Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

Pressure Point (Hubert Cornfield & Stanley Kramer, 1962) 4/10

Dull, overheated, psychological melodrama - a typical Stanley Kramer "message" film - with a doctor (Sidney Poitier) treating a patient (an excellent Bobby Darin) who is a racist and a Nazi sympathizer. It's basically a two hander and extremely talky as the doctor and patient play cat and mouse with the "problem" (psychological scarring at the hands of a viciously abusive father during childhood....ho hum) finally desciphered after a lot of hand wringing and sweat induced anguish. The plot is one long flashback as an aged Poitier relates the story to another doctor (Peter Falk) who is ready to give up on his black patient who happens to also be racist. Second teaming of Poitier and Kramer is quite a chore to sit through although pop singer Bobby Darin is surprisingly very good and had the makings of a very good actor before his life and career were cut short. The Saul Bass-like title sequence is memorable along with Ernest Haller's moody cinematography and Ernest Gold's score.

A United Kingdom (Amma Asante, 2016) 7/10

Fascinating, moving, if rather simplistic, historical account about the kingdom of Botswana - formerly known as Bechuanaland. Under British colonial rule the kingdom came under fire when the debonair crown prince (David Oyelowo), in London to complete his studies, falls in love with the daughter (Rosamund Pike) of a local shopkeeper. The racial union not only causes an international incident with South African apartheid causing ripples in London but makes the ruler persona non grata in his own country when his uncle, the regent, and his people refuse to accept a white queen. Superbly acted by the two leads the "fairy tale", of course, ends happily after a lot of anguish puts the couple through the wringer eventually leading to the country's prosperity. Forbidden romance and political intrigue never looked so clean cut - the cast never even sweat despite the heat and dust. Oyeolo has great star presence and is steadily rising up the Hollywood ladder and should be a natural successor to Denzel Washington, albeit a Brit version.

Street of Chance (Jack Hively, 1942) 6/10

Early "B" noir which has a lot of the elements that defined all the great noirs that came later during the decade. An amnesiac (Burgess Meredith) gets hit on his head, discovers he has lost a year of his life, has a wife who is thrilled to see him return, gets chased by hoodlums, discovers he is wanted for murder and a woman (Claire Trevor) claims to be his girlfriend. The first Cornel Woolrich novel to be adapted has a light touch and maintains the mystery to the end. Interesting to see Claire Trevor play somewhat "nice" here as she would later go on to play extremely nasty femme fatales in some of the classics in the genre.

Circle of Danger (Jacques Tourneur, 1951) 5/10

Shades of Hitchcock's "39 Steps" but only with a similarity of the leading man moving from location to location - London to Wales to Scotland - chasing after information. In this case a Navy man (Ray Milland) wishes to discover the mystery of his brother's death during the war and trying to contact members of his squad. The once highly regarded Tourneur flounders as he did through most of his '50s fare although his films were not without interest due to major stars (most of whom had seen better days) and exotic locations. Milland gets to romance Patricia Roc in this tepid mystery.

The Richest Girl in the World (William A. Seiter, 1942) 3/10

A rare but terribly ordinary film that was inexplicably nominated for an Oscar for it's screenplay. A rich girl (Miriam Hopkins) scared she will attract men for her wealth asks her secretary (Fay Wray) to pose as her when a debonair bachelor (Joel McCrea) comes calling. Though in love with him oddly enough she literally forces the poor man onto her secretary. When he actually falls in love with the imposter silly complications ensue which obviously end up resolved at the end. Hopkins - always very good - plays a rather annoying character with Fay Wray the sympathetic one. One roots for the latter instead of the leading lady who is dressed throughout in manly attire. Watch this for the record otherwise give it a miss.

The Man I Love (Raoul Walsh, 1947) 6/10

A tough gal chanteuse (Ida Lupino) fends off sleazy nightclub owner (Robert Alda) and falls hard for lovelorn failed jazz pianist (Bruce Bennett) while her two sisters (Andrea King, Martha Vickers) go through their own romantic issues. Elements of noir are offset by the soap opera plot with every character enmeshed in complicated matters of the heart. Once more Ida Lupino rises above trite material and shines and she gets to sing (dubbed) the Gershwin title tune during the film's mesmerising opening sequence. Pity they made no room for her at Warners and concentrated instead on Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.

