2013 Silver Stamps

Dear Winners of a 2013 Silver Stamp,

Last year, the inaugural Silver Stamps hit the Internet like a shark-infested-tornado (there was really no name for it back then). Awards pundits quickly booked point spreads for the next Awkward and Probably Racist Make-Up Award, while the industry rushed to fill their scripts with more Dramatic Use of Fart Noises.

But the Silver Stamp is beholden to no tradition. These annual prizes are an elusive and evolving distinction bestowed on only the most deserving recipient. We may take their bribes, but they’ll never take away our freedom to do whatever the hell we want.

Enjoy. 

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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Dear Bryant Hardwick, Look Development,

Well, here we go. Back to Middle Earth. Again. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug marks hours 12 to 15 of Peter Jackson’s adventures in Hobbit land, not including any of the extended DVD editions. Suffice to say, the visual wow factor that seduced audiences over a decade ago has long subsided. So it’s up to people like you to help evolve the look of the series. With the last film, Jackson’s big innovation was to introduce high frame rate (HFR) filmmaking. That decision, however, overwhelmed critical reactions to the film, which is why advance screenings of Smaug were only in standard 24 frames per second. So now, instead of looking like an episode of television, it just feels like one.

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How I Live Now

Dear Nadia Luthera, Accommodations Coordinator,

What’s that old expression, “Home is where the heart is”? I’m more inclined to believe Robert Frost: “Home is where, when you have to go there, they have to let you in.” And that seems to be the guiding principle behind your new film How I Live Now. On the surface, it’s a survival story set during the outbreak of a third World War. But really, that’s just the window dressing for a good old fashion coming-of-age tale. One that centers on a teenage girl finding her place in the world – literally, and figuratively. Though it’s not always successful.

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Out of the Furnace

Dear Carmen Frank Roberts III, Fight Scene Stand-In,

Some people can take a punch for a living. Not many, mind you, and for good reason. As your first film makes abundantly clear, there’s very little glory in getting beaten to a pulp to earn a buck. Sure, for the most part you only have to look like you’re taking a bruising (I hope); but Out of the Furnace is made with enough grit that I could almost taste those cut lips and blood-soaked tears. It’s a strong film about characters constantly at the breaking point. Until, of course – SNAP.

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Shifting the Blame

2013 European Union Film Festival coverage

Dear Darko Lovrinic, Produktionsleiter,

You can recognize a European film by the fact that most everything is made out of people. The heroes, the antagonists, the monsters, innocent bystanders—each one a person. I could not detect any CGI. There were no talking animals or extraterrestrials. And there’s something compelling about that these days.

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