Jay Berg's CINEMA DIARY: 2016

"LA LA LAND " - **** (128 minutes)

Tuesday December 13, 2016

Christmas comes in December. And so does the release of the majority of the best films of the year - many of which will be vying for The Academy of Arts and Sciences biggest prizes come February 26. Sure to be leading the list is this masterpiece and third directorial effort by Whiplash writer and director, Damien Chazelle who has successfully captured the old Hollywood musical genre utilizing a modern day milieu replete with style, music, dance, and romance.

Ryan Gosling (who is quickly proving that no role is above his talent or capability) is Sebastian - a down-on-his-luck pianist whose love of jazz knows no bounds or monetary future. His dream: opening his own jazz club.

Emma Stone (nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Birdman) is Mia - an aspiring actress who pays the bills as a barista on a studio back lot. Her dream: making it as an actor in Hollywood.

Their paths cross over several instances during the first reel and not always in favorable circumstances until one night the spark finally ignites inside and outside the Griffith Park planetarium (Chazelle's nod to an iconic Hollywood movie landmark). From there, over the course of a year (as the director humorously winks to the audience by dividing the action into four seasonal chapters with nary a change in the L.A. weather) their budding relationship takes the tensioned reality most face when career and romance clash and hard choices have to be made between the two.

Along the way there are a couple of spectacular exhilarating musical sequences counterbalanced with a few quieter ones involving the two principles. Gossling and Stone (this marks their third film together) will never be mistaken for Astaire and Rogers, and their singing abilities are pedestrian at best. However, their skills, or lack thereof, is part of the wonderful charm of La La Land. Afterall, they are representing everyday folks whose dreams of "making it" mirror the majority of us whose singing and dancing abilities are equally unremarkable.

Notable is a haunting score by Justin Hurwitz infused with terrific song lyrics by Benj Pasik and Justin Paul-all nicely interspersed among Chazelle's intelligent script. Special mention also to Whiplash's Academy Award winning film editor Tom Cross, who is likely to be nominated once again for his superlative work here. Also on display are all too brief but appealing supportive work by Whiplash's Best Supporting actor J.K. Simmons who plays Sebastian's boss at a piano bar, Rosemarie DeWitt who plays Sebastian's contentious sister, and musician John Legend who convinces Sebastian to join his pop band.

A word of caution: do not be late (no spoiler alert here) as the first ten minutes are almost worth the price of admission. And bring a Kleenex or two as the touching conclusion had this reviewer practically emotionally overwhelmed.

The film has already garnered numerous awards including the New York Critics Circle Award for Best Film and the Audience Award at this years Toronto Film Festival.

As 2010s Best Picure The Artist did in resurrecting a long forgotten movie art form-the silents, La La Land is a gloriously successful return to Hollywood musicals of the past. Chazelle, who said it took him to six years to bring his musical idea of love vs ambition to the screen, mentioned in an interview that he wanted the audience to float out of the theater rather than walking out.

I am still floating.

UP NEXT: COVERAGE OF THE 2ND ANNUAL DC INVESTIGATIVE FILM FESTIVAL

Sebastian (Ryan Gossling) explaining jazz to Mia (Emma Stone)

Sebastian and Mia dancing among the stars in the Griffith Park planetarium

Bill the boss (J.K. Simmons) discussing his preferred choice of music to Sebastian

2016 AFI DOCS Documentary Film Festival

Fourteen years and counting as the prestigious AFI Docs keeps merrily rolling along. What began in 2003 as AFI Silverdocs based solely at the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring Maryland outside of DC, continued its expanse into the nation's capitol for the fourth consecutive year.

As the President and CEO of the American Film Institute Bob Gazzale pointed out in this year's program, the decision to expand into DC was made, “to bring together leading storytellers with world leaders – filmmakers with policymakers – those wishing to effect change with those who have the power to do so.” To that end, I am certain that bringing the festival into the political heart and soul of our country is one of the best ways to effectuate change by presenting the various issues expounded by the documentarians.

The always fluid D.C. venue locales changed once again from those in 2015. Gone were screenings at the National Archives, National Portrait Gallery and the Naval Heritage Center - all replaced with an extra auditorium utilized in the Landmark complex.

The festival presented 94 films from 30 countries and included three world premieres, seven North American premieres, three U.S. premieres, twelve East Coast premieres and one international premiere. Most notable were the outstanding opening and closing night films: Alex Gibney's “Zero Days” and Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's “Norman Lear: Just Another Version Of You”, respectively - both scheduled for theatrical release in July. (Each made my Top Five list and are reviewed below.)

