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dweemeister · 2 months ago

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2024 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (preliminary round)

Long ago, tumblr disabled completely the ability to make indented bullet points. I apologize in advance for how ugly most of this post looks. And now I've been having trouble with traditional user tagging, too. Apologies.

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OPEN invites to (or at least people who are committed to the final, but would like access to the prelim): @derricklogan2, @inmyworldblr, @memetoilet, @metamatar, @myluckyerror, @noelevangilinecarson, @phendranaedge, @plus-low-overthrow, @qteeclown, @shadesofhappy, and @the-lilac-grove. Some of you have participated in past MOABOS editions, some of you are longtime followers I've not really spoken to, but have interacted with quite a few of my posts... if you are interested, please let me know. I'll assign you a group or I'll put you into the final.

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Hello everybody,

The mercury drops, the days shorten, and the sound of cinephiles drawing up their "best of" lists for the current year fill the air. But in addition to my sort-of "best of" list, there's this tradition I've got.

If you were tagged here, that is because you graciously accepted my invitation to help out with this year's edition of the Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (MOABOS). I welcome you to the twelfth edition of MOABOS (MOABOS XII) and the eleventh edition with outside help from family, friends, and followers on tumblr. When I first opened this up to other folks in 2014 (MOABOS II), I believed that this would last but only a few years, at most. And every time the year is new, I have no clue whether or not there will be another edition of MOABOS.

But here we are yet again. The Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song is not possible without all of your help.

For newcomers near and far: This is a classic film blog (concentration: pre-1980s Hollywood, but I have various specialties outside of that and watch plenty of newer films). That blog's primary purpose is to host my nearly 800 film write-ups tagged "My Movie Odyssey" (an index can be found here). MOABOS is one of my blog's year-end traditions, and just a smaller part of a larger one. On my blog, the Movie Odyssey Awards honor some of the best achievements from movies that I saw for the first time this calendar year (the "Movie Odyssey") with an Oscar-like ceremony. I choose all the nominees and winners from each category, save one: Best Original Song. It is the only category that does not require you to watch several movies in their entirety. MOABOS is my way to say thank you for your friendship and moral support no matter how long I've known you. It is, sneakily so, a way to introduce all of you to music and movies I enjoyed this past year. And you might learn a snippet of film history through this!

INTRODUCTION

An unspecified number of songs have already advanced to the final round. 24 songs will contest this preliminary round in two groups – Group A and Group B. Longtime participants may notice immediately the lack of newer releases this year, similar to the MOABOS editions from 2020-2022. I saw plenty of new releases in theaters, but very few original songs I deemed good enough to get here. In addition, I think this is the first edition of MOABOS in some time where there is no prohibitive favorite on paper (perhaps as far back as 2015's MOABOS III). The field is wide open for the taking, I think.

Two years after a monolingual slate, 2024 is even more multilingual than 2023. This year, across both groups and an unidentified song and movie that qualified straight to the final round, we have a record number of languages: seven. These non-English songs come from, interestingly: one Old Hollywood movie from a studio celebrating a centennial; an industry-defining film that burst forth across boundaries and remains stratospherically popular in the former Eastern bloc; one of the greatest "what if's" of martial arts cinema; a most pleasant surprise from Viet Film Fest (VFF); an underseen piece of sci-fi animation filled with thematic intrigue and fully-realized worldbuilding; and a film about religion that also gifted us one of the best film scores of the 20th century.

The record 44 participants in last year's prelim were in an upset-minded mood, with stunning early eliminations for Barbie (2023) and both Top Gun movies. Lesser-heralded songs from Brazil, France, and India advanced at their expense. The cold streak for Shirley Temple movies at MOABOS finally broke, with a Shirley Temple song finally advancing from the prelim. What might be the narrative this year? Though I've said there aren't prohibitive favorites, there are still a number of songs I consider favorites and underdogs. Which ones fall unexpectedly? Which Cinderellas will continue to the Big Dance?

2019's MOABOS (MOABOS VII) preliminary – the "I Dug a Ditch" year, as some folks call it – was finally surpassed last year for the amount of chaos that ensued. 2023's MOABOS had a three-way tie on points in one group and the upset of the round in the other (Top Gun's "Take My Breath Away" eliminated by two points). I'm not expecting similar nailbiters yet again, but you folks like to make it dramatic!

INSTRUCTIONS

Please rank (#1-12) at least seven of your group's songs. Please consider to the best of your ability (these are only suggestions, not strict guidelines, and is largely how I consider my own rankings):

How musically interesting the song is (incl. and not limited to melody, harmony, musical phrasing, and orchestration);

Its lyrics (incl. and not limited to lyrical flow, invention, and poeticism);

Context within the film (contextual blurbs provided for every entry for those who haven't seen the films)*;

Choreography/dance direction (if applicable; I know that almost none of us have a dancing background, but please do not discount this aspect entirely);

The song's cultural/sociopolitical impact and legacy/listenability outside the film's context (if applicable, and, in my opinion, least important factor)

* Should a song that only appears in the opening and/or closing credits, but has no bearing on the film's score or the body of the film itself be penalized? Some say yes, some say no. I have no official position here.

A notice on audio/video quality and colorization of black-and-white film: Because it is sometimes difficult to find clean recordings of much of this music, imperfections in audio and video quality may not be used against any song while you are drawing up your rankings – you're on the honor system on this one. In addition, in respect to personal and blog policy, I will not provide (nor encourage you to seek) colorized videos of films that were originally in black-and-white. You can call this snobby all you want. But to yours truly, film colorization of B&W is disrespectful to the artisans who plied their craft and made decisions based on the fact the film was shot in black-and-white. It is essentially redirecting a movie without consent.

You are encouraged to send in comments and reactions with your rankings – it makes the process more enjoyable for you and myself!

The top six songs in each group automatically advance to the final round. Unlike previous years, no at-large wild card picks outside the top six will advance to the final.

The deadline for submission is Sunday, December 15 at 11 PM Pacific Time. That is 9 PM Hawaii/Aleutian Time. That deadline is also Monday, December 16 at 1 AM Central Time / 2 AM Eastern Time / 7 AM GMT / 8 AM CET / 9 AM EET / 2 PM Indochina Time. This deadline - and some of you have joked with me that this is inevitable - will be pushed back if there are a large number of people who have not submitted in time.This deadline may be pushed back if there are a large number of people who have not submitted in time. However, I very much do not wish to extend the deadline because the final round is more intensive and usually involves more participants. A small group of longtime MOABOS veterans will be asked to do both groups, if possible (but they are required to complete their assigned group first before moving on) – they are generally selected for their longevity of MOABOS participation and promptness. Tabulation details are under the "read more".

Please pay attention to the groups you have been sorted into, and please only submit rankings for the group you have been assigned. For your convenience, the YouTube playlists for both groups follow:

PLAYLISTS: (GROUP A) / (GROUP B)

Group participants were randomized to ensure a roughly equal gender spread in both groups. The twenty-four songs in the prelim were placed into groups based on a pre-ranking that I always perform before MOABOS – anticipating how all of you, collectively, would rank them, #1-24. Based on those pre-rankings, I balanced the groups and, as needed, separated songs that appeared in the same film.

Feel free to listen as many times as you need and perhaps take notes, and I hope you discover music and movies that inspire you to find them. With profound appreciation from this grateful classic film fan, here are your group's songs.

"Song title", composer and lyricist, Film Title, country/countries of origin if the film is not predominantly in English and not from the U.S.

GROUP A

“Amor de Gitano (The Love of a Gypsy)”, music and lyrics by Morris Stoloff and Fred Karger, The Loves of Carmen (1948)

Performed by Rita Hayworth

Lyrics in Spanish (rough translation)

In this adaptation of Prosper Mérimée's novella Carmen (which also served as the source material for Georges Bizet's opera Carmen), this number appears late in the film after the turbulent relationship between Carmen (Hayworth; whose character is Romani) and Don José (Glenn Ford) of the Spanish dragoons. At this point, Carmen has escaped her earlier poverty (and Don José) and is now living comfortably in Córdoba as the partner of a bullfighter.

Hayworth, an actress of Spanish Romani and Irish/English descent, began her career in minor roles at 20th Century Fox before moving to Columbia. While at Columbia, she became the studio's top star and a pin-up icon to American soldiers in WWII. Despite frequent clashes with chief executive Harry Cohn over roles and pay (contracted Hollywood actors had little freedom to choose their roles until the 1944 court case De Havilland v. Warner Bros.), she single-handedly catapulted Columbia into financial stability for years to come, dashing any remaining beliefs that Columbia was not a major studio. The Loves of Carmen was to be her final film for Columbia, due to her impending marriage to Prince Aly Khan (they divorced, and she came back).

“Belleville Rendez-vous”, music by Benoît Charest, lyrics by Sylvain Chomet, The Triplets of Belleville (2003, France/Belgium/Canada/United Kingdom)

(French original with translation) / (English dub version)

Performed by Béatrice Bonifassi and Matthieu Chedid

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

From Sylvain Chomet's absurd, darkly comic, and disgustingly original animated feature debut (“disgustingly” is used here with admiration, because of the intentional ugliness of some of the animation). The film features an aging group of singing triplets who attempt to help another woman find her grandson after the grandson was kidnapped while competing in the Tour de France. The song first appears in the opening, is reprised a few times during the film, and repeated a final time in the end credits. It forms the basis for the film's score.

