Mini Review - 'A Single Man'

Loosing someone is one of the hardest things to go through. It is especially hard if it is a partner because you and that person only know your connection. It is a singular connection (unless children are involved) and when that is broken, you are in for a whole heap of pain.

For George (Colin Firth), when his partner of 16 years dies, he is left along with his grief. His family is overseas, and his one friend Charlie (a wonderfully sloshed Julianne Moore) has held a torch for him ever since they went out as teenagers in London.
They are much older now and in L.A.. Without his beloved Jim, George is truly alone with his grief, and it is overwhelming him. Small objects and smell spark memories that only fuel his agony. He is at the point of suicide and we spend a day with him as he makes his preparations.

Tom Ford directs with such sensitivity and style that you wonder just how personal this adaptation of Christopher Isherwoods' novel is to him.
The slow flashes of saturation as George interacts with people and begins are a wonderful visual touch to represent him feeling slightly alive again, before memory plunges him back into his grey despair.

The entire cast is wonderful. Julianne Moore is fun as Charlie, even if her accent is regionally all over the place. Nicolas Hoult and Matthew Goode are effective and beautiful to look at while Jon Kortajarena is drop dead stunning.

However the film belongs to Colin Firth in what is a perfect study of repressed grief, and the guilt of lust. He is note perfect, in one of the most beautiful films of the year.

Grade - A-

Loosing someone is one of the hardest things to go through. It is especially hard if it is a partner because you and that person only know your connection. It is a singular connection (unless children are involved) and when that is broken, you are in for a whole heap of pain.

For George (Colin Firth), when his partner of 16 years dies, he is left along with his grief. His family is overseas, and his one friend Charlie (a wonderfully sloshed Julianne Moore) has held a torch for him ever since they went out as teenagers in London.
They are much older now and in L.A.. Without his beloved Jim, George is truly alone with his grief, and it is overwhelming him. Small objects and smell spark memories that only fuel his agony. He is at the point of suicide and we spend a day with him as he makes his preparations.

Tom Ford directs with such sensitivity and style that you wonder just how personal this adaptation of Christopher Isherwoods' novel is to him.
The slow flashes of saturation as George interacts with people and begins are a wonderful visual touch to represent him feeling slightly alive again, before memory plunges him back into his grey despair.

The entire cast is wonderful. Julianne Moore is fun as Charlie, even if her accent is regionally all over the place. Nicolas Hoult and Matthew Goode are effective and beautiful to look at while Jon Kortajarena is drop dead stunning.

However the film belongs to Colin Firth in what is a perfect study of repressed grief, and the guilt of lust. He is note perfect, in one of the most beautiful films of the year.

Grade - A-

BAFTAS

A few thoughts on last nights BAFTA awards.

Jonathan Ross was EMBARRASSINGLY bad as host. Not funny, not witty and not clever. The horrid silence after each joke was almost enough to make me turn off. I seriously sat there with my fingers in my ears going "LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA" until I saw him leave the stage.

Sad Mo'Nique was a no show, but the lady is a busy bee with her talk show so I understand.

Saoirse Ronan is bloody stunning - she is growing up to be a real looker.
On the same note Kate Winslet looked fantastic. I guess finally winning the Oscar has helped her loosen up on the red carpet. All flowy and natural looking.

Again Jonathan Ross was horrendous - I mean, I swear I could hear the rain outside after his jokes, it was that quiet.

I am feeling really sorry for Gabourey Sidibe. I would hate having to go to all these award ceremonies and constantly hear other peoples names being called out, when you are arguably just as good, if not better than those names being called - frustrating. They really need to change the award name to 'Favourite Actress' and cut the 'Best Performance by an......" bull shit. Call it what it is.

Vanessa Redgrave overflows with grace and humour. I want to go to a tea party with her and Uma.

Carey Mulligan was a lovely winner, and she looked the best she ever have on the awards circuit.
The hair was lovely, the make up perfect, and the dress was just jaw droppingly lovely - one of the few times this awards season where I was taken aback.
I love a girl who can pull off pattern.

It was very nice to see someone else win something, just a shame it wasn't Gabby, but knowing those two are friends makes me fell pretty sure that Carey let Gabby hold it.

I really want Colin Firth to win the Oscar.

