Oscar season officially began last week, and as always, a lion's share of the nomination reactions revolved around snubs, including one in the category dearest to kids' hearts: best animated feature."The Lego Movie," a huge commercial and critical hit, is not on the short list. Co-director Phil Lord maintained a sense of humor about its omission, tamping down some Twitter outrage with a clever tweet, showing off a Lego Oscar: "It's okay. Plus, "The Lego Movie" probably doesn't need the money or attention from the Oscars anyway. (It made more than $250 million at the box office, and a sequel is already on the way.) Smaller films, though, do need the exposure, and that appears to be the quirky approach of the animators' branch of the academy. Inevitably, the annual nominations acknowledge lower-profile (and often foreign) films —think of "Howl's Moving Castle" (2004), "A Cat in Paris" (2012) and "Ernest and Celestine" (2013).This year, Oscar's short list has three films you've probably heard of, if not seen: "How to Train Your Dragon 2," which Tribune critic Michael Phillips loved;
Laika's "The Boxtrolls," another triumph of stop-motion animation, whose directors we interviewed; and Disney's delightful "Big Hero 6," whose crew includes a key animator from the northwest burbs. "Big Hero 6," just released in November, won't be available to watch at home until later in February. But you can catch "Dragon" and "Boxtrolls" now via iTunes, Amazon or on DVD.And what about the other two films? We told you in December about "The Tale of the Princess Kaguya," a hand-drawn watercolor masterpiece from Japan's hallowed Studio Ghibli. Directed by Isao Takahata (who co-founded Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki) and rated PG, this leisurely fable looks nothing like the anime style for which Ghibli is renowned. With its shimmering pastels and soothing soundtrack, it's practically the anti-"Lego Movie." It's a great choice to introduce kids to foreign films — and for anyone who doesn't need nonstop action and blaring pop songs to transport them to a different world. It will return to the Siskel Film Center Feb. 13-19 (the week leading up to the Academy Awards);
you can see it with subtitles or dubbed in English. The fifth entry in the mix, "Song of the Sea," comes from Irish filmmaker Tomm Moore and the Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon animation studio. Moore's batting two for two with the academy, having garnered a best animated feature nod for 2009's "The Secret of Kells," his debut film. Like "Kaguya," "Song of the Sea" features a female protagonist with mystical abilities. This girl, Saoirse, is also a selkie, a being from Gaelic myth who can transform into a seal. The film hasn't screened in Chicago yet, but it opens Feb. 20 at the Music Box.On one hand, it seems unlikely either of these lesser-known foreign films can win the animated feature trophy. But then again, with "The Lego Movie" out of the mix and no entry from Pixar this year, anything can happen. After all, Ghibli has won before. Meanwhile, thanks to the Siskel Center and the Music Box, you and your kids might just have the edge when it comes to filling out the ballot in your office Oscar pool.
The Academy Awards show, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, airs live on ABC Feb. 22. Monday, February 27, 2017 Tuesday, February 28, 2017 Wednesday, March 1, 2017 Thursday, March 2, 2017 Friday, March 3, 2017 Thursday, March 9, 2017 Friday, March 10, 2017 Tuesday, March 14, 2017 Thursday, March 16, 2017 Friday, March 17, 2017 Saturday, March 18, 2017 Sunday, March 19, 2017 Monday, March 20, 2017 Tuesday, March 21, 2017 Wednesday, March 22, 2017 Thursday, March 23, 2017 Tuesday, March 28, 2017 After a heist goes terribly wrong, Casey Stein (Nicholas Hoult) finds himself on the run from a ruthless gang headed by mob boss Hagen (Anthony Hopkins). Now Casey has precious cargo that belongs to Hagen, who will stop at nothing to retrieve it. Left with no choice, Casey calls his former employer and drug smuggler Geran (Ben Kingsley) to protect his long-time girlfriend Juliette before Hagen gets his hands on her.
Casey sets out on an andrenaline-fueled car chase on the German highways to save the love of his life before it's too late. Now that Chris and his girlfriend, Rose, have reached the meet-the-parents milestone of dating, she invites him for a weekend getaway upstate with Missy and Dean. At first, Chris reads the family's overly accommodating behavior as nervous attempts to deal with their daughter's interracial relationship, but as the weekend progresses, a series of increasingly disturbing discoveries lead him to a truth that he could have never imagined. Bodi, a wide-eyed Tibetan Mastiff, is expected to become the next village guard to a group of fun-loving, countryside sheep, but fears he doesn't have the passion to assume the role from his dad, Khampa. Everything changes when a radio literally falls out of the sky and Bodi hears a song by rock legend Angus Scattergood, opening his heart to a musical world he must explore. Leaving home to chase his destiny in the big city, Bodi attracts the attention of Khampa's nemesis Linnux, the leader of a hungry wolf pack.
It is up to Bodi to save his family and friends from harm without giving up his newfound dream. An ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company's CEO from an idyllic but mysterious "wellness center" at a remote location in the Swiss Alps. He soon suspects that the spa's miraculous treatments are not what they seem. When he begins to unravel its terrifying secrets, his sanity is tested, as he finds himself diagnosed with the same curious illness that keeps all the guests here longing for the cure. On the surface, the young and beautiful Clara Barron seems to have everything- a great job as an OB-GYN; a great house in LA; and a big fun-loving Mexican family. But, the one thing Clara doesn't have figured out is her love life. Pressured by a family wedding in Mexico, Clara asks a co-worker to pose as her boyfriend for the weekend festivities - only to be caught by surprise when her ex- boyfriend suddenly shows up after disappearing from her life completely. Torn, Clara must decide between going back to the past or open her heart to new and unexpected possibilities.
In an adventure full of laughter, she learns that sometimes it takes the whole crazy family to help you find crazy love. When a wounded Christian Grey tries to entice a cautious Ana Steele back into his life, she demands a new arrangement before she will give him another chance. As the two begin to build trust and find stability, shadowy figures from Christian's past start to circle the couple, determined to destroy their hopes for a future together. Legendary hitman John Wick is forced back out of retirement by a former associate plotting to seize control of a shadowy international assassins' guild. Bound by a blood oath to help him, John travels to Rome where he squares off against some of the world's deadliest killers. In the irreverent spirit of fun that made "The LEGO® Movie" a worldwide phenomenon, the self-described leading man of that ensemble - LEGO Batman - stars in his own big-screen adventure. But there are big changes brewing in Gotham, and if he wants to save the city from The Joker's hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.