Included in the impressive programming: an ESPN produced baseball biopic on Darryl Strawberry and Dwight “Doc” Gooden by Hollywood directors Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfigli entitled “”Doc & Darryl”; the first film by Ben Lear (Norman's son) - a hard-hitting juvenile justice doc entitled “They Call Us Monsters”; “Sonita” about a teenage Afghan refugee and aspiring rap artist living in Iran – which won this years Sundance Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Best World Cinema Documentary.

And the annual Guggenheim Symposium honored one of cinema's most iconic filmmaker: the great Werner Herzog. The discussion, led admirably by director Ramin Bahrani (“Chop Shop”), lasted over 90 minutes, which, thankfully, extended past its allotted time as the affable director shared entertaining anecdotes and experiences spanning his nearly 65 years of distinguished fiction and nonfiction movie-making. At one point, the prolific filmmaker mentioned that he was currently completing three films that were already “in the can”. Sprinkled throughout the interview were several clips from his abundant catalog. The evening concluded with a screening of his excellent “Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World” which is due to be released theatrically in August.

Finally, despite the overall excellence of this years festival, two significant changes had many of the patrons grumbling. For the first-time since 2003, only two of the three AFI Silver Theaters were utilized. This absence of programming in the largest Silver venue meant fewer film choices and ticket availability for the paying public. I heard many folks lamenting whether this portended a total move to DC in the future - leaving a wonderful venue where the festival was born and consistently flourished, and whose location was a total convenience for the Silver Spring locales and those not wanting to venture inside the Beltway. Also, for the first-time, no screenings of the Audience Awards or Best Of Festival films were shown at the AFI Silver on the day after the festival concluded - leaving an empty void for those not able to attend a screening during the five days. Here's hoping the AFI Silver will continue to be a viable festival location and that additional presentations return post-festival.

NOTE: The Audience Award for Best Feature went to “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise”, which was directed by U.S. directors Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack. The Audience Award for Best Short went to “Snails” directed by Grzegorz Szczepaniak (Poland) which told of two friends whose dreams of becoming millionaires lead them to snail farming. (Neither film was screened by this reviewer).

MY TOP 5 AT THE 2016 AFI DOCS

(1-Tie) Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (**** out of 4 - 91 minutes)

Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady were nominated for an Academy Award in 2006 for Jesus Camp. Their latest has an excellent chance to make the Academy’s short list as well. Their documentary on the life of the television icon, whose ground-breaking comedy series in the 70's (including All in the Family, Good Times and The Jeffersons) were landmarks in the industry, is nothing short of superb. The creator, writer and producer at one point had six shows in the Nielsen top 10 rating. His All in the Family (1971-1979), which started it all, was so influential in the American consciousness that it's lead character's chair has been placed in the Smithsonian Institute. Using a somewhat unconventional approach, the directors utilize a child actor (Keaton Nigel Cooke) to recreate Lear's “child's-eye view” as an analogy throughout the biopic- a device that is quite effective as the images jump back and forth covering his life and career. Lear, who is now approaching 94 years of age, as a youth growing up in Connecticut, was strongly influenced by his environment consisting of a detached mom and a bigoted father (an inspiration for All in The Family's “Archie Bunker”?). He eventually was raised, beginning at age nine, by uncles and grandparents and later abandoned education for the military. Ewing and Grady cover Lear's early Hollywood years including his start with early TV variety show writing credits that lead to screen-writing (The Night They Raided Minsky's and an Oscar nominated script for Divorce American Style) and directing (Cold Turkey). When his partner, Bud Yorkin, viewed the British Comedy series Till Death Us Do Part about a married working-class conservative and his clashes with a son-in-law, Lear had an inspiration. The revelation became the landmark CBS show that raised this country's social consciousness by satirizing issues never before addressed on a weekly basis on television. Ewing and Grady included some classic comedic bits from Lear's series, but also unearthed a fascinating interview with Good Times lead Ester Rolle who was continuously bothered by Lear's portrayal of J.J., played by Jimmy Walker, yearning for “comedy without buffoonery”. Other clashes are revealed indicating that not all were beds of roses behind-the-scenes. Also covered were Lear's two marriages (he left television after he and his first wife separated), his geriatric turn at fatherhood and his founding of the political left-wing People For the American Way in response to the Moral Majority movement of the 1980s. Of particular note is the professional editing work of J.D. Marlow & Enit Sidi along with a well rendered jazz score by Kris Bowers. The film, which Lear stated during the symposium that he was given no artistic control, had its North American premiere at the festival and was given a limited theatrical release on July 8. It will eventually be presented on PBS' American Masters series sometime this fall. Not to be missed.

