Before I put myself on record with my predictions for tonight's show, I'll come right out and admit: for someone who's spent a significant portion of his life obsessing over film, spent six years studying and/or working in a film school, and currently makes part of his living from film criticism, I have about the worst Academy Award prediction average on the planet. I'm guessing that Jenn, who hasn't seen almost any of the nominated films this year, will score higher than me on sheer guesswork. But here goes, in the order of the ballot - results after the show:
Actor - Leading:
I think Daniel Day-Lewis is the shoo-in here, and take a shot for every time someone makes an "I'll drink your milkshake reference" over the course of the evening.
Actor - Supporting
Casey Affleck should win for his uncomfortable-in-his-own-skin turn in The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford, criminally undernominated this year (as is Fincher's Zodiac), but it's actually a contest between Javier Bardem and Hal Holbrook. I'm predicting Bardem will take it, given his iconic stature in the year's filmic memory, but Halbrook has the sympathy vote behind him. Ruby Dee may well appease that instinct for voters, though.
Actress - Leading
Another toss-up, this one between Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose and Julie Christie in Away From Her. Cotillard has the advantage of that Academy favorite, a gorgeous actress uglied up by gobs of make-up, plus the impression of a famous personage, which tends to go over well; but it's a French film, and Oscar hates to read. Christie gets to suffer, from Alzheimer's in this case, plus has the aging-gracefully vote. I give her the edge.
Actress - Supporting
Cate Blanchett would seem a natural, given the fact that she's playing not only a well-known celeb but a male well-known celeb, but the power of sympathy will likely incline voters toward Ruby Dee, who's never won. Dee doesn't necessarily deserve the award for an underwritten, brassy-old-mother role from American Gangster, but this could be her compensation Oscar, especially with the loss of Ossie Davis so recently.
Animated Feature
I have a hard time believing voters could turn away from the greatness of Persepolis, even though the notoriously conservative award tends to go towards big-name family features, which would tend to favor Ratatouille (a really good film - I'm quite the Brad Bird fan - but not the best this year). We can ignore Surf's Up pretty safely, I think.
Art Direction
Could go to Sweeney Todd, but this is a category that worships big fantasy or sweeping period flicks, so I'm guessing Atonement will win, with its period mansions and WWII grime.
Cinematography
Kind of a tough call - I'd give it to Assassination, but I'll take a stab in the dark and say the flaming oil fields of There Will Be Blood do the trick for this one. Would be nice to see the double-nommed Roger Deakins (for Assassination and No Country For Old Men) take it, though. Would be well-deserved for a stunning year.
Costume Design
A walk for the over-the-top frills of the otherwise-dreadful Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Though it should lose for Clive Owens' puffy shirts.
Directing
This should be the Coens' year. They may sweep picture and director, but I think this one is the given of the two.
Documentary Feature
Missed most of these. Don't think anybody could stomach another Michael Moore win (though my own disgust with the health-care system made me more sympathetic with his propagandistic tactics in Sicko than usual, except for the Cuba-glorifying finale), and No End in Sight and Taxi To the Darkside may split the anti-Bush vote (haven't seen the apparently great Taxi yet, though). In short, War/Dance has kids and triumph over adversity. Oscar loves that shit.
Documentary Short
I've only seen one of these, Iraq in Fragments director James Longley's Sari's Mother, but it's gorgeous and something of a tearjerker, so I feel safe betting on it.
Film Editing
Hmmm... tough call. I'll go with The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, since it isn't likely to win anything else and has plenty of trickery that calls attention to editing rhythms.
Foreign Language Film
Because of all manner of nonsensical rules, some obvious nominees got excluded, and only one of these has played in Philly - and hasn't actually opened yet. I caught a screening of The Counterfeiters this week, and it's not particularly good, but has enough elements (WWII, redemption) that Academy voters fall for, so I'll go for it. This might be different if I'd seen any of the others, but I haven't, so it isn't.
Makeup
If Marion Cotillard doesn't win best actress for being transformed into Edith Piaf, those responsible for the uglying-up and aging will take it. La Vie en Rose.
