Pencil Storm’s hopelessly out-of-date Global Pandemic Oscar coverage.
Read MoreNo Respect for Penny Marshall - by Wal Ozello
By now, I’m sure you’ve heard the news that Penny Marshall died earlier this week from complications with Diabetes. Like many my age, I grew up with reruns of Laverne and Shirley on my local UHF channel. While my parents were watching the news and game shows, I was laughing away at the bumbling, ever funny, Laverne played by Penny Marshall. It was a great lesson in comedy.
She was probably one of the greatest comediennes of her time but never won the big prize. She was nominated for three Golden Globes but never a winner, losing to Carol Burnett in 1978 and Linda Lavin in 1979 and 1980. (If you don’t know who that is, don’t feel bad. I had to Google her name, too.)
While her comedic performances are at the level of Jerry Lewis, Jim Carrey and Robin Williams, her directing talents were even better. She had this knack for weaving real comedy into heartfelt stories. Ones that can make you laugh one second and touch your heart the next. Few people had that talent and Penny Marshall was a genius at it. It shines through in one of the best baseball movies ever, A League of Their Own.
A League of Their Own had only two Golden Globe nominations: Geena Davis for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical and Madonna for Best Original Song - Motion Picture. Here’s some perspective: Honeymoon in Vegas was nominated for a Golden Globe Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical and A League of Their Own wasn’t. Pathetic. And as for the Academy Awards? No nominations.
Big was another amazing film directed by Penny Marshall. Also starring Tom Hanks, Marshall does a wonderful job of getting the best out of Tom by placing him in perfect situations for him to shine. I’m sure after years of being in front of the camera, she knew how to give her actors exactly what they needed. What works the best about this piano clip is the timing. It’s perfect.
Big got two Academy Award Nominations that year. Tom Hanks for Best Actor and Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. At least the Golden Globe gave it a Best Picture nomination but it lost to Working Girl. But again, no love for Penny Marshall. (Side note: Big was the first movie directed by a woman to gross $100 million at the U.S. Box office. That was 1988.)
Ms. Marshall is able to open a door and give us a tour to the inside of the human soul. Her movies are not huge and dramatic. Instead they are calm but moving. You don’t know where they suck you in, but at some point they make you feel better about improving the lives of others. Here’s a clip from her movie Awakenings. If you haven’t seen this movie, rent or download it. It’s a masterpiece.
This got the most nominations seeing it’s the most dramatic of her movies. It received an Oscar nomination for Best Picture (given to the producers), Robert DeNiro for Best Actor and Steven Zallian for Best Screenplay. Robin Williams got a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. No love for Penny Marshall.
She hired some amazing talent: Tom Hanks, Robin Williams and Robert DeNiro and got them to create masterful performances. Made movies that are historic and loved by millions. Made the world laugh as an actress. But never received a Golden Globe or an Oscar. How immensely sad.
But they’ll be no crying today. Instead, let’s celebrate Penny Marshall and thanks her for giving us a glimpse of humanity covered in laughs and comedy.
Wal Ozello is a science fiction techno-thriller novelist and the author of Assignment 1989 , Revolution 1990, and Sacrifice 2086. He's the lead singer of the former Columbus rock band Armada. His film work includes directing Dad Can’t Help You Now by Colin Gawel.
In Conclusion: The Movies of 2017 - by Rob Braithwaite
Watching 366 movies last year kind of broke me. I only watched 104 movies this year. Here are some highlights. [Law and Order noise]
OPERATION: DYNAMO
I don’t know how or why but there were three movies this year that featured the rescue from Dunkirk in some fashion, and they fit together so well that I suspect Kevin Feige orchestrated it all.
Darkest Hour
World War II is in its dawn when the unpopular English Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain is replaced by the not-as unpopular Winston Churchill. Churchill is almost immediately pressured to reach out to the Germans to ask for mercy. It is a concept so foreign to him that even his body rejects the notion of nothing short of victory in the face of the rising fascist force.
The movie has a few classic biopic trips when information and backstory need known. But there are stunning scenes and sequences. The makeup work on Gary Oldman is nothing but award winning, as is his performance.
