The May Film Awards

I’ve been pretty MIA lately due to exams. But I can’t pass up on the opportunity to give my awards for the month of May, even though it’s a week late.  Without further ado, I present the second installment of awards season. Enjoy!

THE “How did this movie get funded?” AWARD

WINNER: Jupiter Ascending

Eddie Redmayne in ‘Jupiter Ascending’

Look, I knew this movie was bad. But for some reason, I felt an inclination to be a part of the conversation, so I decided to spend two hours of my day watching this shitstorm. I was wrong. I did not need to watch this movie. No one ever needs to watch this movie. I was pretty tired watching it, and at some point I was convinced I had fallen asleep and missed some crucial exposition, ’cause I had no idea what was going on. When the credits finally started rolling, I went back looking for the part I’d missed. Turns out, I hadn’t missed anything. This movie is just weird like that.

Eddie Redmayne is amusing though. I don’t think I was ever able to keep a straight face when he graced the screen. I suppose every actor needs a turkey on his resume.

But seriously, do yourself a favour, and just watch the Honest Trailer instead.

RUNNER UPS:

No runner ups. This ‘cinematic masterpiece of our time’ deserves its own category.

THE “WHAT AM I WATCHING? THIS IS SO WEIRD. But awesome” AWARD

WINNER: Week-End

‘Week-End’ by Jean-Luc Godard

So far, Week-End is probably my favourite film by Jean-Luc Godard. Highly absurd and constantly surprising the film explores a Brechtian narrative, and takes the viewer on a weird ride through the french countryside. I’d seen the long tracking shot of the traffic jam many times in various film classes, but that didn’t prepare me for what this film was actually about. Most definitely an experience I’ll go back to.

RUNNER UPS:

Richard Linklater‘s Waking Life, Ingmar Bergman‘s Wild Strawberries and Roman Polanski‘s Repulsion. 

THE “It’s even better the second  fourth time around” AWARD

WINNER: The Grand Budapest Hotel

This is the fourth time I watched The Grand Budapest Hotel, which makes it even more remarkable that the film was still able to surprise me. The comedy just gets you every time. “I apologize on behalf of the hotel.” Just thinking about this line cracks me up right now. And Fiennes‘ delivery is on point. Why he didn’t get an Oscar nomination is beyond me.

At this point, the – as thick as soup – plot didn’t need to much of my attention, so I was able to focus more on the set design and the camera work. The level of detail really is astounding. Wes Anderson is a genius and Budapest definitely is his masterpiece.

RUNNER UP:

Michael Haneke‘s Amour.  When I previously watched it, I didn’t quite catch the water motive. It’s obvious to me now, that it’s a theme running through the entire film, adding even more poetry to this labour of love. Dare I put Pitch Perfect in here? It’s pretty aca-awesome.

HEAD ON OVER TO PAGE TWO FOR MORE

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