiler alert!), and you can feel the dreariness and numbing pain brought on by dead ends, deceit, and getting nowhere throughout the first half of the film.  The torture scenes are harsh, for sure, but not worthy of the controversy that some have tried to bring up.  What's more worthy of recognition is the inspired audio-only opening that reminds every audience member of the importance of this film and the climactic 30 minute raid, which perfectly details the suspense, bravery, and draining effort that went into finally attaining our goal.


1:  Silver Linings Playbook

I am notoriously stingy when it comes to giving a film a perfect rating.  I normally only give one a year, if that.  So credit Silver Linings Playbook for stealing my heart and legitimately deserving a perfect 10.  Everything about this movie just works: Bradley Cooper plays against type in the best role of his career, Jennifer Lawrence continues to rise up the ranks of the best actresses in the business, and Robert De Niro remembers how to act again.  Hell, this movie even has Chris Tucker in his first non-Rush Hour role in over 15 years!  Silver Linings Playbook is the only movie this year to earn Oscar-noms in every major category, and by that I mean Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, and Screenplay.  The last movie to do that?  Reds in 1981!  Now I'm not saying Silver Linings Playbook is the best movie in the last 31 years...I'm just saying it's really really good.  It will make you laugh, cry, and feel, which is everything a movie fan could ask for.  So hats off to you, David O. Russell...your little movie wins the top spot in what was a great year in cinema.


There you have it!  My Top 10 of 2012!  Do you agree?  Disagree?  Only watched the trailers and didn't read?  Feel free to comment below and look for more posts in the future (I promise I'm actually starting this blog for real this time).