Academy Awards

Women in Film Spotlight: Kathryn Bigelow /  by Roxanne Teti

Kathryn Bigelow (Academy Awards, 2010)

Kathryn Bigelow is the first and only female director to win an Academy Award for Best Director in 2010 for The Hurt Locker. The film is an action-thriller about the Iraq War and the grueling psychological impact war has on individuals and the collective conscience of a country. Bigelow was able to intensify the visceral setting of war by collaborating with cinematographer Barry Ackroyd and utilizing multiple perspectives and camera angles to construct sophisticated battle sequences and rich montages. The Hurt Locker is considered one of the best American films about the war in Iraq and primarily draws from the real life experiences of journalist and screenwriter, Mark Boal. 

The Hurt Locker earned six Academy Awards and is also the only film by a female director to win both Best Picture and Best Director in the history of cinema. The reality of that statistic is depressing but unfortunately true. While Bigelow is an incredible filmmaker, it’s also critical to recognize the importance of having a strong sense of courage and conviction when defying gender stereotypes while also addressing controversial political topics such as the Iraq War or the arduous journey of capturing al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden in Zero Dark Thirty. By the way, Zero Dark Thirty (2012) was also nominated for five Academy Awards but received a great deal criticism from both republicans and democrats alike concerning the movie’s portrayal of torture and the Obama administration. I believe this partisan reaction robbed Bigelow from winning another Oscar but that's the reality of politics both inside and outside the Academy.  

Aside from the art of cinema and directing, a crucial lesson one should learn from Bigelow's career is that in order to create change you need to be 100% committed to your passion, no apologies. Bigelow’s films would have never captured a large audience or have been recognized by the Academy if she didn’t have the confidence to execute her vision to the fullest extent. Not only is she the first and only female director to win an Academy Award, she also earned this accolade by directing a film that's typically a “man’s genre”—the action/thriller war drama. 

A little background on Bigelow… she was born in San Carlos, California in 1951. Before pursuing filmmaking, she began her artistic career studying painting at the San Francisco Art Institute after graduating from high school. Today, Bigelow has changed history and is known for her captivating action sequences, always believing “the action cinema is pure cinema”. 

Where Did Apple's Edge Go? /  by Roxanne Teti

The results reported during Apple’s Q2 2016 earnings call has sparked an ongoing dialogue questioning Tim Cook’s lack of creative vision as Apple’s CEO. Most recently, American music industry analyst and critic, Bob Lefsetz drew a parallel between Bob Dylan and Steve Jobs, describing the influential icons as innovators that possessed an unstoppable force of dynamic intuition. However, while addressing Cook’s performance and role as Apple’s CEO, the music analyst said, “Apple without Jobs is like The Doors without Jim Morrison”. Lefsetz goes on to declare that Apple’s “creative genius is gone”. Whether Lefsetz’s prediction regarding Apple’s dim future is right or wrong, I do believe since 2007 (i.e. the release of the first generation iPhone), the company stopped establishing itself as a future thought leader in the landscape of technology, music, and film. 

As an independent filmmaker and Apple “fangirl”, I must admit, it’s been difficult to watch one of history’s most innovative technology companies reach a point of stagnant ideation and saturation of product development. With regards to the film and television industry, since the early 2000’s, Apple’s Final Cut Pro was the leading professional editing software —containing over 50% of the creative market share, giving Apple a substantial lead over any other software, including Avid, Media Composer and Adobe’s Premiere. Final Cut was not only a popular editing suite amongst major film studio productions but was also widely used by independent and student filmmakers alike. 

In 2011, during my first semester at film school, I will never forget the intense feeling of disappointment that was collectively shared amongst the student and faculty body when Apple announced it would be retiring Final Cut Pro 7 and replacing the software with Final Cut Pro X, a weaker product with stripped down features and numerous bugs. 

Long story short, Final Cut Pro X was not received with open arms and over the past five years, Apple’s Final Cut lost its dominating stature in the film industry. In fact, many consider the once revered program to be “dead”. Alternatively Avid, Media Composer has taken over the professional market and is now considered the industry standard while Adobe’s Premiere Pro is frequently used for indie and student film productions.  Since the release of Final Cut Pro X, it feels as though Apple has forgotten the creative role it once played in the production of great cinema. For example, Final Cut Pro was once used to edit movies like The Social Network (2010) and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011); both films won the Academy Award for “Best Editing”. 

