Michael Musa and I join noted screenwriting teacher Pilar Alessandra at her On the Page podcast to discuss the 2016 Oscar-nominated screenplays. Podcast producer Pat Francis, host of the popular Rock Solid podcast, and YA author Nina Berry join the fray. Get ready for some fireworks.
Just copy the below link into your browser and click on the Oscar podcast (#494).
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-page-screenwriting/id262077408
Enjoy.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
TRAVELERS: Croatia/Slovenia Travelogue (Part 4 – Departure)
November 29, 2016 (Tuesday)
The coldest morning yet (-1 degrees Celsius or 28 degrees
Fahrenheit). Neither Doug nor Kay felt
well – I guess a cold was traveling around the group (lucky me!) -- so they
skipped the city tour that day. The rest
of us bussed to Ljubliana and met Jasmine, our local guide. She was perky and informative. However, much of the tour was a cold walk
through Old Town with few pockets of sun (the streets were narrow). By about 30 minutes into the 90 minute walk,
I was freezing. I brought a warm coat,
hat and scarf, but forgot gloves. Big
mistake. I was impressed that Jasmine
could remember her spiel (and in a foreign-to-her language). I was so cold I could barely remember how to
speak let alone form coherent sentences.
Ljubliana is a beautiful city, and I would love to have spent more time
here. But about 20 degrees (Fahrenheit)
warmer would be nice.
I took shelter from the cold in a nearby coffee shop. I ordered hot coffee and a pastry Jasmine
recommended called gibanica, layered with poppy seeds, walnuts, apples and
cheese. It gave kremsnita a run for its
money.
Once I could feel my fingers and toes again I sought out Ljubliana’s
12-story skyscraper to get an aerial view of the city. (I didn’t take many pictures on the walking
tour because my fingers were blocks of ice.)
After that jaunt I had about 30 minutes before rendezvousing with the
bus, so I headed to a pizza place recommended by Rick Steves. Unfortunately they didn’t have pizza “to go,”
and I did not have time for a sit down meal.
Instead I found a corner grocery that sold pizza slices. Problem solved.
Back to Lake Bled for a brief tour of Castle Bled. I was keen to walk around the lake, so I took
the pictures I wanted from the castle and made a quick circuit of the castle’s museum
before heading down the hill to the 3.5 mile trail that circled the lake. The total circumference takes about 90
minutes to walk, so I needed to get going before the sun went down. It was worth it. The walk kept me warm, though the shady
stretches were challenging temperature-wise.
I got plenty of pictures before the cold forced me to walk with more
purpose. I ran into Kay and Doug heading
in the opposite direction around the lake. Kay
insisted that I stop on my way to the hotel and get my picture drawn by a
fellow named Bobby. She showed me the
picture he had drawn of her, and the drawing would indeed make a nice
souvenir. However, when I finally
reached Bobby further along the trail he had three people waiting to have their
picture drawn. I was getting cold and
needed to keep moving.
Tomorrow I leave the hotel for Venice airport at 4:00. I set a wake-up call for 3:00, though I will
probably set my alarm 15 minutes before that for safety. I have been waking up between 2:00 and 3:00
the whole trip, so I’m hoping the early hour won’t be too traumatizing.
Tonight is the farewell dinner and, I suspect, an early
night for most. One couple leaves for
the airport at 2:00. Ugh!
The farewell dinner was very nice. At first I was seated at a table with Suzanne
and others, but Kay dragged me over to a different table with her, Doug, Sharon
and her husband, Phil and his wife, and Sabrina and Ryan (aka “the kids,” an
adorable pair of 30-year-olds who were the youngest members of the tour). I went around the room taking pictures of my
travel companions. I was so distracted
by the process I told the waitress I had ordered the vegetarian entrée (I’d
ordered the fish). I didn’t realize my
mistake until I had already eaten the first course. I tried to explain to the waitress, but she
gave me the look of death. Fortunately,
Elvis stopped by and was able to explain more clearly on my behalf what had
happened.
Elvis gave a sweet speech, then Phil gave a funny speech,
and Doug, to everyone’s surprise, gave a touching speech praising Elvis and
Mario (our driver), all our tour guides in the various cities, and everyone in
the tour group. To which Elvis
profoundly observed that we are not tourists but travelers. Travelers indeed, seeking understanding of those who are otherwise mostly strangers.
Because of the Lufthansa pilot strike many folks had to
change flights. Thanks to this Kay would
no longer be leaving at 2:00 but at 4:00 (the same time as me). As the dinner ended, emails were exchanged,
and Kay invited Doug and me back to her place for a little wine while she
packed. Doug and I left after a drink, as we had to be up in around three hours.
November 30, 2016 (Wednesday)
The nine departing travelers gathered
at 4:00. To my disappointment we were
taking two shuttles, and Kay was going with the kids in the second
shuttle. I was stuck with irritating
Agnes, the mundane sisters, and a mother/daughter pair. However, as luck would have it, the drivers
were okay with one person from our van traveling in the second van. I volunteered like a shot.
So, Kay, the kids and I drove
with Rudi. The kids slept most of the
way. Kay and I both tried to sleep without much success. At the airport Kay and I hung out until our
respective flights departed – she on Lufthansa, me on Air France. Happily there was a very helpful Italian
employee that guided us to where we need to be.
Our parting was brief. We had exchanged information. Little did I know at that moment that I had
lost the small piece of paper with her email and phone and full name. I meant to send her
an email or text to make sure all her rescheduled flights worked out, but that
will have to wait until I track down her information. I did retain Suzanne’s email, so I wrote her
on the chance she may have Kay’s information.
She did not, but Doug did. She and Doug and six others had stayed on
in Venice for a couple of days. Suzanne
said that Doug would send me Kay’s information when he could. I hope so.
Kay and I actually live close enough where we could visit each other on
occasion.
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
TRAVELERS: Croatia/Slovenia Travelogue (Part 3 – Luggage Out)
November 26, 2016 (Saturday)
It is raining steadily in Dubrovnik with no end in sight, so
I’m starting to regret my decision re: Montenegro. Until this morning the hotel breakfast buffet
had been, by and large, a Zen affair.
Calmly munching pastry, sipping coffee, tucking in on eggs and yogurt
and cereal. Today was Satan’s breakfast.
Because I had no timetable I slept in, did
some stretching, and went down for what I had hoped would be a leisurely
breakfast around 9:00. I found myself in
the Black Friday equivalent of breakfast buffets. Parents dragging around unruly children. Autonomous kids fingering the assortment of
cheeses. Long lines for eggs, pancakes
and croissants. The latter began being
hoarded. I saw folks with plates piled
with them but none to be found at the pastry station. To call the wait staff harried would be an
understatement. So I grabbed what I
could (I did manage one croissant before they became an endangered species)
which meant forgoing the eggs and loading up on cereal and yogurt and any
cheese I felt reasonably certain had not been fingered by a recalcitrant child
(or adult – let’s be fair to the children).