(1-Tie) How To Build A Time Machine (**** out of 4 - 82 minutes)

Rob Niosi viewed George Pal's 1960 adaption of H.G. Wells' The Time Machine as a youth and from that experience his fascination with time travel led to an obsession on building a full-scale replica of the time machine prop used in the classic sci-fi film. Trying to recapture the nostalgia of his viewing experience, Niosi, a stop motion animator on Pee Wee's Playhouse, spent over nine years and thousands of dollars on his compulsion to complete his project at his wooded upper-state New York home. (When asked during the Q&A how much he spent, he sheepishly declined to reveal the actual cost.) Ron Mallett, a PhD physicist at the University of Connecticut, also took in the film as a child with his dad and brother. When his beloved father passed away unexpectedly when Ron was 10 years old, devastated by his passing, Ron began a life-long quest to calculate the feasibility of time-travel in order to reunite with his father and warn him of his impending heart attack-and also to tell him how much he loved him. Cheel juxtaposes each story beautifully. You'll observe the overly meticulous Niosi and the extreme, at times comical, measures he takes to recreate, in the minutest detail, the symbol of time travel embedded in a memory from his youth. The director was obviously influenced by the great documentarian, Erroll Morris. He effectively utilizes Morris' Interrotron (a variation of a teleprompter) to interview Mallett as he relates his educational journey exploring the possibility of time travel using Einsteins' theories and the science of black holes. Most interesting are the questions that time-travel raises such as the grandfather paradox, as well as social and ethical issues of traveling to the past or future and making changes. The movie also confirms the notion of the power of cinema and how it can shape the life journeys of its audience. Would Mallett have ever devoted his life to physics and a determination to prove the possibility of time-travel if he didn't attend that screening early in his youth? Director Jay Cheel shot his film over nearly five years and includes a wonderful soundtrack by composers Ohad Benchetrit & Justin Small. Cheel whimsically develops both of the story lines in such an entertaining and informative way that the documentary will have you emotionally involved in each character's quest. Coming in at a crisp 82 minutes, I actually wished the film lasted much longer.

(2) Following Seas (*** 1/2 out of 4 – 94 minutes)

Following Seas is both an adventure story and a love story on many levels. Nancy's first love was life on the high seas. Bob Griffith gave up his successful veterinarian practice after a heart attack to devote his life to sailing. When he pulled into a Hawaiian harbor in 1960, Nancy first fell in love with his 53-foot cutter, and then ultimately with Bob. Over the course of their relationship they embarked on 13 major voyages including circumnavigating the world three times. And their shared love of exploring the world on the open seas is well documented with over 28 hours of Bolex 16mm film footage and a multitude of 35mm slides. With a wonderfully fluid narration provided by Nancy in her 70s, and skillful editing by co-director Araby Williams, their perilous voyages without radio, radar, and modern navigational aides, will have you in total awe. Their circumnavigation of the Antarctic (a first) in a small boat encompasses a good portion of the film. This exploit took them 111 days and earned them an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. Included is a spectacular segment when their boat, the Awahnee, crashed on a nearly deserted Pacific Island of Vahanga where, with the help of a couple of Tahitian prisoners, it took them nearly two months to rebuild. Also included was an incident involving Nancy falling overboard without a life preserver in shark infested waters. Directors Tyler J. Kelley and Araby Williams complemented the amazing visuals with recent footage and the use of a terrific soundtrack provided by All Them Witches, Woodsplitter, Teho Teardo, Luke Tromiczak and Christopher Lancaster. The doc serves as a fitting tribute for two of this country's finest sailors. As Nancy lamented, the English honor outstanding sailors with knighthood while the French bestow ribbons of honor. Unfortunately, America largely ignores them. This film provides a long overdue acknowledgment of two of the most courageous adventurers that you will not easily forget.

(3) Obit (*** 1/2 out of 4 – 93 minutes)

