(Oscar 2014 Special)
Just a few links to My Oscar related Lists on IMDB
Oscar Winners … and then some 2012 from March 2012
Streep Wins … … … … … .. from April 2012
and
My Favourite Oscar Winner per decade from earlier this month (March 2014)
Enjoy
Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
(Oscar 2014 Special)
Leonardo DiCaprio has gone through a phase of ,‘‘always being the Bridesmaid, but never the Bride,’’ scenario at the Oscars. That’s because he’s just been plain unlucky. He’s a superb actor, who deserved the nominations, but that doesn’t mean, just cause he’s been nominated so many times, he has to win. Look at the actors he lost out to. If he lost out, he lost out to the best. He’s always been good, but there’s always been someone better.
In his own movies too, most of the time, there is always someone better than him, overpowering his performance. For example; Kate Winslet in Titanic (1997) and Revolutionary Road (2008), and Winslet was nominated for an Oscar for Titanic; Daniel Day-Lewis, too nominated for an Oscar, in Gangs of New York (2002); Tom Hanks in Catch Me If You Can (2002); Cate Blanchett in The Aviator (2004), for which Blanchett bagged the ‘Best Supporting Actress’ trophy at the Oscars (Blanchett won the ‘Best Actress’ Oscar this year); the list could go on.
Leonardo DiCaprio has been nominated for five Academy Awards. Let’s have a look at his nominations :-
Added to the above mentioned reasons, Leonardo DiCaprio does tend to play it safe. With the exception of his character of Arnie Grape, in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), DiCaprio, has never done anything that exceptionally unique till date for him to actually bag the Oscar trophy. DiCaprio earned his very first Oscar nomination as a 19 year old, for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, for ‘Best Supporting Actor’, in 1994. In fact DiCaprio was the only one to be nominated in that movie, and deservedly so. He lost out to Tommy Lee Jones, who won for The Fugitive (1993). I haven’t watched The Fugitive, so I can’t judge whether Lee Jones deserved it more; but Leonardo DiCaprio was exceptional as the mentally-challenged ‘Arnie’ in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. The best he has done so far.
In 2005, Leonardo DiCaprio was nominated for the ‘Best Actor’ Oscar for The Aviator (2004). He was excellent in this bio-pic on the late American business magnate, aviator, aerospace engineer and film maker, Howard Hughes. This was DiCaprio’s first ‘Best Actor’ nomination, and his second nomination at the Academy Awards. He lost out to Jamie Foxx, who was outstandingly better as the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, in the bio-pic, Ray (2004), and Foxx definitely deserved the win that year.
In 2007, DiCaprio was nominated for, Blood Diamond (2006), in which he was very good, but Forest Whitaker, as the tyrannical President of Uganda, Idi Amin, in The Last King of Scotland (2006), was incomparably brilliant. A sure win, how could poor DiCaprio compete with that.
This year, 2014, DiCaprio was nominated for both, ‘Best Actor’, and as one of the producers, ‘Best Film’, for The Wolf of Wall Street (2013). He lost out the ‘Best Actor’ trophy to Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club (2013), and ‘Best Film’ to producers Brad Pitt, Steve McQueen and a few other, for 12 Years a Slave (2013). Now I haven’t seen any of these films, but from the hype, and what ever I’ve seen (trailers, scenes etc), McConaughey and 12 Years a Slave, deserved there respective wins more.
Leonardo DiCaprio, has definitely proved himself as an actor. He is not just a pretty face. I personally have great respect for him as a performer.
So Mr. DiCaprio, next time do an extraordinarily unique role, a sure win, so that no one can beat you at the Oscar game.
Wishing you all the best
Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
Bernardo Bertolucci & I
My introduction to Bernardo Bertolucci was as a teenager, back in the early/mid 1990’s, when I was awed by the spectacle that was The Last Emperor (1987). A movie I was reprimanded for watching, as supposedly it was not suitable for a 16/17 year old. Even at that age I was aware that I had actually just witnessed an artistic piece of cinematic excellence. What I should have realised at that age, but didn’t, is that I did not belong in this aesthetically depressive dump hole. But I knew that my taste was a bit high for these so called older and wiser idiots to ever comprehend. If they had a problem with me watching such a fine piece of cinema, ’twas because of their own perverted mentality, not mine. None the less, till date, I think The Last Emperor is the best film Bertolucci has made, and my second favourite, besides all the bad memories associated with watching it.
