Ben Lamb's Film Reviews

The 82nd Academy Awards 2010

2010-03-25T07:50:00.000-07:00

In a stark contrast to Hugh Jackman's glitzy song and dance number of 2009, this year the academy decided to strip down the ceremony into its traditional light hearted comedic fair. Partially due to the worldwide recession and the fact academy members weren't expecting a great deal of viewers, the Board of Governors must have been surprised to find that 41.3 million people did in fact tune in, which is the biggest audience they have had in the last five years and is a 5.1 million increase on last year. It seems their spending spree on last year's ceremony has paid off as people have returned to the Oscars, leaving 2008's all time low of 32 million a thing of the past.

A major contributing factor to this year's viewing figures was the sudden hype in the media surrounding The Hurt Locker as favourite to win best picture. People the world over tuned in to see David pitted against the all mighty Avatar Goliath. Unfortunately to present this potentially historic occasion the Academy chose the unlikely pairing of comedian Steve Martin, who has not been funny since the 90s, and actor Alec Baldwin, who now appears in such classics as It's Complicated:

As you can see from this clip, most of the jokes fell flat on their face, often facing long pauses before some laughter and applause could pathetically gather together. Aside from the occasional gem such as Steven Martin's quip that 'Gabourey and I have something in common, in our first movies we were both born a poor black child', the presenting was unforgettable and tedious, summed up by this bizarre and unfunny performance by Ben Stiller for best make-up:

But presenting aside; the quality of films on offer and the rivalry between the divorced James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow provided yet another classic awards ceremony.

One aspect which stood out in particular was the Academy's horror film tribute, which means for the first time in their history they have officially accepted this genre for having artistic worth:

Here is the list of winners in full with my wrong predictions highlighted in red, actual winners in green, with a short critique underneath:

Best actor in a leading role
* Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart
* George Clooney in Up in the Air
* Colin Firth in A Single Man
* Morgan Freeman in Invictus
* Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker

In a career spanning over 50 years, nothing is sweeter than seeing 'The Dude' finally get the recognition he deserves.

Best actor in a supporting role
* Matt Damon in Invictus
* Woody Harrelson in The Messenger
* Christopher Plummer in The Last Station
* Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
* Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds

The best thing about Quentin's film had his name written all over this award.

Best actress in a leading role
* Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side
* Helen Mirren in The Last Station
* Carey Mulligan in An Education
* Gabourey Sidibe in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
* Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia

I always predict this award incorrectly by predicting an outside win. Always go with the favourite, especially when it comes to the best actress category would be my lesson here:

Sandra gave the most compassionate speech of the night by recognising the achievements of her fellow nominees. Kathryn may have been looking to make history by being the first woman in history to win a best director Oscar, but Sandra is the only person to have won an Oscar and a Razzie in the same year:

When Halle Berry accepted her Razzie she understood Catwoman was a dreadful film and subsequently fired her agent. The tragedy here is that All About Steve was produced by Bullock and even though she was a good enough sport to personally accept the award, she still appeared to be under the false impression that it was still a good film and was keen to promote it.

Best actress in a supporting role
* Penélope Cruz in Nine
* Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air
* Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart
* Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
* Mo’Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

Comedies may not win many Oscars, but comedians themselves can often turn out to be fantastic actors as proven here.

Best animated feature film of the year
*Coraline (Focus Features) Henry Selick
*Fantastic Mr. Fox (20th Century Fox) Wes Anderson
*The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney) John Musker and Ron Clements
*The Secret of Kells (GKIDS) Tomm Moore
*Up (Walt Disney) Pete Docter

There was never any doubt that Up was going to win this award as it was a cut above all the other films nominated and was even nominated for best picture.

Best in art direction:
*Avatar (20th Century Fox) Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg. Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
*The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Sony Pictures Classics) Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro. Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
*Nine (The Weinstein Company) Art Direction: John Myhre. Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
*Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood. Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
*The Young Victoria (Apparition) Art Direction: Patrice Vermette. Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Best in cinematography:
*Avatar (20th Century Fox) Mauro Fiore
*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Warner Bros.) Bruno Delbonnel
*The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment) Barry Ackroyd
*Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company) Robert Richardson
*The White Ribbon (Sony Pictures Classics) Christian Berger

Avatar was always going to win awards for its visual spectacle.

Best in costume design:
*Bright Star (Apparition) Janet Patterson
*Coco before Chanel (Sony Pictures Classics) Catherine Leterrier
*The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Sony Pictures Classics) Monique Prudhomme
*Nine (The Weinstein Company) Colleen Atwood
*The Young Victoria (Apparition) Sandy Powell

Every year a British costume drama wins this award making it the least interesting category in the whole ceremony.

Best Director:
*Avatar (20th Century Fox) James Cameron
*The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment) Kathryn Bigelow
*Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company) Quentin Tarantino
*Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (Lionsgate) Lee Daniels
*Up in the Air (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Jason Reitman

Huzzah! It has taken the Academy 82 years but at last they have caught up with contemporary society to treat women as equals. Although to give the academy credit, it is as much a fault of the male dominated industry itself. The Academy may have never awarded a best director gong to a woman, but there has never been a great number of female directors in relation to men. Hopefully this win will inspire potential female directors and initiate some long needed change in the industry.

Best documentary feature:
*Burma VJ (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
*The Cove (Roadside Attractions)
*Food, Inc. (Magnolia Pictures)
*The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
*Which Way Home (A Mr. Mudd Production)

An insightful documentary on the poorly treated dolphins in Japan is something that needs to be seen.

Best documentary short subject:
*China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
*The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
*The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
*Music by Prudence
*Rabbit à la Berlin

Best in film editing:
*Avatar (20th Century Fox) Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
*District 9 (Sony Pictures Releasing) Julian Clarke
*The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment) Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
*Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company) Sally Menke
*Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (Lionsgate) Joe Klotz

Best foreign language film of the year:
*Ajami: Israel
*El Secreto de Sus Ojos (The Secret in their Eyes): Argentina
* La Teta Asustada (The Milk of Sorrow): Peru
*Un Prophète (A Prophet): France
* Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon): Germany

Every year the favourite to win this category always loses. It is almost as if the Academy deliberately vote for a film that is harder to get hold of.

Best in Makeup Oscars 2010 Nominees:
*Il Divo Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
*Star Trek Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
*The Young Victoria Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Best in music written for motion pictures (Original score):
*Avatar (20th Century Fox) James Horner
*Fantastic Mr. Fox (20th Century Fox) Alexandre Desplat
*The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment) Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
*Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.) Hans Zimmer
*Up (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino

Best in music written for motion pictures (Original song):
*"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

Over the past two years the music awards have always proved controversial. In 2008 Jonny Greenwood was denied a nomination for his haunting score on There Will Be Blood even though it should have been a clear cut winner. Then in 2009 Bruce Springsteen was not nominated for his song 'The Wrestler' as used in Mickey Rourke's film of the same name. But there was no doubt this year that the song used in Crazy Heart, a film all about country music, was going to win.

Best motion picture of the year:
*Avatar
*The Blind Side
*District 9
*An Education
*The Hurt Locker
*Inglourious Basterds
*Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
*A Serious Man
*Up
*Up in the Air

Well I never. Just after I had predicted who was going to win this category the press was suddenly ablaze with talk of The Hurt Locker snatching it from Avatar's clutches, and rightly so. But despite the quality of the film it is officially the least financially successful Oscar winner of all time, but hopefully its well deserved win should spark a DVD sales comeback. Buy it now!

The acceptance speech can be watched in HD on Youtube Here.

Best animated short film:
*French Roast A Pumpkin Factory
*Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty (Brown Bag Films)
*The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)
*Logorama (Autour de Minuit)
*A Matter of Loaf and Death (Aardman Animations)

This was probably the best chance the UK had of winning an award this year. Sadly however, it seems the Academy has seen just about enough of Wallace and Gromit's adventures, for now at least.