Who would have thought that a documentary about obituaries would be interesting, or, for that matter, fun. However, director Vanessa Gould accomplishes both in spades. Gould became interested in the subject when she was contacted by a member of the NY Times obit staff for information on the late French sculptor Eric Joisel, her friend and the subject of her 2008 Peabody Award winning documentary Between the Folds. Making a doc involves hard work and a lot of luck. Once filming begins, a film's success or failure often depends on being in the right place at the right time. Here, success was achieved at the time director Vanessa Gould was given full access to the New York Times obituary staff writers which consists of obit editor William McDonald as well as past and present writers Bruce Weber, Margalit Fox, William Grimes, Douglas Martin and Paul Vitello. It turns out there are only a few editorial obit writers in the world. Of course the demise of celebrities, politicians, or anyone who made news in their life would be worthy candidates. However, as McDonald pointed out, “We look for people who changed the way we live.” And about 70 percent of obituaries cover the lives of folks no one has ever heard of. The director offers many examples including the inventor of the Slinky, the pilot of the Enola Gay, an exotic dancer with ties to Jack Ruby and the last surviving plaintiff from Brown v Board of Education. Besides including interviews and archival material, most of the film covers the anatomy of a single day. When Goald arrives for filming, Bruce is in the process of constructing an obit for William P. Wilson. His subsequent research, done over the course of several hours reveals that he was the first television consultant whose decision in 1960 to apply makeup to a youthful John F. Kennedy before his milestone debate with Richard Nixon could have possibly led to JFK's election. Also, time is given to ad exec Dick Rich who was responsible for several landmark commercials in the 60s including Alka-Seltzer and Benson & Hedges. But it is the time the filmmaker spends with Jeff Roth, the quirky eccentric sole caretaker of “the morgue” (which consists of thousands of file drawers containing old photographs, weathered clippings, and advance obits) that elicits the most joy. The overseer of the newspaper's history was so memorable that the audience clapped when his visage appeared over the closing credits. In the end, you'll realize that Obit is more about the celebration of life than the morbidity of its subject matter.

(4) Tower (*** 1/2 out of 4 – 96 minutes)

The country has become somewhat numb to the seemingly constant barrage of mass shootings whether at a mall, workplace, campus, etc. Long before the words “active shooter”, “SWAT teams” or “grief counseling” were a usual part of the vernacular, there was the shooting 50 years ago by Charles Whitman on August 1, 1966 at the University of Texas at Austin. That day, the 27-year-old Whitman mounted the campus clock tower and, after 96 minutes, the shooter lay dead but not before randomly murdering 16 and wounding 32 innocent victims. Director Keith Maitland spent 10 years creating an extraordinary document. Its genius is in the film's presentation and the techniques he used to convey the horror of that day. Using brilliant rotoscoped animation by Minnow Mountain (think Richard Linklater's 2001Waking Life), actors using scripted words over the action, archival footage and live action, Maitland creates a disturbing emotional suspenseful experience one will not soon forget. Shifting back and forth from these narrative styles, and concentrating almost totally on the memory of the surviving victims instead of the shooter's motive(s), Maitland recreates in the first hour a minute-by-minute account of the events on that fateful August day from their viewpoint. And the constant barrage of gunfire heard over the soundtrack creates an unnerving milieu that, despite the animation, will ultimately have viewers feeling as if they were there. As in all of these situations, several examples of individual heroism are illustrated as well as one “survivor remorse” and one of cowardice. The stories are riveting and beautifully rendered throughout. The compelling standout is the first person shot. Claire Wilson was pregnant and forced to lay on cement in the hot sun next to her deceased boyfriend for an hour while onlookers, including news cameras, looked on. Her heartbreaking story and how she survived is nothing short of amazing. The last half hour is less stirring as it concentrates on the present day appearance of the actual survivors portrayed earlier, relating the aftermath up to the present and the inclusion of reunions. The film also ties in more recent mass shootings as it tries to put in historical perspective this event which quite possibly started mass shootings on college campuses. And most disturbing, depending on one's point of view, is the final pronouncement that, coincidentally, on the 50^th anniversary, Texas law will permit open-carry of firearms on the Texas campuses, which is vehemently opposed by the shooting victims. Tower, a PBS Independent Len production, will have a limited theatrical release beginning October 12.

(5) Zero Days (*** 1/2 out of 4 – 114 minutes)

