The Frog, the Dog, and the Devil (1986)

1 Nomination, 0 Wins

Nomination: Best Short Film, Animated - Hugh MacDonald and Martin Townsend

Typically, alcoholism is a subject dealt with more often in documentary shorts than animated shorts, but "The Frog, the Dog, and the Devil" is not a typical animated short. The short tells the story of a drunkard going through alcohol withdrawal, as personified by the Devil. Director Bob Stenhouse takes what could be a dark subject and makes it a funny madcap romp.

The short is full of imaginative animation that is used to advance the dark humor, and quickly dispels the notion that cartoons are meant for children. The website NZ On Screen points out that New Zealand is legendary for its alcoholism - John Flatt told a committee of the British House of Lords in 1838 that the country's natives referred to the Europeans living in the country as a "nation of drunkards - and Stenhouse's short plays with this stereotype.

"The Frog, the Dog, and the Devil" isn't my favorite of the nominees; though I haven't yet seen the winning "Een Griekse tragedie," Pixar's debut short "Luxo Jr." is one of the finest animated shorts ever made. Still, it's an excellent short film, and succeeds in turning a dark subject matter into a fun short.

The film can be viewed at: http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/the-frog-the-dog-and-the-devil-1986

Remaining: 3143 films, 870 Oscars, 5407 nominations

Second Chorus (1940)

2 Nominations, 0 Wins

Nomination: Best Music, Original Song - "Love of My Life" by Artie Shaw and Johnny Mercer

Nomination: Best Music, Score - Artie Shaw

Fred Astaire called Second Chorus the worst film he ever made, and though I haven't seen every film made by Mr. Astaire, I cannot disagree with his judgment.

The plot of the film is a classic Astaire setup: two young musicians (Astaire and Burgess Meredith) are in a college band made up of musicians who have intentionally failed to graduate year after year in order to stay in the band, and both young men fall for the same girl. It's a silly premise, made all the sillier by the fact that the men are supposed to have failed to graduate for seven years, yet Astaire was 41 years old at the time of the film's release. As the object of their affection - played by Paulette Goddard - leaves to work for Artie Shaw's band, the two men take turns sabotaging each other in pursuit of the girl and a spot in Shaw's band. Most of the film consists of scenes of the two attempting to outwit each other, and while the scenes are humorous, they don't add up to much.

The highlight of the movie, as the Academy recognized, was the film's wonderful music. Jazz great Artie Shaw provided a swinging jazz score, a perfect complement to Astaire's dancing. Unfortunately, Astaire hardly dances in the film, wasting a great opportunity for a marriage between two legends. Both of the film's Oscar nominations were for the film's music, for the score as well as for the song "Love of My Life" by Shaw and the equally legendary Johnny Mercer. While Shaw and Mercer would have had a good shot at winning Oscar gold in most other years, they were forced to go up against Tin Pan Alley for score and Pinocchio's "When You Wish Upon A Star" for song. Shaw and Mercer never had a shot.

Second Chorus is a silly little movie, and Artie Shaw's music is definitely the highlight of the film. While the movie is far from bad, its hollow script and lack of character and plot development make it completely forgettable.

Remaining: 3144 films, 870 Oscars, 5408 nominations

Snows of Aorangi (1958)

1 Nomination, 0 Wins

Nomination: Best Short Subject, Live Action Subjects

The 1950's saw a wave of interest in mountaineering. Mount Everest's summit was reached for the first time in 1953, and K2 was conquered just over a year later in 1954. Aorangi or Aoraki, the Maori name for the mountain better known as Mount Cook, had first been climbed in 1894, but this route was not repeated until 1955, seven years after Sir Edmund Hillary first climbed the mountain.

It was against this backdrop that New Zealand's National Film Unit commissioned photographer Brian Brake to create a tourism promotional film, featuring the beauty of Aorangi. The film, just under twenty minutes long, is a very straightforward look at the mountain, and is made up of gorgeous landscape shots of the mountain. The narration is nothing special, but it was easy to ignore as I focused on the beauty of the images. The short is perhaps best remembered for its long shots of skiers descending down the mountain, and this rhythmic sequence made me run to Expedia to look up July in New Zealand.