Original Score
Why the fuck is Johnny Greenwood's brilliant score for There Will Be Blood not even nominated?!?! That's flat-out the most glaring misstep of the whole show this year. I'll bet on The Kite Runner undeservingly taking this one.
Original Song
Three Enchantment tunes cancelling each other out, and August Rush? Good lord, really? This will be the heartwarming win of the night, going to Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for Once. Bound to be the performance highlight of the show as well.
Best Picture
The big'un, and the one where I'm most likely to go horribly wrong in my predictions. No Country for Old Men has all the momentum, and everyone seems to think it'll come down to a showdown between it and There Will Be Blood. But I've been saying since the nominations that Atonement is just the sort of epic, romance-and-war treacle that the Oscars tend to bend over for again and again, and it's also the one film among the nominees that I actively disliked, and will therefore win. I'm stubbornly sticking to that prediction, and hope to be proved wrong. If voters walk out after the bleak, nihilist ending of No Country and still vote for it, then I will publicly admit that I've underestimated Hollywood.
Short Film - Animated
Of the two shorts programs, the animations actually have a few deserving entries, especially the stunning, mysterious Madame Tutli-Putli. But my money is on My Love, an impressionist painting come to life whose style is gorgeous even if its story is overheated romanticism. As long as the nod doesn't land on the dull, by-the-numbers British/Polish adaptation of Peter and the Wolf.
Short Film - Live Action
A dreadful, ultra-conservative batch whose creators can hope at best to someday direct Super Bowl commercials. Award will likely go to the one-joke Tanghi Argentini, if only because people like cute gags and tango.
Sound Editing/Sound Mixing
Combining the two into one, because there's no pinging submarine movie this year. So I'll take The Bourne Ultimatum for both, if only because it's a loud action film. Whatever.
Visual Effects
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Had lots of effects. Therefore, it will win. That's my thought process. Keep it simple.
Screenplay - Adapted
Especially if I'm right about Atonement winning Best Picture (which I'm probably not), this'll be the concession for No Country For Old Men. Could very well reverse the two. I think the two will share screenplay and picture, though the Coens could well sweep.
Screenplay - Original
Ah, the Miss Congeniality award for the little picture with no real Best Pic hopes, but will get its moment of glory anyway. This year: Juno. Diablo Cody has such a rich backstory, too, this is the gimme to morning-after journos looking for an underdog angle.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Daily News, February 18-22
Metro, February 18-22
Dolls, Goons, and Mo(o)re
February continues to be excessively busy: on Valentine's Day, which we're pretty good at ignoring around here, the gf and I headed to South Philly's New Alhambra Arena, formerly home to Extreme Championship Wrestling and still primarily an indie boxing and wrestling venue, to catch the New York Dolls. It was Sylvain Sylvain's 57th birthday, which netted him a cake and an audience singalong. Sylvain was obviously overjoyed to be on stage and could've gone all night; David Johansen maybe less so, though he was in good form and nailed the songs' energy.
On 2/20, Dave Burrell premiered a new piece for piano and bass at the Rosenbach, inspired by the museum's collection of works by modernist poet Marianne Moore. Gorgeous pieces, restrained and minimal in a way that some of the film score pieces from his CD Momentum were; Burrell stressed that the poems were written so that every word was integral to the final effect, and his interpretations made sure that each note and gesture counted in the same way. Then he exploded in the improvised final piece, an explosion of pent-up flurries based on Moore's "O, To Be a Dragon." Michael Formanek, fresh off the Bloodcount reunion, again proved an able and sensitive partner for the pianist.
That same night, caught Roy Smiles' play "Ying Tong: A Walk With the Goons" at the Wilma Theater. Manic fun, though requiring at least some foreknowledge of the Brit comedy troupe.
Thursday night (2/21), an Ars Nova triple-shot at the Rotunda, kicking off with a stunner of a set by Jeremiah Cymerman's Silence & Solitude. Processing three clarinets (Cymerman joined by Matt Bauder and Josh Sinton) through electronics, the trio created a dense swirl of sound, alternating between brash squalls and sparse, breathy intervals. Next was a solo tenor set by Phillip Greenlief, which explored extremes of the instrument's range over the course of twenty minutes or so; and the Mary Halvorson Trio, with bassist John Hebert and drummer Ches Smith, rocketed through a set of Halvorson's quirky, off-kilter indie-pop/jazz miniatures.