And, of course, plenty of coffee.
The woman who refilled my cup was pleasant. She mentioned it had been busy over the past
three or four days. Because it was off
season I wonder if the hotel was putting out promotional rates, and parents
seized on this for a long weekend in the Pearl of the Adriatic. Too bad about the rain.
I stayed in my room until nearly noon reading “Surely You’re
Joking, Mr. Feynman,” an engaging memoir of the Nobel Prize-winning physicist
Richard Feynman, before the rain began to let up. Off to the bus stop and back to Old
Town. As the bus made its way east the
rain returned, so upon my arrival I sheltered at the Dominican Monastery and
Museum. The Dominicans are more ornate
than the Franciscans, with three rooms of exhibits and a beautiful but somber
church. Both monasteries were chock full
of reliquaries (containers with sacred relics).
There were leg-shaped and finger-shaped reliquaries. I suppose they cost less than full body
reliquaries. I intended to visit the
Cathedral of the Assumption, but it appeared to be closed and the rain had
begun to increase again. By then it was
close to 13:30, so I took a pleasant lunch at Konoba Ribar, a family run
establishment that serves traditional Dalmatian cuisine. I had the Black Risotto, risotto with
cuttlefish. They aren’t kidding about
black. I wiped my mouth with my napkin,
and it came away positively noir. While
it may not have looked appetizing, the risotto was delicious and filling. Dessert was at a sladoled that served ice
cream, which is closer in spirit to the Italian gelato. A scoop of Biscoto in (what looked like) a
waffle cone really hit the spot even on the rainy day.
It was still overcast but the rain seemed to have let up, so
I walked up the steep steps through the Buza Gate to the north of the city and
bought a cable car ticket up to Mount Srd.
Had the weather been less spotty I would have bought a 1-way ticket and
hiked down. As it was I paid 120 KN
(almost $20) for a round trip ticket.
While the view was impressive, all the viewpoints (except for possibly
the restaurant, which I didn’t go into) were partially obstructed by the cable. For the price one would hope for a more
pristine view. The rain started up
again, so I took pictures quickly and headed back down. Two idiot tourists had climbed beyond the
safety fence to get their pictures against the city below while balancing on
slick rocks. In case of a problem I
would certainly have called for help, but it was also tempting to let Darwinism
take its course. Mercifully I did not
have to deal with that moral conundrum.
Back to Old Town to buy a couple of gifts for co-workers,
then a futile attempt to buy a sandwich to take back to the hotel (both of my
options were closed for the season). The
rain persisted, and I was getting cold, so off to the bus stop for a return to
the hotel.
November 27, 2016 (Sunday)
The long travel day.
I made sure I was well away from the mundane sisters. Gorgeous scenery from the bus. The Adriatic.
The mountains. Sun (on the travel
day, of course).
We made a comfort stop in Bosnia & Herzegovina. I had a black and white coffee. Then we stopped in Pakovo Selo for lunch and
a brief tour of the Ethnic Village there.
Our local guide Anna described what life was like 100 years earlier in
this remote village. She spoke perfect
English, with hardly any trace of an accent.
My lunch was polenta. Most of the
rest had the more traditional peka, roast pork or chicken. Donut holes (or the traditional version
thereof) for dessert.
Because there was a delay on the highway (which is the
equivalent of a freeway in the U.S.) due to mine removal near the road, we took
side roads to meet up with the highway further along. On this route we saw abandoned homes both
bombed out or just hollowed out and empty.
We arrived in Zagreb, and it was cold with some rain. After checking in at the hotel a group of us
walked into the downtown to grab some food and a drink at a craft brew house
recommended by a bar owner in Dubrovnik.
Doug and Kay were the instigators in this craft beer quest. To say Kay is outgoing is an
understatement. She and Doug (who is
about 15 years her senior) met at the airport a few days earlier and became
fast friends and travel buddies. She’s
just that kind of a person. Doug is a
retired public school teacher who currently lives in Thailand. Kay teaches nutrition and diabetes control at
a university in San Diego. Both are free
spirits and somewhat irascible. Kay
“collects” glasses from pubs. She paid
for the ones at the Craft House (the pub we drank at) but apparently she
absconded with others earlier in the tour.
I stopped at a sandwich shop called Pingvin before rejoining Kay and
Doug, and I’m glad I did. All they
served at Craft House was pub grub, and I needed something more filling (i.e.,
a veggie burger).
November 28, 2016 (Monday)
Zagreb dawned crisp and cold. Jelena, our local guide, started the tour on
the bus (perhaps to give the outdoors time to warm a little). Of all the Croatian towns/cities we have
visited this is the one I could see myself living in. Split was a close second. If the view counted more than the bustle,
Split would win.
There was an Upper Town and a Lower Town (where our hotel
was). Lower Town was planned and
organized. Upper Town was more chaotic
as it had grown out of necessity. Old
Town is split into two parts – Gradec to the west and Kaptol to the east. In the early years of the city a river
divided the two areas with a bridge connecting them. The two sides fought, often at the bridge, so
it became know as Bloody Bridge.
Eventually both sides threw so much garbage in the river, it stank. So they filled the river in and paved over
it, thus permanently connecting both sides of Old Town.
Often when Jelena discussed the economic status of Croatia
she would make her point by contrasting them with their wealthier neighbor,
Switzerland. For example, she would say
things like, “70% of Croatia claim to be entrepreneurs. Many of these entrepreneurs probably smuggle
cigarettes from Serbia and Montenegro. Otherwise
we’d be Switzerland.”
After the tour I sought out the Christmas marketplace hoping
to find a Santa figurine for Mom. No
luck. The stand I thought might hold
promise took forever to open and, as the merchandise came out, it appeared less
and less promising.
I went back to Pingvin for lunch, and the fellow loaded me
up. Delicious, filling and very
inexpensive. After a quick stop to change
Kuna for Euro, I headed to the bus for our trip to Slovenia and Lake Bled
(pronounced “Blade”).
We arrived near sunset.
The porters weren’t able to unload luggage from the bus right away due
to the tight space. Normally I’d just
carry my bag to the room and save the porter a trip. So I unpacked what I had with me and took a
few quick pictures of the lake and the castle.
Even in dusk they looked beautiful.
I headed downstairs to pick up my bag and was greeted by an
elevator full of luggage and a harried porter.