Most presenters and winners were 10 times as funny as the host. The Foreign language winner was a pure highlight.

I like Kristen Stewart, even thought she looks like she needs a good wash. She seemed genuinely embarrassed to have won the Rising Star award, considering her fellow nominees were much more deserving. She knew it, we knew it, the room knew it. Too bad the Academy opened that award up to public voting. It ensured 20 million 'Twilight' fans bombarded the voting system.
I voted for Tahar Rahim and the boyfriend voted for Carey Mulligan.

'The Hurt Locker' was an excellent film, but really this is overkill. All those awards. I agree with Director and to an extent Picture, but the rest of those awards are silly. It was like the BAFTAs were purposely being anti Avatar, and in doing so took away some awards from other nominees (I refuse to believe 'The Hurt Locker' was a better achievement in screen writing than 'Inglourious Basterds' was.

'District 9' went home empty handed. Boo. As mush as I loved 'Avatar' what 'D9' in terms of budget available was jaw dropping. A shame budget never comes into it.

Jonathan Ross was terrible.

Full list of winners here:

Best Picture – The Hurt Locker
Best Actress – Carey Mulligan, An Education
Best Actor – Colin Firth, A Single Man
Best Director -Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
Film not in the English Language – Un Prophete
Animated Film – Up
Adapted Screenplay – Jason Reitman & Sheldon Turner for Up In The Air
Orange Rising Star Award – Kristen Stewart
Production Design: Rick Carter, Robert Stromberg & Kim Sinclair for Avatar
Original Screenplay: Mark Boal for The Hurt Locker
Outstanding British Film: Fish Tank
Supporting Actress: Mo’nique, Precious (Based On The Novel Push By Sapphire)
Makeup and Hair: Jenny Shircore for The Young Victoria
Costume Design: Sandy Powell for The Young Victoria
Supporting Actor – Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds
Visual Effects – Avatar
Cinematography – Barry Ackroyd for The Hurt Locker
Editing – The Hurt Locker
Sound – The Hurt Locker
Music – Michael Giacchino for Up
Outstanding British Debut: Duncan Jones for Moon
Short Film – I Do Air
Short Animation – Mother Of Many

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.

Heartbeats x 2

I am totally loving, and can't stop listening to, two very different versions of the same song.

First this is the orginal, by Swedish electronic band The Knife.



Second, this sexily chilled out version by Swedish born José Gonzaléz.



Who does it better?

Mini Review - 'Crazy Heart'

Gosh, I really do not know how to review this as it left me with an over all felling of 'Meh'.
A country music artist suffering from substance abuse which affects the woman in his life - have so heard that song before, so many times that I just really wanted to zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
What stopped me is Jeff Bridges, who is of course wonderful in a role he could have done in his sleep.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is just wasted, and brings nothing particularly special to her character. Her Oscar nom is obviously an apology for her performances in 'Sherry Baby', 'Happy Endings', and 'Secretary'.

Overall not nearly as good as the lead song 'The Weary Kind' would make us think.

Grade - C

Oh how I miss them

Mini Review - 'Un Prophète

I am not a fan of prison films (unless there is loads of homo erotic tension a la 'Oz'). The whole idea of it scares and annoys me. Crimes get committed inside by inmates which are even worse for what they are sentenced for.
Such is the case in Jacques Audiards' hypnotic and socially conscious film.
Malik is sentenced to 6 years for attacking a cop. He is only 19 years old and is relatively naive when it comes to surviving in the prison system. He is confrontational, angry and protective but when the local don comes to him with a proposition that he will have to accept in order to survive, he beings his slippery slope into a criminal world he may have not entered into.

The film is tough to watch, and extremely suspenseful and helmer Audiard keeps the tension going all the while making some extremely well thought out social observations about racism, class and what makes a criminal.

The film is carried my new comer Tahar Rahmin like an old pro. His spiral into becoming a criminal mastermind is riveting to watch and Rahmin manages to inflect such subtle emotions that you never forget the kid he still is. Even while the film drags a little in places he is front and centre capturing your attention throughout.

Probably not a film I will watch again, but definitely one I will never forget.

Grade - B+

2010 Actresses

Last year there was a little film that some bloggers were hoping would see the return of Emily Watson to the Oscar stage, since Watson has been rather quiet of late. The film 'Within the Whirlwind' never saw a release last year of course making her ineligible for Awards consideration.

