Oscars 2019: A Few Upsets and an Absent Host Couldn't Keep the Gold Statues Down

(Left to right) Rami Malek, Olivia Colman, Regina King, and Mahershala Ali

I'm going to just throw this out there--and a lot of other people obviously feel the same way: I was upset about Sunday night's Best Picture winner at the 91st Annual Academy Awards. Don't get me wrong, Green Book is a really good film, with solid performances from nominated actors Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali (who did take home the best supporting actor honor) and somewhat different perspectives on race and class.

For my money's worth, however, I felt that fellow Best Picture nominees Roma and Black Panther (Alfonso Cuaron's deeply personal story of an indigenous maid in 1970s Mexico City, and Ryan Coogler's superb adaptation of the famed Marvel hero, respectfully) were two films that really broke new ground in terms of diversity and cultural representation on screen, not to mention filmmaking and storytelling in general. (Roma, for the record, was not only a high contender to win best picture and not just the Foreign Language Film award, the latter of which it did win. It has also become, without a doubt, one of the greatest films ever made.)

Not to say that the true story of the friendship between Italian-American bouncer Tony Vallelonga and African-American concert pianist Dr. Don Shirley didn't have that as well. It's just that Green Book seems like conventional Oscar bait that only took a few risks with its technical and thematic elements and, in some ways, "played it safe," compared to what many would consider stronger competition. (In retrospect, the same thing has been said about previous Best Picture-winning films like 1982's Gandhi, 1989's Driving Miss Daisy, 2005's Crash, and 2015's Spotlight.) It also seemed that, although the Academy managed to get through the telecast just 17 minutes over its three hour schedule, the ceremony did seem a bit rushed.

All controversy aside, if the Oscars focused on anything specific this season, it's several things. One, they managed to exceed expectations in carrying on without a host. (The last time was in 1989, when actor Rob Lowe sung a poorly-received duet with, of all characters, Snow White.) Two, all of the categories were presented and given on television and not during commercials (as verified by presenters Tyler Perry, Michael Keaton, and openers Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph. Three, as IMDb make note, the Academy continued its stance in being more diverse by coupling different groups of presenters, like Pharrell Williams & Michelle Yeow, Angela Bassett & Javier Bardem, and (my favorite) Melissa McCarthy and Brian Tyler Henry, both of whom appeared onstage in over-the-top outfits parodying Best Picture nominee The Favourite, complete with rabbit puppets. "The nominees tonight have proven we are all part of the same ocean," said Alfonso Cuaron while accepting the Foreign Language Film award for Roma.

Samuel L. Jackson (right) congratulates Spike Lee on the latter's first Oscar win

"Party on!" Mike Myers and Dana Carvey present Bohemian Rhapsody

Other highlights included watching presenter Jason Mamoa's thrilled reaction to Best Documentary Feature winner Free Solo (ditto Samuel L. Jackson's stoked reaction to director Spike Lee's first-ever Oscar win, for co-writing BlacKkKlansman), actor-comedian Keegan-Michael Key literally dropping in on the ceremony in Mary Poppins fashion, actor Paul Rudd's visual effects gag, Supporting Actress winner Regina King's humble and gracious acceptance speech, and actress Laura Dern announcing the upcoming opening of the new Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, the film Bohemian Rhapsody surprisingly won four of its five nominated awards, including Best Actor for Rami Malek (a "first-generation American" son of Egyptian immigrants), who acknowledged the legacy of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury (himself the son of immigrants). "I may not have been the obvious choice [for the role]," stated Malek, "but I guess it worked out." There was even a live opening performance from Queen (with current frontman Adam Lambert) that rocked the house, literally with "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions". Did I mention that Mike Myers and Dana Carvey of Wayne's World fame reunited to present the Queen biopic, and to recall the former film's iconic scene of them head-banging to the legendary song?

Getting back to Roma, the film did gain two more wins for Cuaron's cinematography and direction of the film. "As artists, our job is to look where others don't," said Cuaron, while accepting the Best Director award (his second, after 2013's Gravity), further exemplifying the film's significance.

