The Oscar Ceremony: The “Show” Has Been Sucked Right out of the Business

This weekend marks the 83^rd annual Academy Awards ceremony. I don’t remember when I began watching the Oscars telecast, but I can tell you that I have not missed a show since. And, I continue to watch every year despite the fact that my choices rarely win, many of my favorite films don’t even get nominated, and, well. . .the show itself has become as dull as watching paint dry. It wasn’t always so. Years ago—before the Academy adopted an official dress code and before current director Don Mischer decided that viewers would rather see badly performed songs than clips from movies—the ceremony was an entertaining combination of strange or inappropriate acceptance speeches, ridiculous production numbers, decent jokes from the emcee, and a sincere sentiment for Hollywood royalty of the past. I compiled a list of moments from past Oscar shows to give you an idea of what they used to be like. I sigh for the old days!

From the Cine-philes: Jenny Grist Aims to Please

 

For my second entry in “From the Cine-Philes,” I interviewed Facets’ Customer Service Manager Jenny Grist. “From the Cinephiles” gives readers, members, and customers the opportunity to meet the staff, and Facets employees a chance to talk about their work outside the job. Just like files of important documents can be a resource for understanding, so are the Facets Cine-philes (our movie-loving staff) our greatest resource.

Though Customer Service Manager is her official title, Jenny does so much more than that. She is the glue that holds the office together—and often the office equipment! She knows how to get around red tape, cut through the mire of daily business, and pull together a decent opening-night reception on a wing and a prayer. Night School regulars in particular appreciate her modest but tasty, colorful receptions.   

Ain't It Funny How the Night Moves

This post about Arthur Penn’s Night Moves is part of the For the Love of Film Noir Blog-a-thon, hosted by Ferdy on Films and The Self-Styled Siren. The purpose of the blogathon, which concludes next Monday, is to raise money for the Film Noir Foundation to help them restore The Sound of Fury, directed by Cy Endfield, a victim of the blacklist. A nitrate print of the film will be restored by the UCLA Film & Television Archive, who will use Martin Scorsese’s personal copy as a reference. Paramount Pictures owns the rights to the film, and they will also contribute to the restoration fund. Click here to donate via the button provided and to see the wide range of topics tackled by the participating bloggers. 

Director Arthur Penn died last September, prompting renewed interest in his career, particularly Bonnie and Clyde, one of the three films that launched the Film School Generation. Largely overlooked in the focus on his work was his contribution to film noir, Night Moves, which was part of a revival of the genre during the 1970s. The directors of this era were attracted to film noir because of its beautiful visual style, dark romanticism, and inherent criticism of the status quo. Educated and film literate, they reworked the genre for a generation disillusioned with mainstream society and the status quo, who had let America down with Vietnam, generational conflict, and Watergate.  Thus, the noirs of the 1970s—Chinatown, The Long Goodbye, Farewell My Lovely, The Drowning Pool, and Night Moves—offer a pessimism, cynicism, and thematic depth that surpass the original cycle of the genre.

Kartemquin Films: A Chicago Treasure

Since 1966, Kartemquin Films has been producing documentary films that examine and critique society’s issues, problems, and contradictions by focusing on the stories of real people. The group’s most widely acclaimed film, Hoop Dreams, became their greatest commercial success, but Kartemquin’s other films are equally as dedicated to showcasing extraordinary ordinary people or tackling important issues.

            Kartemquin Films was started by three friends from the University of Chicago. Two of them, Gordon Quinn and Gerald Temaner, were volunteers for Doc Films, another local institution and the longest continuously running film society in the country. Along with Stan Karter, Quinn and Temaner decided to form a filmmaking company, which they dubbed Kar - Tem - Quin, a blend of the three founders’ last names. (continued)

The Rescuers: The Past Informs the Present

 

The five nominees for the Best Documentary Feature Academy Award were recently announced along with the other nominations. Every film seems a worthy inclusion on the list, though the excellent Inside Job appears to have a lock on the Oscar. Each nominee will benefit with renewed press attention, a higher profile, more inclusions in Netflix queues, and perhaps even wider distribution. Unfortunately, those powerful documentaries that did not make the cut will fall off the radar. So many worthy documentaries are produced by dedicated filmmakers who pour their lives into their projects only to find that they are at the mercy of spotty distribution and a fair-weather press. 

The Rescuers by Michael King was recently chosen Best of the Fest by audiences at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.  Of the 190+ films at the fest, 33 were selected by viewers to be showcased on the last day as Best of the Fest, and it is a testament to this film’s popularity that it made the cut. Director King is currently traveling the country exhibiting The Rescuers at cinematheques and entering it into additional film festivals. Later this month, the film pops up in Beloit, Wisconsin, and before that it will be part of the festivities at the 123rd Kenesseth Israel Congregation Anniversary Banquet in Minneapolis on February 13. (continued)

Announcing Night School Session VII: Heroine Addicts

To take your mind off Snowpocalypse 2011, I am proud to announce the films for the next session of Night School, Facets’ unique version of the midnight movie series. Session VII, which begins Saturday, February 19, is titled Heroine Addicts because every film in the series features a female protagonist. From the offbeat Japanese exploitation film Female Prisoner Scorpion #701: Beast Stable to the underrated Hollywood action flick The Long Kiss Goodnight to the camp classic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, the films in this series offer a provocative look at women on the big screen.  

            As with previous sessions, each film is introduced by knowledgeable staff member in an informative, entertaining lecture. Not only will you learn about a variety of films from different eras, the series will provoke you into thinking about the image of women in popular film. (continued)