Roma

[GeneChing]

This film has been chewing up the awards circuit and for good reason. For the filmmakers among us here, this is a must see. This should get the Oscar for cinematography at least. Cuarón gets b&w and sets up some technically staggering shots, long complex pans that arrive with such precise timing yet feel so natural.

There’s a martial arts angle, which is why I bring it up here. The martial arts subplot is full frontal, and the martial artists come off in a fairly negative light. That's not really the focus by any means, but whenever a film that has a martial arts angle gets such critical attention, I take notice. It shapes how the general public views us.

It’s a mundane tale of a family in multiple crises in Mexico told mostly from the viewpoint of the maid. It’s a bit of an existential tale, set against revolution in the streets, and it moves slowly, taking its time to reveal its story. It’s a good story, very human, portrayed by average people, first-time actors who feel very real, but what truly shines is how it is shot.

There’s an intensely visceral scene nearing the end, played out in one long continuous shot like so many shots in this film. If you’ve ever tried to film anything, Roma’s camera work will constantly impress. I kept wondering how Cuarón set up so many shots here. His eye for composition and his sense of the long pan are pure genius.

It took me a while to figure out that the general subtitles were for Spanish and the bracketed [ square brackets ] subtitles were Oaxacan (I think). The two different languages add a level of complexity to the dialog scenes.

[GeneChing]

Winners (https://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/2019/all)

Best Director - Motion Picture
https://www.goldenglobes.com/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_medium/public/people/cover_images/gg_alfonso_cuaron.jpg?itok=7cB84Gxt

WINNER
Alfonso Cuarón
Roma

Best Motion Picture - Foreign Language
https://www.goldenglobes.com/sites/default/files/styles/portrait_medium/public/gg/Roma.jpg?itok=KK-QQzj4

WINNER
Roma
Mexico, Alfonso Cuarón


THREADS
The Golden Globes (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71111-The-Golden-Globes)
Roma (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71171-Roma)

[GeneChing]

Oscars winners 2019: See the full list of winners (https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/24/entertainment/oscars-winners-2019-list/index.html)
By Chloe Melas, CNN
Updated 4:09 AM ET, Mon February 25, 2019

https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190106221727-17-golden-globes-winners-exlarge-169.jpg

(CNN)The 91st Academy Awards was a night marked by historic firsts, inclusiveness and a final twist.

The following is a list of nominees and the winners.

BEST PICTURE
"Black Panther"
"BlacKkKlansman"
"Bohemian Rhapsody"
"The Favourite"
"Green Book" *WINNER
"Roma"
"A Star Is Born"
"Vice"

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams, "Vice"
Marina de Tavira, "Roma"
Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk" *WINNER
Emma Stone, "The Favourite"
Rachel Weisz, "The Favourite"

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Mahershala Ali, "Green Book" *WINNER
Adam Driver, "BlackKKlansman"
Sam Elliott, "A Star Is Born"
Richard E. Grant, "Can You Ever Forgive Me"
Sam Rockwell, "Vice"

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
"Capernaum"
"Cold War"
"Never Look Away"
"Roma" *WINNER
"Shoplifters"

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)
"Black Sheep"
"End Game"
"Lifeboat"
"A Night at the Garden"
"Period. End of Sentence." *WINNER

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
"Free Solo" *WINNER
"Hale County This Morning, This Evening"
"Minding the Gap"
"Of Fathers and Sons"
"RBG"

ORIGINAL SONG
"All The Stars" - "Black Panther"
"I'll Fight" - "RBG"
"Shallow" - "A Star Is Born *WINNER
"The Place Where Lost Things Go" - "Mary Poppins Returns"
"When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings" - "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
"Incredibles 2"
"Isle of Dogs"
"Mirai"
"Ralph Breaks the Internet"
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" *WINNER

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
"BlacKkKlansman" *WINNER
"Can You Ever Forgive Me?"
"If Beale Street Could Talk"
"A Star Is Born"

