The Summer to end all Summers

So as I sit here in New Zealand, basking in the summer sun and Christmas is a mere two days away. I am away from my closest family and friends so I have taken stock in the small surprises that come my way knowing that physically I won't be receiving gifts or eating a classic Christmas dinner. So the past three days have dealt out three amazing presents for anyone who has a shred of taste when it comes to blockbuster movies.

I know I may be repeating what many of you have already been made aware of but you have to agree, these three contenders would have you running to the cinema even if you hadn't seen a trailer. All three have a lot to live up to, the pressure is on, and if each of these films pull off the monumental task of living up to expectations then we will be looking at some of the finest franchises to be committed to celluloid (or digitised to a projector these days, uuugggh it just doesn't have the same ring to it).

First up the undisputed heavy weight champion of comic book adaptations for the past 6 years. Christian Bale will once again growl through the cowl of the Dark Knight and shit is going to blow up in massive IMAX resolutions. The final instalment of Christopher Nolans Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises . . . .



With TDKR coming out in the summer (northern hemisphere) 2012 you can't help but think the next film is long way off. However if anyone who religiously went to the cinema for a certain film every Christmas between the years 2001 and 2003 will attest to, a mere one year wait for the first half of this next monumental picture should be a breeze. I came to New Zealand for many reasons, but one reason towers way above the others, and I made several pilgrimages to certain streets in Wellington and a farm just outside of Matamata to pay homage to my favourite films, The Lord Of The Rings. It took a long time but everything has fallen into place and Peter Jackson is once again in Tolkien mode and Directing the cinematic adaptation of The Hobbit, and splitting it into two mega films. The first of which got its trailer debut just yesterday, and here it is.




So yes as you can imagine I am very over excited about The Hobbit, it is looking and sounding amazing. I thought nothing could get much better than these two trailers coming out one after the other . . . well I was wrong. Now this next film may not be as deep in the public concious as the last two giants, but trust me this one is just as exciting as the last two. Today the eagerly anticipated trailer for Ridley Scotts new film was offered up to the internet. Now I hear the sighs already, another Gladiator style epic, god no! Well stop right there. I do love Ridley Scotts epic sword swinging films but I am obsessed and in awe of his earlier sci-fi creations Alien and Blade Runner. Well at long last he has gone back to sci-fi and not only that he is unearthing a back story as to what happened on LV-426 before Ripley and her crew landed on it in Alien! I love this trailer, it has such echoes of the original Alien trailer however it's not being sold on the back of the Alien franchise, it looks to be a very different kind of film, and it looks incredible.


and just to show how Ridely has pitched so similarly to his original Alien, below is the original trailer.



So yes I am very excited for the year of monster movies ahead and coincidently Alien is a film I watch every year at Christmas time, a weird tradition I know but for some reason it happened two years on the trot and it just stuck. However I have just realised I'm in New Zealand and I don't have a copy of it . . . a visit to the video store will be needed post haste. Have a great Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year.

Drive - Movie Review

Avoiding an advertisement for this film was like trying to avoid the sun on my drive down to Queenstown and as summer starts to hit, trust me, my right arm is significantly more tanned than my left! It's everywhere and critics couldn't be more impressed with Drive, it's apparently THE film to see this year. However judging from the people I know who saw this well before I did, it seems to be dividing peoples opinion. Now I have seen it I can definitely see why there is a great rift between critics and some audiences. Drive is a slick and stylish film with a great sense of minimalist but brutal action coupled with an intense and focused central character. It's a real slow boiler, the action is spread widely throughout the plot, the introduction being the crowning jewel, I have never seen a more intense and slickly edited car pursuit. Following the intro is a focused character building plot that see's Ryan Gosling exact tension and style with his almost mute performance as the driver. With no name, a focused attitude, a signature jacket and a style that echoes Clint Eastwood or Steve McQueen you can't help but become drawn into Ryan Goslings performance. He is the quintessential lone hero and even with the supporting cast putting in great performances of their own (especially Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks as the mob bosses not to be fucked with) this is Goslings film.

Drive looks modern because of its cast and the quality of the picture and score, yet the style has a real dirty 80's feel about it. Our central characters style sets this tone with the tooth pick in mouth and quilted white jacket, the opening credits have a Sixteen Candles look to them and the soundtrack is full of synth pop. The film earns its 18 cert thanks to the brutal and visceral violence that boils up towards the latter half of the plot with brutal murders following one another as the walls close in on the driver. I applaud the collisions of style and brutality, it's almost like something out of GTA: Vice City only not so camp and OTT.

