Unofficial Academy Awards Discussion Board

Precious Doll wrote:

anonymous1980 wrote:

Precious Doll wrote:Well, I've reached the point were I am unlikely to see anymore of the submissions prior to the shortlist announcement.

You don't have Netflix? The Netherlands' entry, The Resistance Banker, is streaming there. I personally did not care for it but I am interested to see your take.

As for me, the only film I have left that I'll definitely be able to see before the shortlist announcement is Roma since it will drop on December 14th, just two days before. There was a screening of the Thai entry here but I missed it!

I still haven't subscribed to Netflix but ironically will probably do so in the coming days. They have a backlog of films I want to see as well as the David Fincher series Mindhunters which I thought would have been released on Blu Ray by now. It's a good time for me to dip into Netflix as cinema going drops to a trickle for the next 2 months and there is little coming out on physical media that I'm interested in.

I'll definitely give The Resistance Banker a viewing.

I bite the bullet I subscribed to Netflix a few days ago. I finished watching The Netherland's entry The Resistance Banker and pretty much concur with Anonymous. It was watchable, moved along but was pretty devoid of any interesting characters and had the occasional scene of suspense to help keep it going. It the end it really doesn't add up to very much. I suppose it has an outside chance of making the short-list but that would be as far is it will go. 4/10

ITALIANO wrote:

Precious Doll wrote:The Cakemaker (Israel) 7/10

This has been one of those films that kept alluding me. I missed it at the Jewish Film Festival last year, then missed it at the Gay & Lesbian Film Festival earlier this year and then missed it on its general release because its virtually impossible to find any website or anything in the print of everything showing throughout Sydney (most of the cinema chains are designed to lock you into one to three cinema locations and there is no way of finding out what is playing outside your local area - a bizarre way to run a business). Thank goodness Strand Releasing picked the film up and have given it physical media release..

It's a nice, low-key movie which may seem a bit naive, a bit too "reticent" - like its characters - but is also disarmingly honest and becomes slowly even quite affecting. I'm not sure it is "big" enough for the Academy (especially in a year when Foreign Film seems crowded with strong titles): though it deals with important themes, it does so in a quiet, unshowy way. But I have certainly seen much worse movies nominated in that category.

I’m inclined to accept Marco’s take on this film, I guess. And I must add the the film is greatly helped by Tim Kalkhof’s performance, (who didn’t win a much deserved best actor Ophir, since, not being Israeli, he was not eligible). Now comes the raining-on-the-parade stuff.

Over a year ago, on “Israeli Cinema Day”, I saw, back to back, previews of both Foxtrot and The Cakemaker. Strangely, one ended up as Israel’s Oscar entry last year and the other managed to do it this time, so I guess both release strategies worked. Anyway, I was having my own private Sarah-Adler-is-married-to-an-architect*-who-have-a-voice-of-reason-brother-and-a-Holocaust-survivor-mother little festival. And it was another case of a bad film (that’s Foxtrot) somewhat tainting my impression of a much better one, since by simply viewed together, too often used patterns became more obvious. In this case, is the Israel-is-oh-so-European take local filmmakers here love, for it makes their films festivals friendly. So – not a trace of the practically year-round harsh light we have here and the totally year-round harsh disposition we Israelis display. No, it’s always raining here and the people are oh-so dainty and polite and speak English and even German. And they have internationally acceptant names (in Foxtrot we have Michael, Daphna, Jonathan and Alma Feldman). In The Cakemaker Adler’s character is named Anat. Now – Adler is not an Anat. Anat (not Anette) is a very Israeli name. Alas, Sarah Adler has no Israeli vibe in her. Born in Paris and raised in France and in Israel she has a very French, Charlotte Ginsburg like presence (and accent, when speaking Hebrew). I guess this is what makes directors (and critics) here like her, while she is practically unknown widely. And though she was doing an ok job in The Cakemaker, I found her presence totally wrong.

* We need to have a much more profound discussion about the over-representation of architects in films one day. Ok, I know it’s all about us being manly yet sensitive, artistically creative yet engineerly realistic, not to mention impeccably dressed. We are indeed the best human kind has to offer. And - as is almost comically exhibited in Foxtrot - we live in lavishly decorated spaces, or at least, as is the case in The Cakemaker, in a romantically shabby chic ones, which make us just perfect for being represented in a visual medium such as Cinema. (The fact that nitpicking the circumstances of Oren’s, (Anat’s husband and Thomas’ lover), work in Berlin indicates he should have been an engineer rather than an architect is irrelevant to anyone but me, I’m afraid).

