Category Archives: Christian DiMartino

A&E, Christian DiMartino

Oscar Watch: Columnist Reacts to 2014 Academy Award Nominations

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By Christian DiMartino

When Chris Hemsworth announced the nominations for the 86th annual Academy Awards on Thursday, January 16, I was pretty much expecting disappointment. They never get it perfect. There is usually one big error with the nominations. But when they were announced, it was not frustration I felt, it was surprise. Pleasant surprise. Finally, FINALLY, they got it just about right. Sure, there were some questionable choices made, but for the most part this is a good list of nominees. American Hustle and Gravity lead the nominations with 10, and 12 Years a Slave is right behind it with 9. Here is a rundown of the major categories.

Best Director

Alfonso Cuaron- Gravity

Steve McQueen- 12 Years a Slave

Alexander Payne- Nebraska

David O. Russell- American Hustle

Martin Scorsese- The Wolf of Wall Street

After Ben Affleck was snubbed last year for directing Argo, this category was basically up in the air. But this year, there were no huge surprises. The biggest surprise here, and I did not think this would ever be said, is Martin Scorsese. The Wolf of Wall Street is a movie that is either worshipped or despised. The other directors nominated were expected(David O. Russell and two time Oscar-winner Alexander Payne cannot be stopped). The other directors in contention for the final slot were Spike Jonze for Her and Paul Greengrass for Captain Philips. But really, how could the legendary Scorsese get snubbed?

Best Supporting Actress

Sally Hawkins- Blue Jasmine

Jennifer Lawrence- American Hustle

Lupita Nyong’o- 12 Years a Slave

Julia Roberts- August: Osage County

June Squibb- Nebraska

My predictions all came true for this category. There was a lot of talk about Scarlett Johansson receiving a nomination for her excellent voice work in Her. But if Andy Serkis could not get nominated for The Lord of the Rings, it is only fair to leave her out too. 

Best Supporting Actor

Barkhad Abdi- Captain Philips

Bradley Cooper- American Hustle

Michael Fassbender- 12 Years a Slave

Jonah Hill- The Wolf of Wall Street

Jared Leto- Dallas Buyers Club

Abdi, Cooper, Fassbender, and Leto were pretty much guarantees. There was one other guarantee, Daniel Bruhl for the underrated Rush, who did not quite make the cut. Instead the final slot went to Jonah Hill, who was nominated two years ago for his overrated performance in Moneyball. Now, I’m not saying this because of my deep inner hatred for Hill, but Bruhl deserved that last slot. Maybe not the win, but at least the nomination. He owns every second of that movie. Yes, even more than the almighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Also, Sam Rockwell deserved recognition for the sadly overlooked indie The Way Way Back.

Best Actress

Amy Adams- American Hustle

Cate Blanchett- Blue Jasmine

Sandra Bullock- Gravity

Judi Dench- Philomena

Meryl Streep- August: Osage County

There were a couple of big question marks here. I nailed this category also, but it was a close call. There is not a lot of love for August: Osage County, so it was unsure whether or not Streep would score her 18th Oscar nomination. She did. Then there was Amy Adams. There is plenty of love for American Hustle (the film has at least one actor nominated in each category), but the final slot belonged to the great Emma Thompson for her wonderful performance in Saving Mr. Banks. In the end, Thompson got left out. I’m not really happy about it, but in a year with such talent, not everyone can win.

Best Actor

Christian Bale- American Hustle

Bruce Dern- Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio- The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor- 12 Years a Slave

Matthew McConaughay- Dallas Buyers Club

In the last category, I mentioned how someone was going to end up unhappy. Yeah, I spoke too soon. That was a guarantee with the best actor category, which has almost too many names in contention. The new and reborn McConaughay was a shoo-in, and so were Dern, Ejiofor, and Tom Hanks for Captain Philips. Since DiCaprio gets snubbed year after year, he was pretty much considered out (even after he won a Golden Globe), and there was not enough room for Bale. So, the final slot was set to go to Robert Redford’s overrated performance in the way-overrated survival tale All is Lost.

But as it turns out, none of that came true. Having my fingers crossed for DiCaprio finally came in handy. He finally scored his long awaited fourth Oscar nomination. Surprisingly, Hanks was left in the dark, which is a real shame. In the final ten minutes of Captain Philips alone, Hanks does his best work in nearly a decade. This is probably the most surprising snub. In all honesty though, the biggest snub, and this person was not even considered, was Hugh Jackman for Prisoners, the great movie that everyone forgot about. Jackman gave the performance of his career, and he was not even a contender.