Next, still in my teens, was Little Buddha (1993), in 1994, when we went back to live in New Delhi, after an unpleasant hiatus of six years away from my country of birth to the country of unfortunate roots. Coming from a Buddhist background, minus the deep blinded faith of the religion, instead having a more open minded modern acceptance of the philosophical aspects of Buddhism, Little Buddha was a must watch for me. Though no where as near as excellent as The Last Emperor, I really enjoyed Little Buddha, and thought it was a very good movie.
Bertolucci’s Childhood
Bertolucci was born in the region of Emilia-Romagna, in the city of Parma, in Italy, on the 16th of March 1940. His mother was a teacher, and father, Attilio Bertolucci, a reputed poet, art historian, anthologist and film critic. Bertolucci, also has a younger brother, who is a theatre director and playwright. Thanks to his family background, Bertolucci, started writing at a very young age and as a teenager, received several prestigious literary prizes.
Wishing to be a poet, like his famous father, Bertolucci, attended the ‘Faculty of Modern Literature’, at the University of Rome, from 1958 to 1961. But meanwhile, his father having helped, famed Italian film director, Pier Paolo Pasolini, to publish his first novel, Pasolini reciprocated by hiring Bernardo Bertolucci, as a first assistant in Rome for Pasolini’s film, Accattone (1961), thus Bertolucci left the University without graduating.
At 22, Bertolucci directed his first movie, La Commare Secca (1962), for which the screenplay was written by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Post that, Bertolucci decided to leave behind Pasolini‘s poetic ideals, and make it on his own. Giving birth to his second, and more acclaimed, film, Prima Della Rivoluzione (1964), a.k.a. Before the Revolution. The rest, as we know, is history.
Before and After The Sexual Revolution
After having watched two Bertolucci films, in my teens, the next one I watched, was The Sheltering Sky (1990), in 2002 in London, eight years after watching Little Buddha. A beautiful drama set in the deserted landscape of the African continent, where an American couple travel aimlessly searching for new experiences in the late 1940’s. The Sheltering Sky stars John Malkovich, who is superb as always, Debra Winger and Campbell Scott.
And then I watched the acclaimed, Prima Della Rivoluzione, mentioned above, in 2003, in Oslo, I loved this Italian classic, the only Italian language film of Bertolucci I’ve seen till date. The story is about a May/December romance, set in the backdrop of Italy’s ideologies (much like protagonist’s) torn between their comfortable Bourgeois lifestyle and flirtation with communist theory, released just before the sexual revolution of the 60’s. A study of youth at the edge of adulthood. The lead actress, Adriana Asti, was married to Bertolucci, later divorced.
Soon, in 2003, Oslo, itself, I got a chance to watch The Dreamers (2003), on the big screen there, when it premiered for an Oslo film festival. That was my first and only Bertolucci on the big screen till date. I fell in love with this film about three innocent film buffs, with liberated views, living in a dream world, as the 1968 riots unfold outside in Paris. Thus, set during the height of the sexual revolution. The movie starts with the sacking of famed French film archivist, Cinephile and co-founder of the Cinémathèque Française, Henri Langlois, and ends during the Parisian ‘Student Occupation Protests’, of May 68’. The Dreamers, is my favourite Bernardo Bertolucci venture till date. And I’ve seen it numerous times since then. Post that I watched the controversial Last Tango in Paris (1972), in Oslo itself, and Besieged (1999), while residing in Portsmouth, UK, in 2004.
The Last Scandal of Bertolucci
Last Tango in Paris (1972), was a movie I didn’t really enjoy that much, but happens to be a very good movie, and worth checking out at least once. Made, based on Bertolucci’s sexual fantasies (apparently he once dreamed of seeing a beautiful nameless woman on the street and having sex with her without ever knowing who she was), it is the most scandalous movie Bertolucci has ever made till date, especially due to the graphic rape scene using butter. Actress Maria Schneider, was unaware of such a scene, and was told just before the take that her character was to be raped. She felt she was manipulated and forced to do a scene that was not on the script, and she later mentioned that in that scene, she was not acting but, ‘‘I was crying real tears. I felt humiliated and to be honest, I felt a little raped, both by Marlon (Brando) and by Bertolucci. After the scene, Marlon didn’t console me or apologise.’’ She also added much later that her biggest regret in life was making this movie, and that it ruined her life. She never spoke to Bertolucci after that and never forgave him, even in death, for what she considered an emotional rape. Maria Schneider died of cancer, in February 2011. In 2013, Bertolucci, expressed sadness of his treatment of Maria Schneider stating that, Maria was just, ‘‘a 19-year old who, had never acted before. Maybe, sometimes in the movie, I didn’t tell her what was going on because I knew her acting would be better. So, when we shot this scene with Marlon using butter on her, I decided not to tell her. I wanted a reaction of frustration and rage’’. Yet Bertolucci also mentioned that even though he felt guilty, he did not regret it.