“Broadway Rhythm”, music by Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Arthur Freed, Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

(part 1) / (part 2)

Performed by Frances Langford and company; danced by June Knight, Nick Long Jr., Eleanor Powell and company

This number is the third-to-last scene of the film. At a dinner-and-a-show club, radio star Langford (playing herself) sings the title song of the stage musical that producer Robert Gordon (Robert Taylor) has been trying desperately to open for the entire movie. His failure to cast a lead actress – despite his high school sweetheart, Irene Foster (Eleanor Powell), excelling in her audition – and other shenanigans have gotten him to this point. All that singing on the offbeats! If this song sounds vaguely familiar, it might be because it forms much of the mid-film ballet sequence in Singin' in the Rain (1952; "GOT-ta dance!").

Between parts 1 and 2 provided here is supposed to be a dance between siblings Buddy and Vilma Ebsen, but I could not find a video of it online.

In part 2, two of the film's antagonists (not villains, just antagonists), played by Knight and Long, dance with each other. Then, Irene appears to Robert's surprise. It is implied she is cast for the lead role in the film's final scene, as well as rekindling her relationship with Robert. Eleanor Powell, who plays Irene, was approaching the peak years of a relatively short film career, and was considered by many to be the most accomplished female dancer in Hollywood history (incl. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Fred Astaire, who said she was in a league all by herself).

“Camp Isn’t Home”, music and lyrics by Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, Mark Sonnenblick, Theater Camp (2023)

Performed by the child cast members of the film

In this mockumentary of a summer theater camp (I can already hear the groans from some of you), the kids – many of whom are regulars at this camp – put on a show in order to save the camp from being repossessed. The montages you see in this particular clip are not featured in the film; the film itself simply shows the performance. To explain the final moment in this video would be to spoil a film-ending punchline.

“Dam Bhar Jo Udhar Munh Phere (I Wish the Moon Would Look Away for a Moment)”, music by Shankar Jaikishan, lyrics by Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri, Awaara (1951, India)

Performed by Nargis and Raj Kapoor (dubbed by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh, respectively)

Lyrics in Hindi (turn on the CC's in the provided video for translation)

In Awaara, Raj (Raj Kapoor) and Rita (Nargis) are childhood sweethearts who were separated when Raj could not afford the fees for school, resulting in his expulsion. Years later, after Raj turned to a criminal gang to support himself and his mother, the two reconnected. He has been trying to tell Rita, indirectly, that he has turned to thievery and is attempting to leave his criminal life behind, but she's unable to connect the dots. After a beachside first date, so appears this number – the rekindling of their relationship, in spite of the length of their separation, class differences, and another factor that would spoil the moral framework of the entire film.

“El Dorado”, music by Nelson Riddle, lyrics by John Gabriel, El Dorado (1966)

Performed by George Alexander and the Mellomen

The opening theme to this American Western film. Appears in the opening credits and quoted occasionally in the film's score. Edgar Allan Poe fans will note a lyrical reference to his poem "Eldorado" (the poem is quoted a few times in the film by James Caan's character). At its heart, this Western is about male friendship amid personal foibles (John Wayne's character has a physical ailment; Robert Mitchum's attempting to overcome his history of alcoholism, Caan is overconfident in his abilities) as the three protagonists attempt to protect a humble family from the illegal and violent machinations of a wealthy land baron.

The portraits you see in the opening credits are from Danish American painter Olaf Wieghorst, a noted 20th century artist who specialized in scenes of the old American West. Some of these portraits were done for the film, and Wieghorst's stock in the art world has gradually risen over the decades.

“Game of Death” (Mandarin version), music by Joseph Koo, lyrics by James Wong, Game of Death (1978, Hong Kong)

Performed by Roman Tam

Some rather blurry subtitles of a loose translation are in the provided video (to my Mandarin-speaking friends, may I ask if you can provide a more accurate translation?)

Appears as the opening credits song to the final film featuring Bruce Lee. Game of Death was incomplete at the time of Lee's death, and a "complete" version was released in 1978 with re-edited footage from his previous films. Roman Tam, the singer, was a major figure in the Cantopop music scene, He was also controversial – his on-stage flamboyance and his voice (which was not as masculine as some of his fellow Cantopop peers) were frowned upon by conservative Hong Kongers.

The Cantonese release of Game of Death occurred at the same time. It also has a title song, with the same composer, lyricist, and performer. However, it is a markedly different song (and is competing in the other group). The Cantonese version is considered the "original" and is competing in the other group.

“Goodbye Girl”, music and lyrics by David Gates, The Goodbye Girl (1977)

Performed by David Gates

This song appears in this romantic dramedy's finale as it transitions to end credits. Unemployed dancer Paula McFadden (Marsha Mason) and ten-year-old daughter Lucy (Quinn Cummings) are forced to take in a struggling actor (Richard Dreyfuss), who is the friend of Paula's now-ex.

Those of you who saw The Last of Us season 1 may have noticed The Goodbye Girl featured in the sixth episode of that show during a "movie night". From my perspective, The Goodbye Girl is about learning how to trust again after being abandoned (whether once before or repeatedly). Very apt for that certain episode of TLoU.

“A Million Miles Away”, music and lyrics by Fred Avril and Philippe Monthaye, Mars Express (2023, France)

Performed by Alice Lewis

Appears as the only song in the end credits to this French animated cyberpunk noir. The lyrics make (relatively non-spoilery) reference to the violent events that transpired in the finale. Not quoted in the film's score. In Mars Express, private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner Carlos Rivera are investigating a homicide – leading both of them to a horrible conspiracy that might shake the foundations of 2200s human society.

Dropping objectivity for a moment... for all of you who are fans of the likes of Blade Runner (1982) and Ghost in the Shell (1995, Japan), Mars Express is 100% for you. And even if you haven't seen either of those, this is the one animated movie from outside the major American and Japanese studios competing in this year's edition of MOABOS I highly recommend to all, with a small warning here for the film's severe violence.

“Puppet on a String”, music and lyrics by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett, Girl Happy (1965)

Performed by Elvis Presley

None of the videos on YouTube have the "correct" audio alongside the images, but the provided version is as close as it gets. Apologies.

In film #17 of 31 in his acting career (1956-1969), Elvis plays the lead singer of a band. The band is normally cooped up in Chicago, but it's Spring Break, and their nightclub manager boss (Harold Stone) needs someone to make sure to watch out for his college senior daughter (Shelley Fabares in her first of three appearances as the leading lady in an Elvis movie – a record). The boss wants her protected from the "30,000 sex-starved young men" also vacationing in Fort Lauderdale. Florida (the boss' words, not mine). The two leads eventually fall for each other, and fully realize this with this song (which became Elvis' most successful single from this film).

“Something’s Gotta Give”, music and lyrics by Johnny Mercer, Daddy Long Legs (1955)

Performed by Fred Astaire; danced by Astaire and Leslie Caron

Starts in earnest at 1:17.

In this, the third (!) adaptation by 20th Century Fox of Jean Webster's 1912 young adult novel of the same name, Daddy Long Legs sees wealthy American magnate Jervis Pendleton III (Astaire in his first widescreen musical) secretly paying for the college education of young Frenchwoman Julie André (Caron), after he, by chance, spotted her tending to children at a French orphanage. Julie calls her unidentified benefactor "Daddy Long Legs", based on a faraway description given to her by her fellow orphans. As she writes to Daddy Long Legs, she nevertheless falls for him – sight supposedly unseen. And he, to his surprise, starts falling for her.

The biggest hurdle to this movie is the obvious age difference between Astaire and Caron. However, Daddy Long Legs fully acknowledges this reality throughout – and gifting viewers some hilarious lines to boot at Astaire's expense. I've seen much worse (re:age difference), and it helps that Astaire moves and dances as well as he does. Your mileage may vary, but I don't read the narrative as predatory.

This is a Great American Songbook standard and was covered by many artists, including Bing Crosby (F:NV fans?), Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald.

“You Are My Lucky Star”, music Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Arthur Freed, Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

(initial version; begins in earnest at 1:00) / (reprise, part 1) / (reprise, part 2)

Initially performed by Frances Langford; reprise performed and danced by Eleanor Powell

If you're vaguely familiar with this song, that's because either you've seen the end of Singin' in the Rain (1952) and/or Alien (1979). Stage producer Robert Gordon (Robert Taylor) is putting on a radio special to promote his upcoming Broadway musical. Robert is also having trouble casting a lead actress for his musical. Frances Langford plays herself here – she was principally a radio star who made only a handful of appearances in films, usually in supporting or bit roles. Langford would be a key fixture in Bob Hope's USO performances during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.

In the reprise, Robert's former high school sweetheart, Irene Foster (Eleanor Powell), has just arrived from Albany to audition for his stage musical. She imagines herself onstage – singing and dancing in a fantastical ballet sequence. Powell, approaching the peak years of a relatively short film career, was considered by many to be the most accomplished female dancer in Hollywood history (incl. Bill "Bojangles" Robinson and Fred Astaire, who said she was in a league all by herself). And here, she shows she can do more than just tap dancing.

