Awards Buzz

Best Ensemble? Best Assemble?

Let's start with Moonrise Kingdom. Like most of Wes Anderson's films, it has a striking look that sets it apart – a whimsical visual symmetry that amplifies its narrative themes. I guess the Oscars would put this in the cinematography category, although it's more than that.

I was glad to see that the National Board of Review gave something to Ann Dowd, who plays the restaurant manager in Compliance. It's not a glamorous or showy performance, but it's pitch-perfect. I found myself wondering if even our best A-List actresses could do this particular role so well – so simply and naturally. She got me to believe, or almost believe, in the story.

I loved Argo: Funny, suspenseful, smart, hip. But then I also really enjoyed Les Miz, which seems like a more complex, if more square, achievement. Lincoln, which certainly has its virtues, isn't on this level, mainly because Spielberg's direction is so old-fashioned. It takes, like, 20 minutes for a character to stand up and cross the room. And please don't get me started on The Master, which is the disappointment of the year, as far as I'm concerned.

Back to Lincoln, I love Daniel Day Lewis' performance. So understated. The character of Lincoln seems almost ghostly, as if he'd died BEFORE the movie began and had come back to earth to clear up some unfinished business – like passing the 13^th amendment. I wonder if the film's screenwriter, Tony Kushner, thinks of him as an angel in America. (I also got a big kick out of James Spader's very funny and fully imagined supporting performance in Lincoln.) But then I have to say that Hugh Jackman is brilliant in Les Miz. 

Was there a more visually beautiful animated film than Brave this year? The characters are pretty stock, the story unsurprising (except for one major twist), but the look of the film just knocked me out. All that great red hair! Is there a category for hair? (I can't get behind Frankenweenie; I like the original short version better.)

I like Silver Linings Playbook, which avoids most of the pitfalls of films about people with severe emotional damage. But I can't figure out a category to put it in. Screenplay maybe? Similar problem with The Avengers: It was, of course, awesome, but how to honor it? Best ensemble? Best assemble?

Talking Points: Honors Comedy

Honors Comedy

When you come to our final class on Monday (12/3), please be prepared to talk about your final paper for about five minutes and to answer these questions:
1) Which films did you write about?
2) What is your paper's theme?
3) Why did you choose those films and that theme?
4) What is something, large or small, that you learned in the course of researching and writing your final paper?

Composition: Final Papers

Composition

The next class is our final class of the semester. Please remember to bring in your final paper and be prepared to talk about it.

Expository Writing: Final Papers

Expository Writing

The next class is our final class of the semester. Please remember to bring in your final paper and be prepared to talk about it.

Criticism: Final Papers

Cinema Criticism Writing

The next class is our final class of the semester. Remember to bring in your final paper and be prepared to talk about it.

Election: Talking Points

Honors Comedy





We had an awesome, self-funded pizza party last time, but now it's back to work. This week, there are just two questions for you to think about:
In your personal opinion, which of the main characters in Election is the best person? Why?

Schedule for Monday Night

Honors Comedy

NOV. 19

6-7 p.m. Final Paper Conferences in my office.
7-8 p.m. Pizza Party in our classroom, COMM 145
8-8:50 p.m. More Final Paper Conferences in my office.