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
"First Reformed"
"Green Book" *WINNER
"Roma"
"The Favourite"
"Vice"

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Christian Bale, "Vice"
Bradley Cooper, "A Star Is Born"
Willem Dafoe, "At Eternity's Gate"
Rami Malek, "Bohemian Rhapsody" *WINNER
Viggo Mortensen, "Green Book"

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Yalitza Aparicio, "Roma"
Glenn Close, "The Wife"
Lady Gaga, "A Star Is Born"
Olivia Colman, "The Favourite" *WINNER
Melissa McCarthy, "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"

DIRECTOR
Spike Lee, "BlacKkKlansman"
Pawel Pawlikowski, "Cold War"
Yorgos Lanthimos, "The Favourite"
Alfonso Cuarón, "Roma" *WINNER
Adam McKay, "Vice"

PRODUCTION DESIGN
"Black Panther" *WINNER
"The Favourite"
"First Man"
"Mary Poppins Returns"
"Roma"

CINEMATOGRAPHY
"Cold War"
"The Favourite"
"Never Look Away"
"Roma" *WINNER
"A Star Is Born"

COSTUME DESIGN
"The Ballad of Buster Scruggs"
"Black Panther" *WINNER
"The Favourite"
"Mary Poppins Returns"
"Mary Queen of Scots"

SOUND EDITING
"A Quiet Place"
"Black Panther"
"Bohemian Rhapsody" *WINNER
"First Man"
"Roma"

SOUND MIXING
"Black Panther"
"Bohemian Rhapsody" *WINNER
"First Man"
"Roma"
"A Star Is Born"

ANIMATED SHORT FILM
"Animal Behaviour"
"Bao" *WINNER
"Late Afternoon"
"One Small Step"
"Weekends"

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
"Detainment"
"Fauve"
"Marguerite"
"Mother"
"Skin" *WINNER

ORIGINAL SCORE
"Black Panther" *WINNER
"BlacKkKlansman"
"If Beale Street Could Talk"
"Isle of Dogs"
"Mary Poppins Returns"

VISUAL EFFECTS
"Avengers: Infinity War"
"Christopher Robin"
"First Man" *WINNER
"Ready Player One"
"Solo: A Star Wars Story"

FILM EDITING
"BlacKkKlansman"
"Bohemian Rhapsody" *WINNER
"Green Book"
"The Favourite"
"Vice"

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
"Border"
"Mary Queen of Scots"
"Vice" *WINNER

THREADS
The Academy Awards (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?20798-The-Academy-Awards)
Roma (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71171-Roma)
Black Panther (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?70307-Black-Panther)
Bao (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?69387-Dim-Sum-dian-xin&p=1308311#post1308311)

So nice to get some of the films we've discussed here recognized.

[GeneChing]

It's kinda like if a blog got 'best magazine article' - I'd be put out too. :rolleyes:


Giving Awards to 'Roma' Is a "Devaluation of the Oscars," Say European Exhibitors (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/giving-awards-roma-is-a-devaluation-oscars-say-european-exhibitors-1190434)
7:16 PM PST 2/25/2019 by Scott Roxborough

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2018/08/roma_useforannouncement-h_2018.jpg
Courtesy of TIFF
'Roma'

Theater owners complain of Netflix “buying the Oscars” and call for the Academy to honor only “films designed for cinemas and released in cinemas.”
If you thought that Roma losing out to Green Book for this year's best picture Oscar would mean the end of Netflix bashing, think again.

The winners of the 91st Academy Awards barely had time to start in on the champagne before theater owners — particularly in Europe — began to weigh in with criticism of the decision to award Alfonso Cuaron's Netflix production Roma the Oscar for best director, best cinematography and best foreign-language film.

“We consider giving three awards to Roma a devaluation of the Oscars,” Detlef Rossmann, president of art house cinema association CICAE, told The Hollywood Reporter, adding that because Roma wasn't “visible in most cinemas worldwide,” the Oscars have become another version of the Emmys, honoring “television productions.”