Marlon Brando too felt emotionally raped, and avoided contact with Bertolucci, but reconciled 15 years later. About Marlon Brando, Bertolucci had said that he is, ‘‘an angel as a man, a monster as an actor’’.
Academy Awards & Recognition
Bernardo Bertolucci’s film Partner (1968), entered the 29th Venice Film Festival and the 22nd Cannes Film Festival. Amore e Rabbia (1969) entered 19th Berlin International Film Festival, where he was nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear. Il Conformista (1970), earned Bertolucci, many award wins at prestigious ceremonies, including the Golden Berlin Bear, and Bertolucci was nominated for ‘Best Screenplay’ at the Academy Awards in 1972. His very first Oscar nod. Yet it was the controversial Last Tango in Paris (1972) that gained him international recognition (and notoriety), along with two Oscar nominations, for ‘Best Actor’ (to Marlon Brando), and ‘Best Director’ for Bertolucci. Many wins and nominations followed his work then on forward, but it was Bertolucci’s bio-pic, The Last Emperor (1987), gained him an even greater, better reputed, recognition, as one of greatest film director’s ever. It was the first feature film authorized by the Chinese government to film in the Forbidden City in Beijing. The film won all the nine awards it was nominated for, at the Academy Awards, including ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Director’. Bertolucci’s biggest Oscar triumph yet. He also won two awards at the Golden Globes. Post that he had many other wins and nominations for various films at various ceremonies, yet nothing broke the his record wins of The Last Emperor. Definitely the best film he’s ever made, and my second favourite Bertolucci. In 2007, Bertolucci won the Golden Lion for his career at the Venice Film Festival, and in recognition of his work, he was presented with the inaugural Honorary Palme d’Or Award at the opening ceremony of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
The Last Emperor (1987)
Bertolucci appeals for a fellow Film director
Director Bernardo Bertolucci, was among the people who signed an appeal to the Swiss government to release Roman Polanski, who was being held while waiting to be extradited to the United States, in September 2009.
(Also see my post Roman Polanski & His Films from September 2013)
Bertolucci Films am yet to watch
I have so many Bertolucci, films I haven’t seen yet, including La Commare Secca (1962), Il Conformista (1970), Novecento/1900 (1976), La Luna (1979), La Tragedia di un Uomo Ridicolo (1981), Stealing Beauty (1996) and Io e Te (2012), to name a few.
Io e Te (2012)
Belated Birthday wishes to Bertolucci
Bertolucci celebrated his 74th Birthday on Sunday, the 16th of March, 2014. Wishing him all the best for his future endeavours. (Also see my list BB: Set Of Seven On IMDB, made on his 73rd Birthday, last year)
Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
Last night I watched Le Procès (1962), a.k.a. The Trial, on TV5MONDE. A European (esp. French) production made in the English language. Ironically, the version I watched, was dubbed into French, with English subtitles.
A cinematically surreal piece of brilliance, cinematography wise, set design wise, and conceptual wise. Yet the movie does falter at places, insignificant to prod on.
The movie starts with a ‘Pinscreen’ animation, telling us about a man who is permanently detained from seeking access to the Law, used as an introductory allegory of what is to befall our hero later on in the film.