Precious Doll wrote:The Cakemaker (Israel) 7/10

This has been one of those films that kept alluding me. I missed it at the Jewish Film Festival last year, then missed it at the Gay & Lesbian Film Festival earlier this year and then missed it on its general release because its virtually impossible to find any website or anything in the print of everything showing throughout Sydney (most of the cinema chains are designed to lock you into one to three cinema locations and there is no way of finding out what is playing outside your local area - a bizarre way to run a business). Thank goodness Strand Releasing picked the film up and have given it physical media release..

It's a nice, low-key movie which may seem a bit naive, a bit too "reticent" - like its characters - but is also disarmingly honest and becomes slowly even quite affecting. I'm not sure it is "big" enough for the Academy (especially in a year when Foreign Film seems crowded with strong titles): though it deals with important themes, it does so in a quiet, unshowy way. But I have certainly seen much worse movies nominated in that category.

anonymous1980 wrote:

Precious Doll wrote:Well, I've reached the point were I am unlikely to see anymore of the submissions prior to the shortlist announcement.

You don't have Netflix? The Netherlands' entry, The Resistance Banker, is streaming there. I personally did not care for it but I am interested to see your take.

As for me, the only film I have left that I'll definitely be able to see before the shortlist announcement is Roma since it will drop on December 14th, just two days before. There was a screening of the Thai entry here but I missed it!

I still haven't subscribed to Netflix but ironically will probably do so in the coming days. They have a backlog of films I want to see as well as the David Fincher series Mindhunters which I thought would have been released on Blu Ray by now. It's a good time for me to dip into Netflix as cinema going drops to a trickle for the next 2 months and there is little coming out on physical media that I'm interested in.

I'll definitely give The Resistance Banker a viewing.

Precious Doll wrote:Well, I've reached the point were I am unlikely to see anymore of the submissions prior to the shortlist announcement.

You don't have Netflix? The Netherlands' entry, The Resistance Banker, is streaming there. I personally did not care for it but I am interested to see your take.

As for me, the only film I have left that I'll definitely be able to see before the shortlist announcement is Roma since it will drop on December 14th, just two days before. There was a screening of the Thai entry here but I missed it!

Well, I've reached the point were I am unlikely to see anymore of the submissions prior to the shortlist announcement. I'm surprised that I've seen 32 which is more than the number of films I have seen that were submitted last year and I don't think there is any more films from the 2017 list that I'm interested in seeing.

So, these are the 32 films I have seen listed in my order of personal preference:

01. Burning (South Korea) 9/10
02. Shoplifters (Japan) 8/10
03. The Heiresses (Paraguay) 8/10
04. I Do Not Care If We Wo Down in History as Barbarians (Romania) 8/10
05. The Waldheim Waltz (Austria) 8/10
06. Woman at War (Iceland) 7/10
07. Girl (Belgium) 7/10
08. I Am Not a Witch (United Kingdom) 7/10
09. Sobibor (Russia) 7/10
10. The Cakemaker (Israel) 7/10
11. Dogman (Italy) 7/10
12. The Great Buddha (Taiwan) 7/10
13. Birds of Passage (Columbia) 7/10
14. Donbass (Ukraine) 6/10
15. The Wild Pear Tree (Turkey) 6/10
16. No Date, No Signature (Iran) 6/10
17. El Angel (Argentina) 6/10
18. Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Indonesia) 5/10
19. Cold War (Poland) 5/10
20. The Guilty (Denmark) 5/10
21. Border (Sweden) 5/10
22. The Family (Venezuela) 5/10
23. Roma (Mexico) 4/10
24. The Interpreter (Slovakia) 4/10
25. Euthanzer (Findland) 4/10
26. What Will People Say (Norway) 4/10
27. Yomeddine (Egypt) 4/10
28. Operation Red Sea (Hong Kong) 4/10
29. Champions (Spain) 4/10
30. Offenders (Serbia)
31. Polyxen (Greece) 2/10
32. Capharnaum (Lebanaon) 1/10

