Posts Marked Oscars

  • The Bigelow Effect: Women Filmmakers at EIFF by Tim Hayes

    July 15th, 2010

    Mr. Hayes is not only the ALMT publicist and lead editor,
    but also contributes film journalism and reviews to Critic’s Notebook and Cinemattraction.

    Tim Hayes on Theatrical Thursdays

    The Bigelow Effect: Women Filmmakers at EIFF

    One thread stood out loud and clear in the program of this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival: A batch of strong films made by women filmmakers. “The Runaways” and “Winter’s Bone” have been reviewed here already, but there were several more.

    Very appropriate then that Birds Eye View, the UK-based organization that champions and supports women in film, gathered together a group of women director
    s attending the festival for a roundtable chat to discuss their experiences and the challenges they faced getting their films made.

    Moderated by Amy Mole, Managing Director of Birds Eye View, the conversation’s title reflected the big news from earlier this year: The award of the Best Director Oscar to a woman for the first time.

    Here’s what they had to say about The Bigelow Effect.

    Photo courtesy of Birds Eye View. L-R: Amy Mole, Kit Hui, Stephanie Argy, Debra Granik

    Amy Mole (Birds Eye View): It’s been a landmark year for women in film. Kathryn Bigelow won the Oscar for “The Hurt Locker”, Andrea Arnold won a Bafta for “Fish Tank”…and then came Cannes where there wasn’t a single film directed by a woman in competition. Do you think Kathryn Bigelow’s success changes anything in the long run?

    Kit Hui (dire
    ctor of “Fog”): When Kathryn won I was very happy, but also a little sad at the same time. Sad that in order to win, a director has to conform to making that particular kind of film. It just feels to me like that’s the wrong way round.

    Stephanie Argy (director of “The Red Machine”): Actually I think that it was the other way round. I love that she won for that film, and threw herself into that kind of movie. Not having an obvious gender identity in a film is ultimately a worthy goal.

    Kit Hui: Well let me stress it’s fine that “The Hurt Locker” doesn’t automatically carry a female identity just because it has a female director! But I don’t think that the Oscars alone has changed anything.


    Debra Granik (director of
    “Winter’s Bone”): My hero was always documentary maker Barbara Kopple. When she was asked “Why do you make films about men?” she said “It’s what I know.” It seemed to me as if Kathryn Bigelow was actually given more license precisely because she was outside of the system. Ultimately, true diversity won’t be achieved through butting heads but through that kind of infiltration.

    Amy Mole: Can you describe your backgrounds, and what led you to becoming a director?

    Debra Granik: My training came from being around cable access channels and women documentary filmmakers, especially political activist filmmakers, in the 1980s. It was very common to see women with cameras in those kinds of circles at that time. When I got to NYU in 1995 it was actually the first year of male/female parity in the class, and I found that my women classmates were almost embarrassed by the word feminism…almost.

    Stephanie Argy: I started out as an editor in Los Angeles, and then got a masters in journalism at Columbia University. So no film school for me. But I did join the American Society of Cinematographers, which in practice became my film school. And there are very few lines for the ladies room in the ASC.

    Kit Hui: I was born in Hong Kong, ca
    me to the US and received a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University’s Graduate Film Program. At university my mentors were people like Kelly Reichardt and Tom Kalin – so mostly either women or gay men. I think that when your mentors don’t come from majority groups, you learn a lot about when to be assertive and when not.
    Stephanie Argy: And it’s interesting that we all came through New York. The indie film community is more welcoming to women there.

    Amy Mole: Statistics say that women are p
    aid less than men and leave the film industry in greater numbers. In 2009, 700 men quit the business – and 5000 women. Why is it more difficult for women to stay in the industry and make films? What kind of barriers have you come up against?

    Debra Granik: Any personal friction tends to come from people in positions of power higher up the chain, rather than the attitudes of the person I’m actually dealing with at the time. But the subject matter is usually more of an issue than my gender. The stories I want to make are deemed non-commercial, so it’s assumed that they will lose money and there is a reluctance to film them. My tactic was to point out that my stories didn’t need a big budget or lots of equipment, but that seemed to work better on the East Coast of America than the West.
    Kit Hui: My name is gender-neutral, so once or twice people have assumed I’m male. But I’ve still had the predictable comments like “Why are there no guns in your script? Why no kung-fu fighting?”, after which the doors all close.

    Amy Mole: So finally, what advice would you give to women who want to break in to film making?

    Stephanie Argy: All the tools of film making are now so readily available that you should just try and direct everything you can. And keep in mind that gender is just one part of who you are: I’m a woman director, sure, but I’m also a nerd with parents from Chicago…that’s all part of my identity as well.