Best Picture

12 Years a Slave                                     Her

American Hustle                                   Nebraska

Captain Philips                                    Philomena

Dallas Buyers Club                           The Wolf of Wall Street

Gravity

The Coen Brothers are an academy favorite, so it is sort of surprising that their latest, Inside Llewyn Davis, which got rave reviews, did not get nominated for best picture, let alone, original screenplay. The academy instead went with Dallas Buyers Club, a movie that is getting high appraise for its acting but nobody really loves it. So it is surprising to see it on the list. The biggest snub here, and it is one of the more critically acclaimed movies of the year, is Woody Allen’s latest masterpiece, Blue Jasmine. The film was nominated for three Oscars, but none of which were for best picture, which is a little ridiculous. This is his best film since Match Point back in 2005.

Overall, they did right for the most part. Sure, there were a few errors, but in a year this crammed with talent, they did a pretty good job. This is a good list of nominees. Hopefully they get it this right next year. 

Christian DiMartino, News, Peter Hyle, Will Huston

Dance Marathon hosts freshman luncheon

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By Peter Hyle and Will Huston and Christian DiMartino

Dance Marathon’s Freshman Luncheon has been reschedueled to Friday, January 24 due to bad weather. This is the first year the luncheon has been offered, and the Dance Marathon committees are hopeful that this will draw a larger group of freshmen to their cause.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MW6liRxOdZc]

A&E, Christian DiMartino

Hobbit sequel surpasses original

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By Christian DiMartino

When Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opened last year, it made plenty of money. But some complained that it was bloated, redundant, and, in some ways, like the later Star Wars trilogy. Personally, it wasn’t really a bad movie at all. Yes, it was too long, but come on, it is a Lord of the Rings prequel. It is almost as if it is in the contract. Also, it included some unnecessary scenes. But it was great to see some of the beloved characters from the first trilogy return. Now, a year later, the sequel, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug comes crashing into theaters, and though it is still too long (it is actually shorter than its predecessor) it is a slight improvement over the original.

I’m not going to lie: Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings is possibly the greatest trilogy of them all. Each film was perfect or near perfect, but the trilogy is mainly special for its final chapter, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which won Oscars for Best Picture, Director, and everything else it was nominated for (the only movie ever to do so). The trilogy was groundbreaking. So obviously, Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy has a lot to live up to.

Jackson has made some questionable decisions to this trilogy. For one thing, it is not even supposed to be a trilogy. J.R.R. Tolkein’s The Hobbit is one book, and was originally going to be two films. But Jackson and writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens decided to turn it into a trilogy. Also, they include two characters that are not even mentioned in the book. One is from The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the other is one that Jackson and Co. created. So, how has the journey been so far?

The Desolation of Smaug continues pretty much right where the last film left off. Quiet hobbit Bilbo (the fantastic Martin Freeman), the wise wizard Galdalf (the even more fantastic Ian McKellen), and the 12 dwarves continue their journey to Erebor, the dwarves homeland, in an attempt to reclaim it from the humongous dragon Smaug (played to perfection by Benedict Cumberbatch, who is great even as a special effect). Along the way, they encounter giant spiders (I was really hoping to never see those again), along with Legolas (Orlando Bloom, probably grateful to have work again), the male elf version of Katniss Everdeen, and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), a beautiful elf who serves as a possible love interest for one of the dwarves.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is even better than the original. The film does not waste time getting on its feet. Jackson has a story to tell, and he does it with such an artistic vision it is easy to forgive the movie for whatever faults it may have. Jackson is a visionary poet who is now so comfortable with Middle Earth (where both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place) that he could probably write out a map. He is not the only one who knows a thing or two about Middle Earth. Ian McKellan, who has now played Gandalf five times, is just as wonderful in this role now as he was ten years ago.

As one who really liked the last film, it is difficult to compare both films. This one is better, but not by that much. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is visually spectacular. It is the best visual achievement to come along since Gravity, which may not sound that good considering the fact that Gravity is only two months old. But to even be compared to a movie like Gravity is an achievement all its own.

So many of the action sequences, such as the one involving the barrels and the trip to Smaug’s lair, are exhilarating. None of them ever seemed to drag on, even in a movie as long as this. Maybe that is just the spell that the movie brings.

Which leads to Smaug himself, who does for this movie what Gollum did for the previous trilogy. As Smaug, Cumberbatch nails it. What a terrifying creature. Who wouldn’t want to get out of that lair?

Is it as good as the original trilogy? No. But it does not need to be. It works plenty well as its own trilogy. I love these movies, and with a cliffhanger as huge as this one, the next film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again (out next December) cannot arrive any sooner.

Perhaps turning one book into a trilogy was not exactly necessary. That said, Jackson knows what he is doing. The man has won three Oscars and has directed some of the best movies ever, so just go along with his vision. If he wants to write new characters, let him. Tauriel, who was not in the book, is a good character, so he got that one right. If he wants to split one book into three, let him. In the end, it is going to be a journey well spent. It has been so far.