The folks assigned to GROUP A include: @cokwong, @demenshah, @emilylime5, @halfwaythruthedark, @maximiliani, @rawberry101, @theybecomestories, . You are also being joined by 17 others including myself and my sister.

GROUP B

“Aren’t You Glad You’re You?”, music by Jimmy Van Heusen, lyrics by Johnny Burke, The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945)

(in-film version) / (soundtrack version)

Performed by Bing Crosby

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

In this sequel to the Best Picture-winning musical Going My Way (1944), Crosby (at the height of his career) reprises his Oscar-winning role as Father O'Malley, who has just been transferred to a big city parish and to oversee its underfunded, nun-run private school. One student, Patsy (Joan Carroll), has been dropped off there by her financially unstable single mother. While seeking for advice about a writing assignment one night, Father O'Malley urges Patsy – who has not been fitting in at school – to be herself and approach the essay uniquely, leading to this song. Quoted a few times in the film's score. The soundtrack version and all covers are usually a lot more upbeat than the original.

“Farewell Amanda”, music and lyrics by Cole Porter, Adam’s Rib (1949)

Performed by David Wayne

In this romantic comedy, prosecutor Adam (Spencer Tracy) and defense attorney Amanda (Katharine Hepburn) are married. He's a traditionalist; she's a feminist. He's prosecuting a woman who shot (but didn't kill) her adulterous husband; she's defending that very same woman. Their neighbor, pianist Kip Laurie (David Wayne), has been romantically interested in Amanda for some time and, over dinner, premieres this song. The song becomes a hit later in the film.

For MOABOS veterans, you know that I include a "troll song" in MOABOS every now and then. This is the closest thing to a "troll song" this year because "Farewell Amanda" appears multiple times through Adam's Rib in unexpected and hilarious contexts (to Adam's annoyance).

“Game of Death” (Cantonese original), music by Joseph Koo, lyrics by James Wong, Game of Death (1978, Hong Kong)

Performed by Roman Tam

Some rather blurry subtitles of a loose translation are in the provided video (if you know someone who is fluent in Cantonese and is willing to provide a more correct translation, please let me know)

The Mandarin release of Game of Death occurred at the same time. It also has a title song, with the same composer, lyricist, and performer. However, it is a markedly different song (and is competing in the other group).

“Giấc Mơ (Dream)”, music and lyrics by Túng, Before Sex (2024, Vietnam)

Provided version (which is mildly NSFW) performed by Túng; performed in-film by Nguyễn Lê Việt Hưng

Lyrics in Vietnamese (very rough translation that I know the Viet Film Fest crew is gonna pick apart)

The provided soundtrack version is part of the film-ending montage of this raunchy coming-of-age romantic comedy.

The song's first appearance (not provided) is much more instrumentally simple, and appears during a comedic fantastical sequence. Before Sex opens with two groups of friends discussing their opinions on sex, one-night stands, how to "win over" someone, and love before splintering into three storylines. Say what you will about how the film gets to its endings, but I saw Before Sex as a springboard into discussions about what is healthy in a relationship – rare for a major Vietnamese studio romantic comedy.

“Girl Happy”, music and lyrics by Doc Pomus and Jerry Ragovoy, Girl Happy (1965)

(single version which also appears in the opening credits) / (end-of-film reprise)

Performed by Elvis Presley

This number appears in the stylish opening credits and in the final scene of the film. It is occasionally quoted in the film's score. In film #17 of 31 in his acting career (1956-1969), Elvis plays the lead singer of a band (shock!). The band is normally cooped up in Chicago, but it's Spring Break, and their nightclub manager boss (Harold Stone) needs someone to look out for his college senior daughter (Shelley Fabares in her first of three appearances as the leading lady in an Elvis movie – a record). The boss wants her protected from the "30,000 sex-starved young men" also vacationing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida (the boss' words, not mine). The two leads eventually fall for each other, despite this exceptionally strange situation and further drama with another love interest, Deena (Mary Ann Mobley). If you think that sounds like a crazy plot for an Elvis movie, you haven't seen enough Elvis movies.

Girl Happy was made by MGM as a response to the popularity of the "beach party" movies made by American International Pictures (AIP). The beach party subgenre was a 1960s craze with low-budget comedies of teenage/young adult characters getting into zany situations often involving elements of '60s teenage culture – poor romantic decision-making, dance parties, days at the beach (Californian surf culture especially, though Girl Happy is set out in Florida), rock-and-roll, car culture, excessive drinking with comical consequences, and more. AIP's Beach Party movies are also one of my guilty pleasures.

“I’ve Been Kissed Before”, music and lyrics by Lester Lee and Bob Russell, Affair in Trinidad (1952)

Performed and danced by Rita Hayworth (dubbed by Jo Ann Greer)

Nightclub singer Chris Emery (Hayworth) is based in Trinidad and Tobago, still a British colony in 1952, and has been embroiled in an investigation into her late husband's murder. Her husband's brother, Steve (Glenn Ford; first seen at 0:43 in the provided video), has just arrived on the island and is seeking answers. This performance comes at significant risk for Chris, as it is being held in the estate of one of the primary murder suspects (to explain why she is taking that risk is a major spoiler). This song marks the point in the film in which the web of murderous schemes and the local authorities' investigation that define this entire work finally comes together.

Rita Hayworth, of mixed Spanish Romani and Irish/English descent, was considered one of the pin-up girls of 1940s Hollywood. She retired from filmmaking after her marriage to Prince Aly Khan, but when that marriage collapsed, she made her heralded return in this film noir, made at Columbia Pictures (where Hayworth was contracted to before the marriage).

“I’ve Got a Feelin' You're Foolin'”, music by Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Arthur Freed, Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

Performed and danced by June Knight, Robert Taylor, and company; brief reprise by Frances Langford

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Dance Direction

As Broadway producer Robert Gordon (Robert Taylor) commiserates with the fabulously wealthy young widow Lilian Brent (June Knight) over the fact he is having trouble opening his show on Broadway, the two begin flirting with the other, in addition to suggesting a business arrangement to help open his show. The flirtation continues with this song. How about that furniture? Reprised briefly by Langford later on during rehearsal.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) awarded a competitive Oscar for Dance Direction for only three years (1935-1937). Choreographer Dave Gould won the inaugural Dance Direction Oscar for this number. This category was discontinued because of political pressure from the directors' branch of AMPAS. The most recent honorary winner for an Academy Award for choreography for work on an individual film was Onna White for Oliver! (1968).

“Même plus l'amour (Not Even Love)”, music and lyrics by Fred Avril and Philippe Monthaye, Mars Express (2023, France)

Performed by Barbara Carlotti

Lyrics in French (somewhat literal translation)

In this French animated cyberpunk noir, private detective Aline Ruby and her android partner Carlos Rivera are investigating a homicide. Their investigation leads them to find the murder victim's roommate, who is being followed by persons unknown. Despite their best efforts, Aline and Carlos fail to protect the roommate while trying to make a getaway. This song plays muted, under dialogue with lyrics somewhat not perceptible to the viewer, while Aline – a workaholic and a recovering alcoholic – drinks away her sadness at a bar. Not quoted in the film's score.

“River Song”, music by Richard M. Sherman, Robert B. Sherman, and John Williams, lyrics by the Sherman Brothers, Tom Sawyer (1973)

Performed by Charley Pride and chorus

Produced by Reader's Digest (seriously) and distributed by United Artists (UA), this is a musical adaptation of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. This movie comes early in John Williams' film scoring career (this is two years before Jaws, four before Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and just past the peak Disney years for the late Sherman Brothers, the three collaborated for this opening credits song – establishing the setting for this film (shot on location in Missouri).

Pride was the first black country music superstar and, at this time, Pride's presence (even for an opening credits song) was a massive get for this production. This was Pride's second and final performance on an original song for any movie.

“Sing Before Breakfast”, music by Nacio Herb Brown, lyrics by Arthur Freed, Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

Performed and danced by Eleanor Powell, Buddy Ebsen, and Vilma Ebsen

After going to her former high school sweetheart's office to inquire about auditioning for a Broadway stage musical he is producing (and not finding him there) the previous day, aspiring singer/dancer Irene Foster (Powell) has breakfast with her friends. Siblings Ted and Sally Burke (the Ebsens, both making their film debut; Buddy would go on to have a long film/TV career while Vilma stuck solely to the stage) provide Irene with support during their occasional appearances in this film.

Why is Buddy Ebsen wearing a Mickey Mouse sweater in an MGM musical despite MGM having their own animation studio at the time? No clue.

