By Claire

For the past three years, I have taken to writing my reactions to the Academy Award nominations, pointing out triumphs, snubs, and always arguing for more diversity/inclusivity in nominations. I do this, because I get very intense around awards season (say what you want about the high-brow elitism of award shows, Academy Awards nominations and wins literally define careers) and because the conversation needs to be had every single time.

The Academy Awards are considered the most prestigious of awards. Major studios and production companies look to what is and isn’t being nominated, what is and isn’t winning, to determine what type of films are worth investing in. In effect, if straight white male filmmakers continue to be celebrated, these are the stories that will continue to dominate the box office even though they do not accurately represent the world. There needs to be more recognition for inclusive stories being told authentically by the people who live their individual experiences.

Every year rightfully deserving inclusive performances and filmmaking are ignored by The Academy, and we need to call it out. Hopefully one day, things will improve.

In 2015 and 2016, The Academy Awards have been on the receiving end of #OscarsSoWhite backlash. In both of these years, out of all twenty acting nominations, all were white people. This is despite Ava DuVernay’s Selma being nominated for Best Picture in 2015. 

This year, four out of nine films nominated for Best Picture are about people of colour: Fences, Hidden Figures, Moonlight and Lion. After the last two years, this feat seems unimaginable. In response, many are quick to declare #OscarsSoWhite is no more.

Hidden Figures has received three Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Supporting actress (Octavia Spencer, right)

For actors, the Supporting Actor category include Mahershala Ali for Moonlight and Dev Patel for Lion. Patel is only the third Indian actor to be nominated for an Academy Award. Following is Denzel Washington nominated for Lead Actor in Fences.

History is being made in the Supporting Actress category, with three out of five nominees being African American women. Viola Davis, making this her third Academy Award nomination and becoming the first AfricanAmerican woman to receive the honour, for Fences. Naomie Harris for Moonlight, and Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer for Hidden Figures. As for Lead Actress, Ruth Negga is nominated for her role in Loving.

Other wins for inclusivity include Joi McMillion (Moonlight) who is the first African American woman to be nominated in the editing category.

Mahershala Ali in Moonlight, which has received eight Academy Award nominations

Ava DuVernay is the first African American female director to be nominated for Documentary Feature (13^th, available on Netflix), Barry Jenkins (Moonlight),the first African American writer-director to be nominated individually for Best Director and Best Screenplay for a film which is also nominated for Best Picture, and Mica Levi, the only female composer nominated for Best Score for her work on Jackie.

However, with no women nominated for in the fictional direction or screenwriting categories, it seems we can only focus on combating one issue at a time.

This year is a triumph for African American filmmakers, actors and actresses, but we can’t be too quick to dispel #OscarsSoWhite.

In an article posted on USA Today, Maria Puente highlights that diversity is not a black-or-white issue. This year, we see no nominations for Latinas and Latinos. Dev Patel is the only one with an Asian background.

Dev Patel in Lion

This is not to mention the horrifying inclusion of Casey Affleck as a Lead Actor nominee and Mel Gibson for Best Director. Acknowledging and awarding sexual abusers and racist, sexist bigots does nothing to take the issue seriously, and perpetuates repeat offenders. Because as long as you’re white and famous (or come from a famous family: let’s be real Casey Affleck, no one knew who you were before this year), you can get away with anything. Lest we forget 2016’s Birth of a Nation director Nate Parker, who was ostracised for his sexual abuse allegations, despite his film being one of the most anticipated of the year. Yet now, no one has heard a thing about the film, and there is no mention of Nate Parker’s name anywhere near this award season. And it’s hard to accept this as anything but a race issue.

It was worse enough when Casey Affleck was awarded the Golden Globe for his performance in Manchester By the Sea. Presenter Brie Larson’s disdain for his win was clear when she begrudgingly handed over his award, but for Fresh Off the Boat star Constance Wu, this Academy Award nomination is the last straw. Taking to Twitter, Wu expressed her anger at the development, and I have got to say, I am with her all the way.