Many people believed there weren't enough car chases, in fact there are only two major set pieces, but to add more would seriously be an insult to peoples intelligence. We understand what he does, the first scenes ticks all those boxes, and the plot never warrants for another until it's necessary. It would be unrealistic to have any of the mob bosses chase him down in a car (a route your average popcorn movie would take). Needless to say I am on the side of the critics with this one. Drive is a terrific film with a focused and powerful central narrative and character. It's a rare breed of film that creates an iconic character and no matter how you feel towards it, will have you talking about it afterwards.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Click for trailer

The Tides Of Change

So as Christmas comes rolling and the ad's start to play for all the latest 3D light and airy festive fun I realised that I have let my blog go for way too long. What started out as a positive attempt to flex my movie critiquing muscles quickly went out of the door like a fitness dvd at new years. In this relatively short space of time the game seems to be changing and my life also couldn't be more different.

I currently reside in New Zealand, and yes I have been geeking out on all sorts of Lord Of The Rings and Hobbit related escapades, one of which resulted in me spotting Sir Peter Jackson driving down Stone St in his big flashy Merc. Needless to say the country is incredible, with sights abounding that remind you of the infamous trilogy. I will be here until late next year (if the money and jobs hold out).

As my life has changed the landscape of cinema seems to be moving at albeit a slower pace. With 3D being touted by Mark Kermode as a passing phase I honestly thought that would be the case too . . . however with many major films by some serious heavyweight directors being shot in 3D you can't help but wonder if its really going to stick around. One film to rule them all will of course be the Hobbit which is being filmed right now in 3D in ways that are completely new to the medium. 3D could be made or (heaven forbid) broken by the two Hobbit movies, the first won't see the light of day until November/December 2012. But with the likes of Martin Scorcese in full support of 3D could we be in the middle of a revolution. In my opinion I don't think there's any winning or losing to be had here . . . films will always be shot in the traditional way, just as IMAX has captivated the globe, 3D will remain, but it will never be pasted over everything, just like IMAX only caters to certain types of films. In fact had I been writing reviews this year you would have seen that for once 3D actually enhanced a cinematic experience for me. If anyone saw Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, you know what I mean. A completely mind numbing experience, maybe not quite as barf inducing as the last outing, but still nuttier than a nut cake. However having been shot in 3D and being a balls out action movie with some fantastic CGI effects, I couldn't help but marvel at the depth of the images and way the 3D pulled you in to the action. There is some colour loss still there is motion blur but in a film like Transformers it's not exactly a huge hindrance. For all the nay sayers I really believe that 3D has found its place in films that go out to wow audiences with visuals, it just has had teething problems with dreaded retro fitting, prime example being the morbidly bad Clash Of The Titans which wasn't filmed in 3D yet got kitted out with it in cinemas, ugggh! James Cameron, Martin Scorcese, Peter Jackson and George Lucas appear to have nothing but faith in the future of 3D, and as the reissues of their films coupled with the release of future projects are birthed to the world we will just have to hold the final judgement of 3D until then. I neither applaud nor denounce the take over of 3D but like every new technology (it doesn't even feel that new any more) its further development may result in great things.

There's obviously lots more going on in the world of cinema, the development of motion capture which has me anticipating the release of Tintin (a film made in NZ but not released until Christmas meanwhile back home they can go and see it now!!). The power of the reboot, with Spiderman and Superman both hoping to do what Chris Nolan did for Batman (we'd like to see them try). And the development of retail technology that is giving gifted individuals the power to realise their cinematic potential, case in point Monsters which although it wasn't on the whole amazing, is more than made up by the fact it was a debut film that cost bugger all to make and was made on an at home set up.

Apologies for the very general post, especially on the well versed subject of 3D, but there's my 2 cents on the whole thing anyway. I promise for a review in the near future, its been far too long since I did one but being in New Zealand and exploring the country has kept me out of cinema for the most part. For all those shocked and not knowing the Hobbit was being shot in 3D, take a gander at the link below.

Hobbit Production Diary No.4

The Town - Quick Review

So to save on time and effort I'm putting up a short review for The Town as I saw it recently and it just got a DVD release.

The Town follows Doug Macray who commits a number of bank robberies with his Charlestown crew and falls in love with a woman who they take hostage and let go in the first heist of the narrative. He wants to break free from Boston and start life a fresh with his new found love, but with a persistent FBI agent hot on his tail and a crew who won't let him go lightly, Doug has the odds stacked up against his fight for freedom.

