Tim's Vermeer (****1/2)

"Tim's Vermeer" (2013) is a film of monumental proportions, holding the answer to one of the art world's most curious mysteries. What this 80-minute film holds is no less than the answer to one of art's biggest questions, a film that will enchant the debunker in all of you as well as restore your faith in simple, pure, documentary filmmaking.

Tim Jenison, a Texas-based inventor, reads a book one day about the absolute perfection that is the work of Dutch-artist Johannes Vermeer. You may remember his "Girl with the Pearl Earring," for one. His paintings are iconic, almost too-realistic to be anything but photographs. He is the master of light. He created no more than 30 paintings in his lifetime, but they are substantial enough for some to claim him as the greatest painter of all time. But how did he do it? Tim has found the solution.

The film delves into Vermeer's life, but not as much as you would suspect. We witness a simple scientific experiment, with a hypothesis, execution, and conclusion. As Tim explains midway through the film, it's not subjective, this work is all objective.

Using a simple rigging of mirrors and concave lenses, Tim believes he has discovered the secret long-lost as the method used by Vermeer. While some hold evidence in his using of a device called a 'camera obscura,' Tim's method much simpler; more inspired.

We learn immediately that Tim is not a painter - in fact, he has never picked up a brush. Never, that is, until he tests his device for essentially painting a photograph. He takes an old black and white photograph of his father and reproduces it to near photorealism. Professional artists are stunned. Tim's next step? Of course, he will reconstruct an entire room from one of Vermeer's most famous paintings and attempt to copy the master, himself.

The film is created by magicians Penn and Teller, and it's truly a remarkable achievement. Tim Jenison is a man of few words, often comical, often full of emotion. He does not hope to make the jump into the art world, rather he hopes to solve a mystery, much as an inventor of his caliber would. Questions are raised as to whether or not Vermeer is discredited in his work. Afterall, Tim proves that anyone can pick up a brush and truly paint a 'masterpiece.' To say the world's greatest artist essentially copy and pasted all his works is a bold claim. Proving it is even more so. (And wait until you see his final painting...)

Much like magic, though, there is beauty to be found in Tim's discoveries, and as they discuss throughout the film, there is an unnecessary divide between technology and art. Vermeer may have been as much scientist as artist, considering the technical riggings that were devised for him to paint. The film is eye-opening, engrossing, and thoroughly enjoyable. Paintings from the past, as Tim points out, are documents, just as much as a book or building is. The work of Vermeer has just been adjusted to crystal clarity.

(Awards potential: Best Documentary)

Final Oscar Predictions

All races have ended, all guild awards are out, all awards shows have aired, minus the big one: The Oscars. It's been a crazy, nonsensical, surprising awards season, and though many of the top races are still unsure (can we talk about Best Picture), as always, here are MoJo's official predictions. Use them at your discretion, and let's see how we do. Drumroll, please:

BEST PICTURE

With the bizarre splitting of major guild & critics awards between 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, and American Hustle, it's a wonder anyone knows what the Hell is going to win here. Up until now, Gravity seemed like a lock. Afterall, it won the DGA, and if you should trust any award, that's the one. With the BAFTA results in, and 12 Years and Gravity splitting Best Picture and Director yet again, perhaps that's the only sure thing we know: that Gravity will win the technical awards, and 12 Years will, as it has all season, come out on top in the end. It's an unprecedented race, and perhaps this year for the first time in 79 years, a movie could win ONLY Best Picture on Oscar night...

1. 12 Years a Slave

2. Gravity

3. American Hustle

4. The Wolf of Wall Street

5. Philomena

6. Nebraska

7. Dallas Buyers Club

8. Captain Phillips

9. Her

BEST DIRECTOR

Again with the DGA, you should trust those results, and here is a category where there doesn't seem like a possibility for upset. It's so rare that you see a split between the top two awards, and perhaps it's foolish to knowingly expect a split. Best Picture is up in the air, but this category seems pretty much cemented.