“Tere Bina Aag Ye Chandni (Without You, Even Moonlight is a Scorching Fire)”, music by Shankar Jaikishan, lyrics by Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri, Awaara (1951, India)

Performed by Nargis and Raj Kapoor (singing dubbed by Lata Mangeshkar and Manna Dey, respectively) and chorus

Lyrics in Hindi (turn on the CC's in the provided video for translation)

In Awaara, Raj (Raj Kapoor) and Rita (Nargis) are childhood sweethearts who were separated when Raj could not afford the fees for school, resulting in his expulsion. Years later, after Raj turned to a criminal gang to support himself and his mother, the two reconnected. He has been trying to tell Rita, indirectly, that he has turned to thievery and is attempting to leave his criminal life behind, but she's unable to connect the dots. Awaara comments upon class, feminism, and what a genuine redemption looks like – though it's not apparent in this musical number, the film's dramatic and comedic moments were inspired by the silent films of Charlie Chaplin.

This song is part of a dream sequence depicting the struggle between a potential romantic future and Raj's criminal past. The scene follows a date between Raj and Rita and immediately follows a tense exchange between Raj and his knife-wielding gang boss (seen at 9:09 in the provided video), who fully expects Raj sto steal from Rita and her family.

“Wave-a-Stick Blues”, music and lyrics by Ozzie Nelson, Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra (1940 short)

Performed by Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra

This comes from a 1940 Vitaphone short film that most likely would have appeared between feature films at a Warner Bros.-owned theater. The film is solely a musical showcase of the talents of Ozzie Nelson and His Orchestra. Nelson was a bandleader who would become best known for his starring role in the TV sitcom The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet (1952-1966).

Before the United States v. Paramount (1948) Supreme Court decision, the major American studios owned theaters and theatrical chains. And back then, if you wanted to see a movie at one of the studio-owned theaters, you often bought a ticket for a double feature. The "B-movie" would go first. Following the B-movie, you would be treated to some combination of a serial film, short film(s) (like Ozzie Nelson & His Orchestra!), and trailers. Then your "feature presentation", the A-movie, would play. Moviegoing was far more of a community event then, and a double feature was considered normal to audiences in those days.

When the major American studios lost the Paramount case, they had to sell off their theaters. And as such, the major studios pulled out of making serial films (essentially, a predecessor of television) and short films. By the end of the 1950s, the live-action short film had essentially become extinct among the majors. The Paramount decrees were repealed by the Department of Justice under the Trump administration in 2020

The folks assigned to GROUP B include: @addaellis, @cinemaocd, @dog-of-ulthar, @idontknowmuchaboutmovies, @machpowervisions, @shootingstarvenator, @stephdgray, @umgeschrieben, and @yellanimal . You are also being joined by 17 others including myself and my sister.

Would you like to know something more about a song or a movie featured above? Do you have a question or comment about MOABOS's processes? Feel free to ask me! If you are having difficulty accessing any of the songs (especially if region-locked) or if there are any errors in the links above or the playlist, please let me know as soon as possible.

You will be contacted for the final round regardless of your participation or non-participation in the preliminary. If turnout in one group is lagging behind compared to another, I will ask some of the more senior participants to participate in the other group, too. Do not worry too much about this if you cannot participate, although I will be checking in as the deadlines near.

Once more to all of you here, my thanks for your support for the Movie Odyssey, the blog, and for me personally over however long I've known you. It's a privilege and a pleasure to share all these movies (well, excerpts of them) and musical numbers with you. I hope not only do you learn something about film or music, but that you personally enjoy listening, too! My deepest appreciation to all!

TABULATION FOR THE PRELIMINARY ROUND

This preliminary round uses a points-based, ranked choice method which has been in use since MOABOS II (2014). A respondent’s first choice receives 10 points, the second choice receives 9, the third choice receives 8, etc. The winner is the song that ends up with the most total points. The tabulation method described here for the preliminary round is used only as a tiebreaker in the final round (more on how the final is tabulated when we get there).

The tiebreakers for the preliminary are:

total points earned;

total #1 votes;

song(s) which is/are ranked higher on more ballots than the other(s);

average placement on my and my sister's ballots;

tie declared

#Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song #MOABOS

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solelysoulful · 6 years ago

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Hi friends and family! Viet Film Fest is this week! As a proud volunteer, I've been helping out with marketing and operations for the last week or so, all while checking out some of the featured films. Many of them have made me laugh and cry and sit at the edge of my seat, and I want you to connect with your own experience as well! Take this opportunity to reconnect with your roots, watch a movie with your parents, and just enjoy seeing familiar faces or hearing comforting accents on the big screen! In a time where representation matters and is propelled by movies like Crazy, Rich Asians, now is the time to help support your local community! www.vietfilmfest.com IF YOU COULD DONATE TO US, that would be amazing! You will not only support events like Viet Film Fest, but you will also support the Vietnamese American Arts and Letters Association, a volunteer-run organization that provides a platform for art and expression in our community. Its mission is to connect and enrich communities through Vietnamese art and culture. (at AMC Orange) https://www.instagram.com/p/BosMN9wBmWi/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1i94b0b62bfz3

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marketingadvisorvietnam · 6 years ago

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Award-winning documentary about Vietnamese transgender lady to display in Vietnam

Marketing Advisor đã viết bài trên https://is.gd/LtskVN

Award-winning documentary about Vietnamese transgender lady to display in Vietnam

Discovering Phong tells the compelling story of Vietnamese lady born as a boy looking for herself via organic transformation.

The documentary is a collaboration betwen Tran Phuong Thao, a Vietnamese unbiased director and producer and Swann Dubus, a French cinematographer and movie director based mostly in Vietnam.

The movie is about Phong – a younger man born in Quang Ngai metropolis in central Vietnam, who goes to Hanoi and turns into a design artist on the Thang Lengthy Puppet Theater. Since a baby he has felt that he’s a girl trapped in a person’s physique, and it’s only within the capital metropolis that he discovers there are others like him. Phong is torn between secret needs to be who he actually is and guilt related to that id when it comes to his household and society at massive.

A few years later, his good friend from the U.S., Gerry advises him to go to Thailand for a intercourse reassignment surgical procedure. Whereas on this international nation, Phong is shocked to witness a very completely different dynamic within the transgender group.

Thailand transgenders are utterly content material with themselves and dwell in concord with the folks round them. But lots of them have their share of difficult points of their non-public lives, hidden away from the bare eye. Upon returning to Vietnam, Phong continues to face challenges from his household, society and his newly acquired physique.

The documentary poster. Picture courtesy of IMDb

Along with administrators’ on-the-scene filming, the documentary additionally has many scenes recorded by Phong himself. The non-public scenes embody monologues, on a regular basis actions of the character, and the way others behave round Phong and to his new organic id. The administrators stated that they wished to get scenes that can’t be captured by cameramen via conventional taking pictures.

Sharing their ideas with VnExpress, the 2 administrators stated: Transgender folks in Vietnam are victims of prejudices that render them marginalized. Some make it to success as singers and fashions, whereas the vast majority of them are newbie performers at public gala’s or promote their our bodies for intercourse. Social discrimination rips them off alternatives to work at different industries. Transgenders’ sexual identities are sometimes what society chooses to see them. Nevertheless, altering one’s intercourse is basically a query of gender id. Transgender folks care about who they’re once they stand in entrance their family members.

By portraying the psychological impacts of a transgender particular person all through the whole, prolonged technique of self-discovery, the filmmakers hope the viewers can get insights into the issues that face such folks and see a transgender particular person as a whole citizen moderately than deviants to be marginalized.

The documentary, accomplished in 2014, has gained a number of, together with the 2015 Grand Prix on the Jean Rouch Worldwide Movie Competition in Paris, and the 2016 Viet Movie Fest in Los Angeles (U.S.). The 92-minute movie additionally introduced residence the “Finest Image” award on the 2016 LGBT Worldwide Movie Competition in Greece.

HCMC residents will get to look at this internationally acclaimed documentary on October 2.

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diaryofanangryasianguy · 6 years ago

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11/08/18

Movie about Vietnamese-American women to be screened

Actress Wanted, a film about Vietnamese-American women, winner of top prizes at the Viet Film Fest 2018 in California, will be screened at cinemas in Vietnam later this month.

The 96-minute film portrays the life of a woman who pursues her dream of being a movie star in the US.

Actress Wanted was also nominated in the Best Feature Film category.

#asian american #film #movie #news #vietnamese

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neaato · 6 years ago

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Repost from @vietfilmfest - Youth in Motion is accepting applications NOW! Apply by June 15th at http://bit.ly/YouthInMotion2019 to learn about how to tell your story through film and have it premiere at Viet Film Fest! https://www.instagram.com/p/ByZevIrhB_h/?igshid=1gwl0c9kq4uwn

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droidsandewoks · 7 years ago

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Viet Films Showcased at LA Asian Pacific Film Fest

The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival will Display four Vietnamese films during the week-long festival, May 5-11, 2017 in the Brand New CGV Cinemas at Buena Park, Calif..

from droidsandewoks http://www.droidsandewoks.com/viet-films-showcased-at-la-asian-pacific-film-fest/

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manteivvietnam · 9 years ago

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Official Website

Program Schedule

As the largest international Vietnamese film festival in the world, Viet Film Fest showcases the best creative work by and about Vietnamese people. Our award-winning films have been screened in numerous cities and countries. Viet Film Fest was created in 2003 by the Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association (VAALA) to celebrate the many stories about Vietnamese people. Now running successfully for over a decade, the festival has attracted thousands of national and international attention for its stunning showcase of shorts and features submitted from many corners of the world, including Australia, Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Korea, Norway, the Philippines, Poland, United Kingdom, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam.