A Woman's Life (2016) Stephane Brize 8/10
The Death and Life of Otto Bloom (2017) Cris Jones 5/10
Short Night of Glass Doll (1971) Aldo Lado 6/10
The Birth of a Nation (2016) Nate Parker 2/10
A Journey Through French Cinema (2016) Bertrand Tavernier 7/10
In a Bedroom (2012) Tomasz Wasilewski 6/10
Souvenir (2016) Bavo Defurne 2/10
The Eyes of My Mother (2016) Nicolas Pesce 4/10
Beauty and the Beast (2017) Bill Condon 5/10
Canoa (1976) Felipe Cazals 7/10
Moka (2016) Frederic Mermoud 7/10
Lost in Paris (2017) Dominique Abel & Fiona Gordon 5/10

Repeat viewings

Criss Cross (1949) Robert Siodmak 6/10
S.O.B. (1981) Blake Edwards 6/10
The 400 Blows (1959) Francois Truffaut 8/10

Beauty and the Beast (Bill Condon, 2017) 9/10

This tale is absolutely fool proof and Disney takes it yet again and runs away with it in their live-action version of their own animated classic from 1991. A tale "as old as time" this was first brought stunningly to the screen in french by Jean Cocteau in the classic "La Belle et la Bête" with Jean Marais magnificent as the beast - the story goes that when Marais transformed into the Prince at the end Greta Garbo famously exclaimed "Give me back my Beast". The film's memorable gothic set design was replicated in the animated version as it is here in all it's epic splendor. Condon not only remakes the animated film but brings many additional visual flourishes to it with the camera playing a major character swooping all over the place through pans, dolly and crane shots emphasising the grandeur of the story. At heart, of course, it is a simple story about love and finding it deep within a person's soul instead of concentrating on a person's outward appearance. Belle (Emma Watson), considered an oddball in her provincial french village - she reads books - lives with her inventor father (Kevin Kline) and is loved by the boorish narcissist Gaston (Luke Evans). When her father stumbles upon a castle in the woods he is held prisoner by the ferocious beast (Dan Stevens) who is under an evil spell that can only be broken via a girl falling in love with him. Enter Belle who gets help in doing just that by talking in-animate objects in the castle - a Clock (Sir Ian McKellen), a Candelabra (Ewan McGregor gets to sing the show stopping "Be Our Guest" number), a Teapot (Emma Thompson) and a dust feather (Gugu Mbatha-Raw). The film's highlights are the familiar songs - "Belle", "Gaston", "Be Our Guest", "Beauty and the Beast" (sung by Emma Thompson as Belle and the Beast dance in the ballroom) and "Evermore" a wonderful new song written for the Beast and sung magnificently by Dan Stevens. The only weak links in the film are the two leads - Watson carries off the sweet girl-next-door quality but seems ill at ease in the part (maybe she had a bad gut feeling for having turned down the lead in "La La Land" for this part ) while Stevens is bland as both the Beast and the Prince (can someone please shoot the costume designer for making him wear that turquoise colored outfit with ribbon in hair at the end). Overall the film has immense zest and is a feast for the eyes with every song enchanting - watch Condon pay homage during a sequence to Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music" - and with eye popping sets and costume design. I'm going to count this one amongst my favorite musicals just as the animated one was as well.

I watched this with a cinema full of 5 to 12 year old kids and I clapped, cheered and cried along with all of them. Don't miss this film.

Kong: Skull Island (Jordan Vogt-Rogers, 2017) 7/10

This time around they depart from the old premise slightly but manage to retain the old fashioned sense of awe and wonder when the giant monkey appears. The twist here is that the script combines elements from "Apocalypse Now" and "Jurassic Park" and throws in the familiar elements from "King Kong". Set during the Nixon era with Vietnam a tightening noose around the neck of the United States - the President nods his head in a funny scene (you'll know when you see it) - as a motley group of people embark in search of a mythical island somewhere in the South Pacific. There is the conspiracy nut (John Goodman), a mysterious tracker (a dull Tom Hidelston), a photographer (Brie Larson) in search of the Pulitzer, the gung ho army officer (Samuel L. Jackson) fresh off the fields of 'Nam, a WWII survivor (John C. Reilly) whom they discover living amongst the local tribe along with assorted characters who are around to play the various food items for the rampaging beasts. Not only does Kong rule Skull island he gets competition from the likes of a giant bison, a tall spider, tiny flying raptors, an enormous octopus and a mean spirited vomiting lizard which is alarmingly relentless in its pursuit of not only human sandwich but also terrifyingly takes on the mighty Kong. We also get the psychosexual tension between beauty and the beast - she gets to gently touch his face and ride his hand although Brie Larson (post Academy Award) makes for a rather bored spectator in front of the smitten primate - Fay Wray, Jessica Lange & Naomie Watts are sorely missed in comparison to sexless Brie (dull like the cheese). The best scenes are of the helicopters flying onto the island with Creedence Clearwater blasting through speakers and Kong deciding to play a game of tennis with them using his giant paw as a racquet. There is nothing new here but the film manages to keep a roller coaster pace with enough thrills to keep the satisfaction level at a dull fever pitch.

Abduction (John Singleton, 2011) 5/10

Farfetched and confusing thriller has a teenager (Taylor Lautner) discovering that the parents (Jason Issacs & Maria Bello) he has lived with are not his own and has to go on the run with the girl next door (Lily Collins) after they are killed in front of him by two mysterious goons. The CIA (Alfred Molina) is involved along with Russian thugs led by Michael Nyqvist. Oh yes, Sigourney Weaver appears as the boy's psychiatrist who comes to their rescue, hurriedly gives confused plot points and tells them to run. There are assorted absurd action set pieces including a fight on a train â la "From Russia With Love" - a rather pale imitation of it - and the young kids (who are now in love) run and run not unlike Robert Donat and Madeleine Carroll of Hitchcock"s " The 39 Steps" fame. As a thriller it's not boring by any means. Just pretty mediocre like all of Singleton's film. Lautner is spunky and was rewarded with a Razzie nomination for worst actor of the year while Collins goes through the paces as his damsel in distress.