1. Gravity (Alfonso Cuaron)
2. 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen)
3. The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)
4. David O. Russell (American Hustle)
5. Alexander Payne (Nebraska)


BEST ACTOR

What chance Leo had of winning was lost when Chiwetel Ejiofor won the BAFTA. While he was snubbed for those awards, this award belongs to Matthew McConaughey, with Ejiofor serving as the tiniest bit of spoiler. Think of this category as Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side. It's history repeating itself all over again.

1. Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
2. Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
3. Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)
4. Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
5. Christian Bale (American Hustle)


BEST ACTRESS

Biggest. Lock. Of. The. Night. (And no, the Woody Allen controversy is not going to hurt her odds, either).

1. Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
2. Amy Adams (American Hustle)
3. Sandra Bullock (Gravity)
4. Judi Dench (Philomena)
5. Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

He's won all (and do we mean ALL) of the awards this season. It seems foolish to expect him to miss out here. Barkhad Abdi was a nice win at BAFTA, but Leto was not nominated. If anything, Abdi might now be our 'runner-up' in this category.

1. Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
2. Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)
3. Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave)
4. Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
5. Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street)


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

J-Law vs. Lupita. The acting race of the year. Lupita has been the lock since she won the SAG Award not long ago. However, with Jennifer Lawrence recently besting her at the BAFTA's (and a Golden Globe to boot), it's perhaps a closer race than we thought. In the end, does the Academy want to award Jennifer Lawrence two consecutive years and make her the youngest double-Oscar winner in history? That's pretty bold, especially when you look at the actual performances. June Squibb could still surprise as the big winner on the night with her scene-stealing work, but that's a risky bet and almost impossible to imagine. Perhaps the closest race of the night after Best Picture. It's rare to win the Globe and BAFTS and NOT the Oscar....

1. Lupita N'yongo (12 Years a Slave)
2. Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
3. June Squibb (Nebraska)
4. Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
5. Julia Roberts (August: Osage County)


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Yes, we're predicting American Hustle to go 0-10 for Oscars this year. This is the film's one chance at an Oscar, and while it's a viable win for "overdue" director/writer David O. Russell, Her has collected most of the writing awards, including the Golden Globe and Writer's Guild. It's the more creative, cohesive piece, and would give Her director Spike Jonze HIS overdue Oscar, instead.

1. Her
2. American Hustle
3. Dallas Buyers CLub
4. Nebraska
5. Blue Jasmine


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Best Picture, as a rule, generally needs to win at LEAST 3 total awards on the night. With 12 Years a Slave our predicted winner, Picture, Supporting Actress, and Screenplay are most likely going to be those awards. Out of all of the film's nominations, Screenplay is the biggest lock for the film to not go home empty-handed. Philomena has been sneaking up all season long, and recently won the BAFTA equivalent. 12 Years could still win Best Picture if it misses here, but honestly, the script itself seems too powerful to be overlooked.

1. 12 Years a Slave
2. Philomena
3. Before Midnight
4. Captain Phillips
5. The Wolf of Wall Street


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Perhaps the second-biggest lock of the night. It's made $1 billion at the box office and is a critical favorite. It's a return to form for the Disney Studio. What movie is that, do you ask?:

1. Frozen
2. The Wind Rises
3. Ernest and Celestine
4. Despicable Me 2
5. The Croods


BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

The general consensus is that it's a close race between The Great Beauty, The Broken Circle Breakdown, and perhaps The Hunt. Out of these three, one film has won the majority of the awards, and with "Beauty" in the title, perhaps Oscars won't be able to refuse (American Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Beautiful Mind, etc).

