'The Little Mermaid'

Well it looks like Joe Wright is trying to make me fall in love with him?

After the 1, 2 double punch of 'Pride & Prejudice' and 'Atonement' (ignoring 'The Soloist' - although not half bad) he is making a teenage assassin movie called 'Hanna' due for release in 2011 (possibly 2010 if all goes well) and that same year he also has 'Indian Summer' with two actors I greatly admire.

Now it seem he is going ahead and adapting, based on the Little Angel Company production, the classic tale of 'The Little Mermaid'.
Now apparently this production was not based on the Disney film, but rather the original Hans Christian Anderson story which was much darker. How dark will he go is beyond me, but I kind of like the idea of going with the original version.

Because I am lazy and we are having a heat wave (even typing causes sweat) I will copy and past the original, and rather disturbing and bloody, version of the story from Wiki.

This has the potential to be amazing, depending on which was they go with it.

"The Little Mermaid lives in a utopian underwater kingdom with her father the sea king; her grandmother; and her six elder sisters, each born one year apart. When a mermaid turns 15, she is allowed to swim to the surface to watch the world above, and as the sisters become old enough, one of them visits the surface every year. As each of them returns, the Little Mermaid listens longingly to their various descriptions of the surface and of human beings.
When the Little Mermaid's turn comes, she ventures to the surface, sees a ship with a handsome prince, and falls in love with him from a distance. A great storm hits, and the Little Mermaid saves the prince from a near-drowning. She delivers him unconscious to the shore near a temple. Here she waits until a young girl from the temple finds him. The prince never sees the Little Mermaid.
The Little Mermaid asks her grandmother whether humans can live forever if they do not drown. The grandmother explains that humans have a much shorter lifespan than merfolk's 300 years, but that when mermaids die they turn to sea foam and cease to exist, while humans have an eternal soul that lives on in Heaven. The Little Mermaid, longing for the prince and an eternal soul, eventually visits the Sea Witch, who sells her a potion that gives her legs, in exchange for her tongue (as the Little Mermaid has the most intoxicating voice in the world). Drinking the potion will make her feel as if a sword is being passed through her, yet when she recovers she will have two beautiful legs, and will be able to dance like no human has ever danced before. However, it will constantly feel like she is walking on sharp swords, and her feet will bleed most terribly. In addition, she will only get a soul if the prince loves her and marries her, for then a part of his soul will flow into her. Otherwise, at dawn on the first day after he marries another woman, the Little Mermaid will die brokenhearted and disintegrate into sea foam.
The Little Mermaid drinks the potion and meets the prince, who is attracted to her beauty and grace even though she is mute. Most of all he likes to see her dance, and she dances for him despite her excruciating pain. When the prince's father orders his son to marry the neighboring king's daughter, the prince tells the Little Mermaid he will not, because he does not love the princess. He goes on to say he can only love the young woman from the temple, who he believes rescued him, but adds that the Little Mermaid is beginning to take the temple girl's place in his heart. It turns out that the princess is the temple girl, who had been sent to the temple to be educated. The prince loves her and the wedding is announced.

The prince and princess marry, and the Little Mermaid's heart breaks. She thinks of all that she has given up and of all the pain she has suffered. She despairs, thinking of the death that awaits her, but before dawn, her sisters bring her a knife that the Sea Witch has given them in exchange for their long hair. If the Little Mermaid slays the prince with the knife and lets his blood drip on her feet, she will become a mermaid again, all her suffering will end and she will live out her full life.
The Little Mermaid cannot bring herself to kill the sleeping prince lying with his bride and, as dawn breaks, throws herself into the sea. Her body dissolves into foam, but instead of ceasing to exist, she feels the warmth of the sun; she has turned into a spirit, a daughter of the air. The other daughters of the air tell her she has become like them because she strove with all her heart to gain an eternal soul. She will earn her own soul by doing good deeds, and she will eventually rise up into the kingdom of God."

Just Lovely

I love these pics. Colin and Julianne are captured brilliantly. Gabby just looks so cool, Saoirse is growing up to be such a beauty, Woody looks so damn hot, and Sandra looks, well (frizzeaze honey). And as for Daniel and Penelope - I am confused - I do not know which one I want to be.