We see a common man, Josef K (Anthony Perkins), representing the ordinary middle class young male of modern society (early 1960’s), who is woken up one morning by an unidentified man, whom we assume represents the police/the law, telling Mr. K that he is under open arrest. Thus we follow Mr. K who goes to work, tries desperately to find out what he is charged with, tries to prove his innocence, and makes out with the three female love interests. Resulting in a beautiful surreal journey through law & order and blinded justice, equated to heaven and hell. The outside world heavenly, and inside the law – hell!!! Where everyone, acquainted to the protagonist or not, keeps telling him he’s guilty of an unmentioned crime. While he maintains his innocence, adding that he is just an easy target for the law, like any common man. The film is more philosophical, than realistic, yet almost moves in real time. Through his journey from day to night to day, in the same three piece suit, we meet his next door neighbour, Marika Burstner (Jeanne Moreau); a dancer, with whom he has his first make out session; his advocate, Maître Albert Hastler (played by the director of this fascinating film itself, Orson Welles), and Hastler’s nurse/mistress Leni (Romy Schneider); the supporting lead female character of the film, with whom he has his next make out session, and who tries to genuinely help him. Soon we learn that he is actually condemned to death, and he is “guilty until proven innocent”, ironically the exact opposite of what the law should upheld.
Without giving away the ending, the movie ends on the eve of Josef K’s 31st Birthday.
It’s definitely worth checking out, though not a great movie. Of course film director, Orson Welles, supposedly mentioned after making this movie that, “The Trial is the best film I have ever made.” In one scene of the movie, Welles’ character Hastler mentions that he “doesn’t understand”, a hilarious pun, adding to the confusion of the audience, if the director can’t understand what’s happening to the protagonist, how is audience to do so.
It is visually and philosophically spectacular, could bore down at a few places though. Worth more if you specifically love surreal cinema and for any film buff.
Very Good 8/10
The film is based on the 1914 German novel, Der Prozess by Franz Kafka. A book I haven’t read yet, but after watching this film am really keen on doing so. Le Procès (1962) is a modern adaptation, which introduces the audience to computer technology of the time, also called the Electronic Brain.
Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
Audrey Hepburn makes cake for ‘No Nonsense with Nuwan Sen’ – 2nd Birthday
Can’t believe how fast time flies. It’s already been two years, since I started my blog on 20th March 2012.
I’ve blogged about various stuff; including art, cinema, literature, history and science; giving priority to cinema.
When I started this blog, I didn’t expect many followers, for I write about what I love. Yet, rarely do I write anything personal.
Today, I have 118 followers, close to 300 comments, and about a zillion likes. This is my 135th post.
Thanks a ton to my fellow bloggers and other followers for their continuing support, through their encouraging comments and likes, which helps me keep this blog going.
Cheers
Nuwan Sen
Bookish Nuwan
Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
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Yesterday evening I watched Les Diaboliques (1955), directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot, starring Simone Signoret, Véra Clouzot and Paul Meurisse, on TV5 MONDE.
Les Diaboliques is set in a boys boarding school, where two teachers; one the timid rich wife (and co-school principle), Christina Delassalle (Véra Clouzot) of the school Principle, Michel Delassalle (Paul Meurisse), and the other, his tough mistress Nicole Horner (Simone Signoret); plot to get rid of a common ruthless enemy they both fear, Michel Delassalle, who forcefully keeps them both under his thumb.
An interesting piece of film noir and dark comedy ensues. When the school has a three day break, most schoolboys go home for the holidays. Christina and Nicole, take a trip down to Nicole’s place, carrying along an enormous empty wicker woven basket trunk. To confirm their alibi, as they plan to put their conspiracy into action, Nicole has a couple of tenants residing on the above floor. At night time the scheme of things start taking shape, Christina unwillingly calls and lures her husband to Nicole’s under the pretence that she desires a divorce, unable to accept his violent treatment of her, and his philandering ways. And since the school actually belongs to Christina, she would like to have it back. Being the egoistical shallow male, who won’t easily let her go, Michel is too ashamed to admit his wife had the strength to leave him, and he has to run behind her. Thus, luckily for the two female conspirators, he leaves the school secretly, without anyone’s knowledge. And since Christina has taken the car, he has to take the train.
As he come to Nicole’s house, Nicole goes upstairs, having added a sleeping dose into an alcohol bottle and left it for Michel. The upstairs neighbours are listening to an entertainment channel on the radio, and once Nicole heads there, the trio listen to the show on full volume. Thus Michel’s entry below is unheard by the upstairs neighbours. Michel comes and threatens his nervous wife, who is in two minds about carrying out this task. Eventually, getting tired of this charade, of to kill or not kill, Christina lets her husband drink a few glasses of alcohol, which gets him drowsy enough to fall asleep. Meanwhile Nicole comes back, fills the bathtub, the two women carry their shared lover and tormentor, and drown him in the tub.