He began to unload the elevator, but none of the bags were mine. As he hefted the bags out Agnes walked up,
pointed to two bags and announced the room to which they should be
delivered. Entitled, party of one. In the lobby I found my bag, took it up to my
room and finished unpacking.
I walked over to the restaurant next door and ordered a
coffee and a kremsnita, a light pastry filled with crème. Word to the wise: the kremsnita is so sweet and rich, a strong
coffee is the ideal accompaniment. I
heard someone from the group drank a hot chocolate (which here is so thick, it’s
almost a pudding) with their kremsnita.
They probably needed an insulin chaser.
About 20 minutes into my dessert a mass of schoolchildren arrived for a
kremsnita treat, and chaos reigned. I
was lucky to get out in time for the country inn dinner later that evening.
We took the bus over to the tiny medieval town of
Radovljica. Elvis gave a brief tour then
walked us over to dinner. We were
invited into the establishment with bread and salt, then led down to the wine cellar
for samples of red and white Slovenian wine, as well as sausages. No sausage for me, but the red wine was
tasty.
We were also treated to traditional Slovenian music and
dancing. The accordion player was
garrulous and funny, and during the meal upstairs he and the dancers would
return between courses to provide more music, more dancing, and some historical
context. The end of the evening
culminated in first the men and then the women playing the equivalent of
musical chairs but with hats. Elvis won
the men’s competition and Sabrina won the women’s. All in all a delightful evening. Only sixteen of our number partook, but it
was the fun sixteen.
After returning to the hotel, Kay invited Doug and me to her
room to continue drinking beer. We sat around and drank and watched music
videos on VH1 until she kicked us out. Tomorrow is the tour of Ljubliana.
Monday, December 19, 2016
TRAVELERS: Croatia/Slovenia Travelogue (Part 2 – Wake Up Call)
November 24, 2016 (Thanksgiving)
I am a bad tourist. I
left my camera on the bus before the Split walking tour. I realized it after the bus had left until 13:00, at which point we would be off to Dubrovnik. So I have no pictures of Split aside from a
couple I took from my hotel balcony.
Bad, bad tourist. I will not make
that mistake again (I hope).
Our local guide Damir is knowledgeable and charming. For 1½ hours he spoke with skill and
dexterity about the city he clearly loves.
I came to love it, too. I wish we
could stay another day.
We began our tour on The Riva, the popular street along the
Adriatic in front of Diocletian’s Palace.
Built 1700 years ago as a retirement home for the Roman Emperor
Diocletian, the last pagan emperor, the palace was taken over after his death
and, over hundreds of years, appropriated by the commoners. It has evolved into the thriving city it is
today. The palace (or what remains of
it) was turned into homes for the regular folks, with remnants of the palace
structure throughout.
When constructed the cellars were used solely to bring the
Emperor’s living quarters up to sea level (the south wall bordered the Adriatic
and was built out into the sea). When the
commoners took over, the cellar became a giant dumpster until it was filled up
with waste. Certain areas have since been
excavated. Portions of the excavated cellar
were used as the subterranean lair of Daenerys’ dragons in “Game of
Thrones.” I would love to have taken
some pictures for my GOT fan friends.
Sigh.
Damir noticed my Lonely Planet guidebook. He’s hung out with one of the authors and
informed me that some of the restaurant recommendations are, in his opinion,
based on the free meal given to the author rather than the quality of the
food. Good to know. Because we only had 2 hours before the
bus picked us up, he recommended a walking lunch as opposed to a sitting lunch,
which would cost us an hour. I walked
around for much of the time trying to find some restaurants and dessert places
to try without much luck. Instead I went
to a serviceable pizza place, and the owner complained my bill was too large
(100 KN). If I had spoken fluent
Croatian I might have pointed out that ATMs dispense 200 KN notes. She relented but seemed resentful. I’m glad I broke my 200 KN buying a Klapa CD
or may have had to go hungry. I ate my
slice on a bench overlooking the Adriatic, which made up for the less than
thrilling pizza. I felt a bit guilty,
and was still hungry, so I returned to the pizza place to purchase another
slice with exact change to make amends.
The woman looked at me as though I were coming to rob her but softened (a
bit) when I produced the requisite 12 KN for another slice. No good deed goes unpunished.
I found a recommended pastry shop, but it only served ice
cream now. It was a cool day with a
brisk wind off the Adriatic, and ice cream was not what I wanted. I recalled another pastry shop in my
unsuccessful search for lunch but could not find it again. Today was not my day for dining.
The drive to Dubrovnik was a misery. I sat in front of two retired sisters who (though
very nice) were unable to remain silent or allow a silence to occur for more
than a minute at a time. If there were
an audio definition of inane in the dictionary, the conversation I was
subjected to for the duration of the four hours would be it. If you think this is hyperbole, I used my
phone stopwatch over the course of an hour to time the silence. Once I made it to 90 seconds; one other time I
made it over a minute. Every other
instance was significantly less. I
wanted to thrust a fork into my neck repeatedly as a distraction. I guess silence creates anxiety in some. Inane and unnecessary talk make me
anxious. These are not malicious women,
to be sure, but their need to talk was positively pathological. I do not intend to be within earshot of them
on the bus for the rest of the tour if it can be helped.
There was a group dinner at the hotel that night. A sweet Asian woman from Boston named Suzanne
invited me to sit with her and an Asian couple whom I thought were married but
were just traveling companions. Suzanne and
I had each taken pictures with the other’s camera on Day 2 of the tour. I think she saw me eating alone before and
felt sorry for me. There was no need to
feel sorry. I was perfectly content, but
I enjoyed their company nevertheless.
Suzanne is a retired IRS agent, the man was also retired (from some
scientific field I would guess based on our conversation, but I forgot to ask),
and the other woman had been a housewife all her life.
The man and I chatted about travel and Zika, and then he
asked me about Jerry Brown (the governor of California). The more we talked the more I realized he was
not a fan of Obama. Strange, because he
seemed to think well of Brown (and Brown and Obama are both thoughtful, careful
politicians), he did not sound like a Hillary hater and (thank the maker) did
not seem to be a fan of Trump. He then
spoke of Obama pardoning murderers (I admitted I knew nothing about this) and
they (the murderers) were “mostly black” (his words). I was taken aback. It sounded as though he was a connoisseur of fake news (or what a person with a passing understanding of the veracity of the internet information terms "bullshit for the easily led"). This also seemed to confirm that a significant
amount of Obama hatred had little to do with policy and more to do with
race. I was reminded just how all
encompassing the fear of a black president was.
November 25, 2016 (Friday)
***********************************************************************************
Last night
Elvis warned us of waiters in Dubrovnik who would intentionally misunderstand
your order and bring you a more expensive item.
He cautioned us to be clear and explicit when ordering to avoid this
issue. Good to note.
