One Category at a Time: Documentary

There's no doubt in my mind that this is the most impressive quintet of nominees the Academy has put together in any category this year.

The only one I have slight reservations about is Gasland, and that has more to do with the Josh Fox's form and structure. Conceptually it's a very compelling piece of investigative media, with some eye-opening and infuriating information to present.

Waste Land is my fourth favourite, for its rousing emotional foundation and loose unintrusive style. It's a testament to Lucy Walker's range as a documentarian and a filmmaker that this was released the same year as her Countdown to Zero, which is much different in structure and subject matter. The film is indeed an inspiration.

Creeping up my ladder of preference to #3 you'll find Restrepo, an extraordinary objective observer essay put on film. That Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger could even get this film made is incredible enough, let alone that it should succeed so thoroughly in frightening and exhilarating us, and putting us in the mindset of the soldier.

My second favourite is Charles Ferguson's slick and focused Inside Job, which carries out the daunting task of explaining the excruciating mechanics of 2008's economic crisis to the layman with ease and intelligence. One of the most interesting and riling movies of the year, it's societal pertinence and professionalism will likely earn it Oscar gold.

And finally, the best of the lot (and that's saying a lot!), Banksy's droll Exit Through the Gift Shop, perhaps one of the most unusual "documentaries" I've ever seen, but one of the most memorable. Banksy is constantly molding it like a lump of clay, always into something fascinating, but it never stays that shape for long. Finally, by the end, he's left us with something that transcends shape; an epiphany. I've never seen such a unique and hilarious study of art and celebrity.

Will win: Inside Job
Runner-up: Waste Land

Should win: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Should have been nominated: Catfish

My Award nominations: Best Picture, Best Director

There's a 4/5 overlap between my Best Picture and Best Director nominations this year, so I'm lumping them into one big post:

Best Picture AND Best Director:

Black Swan, directed by DARREN ARONOFSKY:

Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan is a staggering work of cinema about the artist's odyssey and the self-consuming quest for perfection. Aronosfsky, who has a way of getting his actors to turn themselves inside-out, draws a career-best performance out of Natalie Portman, whose transformation from 'sweet girl' Nina Sayers to the confident but vicious Black Swan is one of the best descents into madness put on film. But this is still Aronofsky's show, and what a terrifying show it is. He puts us inside Nina Sayers' head for a stylized exploration of a tragic artistic process. The screenwriters deserve credit for providing a strong, thematically rich story, but it's more by Aronofsky's direction that we understand Nina's doomed journey.

Inception, directed by CHRISTOPHER NOLAN:

Christopher Nolan's dreamy extravaganza excels both on an emotional level and as pure action entertainment. Nolan pushes the envelope on the tried and true “race against time” technique by staging races against time within races against time within races against time! The entire final hour of the film is a masterstroke of bravura storytelling, executed with infallible clockwork precision. Inception earns the right to have its faults (and it does have faults) forgiven. As far as ambitious, committed, exhilarating, and above all, intelligent movie entertainment goes, it's a winner. Nolan's influences and sources of inspiration are apparent, but you've still never seen anything quite like this. It's a true original.

The Kids Are All Right, by LISA CHOLODENKO:

Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right is a wonderful dramedy of manners whose no-nonsense style delivers a perfectly measured emotional cadence by not drawing attention to itself. To try and pick a standout actor would be folly, as this is a true ensemble piece wherein all five principles give outstanding performances which add up to a whole that is so much greater than the sum of its parts. The film enjoys a genuine realism. Void of snappy one-liners or bold dramatic flare, the comedy and tragedy stem organically from the characters and the complex relationships they share with each other. Subtext abounds in every conversation, and Cholodenko's tactful direction lets it gleam through without ever relinquishing that realness of feeling.

The Social Network, directed by DAVID FINCHER:

Some may get hung up on the historical accuracy of the film (no one for sure knows the true story), but that would be missing the point. It's not a biopic. It can get away with taking creative liberties because of its unimpeachable trifecta of fine writing, intelligent direction, and authentic acting. Aaron Sorkin's screenplay slices through the perceived glory of the Internet with a cynical but perspicacious edge. Give David Fincher credit for extracting such terrific performances from all. He lets every character have just the right amount of exposure, and paces the story as only an expert can (with the help of his excellent film editors Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, of course). It may not have an auteurial feel, but that's probably just as well.

(just Best Picture):
Toy Story 3, directed by Lee Unkrich:
The third instalment of the Toy Story franchise might not have seemed like a good idea on paper, but credit veteran story men John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich, and new-to-the-team Michael Arndt for putting together yet another engaging story that continues to push the many themes explored by the two originals while still preserving their charm and wit. What allows the Toy Story movies to continue to resonate after the novelty of the 1995 original concept has worn off is an increasingly direct approach to mature ideas. The script moves swiftly and with purpose before settling into an ending so poignant and emotional it reduced me to a teary mess. They could not have ended this series on a better note. Utter perfection.