I don’t want to even begin to address Apple Music and it’s awkward, lackluster presence in the world of streaming music. However, I do want to posit the question: “when will Apple play a role again as a tool for the creative mind and inspire us to follow in the footsteps of Steve Jobs' innovative legacy? 

The Never Ending Gender Gap in Entertainment /  by Roxanne Teti

Joy, 20th Century Fox (2015)

Before addressing Hollywood, I want to begin this post discussing professional sports and the blatant gender pay gap that exists between men and women—so blatant we're talking about the difference of millions of dollars. For example, in 2015, WNBA players received salaries between $39,000 and $110,000. On the contrary, NBA players were paid anywhere between $525,000 and 17 million. I can already hear the opposing argument to this disparity—“no one watches women’s basketball, it’s a supply and demand thing, women don’t compete at the same level as men”. Ok, let’s examine one of the most recently controversial pay gaps in sports history—the 2015 Women’s World Cup. The U.S. Women’s National Team was awarded $2 million in prize money for winning the esteemed world championship meanwhile Germany’s men’s team was paid $35 million for their victory. Even the U.S. men’s team took home a bigger check—racking in 9 million dollars for coming in a whopping 11th place. The Women’s World Cup was one of the most watched sporting events of 2015—gaining over 25.4 million viewers. The event accomplished significantly higher ratings than the Stanley Cup (7.6 million) or the NBA Finals (13.9 million). Wait a second, I thought this was all about money. Sports, especially televised events, are another form of entertainment. Keep in mind these are numbers talking, not the rhetoric of some third wave feminist agenda. 

U.S. Women's National Soccer Team (2015)

An enormous pay gap between men and women also exists in Hollywood. For example, female actresses, directors, writers, and producers are still paid significantly less than their male counterparts. For instance, it was reported that in 2015 the highest paid actor was Robert Downey Jr., making 80 million bucks. On the other hand, Jennifer Lawrence was the highest paid actress but made $52 million. Looking at box office numbers, nearly 50% of the top 15 grossing films had stories with female leads (i.e. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Inside Out, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2, Cinderella, and Pitch Perfect 2) Similar to the Women’s World Cup case study, there’s something else going on here. The audience, the customer, is clearly "buying" female driven stories—remember it’s numbers, it’s economics. 

Finally this discussion brings us to our most recent controversy —the 88th Academy Awards and the heated debate concerning Hollywood’s gender pay gap and lack of diversity for minorities. Specifically looking at female driven plots or female leads, this year’s 8 Best Picture nominations featured only 3 films with a female lead—Room, Brooklyn, and Mad Max: Fury Road. However, the Academy did have the opportunity to nominate some other films of quality cinema, it's not like the content didn't exist. For example, some snubs include: The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Joy, Carol, and Suffragette, to name a few. 

Moving on... the Best Director nominations featured no female directors. ZERO nominees are women. This is 2016 not 1950. At least the Documentary Features and Documentary Shorts nominations have one or two female directors. The categories for Original Score, Cinematography, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects also have no female nominations. The individuals that earn awards for these categories in film production and post-production are typically known to require a more “technical” skill set, perhaps a skill set the woman's brain doesn't possess (???). It's sad, a female Director of Photography has never been nominated for an Oscar in the history of time. Then we look at the Costume Design category and 4 out of the 5 nominees are women. That’s interesting isn’t it? Not taking anything away from the artistry of Costume Design by any means but come on those are some interesting numbers... With that being said we should at least celebrate and root for writers, Andrea Berloff (Straight Outta Compton), Phyllis Nagy (Carol), and Emma Donoghue (Room) for their screenwriting accomplishments and nominations. 

For those who are hosting an #AltOscarParty, why don’t we have an alternative vote for Best Picture of 2016? Click this survey and submit your response! 

My Oscar 2016 Predictions /  by Roxanne Teti

The Revenant, 20th Century Fox (2015).

This year's nominations have been difficult to predict. Between the "Oscars So White" controversy and the polarized array of genre driven films, The 88th Academy Awards will either be an interesting or an overwhelmingly boring ride. Below are my predictions for every category. 

Best Picture- THE REVENANT

This revenge film is a safe pick for Best Picture as it possesses both critical acclaim and box office success. 

Potential Upset: The Big Short - Winning several top notch awards including the PGA's Outstanding Producer accolade makes this film a threatening candidate for a dark horse triumph.  

Who I Want to Win: Mad Max: Fury Road - Miller and company did an excellent job of bringing this fantastical cult hit to life.

