2018 Academy Award nominations

Ah, that famous golden man!  The 2018 Academy Awards airs this Sunday night and I can't wait to see who the winners are!  Who do you think will take home the Oscar this year?  Which ones have you seen?  Which ones are you rooting for?

Here is the list of 2018 Oscar nominations:

Best Picture:

“Call Me by Your Name”
“Darkest Hour”“Dunkirk”“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”“Phantom Thread”“The Post”“The Shape of Water”“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Lead Actor:

Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Lead Actress:

Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
Meryl Streep, “The Post”

Supporting Actor:

Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Supporting Actress:

Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”

Director:

“Dunkirk,” Christopher Nolan“Get Out,” Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig“Phantom Thread,” Paul Thomas Anderson“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro

Animated Feature:

“The Boss Baby,” Tom McGrath, Ramsey Ann Naito
“The Breadwinner,” Nora Twomey, Anthony Leo
“Coco,” Lee Unkrich, Darla K. Anderson
“Ferdinand,” Carlos Saldanha
“Loving Vincent,” Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman, Sean Bobbitt, Ivan Mactaggart, Hugh Welchman

Animated Short:

“Dear Basketball,” Glen Keane, Kobe Bryant“Garden Party,” Victor Caire, Gabriel Grapperon
“Lou,” Dave Mullins, Dana Murray
“Negative Space,” Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata
“Revolting Rhymes,” Jakob Schuh, Jan Lachauer

Adapted Screenplay:

“Call Me by Your Name,” James Ivory
“The Disaster Artist,” Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
“Logan,” Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green
“Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin
“Mudbound,” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

Original Screenplay:

“The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani
“Get Out,” Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonagh

Cinematography:

“Blade Runner 2049,” Roger Deakins
“Darkest Hour,” Bruno Delbonnel
“Dunkirk,” Hoyte van Hoytema
“Mudbound,” Rachel Morrison
“The Shape of Water,” Dan Laustsen

Best Documentary Feature:

“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Steve James, Mark Mitten, Julie Goldman
“Faces Places,” JR, Agnès Varda, Rosalie Varda
“Icarus,” Bryan Fogel, Dan Cogan
“Last Men in Aleppo,” Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed, Soren Steen Jepersen
“Strong Island,” Yance Ford, Joslyn Barnes

Best Documentary Short Subject:

“Edith+Eddie,” Laura Checkoway, Thomas Lee Wright
“Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” Frank Stiefel
“Heroin(e),” Elaine McMillion Sheldon, Kerrin Sheldon“Knife Skills,” Thomas Lennon“Traffic Stop,” Kate Davis, David Heilbroner

Best Live Action Short Film:

“DeKalb Elementary,” Reed Van Dyk
“The Eleven O’Clock,” Derin Seale, Josh Lawson
“My Nephew Emmett,” Kevin Wilson, Jr.
“The Silent Child,” Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton
“Watu Wote/All of Us,” Katja Benrath, Tobias Rosen

Best Foreign Language Film:

“A Fantastic Woman” (Chile)
“The Insult” (Lebanon)
“Loveless” (Russia)
“On Body and Soul (Hungary)“The Square” (Sweden)

Film Editing:

“Baby Driver,” Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss
“Dunkirk,” Lee Smith
“I, Tonya,” Tatiana S. Riegel
“The Shape of Water,” Sidney Wolinsky
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Jon Gregory

Sound Editing:

“Baby Driver,” Julian Slater
“Blade Runner 2049,” Mark Mangini, Theo Green
“Dunkirk,” Alex Gibson, Richard King
“The Shape of Water,” Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Ren Klyce, Matthew Wood

Sound Mixing:

“Baby Driver,” Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin
“Blade Runner 2049,” Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hephill
“Dunkirk,” Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo
“The Shape of Water,” Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke, Brad Zoern
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick

Production Design:

“Beauty and the Beast,” Sarah Greenwood; Katie Spencer
“Blade Runner 2049,” Dennis Gassner, Alessandra Querzola
“Darkest Hour,” Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer“Dunkirk,” Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis
“The Shape of Water,” Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin, Shane Vieau

Original Score:

“Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer
“Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood
“The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Carter Burwell

Original Song:

“Mighty River” from “Mudbound,” Mary J. Blige“Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name,” Sufjan Stevens
“Remember Me” from “Coco,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez
“Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall,” Diane Warren, Common“This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman,” Benj Pasek, Justin Paul

Makeup and Hair:

“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy Sibbick“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard
“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten

Costume Design:

“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran
“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran
“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges
“The Shape of Water,” Luis Sequeira
“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle

Visual Effects:

“Blade Runner 2049,” John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R. Hoover, Gerd Nefzer
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Dan Sudick
“Kong: Skull Island,” Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott Benza, Mike Meinardus
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,”  Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould, Neal Scanlan
“War for the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, Joel Whist

Highway to Dhampus is lovely, inspiring and heart-breaking at the same time

Movie:    Highway to Dhampus

Rating:    PG

Grade:   A-

In a Nutshell:   This is not a fast-moving action flick, but a very sophisticated, simple journey of the soul.  It’s lovely and inspiring and heart-breaking all at the same time.