***********************************************************************************
We met our local guide Lydia outside the Pile Gate in Old
Town Dubrovnik. She was born and married
inside the walls of the town. She and
her family live elsewhere in the city, and her brother now lives in the family
apartment in Old Town. Light rain fell on
and off through the early part of the walk.
Lydia spoke passionately about the siege of Dubrovnik in 1991. One of her best friends was killed by a bomb
just outside the clock tower at the east end of the Stradun (the main
road). Many (again) erroneously believe
that the war was solely about religion or ethnicity. In the case of the siege of Drubrovnik, it
was about armed civilians (as opposed to the Yugoslav army) attacking and
stealing valuables from the city (appliances and the like). What one might call a para-militarized Keeping Up With the
Joneses -- or at least killing and stealing from them.
Dubrovnik dates back to the 8th or 9th
Century. Much of the city was destroyed
in an earthquake in the 17th Century, in which half the population
was killed. The town rebuilt but was
again severely damaged by the bombing of 1991.
Many roof tiles are now a brighter shade of terra cotta because these
tiles were less expensive than the tiles replaced. Many owners live elsewhere and rent out their
apartments to tourists. There are very
few hotels in or near the walled part of town.
You can tell which apartments remain occupied by their owners, because
the shutters are in need of repair or paint, as it is too expensive. The town is a UNESCO Heritage site, and there
are strict requirements for any renovation or improvements.
The city’s stone walkways were slick from the intermittent
rain when we climbed up to the city walls.
We entered at Ploce Gate near the Old Harbor and would be exiting back
near Pile Gate. Those who wished could
continue around the walls, which would take you along the Adriatic. To walk the entire wall could take 1½ hours,
and we had Lydia for just under 2 hours total.
The stairs were quite steep, and the rain made them treacherous and the
going slow. One woman in the group
overestimated her ability or underestimated the steepness. She was not physically prepared but
soldiered on. Even with the clouds and
rain the views were impressive. I
redeemed myself today by remembering my camera.
Suzanne took a couple of photos of me on the wall. She’s not the world’s most skilled
photographer (she was an IRS agent, after all) but beggars can’t be choosers.
I had intended to walk the entire wall, but as we approached
the Pile Gate exit the rain began to lash.
I was already soaked, and the rain did not look like it would let up any
time soon. Even Lydia seemed
concerned. If your guide is concerned,
perhaps it’s best to take that concern seriously. So with some disappointment I climbed down at
Pile Gate. (You cannot reenter the wall
once you exit – though I wonder if in off season there’s some wiggle room. Still you would have to pay the full
admission again, which was 120 KN or just under $20.)
I sheltered in the Franciscan Monastery and Museum. It’s a small but lovely museum with
impressive artifacts, including parts of an unexploded bomb that damaged the
monastery in 1991.
By the time I concluded my monastery visit, the rain had
subsided. So I sought out lunch at Nishta
(which means “Nothing”), a remarkable vegan hole-in-the-wall (5 inside tables
and fewer outdoor tables). They also
offered gluten free options, which I did not need. The food was excellent. I had a fennel soup (to die for), followed by
a tofu and vegetable pasta dish. I finished
with a vegan version of chocolate mousse, also spectacular. All of this was accompanied by a glass of
Peljesac, a locally-made red wine.
Exceptional.
I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the city,
scouting shops and restaurants for future shopping and dining. Two of my future dining options were busts,
closed for the season. High season wanes
in September, and shoulder season wraps up by mid-November. We are officially in off-season.
I tracked down a Dalmatian restaurant where I will have
lunch tomorrow, and an ice cream place which looked positively sinful. I’m hoping for more sun and less rain
tomorrow. But I intend to have ice cream
either way. Yes, it looks that good.
I ate dinner at a pizza place called Bara Cuda, run by a
sullen fellow who decorated it in old school Italian style, with red checked
tablecloths. I was there early for
dinner, but he had no other customers.
Perhaps that’s why he was sullen.
The mushroom pizza was good. The
Plevac, another local red, was not as good as the earlier Peljesac but did the
trick.
I ran into Suzanne as I made my way back to the public bus
(a 10-minute ride to and from the hotel for a mere 12 KN). She pointed out a chocolate store, which could
provide some co-worker thank you gifts.
Suzanne mentioned she did not care for Lydia’s personal stories and
opinions about the War of Separation.
She seemed uncomfortable in this instance when death and destruction
became less abstract. Lydia’s side
stories were my favorite part of the tour.
History made less sanitary and compartmentalized. If more people were exposed to these views,
perhaps they’d be less inclined to view indiscriminate bombing as a sustainable
solution to difficult problems.
I returned to my room and discovered I was exhausted. I lay back on my bed and quickly passed out
for 3 hours. It is nearly midnight as I
write these words.
Sunday, December 18, 2016
TRAVELERS: Croatia/Slovenia Travelogue (Part 1 – Arrival)
The 2016 movie recap looms, so let us take the
second in what I hope is a regular series of diversion travelogues to clear the palate
and the mind.
Many people have asked what inspired me to go to Croatia and
Slovenia. It was never a bucket list
location like Machu Picchu, but it has lurked for a number of years in the back
of my mind. I knew very little of the
countries’ histories, and I suppose that was a significant part of the appeal.
******************************************************************************************
November 20-21, 2016 (Sunday and Monday)
My flight to Paris had been delayed 30 minutes, but I chose
to keep my Super Shuttle reservation unchanged.
Better early than late in international travel. The shuttle driver listened to KUSC (the public
classical station), so the drive to LAX was pleasant. On the plane I sat next to a very sweet Latin
couple (though I couldn’t be sure if they were husband and wife or mother and
son). She watched Spanish language TV
most of the trip and laughed heartily. My
baggage was checked through to Venice -- my final airline destination -- so I
was able to make a tight connecting flight at Charles de Gaulle. However, that flight was delayed because
there were too many bags checked onto the plane. After about an hour on the tarmac the pilot
sheepishly came on the intercom to inform passengers that about a dozen pieces
of luggage would not make it to Venice on this flight. We finally took off after about a 1½ hour
delay. I checked my itinerary, and
according to the paperwork my transfer to the first Croatia hotel was only
obligated to wait one hour. So I flew in
suspense wondering whether I would have luggage when I arrived and/or whether I
would have to find my own way to Opatija.
I arrived in Venice and both my luggage and my transfer were
waiting for me. I didn’t have to go
through customs when I arrived, which was unexpected. Perhaps that’s a perk of EU membership. Several other members of my Gate 1 travel
group were waiting as well (and had been for close to 2 hours). Unfortunately, one of our number was among
those whose luggage had been left in Paris, so we waited an additional hour
while the couple filed their report before leaving the terminal. Next was a 3½ hour drive to Opatija. It was dark, so there was nothing to see
scenery-wise. More sleeping ensued.