Brie Larson's face after announcing Casey Affleck's win at this years Golden Globes

Discussions of representation aside, I honestly feel Jackie should have been nominated for Best Picture, and while Hell or High Water is a decent film, it’s nomination slightly confuses me. Why is Meryl nominated For Lead Actress for Florence Foster Jenkins, but Amy Adams isn’t for Arrival?

Despite my personal connection to La La Land, I honestly hope it doesn’t win many awards. The film is not director Damien Chazelle’s, Emma Stone’s nor Ryan Gosling’s best work, and while I find it to be a ray of light at the end of the dark and long Pursuing a Career in the Arts tunnel, we need to call it out for what it is: nothing more than good old Hollywood nostalgia and spectacle, which has swept up Hollywood because Hollywood loves itself.

With two songs in the running for Best Original Song, as much as I love Broadway’s new song writing darlings Pasek and Paul’s work, City of Stars is nothing new and Audition Song is full of clichés. I just want Moana to win because the movie is fantastic, and Lin Manuel Miranda needs to EGOT.

But that’s just my opinion. 

You can find a full list of records being broken at the 2017 Oscars here. 

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Cause a Cine do not own any of the images used in this post. 

By Claire.

I love movies. I love movies so much it consumes my entire body and my heart swells up and I feel like my chest is filled with hundreds of balloons just waiting to burst. I love movies with an all-consuming fire, but most of the time is probably more like a small smolder flickering between the cracks of those who came before.

My love is a single flame on a lone leaf, because as much as I love movies, I can’t help but feel like I’m a phony. I love movies, though I haven’t seen nearly enough. Yet tomorrow I am receiving my degree in Cinema Studies which tells the world otherwise. I’m not quite sure what good a fancy degree in professional movie watching counts towards my “legitimacy” of being a movie lover, but no one said my reasoning made sense.

Tonight, I saw an advanced screening of La La Land. Directed by Academy Award winner Damien Chazelle (Whiplash), La La Land is a modern day musical reminiscent of movie musicals of the 1940s, and tells the story of aspiring actress Mia and aspiring jazz musician/club owner Sebastian, who fall in love. Ultimately, the movie is about the journey of chasing your passion in the beautiful yet unforgiving Los Angeles. This was the most anticipated movie of my year, and my excitement showed no bounds. Yet at the film’s conclusion, I didn’t know how to feel, and felt like I needed to see it again to understand.

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as Sebastian and Mia in La La Land.

I need another viewing, where I’m not thinking about how much I need to go to the bathroom for half the movie, as I could not bear the thought of missing a single moment; Another viewing, where I didn’t just come off an 8-hour shift at my job in retail, during the hectic Christmas period; Another viewing, where I could pick up on every detail, every nuance, fully appreciate and fully immerse. I certainly felt like it was beautiful, but was it everything I wanted it to be?

As we walked home, an odd 20 to 30-minute walk down a busy street filled with life and laughter, I had time to ponder. The night was warm, the street lights enchanting, and the more I thought about the film, the more I love it. La La Land has everything I am, everything I love, in a movie. It is a musical, filled with old Hollywood nostalgia, tap dances and wing-tip shoes. Mia and Sebastian’s love was founded on passion for their craft; with experiencing life and art together; with unwavering support.

La La Land could not have come to me at a better time. Tomorrow I graduate from university and receive my Bachelor of Arts degree. Next year will be the first time I have ever been out of school. I’ll most likely return to study, I love researching and writing film essays too much to not, but I am at a crossroads, with nothing planned past Christmas except for marvelous, grandiose dreams of writing a screenplay, writing for my blog, watching movies and maybe try my hand at film-making. Sometimes, this feels overwhelming. I have too many plans, not enough time nor motivation. La La Land, though, has reignited my passion.

A month has passed. I have carried La La Land in my heart as I continued working back to back long and laborious shifts at my bookstore job during Christmas (no matter how wonderful bookstores are, retail is retail is retail). I have repeatedly told my friends I needed to see it again, more than I need air, because life post-graduation is scary, and I needed a reminder to dream.