1. The Great Beauty
2. The Hunt
3. The Broken Circle Breakdown
4. Omar
5. The Missing Picture


BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Again, a close race between a critical favorite and a crowd-pleaser. We've seen the Oscar go to both heavy-handed films and lighter fare, and this year the one documentary everyone seems to be talking about is The Act of Killing. Don't be surprised to see Oscar pick 20 Feet from Stardom in order to lighten the mood of the evening, or perhaps the Netflix-original The Square... Out of the 5 nominees, Killing represents both a new style of documentary features as well as a chilling, haunting story that most will find hard to forget.

1. The Act of Killing
2. 20 Feet From Stardom
3. The Square
4. Dirty Wars
5. Cutie and the Boxer


BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

One of last year's sole upsets came in this category when Lincoln beat out the flashier Anna Karenina. Who saw that coming? Logical senses seem to indicate the elaborate mansions and apartment sets in Gatsby has it locked. Gravity's sets were too singular, Her may be too 'modern,' and American Hustle wasn't remembered for its sets.

1. The Great Gatsby
2. 12 Years a Slave
3. Gravity
4. Her
5. American Hustle


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

A few years ago we predicted Emmanuel Lubezki to win for The Tree of Life (it was, in our opinion, one of the biggest locks of the night). Of course he failed to win. Honestly this year, there truly seems to be no way he can lose. Gravity has everything going for it: Best Picture nominee, Best Visual Effects Oscar winner (presumably), IMAX... Since 2009 with Avatar, EVERY winner in this category has been a visual effects-driven, fantastical, Best Picture nominee. It seems foolish to bet against it now.

1. Gravity
2. Prisoners
3. Inside Llewyn Davis
4. The Grandmaster
5. Nebraska


BEST COSTUME DESIGN

The bigger the costume, the better your chances are (Marie Antoinette, Anna Karenina, Amadeus, etc). If you don't have the biggest, being set in the Roaring 20's is also beneficial (see: The Artist, The Aviator, Chicago, etc). Perhaps it wasn't the best-reviewed film of the year, but the stand-out film for costumes seems to be (in everyone's mind) Gatsby. 12 Years won the equivalent guild award - which could be telling, especially if we're looking for another Oscar win for Slave.

1. The Great Gatsby
2. 12 Years a Slave
3. American Hustle
4. The Invisible Woman
5. The Grandmaster


BEST EDITING

So-called 'experts' believe this category is locked up for Gravity. Nonsense. The film relies on long, singular shots, and its strength is not in editing. The flashier films usually win, and the shorter the shots, the better. Captain Phillips has won the majority of editing awards, and therefore seems safely ahead to win here.

1. Captain Phillips
2. American Hustle
3. Gravity
4. 12 Years a Slave
5. Dallas Buyers Club


BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

Okay, you have to take a risk every now and again. While the nominees here are not the greatest of candidates, most feel like Dallas Buyers Club is the winner. Aside from dramatic weight loss, was there really anything special about this film's makeup? No. Cheap makeup and a bad wig does not win you an Oscar. The prime candidates are our two dark-horses: comedies that in no way seem like Oscar caliber. Bad Grandpa would make sense, but the Razzie-nominated Lone Ranger benefited from extreme old-age makeup for Johnny Depp as well as a wide variety of traditional makeup and hairstyles. Why isn't this the obvious choice? (And if you think Oscars won't reward a film so poorly-reviewed, remember that Harry & the Hendersons & The Nutty Professor are both Oscar-winners)

1. The Lone Ranger
2. Bad Grandpa
3. Dallas Buyers Club


BEST SCORE

Winners here are almost always Best Picture nominees (almost). Gravity is the safe bet, and indeed, it would be the smartest choice to mark on your ballot. There seems to be thoughts that Philomena could win here (the one place that film seems to be able to win an Oscar), but Alexander Desplat is always a bridesmaid, never the bride in this category, and in recent years, winners seem to generally be newcomers to film. Following in the footsteps of The Social Network, perhaps the electronic score for Her could be the big upset of the night. To be safe, pick Gravity.