More importantly, I thought to myself that the greatest thing for any of these nominees (win or not) was the fact that they were recognized and acknowledged for the work they did in 2018, not to mention the themes many of them echoed in terms of believing in the impossible, never giving up, and being inspired to be better people. The opening montage of films from 2018 was a wonderful celebration of another year in film, and not just for those nominated. (We should remind ourselves that, while still considered Hollywood's biggest night of the year, the Oscars are not the only film awards show there is, for better or worse.)

Filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron (left) is embraced by Roma stars
Yalitza Aparicio (middle) and Marina de Tavira (middle-right)

Following a show-stealing performance of the song "Shallow" with Bradley Cooper from A Star Is Born (seriously, that P.O.V. from the stage was priceless), singer-turned-actress Lady Gaga stated in her acceptance speech for her Best Song win, "It is not about winning, it's about not giving up. If you have a dream, fight for it. . . . It's about how many times you stand up and are brave and you keep going." Olivia Colman (one of the biggest surprise winners of the night, for her leading role in The Favourite), said, "to any little girl who's practicing her speech on the telly, you never know." Animated Short film winner Domee Shi (for the Pixar animated short Boa) said, "To all the nerdy little girls behind their sketch books, don't be afraid to tell your stories to the world." Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, not surprisingly, won Best Animated Feature, thanks, in part, for being an immersive film visually and culturally. Said co-producer Christopher Miller, "800 filmmakers [spent four years pushing] boundaries and took risks to make people feel powerful and seen." Honoring people of all backgrounds, co-director Peter Ramsey added, "The world needs you. We're counting on you."

Speaking of heroes, while Black Panther didn't win the top prize, it did still garner awards for its costume design, production design, and score (a new record for a comic book movie), the fact that it was recognized as a Best Picture contender is alone a new benchmark for films based on comic books and superheroes. Who would've thought they'd come this far? And they're still on a roll.

RETROSPECT: "Cowabunga!" or, The Enduring Popularity (and Guilty Pleasure) of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"

If you grew up like I did in the late Eighties and early Nineties, you probably watched a lot of Saturday morning cartoons. On one hand, you had your Disney shows like Ducktales and Goof Troop. You also had your Looney Tunes cartoons, starring Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner. And, of course, you had your superhero shows, ranging from epic (Batman: The Animated Series and X-Men, anyone?) to silly-but-fun (Darkwing Duck was a winner). Many (if not all) of these shows, in fact, featured anthropomorphic animal characters, which always suits kids just fine.

And then there was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a series about four anthropomorphic ninja-fighting, pizza-loving amphibians. What most people forget, perhaps, is that this series didn't start out as a cartoon, but as a comic-book. I've always been a fan of these "heroes in a half shell" since my childhood, and my older brother and I even dressed as two of them for Halloween when we were little kids.

So, in light of their first inception thirty-five years ago this year (and twenty years next year since the first live-action movie from 1990 released), I've been thinking about how it is that these characters (created by artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird in 1984) continue to endure in popular culture via cartoons (the 80s T.V. series, with its catchy theme song), toys, t-shirts, movies (live-action in the early 90s and currently in the 2010s, with a reboot in development), and even a ride at Nickelodeon Universe at Minnesota's Mall of America.

For those of you who don't know the backstory: four pet turtles are infected by a green ooze and mutated into life-sized characters. Not only that, their master is a life-sized rat named Splinter (a former pet himself, whose owner was a skilled fighter as well), and their adversaries include the metal-wearing warrior known as Shredder, mutant henchmen Bebop (a warthog) and Rocksteady (a rhino), and a giant alien brain, aptly named Krane. Their allies include hockey jock Casey Jones and news reporter April O'Neal, while their influences range from various forms of popular culture, including surfer slang. Hence, the famous catchphrase, "Cowabunga, dude!"

Okay, with that kind of a concept, it would be easy for many critics and consumers to scoff and laugh. It's also easy to separate various types of films, TV shows, music formats, and pop cult phenomenons into one of two categories: those that are made for the industry, and those that are made for the general public. Turtles, for the most part, falls into this latter category. But remember, Stan Lee's Marvel superheroes, outside their respective fanbases, were never considered anything being brilliant until years later.