Best live action short film:
*The Door (Network Ireland Television)
*Instead of Abracadabra (The Swedish Film Institute)
*Kavi A Gregg Helvey Production
* Miracle Fish (Premium Films)
*The New Tenants A Park Pictures and M & M Production

Best in sound editing:
*Avatar Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
*The Hurt Locker Paul N.J. Ottosson
*Inglourious Basterds Wylie Stateman
*Star Trek Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
*Up Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Best in sound mixing:
*Avatar Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
*The Hurt Locker Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
*Inglourious Basterds Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
*Star Trek Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
*Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

The sound used in The Hurt Locker really complimented the handheld camerawork and increased the tension of the bomb disposal units, especially in the cinemas' surround sound systems.

Best in visual effects:
*Avatar Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
*District 9 Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
*Star Trek Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

No wonder there were only three films nominated, there was only one film that was going to win this category.

Best in Adapted screenplay:
*District 9 Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
*An Education Screenplay by Nick Hornby
*In the Loop Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
*Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
*Up in the Air Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

It would have been good to see Iannucci's film win the award, but Precious was still very deserving as some scenes were especially heart rendering and difficult to watch.

Best in Original screenplay:
*The Hurt Locker Written by Mark Boal
*Inglourious Basterds Written by Quentin Tarantino
*The Messenger Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
*A Serious Man Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
*Up Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter. Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

In retrospect, the Coen's script was probably far too bizarre for the Academy. Nevertheless, the characterisation in The Hurt Locker is what has made it the best war film of the decade.

So there we are, my faith in the Academy was restored with The Hurt Locker's six wins against Avatar's three. This rivalry which surfaced days before the ceremony will be a tough act to follow next year mind you.

The 100 Cheesiest Movie Quotes of All Time

2010-02-05T15:50:00.000-08:00

Speaks for itself really!

Oscar Nominations 2010

2010-02-02T17:35:00.001-08:00

As the more clued-up of you will probably notice, the 'Best Picture of the Year' catagory now has ten nominations as the Academy decided to double the amount of nods in order to give the box office successes a chance to rival the art house releases. But to me such a decision seemed more about attracting viewers to the ceremony's steadily decreasing audience figures rather than being an homage to its past, as officials claimed. As anyone will tell you blockbusters have always done well at the Oscars, 2004 in particular saw The Lord of Rings: The Return of the King become the most successful Oscar winning film in history.

So here they are in full, along with my predictions:

Best actor in a leading role
* Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart - In all his years Jeff has never won an Oscar, it is quite simply his turn.

* George Clooney in Up in the Air
* Colin Firth in A Single Man
* Morgan Freeman in Invictus
* Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker

It is a travesty that Andy Serkis has not even received a nomination for his portrayal of Ian Dury in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll so at the very least he should win a BAFTA.
Similarly it is about time Vincent Cassel won an Oscar and his portrayal of Mesrine would have been a good opporuntity. Sam Rockell deserved a nod too. Why George Clooney and Morgan Freeman have been nominated for playing the same typical roles again is beyond me!

Best actor in a supporting role
* Matt Damon in Invictus
* Woody Harrelson in The Messenger
* Christopher Plummer in The Last Station
* Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
* Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds - the most talked about and surprising performance of the year is a dead cert.

Best actress in a leading role
* Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side
* Helen Mirren in The Last Station
* Carey Mulligan in An Education - Sandra Bullock is the favourite as she has finally taken up a role worthy of an award win. However, every Oscars ceremony has a big shock and I believe this will be the one as Carey Mulligan's central performance was integral to An Education.

* Gabourey Sidibe in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
* Meryl Streep in Julie & Julia

Best actress in a supporting role
* Penélope Cruz in Nine
* Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air
* Maggie Gyllenhaal in Crazy Heart
* Anna Kendrick in Up in the Air
* Mo’Nique in Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire - This performance is head and shoulders above the rest in this category. The Academy may be reluctant to give it due to the harsh nature of the character but I believe Mo'Nique will win it, just.

Best animated feature film of the year
*Coraline (Focus Features) Henry Selick
*Fantastic Mr. Fox (20th Century Fox) Wes Anderson
*The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney) John Musker and Ron Clements
*The Secret of Kells (GKIDS) Tomm Moore
*Up (Walt Disney) Pete Docter - As much as I enjoyed Coraline, I cannot see this award going to any other film. Just when we all thought Pixar had peaked with WALL-E it pulled this gem out of the bag. The Academy could go for The Princess Frog as it is a return to Disney's 2D musical roots and it is the first American animation to cast a black woman as its lead, but I very much doubt such an eventuality.

Best in art direction:
*Avatar (20th Century Fox) Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg. Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair - A film solely made for its breathtaking special effects is sure to win.

*The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Sony Pictures Classics) Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro. Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
*Nine (The Weinstein Company) Art Direction: John Myhre. Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
*Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood. Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
*The Young Victoria (Apparition) Art Direction: Patrice Vermette. Set Decoration: Maggie Gray
Best in cinematography:
*Avatar (20th Century Fox) Mauro Fiore - I want to see The Hurt Locker win this, but the buzz surrounding Avatar cannot be ignored.

*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Warner Bros.) Bruno Delbonnel
*The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment) Barry Ackroyd
*Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company) Robert Richardson
*The White Ribbon (Sony Pictures Classics) Christian Berger

Best in costume design:
*Bright Star (Apparition) Janet Patterson
*Coco before Chanel (Sony Pictures Classics) Catherine Leterrier
*The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Sony Pictures Classics) Monique Prudhomme
*Nine (The Weinstein Company) Colleen Atwood
*The Young Victoria (Apparition) Sandy Powell

Best Director:
*Avatar (20th Century Fox) James Cameron
*The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment) Kathryn Bigelow - Even the Academy realises it is time for a female to win.

*Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company) Quentin Tarantino
*Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (Lionsgate) Lee Daniels
*Up in the Air (Paramount in association with Cold Spring Pictures and DW Studios) Jason Reitman

Best documentary feature:
*Burma VJ (Oscilloscope Laboratories)
*The Cove (Roadside Attractions)
*Food, Inc. (Magnolia Pictures)
*The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
*Which Way Home (A Mr. Mudd Production)

Best documentary short subject:
*China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province
*The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner
*The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant
*Music by Prudence
*Rabbit à la Berlin

Best in film editing:
*Avatar (20th Century Fox) Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
*District 9 (Sony Pictures Releasing) Julian Clarke
*The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment) Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
*Inglourious Basterds (The Weinstein Company) Sally Menke
*Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (Lionsgate) Joe Klotz

Best foreign language film of the year:
*Ajami (Kino International)
*El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Sony Pictures Classics)
*The Milk of Sorrow
*Un Prophète (Sony Pictures Classics) - The critical reception surrounding this film I think bodes well.

*The White Ribbon (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best in Makeup Oscars 2010 Nominees:
*Il Divo Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
*Star Trek Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
*The Young Victoria Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Best in music written for motion pictures (Original score):
*Avatar (20th Century Fox) James Horner
*Fantastic Mr. Fox (20th Century Fox) Alexandre Desplat
*The Hurt Locker (Summit Entertainment) Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
*Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.) Hans Zimmer
*Up (Walt Disney) Michael Giacchino

Best in music written for motion pictures (Original song):
*"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

Best motion picture of the year:
*Avatar - I am willing the infinately better Hurt Locker to win, but the highest grossing film of all time will definitely sway the Academy during these times when film piracy rules all

*The Blind Side
*District 9
*An Education
*The Hurt Locker
*Inglourious Basterds
*Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
*A Serious Man
*Up
*Up in the Air

Best animated short film:
*French Roast A Pumpkin Factory
*Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty (Brown Bag Films)
*The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)
*Logorama (Autour de Minuit)
*A Matter of Loaf and Death (Aardman Animations)

Best live action short film:
*The Door (Network Ireland Television)
*Instead of Abracadabra (The Swedish Film Institute)
*Kavi A Gregg Helvey Production
* Miracle Fish (Premium Films)
*The New Tenants A Park Pictures and M & M Production

Best in sound editing:
*Avatar Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
*The Hurt Locker Paul N.J. Ottosson
*Inglourious Basterds Wylie Stateman
*Star Trek Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
*Up Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Best in sound mixing:
*Avatar Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
*The Hurt Locker Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
*Inglourious Basterds Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
*Star Trek Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
*Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Best in visual effects:
*Avatar Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones - If Star Trek wins this I'll eat my own hat!

