Thursday Movie Picks #386: Oscar Winners Edition: Best Foreign Language Movie

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Oscar Winners Edition: Best Foreign Language Movie

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So this is the last of the Oscars Edition and it's the Non-English Oscar winners. Well I've seen just a handful of those that won and only like 2 so today is a super short post.

The Lives of Others (2006)
The Gist:A Stasi officer conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover becomes increasing absorbed by their lives. I've picked this at least twice before for TMPs. I don't remember much of this now, since I haven't seen it in quite a long time, but I remember it being very good.

A Separation (2011)

The Gist: A married couple in Iran have differing views on where to raise their daughter. One of the best dramas about families I've seen. That last scene was so sad and a perfect closing.

 

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Thursday Movie Picks #382: Oscar Winners Edition: Best Animated Movie

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Oscar Winners Edition: Best Animated Movie

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I'm keeping it short. Here are my four favourites.

Shrek (2001)

The first to win best animated movie. This one thoroughly made fun of fairytales and it was hilarious. It also has a very catchy theme song.

The Incredibles (2004)

This is such a fun superhero family movie and the interaction between the family members seem so natural...like a real family.

 

Up (2009)

It got me with that montage at the start. The rest of it is also sweet and funny.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)

I feel like all the attention is with the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies and this animated one probably gets overlooked. I'm not even an animated movie person and yet I really enjoyed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. It is so much fun; the animated action was very well done and the movie is also funny. I'd say it is on par with the best of the live-action Spider-man movies.

 

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Thursday Movie Picks #373: Oscar Winners Edition: Best Original Score and Best Original Song

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Oscar Winners Edition: Best Original Score and Best Original Song

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BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

 

Well this was tricky. I usually only remember a score when I really like a movie and have seen it at least twice, otherwise it all just fades into the background. Anyway I'm picking the newer films for this category which is after they merged the musical/comedy with the dramatic score.

Joker (2019)

Hildur Guðnadóttir is one of the few female composers to win in any scoring category. I had not seen any the nominated films when the Oscars aired so when I finally saw the Joker much later I got it. It's a bit depressing with these heavy strings but it's good. 

 

The Social Network (2010)

I think I've only seen The Social Network in full only once, but the movie gets played on some TV channel now and then and I'd always catch bits of it and that's when I really start hearing the score and I like it.

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Now this one I liked immediately. Epic movies always have a distinctive sound.

 

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

 

 

A Star Is Born (2018) - Shallow
I don't really listen to pop music much nowadays so I only heard the song last year when I finally saw the movie and I love it. I like that it was more of a singer songwriter sort of tune and  I was disappointed when her character eventually went to the Pop route in her career.

 

Once (2007) - Falling Slowly

The music in Once is definitely the kind of sound I gravitate towards to so I fell in love with Falling Slowly (as well as other songs from the movie) at once and bought a bunch of albums by the two musicians after seeing the movie.

 
Aladdin (1992) - A Whole New World

Disney's musicians were in top form in the 1990s so I really had a couple of choices. I'm going with A Whole New because it is so much part of my childhood and even after almost 30 years, (I'm generally bad at remembering lyrics) this is the one that I remember most of the lyrics of.

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Thursday Movie Picks #369: Oscar Winners Edition: Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Oscar Winners Edition: Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling

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I'm picking random ones I like for each of the categories. P.S. I'm having problem commenting on Blogger blogs today...anyone else have that problem?

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

 

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

Was this the first sci-fi fantasy to have won? Probably. Even then they had recognized how great the costume design had been. Now of course they are all iconic. I kinda wish some of the prequels and the newer ones at least got a nomination, I thought the costume design for them were good as well.

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Well at least they finally won costume design for the third movie. Loved everything with how the movie looked including the costumes especially the elven ones...they looked so ethereal.

 

Marie Antoinette (2006)

I've picked a sci-fi fantasy, fantasy...now it's time for good old period drama with Marie Antoinette. The costumes are just gorgeous with a great mostly pastel color scheme.

 

 

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

 

An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Was this the first movie where the werewolf transformation is shown rather than just showing one frame a man the next a werewolf? Anyway that is what I remember most from this movie...the werewolf transformation...how excruciating it had seem. It was the earliest released movie that I had seen it being depicted. Then there was all that work on the wounded and dead. Even the main character's friend...if I am remembering correctly, he was progressively more decomposed as the story moves forward .

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

They did a tremendous job with all the hair and makeup of the human like characters...has long straight hair ever looked so ethereal? But especially with the creatures...the Uruk-hais for example had looked so real and terrifying.

Pan's Labyrinth (2016)

The creatures - they looked like they walked off the pages of some dark fairytale.

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Thursday Movie Picks #364: Oscar Winners Edition: Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Oscar Winners Edition: Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects

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BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

As with most of the movies that I picked today, it was hard finding the still that was from my favourite scenes, so I usually tried to find one that was the closest to it.