On the other hand, when considering the influences that Eastman and Laird used, the backstory and appeal of the Turtles (as ridiculous and absurd as it sounds) is quite fascinating. (Watch the above video.) Here, you have two guys who were passionate about and influenced by comics, martial arts, the films of Bruce Lee, the work of comic-book artist Jack Kirby, and the like. Along with that creative freedom, consider that each of the turtles are named after famous Renaissance artists: Leonardo (Leo), Donatello (Donnie), Raphael (Raph), and Michaelangelo (Mikey). They're each color-coordinated (blue, purple, red, and orange, respectfully), and each have clearly distinct personalities and traits: Leo is the fearless leader, who carries katanas; Donnie is the brain, who carries a bo (staff); Raph is the rebel with attitude, who carries a pair of sai; and Mickey is the cool one, who carries nunchucks. Even the series title (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and, again, cartoon theme song has a nice ring to it.

Prior to the Turtles' live-action film debut, movies based on comic-books were still in their relative infancy at the time. With the exception of DC's initial successes with Superman (1978) and Batman (1989), almost nobody in Hollywood believed a film about "ninja turtles" would be successful. However, a then-small studio called New Line Cinema (known for distributing B-level horror films like 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street) agreed to distribute the film, while Golden Harvest (a company responsible for introducing American audiences to Bruce Lee movies and other arthouse-related films) produced, and Steve Barron (a filmmaker behind the pilot episode of Jim Henson's T.V. series The Storyteller, as well as music videos for A-ha's "Take on Me" and Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean") directed.

Perhaps the greatest contributors to the film's success (and to helping make it the highest-grossing independent film at the time), however, were the crew members and special effects artists of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, who supplied state-of-the-art animatronic puppets and effects for the turtles and for Splinter, in particular. The result, for the most part, holds up remarkably well today. Plus, as a fanboy, the film has impressive fight choreography and one of the most exciting (and best) trailers ever made, no question.

The titular heroes of the 1990 live-action blockbuster

While not really a film for young children, due to its dark and violent nature, the film took its primary inspiration from the original source material (i.e., dark atmosphere, fierce action), while balancing some elements of comedy from the cartoon series along with some surprising drama. On that note, the film (like the mythology and universal appeal of the characters) contrasts a misguided sense of family (i.e., misunderstood teenage boys pulled into the influence and lure of Shredder) with a genuine sense of family (i.e., Splinter's teachings and skill passed onto his adopted "children," as well as unexpected allies in April and Casey).

In the end, this is a franchise made for the masses, not for the industry. Personally speaking, the fact that turtles are some of my favorite animals, and that these characters love pizza (as do I) is pretty amazing. Moreover, the Turtles, in a way, represent that thrill that my generation had at being children, and that thrill that still exists in us as adults--that you're never too old for cartoons, comic books, popcorn movies, or anthropomorphic animal characters. As our friend Mikey, once again, would say, "Cowabunga, dudes!"

RETROSPECT: "The Lego Movie" Is Cinematic Glee With Poignancy, Brick By Brick

The teaser trailer had me sold right away. Released a few months prior to its theatrical premiere on February 7, 2014, what surprised me the most about this first look at The Lego Movie (based on the popular Dutch brand of instantly-recognizable and colored plastic bricks) was the resemblance of stop-motion animation for the Lego figurines on display. I learned later, though, that the animation was CGI, but resembled actual toys being moved at such a rate as those who make animated short films for YouTube.

Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have created a knack since the turn of the century for combining high art and low art. In other words, they specialize in putting silly and ridiculous (yet rapid-fire) humor in a very cinematic universe. And with unexpected poignancy, might I add. Known for their short-lived animated series "Clone High," Lord and Miller made their feature-film debut with the entertaining Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, followed by a feature-length version of the Eighties T.V. series 21 Jump Street, starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. (A meta sequel, 22 Jump Street, followed in 2014.)

One thing that makes The Lego Movie so fun is that its plot feels like it stems from a child's imagination, with a hodgepodge of different ideas (and worlds, like "Cloud Cuckoo Land," "Bricksburg," and my favorite, "Middle Zealand") and a consistent tone, which will easily appeal to kids of any age. The main story follows a regular construction worker named Emmet (Chris Pratt), who lives by routine and positivity. One day, he comes upon a strange red item (known as the "piece of resistance") and is soon believed to be the "special" hero who will save the universe from being (literally) glued together by the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell). And he gets help from a quirky crew of "Master Builders," including a hooded fighter, an ancient wizard, Benny the Space Guy (from the 1980s), UniKitty, the hodgepodge pirate Metalbeard, and even Batman (yeah, you heard me right).