*District 9 Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
*Star Trek Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Best in Adapted screenplay:
*District 9 Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
*An Education Screenplay by Nick Hornby
*In the Loop Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
*Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher - Fletcher's screenplay really brings the harrowing novel to life but I'd still love In The Loop to win even though I know it won't!

*Up in the Air Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

I thought Joe Penhall's faithful adaptation of The Road would have a good chance as it nailed the characters from Cormac mcCarthy's novel, obviously not!

Best in Original screenplay:
*The Hurt Locker Written by Mark Boal
*Inglourious Basterds Written by Quentin Tarantino
*The Messenger Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
*A Serious Man Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen - A difficult one to predict this, but in my opinion this is the one film which relied most heavily on its material. Quentin Tarantino has a good shout though.

*Up Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter. Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

So there we are, if I had it my way Avatar would only win the special effects award, but it just won't happen. The Hurt Locker was the best film of the year, but the political climate surrounding the film industry will not work in its favour. Avatar wasn't even the best sci-fi film of the year, Moon was far better and yet it recieves nothing! Still, with such an astonishing debut, I'm sure Duncan Jones will be back.

The Top 20 Films of the Noughties

2010-02-02T04:19:00.000-08:00

It seems just about every single website, publication and TV channel is subjecting us to endless retrospectives of the decade just gone by at the moment. But this film blog would not be a proper film blog unless it also jumped on the current noughties bandwagon right?. After all, it's not every day a decade goes by.

1. Mulholland Drive (2002) David Lynch After a filmmaking career spanning over twenty years, Lynch made yet another quintessential work of art. Instantly deemed a classic and studied in film schools all over the world it is hard to believe such a film was made in this decade, his enigma of a plot being one which continues to bemuse and intrigue people to this very day.

2. There Will Be Blood (2008) Paul Thomas Anderson
The masterpiece of our times and companion piece to Citizen Kane was narrowly beaten to the top spot by Lynch’s insane genius. Daniel Day-Lewis’s electrifying performance along with Anderson’s intricate filmmaking and Jonnny Greenwood’s haunting score proved to be three artists at the top of their game who redefined the language of modern cinema.

3. City Of God (2003) Fernando Meirelles
Easily one of the most harrowing and realistic gangster film of all time. The personalised accounts of a group of children growing up amidst the inescapable poverty and violent nature of life in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro revealed an honest, truthful and engaging experience. The extensively layered characterisation and the interwoven narratives effectively studied the politics and power struggles that go on in such a lawless society, leaving audiences begging for more as it showed them the extent of the problems in this forgotten part of the world.

4. Requiem For a Dream (2001) Darren Aronofsky
Back when Jennifer Connelly’s eyebrows were huge, Jared Leto was not an emo and Marlon Wayans could actually act, Aronofsky peaked as a filmmaker. After his Lynchian debut Pi his portrayal of a group of heroin addicts produced the most emotionally provocative montage to conclude a film that has ever been. It also gave us the most distinctive musical score of the decade.

5. Irreversible (2003) Gaspar Noé
Many of these ‘best films of the decade’ lists have often included Christopher Nolan’s Memento. Irreversible is somewhat indebted to this backwards method of storytelling by which each segment of the story is proceeded by one which has already occurred. However, Noe really did push this medium of storytelling, popularised by Nolan, to its limits to produce a much more terrifying and uncomfortable experience.

6. The Departed (2006) Martin Scorsese
Although this is often criticised for not being Scorsese’s best film by a long shot, fuelled by a feeling of resentment that this movie was the one which finally received the best director Oscar, it appears an appreciation for the film’s actual quality was also lost along the way too. A film which saw Di Caprio come of age and despite the fact it was a remake of the Korean Infernal Affairs, Scorsese managed to enhanced the source material to give it an American identity and improve the characterisation of the original film in many respects.

7. Dead Man’s Shoes (2004) Shane Meadows
Often overshadowed by the success of This Is England, Meadows’ and Considine’s earlier collaboration, filmed on a shoestring budget, was a poetic revenge piece that somehow managed to flit between humour and some of the darkest scenes ever seen in British cinema. Although despite Considine’s usual unnerving portrayal of a psycho, it was the supporting performance of Toby Kebbel that was so convincing it led many to believe he was in fact a mentally challenged person in real life. Dead Man's Shoes was the hidden gem of the decade.

8. Being John Malkovich (2000) Spike Jonze
Back when scriptwriter Charlie Kaufmann and Spike Jonze used to be good! This inventive work in terms of the scope of its visuals and script really showed John Malkovich in a new light and was the pinnacle of the Kauffman-Jonze machine which they have since struggled to live up to since.

9. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) Guillermo del Toro
Del Toro instantly became a force to be reckoned with. Winner of best foreign film Oscar that year his poignant and imaginative visuals created scenes that will always be rememberred and stand the test of time.

10. Oldboy (2004) Chan-wook Park
After being imprisoned for 10 years with no explanation, this film of revenge is full of gore, controversy and incest, genius! Its success has done a lot for modern Korean cinema.

11. WALL-E (2008) Andrew Stanton
Possibly Pixar's greatest film barring Toy Story 1 & 2. Beautifully shot and full of heart this affectionate tale is more than an entertaining children's film but a dystopian vision that reminds us how beautiful the human condition really is that we all take for granted.

12. The Hurt Locker (2009) Kathryn Bigelow
Not only the best film on the Iraq war to date, but one of the greatest war movies ever made. This testosterone fuelled account of Bravo Company’s bomb disposal unit is excruciatingly tense from start to finish. Politically interesting and authentically filmed with digital hand held cameras, Bigelow has well and truly flown the flag for female directors the world over.

13. No Country For Old Men (2008) Joel and Ethan Coen
It would be a crime not to mention The Coen Brothers on a 'best of' film list. Back on artistic form their adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel helped create the most intensive Oscar battle of the decade with its rivalry alongside There Will Be Blood.

14. The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006) Ken Loach
Loach left behind his usual UK working class setting to create the biggest film of his career. His depiction of Teddy’s fight for independence of Ireland in the 1920s was the most politically relevant film of the British Isles of the decade. Unfortunately it was one of the most overlooked films of the past ten years too, despite the fact it won a PALME D'OR at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival

15. The Lives of Others (2007) Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Unintentionally working as a sequel to the perfect Downfall, this story showed us the true consequences of Hitler’s Nazi Germany and its depiction of East German’s living in a big brother type of society.

16. Battle Royale (2001) Kinji Fukasaku
The best action film of the decade with an awesome concept that could only be done in Japan.

17. Waltz With Bashir (2008) Ari Folman
Folman’s use of rota scope animation created a vivid, poignant and touching story whereby an ex-soldier tries to rediscover his lost memories of the First Lebanon War in 1982. Waltz With Bashir forefronted the politics of Israel and was robbed of its best forgeign film Oscar.

18. Bowling for Columbine (2002) Michael Moore
Back before Michael Moore’s biased propaganda of the Bush administration, it was this thoughtful and touching documentary of the devastating Columbine high school shootings which delved into what was wrong with a contemporary American society, without having to explicitly state its morals. Instead it respected the intelligence of its viewer. The success of this work has influenced and given way to a whole host of essential documentary films since.

