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Art student takes movie fandom to new level

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Take a love of movies, add to that the artistic ability to replicate key scenes in sketchbooks and throw in a bit of competitive interest in the Academy Awards, and you have Dale Koizumi.

With the stroke of his colored markers, the 26-year-old Cal State Fullerton student captures the faintest detail, like the freckle on Natalie Portman’s right cheek in a drawing he did of her based on her portrayal of the former first lady in “Jackie,” and the pale blue color of Donnie Yen’s eyes from his performance as a blind Force-aligned character in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”

As he sits down to watch the awards show Sunday, Koizumi will be able to name what he believes are the top 50 films of the year based on months of movie-going.

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Koizumi takes advantage of discount theaters and early-bird viewing specials, but he still spent around $500 to see dozens of movies last year.

The Fountain Valley resident can show people the list he compiled or, just as easily, point to the drawings that he’s made to reflect each of the 50 films he has watched.

His friends call him the “biggest fan” of the movies, but this interest makes sense for an art student who aspires to do storyboarding, character design and possibly even movie poster creation someday.

“I wouldn’t even call it a hobby; it’s almost a lifestyle,” Koizumi’s movie-going companion RJ Brownfield said. “We’ll get into the most heated arguments you’ve ever see in your life over film. But it’s amazing the stuff he’ll go out of his way to learn.”

Since 2010, Koizumi has composed his annual top 50 movies list based on stunning performances, outstanding storytelling or compelling themes.

But it wasn’t until last year that he began illustrating the artwork to accompany each of his top picks. He has two sketchbooks, one for the films he saw in 2015 and another for 2016.

“I decided to take a creative approach instead of just putting everything in a list form,” Koizumi said. “I’ve been drawing since I was a little kid, just drawing the characters I would see.”

The iconic characters of the video game world such as Super Mario and Donkey Kong were his first muses.

Koizumi started to be attracted to film around age 18 when he ordered Quentin Tarantino’s “Pulp Fiction” and Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” through Blockbuster.

“Those films really got me into thinking about the directing, writing, acting and visuals,” Koizumi said.

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FOR THE RECORD

2/27, 3:29 p.m.: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Cal State Fullerton student Dale Koizumi first became a fan of film when he watched Edward Zwick’s “The Last Samurai.” It was in fact Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai.”

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In early January, he began to post the drawings of the 50 movies he saw last year on Instagram and his Facebook page, starting with his last to his first choices.

“I thought it was impressive that he did all that work,” said Wendy Grieb, a professor of animation at Cal State Fullerton. “His style is between cartoony and realistic. It’s not like you couldn’t recognize any of the characters he drew, and that’s a skill in itself.”

The posted artwork, which includes depictions of movie scenes and characters, comes with short movie reviews written by Koizumi.

His posts encompass animated films like No. 42 on his list, “The Little Prince,” which has a retired aviator telling a young girl a story about his encounters in the Sahara Desert, and horror movies like No. 44, “The Neon Demon,” about a model who moves from a small town in Georgia to Los Angeles.

Higher on Koizumi’s lineup are films that have generated Oscar buzz this year, like his No. 3 choice, “La La Land,” which he said in his review has “nostalgic value that pays homage to the golden age musicals that’ll bring you to the city of stars.”

His No. 10 picture, “Moonlight,” a coming-of-age drama set in Miami, is split into three images, each depicting a different stage of the main character’s life.

Koizumi plans to spend Sunday at an Oscar party hosted each year by his friend Michael Canas. There, guests will be given lists of all the nominated films and actors in the 24 categories, and they can place check marks next to the ones they believe will win.

“I really just want to get people together who appreciate what I do,” said Canas, who is taking playwriting classes at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa. “I’ve always been attracted to great acting and watched Oscar movies because I used to work in a theater in Huntington Beach.”

But Koizumi and Canas also appreciate some of the more obscure titles playing in independent cinemas.

Canas saw one of his favorite films, Mike Leigh’s “Another Year,” at the Edwards Westpark 8 theater in Irvine six years ago.

“I always wish that these movies would’ve had a bigger audience, but it feels good just knowing that this kind of art exists,” Canas said.

As for Sunday, Canas said he’s placing all his chips on the Los Angeles-focused romantic comedy-drama starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, “La La Land,” to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

But Koizumi hopes the Best Picture honor goes to his No. 1 piece of artwork, an illustration that details a boat moving by the Massachusetts coast and the scruffy face of Casey Affleck overlooking the water.

“I’m wishing for ‘Manchester by the Sea’ to win,” Koizumi said. “But there are no safe bets.”

alexandra.chan@latimes.com

Twitter: @AlexandraChan10

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