So its a brilliant follow on from Gone Baby Gone even though its a very different style of film. The Bostonian setting is once again realistic and effective with the script written very much with the city in mind. There are so many little gems of Bostonian language that scatter the various scenes with humour and sharp dialogue. The cast is superb with Affleck leading as well as Directing and managing to hold it all together brilliantly. Kudos to Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker) who is unnerving and unpredictable as Dougs best friend and gang member James. This is also one of the last times we'll see Pete Postlethwaite perform since his recent passing, he is utterly brilliant and growls viciously as the Irish mob boss Fergus Colm. The drama is superb and really sets the tone of the film but is broken up with style by three superb heist scenes. Each better than the other with the final filling a lot of the third act and seeing tons of gun fire. The slick editing and shooting style, along with the way the gang orchestrate their plans really make the scenes memorable, and very much pivotal to the story. This is well written and entertaining drama coupled with sharp and exciting action. Ben Afflecks 'Heat' if you will.

I really recommend this for a night in, it will suit most tastes and is a film I would gladly revisit.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Click for trailer

BAFTA Show Down

So the BAFTA's have come and gone and the outcome is ridiculously predictable. The Kings Speech is amazingly acted, Social Network is perfectly scripted and directed and Inception looks and sounds amazing so you can probably tell who won what already. Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush all walked away with their acting nominations with Natalie Portman obviously winning best actress, if it went to anyone else it would be a sham. Sure enough Kings Speech won both the British film and overall film award (a little too much me thinks) but David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin got what they deserved winning best director and adapted screenplay for Social Network, a film I have now begun to laud over since getting a copy, its a supreme piece of work. Inception raked in the technical awards, a shame because I think it deserves more, but at least its been recognised. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo which was the first review I wrote on this blog took best foreign film totally deserved. My only real grievance was with best soundtrack, now its enough for a film to rake at the BAFTA's like Kings Speech, but the soundtrack although great doesn't stick in the memory nor have the impact that many of the others had. How To Train Your Dragon is a firm favourite of mine although no one can deny the impact of the Inception soundtrack, why either of these didn't get it is beyond me, I supposed it's justice enough for a nomination. Only one film was going to win best animation and rightly so Toy Story 3, one year there might actually be a case where the winner of this category might be hard to predict, but one can dream.  


Anyway the full list of winners is below, did they go the way you thought? who did you think was robbed? and is the Kings Speech reeeeally THAT good? Let me know. 


ORIGINAL MUSIC: Alexandre Desplat for The King's Speech

SHORT FILM: Until The River Runs Red

SHORT ANIMATION: The Eagleman Stag

SOUND: Inception

EDITING: The Social Network

MAKE UP & HAIR: Alice in Wonderland

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

COSTUME DESIGN: Colleen Atwood for Alice in Wonderland

PRODUCTION DESIGN: Inception

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS: Inception

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech

OUTSTANDING DEBUT: Chris Morris for Four Lions

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM: The King's Speech

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: David Seidler for The King's Speech

OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION: The Harry Potter Films

ANIMATED FILM: Toy Story 3

ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR: Tom Hardy

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Aaron Sorkin for The Social Network

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Roger Deakins for True Grit

DIRECTOR: David Fincher for The Social Network

LEADING ACTRESS: Natalie Portman for Black Swan

LEADING ACTOR: Colin Firth

BEST FILM: The King's Speech

FELLOWSHIP: Christopher Lee  

The Fighter - Review

I love this time of year as directors and actors bring out the big guns and create well formed character piece movies, but for the life of me I can't remember a time when a fight has been so close to call as the bout for best film. Having seen nearly all of them now with just True Grit to go, each contender save for Toy Story has a strong and detailed focus on a powerful central protagonist, there's no glossing over the detail, there’s raw realism to each one of them and The Fighter is a shining example of this trend. It is a sports movie and the structure is typical but with a central character that you genuinely route for as his fights are fought not just in the ring but in his life outside it. With the type of gritty realism that reminds you of Ben Affleck’s Gone Baby Gone, the setting paints a pretty grim picture of 1980's Lowell Massachusetts where drugs are rife and hard times are plain to see. The community of Lowell supports and idolises boxing and their local hero Dick Eklund who long ago destroyed his career thanks to drugs. His brother Micky who also fights has the chance to prove himself as a boxer but is held back by his families damaging motives and deluded dreams. He finds a way to break free and achieve his potential thanks to his new girlfriend and the support of his trainers, but not without consequences.