Well it has now been seen, and despite the rather twee title, Variety confirms our suspicions. Watson is terrific:

"If Gorris never quite liberates her narrative from its biopic-driven adherence to a single, heroic p.o.v., Emily Watson's stunning, all-consuming perf sweeps all before it in a virtuoso interpretation of courage under fire."

As we saw with Tilda swinton in 'Julia' rave reviews do not mean awards attention, however given the subject matter and Watsons character (victim surviving against the odds) could see more attention that Switons self destructive boozer did.

'Heartless' Trailer

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, intriguing.

"The Oscar will open to you like a magnificent vagina."

Sadly Rosemary Harris could only muster a feeble 6% for her performance in 'Tom & Viv'.

Likewise, future Oscar winner Helen Mirren was only able to get 11% for 'The Madness of King George'

In a tie for second place are two actresses who I always hope will have more great roles then they currently do. Uma Thurman for 'Pulp Fiction' and the delightful Jennifer Tilly in 'Bullets over Broadway' with 22%. Still not enough to oust the winner and Tilly's co-star.

So it is no Surprise that Dianne Wiest won this poll with 39% of the vote, I mean of course, Helen Sinclair won the poll, and she is the Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress in 1994, and everyone loves her in this.

Let is celebrate two time Oscar winner Wiest, and wish her a plethora of juicy supporting role yet to come. Still this role is by far her most quotable.

"She's perky all right. She makes you want to sneak up behind her with a pillow and suffocate her."

"Please forgive me. My pedicurist had a stroke. She fell forward onto the orange stick and plunged it into my toe. It required bandaging."

"I'm still a star. I never play frumps or virgins."

Now lets look to 1995. The Nominees were:


Susan Sarandon - 'Dead Man Walking'
Elisabeth Shue - 'Leaving Las Vegas'
Sharon Stone - 'Casino'
Meryl Streep - 'The Bridges of Madison County'
Emma Thompson - 'Sense and Sensibility'

Oringinal Song

And the vocally vocal nominees are:

“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman


“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman


“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas


“Take It All” from “Nine” Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston


“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

PLEASE!

Love it. She really would make a fantastic winner, such a shame they hardly ever reward individual performance anymore. I say when Bullock is deserving for a single performance....give it to her. She has it in her, she was (IMHO) the best thing in 'Crash'.

However this totally brightened my day. Can you imagine.

Original Score

And the mood setting nominees are:

“Avatar” James Horner




“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat




“The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders




“Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer




“Up” Michael Giacchino

Now - VOTE!!!

Oscar - The Snubbed, but Oh So Deserving Performances

Dr. Bloom

Orlando Bloom has been a little quiet of late, especially since he burst on the scene wearing pointy ears and shooting arrows in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Well now he has a few films coming out this year 'The Cross', 'Main Street', Sindance film 'Sympathy for Delicious' and now he has been cast in 'The Good Doctor' where he plays a Doctor medicating a girl to keep him in the hospital to boost his self esteem. Sounds creepy and a bit of a stretch for the actor used to playing nice guys or hero's.

Also cast is Michael Pena, Troy Garity, Courtney Ford, Taraji P. Henson, Rob Morrow and the great JK Simmons. Most exciting is the films writer. John Enbom who is most famous for writing the wonderful series 'Veronica Mars' which could give a clue to the Hitchcockian leaning of the film.

Mini Review - 'Invictus'

"Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

That is the poem 'Invictus' by William Ernest Henley, which inspired Nelson Mandela to keep going after being imprisoned for 27 years. A lovely poem that does inspire, sadly a little more than the film it is named after.
Clint Eastwood directs the story of newly appointed President Mandela, trying to unite the black and white South Africans through the game of rugby, with respect if not restraint for the sentimental.
Morgan Freeman does a good job, but never really does more than give a good impression, instead the actor brings his usual gravitas to the performance, which is enough to create the emotional impact needed.
Matt Damon is not given a lot to do, but his accent is good.
The most interesting part of the story is the relationship between the black and white security guards, which should have been explored a little more as it was an interesting look at a country facing a new era.
This was a strong effort for Eastwood, but still have nothing new to say, and did not explore the complexities of the post Apartheid era enough to resonate.

Grade - B-