    Kit Hui: Don’t lose faith in what you’re trying to do. Try and gather a core team of people that you trust around you, since once that’s in place you can help to protect each other.
    Stephanie Argy: …but be aware that there are very few jobs that are as lonely as a film director.

    Check out Birds Eye View’s website to read more about them and their support for women in film.


    July 15th,2010 Blogging, Film Reviews by Tim Hayes, Theatrical Thursdays | Sections: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

  • Facebook HEARTS Betty White

    May 15th, 2010

    On Social Saturdays I write about Social Networking.

    Recently a Facebook group brought Betty White the gift of hosting Saturday Night Live, which she knocked outta the ballpark. The Wrap reported her episode was Saturday Night Live’s highest rated broadcast since Nov. 1, 2008, when Ben Affleck hosted and Republican Presidential nominee John McCain was a special guest.

    And critics drooled over her Dusty muffin:

    After their success Betty White’s fans have formed another Facebook campaign with a grand request:  Host the Academy Awards. But will it be as easy to convince the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as it was to convince Lorne Michaels?

    The Huffington Post says No. While the Facebook group has already collected over 100,000 members, the Academy refuses to let fans “make casting decisions for film’s biggest night.” But are the Oscars looking a gifthorse in the mouth?  EW thinks so.

    It might sound far-fetched, but after proving she’s a ratings boost for SNL, one has to think the Academy might at least stop to consider it. She’s got the live TV experience and the quick wit. She’s beloved (in a Bob Hope way), so A-listers should be game for bits. And despite all those nerves she spoke about before hosting SNL, once she hit that stage, she was the picture of confidence.

    So, what do you think? Should the Academy give the power to the people? Or is that opening a door not easily closed?

    May 15th,2010 Blogging, Social Saturdays | Sections: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

  • The Best of March & April 2010

    May 1st, 2010

    Here are a few of my favorite posts over the last two months.

    March

    No matter who your hero is, you will love this video because you can customize it.
    It takes awhile to load, but it is worth it!

    Martin’s winning Fan Friday artwork won him a special edition latex CD case.
    Here’s how made the winning entry.

    Early March I put out a poll to see if there was interest in a new Catwoman project.  There was.

    A huge highlight for me was Tim Hayes’
    “10 Things I Learnt Watching the 2010 Oscars While Medicated.”

    Here’s a double whammy: the news that Dirty Step Upstage was accepted into the World Music and Independent Film Festival in Washington, D.C. & the online premiere of the beginning of the film.

    March 27th I updated my Flickr account with live Girl In The Red Dress performance photos.
    And here’s a video of those photos, set to “Dirty Step Upstage”.

    April

    When I got the news that Dirty Step Upstage was accepted into the Cannes Independent Film Festival, I broke down how sales agents work.

    In April 1st we put together a fun video for you. I dare you not to laugh.

    This post features four character teasers from Dirty Step Upstage.

    This side-by-side comparison of “Vogue” from Sue Salvester (from hit show Glee) and Madonna.
    A highlight for Madonna fans.

    Finally, a three part piece on Photoshop in the media.

    May 1st,2010 Best of the Month, Uncategorized | Sections: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

  • ALMT-WW: Sigourney Weaver thinks James Cameron didn’t win because “He didn’t have breasts.”

    April 14th, 2010

    On ALMT-Women’s Wednesday I talk about women in media.

    Yesterday it was reported that Sigourney Weaver (of whom I am a huge fan), is bitter about her director not taking home the big prize this February.  Weaver told Brazilian news site Folha Online:

    Jim didn’t have breasts, and I think that was the reason…he should have taken home that Oscar.

    She also thinks that the Best Picture Oscar should have gone to, can you guess…yes, Avatar. She goes on to say that, compared to the old days when big productions like Ben Hur won the awards, it is now “fashionable to give the Oscar to a small movie that nobody saw.”

    Various blogs are stating that Weaver is accusing the Oscars of sexism and in return, the blogs are ripping her a new one. Heckler Spray, as you can guess, hasn’t been very kind:

    We’re right behind you on this issue, Sigourney, and we’ll do anything we can to spread this message. Give equality to women by never letting them win anything! Remove the female vote! Down with girls! Down with girls!

    The Village Voice is comparing Weaver’s “crazy talk” to Obama’s Presidential campaign with “pundits like Geraldine Ferraro…saying “He only got this far because he’s black!” Should this at all be about race, gender, or other inconsequential details? When it comes to art, is it possible to look past these details?

    One of my favorite writers, Melissa Silverstein over at Women & Hollywood, asked an important question in “Sigourney Weaver Shits on Kathryn Bigelow”:

    Would anyone be talking about this if Tarantino or one of the other guys had won over Cameron?