We met our Tour Manager Elvis (yes, Elvis) at the Grand
Hotel Adriatic and received the particulars of our stay, checked in, and enjoyed a welcome buffet dinner.
I was famished, as I had eaten little since around 13:00 (it was 21:00). Though the dinner was meant to introduce
group members to each other, everyone was so wasted from a day of travel that
little socializing occurred. Most went
straight back to their rooms once the meal was finished, myself included. It took a few minutes to figure out how to
turn on the lights in my room. You needed
to insert your key card into a slot next to the door in order to activate the
lights in the room. I approve of the
environmental efficiency.
There is an optional tour of the Istrian peninsula tomorrow,
which I will forgo to decompress from 24 hours of travel and to stretch the old
pins by walking around Opatija.
*****************************************************************************************
Last night I dreamed that I lived with my Aunt Janet and
Uncle Ralph in Arizona. A person they
just met needed help, so they decided that the family should relocate to help
this person. I tried to persuade them to
visit the new town first before making this commitment. They disagreed. We grabbed something to eat from a local
café, while I determined whether I had the correct currency to pay for it. A traveler’s nightmare.
******************************************************************************************
November 22, 2016 (Tuesday)
Opatija is a quaint coastal town on the northeastern edge of
the Istrian peninsula, like a more picaresque Cambria. Today it is socked in with rain and
clouds. I woke up and did a full
stretching routine in my hotel room – much needed after an entire day crammed
into plane and bus seats -- then down to breakfast. I arrived about an hour before the service
ended but didn’t see any of my travel companions from the night before. I had hoped to sit with some and chat. Yesterday, I had no desire to talk, only to
listen. And even that had been exhausting.
Like Cambria there are no significant sights in Opatija. However, there is the Lungomare, a seaside
walk that weaves along the coast for several miles. This would have been ideal on a less rainy
day. Instead I aborted the walk part way
and began to look for places to eat back on the main drag of Marsala Tita -- filled
with small shops, banks, restaurants, and coffee houses – that runs north (or
is it east) to Volosko.
I found a recommended seafood place well off the beaten path
in Volosko, a quintessential fishing village that itself feels off the beaten
path. I saw two fisherman walking the
street in modified waders and felt momentarily transported to an earlier
time. Unfortunately, the restaurant
didn’t open for another hour, and there was nothing to do in Volosko but wait. It was cold, so I traipsed back the ½ mile to
Opatijo.
About a ten minute walk from the hotel I found Ruzmarin, a
restaurant which I had been looking for earlier in the wrong part of town. (Sometimes losing your way actually pays off.) I was hungry by then, so I went in. My Croatian is pathetic, and the patient wait
staff spoke English to me. I ordered mushroom
soup and what I thought was a monkfish sandwich. The cabernet needed to breathe more but the
soup was delicious. When the monkfish
arrived, it was a full dinner plate with sides.
It was very good but I had no idea how much it might cost. The full fish dinners looked pricey on the
menu, so I braced for the worst. When
the bill arrived all was fine. It was
more than I had originally expected to pay but less than I had feared. According to Lonely Planet Guide there’s a
service fee in Croatian restaurants, so you tip by rounding up. It felt odd doing this, but the waiter didn’t
run after me demanding more money. So I
guess it was fine.
After lunch it was still raining, so I walked around a
nearby park then headed back to the hotel once I got too wet and cold. After a refreshing nap/sleep I walked about 15
minutes for dinner at Roko, an Italian influenced restaurant. I had a Greek salad and an excellent
margherita pizza with a superior glass of cabernet.
****************************************************************
In both Ruzmarin and Roko I noticed the background
music tended to be acoustic, easy listening versions of popular songs by the
likes of the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Coldplay and Dexys Midnight Runners
(?!). More often than not the singer was
a woman (though I’m pretty sure I heard a man singing a cover of Madonna’s “Material
Girl”). You haven’t lived until you’ve
experienced an acoustic version of “Honky Tonk Woman” performed by someone who
sounds like Karen Carpenter.
******************************************************************************************
November 23, 2016 (Wednesday)
Alarm at 6:00. Wake
up call at 6:15. No time for niceties.
Luggage had to be out of the room by 7:00, so the porters could stow on the
bus. Down to breakfast. Checked out and on the road by 8:00. This was my first time having porters pick up
my luggage outside the room; however, when I returned after breakfast my bag
was still there. Fearing a
misunderstanding I took my bag downstairs and found a cache of Gate 1 bags
waiting for loading. Turns out it just
took longer for the porters to collect bags than I had given them.
Elvis is a remarkable guide.
As we drove to Zadar he gave us a brief history of Croatia to set
up the tragedy of the “War of Separation” that begin in 1991. Contrary to media coverage it was less a war
of religion or ethnicity than it was a fight over which of the provinces would
control which parcels of land. From the
Venetians to the Ottomans to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the stage had been
set for a bitter and fractious separation of Yugoslavia into its various
provinces – which had been held uneasily together by Josip Broz, better know as
“Tito,” until his death in 1980.
We had lunch at a cafeteria-style restaurant. I was still full from breakfast, so I stuck
with the cheese sandwich, tomato soup, and some fresh fruit for dessert. I need to have tomato soup more often. It’s the perfect comfort food.
In Zadar we were left to our own devices for a couple of
hours. Zadar is a peninsula. At the tip are the Sea Organ, which uses wind
and waves to create an eerily soothing music, and the Sun Salutation, solar
panels that collect sunlight during the day and emit a light show after
dusk. We arrived in the early afternoon,
so no light show. But the Sea Organ was
impressive, especially when large boats churned past, stirring up the waves.
We arrived in Split and checked into the Radisson Blu. As a surprise Gate 1 treated the group to
dinner to make up for the rainy day suffered the day before in Opatija. Since the hotel was out of the city center
and finding a place to eat on my own would have been a chore, this worked out
well. We were offered the choice of a
meat dinner, seafood dinner or vegetarian dinner. I considered the seafood option but, as
portions in Croatia were much larger than their European counterparts’ I went
with the vegetarian option – a nice salad and tasty pasta with fresh vegetables,
washed down with the house red wine.
Small samples of a dessert pancake and flan were brought out. One of our number (Agnes) was celebrating her
57th birthday the next day, so there was off-key singing. Also, an older couple (the husband was Serbian)
celebrated an anniversary that very day, which led to a couples dance while two
musicians wandered the room playing a guitar and an accordion. I spent much of the meal talking travel with
Sharon from Chicago, who was with her boisterous husband. She persuaded me to make Vietnam and Cambodia
my next travel destination. Elvis had to
herd the group out quickly in order to get out driver back by 21:00 – union
rules. We were just wrapping up when
Sharon’s husband strong-armed the amenable wait staff into bringing him an
additional dessert of tiramisu.