The drama here is electric, especially amongst the family where Micky who should be receiving all the support he can, is side lined by the damaging lives and habits of his brother and the rest of his family. With his mother as a manager Micky is at the behest of his family including his six grown female siblings who would all seek to gain from any success their brothers have. Confrontations and snappy dialogue come thick and fast when Micky’s girlfriend Charlene (played brilliantly by Amy Adams) is thrown into the mix. Mark Wahlberg puts in an understated but brilliant performance as Micky; in fact this is probably his finest work even though his character is overshadowed at first by Christian Bales off the hook performance as his brother Dicky. It comes as no surprise that Bale has received a supporting actor nomination at the Oscars as he behaves like and embodies the character he is playing, but Wahlberg is the same, his character is just more level headed. But it’s like with everything, you always remember the wild ones more and although Bale looks like he might steal it from him, Wahlberg shows that this is his film. And if you doubt that some of Bales performance may be over acting the film makers make a point of showing just thirty seconds of the real brothers in the credits, in that brief time it’s plain to see that both Bale and Wahlberg really knocked this one out of the park.

The way the sport is depicted and filmed is crucial to a movie like this and The Fighter makes the boxing feel very real by presenting it in a TV broadcast manner but with focused close-ups at crucial points. The fights are intoxicating and as more come the more you route for Micky to make it through. The hard work on display here is undeniable, long and medium shots give the actors little room to fake and Wahlberg clearly has put in the training to make the fights look real and intense. The drama of these fights and the clashes that Micky deals with in-between them make this a film that never loses pace; none of the scenes feel unnecessary. This is a brilliantly directed piece of work and David O Russell’s best work since Three Kings and once again it doesn't surprise me that he’s up for best director at the Oscars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this, the story is so wide in its appeal and to know this is based on truth is bitter sweet, I loved the characters and I was on the edge of my seat for the final fight earnestly routing for Micky, I haven’t had an experience like that in a sports movie for some time. As a lot of critics have already penned this is Rocky for a new generation.  Go see it.   

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Click for trailer

127 Hours - Review

So Danny Boyle tackles yet another genre, a real life fight for survival story with the tagline 'there is no force more powerful than the will to live'. It brings to mind one of my favourite films/documentaries 'Touching the Void', a true story about a man who has a climbing accident and through his own unstoppable determination manages to crawl for miles with a completely broken leg back to base camp. The story is endearing and powerful but it’s told in a documentary style with talking heads and superb dramatisations. Touching The Void is a triumph because it comes straight from the mouths of the people who actually went through it. 127 Hours is brave in taking a true story that is recent, can be well documented by the real Aron Ralston and instead dramatising it. With the story focusing solely on one person doing something daft, it's easy to see why this was given the feature film treatment, the film has one focus with James Franco playing the central role brilliantly, but for me it never reaches the heady heights of Touching the Voids honesty and compassion. A friend of mine watched an interview with Aron Ralston describing his escape before seeing the film and felt his experience at the cinema was enhanced due to this. After seeing the film for myself I couldn't help but feel that this kind of insight would have given the film more connection with the fact that this actually happened.

However this is not to say that 127 Hours is a bad film, far from it. To anyone not privy to the story of Aron Ralston this will be an inspiring and excruciating ride into a man’s psyche and his willingness to live. The performance and the way that it is captured through various experimental camera techniques are astonishing. It’s not a film for the faint of heart, when it was first shown people were given t-shirts shirts saying 'I kept my eyes open for all of 127 Hours' and in all fairness I did flinch a few times myself as Aron went about his escape. Even though the event that see's Aron free himself from his prison weighs heavily in the plot of the film, 127 Hours proves what The Kings Speech proved, that characters mean much more to the film than anything else. James Franco brings Aron Ralston to life and really goes hell for leather. He's totally believable as a free spirited and outgoing . . . tit, and as his characters pluckiness and foolishness is worn down by the struggle he's landed himself in and responds with a performance that doesn't feel forced or fake.

One of the main crux of the story are Arons flash backs and hallucinations that represent his thoughts, fears and dreams as he slowly deteriorates. For much of the film they help the audience to understand what is going through Arons head and why he eventually comes to this disturbing but inevitable conclusion. The images never spell their meaning but they don't have to as they ultimately serve in making Aron realise that his attitude and total lack of responsibility have lead him to this crack in the wilderness. It's a sour note especially one that paints the protagonist as a bit of an idiot, but this never becomes a sticking point in the enjoyment of the film. In fact it gives you better connection to the character, none of us are perfect, we all have our flaws and the best characters in movie history are flawed in their own unique way.  