It’s starting to sink in that I’m not going back to Uni this year, so I actually have to do something with my life. For the past four years, my friends and I have been reminded time and time again about how hard it is to get a job in the creative industries. In fact, the last three weeks of our degree was dedicated to this (might as well study for the rest of your life instead), which is why I praise this movie so much.

Mia Dolan (played by the wonderful Emma Stone) is the character we all need. When we meet Mia, she is practicing for an audition in her car, on her way to her barista job. Her phone screen is smashed, she has coffee spilled all over her and her audition is interrupted so someone can get a sandwich. It's tiring, but she continues to strive forward. Her crappy barista job is on a movie lot and she points out iconic set pieces and emits sighs of love and awe as she witnesses movie making in action. She goes to audition after audition after audition, and she keeps the dream alive. Mia takes charge of her destiny and makes things happen, writing and creating her own one woman play, a role she deserves to have. Even when she hits breaking point, when her heart is in pieces and enough is enough, with the help of Sebastian she tries again.

Emma Stone as Mia Dolan, writing her own script.

It is no secret the movie has a terrific soundtrack, yet my favourite songs are the first two we see: ‘Another Day of Sun’ and ‘Someone In the Crowd’. Both are songs of optimism. The opening number, ‘Another Day of Sun’ is about coming to Los Angeles with a dream. This dream may not be achieved easily, but as the colourful ensemble dance between (and on) their cars on the LA freeway, they remind themselves to look up, because LA is harsh, but there’s always another day of sun. Melbourne’s weather is temperamental and prone to cloud cover, but my mood is always lifted when I listen to this song on the train as I make my way to work.

The equally catchy ‘Someone In the Crowd’ is sung by Mia’s housemates, in an attempt to draw Mia out of the apartment and to a big Hollywood party.  After a lousy audition, the last thing you want to do is be ignored by Hollywood snobs in a strangers house, yet her housemates believe in taking every opportunity, they believe in fate: “Someone in the crowd could take you where you want to go / If you're the someone ready to be found.” My invitations to lavish film industry parties are few and far between, but as I find myself sitting on my couch more often than usual, this song provides the push I need to apply for more jobs, even if I feel I’m under-qualified, because you never know who you may meet.

Outside the cinema after my second viewing, I joke to my fellow creative industry dreamers that it's gonna take six years to achieve my dream. La La Land is a musical, a love letter to LA, and a love story, but it also champions those who have a dream, and the importance of surrounding yourself with those who offer fierce support. Life is tough, and you're going to be dealt some tough blows, and I know La La Land is just a movie, BUT IT HELPS, because life without art is meaningless.

La La Land has its faults: The heart of the film hides behind spectacle, making the first half of the movie more engaging than the second, the return of Damien Chazelle’s White guy Manslpains Jazz plotline, Ryan Gosling’s character Sebastian is replaceable, and Gosling did nothing remarkable with him so I’m going ahead and saying his Golden Globe was undeserved—but this is insignificant compared to what it means to me.

P.S, if you want to chat about that ending, let me know because OH BOY I am so HERE for it/you.

Cause a Cine do not own any of the images sued in this post.

By Anonymous

***This post contains SPOILERS for the movie Passengers.***

There has been a massive hype around Passengers in the months leading up to its release. With an all-star cast consisting of Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence doing interviews together left, right and centre to promote the film, they described the plot each time as two people on a spaceship, who mysteriously wake up early from a 120-year journey…

Seems alright, good actors? Let’s give it a go, I thought.

Okay so let’s run through my initial thoughts: The first twenty minutes of the film is just Chris Pratt going solo. This is the first sign where the plot summary stated in interviews differed from the actual film… they both don’t mysteriously wake up as some weird twist of fate! Secondly, throughout this whole section I was thinking why is it the man that wakes up first? Why couldn’t it be Jennifer Lawrence’s character that has to wander around the ship on her own, who reads the instruction manuals of the ship and tries to figure out what has gone wrong? If this plot sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Last year The Martian, featuring a lone Matt Damon to fend for himself on Mars, while the female characters were relegated to worriers. The Martian, of course, reached critical acclaim. This re-occurrence, reiterates to me something which is ever present in Hollywood—and in patriarchal society—male is primary, female is secondary.