19. The Bourne Supremacy & Ultimatum (2004 & 2007) Paul Greengrass
After Doug Liman’s departure from the franchise, Greengrass added a documentary hand-held camera feel which pushed the adrenaline factor through the roof, revealed the potential intensity of Matt Damon’s acting ability and rejuvenated a genre in long need of an upgrade into the 21st century. These films alone are responsible for the constant Bond franchise reinvention.

20. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003) Peter Jackson
Over nine hours of material rooted in the imaginative literary roots of Tolkein was surprisingly a thoroughly enjoyable blockbuster, one which defined the noughties in terms of the extent of its visual effects and truly cinematic experience.

Narrowly Missed Out: [Rec], Dogville, Donnie Darko, Murderball, Persepolis

The 10 Best Films of 2009

2009-12-12T18:55:00.001-08:00

1) The Hurt Locker (August)
Not only the best film on the Iraq war to date, but one of the greatest war movies ever made. This testosterone fuelled account of Bravo Company’s bomb disposal unit is excruciatingly tense from start to finish. Politically interesting and authentically filmed with digital hand held cameras, Bigelow has well and truly flown the flag for female directors the world over.

2) Let The Right One In (April)
This enchanting yet unnerving coming-of-age vampire story, set in the snow laden town of Blackeberg, Sweden, is rich in its poetically minimal direction.

3) The White Ribbon (November)
The deranged psyche of Michael Haneke is unveiled to us yet again, but this time suppressed and abused village dwelling children are at the centre of strange events. Most interestingly though, the tone of the film is so downbeat that we find ourselves most on edge every time a character expresses the slightest hint of happiness.

4) Up (October)
It may not have been as experimental as last year’s Wall-E but this sweet tale about an old man’s floating house has the most emotionally provoking opening ten minute sequence to a film ever conceived. Once again Pixar push the boundaries of the children’s film format to great success.

5) Anvil! The Story Of Anvil (February)
The real life Spinal Tap has been found. With one last chance to make it to the big time after 40 years of barely scraping a living in the far reaches of Canada, you really find yourself willing the band to succeed. The sheer pathetic organisation of their European tour twinned with such colourful characters has to be seen to be believed.

6) The Wrestler (January)
A career defining performance for Mickey Rourke, he should have won the Oscar!

7) Moon (July)
An homage to the Sci-fi films of the 1960s and 1970s based on substantial ideas about the human condition rather than flashy special effects. Duncan Jones (or Zowie Bowie) has made a stunning debut and having shaken off the burden of his father’s legacy he will no doubt develop into a fine filmmaker indeed.

8) Fish Tank (September)
Andrea Arnold’s second feature, since her debut Red Road, won this year’s Jury Prize at Cannes and rightly so. Newcomer Katie Jarvis gives a fine performance as a lower class angst ridden teenager and plays off the ever brilliant Michael Fassbender with ease.

9) A Serious Man (December)
The Coens have quite simply done it again! As Larry Gopnik’s life falls apart, his deadpan attitude is tested to the limit in this fantastic black comedy. Think 'the dude' from The Big Lebowski trying to live in an American 1960s surburbia.

10) District 9 (September)
The complex allegory for the racial politics and immigration issues in South Africa is an extremely enjoyable romp.

Runners Up: Mesrine (both parts), Gran Torino, Public Enemies, Martyrs, In The Loop

The 10 Worst Films of 2009

2009-12-12T18:35:00.000-08:00

1) The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Scott Fitzgerald’s short story was well and truly drawn out as long as it could stretch, and then a bit. Quite arguably David Fincher’s worst piece of work to date, the blandness of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett were just impossible to empathise with.

2) Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen
Michael Bay adds more CGI explosions and provides Megan Fox with less clothes to truly alienate audiences. There is only so far you can take a plot which centres around metal things endlessly hitting each other.

3) Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
All the darkness, evil and maturity which was at the centre of Rowling’s book was crammed into the last 20 minutes of the film. By which at this point the two hours of tedious St. Trinians schoolyard politics had ruined whatever material that was set to proceed it.

4) Slumdog Millionaire
Easily the most overrated film of the year. Danny Boyle’s happy love story really wasn’t all that.

5) X-Men Origins: Wolverine
With internet geeks leaking out footage to millions, the piracy debate which built up to the film’s release was more exciting than actual the movie itself. This prequel is essentially a pointless series of events which will blight the engaging puzzle of X2, the best superhero film ever made, for those who have not seen it.

6) Terminator Salvation
A disappointing sequel which not only single-handedly spoiled James Cameron’s chilling dystopia, but could also not quite live up to the intensity of Christian Bale’s infamous rant on set.

7) Watchmen
The Citizen Kane of the comic book world was degraded and stripped of all its significance by the self proclaimed fanboy Zack Synder.

8) Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
Enough said really.

9) Twilight: New Moon
Released after Let The Right One In and just before Thirst, this was not even the best vampire movie of this year, let alone of all time as many fans seem to think.

10) Inglorious Basterds
Ten years in the making, and all we get is this tiresome piece of work.

Runners Up: Night at the Museum 2, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Crank: High Voltage, Saw VI, Broken Embraces

Quartets: a growing trend too far?

2009-06-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time trilogies were a rarity. Even sequels could be a struggle to produce. But if a movie makes enough money in our current filmmaking climate then an entire trilogy is likely to be green lit before the additional scripts are even written. More often than not directors and actors find themselves contracted to a bankable franchise and a series of films just as the first is being released With each instalment having the potential to make a greater profit than its predecessor typically Hollywood is more concerned with bashing out the latest film asap while the original still resonates in the public’s psyche rather than taking time to produce an even better film. AKA quantity and not quality.

A major turning point in the development of trilogies came with the films Pirates of the Caribbean and The Matrix. Films which on paper should not have been successful (One was based on a Disney theme park ride and the other was based on Postmodernist Jean Baudrillard’s book Simulcra and Simulation) took the box office by storm. These brilliant standalone films were not initially conceived to be trilogies but this was before the backstage politics of Hollywood got involved. For the first time, both the 2nd and 3rd films of each franchise were made together as one big film to be released in two separate halves. What was mistaken for filmmakers making two films together to maintain and complete their vision was in fact a publicity stunt as well as a way of making two films quicker for a cheaper price whilst all the original cast and crew were still on board. In each case the second films The Matrix Reloaded and Dead Man's Chest were watchable, containing a minuscule amount of formula which made the first ones so successful. However both the third films The Matrix Revolutions and At World’s End had completely run out steam and were simply dull films making little sense but were nevertheless successful. By making a sequel that was similar to the first this was enough to reel viewers into the God awful third films thus making more than enough money back with audiences queuing up, desperate to see how each trilogy ended.

But now with Terminator Salvation and X-men Origins: Wolverine kick starting our CGI blockbuster filled summer of 2009, the latest Hollywood sequel trend now seems to be the fourth instalment: the quartet.

Similarly both Terminator and Wolverine were subject to massive controversy on the eve of their releases. I wouldn’t go so far as to claim there is a mass conspiracy going on within the film industry but it is rather convenient how mass media exposure to each film contributed to their success at the top of the Box office chart. A few weeks before the release of Wolverine a major leak from within the production company meant thousands of people had been able to illegally download a rough cut of the film before its release, thus reawakening the piracy debate in the most explosive scandal in cinema history. First of all 20th Century Fox claimed the copy which leaked was not quite finished and needed to be seen at the cinema to be truly experienced. But then, perhaps with the realisation that those who had seen the almost finished film knew it was very poor, Fox decided to play the sympathy card as Hugh Jackman himself expressed just how upset he was by the leak pleading for people to go to the cinema. This seemed to work.