To conclude 127 Hours is like nothing you've seen before, you've all seen survival movies and they do paint the same picture every time, not here. Like I say it’s not for the faint of heart, but for those who want to see real sacrifice and triumph in the face of impossible circumstances then this is what you’re after.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Click here for trailer

The King's Speech - Review

Widely acclaimed films can quite often be over hyped, leaving viewers who heard such praise to have overly high expectations. Needless to say The King's Speech is a superb film; however it is not a film of grand events but a focused struggle on one man’s affliction with his own voice.  The plot see’s King George VI (Colin Firth) fighting to cure his stammer in light of his recent Kingship and the outbreak of war. With the help of speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), the Kings ultimate goal is to be able to deliver his first broadcasted wartime speech to the nation.

The propulsion of this film is fuelled by some of the finest character acting I have seen in film coupled with a sharp, witty and well paced script. Now prepare for gushing, you’re likely to know who it’s about. Colin Firth puts in an astounding performance as King George VI, with searing attention to detail in his mannerisms and obviously his voice. There is a moment in the film where Lionel delves into the King's past; the way his character changes quickly as he reflects on various memories is like watching the seasons change. There’s such natural grace in his performance. Coupled with his ferocious outbursts and sense of humour, Firth just is King George just as Daniel Day Lewis is Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood, you never stop to realise it’s an act.

The supporting cast are equally impressive and it comes as no surprise that both Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush have been nominated for their supporting roles at the Oscars, a testament to how crucial they are to the film. It never fails to impress me when not only are the characters convincing but the settings also. The producers and crew have constructed a rich and realistic 1930’s London and impressive CGI extensions in outdoor scenes help bolster this realism. The cinematography does well to highlight these details by not invading the space of the characters and letting the audience take in the surroundings.

The appeal of the film isn’t too hard to pinpoint, it is a solid as a rock crowd pleaser, and at the heart there’s conflict as Logue digs into King George's past. Logue and Bertie (Georges nickname) are at polar opposites. The Royal family's personal matters are closely guarded and Logues approach is focused on being open, this creates such great friction between the two and results in moments of great drama and delightful humour. As Logue navigates a way to get Bertie to open up, he too deals with a few of his own insecurities; these moments are brief due to the focus on the King. The deeper meanings of the film are laid on thick with several scenes revolving around Logue and Bertie's children where kindness and encouragement are abundant, contrasted to other scenes involving relationships Bertie has with his father and brother, where expectations and demands are rife.

What I loved about this film is the way the story is treated, with it being inspired by real events it never loses pace which can be an all too common problem. Also it doesn’t have a Eureka moment, you know the one, where everything is solved and the final scenes are met with this cliché of ridiculous self confidence and the character changes.  The change in the character is mainly in his relationship with Logue, one that helps him with his problem, but also gives him something he’s never had before, a true and honest friend.

A huge contender in the Oscar run, will those nominations turn into wins? I have no doubt that a number of them will but one thing’s for certain, Colin Firth will be crowned Best Actor. Go see it now.  

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Click here for trailer     

The Oscar nominations are in . . . no surprises here

So as I collect my thoughts on 127 Hours and the Kings Speech the Oscar nominations are finally in and I can’t say that any of them are a surprise. In a year that has delivered some superb cinema it’s been clearly cut and dry as to which were going to be considered this year. With 12 nominations for The Kings Speech and 10 for a film I can’t wait to see, True Grit, you can sure as shit guess who’s up for best actor.  Jeff Bridges and Colin Firth are clearly the front runners here and although I haven’t seen True Grit, my moneys on Colin Firth taking it for his incredible performance as King George VI.

Best Actor Nominations
Javier Bardem – Biutiful
Jeff Bridges – True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network
Colin Firth – The King's Speech
James Franco – 127 Hours

Inception and Social Network both have 8 nominations; however Christopher Nolan hasn’t received recognition for his Directing talent amongst them. Right now I couldn’t pin a favourite for Direction as True Grit and The Fighter have not yet been released in the UK.

Best Director Nominations
David O. Russell – The Fighter
Tom Hooper – The King’s Speech
David Fincher – The Social Network
Joel And Ethan Coen – True Grit
Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan

The Fighter and 127 Hours have 6 nods with Black Swan, Winter's Bone and Toy Story 3 receiving 5. Black Swan obviously see’s Natalie Portman being nominated for her role as Best Actress and even without seeing half the film’s nominated it seems like a sure fire winner for her.