Painful Snubs: It's still beyond me that Suffragette, Straight Outta Compton and Carol were absent from Best Picture consideration. 

Best Director- Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu

Iñárritu (The Revenant) could most definitely take home his second Oscar after winning Best Director for Birdman last year. 

Potential Upset: George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road. The Academy secretly loves Miller and his perseverance as an artist. 

Who I Want To Win: George Miller. Miller's unconventional genius and distinct style deserves recognition one day.

Painful Snubs: Ridley Scott (The Martian), Suffragette (Sarah Garvon), Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight), and Todd Haynes (Carol). 

Best Actor- Leonardo DiCAprio

DiCaprio's gristly embodiment of Glass in the The Revenant will most likely earn Leo his very first Oscar! 

Potential Upset: Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs). Fassbender delivers Steve Job's pulsating energy with a riveting performance that carried the film and it's various holes in story.

Who I Want to Win: Give Leo an Oscar already. 

Painful Snubs: Michael B. Jordan (Creed), Johnny Depp (Black Mass), Will Smith (Concussion). 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR- SYLVESTER STALLONE

A clear favorite here! 39 years later Stallone plays the heroic film icon Rocky better than ever—showing his softer, vulnerable side as he fights new battles of survival.

Potential Upset: Tom Hardy (The Revenant). Hardy is a walking metaphor for manic savagery.

Who I Want to Win: Christian Bale (The Big Short).  Bale's layered portrayal as Michael Burry captured not only an eccentric persona of a real life man but also personified the foreboding intensity of the market's looming crash. 

Painful Snubs: Idris Elba (Beast of No Nation), Steve Carell (The Big Short).

Best Actress- Brie Larson

Room is an important film regarding the psychological repercussions of abuse at the highest level and Larson's performance brings this important issue into the spotlight. Her depiction of a deeply hurt victim, courageous survivor, and loving mother gave viewers permanent goosebumps. 

Potential Upset: Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn). Ronan does an excellent job captivating a gamut of emotions including homesickness, romance, and freedom. 

Who I Want to Win: Jennifer Lawrence, Joy. Lawrence is a natural talent and I don’t care if she’s America’s sweetheart. She delivered another incredible performance—capturing the passion and persistence of a real life person that should inspire all women to pursue their dreams. 

Painful Snubs: Helen Mirren (Trumbo). Cate Blanchett (Carol). Yes, Blanchett was’t snubbed a nomination but she will be snubbed an Oscar and not because her performance isn't worthy. Blanchett will be automatically overlooked because she won two years ago for Blue Jasmine and the Academy failed to nominate Carol for Best Picture. 

Best Supporting Actress-KATE WINSLET

Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs) did an excellent job mastering a difficult accent and playing opposite and against Fassbender's erratic and often robotic facade. 

Potential Upset: Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl). I think we can all agree, Vikander did a beautiful job but she should have been nominated for Ex-Machina. 

Who I Want to Win: Rooney Mara (Carol). This is Mara’s best performance to date and it deserves the Oscar. Her transformation of character was not only well crafted but the way she captured Therese’s subtle intrigue with looks and movements engrossed in subtext is not easy stuff. 

Painful Snubs: Tessa Thompson (Creed), Kristen Stewart (Clouds of Sils Maria) 

BEST ORGINAL  SCREENPLAY - SPOtLIGHT, Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy

Spotlight will win because of it's well constructed dramatic arc and ability to showcase an ensemble cast with organization and poise. 

Potential Upset: Straight Outta Compton, Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff. This was an incredibly creative story that carefully wove together elements of drama, history, and romance with balance and bite. 

Who I Want to Win: Straight Outta Compton, Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff. #OscarsSoWhite. 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY- The Big Short, Charles Randolph, Adam McKay

Randolph and McKay diffuse the density of Michael Lewis’ book with cinematic prowess. 

Potential Upset: The Martian (Drew Goddard). Sometimes it can be a  huge challenge to make an already entertaining book into a movie. It’s even harder to translate written prose describing the character’s inner thoughts into dialogue or a visual metaphor. Goddard gracefully accomplished this and more.

Who I Want to Win: Carol (Phyllis Nagy). Nagy’s beautiful adaption of Patricia’s Highsmith’s The Price of Salt propelled a literary gem into a visual word of film without compromising the story’s emotional arc. The dialogue and it’s poignant subtext is every screenwriter’s dream. 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - The Revenant, Emmanuel Lubezki

Lubezki’s dynamic camera work and focus on the macro made The Revenant’s diegetic world possible and enhanced the story’s epic nature.