Then there is Christian Bale’s infamous four minute rant at the poor DP who distracted Bale when adjusting a light causing the film star to completely lose it and aggressively yell at him, still in character. Again with such media exposure unwittingly one of the world’s biggest stars completely losing it brought a lot of intrigue to the table. Viewers put their hands in their pockets not out of sympathy but out of curiosity, to see the piece of work which appeared to drive such a man to near madness. It seems clear that these acts themselves were not intentional, films leak all the time and actors always lose their cool but it was how the PR companies cleverly dealt with these mishaps and turned them right around into free marketing tools which contributed to their mass success.

Then we come to the films themselves. Both trilogies began life as landmark films which both rewrote the genre rule books. The Terminator was made on a shoestring budget by rising director James Cameron who managed to pull off a dark apocalyptic sci-fi film staring a bodybuilder. Similarly X-Men was the first in a long line of Marvel comic book adaptations. Staring a mixture of accomplished stage actors and nobodies, Bryan Singer’s characterisation and humanisation of the much loved mutant characters was strong enough to kick start Marvel film studios even before Sam Raimi’s Spiderman. But interestingly both films then had sequels which were superior films to their initial work. Auteurs Singer and Cameron were given full control as well as bigger budgets and were able to reach the peak of their visions to produce what is widely considered one of the best action films of all time, T-2, and the best comic book adaptation of all time, X-2. The films only needed one letter and one number in their titles rather than their wordy sequels desperately trying to reclaim our confidence.

But then with the third instalments came the trilogie's downfalls. In each instance the third films were met with development hell. X-men was without its visionary, Singer, who had decided (wrongly) to give birth to another dead franchise, Superman. So Layer Cake and Stardust Director who made his name producing Guy Richie movies, Michael Vaughn, was signed up. But after singing Vinne Jones on board as the Juggernaut he soon left, unable to cope with the pressure. Finally the third film was given to loud mouth talentless Brett Ratner. Thus the film was a mess, nothing other than a series of action set pieces and little heart. Similarly after ten years of constant rumours Terminator 3 finally came into being and Arnie now in his mid-fifties returned to the gym. Both directors were lucky enough to be given all the original stars and thus attempted to continue the vision which Cameron and Singer created and give it sufficient closure. Each third film may have been worst in the trilogy but they were still watchable to a degree and still attempted to continue the original story and partially develop the characters further. They were simple films that failed in enhancing the franchises but did nevertheless add to them. They will be remembered simply as lesser sequels added onto the first two works of art.

But my main concern with these fourth films is that they have deeply affected the original film’s plot perhaps even ruined their significance. With no plot left to expand, each fourth film has attempted to delve into the back-story of Wolverine and the adult John Connor who initiates the events in the previous films. Each film is depicting the events that we never see, the driving force of each narrative. Wolverine’s shady past made him a mystifying character in X-men and discovering his identity is what made X- 2 the best superhero film of all time. But with X-men Origins: Wolverine his past is exposed as a boring straightforward, unimaginative and nonthreatening period of events thus rendering the originals pointless. Similarly this dark dystopia we briefly see in the first Terminator which Kyle Reece describes in a terrifying monologue is exposed as a camp futuristic transformers full of robots hitting other robots and clichéd dialogue rather than a horrifying fight for human survival. The trilogies have survived due to our sense of discovery and imagination. Wolverine was a troubled man uncertain of himself and John Connor was a mythic figure, the greatest leader the world has ever seen. The initial films required us to use our imaginations and what we didn’t know was precisely the driving force behind each narrative. But with this degree of mystery gone there is only endless and disjointed CGI crammed into its place.

Neither film should have been made. Hugh Jackman is a talented actor who brought millions of viewers back to the Oscars. Wolverine contributed to him becoming a household name, but it was time for him to move on five years ago, hopefully he won’t find himself typecast. But Christian’s involvement in the fourth terminator film is quite strange. Surely he has enough money and has offers coming in from all angles. He is also aware that the third was the worst of the Terminator trilogy and that he would only join the fourth film if script changes were made and it was an intelligent action film, which it is not. Other than that none of the original cast had returned to either franchise. Both Professor Xavier and Arnie are forced to be brought to life through CGI imagery rather than their actual presence towards the film’s end. Perhaps we will not need actors in the future as a film industry, already blinded by the wonders of CGI, will take things too far and leave Computers to dictate the films just like Skynet itself.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. There is no conceivable way yet another wolverine/x-men film could be made. The Terminator franchise is dead but it’s ambiguous ending suggests the worst is yet to come. This is what I fear, countless fourth installments ruining landmark films the world over. Hopefully the lack of quality in each film will discourage Hollywood into making quartets trendy thus rendering the youth of today to exclaim, ‘the quartet is the new trilogy’ and ‘the trilogy was soooo 2007’! But given the box office success, this could be highly likely.

Christian Bale Apology

2009-05-16T18:26:00.000-07:00

Old news really as I've been mega busy with University work of late.

But nevertheless integral as I do believe in the right for people to explain themselves.

He does sound genuinely sorry I think.

To give him credit, he is currently the hottest action star in Hollywood right now which means he wouldn't have to apologise and he would still make millions. So the fact he went out of his way to ring a fairly small radio station is rather laudable. He seems to have a sense of humour about it all which is always good...........

He must be a bit of a hot-head though, he cannot deny the fact that he attacked his mother and sister!

21 Years - 21 Films

2009-04-23T15:24:00.000-07:00

Having recently reached the milestone that is 21, I thought I would commemorate the occasion by picking out 21 key films that have charted my development from childhood into manhood. The films that have helped shape me as a person:

1. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
As the first ever full length animated feature this is not only a landmark film in terms of cinema, but it is particularly special to me as it was the first film I ever saw at the cinema. Roughly 4 years old, I cannot remember the experience personally, this is the initial film which may have subconsciously kick started my love for cinema.

2. Aladdin
Released back in the mid-nineties Disney era this still remains my favourite cartoon feature. After receiving it for my birthday on VHS, it would keep me motivated throughout school. Often bored as the teacher droned on, the thought of being able to watch Robin Williams’s genie as soon as I got in would help get me through the day. Childhood escapism at it’s finest.

3. A Muppet Christmas Carol
One of my first and fondest memories is going to the cinema to watch this with my dad. Whenever I read A Christmas Carol or watch one of the many other adaptations I am overcome with feelings of nostalgia.

4. Toy Story
Another milestone in the history of cinema, this was the first full length CGI feature which turned Pixar into an overnight success. As well as being a technological achievement, it was the characters and the story which captured my imagination more than anything else. Even Before I had seen the film I was gripped by the characterisation having read the junior novelisation prior to my cinema trip.

5. Star Wars IV: A New Hope

Back in 1996 the original trilogy was re released on the big screen and I became an instant fan. No blockbuster will ever as be as good given the nature of todays profit hungry Hollywood.

6. Terminator 2
No film have I seen more times than this one. Back when I had it recorded on video I watched it often enough for the tape inside the cassette to disintegrate. After complaining to my father he was kind enough to sellotape it back together so I could watch it some more!

7. Die Hard

The first 18 I ever watched which paved the way for my love of action movies before I got into dramas and art house material.

8. American Pie

Every generation has their Breakfast club, a film which perfectly captures and understands what it's like to grow up in the culture of the time. It was not just the vulgar humour which made this popular but it was the sense of camaraderie between the male leads and the adult issues it dealt with.

9. Jackass the Movie

As I was in my last year of school I had an unhealthy obsession with the MTV amateur stunt show. Not being 18 at the time of its release I downloaded it from Kazaa and brought all my friends round to watch it. Then when I got it on DVD I watched it endlessly with and without the commentaries. I just couldn’t get enough of it, I wanted to be a member of their gang.

10. Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

Simply another film I have watched a countless amount of times. When it was finally released on TV I was swept up by the hype, the coolness it oozed and the witty dialogue.

11. Pulp Fiction

This is probably the first film that marked my transition from action films to more complex, adult material. Initially just a fan of Bruce Willis’s plot strand I soon started to understand the more adult humour.

12. Fight Club
Probably the most important film on the list. When I first saw this masterpiece I couldn't stand it. Thoroughly bored for over two hours I never planned on seeing it again. However somewhere in my mind it's intrigue and it's mystique stuck in my mind. A year later when it was aired on TV again I chose to watch it and I couldn’t believe the sheer intelligence of the material I had missed out on. This film again marks the transition in my life from enjoying brainless action films to more philosophical and existential dramas.

13. Goodfellas

Such a kinetic, violent yet mesmerising film, I was transfixed throughout. This is what instantly made me a fan of De Niro and Scorsese who still remain to be my favourite actor and director. This is also probably where my love for gangster films began.

14. The Godfather Trilogy
With my growing fascination of gangster films I purposefully sought out the trilogy which has heavily been regarded as the best and I was not let down. The Godfather Part II still remains my favourite film of all time to date.

15. This is Spinal Tap

The greatest comedy ever made really confused me when I first watched it. I must have watched this mockumentary three times to get my head around the concept and it’s original style of humour. Even now as my favourite comedy film, every time I watch it I still pick up something different. Easily The most rewarding watch on the list.

16. Sin City
This is the first 18 I saw on the big screen. I was only 17 at the time and I was taken aback by the stark visual style. My dad however felt a tad queasy with all the vivid violence.

17. Requiem for a Dream
When I finally decided to study film academically my teacher recommended this film to me and I have never looked back since. Never has a film been so moving, depressing and touching as a director reaches the peak of his artistic craft.

18. Anchorman
Overshadowed by the theatrical release of inferior Dodgeball this cult DVD hit was one of those films I watched repeatedly at University as it also helped me bond with others. Will Ferrel has not yet been able to surpass his performance as Ron Burgundy.

19. The Big Lebowski

Already fairly familiar with some of the Coen’s stuff, nothing could prepare me for the brilliance of Jeff Bridge’s ‘The Dude’ and his nihilistic attitude towards life. I must have rented it several times from the library before I finally bought it.

20. The Departed
With Scorsese being my favourite filmmaker this was the first of his films that I was able to see on the big screen. Coincidentally it was his first Oscar winner. It may not be his best by a long shot but I still love it.

21. There Will Be Blood
One of my favourite films to be released in the last few years. Luckily enough I managed catch it at my local art house cinema and it was the last film I saw that truly captured, confused and bewildered me. Daniel Day-Lewis's Daniel Plainview remains the greatest performance ever seen on film.

15 films funnier than Groundhog Day

2009-04-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

During a debate with my father who proclaimed his favourite comedy film to be Groundhog Day I claimed that I could name 15 better comedy films. After several agonising hours of prioritising here is the list I came up with:

1. This is Spinal Tap - Christopher Guest

2. The Big Lebowski - The Coen Brothers

3. Monkey Business - The Marx Brothers

4. Annie Hall - Woody Allen

5. There's Something About Mary - The Farley Brothers

6. Monty Python's The Meaning of Life - Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam

7. Dr. Strangelove - Stanley Kubrick

8. The Man Who Wasn't There - The Coen Brothers

9. The King of Comedy - Martin Scorsese

10. Modern Times - Charlie Chaplin

11. Anchorman - Adam McKay

12. Clerks - Kevin Smith

13. The 40 Year Old Virgin - Judd Apatow

14. The Naked Gun - Jerry Zucker

15. The Producers - Mel Brooks

16. Groundhog Day - Harold Ramis

As you can probably tell, some are on the list for their contribution to the art of cinema whereas some are simply personal favourites of mine.

Do you agree/ disagree? What are your favourite comedy films?

Watchmen

2009-04-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

Who watches The Watchmen?

DETAILS:
Released - 6 March 2009
Certificate - 18
Running Time - 162 min
Director - Zack Snyder
Screenwriters - David Hayter and Alex Tse
Producers - Wesley Coller, Herb Gains, Lawrence Gordon, Lloyd Levin, Deborah Snyder, Thomas Tull
Cinematography- Larry Fong
Editing - William Hoy
Music - Tyler Bates
Theatrical distributor - Paramount
Country - USA
SYNOPSIS:
In this dark alternative to 1985 the world is gradually being brought to its knees. Democracy in particular remains in constant jeopardy as the cold war is still in full flight and war hungry Nixon remains president of the United States. Furthermore, illegal vigilantes consisting of the scantily clad ‘Silk Spectre' (Malin Akerman), blue ‘Dr Manhattan’ (Billy Crudup), camp ‘Ozymandias’ (Matthew Goode), shady ‘Rorschach’ (Jackie Earle Haley) and technical whiz ‘Nite Owl’ (Dan Dreiberg) are forced to reunite due to the suspicious death of their former associate ‘The Comedian ‘(Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and a conspiracy threatening the future of mankind.

REVIEW:
The studio politics which surround Watchmen are almost as complex as the source material itself. Having already suffered at the hands of Terry Gilliam and Paul Greengrass, who both famously abandoned the project deeming it impossible to make, the project was left on the scrapheap for many years before it was picked up by self proclaimed ‘fanboy’ Zack Snyder. His previous work may have received a great deal of critical backlash but the fact he has risen to a challenge that was beneath Gilliam and Greengrass is a laudable achievement in itself.

And as the opening credits role it does feel as if Snyder has managed to actualise the impossible. His beautifully shot opening montage skims through an entire back story of superheroes and effectively crams in all the essential information you need to contextualise the period in a matter of minutes. As his vibrant visuals leap off the screen to Bob Dylan’s "The Times They Are a-Changin", you feel as if you could be in for something special.

But despite the fact Snyder may be able to produce such fantastic imagery, he is unable to back it up with any substance. As events unfold the film itself feels like an extended montage of breathtaking images glossed over with pop culture references and some brief political context without actually delving beyond the surface.

This is not an adaptation of the comic book but more of a tribute to its brilliance. Instead of developing his own screen narrative to give the film its own cinematic identity, Snyder has simply tried to cram far too much of the original story in as possible which has resulted in a rather disjointed and over long picture.

Constantly switching between the development of several characters, those unfamiliar with the source material will often feel bored, confused and alienated. It is the compelling story of Rorschach, brilliantly captured by Jackie Earle Haley, which keeps the film together. Whenever his film noir narrative is left behind to concentrate on the pointless latex eye candy that is Silk Spectre or the sombre and far from engaging Dr. Manhattan the film loses its momentum.

Similarly the fight scenes are just as unimaginative as every single one annoyingly unfolds in the same way. Primarily used as a device to prevent people from nodding off, the punch -ups themselves become more boring than the actual ‘talking bits’ as it were. With every punch and kick perfectly landing in exactly the right place whilst Snyder adds pointless slo-mo to drag these set pieces out for as long as possible, the results are tedious. If it were not for CGI, visual effects and a team of people below him Zack Snyder would not have a career as he is unable to direct drama, tension, characters or storyline.

Therefore fans of the comic book will either feel grateful for watching a film as faithful as this or let down for it’s dumbing down of the original story. Whereas those who are not familiar with the book will wonder what on earth all the fuss is all about as what is widely considered the Citizen Kane of the comic book world has not been given its due.