And last night (2/22), braved the snow and other inclement climatic turns to see trumpeter Sean Jones put on an emotional show at the Art Museum, coming to tears and bringing much of the audience to their feet by the end. A little maudlin, but heartfelt. Then the blazing, witty virtuosity of accordionists Guy Klucevsek and Alan Bern at the Trinity Center, in a compelling show co-produced by Relache and Ars Nova.
On 2/20, Dave Burrell premiered a new piece for piano and bass at the Rosenbach, inspired by the museum's collection of works by modernist poet Marianne Moore. Gorgeous pieces, restrained and minimal in a way that some of the film score pieces from his CD Momentum were; Burrell stressed that the poems were written so that every word was integral to the final effect, and his interpretations made sure that each note and gesture counted in the same way. Then he exploded in the improvised final piece, an explosion of pent-up flurries based on Moore's "O, To Be a Dragon." Michael Formanek, fresh off the Bloodcount reunion, again proved an able and sensitive partner for the pianist.
That same night, caught Roy Smiles' play "Ying Tong: A Walk With the Goons" at the Wilma Theater. Manic fun, though requiring at least some foreknowledge of the Brit comedy troupe.
Thursday night (2/21), an Ars Nova triple-shot at the Rotunda, kicking off with a stunner of a set by Jeremiah Cymerman's Silence & Solitude. Processing three clarinets (Cymerman joined by Matt Bauder and Josh Sinton) through electronics, the trio created a dense swirl of sound, alternating between brash squalls and sparse, breathy intervals. Next was a solo tenor set by Phillip Greenlief, which explored extremes of the instrument's range over the course of twenty minutes or so; and the Mary Halvorson Trio, with bassist John Hebert and drummer Ches Smith, rocketed through a set of Halvorson's quirky, off-kilter indie-pop/jazz miniatures.
And last night (2/22), braved the snow and other inclement climatic turns to see trumpeter Sean Jones put on an emotional show at the Art Museum, coming to tears and bringing much of the audience to their feet by the end. A little maudlin, but heartfelt. Then the blazing, witty virtuosity of accordionists Guy Klucevsek and Alan Bern at the Trinity Center, in a compelling show co-produced by Relache and Ars Nova.
Citypaper, February 21
In this week's CP: a feature on accordionists Guy Klucevsek and Alan Bern, coming to the Trinity Center for a Relache/Ars Nova co-presentation; a Soundadvice mention for Billy Milano's M.O.D., at the Khyber; my interview with zombie godfather George A. Romero; and a review, which may have accentuated the negative a tad more than I intended, though I have very mixed feelings, for Michel Gondry's far-from-Eternal-Sunshine latest, Be Kind Rewind, which is charming if threadbare.
Daily News, February 15
This Friday's DN featured my long-delayed (I wrote it back before the holidays!) feature on Philly's crop of alternative music presenting organizations, complete with sidebar bios; and a pick for Elio Villafranca's appearance at BLue Hair Studio with an all-star Latin jazz band to benefit the Philly-based Habitat for Humanity-like charity org Ray of Hope.
Metro, February 11-15
This week, a preview of the Franklin Institute's "Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination" exhibit, which really strains the Franklin's science-based mandate to squeeze in lots of ticket-selling movie memorabilia.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
February So Far
The month began with an Ars Nova Workshop-presented double feature mismatch (nothing wrong with that), with the ultra-quiet duo of guitarist Tetuzi Akiyama and Dutch lutist Jozef Van Wissem preceding the rollicking Trio M, with Myra Melford, Mark Dresser and Matt Wilson having at least as much fun as their audience.
On 2/2, Elio Villafranca supplemented his quartet with the Osso String Quartet to perform a set of classical/jazz hybrids composed for documentary films. Some of the music was quite gorgeous, with spirited playing by his group - Jacam Menricks on reeds, Carlo DeRosa on bass, and Henry Cole on drums. The interplay between Cole and Villafranca was especially fun to watch, as the two obviously delighted in spurring each other on. The only downside was the dance number, performed by a trio of ballerinas who were perfectly capable but given little to do other than wander the stage throwing out what seemed an endless variety of stock moves with no throughline.