Christian DiMartino, News, Peter Hyle, Sidney Reynolds

Winter Fantasia preforms despite recent cancellations

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By Peter Hyle and Christian DiMartino and Sidney Reynolds

For the past eleven years, the choir, orchestra, and band departments at FC have hosted Winter Fantasia. A musical showcase that preforms Christmas carols and tunes, each department puts a lot of time and preparation into their part of the show. Although the preparations are hectic every year, the recent cancellations due to snow have made this year especially stressful.

Each department faces their own specific obstacles in planning their part of the concert.

“A main challenge is that it is very close to the end of our marching band season. We have to get all of our concert bands ready to learn the music, while things like Pep Band, Winter Guard and Winter Percussion are still going on. So it’s a very busy time for us, especially with Winter Fantasia mixed in,” said band director Harold Yankee.

Aside from the demanding schedules, there are more stressful problems that the students and teachers are faced with.

“Our biggest obstacle has been preparing the freshmen and bringing them up to the standards. The music in Winter Fantasia is always very challenging for the freshmen, but they’re fighting harder than most to learn this year’s music,” said orchestra director Doug Elmore.

After over a decade, the directors have adjusted to each other’s eventful schedules.

“We’ve got it down to a system where it works very smoothly. The first few years we had some troublesome details to figure out, but now we basically follow the same pattern each year. We typically always change the pieces of music performed, but we each know what we’re going to do and when,” said choir director Angela Hampton.

There are many songs that will be performed during Winter Fantasia, but there are certain highlights for each director.

“My favorite part in the whole concert is the last song at the very end, where everyone plays and sings together. There are so many students on stage enjoying the same song at the same time. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year is just a pleasant piece of music. It’s always been one of my favorite pieces,” said Yankee.

Winter Fantasia is held on Tuesday, Dec. 10 and Thursday, Dec. 12 at 7pm. The box office is opened each night at 6:15pm. The recent snow days have made things more stressful for the students and teachers performing, but everything is still on schedule. There is a silent auction all throughout both nights of Winter Fantasia, and the directors are encouraging people to come early to participate in the final auction. This event is described as FC’s biggest music event of the year.

A&E, Christian DiMartino, Peter Hyle

‘Catching Fire’ catches reviewers’ interests

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By Peter Hyle and Christian DiMartino

Can Katniss Everdeen ever catch a break? Judging from her second outing, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, it does not appear so. The producers should have called the movie Katniss Everdeen’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, because bad things just do not seem to stop for her.

Katniss, the beautiful young heroine played masterfully by Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence, is a character that the audience really roots for. After surviving the 74th annual “Hunger Games” in the previous film, it would seem as if her and her possible love interest, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) should live their lives in peace, right? Wrong.

The sequel, which is the second adaptation in Suzanne Collin’s wildly popular Hunger Games trilogy, finds Katniss and Peeta a year later, desperately trying to recover from the “Games”, but the viewer knows that will not happen. If that was the case, why would the movie exist? When Panem, their homeland, starts rebelling due to their victory, the diabolical President Snow (Donald Sutherland) announces the “Quarter Quell, an event that throws past winners back into games, to celebrate the 75th year. Before they know it, Katniss and Peeta are called back into action for another round of survival.

The original Hunger Games film worked very well because of its chilling premise and because of its protagonist, even if it was too long. The sequel, though still too long, is better than its predecessor.

The first hour, which focuses on the aftermath of the games and the madness in Panem, is fantastic. The final hour and a half, when the games are going on, is not as strong, but it is always suspenseful and gripping. Watching these unlucky characters fight for survival is sort of a blast.  The miracle of the final portion is that it could have been de ja vu, but it turns out to be rather inventive.

There are some additional improvements. The visual effects are much better. Also, some of the characters that did not get to do much, such as President Snow, finally get to do something.

The most notable improvement, surprisingly, is Lawrence. Lawrence, who won an Oscar for her extraordinary performance in last year’s Silver Linings Playbook, was pretty good last time. This time, it seems as if winning the Oscar has motivated her because she is even better. For an action hero, her performance is top notch. She will not win an Oscar for it, but it is still impressive.

Also, what a great cast altogether. Not only does the majority of the cast from the original, which included Woody Harrelson, Lenny Kravitz, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, and Stanley Tucci, return. Now there is even more added to the ensemble. Oscar-winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of the greatest actors alive, plays the villainous game-maker Plutarch. Jeffery Wright, Amanda Plummer (what happened to her?), and Jena Malone also star as fellow tributes.

The film does not waste much time dwelling on the past. In other words, if you have not seen the previous movie or read the books, you may get lost. Not completely lost, but pretty much.

Overall, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a remarkable visual achievement that benefits from its main actress and cast, not to mention a more interesting storyline. That said, the film is a little too long, and like the original, Gale (Hemsworth) is under-written. He really is not as big of a character as he should be. Flaws aside, it is still a very good film. It might not have worked without Lawrence, or, as Katniss is nicknamed, “the girl on fire”. The world needs Katniss Everdeen, and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I cannot arrive sooner.