View the entire set here

Here is the vid, where they talk about the best performances of the decade. Love Sandra for doing this with her fright do. She looks like a bewitched barley stick.

'The Lovely Bones' hits (misses)

So I take a much needed mental health break (drinking all weekend) and now I am back to bore you to death with my incessant droning.

So 'The Lovely Bones' has been seen and the over all opinion is the film is good, but not great.
Todd McCarthy of Variety says:

"Peter Jackson's infatuation with fancy visual effects mortally wounds "The Lovely Bones." Alice Sebold's cheerily melancholy bestseller, centered upon a 14-year-old girl who narrates the story from heaven after having been brutally murdered, provides almost ready-made bigscreen material. But Jackson undermines solid work from a good cast with show-offy celestial evocations that severely disrupt the emotional connections with the characters."

but he does have some good things to say about the film, especially for Saoirse Ronan performance:

"With reddish hair, brilliantly alive eyes and a seemingly irrepressible impulse for movement and activity, Ronan represents a heavenly creature indeed, a figure of surging, eager, anticipatory life cut off just as it is budding."

Surprisingly Tucci, who most have thought would be a front runner, did not get a rave from McCarthy.

Time magazine was less harsh, but still pointed to a few problems within the film:

"The plot has a few pitfalls. Jack, who fingers dozens of men as Susie's potential abductor, takes ages to notice the strange guy across the street. And Abigail departs and reappears with little organic reason. But the movie is packed with privileged moments..."

This seems to be a recurring theme. from reading the reviews at Variety and Time, then going over to AICN I read Harry Knowels swooning review, but you take him with a pinch of salt, he is always going to love Jackson. However his review seemed to lack his usual passion.
Screen Daily felt it was "exquisitely realised, sometimes frustratingly uneven."
Even Total Film doesn't sound overly excited, but does give the biggest thumbs up.

I think The Hollywood Reporter says what I feel will be what many others feel:

"This was never going to be an easy story to film. Using the same characters and many events, Jackson and his team tell a fundamentally different story. It's one that is not without its tension, humor and compelling details. But it's also a simpler, more button-pushing tale that misses the joy and heartbreak of the original."

With ten nominees the film could very well make it into the cut, but as it stands now, this is very very shaky. Perhaps Ronan and Tucci will make it, but its Oscar prospects have somewhat dipped.

'The Lovely Bones' trailer

Well here it is. To be honest I was hoping for something a little darker for the trailer. The book was so well liked, and Peter Jackson is such a respected director that I wonder why the decision was made to get so much into this.

From what I can tell it looks like Susan Sarandon gets the best trailer acting clips. I have a feeling this will end up being all about Saoirse Ronan and Stanley Tucci.

Will have to wait and see.



Go here for quicktime

"City of Ember" poster

I have been looking forward to this film ever since I found out Saoirse Ronan was cast. Then I read the book and thought it to be a wonderful intelligent adventure story, that played very well to my 30+ ideals, even though it is aimed at young adults.

The book (cover pictured) is about a city that has no natural light. All light comes from street lamps that flood the town in a yellow glow. Things begin to look bad when short blackouts start. No one can leave the city because all ideas of movable light and fire have been forgotten. When the food stores begin to empty two teenagers begin to worry and start thinking about a way out.

If you haven't read it, do so. It is a wonderful book, and the movie looks to be in safe hands, although the casting of Bill Murray as the sinister mayor puts me off. Firstly he is hardly a lead, and secondly I fear he will do his manic crazed performance style of earlier years.

Now that the poster has been unveiled I am even more worried.
It looks like it is trying to be a super hero movie with its modified internet explorer logo by was of the energizer bunny. It feels me with an uneasiness. I thought the book design was wonderful and perfectly captured the tone.

This looks...well...branded.

I cannot wait.

Here is a still from the new Saoirse Ronan movie "City of Ember".


If you have not read the book, I urge you to do so. It is meant for the teenage audience, but it seems to me that this is where incredibly rich and imaginative stories are coming from these days.
The premise of the book and supposedly the movie is centered around the City of Ember, the one known surviving settlement and "the only light in the dark world" that's slowly dying as supplies run low and the electrical system starts to fail.
Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, two 12-year-olds who watch as the light of Ember flickers and race to discover a way out. The story is brilliantly paced, with no real action to speak of, just a wonderfully told story about survival and the imagination of children.