 

1917 (2019)

The scene that I actually wanted I think came after Schofield encountered the enemy soldier in this still. One where he proceeded to run, weaving in and out of the partly standing buildings trying to hide in the shadows as above the sky is alight from what seems to be a dogfight so the shadows from the buildings seem to move lengthening and receding and lengthening.

 

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

I had liked the sepia tone scenes in this movie, like the one in this scene and the ones in the apartment where K meets Deckard.

 

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

I like scenes that are shot in the dark because of the play of light and shadow, and this I thought was beautiful.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

This movie had some gorgeous vistas of the ocean and the Galapagos Islands. But I also like the shots of the crew at sea during a mist and there were some great action scenes like in this still, plenty of mist and smoke.

 

Road to Perdition (2002) 

The movie had a lot of dark moody scenes. I think this scene had a shot of both Hanks and Newman in the same frame but I couldn't find a still of it.

 

 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

 

I had been quite confused over the difference between Visual Effects and Special Effects so I had to look it up. Visual Effects are those that are added in post production, like motion capture and CGI. While Special Effects are those effects that are actually filmed like pyrotechnics, animatronics and prosthetic makeup.

 

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

I've said this before, while I'm not a fan of the story, the movie is visually stunning due to the great cinematography and visual effects.

 

The Jungle Book (2016)

The Jungle Book world looked so magical and the animal characters were so lively. The "live-action" Lion King just cannot compete.

Ex Machina (2014)

I like the look of the androids the way you can seen the internal mechanics. The point was to show that they can look human but for Caleb to also clearly see that they are machines, to test him.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

LOTR won each year it was nominated in this category, but I decided to go with the first one as it started it all.

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Thursday Movie Picks #360: Oscar Winners Edition: Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Oscar Winners Edition: Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay 

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 Here are my favourites:

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Dead Poets Society (1989)

Childhood favourite. It's about a group of people meeting to talk about literary stuff of course I liked it.

 

Gosford Park (2001)

I think I saw this the first time when it was released on DVD and thought it was the most boring thing ever; like what were these dull old timey people doing. I guess I had been too young to pay any attention to it. A few years later I decided to give it another try and loved it. It's this sharp and often darkly funny upstairs downstairs drama and murder mystery that takes place in a manor house. Also it has a great ensemble cast.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

It's has this super weird but unique premise that I thought I wouldn't like but I did. It's this great funny, quirky, quite sci-fi-ish and emotional movie about a man trying to forget an ex-girlfriend and then later trying desperately to hold on to his memories of her.

 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

 

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

I like dialogue heavy movies and this having been adapted from a play is just that as it follows Thomas More trying to navigate the political minefield of sticking by his principles without offending the king and losing his head.

 

The Departed (2006) 

I've said this before, mob movies bore me but this tension filled adaptation of a Hong Kong film was interesting and thrilling to watch.

The Social Network (2010)

Adapted from a book about the founding of Facebook, this was adapted by Sorkin so of course it was sharply written and had entertaining verbal sparrings. 

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Thursday Movie Picks #356: Oscar Winners Edition: Best Director

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Oscar Winners Edition: Best Director

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Last week I made a super lengthy post. Today I'm keeping it short. Here are my three favourites.

A Man for All Seasons (1966)

I've picked this one a few times before. It's a great movie that swept several awards at the 1967 Oscars including Best Director for Fred Zinnemann.

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

I think Peter Jackson should have won for The Fellowship of the Ring since he shot all three movies at the same time, but it seemed that there was a lot more competition in the category at the 2002 Oscars compared to the 2004 one.

 

The Departed (2006) 

Mob movies tend to bore me but this tension-filled crime thriller directed by Martin Scorsese was interesting and thrilling with its twist and turns.

 

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Thursday Movie Picks #351: Oscar Winners Edition: Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress

Hello there and welcome to Thursday Movie Picks a weekly series where you share your movie picks each Thursday. The rules are simple: based on the theme of the week pick three to five movies and tell us why you picked them. For further details and the schedule visit the series main page here.

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This week's Thursday Movie Picks is Oscar Winners Edition: Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress

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I'm picking the most recent winners that I like and it's a theme within a theme. Can you guess what it is?

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

 

Sam Rockwell in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Rockwell plays the immature, not-that-much-brain-cells and violent police officer who clashed with anyone to do with the billboards.  

 

J. K. Simmons in Whiplash (2014)

Not a fan of the movie; it was over the top and trying way too hard to shock us. Still I thought Simmons was good as the demanding and terrifying instructor.

 

Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008)

A meaty role and Ledger played it really well. If he had lived, maybe he would have gotten a spinoff movie.

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

 

Allison Janney in I, Tonya (2017)

I, Tonya was a surprising gem for me, I really enjoyed it. Janney was great as Tonya Harding's mother, a hard working class woman who was emotionally and physically abusive towards her daughter.

 

Mo'Nique in Precious (2009)

I really like this movie which had a lot of good performances including Monique who also plays a bad abusive mother; another one up for worst mother ever.

 

Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton (2007)

Love this movie. Once again a lot of really great performances here including Swinton who plays the stressed and cold lawyer.

 

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