Through the universal language of film, Viet Film Fest brings together multiple perspectives to expand the scope and horizons of Vietnamese cinema. Viet Film Fest provides a nurturing environment for artists and the public to engage in open dialogue across borders. As the hub of the Vietnamese movie industry, the festival hosts networking opportunities with prominent directors, media experts, and producers. We are proud to be a central platform for filmmakers of Vietnamese descent to tell their stories the way they want them to be told.

Viet Film Fest also serves as an important educational space for learning about the historical and contemporary experiences of Vietnamese people. While always giving audiences the best in entertainment, Viet Film Fest is also proud to offer free special screenings for high school students and senior citizens as part of our community outreach and commitment to art as a tool for social change. Viet Film Fest welcomes your support in our collaborative project to use cinema as tool for spotlighting our diversity of voices.

#Viet Film Fest #Orange County #April 14 - 17 #Vietnamese Film

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dweemeister · 14 days ago

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2024 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (MOABOS XII) final results

TAGGING (observers, participants, and non-participants): @addaellis, @birdsongvelvet, @cinemaocd, @cokwong, @demenshah, @doglvr, @dog-of-ulthar, @emilylime5, @halfwaythruthedark, @idontknowmuchaboutmovies, @machpowervisions, @maximiliani, @memetoilet, @metamatar, @monkeysmadeofcheese, @myluckyerror, @phendranaedge, @plus-low-overthrow, @rawberry101, @shootingstarvenator, @stephdgray, @theybecomestories, @umgeschrieben, and @yellanimal!

Hello all,

I am only a few steps now from finally closing the book on the 2024 Movie Odyssey. The next step: revealing the results for the 2024 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (MOABOS XII) Final. The Movie Odyssey Awards for 2024 will follow shortly. To remind everyone, I refer to the whole collection of films I saw for the first time in their entirety over a calendar year as "My Movie Odyssey". The Movie Odyssey is the raison d'être of my classic film blog on tumblr, which has been featuring the Movie Odyssey Awards (of which MOABOS is one category out of 26 total). The centerpiece to the blog remains my film write-ups, tagged "My Movie Odyssey" (813 write-ups since August 2012, but the count has slowed considerably in recent years).

INTRODUCTION AND A RE-STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

Whether or not you participated in 2024's Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (MOABOS XII), I wanted to again extend my thanks to you for your consideration, your time, and your willingness to take a blind (for most of you) chance on the films and the movie music I was happy to experience this year. This twelfth edition of MOABOS was the eleventh with outside involvement from family, friends, and tumblr followers.

In the final minutes of MOABOS XII on Saturday night, a good friend of mine submitted their rankings and, in the comments, told me a personal story about their #1 pick, and how it revived a half-forgotten memory about drives in the car with their father when they were younger. The story is not mine to tell, so I'll leave it there. The song is from a film that might be considered obscure to many of you, in part due to its lack of (legal) distribution in the United States.

I thought my friend's comment was emblematic of what MOABOS – and, more crucially, what I deem my "Movie Odyssey" – seeks to achieve. Yes, those 800+ write-ups have slowed down in recent years, and they're an expression of my thoughts on movies (which you may agree or disagree with) and the strangest form of indirect memoir you can find. Together, those write-ups, MOABOS, talking about movies with many of you, and seeing movies with some of you, I hope I've been able to paint a portrait of an extremely young artform that already has a rich history. It's a history where the past is not so far away as some of you may think, where the juxtaposition between the famous works and the lesser-known is stark and worth exploring.

The films that come my way as Artistic Director of Viet Film Fest (VFF) get to be in conversation in a space that also includes Frances Langford and Eleanor Powell. A French cyberpunk movie made for a relatively small budget contributes to the same body of history that an Inside Out 2 does. Classic Bollywood of the late '40s to early '60s took Old Hollywood's glamor and social messaging, and shaped both to fit Bollywood audiences. Wicked: Part I was made by a director whose musical North Star is Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) – even if I'd argue he doesn't apply the best practices of that classic rather well.

The past is with us always, and it's worth contending with and acknowledging.

For the last twelve years, however long you've been doing this (from those who were there from MOABOS II to our first-timers) cinematic/musical journey, it's been a pleasure to be your guide.

RESULTS

Remember: the MOABOS final is not like the prelim. It isn't primarily decided on the points system used in the final. It, since 2018, is decided on single transferable vote.

I will first reveal the standings on points. MOABOS XII is the third straight year with fewer people participating in the final round than the prelim. However, we still managed 37 rankings submitted (for 38 people, as one couple decided to file a joint ballot). This total is down four rankings from last year's record of 41, despite me inviting more people than ever. Folks traveling, my increasing reluctance to remind people between Christmas and New Year's, and other factors played into that.

STANDINGS ON POINTS (USED ONLY AS THE FIRST TIEBREAKER... the actual final result is the list below this one). Using the method used in the preliminary round, the count would’ve looked like this (“Song”, Film title (points) / #1 votes).:

"Belleville Rendez-vous", The Triplets of Belleville (222.5) / 5.5

"That's Amore", The Caddy (221) / 7

"Même plus l'amour (Not Even Love)", Mars Express (174) / 2

"On Earth as It Is in Heaven", The MIssion (164.5) / 4.5

"Awaara Hoon (I'm a Tramp)", Awaara (159) / 3

"Giấc Mơ (Dream)", Before Sex (155) / 5

"Something's Gotta Give", Daddy Long Legs (134) / 1

"Tammy", Tammy and the Bachelor (105) / 1

"Amor de Gitano (The Love of a Gypsy)", The Loves of Carmen (96.5) / 0

"I've Been Kissed Before", Affair in Trinidad (96.5) / 0

"Aren't You Glad You're You?", The Bells of St. Mary's (95) / 3

"You Are My Lucky Star", Broadway Melody of 1936 (89) / 2

"A Million Miles Away", Mars Express (88) / 2

"Tere Bina Aag Ye Chandni (Without You, Even Moonlight is a Scorching Fire)”, Awaara (88) / 1

"Goodbye Girl", The Goodbye Girl (75) / 0

"Game of Death" (Cantonese original), Game of Death (68) / 0

Using the points system tiebreaker alone, the 1.5-point margin between "Belleville Rendez-vous" and "That's Amore" is even CLOSER than last year's 2-point margin between "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)" and "Suzume" from the original Color Purple and Suzume, respectively. This is the closest margin at the top on the points tiebreaker in MOABOS Final history. However, this is only the first tiebreaker...

THE OFFICIAL TABULATION FOLLOWS AND DETAILS CAN BE FOUND UNDER THE "READ MORE". We used a single transferable vote (which is explained visually here). With 37 respondents, a song needed 50% + 1 vote of all #1 and transferred votes to be declared a winner. Thus, a song needed 18 votes to win. The top ten songs became nominees; the bottom five are considered honorable mentions:

2024 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (FINAL STANDINGS) (playlist)

“That's Amore”, The Caddy (1951)

“Belleville Rendez-vous”, The Triplets of Belleville (2003, France/Belgium/Canada/United Kingdom)

“On Earth as It Is in Heaven”, The Mission (1986)

“Giấc Mơ (Dream)”, Before Sex (2024, Vietnam)

“Awaara Hoon (I'm a Tramp)”, Awaara (1951, India)

“Même plus l'amour (Not Even Love)”, Mars Express (2023, France)

“Aren't You Glad You're You?”, The Bells of St. Mary's (1945)

“Something's Gotta Give”, Daddy Long Legs (1955)

“You Are My Lucky Star”, Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935)

“A Million Miles Away”, Mars Express (2023, France)

“Tammy”, Tammy and the Bachelor (1957)

“Tere Bina Aag Ye Chandni (Without You, Even Moonlight is a Scorching Fire) ”, Awaara (1951, India)

“I've Been Kissed Before”, Affair in Trinidad (1952)

“Amor de Gitano (The Love of a Gypsy)”, The Loves of Carmen (1955)

“Goodbye Girl”, The Goodbye Girl (1977)

“Game of Death” (Cantonese original), Game of Death (1978, Hong Kong)

The bottom six all received honorable mentions. The top ten received nominations.

Congratulations to my friends from VFF, Alan and Minh, for their first MOABOS "win"! Additional congratulations to Cameron, Sophie N., and Ysa for joining the multiple win club! And a hearty congratulations to Michelle for joining the rarefied distinction of a trifecta of "wins"!

And I hesitate to say this – because I know what's about to head my way – I was the seventh person to rank "That's Amore" as my #1. This is the third time my #1 choice has won after "Rainbow Connection" for 1979's The Muppet Movie (MOABOS II in 2014) and "Stayin' Alive" from 1977's Saturday Night Fever (MOABOS IV in 2016). So, bring on the accusation of this being a rigged MOABOS?