The drama of Darkest Hour is political and personal. The rescue at Dunkirk is an element of the story, however it isn’t seen. Thankfully, there’s…
Dunkirk
I expected this to be a three hour movie in which the first hour was filled with clunky get-to-know-them-so-you-care setups. Nope. Just two hours of action and tension. It’s amazing. The dogfights especially.
Some didn’t like Dunkirk because there is too little context or they didn’t care enough about the people. I disagree. But, for context there’s Darkest Hour. For the personal touch, there’s…
Their Finest
England is very much the WWII mix now. Their troops are back on the front lines, and their citizens are adapting to routine air raids. Morale is low. Here come the movies to make everyone feel better!
The Ministry of Information decides to make a film about the heroic deed of two sisters who stole their father’s boat to rescue soldiers from the Dunkirk shore. Problem is, their boat never made it to Dunkirk. Catrin Cole, still seeing their heroism, fights to tell the sister’s story as it happened. And yet, the propaganda machine continues to distort the truth.
Maybe the most interesting thing about Their Finest is that as myth takes over the sister’s truth, the myth of the romantic comedy genre is exposed as propaganda itself.
Ignore the forgettable title. Ignore the terrible trailer. Ignore the awful poster. See this little gem.
THIS SEASON ON SUPERHERO SHOWDOWN
Franchise moviemaking has got me down more than ever. It all feels like TV programming now, especially superhero movies. I don't get event anticipation anymore. Still, because I do like them, I see them.
Never mind the comic book source, Logan is a great movie. I got a little misty at the end.
Wonder Woman proves DC can make a great superhero movie. After seeing Justice League, I’m convinced they can’t. I’m sure Wonder Woman succeeded because no one at the studio thought much about it (“Oh, let them have their Wondering Woman.”), and Patty Jenkins & company went largely unchecked.
I’m not going to shit on Justice League. The movie does a great job of that on its own. But I would like to laugh at some horrible and frustrating product placement in it.
Bruce Wayne has successfully recruited Barry Allen. They both get into Bruce’s expensive car. Bruce says the “because I’m rich” line from the trailer and then the movie cuts to his hands gripping the steering wheel. The fingers of his right hand stretch out to pull up on a small lever. The car starts up, and the movie cuts to his expensive car driving toward the camera for all to see which brand had this ingenious feat of engineering.
I wasn’t expecting anything to happen -- they weren’t in costume or in any danger -- but it seemed like something was about to happen. Turns out they were just going… Where were they going? Jesus! They weren't going anywhere!
Spider-Man: Homecoming is fun. I like Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 more than the first one. I’m in the minority opinion of Thor: Ragnarok. It is mostly pointless and too jokey, I say. It would have been an amazing surprise had no one known Hulk was in it.
IN OTHER FRANCHISE NEWS
There are parts of The Last Jedi that I love. And there are parts of The Last Jedi that I ignore. If you’ve seen it once, you could miss the first 45-60 minutes forever and enjoy it even more.
War for the Planet of the Apes closes out the rebooted property. Easily one of the best series of the 21st century.
Transspotting 2 and Blade Runner 2049 prove a quality sequel can be made decades after the original. My fingers are crossed for Remo Williams: The Adventure Continues.
John Wick: Chapter 2 raises the stakes on the hitman world built in the first one. I couldn’t be looking forward to Chapter 3 more.
Alien: Covenant balances its philosophical and action elements better than Prometheus did. There’s a great middle sequence and final moment.
REST MY WEARY EYES
Enough blockbusters. Give me a movie set in a natural and practical environment where people interact with each other.
Lady Bird is a wonderful movie. I’m afraid it’s going to take away some attention from The Big Stick in the mind of people who give awards to things. Both are worth anyone’s time. The Big Sick does not let itself off the hook with an easy ending. Lady Bird will go down as one of the best director debuts, as will Jordan Peele’s debut, Get Out. He set the bar incredibly high for himself and his next movie.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri takes a brutal look at festering rage.
Marjorie Prime should probably be avoided if a loved one recently died or is suffering from dementia. Even without the recent experience of those things, this examination of memory and legacy is like a mule kick.