(just Best Director):
Exit Through the Gift Shop, directed by BANKSY:

The film threatens to end up as a one-note character study about a larger-than-life personality, but Banksy has bigger plans. By the end we realize that the real question Banksy has been posing is “what are the true natures of art and genius?”. He extrapolates from a wacky biography to a meditation on celebrity, culture, the death of a movement, and creative expression vs. creative pillaging. Is Giuetta a genius or a nut job? Is he the rabbit or the turtle? The answer proposed by Banksy to that small question is pretty obvious, but think about who won that fabled race, and you'll understand his definitive stance on the bigger issues.

Just missed:
Andrea Arnold Fish Tank, Charles Ferguson Inside Job, John Cameron Mitchell Rabbit Hole, Mike Leigh Another Year, Silvain Chomet The Illusionist, Peter Weir The Way Back

My Award nominations: Documentary

Best Documentary:

Catfish (Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman):
It starts as a suspicious online relationship that turns into a thrilling investigation that ends up a settled contemplation about what our digital age society and the people in it are all about. Speculations that it may be a hoax are beside the point, because it tells its story and delivers its message so effectively and entertainingly.

Exit Through the Gift Shop (Banksy):
A brilliantly edited, mercurial meditation on the nature of art, culture, and creative expression vs creative fakery. We never know what the film is really about until the final frames, just like we never really know whether it's a "real" documentary or an elaborate ruse. Whatever the answer, it remains an ingenious and hilarious work of art.

Inside Job (Charles Ferguson):
This searing expose on how Wall Street greed and irresponsibility lead to the global economic crisis of 2008 succeeds both as an enlightening lesson in the follies of the structure of our financial system and the people governing it, as well as a witty and compelling piece of entertainment that'll leave you both bemused an enraged.

Restrepo (Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger):
It's a miracle that this riveting documentary should even exist. It's a testament to the dedication and courage of Hetherington and Junger, who spent a year in the most dangerous place on earth to conduct an objective study of men at war. No political position is taken. The only concern is to observe the harrowing life of the American soldier.

Waste Land (Lucy Walker):
A stirring and inspiring tale of art and social responsibility, it's not hard to see why Waste Land brings festival audiences to their feet. The only thing more extraordinary than Vik Muniz's garbage creations is how profoundly they affect the lives of the people who inspired him. director Lucy Walker wisely avoids an formalism in telling a story as emotional as this.

Just missed: Countdown to Zero, Waiting for Superman, Gasland

DGA Doucmentary nomiees!

Shame on the DGA for ignoring Banksy and his wonderful achievement in Exit Through the Gift Shop, but I can't say I'm surprised. In lieu of him, I should hope this goes to Charles Ferguson.

Alex Gibney, Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer
Charles Ferguson, Inside Job
Lixin Fan, Last Train Home
Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger, Restrepo
Davis Guggenheim, Waiting for Superman

Review - Exit Through the Gift Shop

“Time will tell whether I'm a rabbit or a turtle,” are the last words we hear spoken by Thierry Guetta at the end of Exit Through the Gift Shop, the delightful documentary of which he's the subject, and by that late point of the film we would expect a quote no less bizarre and baffling from the eccentric Frenchman. That's because we've been exposed to an hour and a half of his flamboyant, ceaselessly entertaining antics.

The film chronicles the rise of Guetta from a camera-obsessed foreigner in L.A., to a street artist tag-along, to a self-proclaimed street art documentarian, and finally to a street artist with his own pseudonym; Mr. Brainwash. At first, Guetta innocently recorded well known graffiti artists in their element with the intention of putting together a film about the street art subculture, even earning audience with the mysterious and seclusive Banksy, whose large-scale creations defied the odds and caught the attention of the world earlier last decade. But upon realizing that Guetta was no film maker, Banksy decided to turn the tables and make a film himself, one that would follow Guetta on his quest to put on his own large-scale art show.

By the halfway mark of the film, it threatens to end up as a one-note character study about larger-than-life personality. But Banksy has bigger plans. Throughout the movie he has us questioning, “is this guy for real?”, and by the end we realize that the real question Banksy has been posing is “what are the true natures of art and genius?”. He extrapolates from a wacky biography to a meditation on celebrity, culture, the death of a movement, and creative expression vs. creative pillaging. Is Guetta a genius or a nut job? Is he the rabbit or the turtle? The answer proposed by Banksy to that small question is pretty obvious, but think about who won that fabled race, and you'll understand his definitive stance on the bigger issues.

It's also worth mentioning that Exit Through the Gift Shop is the best comedy of year. So far no other film from 2010 had me laughing more. Guetta's ambition and charisma are so over the top that sometimes it makes you wonder if he's putting on a Borat-esque performance. A sharp sense of comic timing from editors Tom Fulford and Chris King helps punctuate every hilarious phrase that leaves his mouth.

Alas, I fear this type of light material is not usually to the Documentary branch's liking (I'll be surprised if it makes the shortlist), which is a shame because it absolutely deserves nominations for Best Documentary and Best Film Editing. To have sifted through the tens of thousands of hours of Guetta's amateur movie making alone merits some kind of Iron Man award.

***1/2 out of ****