MOABOS FINAL SUMMARY

Despite trailing by 1.5 points, "That's Amore" secures a tight win on the single transferable vote. On the eleventh and final round of counting, "That's Amore" defeated "Belleville Rendez-vous", 20-17 (the clinching number was 19). In simpler terms, 20 MOABOS participants had "That's Amore" higher on their ballot than "Belleville Rendez-vous", and vice versa.

"That's Amore" is very much a cultural touchstone in the United States, and I'm sure many of you were shocked to see it in the MOABOS Final (I received more than a few comments exclaiming something like: "This is from a movie???"). If you think that's bizarre for a massive musical hit, wait until a certain '60s song that might appear in MOABOS XIII! Having had a mixed opinion of the few Jerry Lewis films I had seen prior to The Caddy, the easygoing nature of Martin and Lewis – even though their professional relationship was fraying at the time – was a delight to watch. I can't wait to see more from both.

The win for "That's Amore" means that the 1950s have won three editions of MOABOS – giving the decade an outright lead, lifting it above the 1980s and 2010s. "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" from the 1955 film of the same name (MOABOS VI in 2018) and "Lullaby in Ragtime" from 1959's The Five Pennies (MOABOS IX in 2021) are the other winners from the '50s. In addition, composer Harry Warren became the first individual to have won MOABOS twice. His previous win came in MOABOS I in 2013, for "The Gold Diggers' Song (We're in the Money)" from Gold Diggers of 1933.

"Belleville Rendez-vous" becomes the best-performing French-language song in MOABOS history, surpassing last year's 3rd place finisher "Qu'est-ce qu'on fait de l'amour? (What Do We Do with Love?)" from 2022's Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia. I really adore Sylvain Chomet's animated films, and I think this is a great start to a year before his latest film, The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol, comes out hopefully later this year.

Hey, I really adore Ennio Morricone's work, too. And I think there's more than a few of his fans out there that might be upset with the result... but you know there are other categories involved in the Movie Odyssey Awards, right? Stay tuned (I personally thought that "On Earth as It Is in Heaven" blurs the boundary between Original Song and Original Score Cue, the latter of which is a category in the Movie Odyssey Awards)!

Many of VFF's staff (who weren't in Group B) and attendees powered “Giấc Mơ (Dream)” to a 4th place finish. But the song was easily among the most divisive in the entire competition. The lack of broad support, despite the third-most #1 votes, meant it paid dearly in the latter stages of counting.

The always-catchy "Awaara Hoon" is the second-highest finishing Bollywood song in MOABOS history, behind the bookending "Dekhi Zamane Ki Yaari / Bichhde Sabhi Baari Barri" from Guru Dutt's exquisite Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959, India; 2020's MOABOS VIII).

Mars Express is the only film to get multiple nominations out of MOABOS this year, with its song finishing 6th and 10th. Awaara had the chance, but it'll settle for 5th and 12th.

In the era in which we have had two preliminary groups (2017's MOABOS V to the present), "Tammy" becomes the first of only a handful of songs that advanced directly to the final, but didn't secure a nomination. Most recently, in MOABOS VII (2019), "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" from 1970's Woodstock finished 12th in the final.

Two Old Hollywood stalwarts – Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire – finally land songs with a MOABOS nomination after several years of futility for both.

Go find some of these films that were a part of MOABOS, folks. You know who to ask if you have questions or need more context!

CONCLUSION

Your winners now look like this!

2012 (Special): To be contested

2013 (I): “The Gold Diggers’ Song (We’re In the Money)”, Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

2014 (II): “Rainbow Connection”, The Muppet Movie (1979)

2015 (III): “Amhrán Na Farraige (Song of the Sea)”, Song of the Sea (2014)

2016 (IV): “Stayin’ Alive”, Saturday Night Fever (1977)

2017 (V): “Remember Me (Recuérdame)”, Coco (2017)

2018 (VI): “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing”, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)

2019 (VII): “I Wish I Didn't Love You So”, The Perils of Pauline (1947)

2020 (VIII): “Can't Help Falling in Love” , Blue Hawaii (1961)

2021 (IX): “Lullaby in Ragtime”, The Five Pennies (1959) 2022 (X):“9 to 5”, Nine to Five (1980)

2023 (XI): “Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)”, The Color Purple (1988)

2024 (XII): “That's Amore”, The Caddy (1953)2025

(XIII): ? 2013 final 2014 final (input from family and friends began this year) 2015 final 2016 prelim / final 2017 prelim / final 2018 prelim / final 2019 prelim / final 2020 prelim / final 2021 prelim / final 2022 prelim / final 2023 prelim / final 2024 prelim

Every year as I write this sentence, it is uncertain whether MOABOS will happen again in this very new year. I don't know what movies I will happen upon during the calendar year (and which ones have original songs eligible for MOABOS). If we reconvene for what would be the thirteenth edition, I hope to see you here again, for this annual movie and music thank-you for all the care and support. For one final time this MOABOS XII, thank you for your help and your participation!

(Exit music): At the end of the prelim round's results email, I penned a small tribute to the late Quincy Jones. This time, a tribute to another major fixture in MOABOS's past. Last May, songwriter Richard M. Sherman passed away at 95. He, along with his brother Robert B. Sherman, were part of the Sherman Brothers – a musical partnership that many Disney fans know well. This was the first MOABOS without either Sherman brother still around. Including their non-Disney work, their credits included The Parent Trap (1961), Mary Poppins (1964), many of the original Winnie the Pooh shorts, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), Tom Sawyer (1973), and The Slipper and the Rose (1976).

The exit music for MOABOS XII finished 3rd five years ago. It's also a personal favorite from a movie of questionable quality. From the final live-action film that Walt Disney oversaw, here are John Davidson and Lesley Ann Warren singing the Sherman Brothers' "Are We Dancing?" from 1967's The Happiest Millionaire.

37 ballots were submitted; nineteen #1 votes and transferred votes needed to win (Justine refers to my sister)

"That's Amore" won on the 12th and final count. 20 ballots to 17 for "Belleville Rendez-vous".

#Movie Odyssey Awards #Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song #MOABOS

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dweemeister · 23 days ago

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2024 Movie Odyssey for-fun awards

I haven't done this in six years. Though the 2024 Movie Odyssey is complete and the 2025 Movie Odyssey is underway, I am currently working through all of the categories for the 2024 Movie Odyssey Awards (which I am aiming to post on Sunday, January 12).

Given the fact I haven't done the for-fun awards in six years, I might be a bit rusty. But here goes - honors and dishonors that don't quite fit the Movie Odyssey Awards. A reminder that each of these films were movies that I saw for the first time in their entirety last calendar year!

Best conversation: Caleb Sykes (Jamie Campbell Bower) and Hayes Ellison (Kevin Costner)’s conversation filled with veiled threats while walking up a hill, Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 (2024)

No, Horizon wasn’t that great. Yes, it’s a vanity project. Yes, the 181-minute runtime while awaiting a potential three other sequels is killer. But the extended time allows you to fill in your movie with a scene where two men are ostensibly having a friendly conversation, but beneath those niceties are threats that simmer just underneath their words. Yes, Horizon is an indulgence. But there are more than a few instances of brilliant filmmaking within.

Best moment: “I Could Use a Boost”, The Wild Robot (2024)

For those of you who have seen the film, you know exactly what scene I’m talking about here. A major assist here from Kris Bowers’ spectacular score – one that I’d argue is the best for any movie released in 2024. This scene felt like an early ending for the film, didn’t it?

Best movie father: George Rose (Cary Grant), Room for One More (1952)

Grant – alongside his actual wife at the time, Betsy Drake – stars in one of the better family movies from ‘50s Hollywood. That sound you heard were a few of my tumblr followers, whose celebrity crush is Cary Grant, screaming with delight.

Best movie mother: Roz (voiced by Lupita Nyong’o), The Wild Robot (2024)

Okay, it’s won two of the first four awards. But that’s it. Keep going!

Best on-screen friendship: Grace (voiced by Sarah Snook) and Pinky (voiced by Jacki Weaver), Memoir of a Snail (2024)

The least transactional friendship I saw on screen this year. Genuine love for the other, brought to you by Adam Elliot – whose characters find a way to persevere despite their tragic backgrounds. Bugger!

Best quote: “I'm gonna give you a break. I'm gonna fix it, so you don't hear the bullets.” – Mr. Brown (Richard Conte) speaking to Joe McClure (Brian Donlevy) in The Big Combo (1955)

This quote makes far more sense and becomes far more menacing in context. Trust me. Without spoiling too much, Conte here is granting Donlevy (who devout worshippers at the church of film noir will know is a quintessential noir character actor, but is in an unusually meeker role here) what he believes to be a mercy. This scene was also shot spectacularly.

Best theatrical experience (as an audience member): The Frida Cinema’s repertory screening of The Lord of the Rings (1972)

It had been too long since I saw Ralph Bakshi’s take on LOTR (a movie I rate higher than most, but would only conditionally recommend). And in that time, I forgot how unintentionally funny the whole damn thing was. Having a sellout crowd on hand only made things that much more enjoyable.