It Comes at Night and mother! both have trailers that misrepresent what really happens. I wouldn’t recommend mother! to many people, even though I do like it. It Comes at Night is an excellent story of how isolation can breed mistrust and paranoia.
The pace of Logan Lucky is unlike usual heist movies. It’s a little slower and not as flashy but no less engaging. The wealth of the community of characters reminds me of the comic Southern Bastards.
I’m a sucker for movies set in a single location. Ben Wheatley double downs on that idea with Free Fire by making a movie-length shoot out.
THE LESS YOU KNOW THE BETTER
Movie trailers don't respect you. You should pay them little mind. This year I tried not to watch trailers online. Very rarely has a trailer completely ruined a movie for me, but wouldn’t it be nice to see something in a movie you aren't expecting? If you trust me, watch these five movies without watching the trailers or reading more about them:
Brigsby Bear. A 20-something guy is obsessed with a children's program. Co-written by and starring Kyle Mooney and directed by someone else from Saturday Night Live.
Better Watch Out. Christmas horror/comedy.
Colossal. A woman returns to her home town to get her life in order.
Good Time. Robert Pattinson received rave reviews in this crime drama.
The Girl with All the Gifts. Horror/thriller. I wish I could have seen it with that much information.
SOME OTHERS I LIKED A LOT
Split, Raw, Life, It, Murder of the Orient Express, The Disaster Artist, The Shape of Water.
THE OVERLAP
There are a few movies that open in select cities at the end of the year to be eligible for award season. They will receive a wider release in January. I, Tonya and Phantom Thread are the two I’m most interested in.
Here’s to movies in 2018!
Hot Sun, Cool Theater: Summer’s Movie Series - by Rob Braithewaite
That big ball of fire in the sky can get pretty hot this time of year. If you are looking to beat the heat, or just want to see an older movie on the big screen, the way you might never have before, the Gateway Film Center, CAPA, the Wexner Center for the Arts and Studio 35 have you covered.
GATEWAY FILM CENTER
Summer of Bond. July 1st - September 10th.
All twenty-six James Bond movies will be shown, in order, including the non-canon Casino Royale, starring Peter Sellers, and Never Say Never Again.
series information and tickets
CAPA
Summer Movie Series. June 23rd - August 6th.
If you’ve got an ol’-timey “classics” itch, this series is your scratching post. Hitchcock, Bogey & Bacall, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera! Fritz the Night Owl hosts a few of the new blood titles.
series information and tickets
WEXNER CENTER FOR THE ARTS
The New Hollywood: Deep Cuts 1967-1978. July 6th - August 24th.
Deep Cuts is right. Ain’t no radio hits on this list. See something you’ve never heard of before! The double feature of Juggernaut and The Driver is inspired. Inserts… well, that’s a Richard Dreyfuss movie no one mentions. It could be good.
series information and tickets
Free Tuesday Matinees. July 11th - August 8th.
Free movies. On Tuesday. In the afternoon.
Wex Drive-In.
When the ball of fire goes down, the projector lights up.
July 20th: Wattstax
August 17th: Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.
Free screenings.
STUDIO 35
The New Hollywood: Classic Hits. July 3rd - September 3rd.
The Wex has partnered with Studio 35 to complement its Deep Cuts series with more familiar titles from that era.
Four Cents: Rob & Ricki and Oscar, Part Four: Our Oscar Picks, Top Eight Categories
Ricki: It's become a tradition at the Cacchione household the last few years for us to host an (incredibly small) Oscar party. That "party" consists of my lovely wife Debbie preparing a meal that involves bacon in some creative way (which I can't eat, since I can't digest meat protein) and our main movie friend Kyle coming over to watch the bloated nightmare that is the Oscar Awards broadcast from what seems like five in the afternoon 'til sometime past three o'clock the next morning.
The three of us fill out the entire Oscar ballot and point values are assigned to the various categories: i.e. tech categories are one point apiece; documentaries & animated maybe three points; writing cats five points; on up to 10 points apiece for the acting and best director & best picture picks.