On 2/8, three shows, starting with Mike Holober's powerful Gotham Jazz Orchestra at the Art Museum. Holober premiered a lovely new suite, and sounded almost as fantastic in that environment as Maria Schneider did last month. Seems you need to overpower that space, so the PMA really should maximize the big bands that come through; may I suggest Jason Lindner's in the near future? Next up was an evening of new compositions by Susie Ibarra at Settlement Music School. Somewhat disappointing (I'll have a complete review in Downbeat in a couple of months), Ibarra's solo piece and percussion quartet were the highlights, with her piece for four pianists standing on shaky legs and the second half, consisting of her Electric Kulintang duo with husband Roberto Rodriguez, wholly uninspired - especially Rodriguez' factory-installed laptop beats. Finished the night with a blazing set by Wayne Krantz at Chris', a flat-out rock show with the guitarist virtually arm-wrestling with drummer Ari Hoenig.
2/9: Gene Coleman's Ensemble Noamnesia performing his score for the Soviet silent classic Aelita, Queen of Mars. Always a fun film to see with a crowd, as the turn from sci-fi and melodrama to bold propaganda is hilarious (the hammer and sickle shot always leaves the place in ruins). After the performance, theremin player Anthony Jay Ptak gave a talk and demonstration on the theremin, an unintentionally hilarious stream-of-consciousness ramble that had to be heard to be believed.
The next night, the most anticipated event of my calendar: the reunion of Tim Berne's seminal quartet Bloodcount, absent for a mere decade but sorely missed all the same. The show didn't disappoint; the foursome sounded like they played together every night (granted, most of them have continued to work regularly with one another in some form or another) and Berne's new pieces stood in good stead with the old. One of those shows that gets the blood pumping and reminds you why you slog out to these things night after night in the first place. More, please.
On 2/2, Elio Villafranca supplemented his quartet with the Osso String Quartet to perform a set of classical/jazz hybrids composed for documentary films. Some of the music was quite gorgeous, with spirited playing by his group - Jacam Menricks on reeds, Carlo DeRosa on bass, and Henry Cole on drums. The interplay between Cole and Villafranca was especially fun to watch, as the two obviously delighted in spurring each other on. The only downside was the dance number, performed by a trio of ballerinas who were perfectly capable but given little to do other than wander the stage throwing out what seemed an endless variety of stock moves with no throughline.
On 2/8, three shows, starting with Mike Holober's powerful Gotham Jazz Orchestra at the Art Museum. Holober premiered a lovely new suite, and sounded almost as fantastic in that environment as Maria Schneider did last month. Seems you need to overpower that space, so the PMA really should maximize the big bands that come through; may I suggest Jason Lindner's in the near future? Next up was an evening of new compositions by Susie Ibarra at Settlement Music School. Somewhat disappointing (I'll have a complete review in Downbeat in a couple of months), Ibarra's solo piece and percussion quartet were the highlights, with her piece for four pianists standing on shaky legs and the second half, consisting of her Electric Kulintang duo with husband Roberto Rodriguez, wholly uninspired - especially Rodriguez' factory-installed laptop beats. Finished the night with a blazing set by Wayne Krantz at Chris', a flat-out rock show with the guitarist virtually arm-wrestling with drummer Ari Hoenig.
2/9: Gene Coleman's Ensemble Noamnesia performing his score for the Soviet silent classic Aelita, Queen of Mars. Always a fun film to see with a crowd, as the turn from sci-fi and melodrama to bold propaganda is hilarious (the hammer and sickle shot always leaves the place in ruins). After the performance, theremin player Anthony Jay Ptak gave a talk and demonstration on the theremin, an unintentionally hilarious stream-of-consciousness ramble that had to be heard to be believed.
The next night, the most anticipated event of my calendar: the reunion of Tim Berne's seminal quartet Bloodcount, absent for a mere decade but sorely missed all the same. The show didn't disappoint; the foursome sounded like they played together every night (granted, most of them have continued to work regularly with one another in some form or another) and Berne's new pieces stood in good stead with the old. One of those shows that gets the blood pumping and reminds you why you slog out to these things night after night in the first place. More, please.