    In fact The Times Online claims Bigelow’s win wasn’t a feminist one, since she’s now joined The Boy’s Club (although the article has more to do with identifying the traits of a great director that few women harbor: “insanity, brutality and selfishness”).

    As a female director, I was very excited when Kathyryn Bigelow was the first woman in the history of the Academy Awards to win Best Director.  I was rooting for her out of principle, as I had yet to see the film. And I was very relieved when I watched The Hurt Locker several days later, because it was a damn fine film. As for Avatar, I’m sure it was quite a challenge to make, but the story was recycled and, well,  you can read Tim Hayes’ review to get the details.

    I think the media was surprised that Bigelow didn’t make a big speech about how she shattered the glass ceiling and how women can make films too. She shooed it away, saying:

    I’m not a woman, I’m a director.

    And in the end, isn’t it possible that the best director won?

    April 14th,2010 Blogging, Women's Wednesdays | Sections: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

  • “10 Things I Learnt Watching the 2010 Oscars While Medicated” by Tim Hayes

    March 11th, 2010

    It’s Thursday, which means it’s…

    Tim Hayes on Theatrical Thursdays

    Mr. Hayes is not only the ALMT publicist and lead editor,
    but also contributes film journalism and reviews to     Critic’s Notebook and Cinemattraction.

    Ten things I learnt watching the 2010 Oscars while medicated:

    1. Whatever you think of the E! red carpet coverage, thank your god of choice if you avoided the annual spectacle on foreign television, where the presenters are never sure who all these people are but wonder if they might be able to swing a green card in return for a quickie.

    2. In the year that the channels for getting independent films in front of audiences collapsed almost completely, independent films gathered up just about all the prizes they were up for.

    3. Carey Mulligan made a novice’s mistake by wearing a strapless Prada number covered with little keys and scissors, and looked like an employee at Wonderland’s hardware store. At this rate she’ll be the one wearing a swan next year. In contrast, Hilary Swank is an experienced old hand, and knows that the approved response to the failure of a worthy film like “Amelia” is to go on live TV with her breasts presented for public inspection.
    They passed.

    4. Mauro Fiore winning the cinematography Oscar for “Avatar” is a watershed for sure, since it’s the first winning film to be shot entirely digitally and the visuals in the film are stunning. But as the digital revolution rolls on, the idea that one individual controls the look of a film gets harder to take at face value. “Inglourious Basterds” was not perfect, but Robert Richardson gave the film a vibrant, colorful identity that never felt like it was the work of a committee or born in a server room.

    5. Neil Patrick Harris was funny. It happened in ’97 and involved telepathic contact with a ferret. Since then, not so much.

    6. Sandra Bullock gets a bad rap, but she meets the definition of a movie star: a) her name is enough to get people out of their houses, and b) she makes it look easy. The first of those has only arrived lately, but the second has been obvious ever since she cast a withering look at Sylvester Stallone’s knitting in “Demolition Man” back in 1993. Plus she produced “Gun Shy”, an all-time underrated black comedy which revolves around Liam Neeson’s irritable bowel syndrome.

    7. “Precious” and Mo’Nique deserved to win recognition because the film touched a nerve and got people talking, and because of its fiercely independent mindset. The weird friction going on as the E! machine attempts to process the people who made the film was amusing at first, then uncomfortable, and now just needs to stop. It’s becoming hard to tell who’s patronising who.

    8. Hell will consist of people interpreting Hans Zimmer’s film music through the medium of dance.

    9. “The Hurt Locker” is likely to be the lowest earning and least seen Best Picture winner Oscar has ever produced. So tentative was the film’s release pattern that it was nominated in the Independent Spirit Awards a year ago, rather than the ones held last week. But who cares. Kathryn Bigelow is a great film maker, spiritual heir to Howard Hawks, greatly gifted in several other arts as well as film making, and inadvertently brought about my introduction to ALM Talkies. May she never be tempted to make tire commercials again.

    10. The two winners of the Best Documentary Short got into an argument onstage. The 87-year old mother of one of them tried to trip the other one with her cane on their way to the stage. I want all three of those nutters to host next year.

    (The video is below, in case you missed it.)

    Here are Tim Hayes Oscar-nominated reviews:

    The Hurt Locker: Nominated for 9 Oscars, won 6
    Avatar: Nominated for 8 Oscars, won 3
    Precious: Nominated for 6 Oscars, won 2
    Nine: Nominated for 4 Oscars
    Invictus: Nominated for 2 Oscars
    The Lovely Bones: Nominated for 1 Oscar

    March 11th,2010 Uncategorized | Sections: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments
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