After a year on the ship by himself, Jim is losing all hope. I will give him that, it’s a very depressing situation, he is literally going to grow old by himself and die on this ship, if he doesn’t go mad beforehand. What happens next really boiled my blood: In a bleak period of his depression, Jim lays eyes on Jennifer Lawrence’s character, Aurora (and I’ll be dammed if that is not a reference to Sleeping Beauty, the princess who needs the love of a man to wake her from her slumber to live happily ever after, they even call her ‘the sleeping girl’ at one point). So, Aurora is in her hibernation pod and Jim is depressed. He sees a good-looking gal and bam! He is infatuated. Jim then goes full stalker mode and finds out everything about her, becoming obsessed. After a period of deliberation, in consultation with his robot friend Author, his only form of interaction and connection, he decides to wake Aurora up. Through this act, Jim exerts his power over Aurora, and the consequences of this are that Aurora lives a lie, while Jim takes advantage of her unaware state. And this is just for the remainder of their journey. He has also taken away from her a life she envisioned and planned for herself on a new planet.

Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence in Passengers

I’m going to label this situation as a weird outer-space combination of Stockholm syndrome and murder. He knows the severity of his actions, taking away Aurora’s life on the new planet, but proceeds to do it anyway. Now I know that these are dramatic and fantasy circumstances—poor Jim he’s going to be alone on this ship all his life—but if we consider film as an extension of our reality, this act is nothing more than another man seeing what he wants, and taking control of a woman’s body for his own benefit. She does not get a say in what has happened to her, and ultimately it is Aurora who must live with the consequences of his actions.

I will admit, they made Aurora a strong and determined woman. She goes through the same intense emotions and depressions about the situation she was in as Jim initially did. However, when the pair inevitable start to “date”, it is unsettling watching their interactions, especially sexual, as an audience member who knows the truth about their situation, whilst Aurora is being lied to and manipulated. We will also give credit where it’s due and commend that Aurora is infuriated when she finds out. She stops interacting with Jim and even physically expresses her anger, which is a rare sight to see a victim stand up to their abuser.

Unfortunately, all this anger is lost when the action picks back up. The weird dynamic is put on hold and they start to suss out what’s happening with the ship. After Jim gets all heroic and decides to sacrifice himself to save the ship, Aurora decides she cannot live without him, that love has overridden her rage. She instead forgives Jim for taking away her life on the new planet and lying to her on multiple occasions for his own benefit. In the end, they find a way where one can go back into hibernation, but she opts for a life on a ship in solidarity with him.

In typical Hollywood form, love prevails and romance saves the day. I’d just like to mention that there is some great feminist theory about the harms of the romance genre and how it goes unquestioned because it is so dominate in mainstream film and TV. Things in movies are taken as unproblematic because we just see them over and over again. In Shulamith Firestone’s The Dialectic of Sex (1970), Firestone contends, “romanticism is a cultural tool of male power to keep women from knowing their condition” (166). The condition being, “women [as] the only “love” objects in our society … This functions to preserve direct sex pleasure for the male, reinforcing female dependence” (Firestone 148, 1970). Due to this pre-existing condition of woman as love object, Aurora eventually finds herself forgiving the man who has ruined her chances at life, because she has fulfilled woman’s purpose of gaining affection from a man.

What is the most frustrating when I think about this scenario is that this is a film. It is not real, fictitious. The creators of films have so much power to create amazing and empowering stories that differ from our current world, projecting an idea of what our world could be. This is especially true for the sci-fi genre, as writers can think of an entirely new world, yet exhibit no progress. This film merely reiterates an acceptance of violence against women, by perpetrators and bystanders, and a harmful brainwashing ideology that love conquers all.  

Cause a Cine do not own any of the images used in this post.

By Claire. 

Hailee Steinfeld in her Golden Globe nominated performance as Nadine.

If you’re anything like me, you most likely have Stevie Nick’s classic 'Edge of Seventeen' in your head right now. Written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, Edge of Seventeen's association (intentional or not) to Nicks’ song of teenage romance and self-discovery is not far off base.