Best theatrical experience (in my capacity as Viet Film Fest Artistic Director): High school students’ day screenings

For those not in the know, Viet Film Fest always begins its in-person screenings every year with a handful of screenings intended for high school students in the Little Saigon area in Orange County who are taking Vietnamese language courses. It’s a field trip for them, and you feel the energy pulsing through the theater on that opening morning.

Also, I almost never sit down and watch a full film/short film set through as Artistic Director. Too many things to do.

Best title (feature): Children of a Lesser God (1986)

Thanks should go to Tennyson.

Best title (short): Mom, Dad… I Want to Be a Porn Star (2024)

I mean, come on! With compliments to director Corey Cao Nguyen and his team!

Best worldbuilding: Mars Express (2023, France)

The filmmakers knew exactly what sort of world they wanted their characters to inhabit right from the get-go. And for a ninety-minute cyberpunk movie not based on any previously published material at all, their background storytelling achievement is stunning stuff.

Biggest disappointment: Perfect Days (2023, Japan)

Wim Wenders serving up a sampling of Diet Ozu! Still rated this a 7.5/10, but the Criterion-heads, Letterboxd users, and other cinephiles who are online far too much had me believe this might have been better than sliced bread (or, at the very least, could hold its own against the post-War live-action cinema that is one of my specialties). I don’t think so.

Biggest (pleasant) surprise: The ending to The Wedding Banquet (1993)

In an era where happy endings for LGBTQ+ folks were elusive, perhaps the rather balanced, believable ending to The Wedding Banquet is what we should have expected. One of the finest Asian American movies ever made, overshadowed by The Joy Luck Club (released the same year).

Biggest (unpleasant) surprise: The out-of-nowhere stabbing attack in The After (2023 short)

Well, that was some way to start the Oscar-nominated Live Action shorts last year. The murder was horrifically staged, to make things worse. David Oyelowo, despite being the lead actor, is not the reason why this movie was as terrible as it was.

Do not watch on an empty stomach: The Taste of Things (2023, France)

As was the joke shared among VFF staff through much of this year! Seriously, though, make sure to have a snack on hand or eat beforehand.

Greatest discovery (actor… and director too!): Raj Kapoor

Some of you folks will be glad to know that I sought this classic Bollywood actor out by myself this time, without anybody directly recommending him (or 1951’s Awaara).

Greatest discovery (actress): Mikey Madison

I had seen Madison on-screen before, but she was in a bit role then. She is excellent in Anora (2024), however you feel about the title character.

In most need of an IRB review (TIE): Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) and X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963)

For those who don't know, an IRB review – broadly speaking – is an ethics review that is required when you are conducting a study involving humans.

Murders: Based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name, Bela Lugosi sports one of the most unconvincing unibrow I’ve seen in movies but gives a standout performance as a mad scientist trying to mix the blood of… actually, go watch this movie and read the short story. Ideal Halloween viewing. Lugosi making a frigging meal of his performance and his lines.

X: Dr. James Xavier’s (Ray Milland) research in this movie has bigger implications for humanity in this movie. Sure, he does all of the things you would imagine you would do if you suddenly had X-ray vision – I don’t have to spell this out to you – but good lord man where is your sense of ethics? Obligatory thank you to the now-late producer/director Roger Corman – who gave so many directors and actors their start in the ‘60s and ‘70s through his films at American International Pictures (AIP).

Honorable mention: The too-reckless dentistry on King Kong in Godzilla x Kong and whatever the hell else was going on in that movie

Kick-ass moment: Bruce Lee destroys the “No dogs or Chinese allowed” sign in Fist of Fury (1972, Hong Kong)

Apologies for the hilariously bad brownface and the bad English dub (I can’t find the original online)!

Least deserving of its praise: The Zone of Interest (2023, United Kingdom)

Jonathan Glazer’s film (which I wrote about here) utterly failed on one of the two things he set out to accomplish. First was to immerse us in the psychologies of the Auschwitz commandant, his wife, and other Nazis. Check, I think. Second was to take out as much cinematic artifice as possible in his film. That cinematography? That “score”? On this latter point, I thought Glazer utterly failed. Most folks didn’t see it that way.

Least likely to deserve my negative rating 10 years from now: Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

I didn’t write on this film, but I gave it a 6/10 – which, on the blog, is right on the boundary between “fresh” and “rotten” (to use Rotten Tomatoes parlance). It was a more negative 6/10 from me. I’ve mentally checked out of the MCU years ago, and I personally don’t have much use for constant mean-spirited humor. But I don’t think the MCU has scraped the bottom of the barrel yet.

Least likely to deserve my positive rating 10 years from now: The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (2023)

Though it debuted in America as TV movie, it was originally released at a film festival. So it counts. William Friedkin’s final movie is filled with fantastic performances. But the staging itself… just a tad too simple, isn’t it?

Moment in which I most wanted to look away from the screen: The crash scene, Society of the Snow (2023, Spain)

La sociedad de la nieve is about the disaster and recovery of the survivors who were on Uruguay Air Force Flight 571 (1972) – the flight was chartered by a Uruguayan rugby team. This scene, which has been cited by experts as among the most realistic airplane crash scenes ever put to film, is harrowing to watch. A technically outstanding movie, but more importantly honors the humanity of those who went through the ordeal.

Most beautiful use of nature: Sequoia National Park at the end of The Big Trail (1930)

For my non-Californian friends, just know that California is far more than deserts and beaches. The state has so much more, naturally, to offer. The ending of The Big Trail – not recommended for Western novices – takes place as the settlers end up in a valley, but the scene is set among enormous Sequoia trees I’ve had the privilege of seeing a few times in my life. The Big Trail was a rare ‘30s movie shot in widescreen (in 70mm, no less!), and the black-and-white photography of the groves of Sequoias is magnificent to behold. The light peeking through the canopies? Breathtaking.

Most inspirational water sports movie: Young Woman and the Sea (2024)

Technically, there were two films eligible here: The Boys in the Boat (2023; about the University of Washington rowing team that represented Team USA for Berlin 1936) and Young Woman and the Sea (about Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle – 1x gold, 2x bronze at Paris 1924, but the film concentrates on her becoming the first woman to swim the English Channel).

Having neglected to watch one of the official Olympic documentaries before last year’s 2024 Summer Olympics (oops), these two movies did okay to fill that void.

Most memorable delivery of a line: “That’s politicssssssss.” – Denzel Washington, Gladiator II (2024)

There was absolutely no need to hold onto that “s” for so long. But Denzel Washington, in a movie in which all of the principal actors seem to be acting in different movies each, decides to go for the overdramatic Shakespeare route. And as villain, it’s a fantastic choice.

Most memorable quote: “And you think that one year of medical school entitles you to plow through the riches of my Emersonian mind?” – Adam Driver, Megalopolis (2024)

First things first… I didn’t say “best quote”, you know! Second, I’m of the opinion that Megalopolis defies any judgment of “good” or “bad”. I appreciated this movie for its bold artistic swings that violate so many rules and the film was one of the best experiences I had in a theater all year.

Oh yeah, this comes from the same nutty scene where we get “go back to the cluuuub”. Folks, if someone says a line like this to you unironically, run away. Run far away.

Most overrated: Poor Things (2023)

This is a movie I never connected at all to. I thought Lanthimos’ film was very male gaze-y and its depiction of sex work extremely sanitized. Oh? One of the lessons is that Victorian times were extremely sexually repressed? What a revelation! Welcome to the twenty-first century! I gave Poor Things a 6/10.

Pixar’s Elemental (2023), which I gave a 5.5/10, was the other movie I considered for this because of how audiences (as opposed to critics) have reacted to this.

Most shocking moment: The coffee scene, The Big Heat (1953)

If you have never seen this movie, please DO NOT look this up. I audibly gasped in the theater when this happened (this was a repertory screening at the Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, CA), and I wasn’t the only one.

Most underrated: On Borrowed Time (1939)

I’ve got some bad news for the high fantasy lovers out there. Classic Hollywood largely didn’t bother with high fantasy. On Borrowed Time is a low fantasy based on a play of the same name. This is a fable regarding the inevitability of death. I found this film better-acted and better-written than your average classic film fan. Lionel Barrymore’s performance goes a long, long way here for me.

Most underseen: Ferdinand the Bull (1938 short)

I could list a litany of Viet Film Fest movies here. But to make things simpler, I won’t. Ferdinand the Bull is one of the most charming Disney animated shorts of its era and, at a time where the studio hadn’t animated too many humans yet, this is one of those shorts that sets an in-house style that lasts for a long, long time.

Never learns: Andy Hardy (Mickey Rooney) in Andy Hardy’s Private Secretary (1941), Life Begins for Andy Hardy (1941), and The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942)

I’ve only seen 5/16 Andy Hardy movies (1937-1958). I’m not the biggest fan, but the movies are a fascinating time capsule into what an idealized America was imagined to be and what teenaged behavior was sort of like during the ‘30s and ‘40s. But…

Andy Andy Andy. Always spurting out some variant of “I’m a big man now, pop. I’ve seen a lot of things, and I have the wisdom to do better,” and then turning around and doing stupid shit. His over-extroversion, chasing girls, getting into trouble, getting into trouble that involves chasing girls? Oh my goodness. If the Andy Hardy series is any indication of what America is really like, it’s that America is run like a high school ASB. Appropriate, as Andy is his senior class president!