The latest from prolific Academy Award winner Alex Gibney is perhaps one of his most chilling. Computer hacking, as with mass murder (see above), is becoming an almost daily frightening reality of our modern times. However, this activity is not confined to individuals or groups of individuals intent on stealing information as governments are using the capability to conduct cyberwarfare. After a brief history, Gibney concentrates on the 2008 joint action of the U.S. and Israel (although neither will confirm it) to introduce a computer malware into the Iranian nuclear facility computers at Natanz intent on destroying centrifuges in order to shut down their nuclear capability and growth. What follows was its initial discovery of the “worm” (self-replicating malware meant to spread from computer to computer) which was named “Stuxnet” based on 2 syllables uncovered in the code. How it was uncovered by antivirus experts Eric Chien and Liam O’Murchu of the cyber-security company Symantec Research Labs, is one of the more fascinating aspects of the doc. The unfortunate consequence was that the initial damage was merely temporary as Iran's nuclear program came back stronger than ever. Worse yet, the worm opened a Pandora's Box by ultimately spreading around the globe. After we are presented with a long series of on-camera denials of the covert operation from a multitude of government officials (at one point Gibney frustratingly proclaims “This is really beginning to piss me off!”), the director begins presenting testimony from a number of anonymous whistle-blowers. To protect their identity he combines their information into a script and utilizes an actress (Joanne Tucker) to read it showing her onscreen by using an eerie digital filter effect. What clearly comes into horrifying focus is that cyberwarfare is now readily available to all the powers. Each has the capability of controlling nuclear power plants, disabling power grids, and creating total chaos to such a degree that the end result would make the damage done by an atom bomb seem like a pipe bomb in comparison. Gibney deploys effective graphics throughout to illustrate the technicalities involved as well as employing a terrific soundtrack. Zero days (the term refers to the time between a computer's vulnerability is discovered and the first cyber attack) is part investigative journalism, part spy thriller and part science fiction, and will have you hoping that its implications will be addressed by the candidates in the upcoming election instead of our government's continued secrecy and silence. The film, which had its North American premiere at AFI Docs, opened in limited released on July 8.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Lo And Behold, Reveries Of The Connected World-The East Coast premiere of Werner Herzog's frightening essay on the increasing technology and its past, present and future affect on humankind.
The Islands And The Whales-The East Coast premiere about the people from the North Sea's remote Faroe Islands and how their centuries-old subsistence for food from native birds and whales is being threaten by changes in their environment, mercury in the whales and anti-whaling activists.

OPENING NIGHT SNAPSHOTS

Opening Night at The Newseum

On the Red Carpet (l to r): AFI DOCS Director Michael

Lumpkin, New York Times' David Sanger, filmmaker

Alex Gibney, film subjects Eric Chien and Liam O'Murchu,

executive producer Sarah Dowland and AFI President and

CEO Bob Gazzale

AFI President and CEO, Bob Gazzale,

welcomes the Opening night audience to

AFI DOCS and the screening of Zero Days"

"Zero Days" post-screening panel discussion and Q and A

with (l to r) moderator Washington Post film critic

Ann Hornaday, director Alex Gibney, anti-virus experts

Liam O'Murchu and Eric Chien, and New York Times

journalist David Sanger

The Opening Night after-party in the Newseum lobby

GUGGENHEIM SYMPOSIUM SNAPSHOTS

On The Red Carpet (l to r): AFI DOCS

Director Michael Lumpkin, symposium

moderator director Ramin Bahrani,

Guggenheim honoree director Werner Herzog

and AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale

CLOSING NIGHT SNAPSHOTS

On The Red Carpet (l to r): Director

Rachel Grady, Norman Lear and director

Heidi Ewing

Director Ben Lear and dad Norman

AFI DOCS Director Michael

Lumpkin addresses the closing

night audience

The post-screening discussion with (l to r) moderator

PBS News Hour's Jeffrey Brown, Norman Lear, Rachel

Grady and Heidi Ewing

(l to r) Michael Lumpkin, Norman Lear and Bob Gazzale

at the after party

"EYE IN THE SKY" - ***1/2 (102 minutes)

Sunday March 13, 2016

At last years' AFI Documentary Film Festival and also the inaugural Investigative Film Festival, I screened a somewhat unbalanced documentary entitled Drone. The Swedish-made film began by outlining the history of drone warfare by the US and CIA, then disturbingly recounted its current affects on innocent civilians as well as those unfortunate enough to hold the trigger thousands of miles away. Much more effective is this engrossing nail-biter and the latest by actor/director Gavin Hood, who garnered an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2005 for Tsotsi.

British Army Colonel Katherine Powell (the great Helen Mirren in yet another memorable performance) is based in Surrey while overseeing a drone surveillance mission in East Africa focusing on an operation to capture a radicalized English woman meeting with Shabab terrorists at a house in Nairobi. Powell is particularly obsessed since she has been pursuing the terrorist for years. When her target is located, a surveillance cyborg beetle (welcome to the future!) reveals suicide bombers strapping on bomb vests inside the residence. At that point the mission objective turns from capture to kill via a drone Hellfire missile as the military fights against the clock to stop the terrorists before they leave the house. When a little girl sets up a table to sell bread next to the house, political and military higher-ups must decide the human cost and estimate the collateral damage in the increasingly dire scenario.

Gavin directs a wonderful cast including the late great Alan Rickman, in his final onscreen appearance as weathered Lt. General Frank Benson who is Powell's superior and who must give the final OK to bomb the house. Also, Aaron Paul ("Breaking Bad") gives a competent turn as an increasingly nervous Steve Watts whose finger is on the trigger. A special mention goes to Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips) who is a Somali undercover agent who desperately tries to save the girl's life before the bombs hit. Also, composers Mark Kilian and Paul Hepker, as they did for Gavin's Tsotsi and 2007's Rendition, provide an excellent background score that perfectly complements the tense thriller unfolding on the screen.