Best Actress Nominations
Natalie Portman  – Black Swan
Annette Bening  – The Kids Are All Right
Jennifer Lawrence  – Winter's Bone
Michelle Williams  – Blue Valentine
Nicole Kidman  – Rabbit Hole

It’s also surprising but not totally unwelcome to see The Kids Are Alright nominated for 4 Oscars, a film I enjoyed, but for its characters, rather than the plot. However it has been nominated for Best Picture and in all fairness it’s the lame runner amongst a pack of tremendous films including Toy Story 3, which is also nominated for Best Animated Film.  It boggles my mind as to which film deserves the accolade but a big part of me believes Nolan should receive recognition for proving smart films can be palatable to worldwide audiences with Inception.

Best Picture Nominations
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

The rest of the nominations include some real deserved runners with The Way Back up for Make Up which it should really win. It’s disappointing to not see Tron: Legacy recognised for its stunning visual effects. And to see Of Gods And Men ignored in Foreign Film seems weird as many people included Mark Kermode have raved about this film, I really can’t wait to see it. It is great however to see How To Train Your Dragon nominated in Animation and Score, a deserved nod. It’s really down to Social Network or Inception on the Score front, both were mesmerizing.  As for Supporting Actors/Actresses the lack of True Grit and The Fighter here in the UK yet stops me from pinning a favourite just now. Anyway here are the rest of the main nominations. Let me know who your favourites are, which ones you are stunned to see nominated/not nominated.

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams – The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter – The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo – The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit
Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale  – The Fighter
John Hawkes  – Winter's Bone
Jeremy Renner  – The Town
Geoffrey Rush  – The King's Speech
Mark Ruffalo  – The Kids Are All Right

Best Original Screenplay 
Another Year - Mike Leigh
The Fighter - Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, Keith Dorrington
Inception - Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right - Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
The King's Speech - David Seidler

Best Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours -  Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
The Social Network - Aaron Sorkin
Toy Story 3 - Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich
True Grit - Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Winter's Bone - Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Best Animated Film
Toy Story 3
The Illusionist
How To Train Your Dragon

Best Foreign Film
Biutiful (Mexico)
Dog Tooth (Greece)
In A Better World (Denmark)
Incendies (Canada)
Outside the Law (Algeria)

Best Score
How to Train Your Dragon – John Powell
Inception – Hans Zimmer
The King's Speech – Alexandre Desplat
127 Hours – A.R. Rahman
The Social Network – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Best Song
Coming Home from Country Strong – Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
I See the Light from Tangled – Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater
If I Rise from 127 Hours – Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong
We Belong Together from Toy Story 3 – Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Best Cinematography 
Black Swan – Matthew Libatique
Inception – Wally Pfister
The King's Speech – Danny Cohen
The Social Network – Jeff Cronenweth
True Grit – Roger Deakins

Best Costume Design 
Alice in Wonderland
I Am Love
The King's Speech
The Tempest
True Grit

Best Art Direction 
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
The King's Speech
True Grit

Best Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2

Best Sound Editing
Inception
Toy Story 3
Tron: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable

Best Sound Mixing 
Inception
The King's Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit

Best Documentary Feature 
Exit through the Gift Shop
Gasland
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waste Land

Best Editing
Black Swan
The Fighter
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network

Best Make-up 
Barney's Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman

Black Swan - Review

It's hard to collect my thoughts on Black Swan. When leaving the cinema with my friends none of us could shake the feeling of adrenaline coursing through our veins, so much so the first words uttered when we left were 'I could use a stiff drink'. Black Swan focuses on a ballerina Nina who lands the dual lead in Swan Lake, a role that requires her to play the innocent white swan and the sensual black swan. Her character and her state of mind change dramatically as she becomes her own worst enemy in her efforts to fit the role of the black swan.

Right here I'll tell you this is not for everyone, even if you enjoyed the companion piece The Wrestler, this approaches the psyche of Nina with so many visual metaphors and hallucinations that it becomes one hell of a mental affair, with the last 20 minutes being a rollercoaster of maniacal cinema. You never know what might be real or not, the characters are intense and the visuals are haunting, like a kind of nightmare. Thriller is a genre that is tossed around these days with no passing thought on what that really means. The Black Swan is full to the brim with such intense claustrophobic drama that almost every scene is weighted with tension and uncertainty, the very definition of what a thriller should be. It almost feels out of control, yet it is painstakingly composed and well structured.

This film references and owes a lot to many mad scientists of cinema. Imagine watching a film with David Lynch, David Cronenberg, Dario Argento as well as Darren Aronofsky at the helm and you might see where I'm coming from when I say that this film is 'intense'. That documentary feel that Aronofsky used so well in The Wrestler is pretty much copied and pasted here with the gritty look and a realistic, almost industrial feel to the world around the characters. The attention to detail on dancing as a profession is revealing and often cringe worthy as Nina practices daily rituals, cracks her toes, sustains injuries and modifies her shoes.
 