CICAE called on the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to “redefine the Oscar nomination rules and terms to clarify the difference between film and television.”

It was a sentiment echoed by exhibitors across Europe, where the majority of theater owners have been united in their opposition to Netflix and to Roma being given pride of place at film festivals and cinema awards ceremonies.

Exhibitors in France last year successfully lobbied to get the Cannes Film Festival to ban Netflix films from its official competition, a move that led Roma to skip Cannes and premiere in Venice, where Cuaron won the Golden Lion for best film, kicking off the movie's award campaign. But at every stage, theater owners have protested Netflix's decision to not give Roma a “proper” theatrical bow.

Francois Ayme, president of France's art house cinema association AFCAE, welcomed the Academy's decision to award Green Book the best picture Oscar over Roma, noting it was a way to say “that Roma is not 'totally' a film because it lacked a theatrical release.”

Ayme also noted Netflix's costly Oscar campaign, saying the streaming giant “spent an astronomical sum promoting Roma to the Academy, well beyond the cost of the film itself.” The money, Ayme argued, would have been better spent promoting a proper theatrical release for Cuaron's movie.

"The Oscars proved correct in defending the theatrical release," added Francesco Rutelli, president of ANICA, Italy's national association of producers and distributors. "Green Book's victory indirectly reasserts the power of cinema halls even as the value chain is becoming increasingly integrated."

“Netflix obviously didn't care about the film Roma, they just wanted to use the Oscars as a way to promote their brand,” Christian Brauer, chair of German exhibitors association AG Kino, told THR. “And to try and force their strategy of bypassing theatrical releases onto the industry.” He noted, however, that Roma's failure to clinch the best picture Oscar shows “that money can't buy everything.”

While united in their opposition to Netflix, European exhibitors all praised the film itself, and most welcomed the Academy's decision to give Cuaron the best director Oscar.

Some also held out hope that the debate surrounding Roma would lead to Netflix reassessing its theatrical strategy.

“We saw a film like Cold War — also foreign-language, also black-and-white — did extremely well theatrically,” said Brauer. “Roma could have been a box office success, and Netflix could have benefited from that.”

Added Tim Richards, CEO of British-based cinema chain Vue International: “Netflix should not underestimate the value and impact of a full theatrical release for the content it owns and we are hopeful they will be open to discussing how to reach a broader audience with exhibitors in the future.”

Jason Chae, CEO of South Korean indie distributor Mirovision, was a dissenting voice, however, arguing that in many markets the streamer is filling a market gap.

“Netflix allows smaller and more experimental films to reach larger audiences in more territories,” he said. “I myself was happy to find a film I had missed at Sundance to be available on Netflix. Consumption patterns are changing, and it’s about time the industry does, too.”

THREADS
The Academy Awards (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?20798-The-Academy-Awards)
Roma (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?71171-Roma)

[Jimbo]

I watched part of this year's Oscars. At the risk of sounding un-PC, in many ways it seemed like a hyper-reaction to the 'Oscars so white' thing a couple/few(?) years ago. Black Panther was a good superhero movie, but IMO, there wasn't a whole lot that set it apart from all the other Marvel movies, other than the ethnicity of the main characters and the setting. How, then, did BP become the first superhero movie to get Oscar nominations?

I've already seen BP, but with the exception of Bohemian Rhapsody (which I've wanted to see for months), I have zero interest in watching any of the other Oscar-nominated films. The more the Oscars say how great a particular movie is, the less I normally care to see it. And that includes Roma.

*Oops, I should have posted this in the Academy Awards thread...

[GeneChing]

Didn't see that one coming. Wonder how it'll play out there.