1. Gravity
2. Philomena
3. Her
4. Saving Mr Banks
5. The Book Thief


BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Disney films used to win this category like it was nobody's business (The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Pochahontas...) Up to a point I was betting on Mandela to win here, since it's a song by U2 with a message. Screw that. Frozen is one of the year's highest-grossing films, critically acclaimed, and it's soundtrack is a best-seller. It seems like too-easy of a choice for voters and too much of a crowd pleaser to pass up.

1. "Let It Go" (Frozen)
2. "Ordinary Love" (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom)
3. "The Moon Song" (Her)
4. "Happy" (Despicable Me 2)


BEST SOUND EDITING

Come on, this is easy.

1. Gravity
2. Captain Phillips
3. Lone Survivor
4. All Is Lost
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug


BEST SOUND MIXING

Gravity was tailor-made to win these technical Oscars.

1. Gravity
2. Captain Phillips
3. Lone Survivor
4. Inside Llewyn Davis
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug


BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

I take back what I said about Cinematography. THIS is the biggest lock of the night. Bet anything you want.

1. Gravity
2. The Lone Ranger
3. Star Trek Into Darkness
4. Iron Man 3
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug


BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Disney has some terrible luck in this category generally speaking, and Mickey Mouse has never won himself a Golden Statue. Paperman did win last year however, but general consensus seems to favor more daring films like Mr Hublot and Feral.

1. Mr Hublot
2. Feral
3. Get A Horse
4. Room on the Broom
5. Possessions


BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

You know how the Oscars love films about the Holocaust? We actually have a nominee this year about the Holocaust, and it's apparently a delightful little movie on top of that. There is also a timely documentary about homophobia, but this seems like an obvious choice.

*The woman in the film, Alice Herz-Sommer, was the oldest-surviving Holocaust victim and just passed away when voting began. If that isn't a slam-dunk for a win than I don't know what is.

1. The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
2. Facing Fear
3. Prison Terminal: Last Days of Private Jack Hall
4. Cavedigger
5. Karama Has No Walls


BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT

Who knows? (Actually, most people lean towards the Voorman Problem, so let's just go with that).

1. The Voorman Problem
2. Helium
3. Just Before Losing Everything
4. Do I Have to Take Care of Everything
5. Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn't Me)

The Lego Movie (*****)

And like that, 2014 is off to a phenomenal start. Let's hope the movies following can keep up with the gusto, orginality, and charm of this absolute knock-out. Yes, the first movie of the year and the highest rating we have. The Lego Movie is a must-see movie, and one you shouldn't wait until the DVD release to check out.

Following along the lines of films like "The Matrix," we essentially have the same story. A boring, ordinary guy is thrust into an extraordinary situation in the belief that he fulfills a prophecy. His name? Emmet (Chris Pratt). He blends in with most of the Lego World - no one much cares for him and his personality is dull. He follows instruction manuals for every aspect of his life, from the hilarious first scene in which he prepares for the day, all the way to work, where he builds massive skyscrapers using the standard Lego building instructions you'll recognize from the toy boxes.

Not soon after, he stumbles on the job site into a secret cave, and in doing so, becomes glued to "the Piece of Resistance," a small red cap that we will later learn it the cap for a Krazy Glue bottle. This small piece is what a group of master builders have been searching for for years, and in finding it, Emmett is believed to be able to save the Lego World from the evil Lord Business (Will Ferrell). His plan? To glue all of Lego Land together, thus eliminating the ability for limitless creation.

Along the way, he meets his potential love interest, free-spirited Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks),  ancient wizard Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), and Batman (Will Forte). Traveling from world to world through secret tunnels in between, there is a strong sense of location established through the lego pieces and colors we see. From an Old West town to "Middle Zealand," it's a roller coaster ride that it too much fun to get off of.