TO SUM UP:
Watchmen looks impressive but it has nothing profound to say in the long run. A rather plain film that does have its compelling moments through Rorschach's character this was a missed opportunity that will severely divide its fan base. What was originally a satire and a deconstruction of the comic book superhero has now become a stereotypical, albeit fairly entertaining and watchable, product of the genre

The Kermodes 2009

2009-03-04T06:26:00.000-08:00

In this, 'the corrective to the oversights of the Oscars' as he puts it, here are the results of my favourite film critic's own awards ceremony:

Best Supporting Actress

Ashley tisdale High School Musical 3

Supporting Actor
Eddie marsan - Happy Go-Lucky

Best Actress

Belen ruede - The Orphanage

Best Actor

Michael fassbender - Hunger

Best Screenplay

Garth Jennings - Son of Rambow

Best Foreign Film

Gomorrah – Roberto saviano

Best Film + Best Director

Terence Davies - Of Time And The City

Fellowship Award

Terry Gillingham

The 81st Academy Awards 2009

2009-03-04T05:39:00.000-08:00

This year, Australian screen and stage actor Hugh Jackman did a fine job in presenting the Oscars. His old fashioned sing and dance approach reeled in 36 million viewers which was approximately 4 million more than last year's all time low. It still nevertheless failed to beat 1998's record of 55 million where viewers all across the world tuned in to see Titanic sweep the board.

I may prefer the more cynical comedic approach, like that of previous host John Stewart, but this year's musical theme was still very entertaining, witty, accessible, and derivative of the old Billy Crystal days. Cynics have been quick to point the finger claiming that it was obvious to see a very stripped down Oscar night in light of the recession but Jackman's more 'show' and less 'bizz' theme paid off. With its fast paced proceedings the ceremony was confined to a brief, by Oscar terms, three and a half hours and I don't think the hotly tipped Ricky Gervais could have produced something so upbeat.

Unfortunately I cannot get the Sky Movies Channel in my poky student house and I was somewhat unwilling to fork out £40 to watch it online so I was subjected to Radio 5 Live's commentary which was far from like being there but I will give you the best coverage I can.

Here is the list of winners in full with my wrong predictions highlighted in red, actual winners in green, with a short critique underneath interspersed with video highlights:

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Richard Jenkins in The Visitor

Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon

Sean Penn in Milk

Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

The Shock and bewilderment was certainly felt in the Radio 5 Live studio as the commentators shared a brief silence at the biggest surprise of the night. Although at the actual event the audience all gave Sean a standing ovation and the loudest applause of the night as he walked towards the podium. His speech was certainly politically courageous, moving, respectable to his fellow nominees (particularly Mickey), delivered with great rhetoric and above all proved that he actually had a sense of humour as he took a slight dig at himself.....

Nevertheless I still believe Mickey was robbed. He put everything into this role and it was far more demanding of him. Its emotional power was more hard hitting than Sean's Harvey Milk and everyone will agree with me that Milk's assassination was nowhere near as devastating as Randy's teary eyed breakdown in front of his own daughter. For Sean this was yet another 'standing on a soapbox' preacher character which was simply more engaging and likeable than usual. This was Rourke's Raging Bull his Godfather Part II, a career high that cannot be surpassed. Penn I’m sure will have better characters in him because as skilled as his performance was I just don't think he put as much into it. Some say it was due to the political climate of California at the time that influenced voters and with Rourke later claiming if he had won he would have dedicated his Oscar to 'all the heterosexuals out there' means this may not be too far from the truth. Do not fear though, I'm sure Rourke will get an Oscar five years down the line for a role that isn't as good due to an academy Scorsese esque guilt trip.

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Josh Brolin in Milk

Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder

Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt

Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight

Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road

Emotional scenes at the Oscars as Heath's family picked up the award on his behalf. A brave and I think correct decision by the academy to invite those closest to him. The second ever posthumous acceptance in the Oscars history, the first went to Sidney Howard for his Gone With the Wind screenplay in 1939. The statuette will be given to Heath's four year old daughter when she grows eighteen, and she will then have the right to sell it if she so wishes with permission from the academy. Many claim that Heath only won the Oscar due to his sudden death but all you need to do is compare his performance to the all the other nominees to see that none of them come close in terms of depth, scope and imagination. Robert Downey Jr. had no right to be nominated at all for his impersonation of a stereotype.

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married

Angelina Jolie in Changeling

Melissa Leo in Frozen River

Meryl Streep in Doubt

Kate Winslet in The Reader

I thought the academy would hold out and grant Angelina the award but it seemed the favourite was destined to win. Strangely she won not for her better role in Revolutionary Road but for her more controversial character in The Reader. It seems the Academy thought it was about time they granted her a win after five strong and unsuccessful previous nominations. Perhaps she was granted a statuette for her perseverance more than anything else, but it is good to see a Brit win an award. Her speech here was a lot less embarrassing than her Golden Globe acceptance, a bit more yucky than the BAFTAs but so many years in the public eye with nothing to speak of she deserves to immerse herself in the spotlight.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Amy Adams in Doubt

Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Viola Davis in Doubt

Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler

It certainly wasn't The Wrestler's night! I had not seen Vicky Christina Barcelona whilst making my predictions but if I had, I probably would have put my money on Penelope. Her speech seemed more genuine than Kate's and echoed her co-star Javier Bardem's acceptance speech of last year as she spoke in her first language to thank her family back home. Her depiction of a woman on the edge of breaking point in despite what seemed a quite brief screen time had more to it than Marisa's compassionate lapdancer. All actresses chasing such an award should bear in mind that this is the third time that Woody Allen has written and directed a character that has led an actress to pick up a statuette.

Best animated feature film of the year

Bolt

Kung Fu Panda

WALL-E

Definitely a no-brainer. WALL-E was a film that deserved to win best picture, never mind best animated feature, especially given the simple children's films it was competing against. I much more admired the BAFTA's decision to pit it against the far more artistic Persepolis and Waltz with Bashir.

Achievement in Art Direction

James J. Murakami and Gary Fettis - Changeling

Donald Graham Burt and Victor J. Zolfo - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Nathan Crowley and Peter Lando - The Dark Knight

Michael Carlin and Rebecca Alleway - The Duchess

Kristi Zea and Debra Schutt - Revolutionary Road

Makes sense really, this dreadful film was purely carried by its art direction and nothing else.

Achievement in Cinematography

Tom Stern - Changeling

Claudio Miranda - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Wally Pfister - The Dark Knight

Chris Menges and Roger Deakins - The Reader

Anthony Dod Mantle - Slumdog Millionaire

I thought The Dark Knight would at least pick up another award for its imagery but it lost out to Slumdog's vibrant visuals which I certainly have no qualms about. The most exciting thing about this award however was Ben Stiller's impression of Joaquin Phoenix's recently bizarre appearance on David Letterman's show. Apparently this joke didn't quite pick up the laughs that it was after on the night but this clip is still quite amusing....

Achievement in Costume Design

Catherine Martin - Australia

Jacqueline West - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Michael O'Connor - The Duchess

Danny Glicker - Milk

Albert W Revolutionary Road

The award is in the name of the genre really: "costume drama".

Achievement in Directing

David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon

Gus Van Sant - Milk

Stephen Daldry - The Reader

Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

Hoorah I got this right. It appears the academy agreed with me that Boyle's direction made this simple concept work due to his vibrancy and energy which he emphasised through his Tigger jumping:

Best Documentary Feature

The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)

Encounters at the End of the World

The Garden

Man on Wire

Trouble the Water

More success for British cinema. This BBC documentary on Phillipe Petit's amazing achievement of walking between the twin towers on a tightrope was produced in a way that made you feel as if you were there. Its effective filming of photographs of the incident twinned with its music blurred the lines between the artistic and the documentary, a worthy winner. Still, it would have been nice to see the brilliant King of Kong at least pick up a nomination. Petite demonstrated that the enthusiasm he expressed on screen was no trick as he proceeded to balance the statuette on his chin!

Best documentary short subject

The Conscience of Nhem En

The Final Inch

Smile Pinki

The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

If anyone knows how I can get hold of a copy of this short film then I would be intrigued to watch it.