Friday, February 26, 2016
THE POPE’S 2015 OSCAR® PREDICTIONS
It’s time once again to match wits with the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Below
are my predictions the 2015 Oscars® and my reasoning for the predictions. However, for your ballot it’s always best to
go with your own best instincts. Heaven
knows, I probably think more than the average voter when it comes to making my
choices. And there you have it.
Best
Picture:
THE BIG
SHORT
BRIDGE
OF SPIES
BROOKLYN
MAD MAX:
FURY ROAD
THE
MARTIAN
THE
REVENANT
ROOM
SPOTLIGHT
If you
use other awards as a guide, this year’s Best Picture appears to be a 3-way
race. THE BIG SHORT won the Producers
Guild Award, SPOTLIGHT won the Screen Actors Guild ensemble award (the SAG
equivalent of Best Picture), and THE REVENANT won the BAFTA (the British
Oscar®) and the Golden Globe for drama.
(Yes, THE MARTIAN won the Golden Globe for comedy. But it’s not a comedy, and that was a
consolation prize.) BROOKLYN and ROOM,
both worthy nominees, are too small to win.
BRIDGE OF SPIES, a smart, sober drama, got the nod over other equally
good films like CAROL and CREED because Steven Spielberg.
MAD MAX:
FURY ROAD would be my choice for Best Picture.
It’s an adrenaline rush of pure cinema that works as an action movie and
an allegory while playfully tweaking our archetypical gender expectations. It’s gloriously gonzo, and it’s George
Miller’s best film. And it will not
win. Sigh.
Of the
remaining films that are in serious contention, SPOTLIGHT -- a tense,
economical drama about the Catholic Church scandal of the early 2000s -- would
be my next choice. This is the kind of
topical tale Hollywood once did better than anyone. However, it will likely split its votes with
THE BIG SHORT – a funny, furious recounting of the financial crisis of 2008 –
which would be my next favorite of the contenders. And that leaves THE REVENANT, a beautifully
shot two-and-a-half hour UFC grudge match with fur trappers and muskets. Watching Leonardo DiCaprio grunt and crawl
his way to Oscar® glory (his grizzled character’s sole motivation from where I
sat) seems to be sufficient reason for voters to hand Alejandro G. Iñarritu his
second Best Picture award in as many years.
However, if you’re looking for a sensible contrarian pick, you could do
worse than THE BIG SHORT.
Should Win: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Will Win: THE REVENANT
Overlooked: CAROL
CREED
Best
Director:
Lenny
Abrahamson, ROOM
Alejandro
G. Iñarritu, THE REVENANT
Tom
McCarthy, SPOTLIGHT
Adam
McKay, THE BIG SHORT
George
Miller, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Will
voters award Iñarritu his second Best Director in a row? The DGA did.
But then again the DGA nominated Tom Hooper for the garbage fire LES
MISÉRABLES a couple years back, so their taste can be reasonably called into
question. Personally I would have
preferred a Todd Haynes nomination for CAROL and give Iñarritu a rest, but no
one listens to me. This year there’s a
chance (perhaps worth taking for the Oscar® pool contrarian) that the Academy
will balk at giving so much love to Iñarritu in so short a time span. Abrahamson snuck in (deservedly so) under the
wire and is the longest shot. McKay has
the advantage of his film being topical and the disadvantage of his film being
(essentially) a comedy. That leaves
McCarthy for SPOTLIGHT and Miller for MAD MAX as contrarian picks. Of the two I’d give the edge to Miller. He’s in his 70s, made a physically and
logistically difficult movie, and is unlikely to be nominated again. The safe money would be on Iñarritu and THE
REVENANT, but I’m feeling contrarian.
Should and
Will Win: George Miller, MAD MAX: FURY
ROAD
Overlooked: Todd
Haynes, CAROL
Best
Actress:
Cate
Blanchett, CAROL
Brie
Larson, ROOM
Jennifer
Lawrence, JOY
Charlotte
Rampling, 45 YEARS
Saoirse
Ronan, BROOKLYN
Based
solely on the three nominated performances I saw, Best Actress is one of the
strongest categories this year. Since
her nominated performance in ATONEMENT Ronin has proven to be one of the finest
actresses of her generation, but her performance in BROOKLYN may be too subtle
for a win. Lawrence and Blanchett have
each won recently. JOY received mixed
reviews and CAROL proved elusive to Academy voters, so neither actress is
likely to repeat. Larson has been on a
streak, with her performance in ROOM winning the Golden Globe for Actress in a
drama and the SAG Award. Her performance
is devastating, and I see no reason for her streak to end. Despite her storied career, Rampling has
never been nominated until now. There’s
a remote chance voters will give her the win for 45 YEARS as a lifetime achievement,
but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Should and
Will Win: Brie Larson, ROOM
Overlooked: Charlize
Theron, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Best
Actor:
Bryan
Cranston, TRUMBO
Matt
Damon, THE MARTIAN
Leonardo
DiCaprio, THE REVENANT
Michael
Fassbender, STEVE JOBS
Eddie Redmayne,
THE DANISH GIRL
On the
flip side of Best Actress, the Best Actor category feels lightweight. So much so that with barely any effort I
could name Tom Hanks in BRIDGE OF SPIES and Michael B. Jordan in CREED as
performances more worthy than some. Cranston’s
TRUMBO is a very good performance in a mediocre movie. Damon goes through his paces in THE MARTIAN
but doesn’t connect emotionally until the final rescue attempt. Last year’s Best Actor winner Redmayne is too
mannered in THE DANISH GIRL for my taste (and I’m happy to blame the director
Tom Hooper here). Fassbender’s STEVE
JOBS is the only performance that comes close to matching the material, but he
will not win. That honor belongs to
DiCaprio in THE REVENANT. Although his
character is the film’s least interesting, voters seem more impressed with the
actor’s hard work and less so with the performance’s artistic merit. A modest proposal: Institute a Tom Cruise Hardest Working Actor of
the Year Award, so an Oscar® can be about the end result and not the process.