If done correctly (and if director Gil Kenan has any of the magic left over from "Monster House") this will be a stunning movie and perhaps a surprise hit.

Trailer Park - Atonement Girls

Firstly Romola Garai in "Angel". This is the story of a young woman with incredible imagination who refuses to accept the world around her, and creates her own realities. At the moment it doesn't seem to be the thing to break her out, but then again it is just a trailer.



The Saoirse Ronan in "Death Defying Acts". This premise is while on a tour of Britain in 1926, Harry Houdini enters into a passionate affair with a psychic out to con the famous magician. The trailer does not do much to excite me, but I am curious to see how Saoirse follows "Atonement". (this has had release nightmares so do not expect very much at all)



And then this little trailer which for some reason looks like it could be a lovely little movie. "The Waiting Room"

MAFFE Awards 2008!! Supporting Actress

This year was littered with small performances that woke you up from otherwise dull movies.

The ladies in waiting are:

Ruby Dee - "American Gangster"

She woke you up. giving the film one of it's only honest moments.
A mother so disappointed in her son, she hits him. You can see her hurt in doing so. Masterful.


Samantha Morton - "Control" & "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"

The first was a wonderful study of a woman married and a mother far too soon. The second, she hits he character out of the park in less than 5 minutes. Makes you wish the film was about her.


Saoirse Ronan - "Atonement"

Knew when to hold back and when to emote. The way you could see her processing every moment was truly masterful.
Her devastation when she sees her crush with her sister is perfect.


Emmanuelle Seigner - "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"

As the ex wife she was able to be sexy, tragic and heart breaking.
When she has to convey the message on the phone to the other woman you feel her pain.


Tilda Swinton - "Michael Clayton"

Totally in over her head and not prepared at all for her job, and Tilda lets you know this from the get go.
Classic study of a sheep in wolfs clothing.


Tabu - "The Namesake"

She is the centre of the film. She is alone in her new world and Tabu conveys the shifts in her demeanor between America and India perfectly. She just wants to go home.

Best Supporting Actress Analysis.

This is the widest open race of the night. Any one of these women could walk away with the prize.
Who will it be?

Cate Blanchett

For her:
- The performance is highly praised by some.
- She is an Academy favourite.
- The Academy loves lazy voting and portraying real life people takes the thought away from performance appreciation (in short - Bio Pics rule when it comes to awards).
- Hollywood Glamour

Against her:
- She has a recent win.
- Double female nominees have not won in either category lately. (I think Holly Hunter was the last one)
- The film is a head scratcher for A LOT of people.
- She is not American. Most of the front runners in the other 3 acting categories are non-Americans. I do not think it will be a clean sweep for foreign actors. You may not think it, but the Oscars is a very American award ceremony.

Ruby Dee

For her:
- She is an un-rewarded legend.
- The Actors guild loved her enough to give her the award, and they are the largest voting block in the Academy. Besides those who saw her up on that SAG stage may have had their heart strings tugged.
- It is easier for a lot of people to vote for someone's career than a single performance.
- She is one of the most memorable things in a well regarded film (she gives you a jolt!)
- She is the only actor of colour nominated.
- She is American.

Against her:
- Her screen time is short (too short say some.)
- Until SAG she had no real traction.
- Atonement...does the Academy like to acknowledge past mistakes?

Saiorse Ronan

For her:
- This is, historically, the kindest category for younger actors.
- She is a stand out in her film, in a very difficult role which she pulls off.
- Her film is nominated for Best Picture.
- She was cast in Peter Jackson's sure to be epic "The Lovely Bones", her buzz as an actress is huge.

Against her:
- She was cast in "The Lovely Bones". If she is as good as we suspect, she may be back in the lead category in a few years and can wait until then.
- She had no traction coming into the race, aside from the Golden Globe nomination.
- Her character is unlikable.
- She is not American.

Amy Ryan

For her:
- The critics went ga ga over her performance, and she has won just about everything in site.
- Horrible mothers are a supporting actress arch-type role.
- She is a respected Broadway Actress.
- She uglified for the role, although how much impact it will have in not clear as she is largely an unknown.
- She is American

Against her:
- She lost the SAG and Golden Globe, there does not seem to be a large amount of support in the industry.
- Her film was not nominated elsewhere.
- Some (like me) were not impressed, and second viewings may highlight some performance problems.