It is easy to write off "Snows of Aorangi" as a dated travelogue, and the film is undoubtedly more of a historical artifact than a vibrant piece of filmmaking. Yet films like this were the predecessor to the IMAX films of today that explore worlds such as the depths of the ocean and outer space. For a film like "Snows of Aorangi" to have been filmed in 1958 is just as impressive as these modern films. What could have been a simple promotional film is instead a visually captivating historical record of a mountain at a time when it represented one of the most exciting places on the planet.

Thanks to the great website NZ On Screen, "Snows of Aorangi" can be viewed online at http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/snows-of-aorangi-1950

Remaining: 3145 films, 870 Oscars, 5410 nominations

The Defiant Ones (1958)

9 Nominations, 2 Wins

Win: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White - Sam Leavitt
Win: Best Writing, Story and Screenplay, Written Directly for the Screen - Nedrick Young and Harold Jacob Smith
Nomination: Best Picture - Stanley Kramer
Nomination: Best Actor in a Leading Role - Tony Curtis
Nomination: Best Actor in a Leading Role - Sidney Poitier
Nomination: Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Theodore Bikel
Nomination: Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Cara Williams
Nomination: Best Director - Stanley Kramer
Nomination: Best Film Editing - Frederic KnudtsonDespite loving classic films, my knowledge of both Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier's work is sadly lacking, having only seen one film starring each man (Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and Some Like It Hot). After watching Poitier present Morgan Freeman with the lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globes, I decided I was due for an education in Poitier, and Turner Classic Movies obliged by showing The Defiant Ones as part of its Martin Luther King Jr. Day lineup of films.

The Defiant Ones has a simple premise, with an opening similar to The Fugitive. A prisoner transport bus crashes, allowing the prisoners to run free. What makes it special is that two prisoners, played by Poitier and Curtis, are handcuffed together, and the two men, each uncomfortable with the other's race, must work together in order to have a chance at escape. Set in the south in the 1950's, the premise offers the opportunity to examine a host of issues related to racial-based prejudice.

Instead of a melodramatic series of dialogues showing the characters' attitudes toward race, the device most often used in films such as this, the filmmakers instead show the character's developments through expertly crafted scenes. Particularly impressive is the sequence in which, shortly after they escape, the two men must wordlessly work together to cross a rushing river. Of course, scenes such as this would not be interesting to watch if performed by actors who were not compelling. Poitier and Curtis are both outstanding, and well deserving of their acting nominations. They play off each other expertly, and it is difficult to imagine better casting, even considering that Marlon Brando was originally slated to play Curtis's part. The two could have been quite a successful ongoing screen duo, and it is a shame they did not work together more.

The film features strong supporting performances from nominees Theodore Bikel and Cara Williams, as well as a nice featured role for Lon Chaney, Jr. I am a bit surprised Bikel was able to score a nomination, based on his limited screen time, and think Chaney was a more logical choice for the nomination. Cara Williams also had limited screen time, but she steals the few scenes that she appears in.

Despite being a film that is very much of its time, The Defiant Ones has hardly aged in the 50 plus years since its release and still feels vital. Though the film obviously carries a message of racial acceptance, it does not rely solely on its message, and Nedrick Young and Harold Jacob's Smith fine script is full of excellent character development. The Defiant Ones would have likely been a good film even without two outstanding lead performances, but with Poitier and Curtis, it is obvious why this film has stood the test of time.

Remaining: 3146 films, 870 Oscars, 5411 nominations

More Posts on the Way

After a stretch in which I was watching and writing about Oscar nominated and winning movies ever week, I took a break to help plan a wedding, get married, honeymoon, and settle into married life with my amazing wife. Then the holidays came around, and the Every Oscar Ever project took a backseat. I managed to see a few Oscar movies during that stretch, but the project went largely ignored for a few months.