Written and directed by Utah filmmaker Rick McFarland, this indie film recently won several “Best Film” awards including the Madrid International Film Festival, the SoHo International Film Festival and the Heartland Film Festival.

When I asked Director Rick McFarland what inspired him to write this film, he told me "The characters and messages in the film are all based off of qualities that I want to have or wish I didn't, and experiences that I've had in my life--but I did't want to tell the story of me or my life. I wanted to transpose these things that were personal into a story that was more allegorical and less literal, more romantic and less pedestrian than my life could show. Living well, loving, giving, being kind and changing--all things I wish I knew how to do better."

This is the first indie feature film shot entirely in Nepal by a foreign director and crew.  It opens October 9^th in select theaters.  Check this web site to find out if it’s going to be playing in your neighborhood:  http://www.highwaytodhampus.com 

Uplifting Theme:

·         “It’s not really an effort to make a change in the big picture.” – Elizabeth James (played by Rachel Hurd-Wood)

·         We don’t serve to change the world.  We serve to change ourselves. - (me....Trina Boice...quick, somebody quote me!)

·         Namaste means please, thank you, and welcome. What a touching concept.
-    Love, kindness, charity, doing what's right

Things I liked:

·         The music in the film features a Bansuri flute.  It's a wooden flute that is a very typical native instrument in Nepal.  I asked McFarland about it and he said "We tried to also weave a very well known Nepali melody into the music--a folk tune called Himalayan Trekking Song." 
-    Laxmi is such a sweet character.  The lovely Suesha Rana plays her beautifully.  Her stirring reaction at the end of the movie brought me to tears.
-        I love learning other languages and so I noticed the term “Babu” mentioned several times. When I asked about it,  McFarland explained it as: "Babu is a term of endearment--it simply means "boy," but with the warmest familial connotations. I repeated it in the script a bunch between Laxmi and Prabhujee, in an effort to familiarize the viewer with the word. The hope was that as we heard Mahendra call Ajit babu in the third act, that we would get a subtle sense of the father-son relationship that they have." 

-  I loved seeing the bustling street scenes, landscapes from the plane,  and charming people of Nepal.

·         I liked how Colt (Gunner Wright) started up a friendship with Ajit (Raj Ballav Koirala) immediately.  Their relationship deepens and you get to experience growth in everyone in the movie in this true character study.

·         Elizabeth looked ridiculous in her fur coat sitting next to the poor orphans.  The contrast between how she physically looked in the beginning and end revealed her inner transformation as well.  She even lightens her hair to illustrate her illumination.

·         There are quite a few music montages with songs that range from instrumental to more modern ballads on the guitar.  They carry the feeling of the movie, although they also seem like lazy writing when there are so many of them.

·         I really loved how McFarland chose to finish the story.  It was powerful, simple, and understated, just like the entire movie.

·         Prabhujee is adorable.  He is played by Sayush Gurung Bajracharya.

·         Reincarnation is a common belief in Nepal.  I thought it was poignant when Ajit looked up and saw the bird flying in the sky over a cremation site.

·         The cinematography is beautiful.  I would have loved to see even more.

Things I didn’t like:

·         The subtitles flash so quickly that you don’t have time to read AND spend time really observing the faces of the characters as they speak.  Don't worry.  The entire film is not in a foreign language.

·         The air really is dirty there in the big city.  Ick.

·         Colt’s personality seems so uneven. One moment he’s playing tenderly with the children and the next moment he’s bad-mouthing them.  His unkind outburst to Elizabeth when she was reading a book to the orphans was odd coming from a guy who seemed so sensitive and easy-going earlier.  He crushes her spirit again in the car on the way to the airport after their second trip to Nepal.  I suppose it's meant to be ironic that he's criticizing her for being shallow when he is also.

·         There are a few strange edits and cuts that are distracting.
-     The movie needed more MONKEYS!
-     It's a bit slow-moving.

Funny lines:  

·         “Look at the mountain.  It’s ‘namaste-ing” to the whole world.  So, when you Namaste back to the mountain, it bestows you with peace, progress, and prosperity.” – AJ

“I’m the first one to do that, right?” = Colt

“Actually, I just made that up.” – AJ

·         “I bought this stuff.  I don’t even know what it is.” – Elizabeth

·         “I’ve heard that the girls like scars.” – Mahendra Sharma (played by Deshbhakra Khanal)

“Yeah, I’m really dreamy.” - Ajit

Things to look for:

·         The beginning of the movie starts with a poem: “As the little heart leaf of the bettle tree, grows my love for you.   Day and night.  Day and night.  Ebbing and swelling like the Marshyangdi it flows and flows.“   Marshyangdi is a mountain river in Nepal.  It's the perfect imagery to illustrate how two people in the movie come together, as that particular river starts from a confluence of two rivers.

Tips for Parents:

·         There is a scene where Elizabeth is taken to a sacred temple where people burn bodies of their loved ones who have died.  While Westerners are often frightened by such an image,  to those in Nepal, it is an honorable ceremony that demonstrates respect.
-   Young children may be a bit bored watching the story.
-    No profanity or sexual innuendos.  This is a family-friendly film.