Go to college! Or actually stay together with Betsy Booth (Judy Garland) for crying out loud! With apologies to those who are #teampollybenedict (Ann Rutherford).

No femme, all fatale: Vera (Ann Savage) in Detour (1945)

I’m not saying anything about the plot to this film noir that is NOT recommended for anyone who is a noir novice. But Ann Savage – with that incredibly appropriate surname – might have played the meanest leading lady in a film noir. And she plays the part shockingly well.

Resulted in me losing my mind in a theater (in a good way): The long uncut shot in Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (2023, Vietnam)

In a film filled with extremely long, uncut shots, that 20+-minute uncut shot of our main character having a few conversations, hopping on a motorbike to get to the other side of town, and the camera coming in through the window during the final conversation left me astounded. I could scarcely believe what I was seeing.

This actor should have done more movies like this: Tom Hanks, News of the World (2020)

For an actor who has long been compared to Jimmy Stewart for much of his career, it was half-surprising to me that Tom Hanks had never starred in an American Western like his predecessor before. News of the World neither fully embraces the classical Western nor the revisionist Western, and an older Hanks is very well-suited to the role here. Okay, perhaps a youthful Hanks (‘80s-‘90s) would have been unsuitable for Westerns. But he’s damn well suitable now.

Way too much body hair: Chuck Norris, The Way of the Dragon (1972, Hong Kong)

What just happened?: Megalopolis

The whole thing. The audience member speaking live to Adam Driver’s character two-thirds of the way through wasn’t even in my top five weirdest things about this movie. The IMAX theater didn’t have much folks there, but the experience was amazing!

Worst moment: THAT needle drop in War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John and Yoko (2023 short)

Yet another Beatles or Beatles-adjacent song ruined for me! I was simultaneously embarrassed for the filmmakers (who won a fucking Oscar for this anyways, largely due to heavy lobbying from Peter Jackson, Sean Ono Lennon, and many other big names) and furious. If you had a camera capturing my reaction in-theater, you would have seen my brain melt in real time.

Worst use of music: Oh, come on. You know what it is! See above!

Worst title: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

It’s not a good movie, but I admit to liking it. I know Warners would like to tell you that you pronounce this “Godzilla Kong”, but that sounds like two first names lumped together (thanks, Rachel). Should it be “Godzilla times Kong”? “Godzilla ex Kong” as if us kaiju fans are shipping them? To this day, that frigging “x” bothers me, alongside that generic-as-hell subtitle!

#Movie Odyssey Awards

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dweemeister · 1 year ago

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Sending out Oscar nomination eve vibes

First things first, as a fan of the human chaos that is the Academy Awards, viewing films primarily through the prism of awards is one of the most myopic ways to look at movies. That there is a whole sub-industry of journalism dedicated to awards horse racing and campaigning never ceases to amaze me - even though I must admit to consuming said journalism (or "journalism").

Going into and out of a screening with "I wonder what this could get nominated for?" as the first thing in your mind is not how anyone should absorb and analyze a film. Awards are for the industry, sure, but they're also markers of taste for a certain group of people at a moment in time. They're good entryways into budding film buffs. Awards are fun; don't try to get too emotionally involved in them.

Okay, putting that aside and fully realizing some of the below will sound hypocritical, I begin with some extremely unlikely stuff I would like to see tomorrow morning, but probably won't happen at all...

That despite the highly questionable 2017 move to take away sole nominating power for Best Animated Feature from the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch (I'm guessing the Academy at-large got sick and tired of the category featuring films they hadn't seen/refused to see), I hope those who opted into voting on Best Animated Feature nominees looked beyond the major American and Japanese animation studios. Did Robot Dreams catch their eye (this was a major hit in its native Spain and France)? Maybe Perlimps (directed by Ale Abreu, who did Boy & the World)? Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia (which I admit I truly enjoyed, although I still hold the original in much higher esteem)? My Love Affair with Marriage? What about The Peasants (directed by the same team who gave us Loving Vincent)? I hope they took the time to give those films a watch, their due justice. If they don't get nominated because they didn't deserve, that's okay. But I want voters (and everyone out there) to realize the world of animation is much more than Disney/Pixar/DreamWorks/Illumination/Netflix/Sony and Studio Ghibli/Toei/Toho Company. There is so much more out there.

That Justine Triet is nominated for Best Director for Anatomy of a Fall. Give us Milo Machado Graner as a Supporting Actor nominee, too.

Another child actor in the acting categories, please. No one pins a 30-year-old Asian American male as a fan of Are You There God? It's Me Margaret. I read the book (one of the few major Judy Blume books I had never read) last year, and adored the film adaptation. But, in realization that I don't think the film is good enough for Best Picture... how about a Best Actress nod for Abby Ryder Fortson? She embodies Margaret beautifully, and strengthens this adaptation with a mature performance. She deserves it solely for escaping the Ant-Man series and not being involved in Quantumania. On another note, Rachel McAdams has taken all of the headlines for Margaret. She's fine, but I completely disagreed with her character's expanded presence in the film, as it took away from Margaret (Blume's book is entirely from Margaret's perspective).

Dominic Sessa. Supporting Actor for The Holdovers. Make it happen, please.

I haven't seen it. And this is a bit self-serving, professionally. But as the Artistic Director for Viet Film Fest, if Trần Anh Hùng's The Taste of Things is indeed deserving of a Best International Feature nomination (which, by looking at reviews, surely sounds like the case), I hope that voters do not punish the film for taking France's spot in Best International Feature instead of Anatomy of a Fall. I think the French believed that The Taste of Things represented French culture better than Anatomy of a Fall, and wanted to spread the love among potential Oscar contenders. Nevertheless, there's been a kerfuffle since France announced Trần Anh Hùng's film as their International Feature pick. Let's put that controversy aside, please.

That actors reward performances that are "showy" and nuanced. I feel like the Discourse over the last two years have been to reward maximalist performances in maximalist movies.

That voters in the music branch stop giving into the trends of amelodic, atonal, and minimalistic film scores (I'll even thrown in film scores that prioritize a "vibe" or "beat" over anything else, truly any score that is meant "not to be noticed"). We're in a moment now where younger directors (and certain auteurs who clearly have limited knowledge in the power of great melodic film music) are telling their composers - some of whom are incredibly capable artists, others not so much - that melody is old-fashioned, has no place in modern "realistic" cinema, and belongs only in musicals and animation. As a pianist/violinist who isn't that good at all and was classically trained through high school, this hurts deep. Don't be so afraid of a gorgeous melody and what it can provide to even movies aiming for realism. If the reactions as I was leaving The Zone of Interest and Poor Things the other nights were any indication, I'm becoming a endangered minority. Perhaps they should ship me to a museum so I can listen to my outdated film scores.

Am I still hurting from the sonic trash that was All Quiet's Best Original Score win last year? You bet.

Godzilla Minus One shocks us all and gets a nomination. Somewhere. Anywhere. Visual Effects? Yes please. Best Picture? Ehh, probably not, but if somehow made it, this kaiju fan would be very happy.

Okay, now for more likely things that'll happen. Some vibes need to go that way too, even if I'm a little more comfortable about the following.

That Killers of the Flower Moon can weather what appears to be a lack of support outside the United States - I get it, many non-Americans are tired of American cinema's racial reckonings on-screen - and solidly find its nominations for Picture, Director, Actress (Gladstone), Supporting Actor (De Niro), Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Costume Design, Production Design. Anything beyond that is a luxury to me - I waffle on the deservedness of Leonardo DiCaprio's performance and I disapprove recent trends in how AMPAS perceives what constitutes a worthy score.

That even though I personally don't think Barbie deserves to be nominated for any of the big awards, I hope it does well in the technical categories it deserves (Cinematography, Editing, Song, Costume Design, Production Design, and Visual Effects). Even if it gets nominated for Best Picture (which I think is a 90% chance right now), I don't mind at all.

Past Lives love. Celine Song? Greta Lee? Teo Yoo?

I think American Fiction is dancing 50/50 on all of its potential nominations right now. At least get Jeffrey Wright in for Actor and Cord Jefferson for Screenplay. Picture and anything else a luxury.

That the Short Film and Feature Animation Branch doesn't confuse professionally edited home movies with a worthy documentary short. Please stop.

For the record, yours truly is on Team Killers of the Flower Moon. And right now? I'm expecting the film to perform like Scorsese's The Irishman (2019) on Oscar night.

There's... a major contender of a film or two out there I'd like to see not do so well on nominations because I did not care for them (Oppenheimer is not one of them, as I think it mostly deserves the nominations that appear to be headed its way... winning those boatload of nominations, though? hmm). Those one or two films shall go nameless so as not to jinx anything. But perhaps you already parsed them out by reading the above.

#Oscars #Academy Awards #96th Academy Awards #AMPAS #Killers of the Flower Moon #Oppenheimer #Past Lives #The Zone of Interest #American Fiction #The Holdovers #Barbie #Anatomy of a Fall #The Taste of Things #Robot Dreams #Perlimps #Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia #My Love Affair with Marriage #The Peasants

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