End-o-January Live Round-Up
Left off mid-month, and plenty has happened on Philly stages since. January 21-24, World Cafe hosted their first Israeli Jazz Festival. Missed the first night's Roni Ben-Hur show, but caught the remaining three nights. First up was saxophonist Eli Degibri, who led a fine quartet featuring bassist Barak Mori, pianist Omer Klein, and drummer Obed Calvaire; they got off to a slow start, piling on a few too many ballads and crawl-paced numbers at the outset, but eventually got into a steady groove and put on a solid performance. The next night, pianist Alon Yavnai brought his group with bassist Chris Lightcap, flutist Amir Milstein, and drummer Dan Aran. There was a bit too much pretty virtuosity for my tastes, but Yavnai's tunes, inspired by Israeli traditional songs and a blend of other influences, were enticing. The highlight of the fest was the final night's performance by a stellar quintet led by sibs Anat and Avishai Cohen. With Barak Mori back in the bass position, plus pianist Jason Lindner and drummer Daniel Freedman, the group smoked on a set of really inspired originals taken mainly from the 3 Cohens and Avishai's latest disc. Anat actually had me wishing she'd play more tenor rather than clarinet; she really sounded fantastic that night.
On 1/25, caught a matinee Philadelphia Orchestra performance, featuring a spirited rendition of Leonard Bernstein's "Jeremiah" Symphony and the premiere of the Bernstein Fest's second Higdon commission, The Singing Rooms, with the Philadelphia Singers providing the choral parts. While more successful than her Concert 4-3, the piece still dissipated into near-incoherence in some sections. Not in the avant, dissonant way, but in the aimless, directionless way. There was a thrilling moment when soloist Jennifer Koh broke a string and swapped violins with the first chair, while her instrument was fixed with the speed and precision of a NASCAR pitstop.
That same night, caught Phila Theatre Co's production of M. Butterfly in their new Suzanne Roberts Theatre. Was a great way to check out the new home, as the design was spectacular, even if the production itself was too noisy and obvious.
The next day, a double-feature of Chris Potter's untouchable electric band Underground at the Annenberg Center, and TBP drummer David King's other trio, Happy Apple, at I-House. Nobody puts on a better show than Potter right now, and the band was tight and firing on all cylinders; HA put on a typically raw, ragged-as-garage-rock show, engaging with a small crowd (splitting audience with Potter and Bill Frisell's show in Camden) with stories and patter.
On 1/27, saw a preview of PIMA Group's "Look!", a dance performance choreographed by Melisa Putz at Society Hill's Powel House. An intriguing piece, allowing small audiences to roam freely about the house as dancers dart in and out of rooms, occasionally creating uncomfortable atmospheres via eye contact or whispers to the onlookers.
1/30: Caught the premier of InterAct Theatre's new play Black Gold, written and directed by Seth Rozin. It moves at a dizzying pace, throwing ideas and jokes out faster than any crowd could catch them, but a good bit of it does stick. It definitely will have a short shelf life, but actually earns a few dramatic moments among all the broad comedy.
1/31: Matt Davis' Aerial Photograph at Tritone. Matt's got a monthly gig at Tritone, and he's using the dates this year to try out new material based around interviews with different groups of Philadelphians, the first using soundbites from a pair of octogenarians who've lived in the city their whole lives. Matt writes and plays beautifully and is truly one of the standouts in the city right now. And that night, Jason Fraticelli tore the roof off the place with a mind-crushing bass solo that had the whole place hooting and shouting like some old-school Jazz at the Philharmonic crowd.
On 1/25, caught a matinee Philadelphia Orchestra performance, featuring a spirited rendition of Leonard Bernstein's "Jeremiah" Symphony and the premiere of the Bernstein Fest's second Higdon commission, The Singing Rooms, with the Philadelphia Singers providing the choral parts. While more successful than her Concert 4-3, the piece still dissipated into near-incoherence in some sections. Not in the avant, dissonant way, but in the aimless, directionless way. There was a thrilling moment when soloist Jennifer Koh broke a string and swapped violins with the first chair, while her instrument was fixed with the speed and precision of a NASCAR pitstop.