Tilda Swinton

For her:
- She deserves it
- She is a well respected actress
- She has across the board support and a BAFTA win.
- She is in a film nominated for Best Picture.
- Every Best Picture nominee is likely to win at least one award. Here is more likely than a win in screenplay.

Against her:
- She is not American
- Her personal life and fashion sense may not win her any fans from a largely conservative Academy membership

Final thoughts: I think it is a three way race between Blanchett, Dee and Swinton. I am seriously expecting Ruby Dee to pull a Marcia Gay Harden and win the thing, although I can see a last minute surge for Swinton if those who love the film place all their votes in this category where a win is most likely.

Final result….I expect Ruby Dee to win for a wonderful and largely ignored career.

Keira, you will get yours.

So once again the Globes have been the only precursors to have chimed in to say "We loved your performance Keira!". Just like they did two years ago with "Pride and Prejudice". That did translate into Oscar love, but can "Atonement"?

Doubtful, which means I have to give a big overhaul to my charts....bugger!!! S.A.G. passed over the "Prejudice" performance, but the BFCA did not, and they have done so this year.......the bastards.

This awards race is shaping up to be very very boring, considering all my favourites are struggling to get nominations. Even my little Saoirse is looking to be in trouble. Why has "Atonement" not caught on like it should have?

Could it be that American audiences see this as being too foreign? Sure it is British, but not a comedy, not a Bond film, and not a Bio Pic of the famous so therefore it may as well be a 9 hour documentary on ants.

So dear Keira....perhaps next year you will impress with "The Duchess" (not the Bio Pic of a certain over rated and undertalented member of The Black Eyed Peas - Seriously...the girl looks like syphilis on a stick)

The film is a chronicle of the life of 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, duchess of Devonshire, an ancestor of Princess Diana who was alternately celebrated and reviled for her extravagant political and personal lives. Let's hope Ms. Knightly takes what she has learned from Joe Wright and translates into a blockbuster performance.

There is The Trailer

The problem with the front runner.

Remember last year, when "Dreamgirls" was considered the winner of Best Picture back in May '06? Well apparently the critics did not agree and the Academy followed suit.

Such an early front runner status can really harm a film, especially (in the case of "Dreamgirls") when the film is not that good to begin with. The hype for that film only carried Jennifer Hudson to a win, and that had a lot to do with her American Idol back story and her genuine humbleness in public.

This year the film that was considered the winner back in August was "Atonement". The main difference between that and "Dreamgirls" was that "Atonement" is actually a brilliant film (IMHO) and deserves a shat at the gold. However it being declared a frontrunner so early on had probably cost it a few critics awards, even runner up mentions.

This is most apparent in the critic awards for Best Supporting Actress......no mention of Saoirse Ronan at all...even in runner up. I know there are a few of you out there who consider her performance heads and tails above Amy Ryan, but she had nary a mention. In fact only the Golden Globes have bought this film rearing back to life. It seemed that up till now, the precursors were wanting to stray so far from the Oscars that they were purposely nominating films like "There Will Be Blood" because they knew the Academy were not likely to warm to it, making their choice seem more important.


Perhaps next year we should all just talk about potential nominees, and not mention possible winners until the actual nominations are announced. All bloggers should write about the films that have the most traction, and get the best reviews. Single out praised performances, but don't crown them the winner until much later into the race. This way, if an amazing film comes out early...we can perhaps save it.

This brings me onto "Zodiac". Now, I know "There Will Be Blood" is shocking and 'important' and "No Country for Old Men" is shocking and brilliant, but dear critics....how the f*ck could you forget David Fincher's brilliant film????
That is shocking on so many levels, considering how it has made almost EVERY top ten list. You dear critics should have picked your films to praise more carefully. If you wanted to differentiate your picks from the Academy so much, you should have gone with "Zodiac"....perhaps then it might have received at least one award.