The animation itself is a key reason to check out this film. Why it's released so early in the year is baffling, especially considering this movie is a lock for the Animated Feature Oscar in any given year. Designed to look like stop-motion, the computer animation is just stunning, as is the attention to detail. We get a sense of the size of these places, and in certain shots you can even see the dust floating in the air. It's a genius concept that is played out to perfection.

Almost everyone going into this movie will find something special. From a wide array of movie references from "The Empire Strikes Back" to "The Green Hornet" to "The Lord of the Rings," it's jam-packed with action, humor, and wit, and had me laughing from start to finish. With a strong visual style and incredible talent in every aspect of the movie, this is a grade-A winner.

(Awards potential: Best Animated Feature, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Original Song (Everything Is Awesome!!!))

Jo's Top 10 Movies of the Year:

1. 12 Years a Slave
2. Nymphomaniac Pt. I
3. The Wolf of Wall Street
4. Nebraska
5. Gravity
6. Inside Llewyn Davis
7. Her
8. Captain Phillips
9. Blue Jasmine
10. Prisoners

August: Osage County (***)

On the hot prairie landscape stretching across Nowhere, USA, a family drama unfolds in the most peculiar manner. The event that brings this family back under one roof does not matter, nor will I disclose it to those who haven't seen or read the Pulitzer Prize-winning play. No matter, this year's juicy Oscar bait, starring Meryl Streep in yet another Tony-winning performance for the original Broadway star (does Meryl need an EGOT or what?) fails to live up to the standards of the original source material, and ultimately lands itself on a list of most anti-climactic films of 2013.

The "strong-willed" women of the Weston family gather together in the midst of an August heat wave, in, you guessed it: Osage County, Oklahoma. We meet Violet (Streep) and her sister, Mattie (Margo Martindale), as well as their plethora of children and nieces and nephews and everything in between. The protagonist seems to be Barbara (Julia Roberts), the one daughter who got away but still kept her ties to the humble Oklahoma origins she has come to remember. Not cherish, just remember.

The play itself seems to be a standout piece of writing for actors to absolutely chew through the scenery with. Dialogue is crisp and effective, and all the actors are more than capable of the task (Roberts is especially good in her lead performance (though of course, she was nominated in Supporting categories for reasons unknown (or to ensure her an Oscar nomination. Probably that...)).  The areas the film falls flat, then, is everything else. In a play ripe with drama and emotions, the weight each scene carries simply becomes a burden on the film, and by the end of the story, we are just left confused and bewildered and almost laughing at all the misfortunes this family faces in one week. Christmas get togethers must be Hell.

Perhaps this isn't a film that was meant to be made. Perhaps there is a fine line between Broadway and melodrama - effective live but hokey when watched in a cinema. I have no doubt of the play's beauty and writing. My gosh, the writer of the original (Tracy Letts) adapted his work into the screenplay used in this film. My faults with the film do not rest with Meryl Streep (who is marvelous), or any of the cast, or even the director. In the end, it just feels like a more appropriate title might have been "August: General Hospital," or "All My Children: Osage County."

(Awards potential: Best Actress (Streep), Best Actress (Roberts), Best Supporting Actress (Martindale), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score)

Top 10 Worst Oscar Winners

They award the best of cinema, but everyone's bound to trip up a couple times, right? Here are some of the Oscar's worst offenses, starting with #10:

10. Art Carney winning Best Actor for "Harry and Tonto" (1974)

You might ask yourself, "Who is Art Carney" and what is "Harry and Tonto?" Perhaps you remember him from the classic TV show 'The Honeymooners.' The year was 1974. The film: a light-hearted road trip movie about a man and his cat. Perhaps Art's victory wouldn't be so upsetting had he not defeated some of the best acting performances of all time (Al Pacino in "The Godfather, Pt II" and Jack Nicholson in "Chinatown"). 

9. "Rocky" winning Best Picture & Best Director (1976)

Yes, it's one of the greatest sports films of all time. It's inspiring, it's well-made, and it's definitely a crowd-favorite. When comparing it to the other nominees, though, (particularly "Network," the network news satire that is all-too relevant even today), it fails to pack as big of a punch. 