As Oscar season gears up and Turner Classic Movies's "31 Days of Oscar" approaches, I've found myself missing the Every Oscar Ever project, and I'm ready to dive back in. Tonight I'll be firing up The Defiant Ones, and Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt is working its way toward the top of my Netflix queue, so there will be plenty to write about in the near future.

While I haven't seen many Oscar movies over the past six months or so, I will update my numbers as a result of watching Total Recall, Harry and the Hendersons, True Grit (John Wayne, not Jeff Bridges), Poster Girl, and Alice in Wonderland. With the exception of Alice in Wonderland, which I was largely unimpressed by, I enjoyed each of these films, and strongly recommend the documentary short Poster Girl.

Remaining: 3147 films, 872 Oscars, 5420 nominations

Tron: Legacy (2010)

1 nomination, 0 Wins

Nomination: Best Achievement in Sound Editing - Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague

Pearl Harbor, Unstoppable, Space Cowboys, Transformers (and its sequel), The Mummy...these are just a few of the cinematic "gems" that have managed to weasel an Oscar nomination in recent years due to the two sound categories. These films are thought to be nominated not as a result of intricate, superior sound design, but instead because the films are the loudest of the year. It would be like if the winner of the Best Screenplay award went to the longest movie each year. Though Tron: Legacy is not as bad as the previously listed films, the film's sole nomination was likely due far less to the actual achievements of the sound editors and more to the soundtrack being awash with loud noises and sound effects.

Tron: Legacy isn't a very good movie, but it has its moments. Jeff Bridges is a member of the class of actors who will give their all even when the film is beneath them. Despite a few too many moments with Bridges reverts to his Dude persona (such as when he speaks the line "You're messing with my zen thing, man"), Bridges invests himself into his character far more than the screenwriters or director bothered to. Michael Sheen also turns in a fun, campy performance in which he resembles a discarded David Bowie character. These performances aren't enough to sustain interest for the film's run time, and the narrative sags due to underdeveloped characters and a skimpy plot.

Despite this, Tron: Legacy is by no means unwatchable. The stunning visuals created by production designer Darren Gilford and the visual effects team are captivating. Unlike many modern effects-driven films in which the frame is filled with so many visuals that the eye can't focus on any one thing, creating a sensory blur of colors and motion, the visual team sets the bright lights against dark, monochromatic backgrounds. This simplicity focuses the eye on one part of the frame at a time, giving the film a much more distinct visual style than similar films of the same genre.

The sound team also turned in strong work. There is much of the "louder is better" mentality that allows films like Tron: Legacy to receive an Oscar nomination, but the film is nonetheless both visually and sonically engaging, and this combination helps distract from the rest of the film.

Were it not for the Every Oscar Ever project, I likely would not have bothered to watch Tron: Legacy, and I can't say I would be missing much. However, there are worse ways to spend two hours, and I have watched far worse in the quest for Oscar completion.

Remaining: 3153 films, 876 Oscars, 5430 nominations

The Flight of the Gossamer Condor (1978)

1 Nomination, 1 Win

Win: Best Documentary, Short Subject

Sometimes, writing about short films is easy. Despite, or perhaps because of their abbreviated length, they often have an immense amount of drama and plot packed into just a few reels. Other times, however, there just isn't much meat on the bone, and there isn't much to say about a short film. "The Flight of the Gossamer Condor" falls into the latter category.

The film details the creation and first flight of the world's first human powered airplane. The filmmakers capably document the development and first flight, and though the event is quite remarkable, the lack of conflict or drama makes the film little more than a bland historical record. The film doesn't have much to say, nor does it offer anything new, and I can't imagine it appealing to anyone who doesn't have a keen interest in the subject matter. The best documentaries make even the most specialized topics seem fascinating (see The King of Kong for an example of this), but "The Flight of the Gossamer Condor" is unable to rise to this challenge.

Remaining: 3154 films, 876 Oscars, 5431 nominations