I mean it only came out in May.......Please do not tell me you are getting all
I am not knocking "There Will Be Blood" at all, I have not seem it. I was just so surprised with the lack of mention of "Atonement". Perhaps some of my fellow bloggers were right....the film was just far too British for alot of critics. I am sure the Merchant Ivory films would disagree.

The Best Supporting Actress Race

Some 2007 Acting clips

Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent in "Away From Her"



Keira Knightly and James McAvoy in "Atonement"



Keira Knightly, James McAvoy and Saiorse Ronan in "Atonement"

Best Supporting Actress Predictions

Swinton, Ryan, and Blanchett are in. AS with Ronan, MacDonald, Dee, Keener and Redgrave, well simply I played eeny meeny miney mo and this was the outcome.

The Top Five

1 - Amy Ryan is getting best in show notices for the Ben Affleck directed "Gone Baby Gone". A fresh face is always welcome, and added to this she has just about won EVERYTHING. Apparently it is not an amazing performance, but she will be nominated, and could even win.

2 - Cate Blanchett plays Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There” and the gimmick may pay off. She is the main female in a film that will surely have alot of love, but strangely she has lost out on ALOT of precursors to Ryan. Could the ole Blanchett magic be wearing off?

3 - ”Michael Clayton” is very male centric. But Tilda Swinton walks away with one of the best performances. This and the precuror attention she has gotten should be enough to get her a nomination. She is respected and considered due for at least a nomination.

4 - Ruby Dee has a small role in "American Gangster" but she is said to be the voice of reason and has a big ole scene that may get the Academy's attention. She has been around for ages and is thought of highly within Hollywood circles, enough that they could nominate.

5 - Saoirse Ronan has just been cast in “The Lovely Bones” which means the girl has the goods to pull off a complex character. Without her performance the entire film would fail. Strangely she is not getting the precursors she needs. I think the Academy will rectify that.


The Next Five


6 - Catherine Keener seems to always be popping up at the Oscars. She has been singled out by both the BFCA and SAG for her performance in "Into The Wild" and this could easily see her slip in. She is obviously well respected, but this category is ripe for upsets.

7 - Only some one as brilliant as Vanessa Redgrave could have pulled off the ending to "Atonement". She gets the biggest emotional payoff and this could very well see her make it into the top 5. She is not as much as a lock as Saoirse is, but she would not be considered a long shot either.

8 - ”No Country for Old Men” may be all about the men, but early reviews suggest that Kelly MacDonald is just as good. Judging by the films RAVES, she could get swept up if the film takes off with the Academy. Plus Scottish girl doing a Texan accent - worth an award in itself!

9 - Jennifer Jason Leigh has been ignored by the Academy for a very long time now. It looks as though she will finally be on the short list with “Margot at the Wedding”. People think she is well over due but she has nothing to show in way of precursors.

10 - Marisa Tomei has been a Oscar joke for years!!! "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" has been getting great reviews all around for the cast, and she is no exception. In such a weak year for actresses, this could be the type of role needed to send her into the top five. No precursors though

Mini Review - Atonement

I have just come from the cinema.
I have just seen “Atonement”
I am glad that I had a 30 minute walk home to recoup. Otherwise I was going to be bursting into tears.

I will keep this short.

Joe Wright has made a stunning movie. Stunning in story, stunning in execution and stunning in detail. Those who read movie blogs know enough about this film, so I needn’t go into the plot.
Two lives are devastated by a child and the lie she tells.

The look and feel of this film is perfect. Every detail is captured and bought to life, not in reality, but as memory. This is what I would picture in my head as I am reading it. The sun being brighter, people being more beautiful, colour vividly dancing across the screen.
The director of photography, Seamus McGarvey, deserves all the awards he has coming. The world he paints is both glorious and wretched. Every frame could be hung on your wall as art.
Likewise for Dario Marianelli for his ingenious use of score, using the typewriter, the thumping on a car bonnet, the stomping of feet to creat percussion that builds mounting tension to the beautiful score.

As for the cast.
Well…..
There are few words.
Should James McAvoy not get an Oscar nomination…well I will just loose faith. What he does here is beautiful work. His Robbie Turner will charm the knickers off you before breaking your heart.
Keira Knightley proves once again that she is a wonderful actress. She fills Cecillia with enough hard nose snobbishness that you begin to hate before she shows the flicker of tenderness that allows her to unravel. Her scene with McAvoy when they meet years later is full of pent up rage, love, passion and sorrow. Knightley expertly conveys every emotion on her beautiful face. Hers is not a showy role but long after the movie is over, it is her face you see.