The American President (Rob Reiner, 1995) 6/10

The American President (Michael Douglas), a widower, gets into a relationship with the lobbyist (Annette Bening) hired to help in his second campaign as the media goes into a frenzy and a senator from the opposition (Richard Dreyfuss) bares his teeth smelling for a scandal. Typically cute, silly and old fashioned Rob Reiner film with simplistic situations and stock characters played by an all-star cast - Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, Samantha Mathis, Anna Deveare Smith, John Mahoney, Wendy Malick, Gail Strickland. The breezy screenplay chugs along like a 1930s comedy - the term "Capraesque" is bandied about - and it's all very antiseptic with a smug Douglas outshined by sassy Bening.

Logan (James Mangold, 2017) 6/10

The novelty here is seeing Logan (Hugh Jackson) aka "Wolverine" as a battle scarred, weary alcoholic who is down in the dumps and caring for an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart) somewhere on a farm near the Mexican border. His reflexes are slow and even though he gets into skirmishes with local goons and the glinting knives do come out he ends up getting beaten. Into his life comes a woman who offers him money to take her little daughter to North Dakota so she can be smuggled into Canada in order to escape the clutches of some really "bad men" - a rogue military group and a Mengele-like sadist (Richard E. Grant). The child is a mutant, like Wolverine, and so in "demand" along with a bunch of other mutant children by the bad guys to be used as weapons of mass destruction. Despite this being a character study we get the obligatory chase sequences laced with bone crunching brutality. The film, which is actually a noir western, evokes memories of "Shane", "Mad Max" and "Carrie" and goes on far too long. This new persona of the comic book hero is risky and personally I found it a tad dull - Jackman's brooding character quickly gets tiresome although some of the action set pieces are superbly staged if rather hollow and repetitous. This is apparently Wolverine's last outing but who knows he may re-appear if Hollywood feels they need another boxoffice sensation sometime in the future.

Silence (Martin Scorsese, 2016) 9/10

Scorsese's passion project (which took him 30 years to bring to the screen and based on Shusaku Endo's acclaimed novel) about Christianity in peril has an epic grandeur not unlike past films like Kurosawa's "Throne of Blood" and "Ran" and Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" - films about great battles. Only here the battle is about faith, doubt and love (for Christ) that quietly rages - almost in silence - within the souls of men and women. Two young Portugese Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield & Adam Driver) travel to medeival Japan in search of their mentor (Liam Neeson) who appears to have disappeared with rumours of him denouncing God after being threatened by local inquisitors. The journey for the two priests - helped and abetted along the way - is full of conflict, torture, beheadings and drownings as local Christians are systematically brought to their knees and their faith put to trial with God supposedly watching in silence without coming to the rescue of the tortured and dying converts. Scorsese's ambitious and extremely compelling journey is a demanding one which questions faith but manages to convey the true spirit of religion for those who have belief. The film has been breathtakingly shot by Rodriego Prieto on location in Taiwan (substituting for Japan) with stunning images of the countryside and nature that are beautiful to look at as well as invoke horror with the angry ocean claiming precious lives. This is one of Scorsese's best films.

David Stratton: A Cinematic Life (2017) Sally Aitken 6/10
From the Land of the Moon (2016) Nicole Garcia 1/10
Being Charlie (2016) Rob Reiner 2/10
Trolls (2016) Mike Mitchell & Walt Dohrn 4/10
The Midwife (2017) Martin Provost 7/10
Heal the Living (2016) Katell Quillevere 7/10
The Young Pope (2016) Pablo Sorrentino 5/10
A Kid (2016) Philippe Lioret 6/10
Trash Fire (2016) Richard Bates Jr. 7/10

Repeat viewings

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982) Carl Reiner 8/10
The Crying Game (1992) Neil Jordan 10/10

Bleak Street (2015) Arturo Ripstein 8/10
Alone in Berlin (2016) Vincent Perez 5/10
Restless City (2011) Andrew Dosunmu 4/10
Through the Wall (2016) Rama Burshtein 7/10
The Whole Truth (2016) Courtney Hunt 4/10
The Family Fang (2016) Jason Bateman 1/10
Francisca (1981) Manoel de Oliveira 6/10
Alice of the Last Esopade (1977) Claude Chabrol 3/10
Eternity (2016) Tran Anh Hung 6/10 (His French language film debut)
Strangers in the House (1942) Henri Decoin 7/10
Sylvie and the Phantom (1946) Claude Autant-Lara 4/10
Daguerrotype (2016) Kiyoshi Kurosawa 4/10 (His French language film debut)
A Street Cat Named Bob (2016) Roger Spottiswoode 7/10
The Black Hen (2015) Min Bahadur Bham 4/10