Speaking of Oscar predictions and betting pools, here’s the 9 semi-finalists for Best Foreign Language Film! Obviously, I don’t know as much about these films as I do some of the other Oscar contenders. I am a bit surprised to see that Elle did not make the cut, despite starring certain Oscar nominee Isabelle Huppert.
Here are the 9:
Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors;
Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director;
Denmark, “Land of Mine,” Martin Zandvliet, director;
Germany, “Toni Erdmann,” Maren Ade, director;
Iran, “The Salesman,” Asghar Farhadi, director;
Norway, “The King’s Choice,” Erik Poppe, director;
Russia, “Paradise,” Andrei Konchalovsky, director;
Sweden, “A Man Called Ove,” Hannes Holm, director;
Switzerland, “My Life as a Zucchini,” Claude Barras, director.
The Academy today announced the 10 semi-finalists for the Best Visual Effects Oscar! So, for all you people making predictions and taking bets, look at the list below and adjust your plans accordingly:
I was going to try to get clever with Yankovic’s lyrics when it came to my own personal experience watching The Phantom Menace (1999) in theaters to start off this post. However, the best I could think of was that they might as well have locked the doors because the film was certainly trying to kill us. All these years later, the best thing about the prequels is still this song.
I haven’t seen The Force Awakens yet. It is currently at 187 in my Netflix queue. I’m not that excited. Mission: Impossible III (2006) was pretty bad. Star Trek (2009) was good, but I have no desire to see it again. Super 8 (2011) was fun in theaters, and when The Force Awakens (2015) came out, I had to look up the name because it was that forgettable. Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) was certainly a movie. I can’t say anything about it because it went in one ear and out the other too. Still, just like the other two prequels, I will see it and the other ones that Disney is going to make because…well…nostalgia and all. They can’t possibly have an actor in them that gives Alan Bagh a run for his money in the wooden acting department like the second and third prequels did. I am expecting it to be a Marvel movie, just like the live-action remakes of their old animated IP.
As for the music video and song, I don’t need to add anything. If you haven’t seen The Phantom Menace, then just listen to this song. It sums it up nicely in about five-and-a-half minutes while also being a fun parody of American Pie by Don McLean.
If it is still up, I have included some concert footage of Al from last year for The Force Awakens that includes this song and the one specifically about Yoda.
Beth LaMure and Craig Armstrong were producers on the music video. I can only find a few credits for LaMure, but her IMDb page tells me she worked for many more artists. Armstrong has gone on to do TV Series producing such as on Supernanny and Extereme Makeover: Home Edition.
Clyde Smith is credited for photography. He has worked as a cinematographer on many music related specials.
Dan Butts was the art director. He has worked as a production designer on TV stuff. He has also been the art director on a bunch of Playboy movies. No, that doesn’t include the one directed by Michael Bay.
Matthew Mungle did make-up. He seems to have been the most successful one and has been working in movies since the early 80s. We aren’t talking small movies here either. The list of his some 230+ credits go on and on. He won an oscar for Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). He even worked on Monster High (1989), which I reviewed for October 2015. I only bring it up because it has a scene that parodies the Emperor lightning hands scene from Return Of The Jedi (1983).
Enjoy both the music video, and the new Star Wars movie.
Through the Shattered Lens 