Potential Upset: John Seale (Mad Max: Fury Road). While Mad Max relies heavy on special effects, the careful construction of Seale's cinematography should not go unrecognized. He creates a saturated post-apocalyptic tone in which he unifies with a distinct color palette that feels unique only to the world of Mad Max. 

Who I Want to Win: Ed Lachman (Carol). Each of Lachman’s frames are carefully composed to not only reflect the “look and feel” of New York in the 1950’s but also to personify the emotive arc of a forbidden love story. The role of the camera and the “gaze” is also an integral element of the story and Lachman was able to communicate this metaphor without being too pretentious. 

BEST ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE- The Hateful EighT, Ennio Morricone

It’s Morricone’s year. He’s 87, written over 400 scores, has been nominated 6 times, and deserves an honorary award for his prolific career. His score for The Hateful Eight achieves cinematic bliss—straying from boring tropes and thematic traps. 

Potential Upset: Star Wars: The Force Awakens, John Williams. With 50 nominations under this belt, Williams has set the bar for action packed film scoring. Everything he touches is often gold. 

Who I Want To Win: The Hateful Eight. Morricone should win this one but if he wasn’t 87 and near retiring, I would want Carter Burwell (Carol) to win. This is Burwell’s first nomination and his emphatic score for Carol is enchanting with lush layers of instrumentation. Burwell is also known for his work with the Coen Brothers. 

BEST FILM EDITING- MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

BEST ORIGINAL SONG- "TIL IT HAPPENS TO YOU"

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - SON OF SAUL

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE- INSIDE OUT

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - AMY

BEST COSTUME DESIGN- CINDERELLA

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING- MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN- MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS- Star wars: The force awakens

BEST SOUND EDITING AND BEST SOUND MIXING-MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

BEST SOUND MIXING- the revenant

Best Live Action Short Subject- Shok

Best Documentary Short Subject- A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness

Best Animated Short- Bear Story

Oscars So White-What Can We Learn? /  by Roxanne Teti

There’s been a lot of talk about diversity or lack there of shall I say regarding the Oscar nominations. The definition of diverse is of different kind, of varying types. Sadly enough society is attracted to sameness and encourages conformity because that's how it thrives—the social machine is inherently opposed to anything or anyone “different”. Because of power distinctions, people and/or institutions consciously and subconsciously desire to uphold the “status quo”. One’s actions or lack of actions can often become motivated by fear of change—as change can threaten the “status quo”. This is the unfortunate reality of what deters social progress and perpetuates inequality, especially if we are discussing cinema as an art form and industry operating within the profit centric realm of capitalism. Nevertheless, here’s the wake up call—underrepresentation of minorities and women not only exists in Hollywood, but also in other industries such as technology. For example, in the film industry women made up only 13% of the director positions on movies that achieved theatrical release in 2015. In “tech” women held only 14% of executive positions in 2015. 

Before we point fingers and accuse the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for being racist or solely responsible for the Oscars being “so white”, I urge you to look at the big picture—as the Oscars, an annual American awards ceremony for film, is a mere byproduct of a deeper rooted problem with Hollywood and America at large. Since the beginning of our nation’s inception, institutionalized racism was fully initiated by the physical and psychological chains of slavery. And for centuries, African Americans have been fighting for freedom and equality—battling against social stigmas that fueled segregation and the unjust legal barriers that prohibited blacks the right to vote. To make matters worse, for decades of TV and film history, African Americans were often depicted “on screen” as superficial stereotypes of inferior people in background roles. And yes, over time civil rights amendments have been enforced, and social progress has been achieved, but implicit inequality (the social psychological repercussions) continues to pervade our society as a negative symptom of years of disenfranchisement and marginalization. 

So how can we, as a society, learn from “Oscars So White” without polarizing the issue of race and driving a deeper divide between black and white? Adding more diversity to the Academy’s voter composition may or may not help. I certainly don’t believe firing or vilifying current members is the right approach in addressing a greater issue at hand. I think change starts with creating more opportunities for minorities in front and behind the camera. It begins with gaining diverse representation amongst studio executives and the creators of content. In a recent article discussing this Oscar controversy, Dr. Todd Boyd, a former professor of mine at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, said “there can't be many nominees until people are given the opportunity in prominent, meaningful roles”. Let's get the “movers and shakers” involved; after all, they create the films the Academy nominates.