·     After you see the movie, you and your family will want to do more to help others who are suffering in the world.  FiftyFilms and Highway to Dhampus have partnered with Mind the Gap Worldwide to help raise money to send to Nepal.  You can learn more at www.mindthegapworldwide.com

2014 Oscar Winner list

I always love the glitz and glamor on the red carpet at the Academy Awards.  You've probably heard by now that Ellen crashed Twitter as she took the world's famous Selfie with a few A-listers during the evening.  What you really want to know is who won, right?
And the Oscar went to ....

Best Picture:

"American Hustle"

"Captain Phillips"

"Dallas Buyers Club"

"Gravity"

"Her"

"Nebraska"

"Philomena"

"12 Years a Slave" WINNER

"The Wolf of Wall Street"


Best Supporting Actor:

Barkhad Abdi, "Captain Phillips"

Bradley Cooper, "American Hustle"

Jonah Hill, "The Wolf of Wall Street"

Michael Fassbender, "12 Years a Slave"

Jared Leto, "Dallas Buyers Club" WINNER


Best Supporting Actress:

Sally Hawkins, "Blue Jasmine"

Jennifer Lawrence, "American Hustle"

Lupita Nyong'o, "12 Years a Slave" WINNER

Julia Roberts, "August: Osage County"

June Squibb, "Nebraska"


Best Director:

David O. Russell, "American Hustle"

Alfonso Cuaron, "Gravity" WINNER

Alexander Payne, "Nebraska"

Steve McQueen, "12 Years a Slave"

Martin Scorsese, "The Wolf of Wall Street"


Best Actor:

Christian Bale, "American Hustle"

Bruce Dern, "Nebraska"

Leonardo DiCaprio, "The Wolf of Wall Street"

Chiwetel Ejiofor, "12 Years a Slave"

Matthew McConaughey, "Dallas Buyer's Club" WINNER


Best Actress:

Amy Adams, "American Hustle"

Cate Blanchett, "Blue Jasmine" WINNER
Sandra Bullock, "Gravity"

Judi Dench, "Philomena"

Meryl Streep, "August: Osage County"



Best Original Screenplay:

"American Hustle"

"Blue Jasmine"

"Dallas Buyers Club"

"Her" WINNER
"Nebraska"


Best Adapted Screenplay:

"Before Midnight"

"Captain Phillips"

"Philomena"

"12 Years a Slave" WINNER

"The Wolf Of Wall Street"

 
Best Animated Feature:

"The Croods"

"Despicable Me 2"

"Ernest & Celestine"

"Frozen" WINNER

"The Wind Rises"


Best Foreign Feature:

"The Broken Circle Breakdown," Belgium

"The Great Beauty," Italy WINNER

"The Hunt," Denmark

"The Missing Picture," Cambodia

"Omar," Palestine


Best Visual Effects:

"Gravity" WINNER

"The Hobbit: The Desolation"

"Iron Man 3"

"The Lone Ranger"

"Star Trek Into Darkness"



Best Cinematography:

"The Grandmaster"

"Gravity" WINNER

"Inside Llewyn Davis"

"Nebraska"

"Prisoners"


Best Costume Design:

"American Hustle"

"The Grandmaster"

"The Great Gatsby" WINNER

"The Invisible Woman"

"12 Years a Slave"


Best Documentary Feature:

"The Act of Killing"

"Cutie and the Boxer"

"Dirty Wars"

"The Square"

"20 Feet from Stardom" WINNER







Best Documentary Short:

"CaveDigger"

"Facing Fear"

"Karama Has No Walls"

"The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life" WINNER

"Prisoner Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall"









Best Film Editing:

"American Hustle"

"Captain Phillips"

"Dallas Buyers Club"

"Gravity" WINNER

"12 Years a Slave"


Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

"Dallas Buyers Club" WINNER

"Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa"

"The Lone Ranger"


Best Music (Original Score):
"The Book Thief"

"Gravity" WINNER
"Her"

"Philomena"

"Saving Mr. Banks"


Best Music (Original Song):

"Alone Yet Not Alone" from "Alone Yet Not Alone"

"Happy" from "Despicable Me"

"Let It Go" from "Frozen" WINNER

"The Moon Song" from "Her"

"Ordinary Love" from "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom"




Best Production Design:

"American Hustle"

"Gravity"

"The Great Gatsby" WINNER

"Her"

"12 Years a Slave"


Best Short Film, Animated:

"Feral"

"Get a Horse!"

"Mr. Hublot" WINNER

"Possessions"

"Room on the Broom"


Best Short Film, Live Action:

"Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)"

"Avant Que De Tout Perdre" (Just Before Losing Everything)

"Helium" WINNER

" Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa?" (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)

"The Voorman Problem"


Best Sound Editing:

"All Is Lost"

"Captain Phillips"

"Gravity" WINNER

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

"The Lone Survivor"


Best Sound Mixing:
"Captain Phillips"

"Gravity" WINNER

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"

"Inside Llewyn Davis"

"Lone Survivor"