APRIL 30, 2019 8:00AM PT
Alfonso Cuaron’s ‘Roma’ Sets China Theatrical Release in May (https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/netflix-alfonso-cuaron-roma-china-theatrical-release-1203200880/)
By PATRICK FRATER
Asia Bureau Chief

https://pmcvariety.files.wordpress.com/2019/01/yalitza-aparicio.jpg?w=1000&h=562&crop=1
CREDIT: IMAGE BY ALFONSO CUARÓN

Alfonso Cuaron’s triple-Oscar winning “Roma” is to get a theatrical release in China on May 10. The release will be handled through distributor Estars, making use of the circuit of 3,900 screens assembled by the Nationwide Alliance of Arthouse Cinemas.

“Roma” was produced by Esperanto Filmoj and Participant Media and released by streaming giant Netflix outside China. Participant’s other Oscar winner, Best Picture winner “Green Book,” was also given a theatrical release in China through the NAAC. It has grossed more than $71 million to date.

As a production backed by Netflix, “Roma” remains controversial. It received limited theatrical release in more than 40 countries, starting with 350 screens in the U.S. and Mexico on Nov. 21, 2018, ahead of its Dec. 14 global online release via Netflix. The film currently remains on theatrical release in nine territories, including Italy and Japan.

But others do not believe that the film should have played at major film festivals or been eligible for feature film awards, such as the Golden Globes and the Oscars. The Cannes Film Festival currently bars films from its main competition section unless they get a theatrical release.

“Roma,” which premiered at the Venice and Toronto festivals in September last year, went on to receive 10 Academy Award nominations, winning three Oscars for best director (Cuaron), best foreign-language film, and best cinematography. The film was also the winner of two Golden Globe awards and four BAFTA awards.

Tim Richards, CEO of leading U.K. cinema chain Vue, said the film did not receive a “meaningful theatrical release.” Richards has told the British Academy of Film and Television Arts that his company would withdraw from the BAFTA Awards unless the organization reconsidered its awards eligibility criteria. “Netflix made at best a token effort to screen Roma, screening it to less than 1% of the U.K. market solely because it wanted an award,” he wrote in an open letter.

There is no such controversy over the film’s release in China. The country is one of the few territories where Netflix does not operate.

Following a young domestic worker in a middle-class neighborhood in 1970s Mexico City, “Roma” is Cuaron’s most personal project to date. It is his first project since the China-friendly “Gravity” in 2013.

[GeneChing]

Venice Festival Under Fire From European Cinema Group for Including Netflix Films (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/venice-festival-under-fire-including-netflix-films-1226903)
5:12 AM PDT 7/25/2019 by Alex Ritman

https://cdn1.thr.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/landscape_928x523/2018/12/roma_23491_001r-h_2018.jpg
Courtesy of Netflix
'Roma'

The International Union of Cinemas (UNIC) described the inclusion of several Netflix films as a "marketing tool."
Last year, it was Alfonso Cuaron's Roma that saw Venice get in hot water with European cinema groups. This year, the world's oldest film festival is – as was predicted – continuing its support of Netflix-backed films.

Venice's main competition includes Steven Soderbergh’s Panama Papers drama The Laundromat and Noah Baumbach’s Scarlett Johansson starrer Marriage Story, both from the streaming giant. Out of competition, Netflix has David Michod's all-star The King, with a lineup including Timothee Chalamet and Robert Pattinson.

The selections were expected, but that hasn't stopped them from coming under immediate – and fierce – criticism.

In a statement, the International Union of Cinemas (UNIC), which represents cinema operators across 38 European territories, slammed the decision, describing it as a "marketing tool" for Netflix.

“The inclusion of films in official selections that are within the reach of everyone – and not only that of streaming platform subscribers – benefits the audience as a whole," it said.

"Where films are available solely on these platforms, or receive only a limited ‘technical’ release in cinemas, festival/award selection becomes in truth only a marketing tool whereby most of the potential audience is denied access to a wealth of great content."

Cannes has famously not included Netflix films in its main competition after falling out with the company.

Such a dilemma.