Should
Win: Michael Fassbender, STEVE JOBS
Will
Win: Leonardo DiCaprio, THE
REVENANT
Overlooked: Tom Hanks, BRIDGE OF SPIES
Michael
B. Jordan, CREED
Best
Supporting Actress:
Jennifer
Jason Leigh, THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Rooney
Mara, CAROL
Rachel McAdams,
SPOTLIGHT
Alicia
Vikander, THE DANISH GIRL
Kate
Winslet, STEVE JOBS
The
actresses in the Supporting category are uniformly excellent. It’s a shame that only three are genuinely
supporting. Tessa Thompson in CREED and
Julie Walters in BROOKLYN would have been more appropriate choices, just to
name two. Leigh’s fearless performance in
THE HATEFUL EIGHT is truly hateful (as it should be), and its unpleasantness
may turn many voters off. Oscar® darling
Winslet won the Golden Globe for STEVE JOBS but is unlikely to win here. McAdams has the best shot of the legitimately
supporting actresses, but SPOTLIGHT is such a strong ensemble that it may be
hard for voters to single out any one actor.
Mara is the co-lead in CAROL and should have been nominated alongside
Blanchett, whom she matches beat for beat.
All things being equal (though they are not) hers is my favorite
performance in this category. However,
another wrongly categorized performance is more likely to win. Vikander is certainly the leading actress in
THE DANISH GIRL and carries much of the movie.
For this reason, and because she was marvelous (in a supporting role) in
EX MACHINA, voters will recognize her exceptional year here.
Should Win: Rooney Mara, CAROL
Will
Win: Alicia Vikander, THE DANISH
GIRL
Overlooked: Tessa Thompson, CREED
Alicia
Vikander, EX MACHINA
Julie Walters, BROOKLYN
Best
Supporting Actor:
Christian
Bale, THE BIG SHORT
Tom
Hardy, THE REVENANT
Mark
Ruffalo, SPOTLIGHT
Mark
Ryland, BRIDGE OF SPIES
Sylvester
Stallone, CREED
There is
also an abundance of riches in the Supporting Actor category (and here at least
each nominee is genuinely supporting).
So much so that I would be remiss if I didn’t bemoan the absence of
Steve Carell in THE BIG SHORT, Benicio Del Toro in SICARIO, and Idris Elba in
BEASTS OF NO NATION from the nominee list.
Bale’s quirky turn in THE BIG SHORT will likely be lost in the film’s strong
ensemble. Likewise Ruffalo in SPOTLIGHT
(unless voters feel they slighted him in FOXCATCHER some years back). Hardy’s performance in THE REVENANT is the
film’s most interesting but will be unfairly overshadowed by DiCaprio. My favorite is the subtle, sympathetic work
of Ryland in BRIDGE OF SPIES. He will
lose to Stallone, however, for Sly’s sly, understated return as Rocky Balboa in
CREED.
Should
Win: Mark Rylance, BRIDGE OF SPIES
Will
Win: Sylvester Stallone, CREED
Overlooked: Steve Carell, THE BIG SHORT
Benicio Del Toro,
SICARIO
Idris Elba, BEASTS OF NO
NATION
Best
Adapted Screenplay:
Emma
Donoghue, ROOM
Drew
Goddard, THE MARTIAN
Nick
Hornby, BROOKLYN
Phyllis
Nagy, CAROL
Charles
Randolph and Adam McKay, THE BIG SHORT
Of the
five nominees only Goddard’s THE MARTIAN seems a weak choice (not a bad choice,
just weak). How often can a problem be
solved by science within a couple of screen minutes of said problem’s arrival? Too often for my taste. A better choice would have been Ryan Coogler
& Aaron Covington’s CREED, a terrific reboot of the ROCKY franchise that
stands fine on its own. Donoghue’s
harrowing and exhilarating adaptation of her novel ROOM may be too upsetting to
win. Hornby’s graceful BROOKLYN and
Nagy’s quietly revolutionary CAROL are likely too subtle and may split each
other’s vote. The WGA just gave Randolph
and McKay the award for THE BIG SHORT, and I couldn’t agree more. Turning Michael Lewis’ book of the 2008
financial crisis (filled with esoteric financial terminology and transactions)
into an entertaining and infuriating film is a minor miracle.
Should and
Will Win: Charles Randolph and Adam
McKay, THE BIG SHORT
Overlooked: Ryan
Coogler & Aaron Covington, CREED
Best
Original Screenplay:
Matt
Charman and Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, BRIDGE OF SPIES
Alex
Garland, EX MACHINA
Jonathan
Herman and Andrea Berloff, STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
Meg
LeFauve, Josh Cooley, Pete Docter, INSIDE OUT
Josh
Singer & Tom McCarthy, SPOTLIGHT
The
biggest surprise in this exceptional crop of scripts was Herman and Berloff’s
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, an energetic and vital biopic about the iconic rappers
of N.W.A. which puts their music in a context that allows understanding and
engenders respect. Charman and the Coen
brother’s BRIDGE OF SPIES is less surprising, but a solid and noble effort nonetheless. In EX MACHINA Garland updates the mad
scientist’s monster for the cyber era and creates the most cerebral of horror
movies. With the help of Pixar magicians,
LeFauve & Cooley and Docter hit another animated home run with this wistful
tale about a young girl’s coming to terms with sadness. Yet my favorite of the bunch is Singer &
McCarthy’s singular SPOTLIGHT, the economical and gripping story of the Boston
Globe reporters who in 2002 uncovered widespread corruption at the Catholic
Church. The WGA honored it, and I’m
confident the Academy will, too.
Should and
Will Win: Josh Singer & Tom
McCarthy, SPOTLIGHT
Best
Animated Film
ANOMALISA
BOY
AND THE WORLD
INSIDE
OUT
SHAUN
THE SHEEP MOVIE
WHEN
MARNIE WAS THERE
I
only saw two of the nominated animated films this year and am frankly surprised
the charming and faithful THE PEANUTS MOVIE didn’t make the cut. Of those I did see Charlie Kaufman’s
ANOMALISA, a brilliant but depressing tale of alienation, is far too much of a
downer to win. On the other hand INSIDE
OUT, despite being tinged with melancholy, makes for a near perfect blend of kid
friendly fun and grown up whimsy. I
would be very surprised if it didn’t take home the statue.
Should
and Will Win: INSIDE OUT
Overlooked: THE
PEANUTS MOVIE
Best
Foreign Language Film
EMBRACE
OF THE SERPENT (Columbia)
MUSTANG
(France)
SON
OF SAUL (Hungary)
THEEB
(Jordan)
A
WAR (Denmark)
I
didn’t see any of the nominees this year, so I’m going with conventional wisdom
and pick the Holocaust drama SON OF SAUL.
I understand a good upset pick could be MUSTANG.
Will
Win: SON OF SAUL (Hungary)
Best
Documentary Feature
AMY
CARTEL
LAND
THE
LOOK OF SILENCE
WHAT
HAPPENED, MISS SIMONE?