Fremon Craig’s latest feature is a magnificent feat for the teen film genre. Screening at Toronto Film Festival, the film has received rave reviews, some even going so far as to call it an “instant teen classic”. A self-proclaimed teen film enthusiast, I will admit, I remained skeptical throughout the film; asking myself “where is the iconic fashion statements, the plethora of new lingo to add to the teen’s everyday vernacular?” But by the time the credits rolled, I got it.

Starring a cleverly hilarious and convincing Hailee Steinfeld, Edge of Seventeen has a simple plot: Excruciatingly awkward high school Junior Nadine’s (Steinfeld) life comes crashing down when her best, and only friend Krista (Hayley Lu Richardson) starts dating her older, annoyingly perfect older brother Darien (played by Blake Jenner, who, since Glee, can no longer pass as a high schooler). What extends from this, however, is a tale of heartbreak. After the passing of her father four years prior, Krista is the only one who Nadine feels like she can depend on. Her mother Mona (Kyra Sedgwick) struggles to understand her, and her brother only cares about himself. The emotions which ensue, from all characters, are what make the film.

It is a common saying in which going to the cinema and watching a movie is like being transported to another place. While I sat in the plush velvet chairs, one hand a constant rotation from the popcorn box and my mouth between sips of frozen coke, I was transported back to my seventeen year old self. Brought to life from Fremon Craig’s script by an excellent Steinfeld, Nadine’s deeply rooted awkwardness, self-deprecation, dramatics and self-absorption perfectly capture what it’s like to be a seventeen-year-old girl, especially an insecure one.

Nadine (Steinfeld) and Krista (Robertson) mid-crisis.

Equipped with an “old soul” and awkward personality, Nadine declared herself an unlovable outsider a long time ago. Hunched over the toilet bowl after one too many orange soda and vodka cocktails, she reveals to us that her biggest fear is having to live with herself, whom she sees no appeal in. This genuine sadness is inescapable to Nadine. So, when Nadine’s only friend starts to show interest in other people, in being with the older brother she deems so perfect, it’s understandable to feel her betrayal (if not a little selfish and maybe a smidge irrational). She gets by with frankness, biting wit, and spending lunchtimes with her history teacher, something I understand all too well (Class of 2013 Teachers Pet right here!). In the company of Nadine, there is a touching moment with her mother, Mona, battling herself with the decision between over-bearing and trust while composing a text to her daughter, and a heartfelt reconciliation between brother and sister, who begin to finally understand each other.

Let us not be fooled, along with the hard-hitting emotional journeys, this film is funny. Stand outs include Woody Harrelson's classic deadpan delivery as Nadine's trusted history teacher Mr Bruner and Nadine’s classmate Erwin Kim (Hayden Szeto), who's nervous attempts at flirting with her had me cackling. What I liked most about this character is his ability to call out Nadine's bullshit (she's an asshole!) and his understanding of his own self-worth.

Movies about teenage girls are hard to pull off, and due to their complexity, the characters often come across as catty shallow bitches. What Fremon Craig demonstrates as screenwriter and director is the importance of women writing about girls and women to break down these stereotypes. Of course, the legendary John Hughes did well with representing teens, but two the most important and iconic teen films for teenage girls, Clueless and Mean Girls, were written and directed by women—the great Amy Heckerling (Clueless) and Tina Fey (Mean Girls). It is these films which continue to live on, because teenage and young adult women see themselves in the characters, and feel connected to the stories. They both demonstrate an authenticity that only women can bring to the table, which is especially important for teen girls, who crave accurate representation. 

Edge of Seventeen may not be an instant sleepover classic like Clueless or Mean Girls, as it perhaps may be a bit too heavy for that, but I'm sure it will endure, and help girls like myself, who identify or identified with Nadine, to find peace with themselves.

Edge of Seventeen is out now in cinemas.

Hailee Steinfeld is nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture -- Musical or Comedy at today's Golden Globes. She is the only nominee in any of the film acting categories to have been directed by a woman. 

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Cause a Cine do not own any images used in this post.