The ferocious plot is only made a reality thanks to the incredible acting by Natalie Portman who is sure to land an award or two for her powerful performance. The supporting cast are equally brilliant, especially Barbara Hershey, who plays Nina’s dominating mother with such ferocious guile it makes their scenes together chillingly unnerving. The haunting soundtrack by Clint Mansell intensifies the visuals; that focus so closely on the characters faces it’s almost like coming up for air when watching long shot dance scenes.

Aronofsky has created a film with such potent cinematic language that a viewer can wax lyrical on interpretations of what Nina’s hallucinations mean.  As you can probably tell I utterly applaud this film. It’s daring, original, haunting, sexy and intoxicating, a film I would gladly revisit. The ballet on show is astounding and the way it is captured and represented on screen is balletic in itself. It is not for everyone but if you are looking for a film that boils with drama and assaults your senses then this is the fix you need.    

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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Brooklyn's Finest - Review

A not so typical cop movie that focuses on the blurring of right and wrong. Three stories of three very different cops and how they face their overall challenges. They are all linked by life's huge moral issue, choice. All three are given a rough time, each having their own understanding of the world around them but all with goals to have their lives the way they want it. Not one of them is inherently bad but neither are they good, the film maker here is giving you a real understanding of why the characters do what they do. With issues of race, religion and greed and paths leading to redemption, just desserts and misguided vengeance, there's more than enough on offer to keep cinema goers involved.

A well directed and poiniant film that lays foundations for it's morals and direction from the very first shot. The first page of dialogue encompasses the dilemmas that our characters will face and leads on from there. Casting wise this is brilliant, Ethan Hawke, Richard Gere and Don Cheadle play the main protagonists and each have some stirring moments with Gere being particular excellent as a 'Bad Lieutenant' type character. There is no new ground broken in terms of the way its shot or how the film feels, its a cop movie and it is rather glorified in places, but it also hits on some stark realities too. Clearly the film maker wanted to bring some sense of realism to the proceedings but still maintain an exciting narrative with explosive events. The final act sparks off in a way you anticipate and ties a bow to well wrapped package that doesn't feel weak.

A good solid cop movie with some good performances, some neat and enjoyable writing and nice cinematography. Rent or buy it now, it's worth a look.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

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The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Review

I finally got around to watching this the other day, here's my verdict.

Detective movies rarely strike me as interesting, with a habit for under exploring characters, not filling out all of the plot holes or lacking a sense of realism. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is a fine example of a well structured and properly explored story with a real grasp on its characters, ones that are not just your run of the mill detectives with gimmicky tactics, rather real humans who suffer profound psychological effects from delving deep into the mind of a potential killer.

This lengthy film takes its time in developing its two central characters, but with good reason as both are starkly different yet they end up working together and in time become involved with one another. Lisabeth, the shining star of the film, is an icy and striking private investigator. She starts out the film gathering information on Mikael, a social campaigning journalist who is silenced by liable charges; he is given a chance to flex his detective skills in a murder mystery. Lisabeth becomes involved through her spying on him. Mikaels past is pretty cut and dry however Lisabeth, with her icy disposition, has deep psychological problems that stem from a chequered past. During the plot she becomes a victim of abuse, and this has a profound effect on her choices throughout the film.    

The murder mystery at first seems typical, but over time becomes intriguing with results that won't surprise you but will satisfy the pallet of most fans of cinema. It serves more as a back drop to the characters development, just as the mystery served as a back drop to Silence Of the Lambs. But just like Silence Of the Lambs the third act see's the mystery take to the fore and the result is explosive. The characters motives and decisions toward the end are already justified thanks to the groundwork done in the development earlier in the film. There are not many stones left unturned, however flash backs referring to Lisabeths past suggest there's much more to explore here.

The joy of this film is that, although fictionalised, it never really loses too much grip on reality. Sure the premise of the business centric family living on their own private island is pretty far fetched, but it works. The use of technology, which can be hideously over glorified and unrealistic in most films, is very real and you believe that the characters actually know what they're doing rather than just hitting keys magically hacking into things.

The camera work and the soundtrack are first rate, with locations and sound scape giving a real sense of foreboding, and it will be interesting to see if David Finchers remake can top what has already been made. The length is at first questionable in places, however by the end you know that without all the back story the actions and weight of them would not have as big an impact.