Next morning he’s wrapped in a massive table cloth, stuffed into the wicker woven trunk, and the trio head back to the boarding school. They reach there by night-time, and dump the body into the musty swimming pool.
A few days later, the body not having surfaced, the already at nerves end, Christina, with a heart condition, starts to worry. Soon under false pretence, of trying to locate Nicole’s keys; that supposedly accidentally fall into pool, and a boy who dives trying to find it, instead comes up with a cigarette lighter belonging to Michel; the swimming pool is pumped out. To Christina and Nicole’s horror, the pool is empty, not even a sign of the body. What happened to it? Who could have moved it? Why?
What follows, is both, a horrific and comical turn of events, at the same time. Soon the suit Michel was dressed in is dry-cleaned and returned to the hostel, the naked body of a man fitting Michel’s description is found in the River Seine, in Paris. A private investigator, who is a retired police officer, takes the case to locate where the philandering husband of the naïve Christina is, against her wishes. A school boy supposedly gets punished by Michel for breaking a window. It keeps getting more are more baffling and scary, along the way, with non-stop suspense and an ironical twisted ending, where the culprit becomes the victim. Not one dull moment. An Excellent piece of Film-noir by film director Henri-Georges Clouzot, which keeps us at the edge of our seats, and, till close to the end, we never tend to guess what is actually happening.
Simone Signoret is excellent, as always, as the tough cookie, who never betrays an ounce of emotion, and only starts to show cracks of fear towards the end.
Véra Clouzot (wife of film director Henri-Georges Clouzot, in real life) as Christina Delassalle, the rich lady, the co-school principle, is superb as the nervous, naïve wife of a cruel husband. She reminded me of Joan Fontaine’s nervous nameless character, from Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca (1940). In fact this suspenseful thriller feels very Hitchcockian till the end.
The rest of the cast too are a perfect fit in their respective roles.
Excellent!! A Must Watch, for any film buff, and fans of Film Noir. 10/10
Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
It’s now been an incredible 15 years to the day that Stanley Kubrick went up to the great editing suite in the sky. He is regarded as one of the best directors of all time, with some incredible work under his belt. There are some stone wall classics in his arsenal, including the likes of A Clockwork Orange, The Shining and 2001: A Space Odyssey. However, he missed out on the opportunity to direct one film to rule them all.
Before 2001 became a success, Kubrick had directed the equally celebrated Dr Strangelove with Peter Sellars. It’s a well known fact that The Beatles, and John Lennon in particular, were big fans of Sellars. They obviously saw Dr. Strangelove and fell head over heels for it’s anarchic humour.
At the time, Lord of The Rings was doing the rounds amongst rock’s establishment. Many a hippie was in love with Tolkein’s book of fantasy, including the likes of Led Zeppelin. It seems John Lennon also had a penchant for Hobbits and Orcs because he approached Kubrick to direct a film adaptation of Lord of The Rings featuring the fab four.
Apparently Lennon’s plan was for himself to play Gollum, Paul to play Frodo, Ringo as Sam and George Harrison as Gandalf! Weird right? Unfortunately for The Beatles, and perhaps luckily for everyone else, Tolkein, instead of saying “yeah, yeah, yeah” said “no, no, no” and the idea was scrapped.
Here are some pretty funny and awesome movies posters made up by some talented artists…
Dean Reeves
Mike Groves
Shane Parker
Here was what I (Nuwan Sen) posted as a comment on Tom Ford’s blog :-
(Oscar 2014 Special)
Director Steve McQueen jumps after ’12 Years a Slave’ wins Best Picture
Leonardo DiCaprio kisses a surprised Matthew McConaughey congratulating him on his Oscar win
Jared Leto after winning the Best Supporting Actor for ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ sneaks up behind Oscar veteran Anne Hathaway
After winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, Lupita Nyong’o accidentally bumps fellow winner Jared Leto backstage
Pitt has Pizza while hungry wife looks on
Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
(Oscar 2014 Special)
Top 5 highlights of this years Oscars (in order of first appearence), other than the winners collecting their trophy’s, for me, were :-
Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
(Oscar 2014 Special)
Some of the great winners, were as I predicted, but I was surprised when Gravity (2013) garnered more wins than I anticipated.
(Oscar 2014 Special)
Worthy Winners of The 86th Annual Academy Awards
I watched the Oscars Live!, starting from the Red Carpet, from early in the morning today. It started at 5:30 a.m. here. As I didn’t fall asleep all night, I didn’t really need to wake myself up.