Generally, by the time they get around to announcing Best Supporting Actress around midnight and people with jobs on Monday are already sleeping, I'm behind by so wide a margin that I start making up rules: like from then on, all the remaining categories are worth 50 points apiece. The winner gets a prize, but none of us can remember what any of the prizes have ever been, so they can't be that great.
So Rob and I are dispensing with all the down-the-line categories and concentrating on what we are terming The Big Eight: writing, acting, best director & best picture.
Rob: I don’t watch the Oscars. I don’t like bloated pageantry. I have no dog in the fight, so I’m not missing anything. That’s not to say I’m not interested. I’ll check the results in the morning.
I have never entered an Oscars pool or had to predict the winners. Until now. What would we do if blogs didn't need content?
BEST PICTURE
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Rob: Gotta begrudgingly pick La La Land. Hollywood loves Hollywood. I’d like to be surprised by something else winning, but I don’t think I will be.
Ricki: Most of my picks are gonna be divided into What Should Win and What Will Win: What Should Win, Manchester By The Sea, by far the best movie I saw all year; What Will Win, La La Land.
BEST DIRECTING
Damien Chazelle (La La Land)
Mel Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge)
Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
Kenneth Lonergan (Mancheaster by the Sea)
Denis Villeneuve (Arrival)
Rob: Again, La La Land. It can’t win Best Picture and not win Best Directing. However, it is worthy of directing honors over best in show. My off-ballot hopes are with Moonlight.
Ricki: Rob's probably right about Best Picture/Best Director being intertwined, as they are most years. Who Should Win, Kenneth Lonergan. Who Will Win, Damien Chazelle.
BEST LEADING ACTRESS
Isabelle Huppert (Elle)
Ruth Negga (Loving)
Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Emma Stone (La La Land)
Meryl Streep (Florence Foster Jenkins)
Rob: Can we please agree that Meryl Streep is an excellent actress and not nominate her for anything for a while? The same goes for Pixar movies. Anomalisa should have won last year over Inside Out. Anyway, Isabelle Huppert for the win.
Ricki: I'm going with Emma Stone here, partly because I thought she was the best thing ABOUT La La Land, and partly because I truthfully didn't see any of the other performances.
BEST LEADING ACTOR
Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Andrew Garfield (Hacksaw Ridge)
Ryan Gosling (La La Land)
Viggo Mortensen (Captain Fantastic)
Denzel Washington (Fences)
Rob: Denzel Washington. duh. If by some freak occurrence Ryan Gosling wins, I’m going to pretend it’s for The Nice Guys.
Ricki: I say Casey Affleck is going to pull this out.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Viola Davis (Fences)
Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
Nicole Kidman (Lion)
Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures)
Michelle Williams (Manchester by the Sea)
Rob: Viola Davis. duh. And yet it can not be understated how much Michelle Williams crushed that one scene in Manchester by the Sea. You never would have guessed she was hardly in the movie before it.
Ricki: I didn't see Fences, so I'm pulling for Naomie Harris in a truly fearsome, ferocious performance in Moonlight.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea)
Dev Patel (Lion)
Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals)
Rob: Mahershala Ali. Largely no contest. When isn’t Michael Shannon great? Maybe when he’s slightly overshadowed by his co-supporting actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Sill, with a Taylor-Johnson nomination instead, Ali would have taken it.
Ricki: I concur, Mahershala Ali. (Hopefully John Travolta will NOT be called upon to present this award.)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
20th Century Women
Rob: It’s between 20th Century Women and The Lobster. I’m giving the edge to The Lobster. Its world-building should be rewarded.
Ricki: Manchester By The Sea.
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight
Rob: I’m assuming none of the voters compared the original text with the adaptation: I mean, that would be the best way, right? Sure, but I’m not going to do that either. I’d like to pick Fences. The content is great. I don’t feel like it was adapted for the screen. It still had the rhythm, feel, and - at times - the staging of a play. Is it better to change the content for the medium or to let it stand as it is? In this case, the latter was chosen. I’m picking Arrival.
…well, maybe not. Arrival’s strength might be in the editing. Hidden Figures, while an amazing story, is presented in a very ordinary way. I didn’t see Lion. So, Moonlight for the win.