A film that raises multiple strategic, legal, political and moral issues, Eye in the Sky depicts a new kind of modern warfare that is sure to linger in your psyche. As will a line that Lt. General Benson chillingly voices at the end, “Never tell a soldier that he does not know the cost of war.”

The suspenseful thriller opened nationwide on April 1.

Lt. Col. Powell (Helen Mirren) surveys her tracking board
for the terrorist she has been doggedly pursuing

Lt General Frank Benson contemplating his options

Jama Farah (Barkhad Abdi) planning to remove a little girl

from the line of fire from a drone

Steve Watts (Aaron Paul) manning the Hellfire trigger

2016 POST-AA RAMBLINGS

Friday March 4, 2016

THE SHOW (***)

Finally! As predicted, Chris Rock nailed it from the start. After welcoming everyone to the "2016 White Peoples' Choice Awards" he proceeded to hit the ground running. Despite the thanklessness of hosting The Oscars, Rock, playing before a mostly-white audience, took the lack of diversity issue by the neck and, hopefully, put it forever out its misery by devoting nearly 15 minutes of his opening to the subject. The only criticism (and it is a small one), that instead of just including this subject in the opening monologue, he proceeded to beat this dead horse into submission throughout the 3 hour 21 minutes (a minute shorter than last year, but a whooping 40 minutes shorter than the 2002 telecast record-holder). Just when you thought it was over, Rock resurrected the controversy over and over again. Personally, my eyes rolled and I wanted to yell out "Enough already!" Despite that, Rock did a very admirable job appearing relaxed, confident, and, for the majority of the time, hilarious.

Gone this year were the usual overwrought production numbers while only three of the five nominated songs received performances-which seemed odd to this reviewer. And, two of the three performed tunes were unimpressive at best (more on that below). The most entertaining segments were a couple of pre-recorded bits which generally hit the mark.

Despite the presence of a first-rate comedian leading the way, and several changes to streamline the show, The Oscars brought in only 34.4 million viewers (36.6 million watched in 2015) and ended up being the lowest rated show since 2008 when Jon Stewart hosted. Too bad more people didn't watch, because, overall, it was the finest telecast in years for the usually clunky extravaganza.

Once again, my annual apologies to Sergio Leone, as this breakdown will pretty much sum up the event through this reviewer's eyes:

THE GOOD

- Chris Rock. The Academy finally got it right.

- The "thank you" crawl. At least it helped cut down on the interminable ramblings of most acceptors.

- The elimination of time-consuming production numbers.

- The early announcement of the screenwriting awards. Nice to shake-up the usual order - even if it was only a minor shake-up. The reason given was to present the order in keeping with the chronology of the movie-making process (starts with a script-get it?). That thinking kind of fell apart as the broadcast went long but kudos for changing things up just the same.

- The majority of the speeches were swift and quickly ended after just a couple of notes from the orchestra, which returned to The Dolby Theater after spending the past three years a mile away at the Capitol Records building.

- Mad Max: Fury Road being recognized with the most Oscars-albeit all minors. An amazing film that deserved to be recognized even if it didn't win a major

- 75% of the acting awards went to first-time nominees

- Dave Grohl (of The Foo Fighters) with a beautiful rendition of The Beatles "Blackbird" accompanying the In Memoriam segment.

- Lady Ga Ga performing the song from the Documentary The Hunting Ground. (More on that below.)

- Leonardo DiCaprio finally winning a well-deserved Best Actor award on his sixth try (four acting and one producing failed nominations).

- We finally had unpredictable upsets in a couple of major categories (more on that below) after years of predictability and non-surprises.

THE BAD

- The "thank you" crawl. Although good that it helped to cut down program length, it took away the unexpected when past winners grappled to remember who to thank, or resulted in the absence of spontaneity and true emotion when before they had to rush everything they had to say on the podium. The result: quick but bland acceptances for the most part.

- The show went 21 minutes over their three hour time slot. Still way too long.

- Presenter Patricia Arquette who introduced the Best Supporting Actor. Patricia seemed a tad out of sync, to say the least having observers wonder if she was sedated, drunk, tired, or all three. Maybe she thought she was at the Independent Spirit Awards with its obvious presence of free-flowing liquor.

- The bit with Clueless actor/Fox correspondent Stacey Dash (more or that below).

- Singer Sam Smith while accepting the Best Original Song award proclaiming he was the first openly Gay man to win an Oscar. Elton John, Dustin Lance Black and Stephen Sondheim, among others, would beg to differ.