Except for The Great Gatsby (2013) and the French short film Avant que de tout perdre (2013) a.k.a. Just Before Losing Everything; both of which I gave a 8/10 rating last year, on IMDB; I haven’t watched any of the films nominated for the Oscars this year. Besides that, having followed the hype, some of my predictions were spot on.
Best Picture
12 Years a Slave (2013), as I predicted.
Best Director
Alfonso Cuarón – Gravity (2013), I predicted, either Cuarón for Gravity or Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave, and felt more Cuarón than McQueen.
Best Actor
Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club (2013), as I predicted.
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine (2013), was a bit unsure, but while watching the show, when the film sequences, for the Best Actress nominees, unfolded, I felt Blanchett should win.
I actually saw a heavily pregnant Cate Blanchett in real life, as close as I’m seated in front of my laptop right now, with her son, in early 2008, when she visited the University of New South Wales, in Sydney, Australia. Since I wasn’t sure that it was her, she took off her massive dark glasses, so that I could recognise her 🙂 . I still ignored her, and then she started speaking to a gent in a wheelchair on my right. I recognized her voice instantly. The main reason I wasn’t sure it was her, was ‘cause I was unaware she was pregnant at the time. I just felt this pregnant lady looks a bit like Cate Blanchett, but this can’t be her, until she spoke that is.
Best Supporting Actor
Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club (2013), as I predicted.
Best Supporting Actress
Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave (2013), I was divided between Jennifer Lawrence and Julia Roberts, but this was a pleasant surprise, as when I saw the nominees clips on the show, I felt this actress seems more worthy of the famed golden nude statuette, as well.
Best Original Screenplay
Spike Jonze – Her (2013), I actually thought Dallas Buyers Club, would bag this one too.
Best Adapted Screenplay
John Ridley – 12 Years a Slave (2013), as I predicted
Best Foreign Language Film
To Italy – La Grande Bellezza (2013) a.k.a. The Great Beauty, as I predicted.
Best Animated Feature Film
Frozen (2013), as I predicted due to it’s fame, though from the trailers et al I had seen, I felt the Japanese flick, Kaze Tachinu (2013), a.k.a. The Wind Rises, deserved it more. But since I haven’t seen any of them, I shan’t debate this any further.
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Gravity (2013), I actually thought Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), might take home the Golden naked man.
Best Achievement in Editing
Gravity (2013), I was unsure.
Best Achievement in Production Design
The Great Gatsby (2013), I was unsure. A very Baz Luhrmann type film.
Best Achievement in Costume Design
The Great Gatsby (2013), I was unsure, though the gaudy n’ glittery costumes were pretty over the top, and was worth the recognition. Very Baz Luhrmann.
Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling
Dallas Buyers Club (2013), as predicted.
Best Original Score
Gravity (2013), was unsure.
Best Original Song
Frozen (2013), was unsure.
Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Gravity (2013), as I predicted.
Best Documentary, Feature
Twenty Feet from Stardom (2013), as predicted, when I watched the nominees on the show announced. I felt this seemed like the most entertaining documentary among the nominees, and felt it might win.
Best Documentary, Short Subject
The Lady In Number 6 (2013), as predicted, when I watched the nominees on the show announced, I felt this should win.
Best Animated Short Film
Mr Hublot (2013), was unsure.
Best Live Action Short Film
Helium (2014), was unsure. I had watched Avant que de tout perdre (2013) a.k.a. Just Before Losing Everything, on TV5 MONDE, last year. I was surprised to see it on the show, when it was shown among the nominees.
I thought Avant que de tout perdre was very good, but didn’t think it was excellent enough to be nominated for ‘Best Short Film’, that too at the Oscars.
Humanitarian Award
Angelina Jolie – She definitely deserved it.
Congrats to all the winners of Oscars 2014.
Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense
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No Nonsense with Nuwan Sen 
Yes, I first heard about The Beatles wanting to do a version of the Lord of the Rings around the time LOTR was being made (thus just around the beginning of this century).
A pity it was scrapped, for I would have actually liked to see a 60′s version with The Beatles.
Kubrick might have made a more surreal fantasy tale, without modern technology, sans CGI.
Nice tribute here to one of my favourite directors ever.
A Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space Odyssey are two of favourite movies ever.
Nuwan Sen’s Film Sense