Needless to say many people rate this film, and for good reason. I enjoyed watching it, even if the outcome of the mystery is rather predictable. It's not for the faint of heart it's rough and real in places, especially the rape scene. I would gladly watch the next two films as the two main characters have definite room to explore.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

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The Way Back - Review

With such an immense journey to transfer over to a two hour piece of cinema the first problem is clearly condensing scenarios down to fit the plot. Some of this is done well here, but with such little time to invest in some interesting characters played by such brilliant talents, the film eventually suffers by having to skip through long periods of time in order to role in at a decent time. This makes the whole film seem like a paint by numbers affair, but when you're dealing with a 'true story' the events don't always result in a more heightened drama. One of the more colourful characters in the film is played by Colin Farrell who persistently represents a threat in the party and gives each event a sense of uncertainty, once his character abandons the party that sense of uncertainty disappears and makes the plot more about just getting through rather than worrying about each others psyche. 

In total three people make it through this epic journey and for the most part of the film these characters are given an even hand in the plot, but for some reason Weir seems more concerned with the plight of the main protagonist Janusz, rather than giving the other characters an ending to suit. All it would have taken were some titles to tell the audience what happened to each, yet for some reason any information is totally disclosed. When a large part of the emotional weight of this film is invested in the support cast and not just the main protagonist it seems ungratefully self serving to just focus on his journey, which although noble, is not the only story the audience is interested in the end.

This is not to say that the film is not enjoyable, it's a triumphant story of mans will to be free and to gain it at any cost. The production is brilliant with some awe inspiring landscape shots and incredible make up as the characters face the toils of the wilderness. The cast is stunning, it's just a shame that with so much to cram into a film no significant emotional weight is ever gained for any of the characters. There's a horrible sense of disconnection, but ultimately this is an entertaining film and one I did enjoy.

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

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Obligatory Top 5 of 2010

Evenin' all and welcome to my new cinematic inspired blog. I have been writing movie reviews on and off for over 5 years now and have mostly been confined to using Flixster and just telling friends what I thought of movies. But now I have my own personal space to share my thoughts about film. I'm aware there are thousands out there doing this, but I enjoy sharing with people what I think about a film, but even better I like hearing other opinions.

To give you an insight into what my taste is like I'm going to give you my Top 5 films of 2010. It was one hell of a year and I saw a good chunk of films but didn't get to see everything I wanted. I have a copy of Monsters waiting to be watched and I am about to get my hands on the much talked about Catfish so expect reviews for these to follow soon. . . . . so my top 5 of 2010 goes like this . . . 

. . . in 5th place - Buried
Ryan Reynolds buried alive in a box. I was stunned by this film, by its writing, Reynolds' acting and the tension that mounts throughout the plot, yet the whole film was confined to a box. Very entertaining and gripping, a cinematic experience I won't forget and it wasn't scared to deliver at the end.   

4th - Scott Pilgrim Vs The World
A superb mashing of video games, foolish attraction and raucous music in the pseudo reality of Toronto. Edgar Wright has perfected his style and painted it over a very original graphic novel. It's perfectly cast, the soundtrack is ballsy and original and the production has so many layers you'll pick up something new every re-watch.

3rd- Toy Story 3
Pixar finish up their first trilogy with a style and grace that is expected but is also a relief, other cgi animation franchises have a tendency do deliver weak and pointless revisits, but this felt like a necessary step, as if this is what the toys had been leading up to. Its goes without saying that the Toy Story trilogy is one of finest made as each one is comparable to the other.

2nd - A Single Man
A ferociously intoxicating movie delivered by someone who has a clear sense of cinematic language. It oozes cool, the story is gripping, the soundtrack superb and Colin Firth and the supporting cast are simply brilliant. All of this from a first time feature film Director, it astounds me, Tom Ford please make more movies.

1st - Inception
It comes as no surprise that in my opinion Inception rules the roost of 2010. Why? The simple fact that it takes an idea that is pretty complex and has managed to captivate a global audience. For once a main stream hollywood movie caters to all tastes. It's also a perfect example of how to make a brilliant action film. There are many set pieces in this film that have foundations built, for real, on set, with CGI laid over. Inception is a perfect example of how CGI should be used wisely, to enhance a shot and not to take complete precedent in it. The casting is superb and the soundtrack is menacingly epic. Nolan is the king of blockbuster action and he's bet on the right horse in terms of cinema technology; IMAX.

I look forward to the next year of movies and if you want to find out what I think of them and any other films I happen to watch then keep checking in here on my blog. Please comment and follow. Also let me know what your Top 5 films of 2010 were and if you agree or disagree with mine.