- Sarah Silverman, on hand to deliver the Best Original Song, is normally one of the most hilarious comediennes on the planet. Unfortunately, she delivered a totally flat soliloquy rambling on and on about having unsuccessful sex with James Bond. Painful.

-The yearly omission from the In Memoriam excluded, among others, beloved Hollywood character actor Abe Vigoda. The irony: in 1982 People Magazine incorrectly reported the demise of Vigoda. Ironic that now that he has finally passed, he's left off the list. Maybe the writers thought he left the planet 34 years ago.

- The addition of minions, Toy Story characters, and Star War droids (R2-D2, 3-CPO, BB-8) presenting for Best Animation did nothing to cut into the broadcast length and added an extra layer of boring. The only one who was excited was Jacob Tremblay. BTW, the droids appearance on stage was the only recognition of the night for the Star Wars franchise which went home empty-handed.

THE UGLY

- Three Asian children presented as accountants (here was that diversity issue being addressed for the umpteenth time) with Rock "joking" that they were like other Asian children responsible for making iPhones in slave-like conditions. One of Rock's few missteps.

- The orchestra determined to end winning director Alejandro G. Iñárritu 's acceptance speech and tried to usher him off the stage. This was the only time the orchestra lost as Alejandro G. Iñárritu made a beautiful impassioned political diversity speech on behalf of his fellow Mexicans. The orchestra should have one ear on the speeches to know when the cutoff rules should be bended to avoid the embarrassment.

- Best Costume Design Winner Jenny Beavan (Mad Max-Fury Road) was outfitted as if she was on her way to a biker bar. I'll bet that was the first time a rhinestone skull ever appeared on a fashion garment at an Oscar show.

- Rock's lynching reference when he proclaimed that back in the 60's, "There were real things to worry about … We were too busy being raped and lynched to worry about who won for Best Cinematography. When your grandmother’s swinging from a tree, it’s really hard to care about Best Documentary Foreign Short.”

- Rock's comment that “This year, things are going to be a little different. This year, in the In Memoriam package, it’s just going to be black people that were shot by the cops on their way to the movies …"

- Rock completely skewered boycotting Jada Pickett in the opening monologue stating, “Isn't she on a TV show? Jada turning down the Oscars is like me turning down Rihanna’s panties. I wasn’t invited.”

NOW . . . THE ANNUAL JAY B CINEMA DIARY OSCAR SHOW AWARDS. THE ENVELOPE, PLEASE . . .

THE BIGGEST SURPRISE WINNER

Longtime stage actor Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) besting Sylvester Stallone, the overwhelming favorite to win the Best Supporting Oscar. No one, least of all Rylance or Stallone, saw that one coming.

THE 2ND BIGGEST SURPRISE WINNER

Spotlight winning Best Picture. After winning multiple BP awards including a Golden Globe, and then hauling down Oscars for Best Cinematographer, Best Actor and Best Director, The Revenant seemed poised to receive the big one. However, it is assumed Hollywood went for the more universal user-friendly film that tackled the controversial issue head-on. Don't get me wrong: Spotlight is a fine film (I gave it 4 stars in my review); however The Revenant was infinitely more powerful and memorable. And, as I have stated in this blog previously, I find it outrageous that the Best Picture's director isn't named Best Director. I'll never get it.

THE 3RD BIGGEST SURPRISE WINNER

The totally forgettable “Writing's on the Wall" from Spectre performed by Sam Smith was awarded after Lady Ga Ga's rousing emotional performance of Diane Warren's song "Til It Happens To You" from The Hunting Ground. All money was on Warren finally winning an Oscar. Oh well. Maybe Sylvester can offer her a shoulder to cry on.

THE 4TH BIGGEST SURPRISE WINNER

Ex Machina winning the Best Visual Effects award. Up against powerhouse effects film such as Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this small ($15 million dollar budget) brilliant indie sci-fi film was the little engine that could. One of my favorite films of 2015 received one more award than the mega-hit Star Wars.

THE LEAST SURPRISE WINNER

Tie: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Lawson and Inside Out

MOST OSCARS WON

Mad Max: Fury Road (6)

MOST AWARDS EVER WON BY AN AUSTRALIAN FILM

Six (Mad Max: Fury Road)

THE FEWIST AWARDS WON BY A BEST PICTURE WINNER SINCE 1953's THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

Two (Spotlight-which also won Best Original Screenplay)

BEST PRE-RECORDED DIVERSITY BIT

The montage that spliced black actors Whoopi Goldberg, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, and Rock himself into Joy, The Revenant, The Danish Girl and The Martian, respectively. Hilarious.