What makes the story universal and appealing to adults, as silly and ridiculous as the story gets, is an unexpected twist that seems out of place at first, but turns out to be poignant and where part of the film's heart comes from. Other themes include seeing and believing in the value of others, including ourselves, no matter how unlikely they seem; accepting our shortcomings; the difference between law and "business" (or, routine and "perfection") and creative freedom (friendship, teamwork). Another lesson to be taken is this: following the crowd just makes you a face in the crowd. But when you embrace what makes you "special," it's then you stand out. With that in mind, believing in what you're capable of doing, and working together as a team to do it.

Courtesy Animal Logic (of "Robot Chicken" fame), this is some of the most incredible animation I've ever seen, not to mention some of the funniest humor I've ever seen. (Uproariously funny, in fact.) The animators even cleverly use blocks and pieces for certain elements like fire, water, and explosions, with gleeful abandon. I'm also still floored by the attention-to-detail of other elements like grime, reflections on plastic pieces, and even silly sound effects.

Pratt (of T.V.'s "Parks & Recreation") was a breakout star the year of this film's release, as he headlined Marvel's box-office hit Guardians of the Galaxy later that year as well. Elizabeth Banks (Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games series) gives attitude and sass to the role of Wyldstyle. Will Arnet (of Arrested Development fame) is a hoot as Batman, while no one could of played Lord Business better than Ferrell, as he has the right loud-mouthed timing and comedy. Charlie Day's Benny the Space Guy and Nick Offerman's Metalbeard are hilarious as well. But the most unbelievable and impeccable casting belongs to Morgan Freeman (as wizard Vitruvius) and Liam Neeson (possibly parodying his Taken persona, as Good Cop/Bad Cop). Who would have thought?!?

Fun fact: two years before Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice saw the live-action debut of the trinity of Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman, all three characters technically first appeared together theatrically in this film. Even Hill and Tatum make appearances as the voices of Green Lantern and Superman, respectfully. This film really has something for everyone. It doesn't merely qualify as a goofy kids movie. It's a combination of various genres as comedy, action, adventure, science-fiction, superhero, and drama, all universal.

Best of all, unlike previous films that took childhood nostalgia and replaced it with adult cynicism and grittiness (Transformers, anybody?), The Lego Movie respects its decades-long brand by showing us what these toys are made for, how adults use them, and how children should play with them. (The spinoff movies that followed, 2017's Lego Batman and Lego Ninjago, lacked this sense of wonder in playing with toys, despite being some clever movies otherwise.)

It's also smart that the filmmakers didn't have any characters mention the word "Lego" at all in the whole film. Otherwise, it would've been one big product placement. And that (along with the aforementioned themes) makes the animation and cinematic experience all worthwhile--or, as the signature song says, awesome.

On that note, I leave you with these two fun videos (click here and here).

REVIEW: "Roma" Is A Masterpiece of Absorbing, Devastating, and Profound Effect

Following his feature film debut in the early Nineties, Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron established a career that became eclectic and multi-cultural, standing alongside the works of fellow filmmakers as Alejandro G. Inarritu and Ang Lee (to name a few). Cuaron has tackled such genres as children's fantasy (1995's A Little Princess, 2004's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), dystopic science-fiction (2006's Children of Men), an update of a Charles Dickens' novel (1998's Great Expectations), and space thriller-drama (2013's Gravity, which won him Oscars for editing and directing).

Since the mid-2000s, however, he had reportedly been developing an original story based on his childhood in Mexico City, particularly a story told from the perspective of the women who raised him. Besides being the first Spanish-language film he's made since 2001's Y Tu Mama Tambien, the film that has become Roma was a deeply personal and "essential" project for him.

Says Cuaron,

There are periods in history that scar societies and moments in life that transform us as individuals. Time and space constrain us, but they also define who we are, creating inexplicable bonds with others that flow with us at the same time and through the same places. Roma is an attempt to capture the memory of events that I experienced almost fifty years ago. It is an exploration of Mexico's social hierarchy, where class and ethnicity have been perversely interwoven to this date and, above all, it's an intimate portrait of the women who raised me in a recognition of love as a mystery that transcends space, memory and time.