8. "Avatar" wins Best Cinematography (2009)

When you think of 'cinematography,' you think of cameras, lights, etc. For being almost entirely a computer-generated film (could it have qualified for Best Animated Feature?), Columbia College-graduate Mauro Fiore better count his blessings. Defeating more traditionally-shot films like "The White Ribbon" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," this head-scratcher raises more questions than anything else. 

7. Tommy Lee Jones wins Best Supporting Actor for "The Fugitive" (1993)

Mr. Jones was.... fine as a US Marshall in this action flick, but Oscar-worthy? Especially when you consider his competitors: Leonardo DiCaprio in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?" and Ralph Fiennes in "Schindler's List." What on earth happened?

6. Sandra Bullock wins Best Actress for "The Blind Side"

2009 was a good year for movies, and the first year for the expanded 10 Best Picture nominees. One of them was the box-office hit "The Blind Side." It seems like the Academy simply had to reward this film for something. Unfortunately it ended up being for Bullock's bland performance as a privileged southern mother. Even more upsetting considering her competitors: Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious," Helen Mirren in "The Last Station," and Meryl Streep in "Julie & Julia."

5. "Babel" wins Best Original Score (2006)

It was a strong year for original scores ("The Queen," "Notes on a Scandal," etc). Why then the Academy chose to award Argentinian composer Gustavo Santaolalla for the second year in a row (fresh off a win for "Brokeback Mountain") is utterly bizarre. The score itself consists of little more than guitar pluckings, as well as some recycled tunes from "The Insider," a previous project of Santaolalla's. (The final musical cue, perhaps the most memorable of the whole film, wasn't even written by the composer. Right...)

4. "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp" wins Best Original Song (2005)

Just think, there was a time when Three 6 Mafia had more Oscars than Martin Scorsese. Both "Crash" and "Transamerica" nominated songs that were both incredible tunes. Instead, the Academy thought a song containing such insightful lyrics as "... done seen people killed, done seen people deal, done seen people live in poverty with no meals" would be the best choice as 'Best Song' of 2005. 

3. Judy Holliday wins Best Actress for "Born Yesterday" (1950)

For those who have seen "Born Yesterday," you know it is a funny film, and Judy Holliday indeed makes a memorable character. Funny voice aside, though, her surprising defeat of Better Davis in "All About Eve" and Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Blvd" is all the more painful knowing those two have become some of cinema's most memorable female characters. Perhaps it was too close and Holliday slipped through. How it happened, we will never know...

2. Jennifer Hudson wins Best Supporting Actress for "Dreamgirls" (2006)

What? How can this be one of the worst?? Yes, despite the critical praise Hudson received for her breakout performance, her acting in between show-stopping tunes was sub-par to say the least. The ability to sing a song well does not entitle you to an Oscar, especially considering the amazing supporting actresses that year (the supporting women from "Babel," Abigail Breslin in "Little Miss Sunshine," and Cate Blanchett in "Notes on a Scandal." Robbery I tell you.). With a film career spanning the likes of "Sex and the City" and "Black Nativity," it's clear to see that Jennifer Hudson was just a flash in the pan. 

1. "Crash" wins Best Picture (2005)

Crash winning the top prize is generally considered one of the worst Oscar-winners for a reason. The film's absurd plot lines, laughably-ridiculous dialogue, and over-the-top commentary on race in America today blinded Oscar voters into choosing it as the best of the year. In a year full of political and heart-breaking movies, the choice to award "Crash" felt like a bad taste in everyone's mouth even as Jack Nicholson famously dropped the bomb of it's win. Any of the other nominees "Brokeback Mountain," "Capote," "Munich," and "Good Night and Good Luck" would have been standout choices. 

Well, what do you think? Anything we missed?