2ND BEST PRE-RECORDED DIVERSITY BIT

Rock reviving his 2005 man-on-the-street bit quizzing movie patrons on white-dominated Oscar film nominees outside a Compton movie theater.

BEST WTF MOMENT

Stacey Dash, who previously called for the end of Black History Month calling it reverse racism, suddenly, and without explanation, appearing on stage and wishing everyone a "Happy Black History Month". The ironic "joke" was completely lost on the audience and the viewers, most of whom didn't even know who she was.

2ND BEST WTF MOMENT

Singer/actor Jared Leto's "merkin" reference while presenting for Best Make-up. He advised everyone who didn't know the term to "Google" it. If you haven't already, I'll save you the trouble. Here's his tweet.

3RD BEST WTF MOMENT

If you were still awake at the end, you may have noticed that the closing song, after over three hours of diversity jokes and references, was Public Enemy's 1990 groundbreaking song "Fight The Power". An extremely odd choice considering the glitzy white-dominated audience it was playing to. More irony: it was featured in Oscar boycotter Spike Lee's 1989 Do The Right Thing.

BEST FLIP-OFF TO THE ACADEMY

Sacha Baron Cohen's ignorant white rapper character Ali-G who introduced clips from Brooklyn and Room (“Now check out the movie that only has white people in it!”) who later related that he was told not to appear in character by The Academy. He later revealed that he had his wife sneak in the outfit which he slipped into during a bathroom break.

BEST POLITICIAN AT THE OSCARS

Joe Biden introducing Lady Ga Ga.

MOST EMOTIONAL MOMENT

Lady Ga Ga's performance of Dianne Warren's ballad. An admitted rape victim herself, she was joined onstage by campus rape survivors with inspirational slogans on their arm-holding hands at the conclusion.

BEST SONG WRITER NEVER TO WIN AN OSCAR

Dianne Warren. Seven noms and counting.

WORST SONG TO EVER WIN AN OSCAR

Bond song "Writing’s On The Wall".

BEST AUDIENCE CUT-AWAY

The Revenant bear clapping to its Best Picture clip.

2ND BEST AUDIENCE CUT-AWAY

Straight Outta Compton was represented in the audience by record producer and music executive "Suge Knight" appearing in a straitjacket and orange jumpsuit and flanked by two uniformed police officers. (The real Knight is currently in jail awaiting trial on murder charges.)

3RD BEST AUDIENCE CUT-AWAY

Young Jacob Tremblay jumping out of his seat in utter awe when the Star Wars droids appeared.

4TH BEST AUDIENCE CUT-AWAY

Audience members in stunned disbelief after Stacey Dash appeared.

BEST PRESENTER

Comedian Louis C.K. presenting for Best Documentary Short. His remarks, such as "These people will never be rich as long as they live" and taking home their award in a Honda Civic, makes him a possible candidate to host in the future.

2ND BEST PRESENTER(S)

Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe delightfully bantering about the number of Oscars between them before announcing the Best Adapted Screenplay award.

3RD BEST PRESENTER(S)

Sacha Baron Cohen as Ali G (paired with Olivia Wilde). It was all Ali G who carried on the diversity theme as only he could.

WORST PRESENTER

Sarah Silverman

2ND WORST PRESENTERS

C-3PO, R2-D2 and BB-8

MOST INCOHERENT PRESENTER

Patricia Arquette

WORST DRESSED WINNER WHO PLANNED TO ATTEND A HARLEY-DAVIDSON AFTER-PARTY

Jenny Beavan.

BEST TIRED REVISITING OF AN ELLEN DEGENERES AUDIENCE INTERACTION BIT

Chris Rock hawking girl scout cookies on behalf of his daughter. He claimed at the end they had sold 13,000 boxes totaling $65,235; however, post-show reports had the actual total as $2,500 for 800. In either case, that was a lot of cookies.

BEST AUDIENCE HEARTFELT OVATION

Best Original Score winner 87-year-old composer Ennio Morricone who only previously "won" an honorary Oscar. The frail composer, who had to be assisted to the podium, was a sentimental favorite and received a well-deserved extended standing ovation.

WORST AUDIENCE RECEPTION

Jenny Beavan. Even the orchestra cut short her acceptance speech.

BEST ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

Leonardo DiCaprio focused on something bigger than himself by giving an impassioned sincere speech on climate change.

2ND BEST ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

Alejandro G. Iñárritu who repeated as Best Director.

3RD BEST ACCEPTANCE SPEECH

Inside Out director Pete Docter focused on the trials and tribulations of being an adolescent and ended by informing his two kids that, because he won, they were to be rewarded with a dog.

UPCOMING REVIEW: The taut modern wartime political thriller "Eye in the Sky"