For me, this is one of the most deeply personal and remarkable films I have ever seen.

Yalitza Aparicio (far right) in Roma

THE STORY
In a recent interview with filmmaker and friend Inarritu (listen here), Cuaron explained he was not interested in telling a semiautobiography of his own life. In fact, as he stated, "there's very little of myself in the film." Rather, he bravely shifted the perspective to that of his family's maid. Here, she is named Cleo (dedicated to Cuaron's real-life maid, named Liboria "Libo" Rodriguez), an indigenous teenage woman (of Mixtec heritage), who becomes a second mother to the children of her employers. This is not so much a story centered on the fears and lives and worries of the children she looks after (although one particular child occasionally gives interesting "premonitions" foreshadowing certain events to come) as much as it is on Cleo's and that of the family matriarch, Sofia, who is, at times, stern, but clearly shows understanding and empathy.

It's nearly impossible to describe this film in just a few words. To say it's shot in beautiful black-and-white, and that it features many of Cuaron's filmmaking trademarks (i.e., long tracking shots, amazing scenery), an indiginous language that is bracketed in English subtitles (whereas Spanish is subtitled without brackets), and remarkable performances from its cast of mostly non-professional actors (especially first-timer Yalitza Aparicio, who plays Cleo, and Marina de Tavira, who plays Sofia) is putting it lightly. (Cuaron even includes a clip from a film that apparently inspired Gravity.)

This is a truly rare case where the images onscreen speak for themselves, due, in part, to the fact that the scale and scope are really from an emotional standpoint. One such image worth noting, however, is the opening shot of floor tiles, covered in water, with the reflection of a sky and an overhead plane going by. (Look at the image below.)

The most thought-provoking films of 2018 focused on the theme and fear of children growing up or being raised in an ever-changing world. In the case of Roma, the fear involves growing up in the world (partly against the backdrop of the Corpus Christi Massacre of 1971) in the wake of damaging and negative impacts of abandonment and betrayal (not to mention heartbreak and trauma), specifically when it comes to maternity. And yet, Sofia, for one, tries to assure her children they will still be together as a family. This notion is poignantly visualized later in the film, signifying unconditional love and a beautiful reminder that familial love (blood-related or not) is still present. You'd really have to see it to believe it.

NON-ARTIFICIAL AND UNCOMPROMISING
Cuaron was the only person behind-the-scenes who knew the script, which his actors and crew would receive bit by bit each day of shooting. Hence, the film was shot in sequence, resulting in a very introspective and organic process. Cuaron explained it like this:

In the past when writing my films, I have always enjoyed the collaboration of other writers and submitting our screenplay to the razor-sharp eyes of trusted filmmakers in a very disciplined and analytic process of re-writes. But in Roma, I feared the scrutiny of this process would bring artificiality to the result and taint my goal of preserving the integrity and purity of these memories; translating them into a film honoring time and space.

In looking to my past, I wasn’t interested in making a film wrapped under the warm blanket of nostalgia. I wanted to make a film about the past seen from the prism of my understanding of the present, and through it, examine my family, my city, my country and our world at large… and above all things, the random nature of existence.

With this approach and philosophy in mind and thoroughly in tact, Cauron has succeeded in bringing his original and deeply personal vision to cinematic life. And I couldn't be more in awe of his work, along with that of his cast and crew.

***
One last thing. Generally, I have had qualms about viewing Netflix-produced films in theaters, as I consider streaming projects contrary to the incomparable moviegoing experience. The film's ten recent Academy Award nominations, however, persuaded me to see what all the buzz was about. Only one theater in my area (which specifically shows arthouse and indie films) has been screening Roma for the last few weeks, while other chains like AMC and Regal refuse to screen it due to the fact that Netflix doesn't adhere to the traditional 90-Day theatrical release window and released Roma on its platform one month after it hit theaters (read here and here).

If Netflix is your only option to see this film, though, by all means use it. However, I highly implore any filmgoer or cinephile, if Roma is playing at your nearest movie theater, this is a film that must be seen on the big screen, especially with a booming and immersive surround sound and stunning cinematography.