That same night, caught Phila Theatre Co's production of M. Butterfly in their new Suzanne Roberts Theatre. Was a great way to check out the new home, as the design was spectacular, even if the production itself was too noisy and obvious.
The next day, a double-feature of Chris Potter's untouchable electric band Underground at the Annenberg Center, and TBP drummer David King's other trio, Happy Apple, at I-House. Nobody puts on a better show than Potter right now, and the band was tight and firing on all cylinders; HA put on a typically raw, ragged-as-garage-rock show, engaging with a small crowd (splitting audience with Potter and Bill Frisell's show in Camden) with stories and patter.
On 1/27, saw a preview of PIMA Group's "Look!", a dance performance choreographed by Melisa Putz at Society Hill's Powel House. An intriguing piece, allowing small audiences to roam freely about the house as dancers dart in and out of rooms, occasionally creating uncomfortable atmospheres via eye contact or whispers to the onlookers.
1/30: Caught the premier of InterAct Theatre's new play Black Gold, written and directed by Seth Rozin. It moves at a dizzying pace, throwing ideas and jokes out faster than any crowd could catch them, but a good bit of it does stick. It definitely will have a short shelf life, but actually earns a few dramatic moments among all the broad comedy.
1/31: Matt Davis' Aerial Photograph at Tritone. Matt's got a monthly gig at Tritone, and he's using the dates this year to try out new material based around interviews with different groups of Philadelphians, the first using soundbites from a pair of octogenarians who've lived in the city their whole lives. Matt writes and plays beautifully and is truly one of the standouts in the city right now. And that night, Jason Fraticelli tore the roof off the place with a mind-crushing bass solo that had the whole place hooting and shouting like some old-school Jazz at the Philharmonic crowd.
Citypaper, February 14
This week: a feature review of George A. Romero's vital reboot of his zombie series, Diary of the Dead; a sider on A Walk Into the Sea, a doc about Factory filmmaker Danny Williams, to be followed at Friday's I-House screening by a 70-minute slate of his films, featuring Warhol and the Velvet Underground; a review of the bland Jedi-reunion actioner Jumper and another for the bland kids' fantasy film (with a better-than-bland cast) The Spiderwick Chronicles. And in music, a pick for saxophonist Kenny Garrett, coming to the Gershman Y, and Soundadvice mentions for Moppa Elliott's Mostly Other People Do The Killing and ex-DBTer Jason Isbell.
Daily News, February 8
In this Friday's issue, a feature on percussionist/composer Susie Ibarra, presenting an Ars Nova-sponsored set of new and recent compositions, currently not online; and a pick for Miek Holober's Gotham Jazz Orchestra, premiering a new PMA-commissioned suite for the museum's Art After 5.
Citypaper, February 7
This week: an online-only feature on the second coming of the monumental Tim Berne-led quartet Bloodcount; a review of the onerously-named Vince Vaughn comedy doc, whose hefty title I will opt not to replicate here; and a sidebar review of Jem Cohen's The Ex concert doc, Building a Broken Mousetrap, screening at I-House.
Daily News, February 1
This Friday, simply a pick for Trio M, the conglomeration of pianist Myra Melford, bassist Mark Dresser, and drummer Matt Wilson.
Metro, January 28-February 1
In this week's Metro: A review of Stealing Klimt, screening as part of the Philly Jewish Film Fest; my interview with filmmaker John Sayles, in town to promote his latest, Honeydripper; a preview of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company's piece "Chapel/Chapter"; a piece on Beth Nixon's West Philly puppet show, "Mite We?"; and all in the not-online Feb. 1 weekend paper, pieces on the PMA's Lee Miller exhibit, the PIMA Group dance piece "Look!", and Elio Villafranca's classical/Cuban/jazz octet suite at the Painted Bride.
Citypaper, January 31
In this week's CP, my interview with Dutch lutist Jozef Van Wissem, in town for an ultra-quiet duo set with Japanese guitarist Tetuzi Akiyama; a review of the rereleased 1988 Chet Baker doc Let's Get Lost and an interview with its director, Bruce Weber; and a sidebar on Exhumed Films' giallo double feature of Dario Argento's Tenebre and Sergio Martino's Torso.
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