As far as predicting what is going to be on the shortlist I'm partly basing it on what the Academy has done since the changes to the category were made. They seem to stick within certain types of films and occasionally come up with something like Dogtooth. Also, because we don't know where the committee comes into play, and I've always assumed that its the most critically acclaimed films that don't make the initial pick which still can sometimes leave out some of the best films submitted. This is how I see were the films sit in their likelihood of making the shortlist:

Locks (they cannot miss out due to the level of acclaim)

Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)

Very Good Chance (some will get in on their own steam, others will be committee selections and of course not all will make it)

Birds of Passage (Colombia)
Capharnaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Dogman (Italy)
Girl (Belgium)
The Guilty (Denmark)
The Heiresses (Paraguay)
The Interpreter (Slovakia)
I Am Not a Witch (United Kingdom)
No Date, No Signature (Iran)
Sobibor (Russia)
Woman at War (Iceland)

Will need the committee's help

Burning (South Korea)

Little chance. Never rule anything out but I really don't see any of these making the shortlist. Some don't have the critical clout or they are too far removed from the comfort zone of the Academy, despite their excellence:

El Angel (Argentina)
Border (Sweden)
Champions (Spain)
Donbass (Ukraine)
Euthanzer (Findland)
The Family (Venezuela)
The Great Buddha (Taiwan)
I Do Not Care If We Wo Down in History as Barbarians (Romania)
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Indonesia)
Offenders (Serbia)
Operation Red Sea (Hong Kong)
Polyxen (Greece)
The Waldheim Waltz (Austria)
What Will People Say (Norway)
The Wild Pear Tree (Turkey)
Yomeddine (Egypt)

I've only seen a little over one third of the submissions and there are some submitted films I am looking forward to seeing. The following based on their critical reception/director's history I would definitely as having a chance to make the shortlist:

Cocote (Dominican Republic)
Graves Without a Name (Cambodia)
Memoir of War (France)
Never Look Back (Germany)
Sunset (Hungary)

There are also no doubt some worthy submitted films that are under my radar.

Offenders (Serbia) 4/10

Shot in black & white this really little more than exercise of style of substance. Even the premise is somewhat ridiculous, though the film remains watchable before reaching its somewhat predictable conclusion. There really is nothing more to be said about something that is going to disappear into obscurity were it belongs.

Precious Doll - you're the first person I know who outright disliked Roma. Speaking of disliking things....

The Resistance Banker, The Netherlands (Joram Lursen) 5/10 - This film tells the true story of a Dutch banker who figured out a way to create a secret bank in order to fund the Dutch resistance movement against the Nazis during World War II. This is currently streaming on Netflix. I often step into these types of "Oscar-baity" type stories with a high degree of skepticism since there have been SOOOOOOOOOOOO many World War II stories throughout the history of cinema, you really have to step up to deliver something fresh. Unfortunately, this didn't. I mean, it's a well-shot, decently acted film but the entire thing is pretty paint-by-numbers World War II period drama, it almost feels like a PARODY of the type of films that often win/get nominated in the Foreign Language Film category during the '80s and '90s. My least favorite of the Foreign Language Film entries so far. Pass.

Will it get in? It will get votes from the geezers of the Academy but not enough of them to get it to the Top 5.

Roma (Mexico) 4/10

I'm not surprised in the slightest that I don't understand the acclaim for this film as it sums up my feelings towards Alfonso Cuaron is general. Like of of Cuaron's work I cannot deny that the film looks great but the scenario that it presents was like trying to look through a dusty milk bottle that's been left on the porch for a couple of years. I found the film largely disengaging and virtually devoid of any interest in the characters. Leading lady Yalitza Aparicio if afforded about three expressions but I suppose she is just the maid so even given central focus she remains something of an enigma.

There was a moment in the film which gave me a good chuckle and I thought it was going to finally find its feet but it then proceeded to just plod along. And what was the obsession with dog shit?

Anyway, regardless of my thoughts on the film it has been virtually universally acclaimed that a nomination is assured and probably a win

What Will People Say (Norway) 4/10

This Norwegian film certainly deals with a long standing topical matter. The repression of women from developing nations living in a Western Country. A teenager, Nisha, appears to be living a relatively normal and happy life with her immigrant family in Norway. He father catches her in what he sees as a comprising position with a male school friend and packs her off the Pakistan for reasons that I was never too sure of just why. Whilst I was very sympathetic to the subject matter I found the film rather heavy handed and all the characters rather one dimensional. I never felt I really got to know Nisha so there was little emotional engagement in predicament.