The Briony’s were all excellent, but special attention should be given to Saoirse Ronan. Not since Anna Paquin in “The Piano” has a child on screen been so believably manipulative and yet naïve. Her Briony is full of entitlement and self-importance. Her over active imagination and need for childish revenge drives her to do an awful thing and Ronan plays it perfectly.

There is nothing more I can say about this film than go and see it. Treat yourself to one of the best films of the year.
A-

Trailer Park

A second and better look at “Eastern Promises” by David Cronenberg, with Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, and Armin Mueller-Stahl. This looks like is could be an Actors showcase, especially for Mueller-Stahl and Mortensen (women usually do not fare as well in this genre – sorry Naomi). The thing that gets me excited is seeing a naked and tattooed Viggo in a fight. That will be worth sitting through any gruesome killings for.
Movie Box has also added loads of film clips to wet your appetite

The “Atonement” sight has loads of film clips for you to watch. The best are ‘Briony’s Play’ to get a taste of the wonderful Saoirse in action. Kiera and James prove themselves captivating in ‘Letter Writing’. Watch the site as there are more to come!!!

Another horror remake comes with “One Missed Call”. The trailers always look to be effective, but you know the end result will not be impressive.

“Lions for Lambs” is desperately trying to make this look good. But the trailer does nothing for my interest……most likely because the gay scientologist midget is in it. Also Redford looks a little bit plastic.

And finally the new Cate Blanchette gimmick gets a brand new film clip.

The Venice Film Festival

What we have learned from Venice thus far:

“Atonement” will be a BIG awards contender, not only for Best Picture and Best Director (Joe Wright) but also for Best Actor (James McAvoy), Best Actress (Keira Knightly) and Best Supporting Actress (Saoirse Ronan) along will loads of writing/technical/music awards.

“Michael Clayton” may have a chance with Best Actor (George Clooney), Best Supporting Actor (Tom Wilkenson) and screenplay awards.

Ang Lee’s has sadly not impressed many with “Lust, Caution”.

“In the Valley of Elah” is getting very mixed notices, raging from raves to yawns. However one name keeps coming up with excellent notices. “Tommy Lee Jones” looks to be getting Best Actor notice for this. (Let’s hope we do not have another Paul Haggis love fest!!)

Atonement Review

I am pissing myself with excitement now at this. Empire has reviewed it and they completely RAVED it up and down. Most notably is this part of the review.

”if McAvoy impresses once again, it’s Knightley who finally stakes her claim in a grown-up part. Those cut-glass tones are exactly posh enough to fit Cecilia, a more brittle role than the feisty grrrrls she’s played before and one more suited to her delicate beauty. She might want to specify that Wright direct every film she makes in the future.

Romola Garai gets the more difficult role, a character who lives an almost entirely internal life. She does a fine job, but frankly she’s eclipsed by Saoirse Ronan as her 13 year-old self.”

Looks likely we may have another young supporting actress nominee. Great news for Peter Jackson’s reputation.
Read this great review of Atonement.

You can also check out another review here which is not as glowing, but still strong saying:

”And what fine actresses they are! Knightley is again in top shape, showing that her Oscar nomination for Pride & Prejudice was no accident, …. She has not a whole lot of material to work with but fills the screen with a magnetic presence (reminiscent of the Hollywood stars of the 1940s and 1950s) that nevertheless leaves her enough room to simply be the character. Saoirse Ronan is equally impressive as the young Briony….
....But the real revelation of Atonement is James McAvoy, whose Robbie is so convincing that it is no wonder that Cee doesn’t care he is not from the same class as she is. His natural charm and utterly honest demeanour are a wonder to behold and are especially noteworthy in the film’s single best scene, in which Robbie and Cee meet again for the first time after his imprisonment, in a noisy canteen somewhere in wartime London. Neither of them speaks much, but the way McAvoy and Knightley play the crude, untold emotions of this long awaited and much dreamt about encounter is simply heartbreaking.”

And that should pretty much seal it's Oscars fate.