Ricki: Yeah, this is tough, since I don't know what any of these screenplays were adapted FROM. (But none of them were comic books, naturally.) I'd like to pick Moonlight, but I'm going to go with Hidden Figures, just because I enjoyed it so much, which is exactly the kind of from-the-heart-makes-no-logical-sense-pick that loses me our Oscar Ballot Pize every year.
In closing I want to thank the Pencilstorm readers for hanging in with us through all these blogs and I especially want to thank Rob for watching 366 movies in 2016, an accomplishment that should be hailed.
My easiest Oscar Prediction of the Year? Jimmy Kimmel is gonna suck as the host.
The Buggy Eyes and a Big Butt Oscar One-Sheet
The Academy Awards are less than a week away, and, as you might expect, some of the nominated movies were a part of Buggy Eyes and a Big Butt. You will find links to every part of the 366 movie challenge below. The top three movies of each part are noted as well as the Oscar nominated movies. (Hint: Most are near the end.)
Part One
top three: Capricorn One, Monte Walsh, The Station Agent
Part Two
top three: The Big Short, Busting, Laura
2017 Oscar nominee:
Hail, Caesar! (Production Design)
Part Three
top three: The Pawnbroker, Seven Days in May, The Witch
Part Four
top three: Rififi, Room, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Part Five
top three: Dogfight, Harold & Maude, Seven Samurai
Part Six
top three: The Invitation, Juggernaut, Wendy and Lucy
Part Se7en
top three: Green Room, Paper Moon, Too Late
Part Eight
top three: Captain America: Civil War, Cleo from 5 to 7, Remember
Part Nine
top three: Everest, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, The Nice Guys
Part Ten
top three: The Lobster, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, The Secret in Their Eyes
2017 Oscar nominees:
The Lobster (Writing - original screenplay)
Zootopia (Animated Feature Film)
Part Eleven
top three: Calvary, The Children's Hour, The Fits
Part Twelve
top three: Hunt for the Wilderpeople, The Lady Vanishes, Swiss Army Man
2017 Oscar nominee:
Star Trek Beyond (Makeup and Hairstyling)
Part Thirteen
top three: Don't Breathe, Palio, Sing Street
2017 Oscar nominees:
Captain Fantastic (Leading Actor - Viggo Mortensen)
Hell or High Water (Best Picture, Supporting Actor - Jeff Bridges, Writing - original screenplay, Film Editing)
Suicide Squad (Makeup and Hairstyling)
Part Fourteen
top three: De Palma, The Last Picture Show, Metropolis
2017 Oscar nominee:
Kubo and the Two Strings (Animated Feature Film, Visual Effects)
Part Fifteen
top three:Army of One, A Band Called Death, Moonlight
2017 Oscar nominees:
Arrival (Best Picture, Directing, Writing - adapted screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing)
Doctor Strange (Visual Effects)
Hacksaw Ridge (Best Picture, Directing, Leading Actor - Andrew Garfield, Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing)
Moonlight (Best Picture, Directing, Supporting Actress - Naomie Harris, Supporting Actor - Mahershala Ali, Writing - adapted screenplay, Cinematography, Music - original score, Film Editing)
Part Sixteen
top three: After the Wedding, The Edge of Seventeen, Evolution
2017 Oscar nominees:
Allied (Costume Design)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Production Design, Costume Design)
Part Se7enteen
top three: Always Shine, Christine, The Eyes of My Mother
2017 Oscar nominees:
The Jungle Book (Visual Effects)
Nocturnal Animals (Supporting Actor - Michael Shannon)
Part Eighteen
top three: Black Christmas, Manchester by the Sea, Wild Tales
2017 Oscar nominees:
Fences (Best Picture, Leading Actor - Denzel Washington, Supporting Actress - Viola Davis, Writing - adapted screenplay),
Manchester by the Sea (Best Picture, Directing, Leading Actor - Casey Affleck, Supporting Actress - Michelle Williams, Supporting Actor - Lucas Hedges, Writing - original screenplay)
Rogue One (Visual Effects, Sound Mixing)
Here's hoping Van Hammersly will recount this year's Hollywood Awards.