WINTER
ON FIRE: UKRAINE’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM
I
only saw two of the nominees. Joshua Oppenheimer’s
bracing companion piece to THE ACT OF KILLING follows the brother of a victims of
the mid-1960s Indonesian massacres as he confronts perpetrators (some still in
political power) and their families. THE LOOK OF SILENCE is
one of the best films of the year.
However, the likely winner will be Asif Kapadia’s AMY, a loosely
structured look at the tragedy of singer Amy Winehouse.
Should
Win: THE LOOK OF SILENCE
Will
Win: AMY
Best
Cinematography
Roger
Deakins, SICARIO
Edward
Lachman, CAROL
Emmanuel
Lubezki, THE REVENANT
Robert
Richardson, THE HATEFUL EIGHT
John
Seale, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
A
year in which Robert Richardson is my least favorite option is a strong year
indeed. Deakins is long overdue but an
unlikely winner for SICARIO. Seale’s
oversaturated dystopia in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD works like gangbusters but feels
like a long shot. Lubezki has won the
last two years and with THE REVENANT is the frontrunner this year. If the Academy balks at a three-peat for
Lubezki I might suggest the contrarian pick of Ed Lachman for CAROL. His work was the year’s strongest, telling
his story through framing, texturing and lighting better than any of the other
nominees.
Should
Win: Ed Lachman, CAROL
Will
Win: Emmanuel Lubezki, THE
REVENANT
Best
Film Editing
Maryann
Brandon, Mary Jo Markey, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Hank
Corwin, THE BIG SHORT
Tom
McArdle, SPOTLIGHT
Stephen
Mirrione, THE REVENANT
Margaret
Sixel, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
THE
REVENANT felt like a slog, so Mirrione does not belong on this list. Brandon and Markey did what needed to be done
on STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS, but it’s not really Oscar® caliber. McArdle’s work on SPOTLIGHT is classic and
subtle. In any other year Corwin would
deserve the prize for his clever cutting on THE BIG SHORT. This year Sixel deserves every accolade she
receives for MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, essentially a two hour chase that knows when
to speed up and when to slow down.
Should
and Will Win: Margaret Sixel, MAD MAX:
FURY ROAD
Best
Costume Design
Jenny
Beavan, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Paco
Delgado, THE DANISH GIRL
Sandy
Powell, CAROL
Sandy
Powell, CINDERELLA
Jacqueline
West, THE REVENANT
Under
normal circumstances Delgado’s costumes for THE DANISH GIRL or Powell’s for
CINDERELLA would be the most likely winner.
I’m guessing (hoping?) that they’ll split the vote and pave the way for
Beavan’s post-apocalypse fashion in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD.
Should
and Will Win: Jenny Beavan, MAD MAX:
FURY ROAD
Best
Production Design
BRIDGE
OF SPIES
THE
DANISH GIRL
MAD
MAX: FURY ROAD
THE
MARTIAN
THE
REVENANT
MAD
MAX: FURY ROAD has the most comprehensive world building since THE LORD OF THE
RINGS and should win easily. Unless it
doesn’t.
Should
and Will Win: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Best
Original Score
Carter
Burwell, CAROL
Johann
Johannsson, SICARIO
Ennio
Morricone, THE HATEFUL EIGHT
Thomas
Newman, BRIDGE OF SPIES
John
Williams, STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Johannsson’s
SICARIO score is the most anxiety inducing of the year – after Morricone’s THE
HATEFUL EIGHT, that is. Morricone has
never won an Oscar®. I think that’s
going to change this year.
Should
and Will Win: Ennio Morricone, THE
HATEFUL EIGHT
Best
Original Song
“Earned
It,” FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
“Manta
Ray,” RACING EXTINCTION
“Simple
Song #3,” YOUTH
“Til
It Happens To You,” THE HUNTING GROUND
“Writing’s
On The Wall,” SPECTRE
Conventional
wisdom claims that Lady Gaga has been making enough public appearances lately to
put “Til It Happens To You” on top.
Me? I don’t know. And I don’t care. I’m also told that if any song has the
potential to beat it out, that would be “Writing’s On The Wall” from SPECTRE, a
movie I saw but couldn’t remember the song if you put a gun to my head.
Should
Win: Who cares?
Will
Win: “Til It Happens To You,” THE
HUNTING GROUND
Best
Sound Mixing
BRIDGE OF SPIES
MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
THE MARTIAN
THE REVENANT
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
If it were up to me I’d give this to MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. But it isn’t, and the other likely winners
are THE REVENANT and STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. If nominated, often the Best Picture winner
matches the winner in this category, so I’ll go with THE REVENANT. STAR WARS wouldn’t be a bad contrarian pick,
however.
Should
Win: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Will
Win: THE REVENANT
Best
Sound Editing
MAD
MAX: FURY ROAD
THE
MARTIAN
THE
REVENANT
SICARIO
STAR
WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Movies
with a goodly amount of action tend to win in this category, so you’d think MAD
MAX: FURY ROAD would be a lock. I’m not
so sure in this case. The Academy may
not want to over reward a movie that is not expected to win Best Picture. So, as in Sound Mixing, I’m going to go with
THE REVENANT. And, once again, STAR
WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS would be a decent contrarian pick.
Should
Win: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Will
Win: THE REVENANT
Best
Visual Effects
EX
MACHINA
MAD
MAX: FURY ROAD
THE
MARTIAN
THE
REVENANT
STAR
WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
These
are all good choices. And though MAD
MAX: FURY ROAD did a more impressive job combining practical effects with CG,
the Academy will want to give STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS an award because it
made so much money and because STAR WARS.
Should
Win: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Will
Win: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS
Best
Makeup
MAD
MAX: FURY ROAD
THE
100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED
THE
REVENANT
The
Makeup and Hairstylists Guild gave this award to MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. I think the Academy will, too.
Should
and Will Win: MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Best
Documentary Short Subject
BODY
TEAM 12
CHAU,
BEYOND THE LINES
CLAUDE
LANZMANN: SPECTRES OF THE SHOAH
A
GIRL IN THE RIVER: THE PRICE OF FORGIVENESS
LAST
DAY OF FREEDOM
Sounds
like a Holocaust-related picture, so I’m going with CLAUDE LANZMANN.
Will
Win: CLAUDE LANZMANN: SPECTRES OF
THE SHOAH
Best
Animated Short Subject
BEAR
STORY
PROLOGUE
SANJAY’S
SUPER TEAM
WE
CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT COSMOS
WORLD
OF TOMORROW
I’m
guessing.
Will
Win: WE CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT COSMOS
Best
Live Action Short Subject
AVE
MARIA
DAY
ONE
EVERYTHING
WILL BE OKAY (ALLES WIRD GUT)
SHOK
STUTTERER
I’m
guessing again.
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