The film appears to have received some very good reviews and despite my misgivings for the film it could certainly could be viewed has having a reasonable chance of a nomination.

El Angel (Argentina) 6/10

This is based on the murder/crime spree of Carlos Robledo Puch, a teenage who in the very early 1970's was dubbed 'The Angel' due to angelic looks that belied the evil lurking behind the perceived innocence. Director Luis Ortega handles the material in a rather light manner despite the gruesome subject for the first two-thirds of the film when is then toned and becomes more serious during the last third. It works to a large degree and his actors all do good work within the limitations of the film. I don't really think the film is compelling enough to be a contender and given the Academy ignored another film film titled The Clan in 2015 from Argentina which was also based on a true life crime story, though set in the 1980s, El Angel would appear to be a long- shot.

The Cakemaker (Israel) 7/10

This has been one of those films that kept alluding me. I missed it at the Jewish Film Festival last year, then missed it at the Gay & Lesbian Film Festival earlier this year and then missed it on its general release because its virtually impossible to find any website or anything in the print of everything showing throughout Sydney (most of the cinema chains are designed to lock you into one to three cinema locations and there is no way of finding out what is playing outside your local area - a bizarre way to run a business). Thank goodness Strand Releasing picked the film up and have given it physical media release.

Its a very delicate film that in many ways is a seduction of sorts. The storyline itself is very slight and the narrative is driven by emotions, memories, loss & grief. Its a really beautiful affecting film but certainly won't have mass appeal. My partner found it twee, however I was captivated by its somewhat magical spell.

Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (Indonesia) 5/10

Very much the 'art film' with what appears to be overt nods to a number of directors and genres most notably the Western. It's certainly more enticing that Asian art house cinema which mimics Asian art house cinema and first time director Mould Surya shows some promise but this effort is of a type somewhat out of the Academy's orbit.

Burning, South Korea (Lee Chang-dong) 9.5/10 - Based on a Haruki Murakami novel, this is about a young man who hooks up with a childhood friend then a handsome, rich but rather creepy guy gets in between them. Lee Chang-dong is one of South Korea's major filmmakers and one I also admire so I was really looking forward to this and it did not disappoint. This is a rather unsettling slow-burn thriller of sorts that just builds and builds and moments after it ends, you still feel a bit uneasy and unsure about it (I won't spoil it but people who have seen it will know what I'm talking about). It is a fantastic piece of work. It features great performances including Steven Yeun who I only really know from The Walking Dead giving the type of performance I've never seen from him. Highly recommended.

Will it get in? It has a shot but it DEFINITELY needs the committee's help.

The Interpreter (Slovakia) 4/10

This starts off promisingly enough with 80 year old Ali (famed Czech film director Jiri Menzel) turning up at the flat of a former SS officer in Vienna to take his revenger only to find out the that officer is long dead and encounters the officers 70 year son Georg (Peter Simonischek from Toni Erdmann). The unlikely duo set off on a road trip to Slovakia as Georg would like to find out more about his fathers WW2 activities. Unfortunately, this goes off course about the half way mark and a leads to a very unsatisfactory conclusion. Both the leads are fine but the material is somewhat leaden as it progresses.

I Do Not Care If We Go Down is History As Barbarians (Romania) 8/10

This 2 hour 40 minute film is about the staging of the massacre of Romanian Jews perpetrated by the Romanian Arm on the Eastern Front in 1941. The director of the outdoor staged performance is a head strong independent woman and the film charts her efforts to get the performance on in spite of obstacles and blockers. Director Radu Jude is one of the many talented filmmakers working in Romania and this is unlike anything he has done before as he takes a somewhat documentary approach.

I've now seen twenty something submissions so far and if I was to list them in order of most likely to least likely be nominated this would be last. This of course is not a reflection of the quality of this outstanding achievement. There is just no way the Academy is going to acknowledge a film this audacious despite its highly relevant and timely subject matter. That it in its very busy narrative takes time out to poke some gentle fun at Hollywood wouldn't help its chances either but really they are added for light relief in what is largely an intellectual exercise of evaluating the past to inform those disengaged and uninformed.