Achievement in film editing

Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Lee Smith - The Dark Knight

Mike Hill and Dan Hanley - Frost/Nixon

Elliot Graham - Milk

Chris Dickens - Slumdog Millionaire

If Frost/Nixon was going to pick up an award, it was here. The editing between the two characters heightened the tension which was the whole point of the film. However, it was business as usual for Slumdog. It’s understandable why this won the award as the quick editing certainly enhanced the pace and emotions of the film.

Best foreign language film of the year

The Baader Meinhof Complex - Germany

The Class - France

Departures - Japan

Revanche - Austria

Waltz with Bashir - Israel

The second biggest upset of the night. This Japanese film has only been seen by a select few, and it has yet to be released in this country. It is encouraging that members of the academy can only vote in this category once they have seen all the films nominated but it'll take a lot to convert my allegiances from my 3rd favourite film of last year. It's certainly interesting to note that the winner of this category at the BAFTAs, the French film I’ve Loved You So Long, did not even pick up a nomination here as didn't Gomorrah which was such a realistic depiction of the Naples Mafia that the filmmaker is still on the run from them!

Achievement in makeup

Greg Cannom - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan - The Dark Knight

Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz - Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Before the Oscars started the last thing I said a colleague was that Benjamin Button only deserved to win two Oscars and this was one of them. Turning Brad Pitt into a convincing elderly midget is the greatest achievement of this film.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

James Newton Howard - Defiance

Danny Elfman - Milk

A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire

Thomas Newman WALL-E

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

"Down to Earth" from WALL-E Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman

"Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire Music by A.R. Rahman

"O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire Music by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

A lot of controversy has surrounded this particular award. Initially Peter Gabriel pulled out altogether and then he refused to play a segment of his song on stage as part of the big musical number for all those nominated as he only wanted to play his song if he could play it from start to finish. Similarly many have been in uproar as Bruce Springsteen's original song for The Wrestler was not officially recognised by the academy which has echoed Johnny Greenwood's lack of a nomination last year, which still make me feel bitter as he should have won it! Call me tone deaf but all the music in Slumdog sounded the same to me. Nevertheless it added to the feeling of experiencing the Mumbai slums.

Best motion picture of the year

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Frost/Nixon

Milk

The Reader

Slumdog Millionaire

Not Danny Boyle's best film by any stretch of the imagination. Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and Sunshine have all been greater achievements cinematically in my eyes. But it is still without doubt the best flick nominated and my faith in the academy has been restored somewhat as they stayed clear of the God awful Ben Button. This is hopefully a step forward for the British Film Industry as a film which struggled with funding from the start and was originally going to be released straight to DVD has now received the highest accolade possible. As Danny Boyle explained to a reporter after the ceremony, people in the film industry do not start out in blockbusters such as The Dark Knight and it is these smaller indie films that deserve recognition. I for one agree, blockbusters get their achievements through profit, the smaller films deserve them through critical achievements. It was heart warming seeing Mumbai slum children having the opportunity to walk on the red carpet and hopefully this film will help their economy somewhat. Also, let's hope Boyle keeps his promise and goes back there and parades the Oscar through the street as a thank you.

Best animated short film

La Maison en Petits Cubes

Lavatory - Lovestory

Oktapodi

Presto (Pixar)

This Way Up

Best live action short film

Auf der Strecke

Manon on the Asphalt

New Boy

The Pig

Spielzeugland (Toyland)

Achievement in sound editing

Richard King - The Dark Knight

Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes - Iron Man

Tom Sayers - Slumdog Millionaire

Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood - WALL-E

Wylie Stateman - Wanted

Achievement in sound mixing

David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick - The Dark Knight

Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty - Slumdog Millionaire

Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt - WALL-E

Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt - Wanted

Achievement in visual effects

Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin - The Dark Knight

John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan - Iron Man

Anyone who can turn Brad Pitt into an elderly dwarf deserves recognition.

Adapted screenplay

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Screenplay by Eric Roth

Doubt Written by John Patrick Shanley

Frost/Nixon Screenplay by Peter Morgan

The Reader Screenplay by David Hare

Slumdog Millionaire Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Full Monty scriptwriter, Simon Beaufoy now has an Oscar to his name and it is well deserved. A script that can turn a gameshow fable into a film is very skilled indeed.

Original screenplay

Frozen River Written by Courtney Hunt

Happy-Go-Lucky Written by Mike Leigh

In Bruges Written by Martin McDonagh

Milk Written by Dustin Lance Black

WALL-E Screenplay by Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon

Two brilliant pieces of writing here. Unlike the BAFTAs however, the academy opted for the political struggle over the sharp witty narrative. If any screenplay was going to lose out to McDonagh's then it had to be this one. Not just because WALL-E had hardly any dialogue and Mike Leigh films are heavily improvised, but because this film was not a preachy film in any way shape or form but a thoroughly engaging experience derived from real events that made it very educational indeed.

Other highlights of the ceremony included this massive musical number involving Beyonce who was previously seen at President Obama's inauguration (big year for her) and the leading stars of High School Musical 3:

Overall this was a worthwhile night had by all! Mainly the favourites won but it was still enjoyable to watch, or so I’ve heard. The films didn't quite reach the quality of last year, namely No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood but this is still the most exciting and hotly anticipated night for film every year. Critics try to claim its apparent wilting influence but millions of viewers cannot be wrong.

One stark change to proceedings however was the decision to replace clips of actor's performances during the listing of the nominations with past winners reading out monologues. This was rather uncalled for as it was a device which purely drew attention to how prosperous the academy is and how no other organisation can put so much talent under one roof. And it was another way to increase the so-called yuck factor. Although it did however put a new spin on the reading out of nominations and if mixed with clips of the films it could better the experience.

Although what I really want to know is, where was Jack Nicholson this year?
Every ceremony you can bet good money he will be sat on the front row in his shades looking seedy, not this time.

The 29th Annual 'Razzie' Awards 2009

2009-02-24T15:57:00.000-08:00

Created by John Wilson in 1980, the "Razzies" were created to counterpoint the academy awards by honouring the worst achievements in film. Each year this ceremony continues to grow in scale and significance with its greatest highlight being back in 2004 when Halle Barry accepted her award in person by giving a speech which parodied her own oscar acceptance speech three years earlier. She later fired her agent and has not appeared in successful film since.

So on the eve of the greatly anticipated Oscars here are the recipients of such accolades this year:

Worst Picture:
The Love Guru
Disaster Movie + Meet the Spartans

The Happening

The Hottie and the Nottie

In The Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

Worst Actor:
Mike Myers -The Love Guru
Larry the Cable Guy - Witless Protection

Eddie Murphy - Meet Dave

Al Pacino - 88 Minutes and Righteous Kill

Mark Whalberg - The Happening and Max Payne

Worst Actress:
Paris Hilton -THE HOTTIE AND THE NOTTIE

Jessica Alba - The Eye and Love Guru

The Cast of The Women (Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Meg Ryan)

Cameron Diaz - What Happens in Vegas

Kate Hudson - Fools' Gold and My Best Friend's Girl

Worst Supporting Actress:
Paris Hilton - REPO: THE GENETIC OPERA

Carmen Electra - Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans

Kim Kardashian - Disaster Movie

Jenny McCarthy - Witless Protection

Leelee Sobieski - 88 Minutes and In the Name of the King

Worst Supporting Actor:
Pierce Brosnan -MAMMA MIA!

Uwe Boll (as himself) - Uwe Boll's Postal

Ben Kingsley - The Love Guru and The Wackness

Burt Reynolds - Deal and In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

Verne Troyer - The Love Guru and Uwe Boll's Postal

Worst Screen Couple:
Paris Hilton and either Christine Lakin or Joel David Moore, THE HOTTIE AND THE NOTTIE

Uwe Boll and any actor, camera or screenplay

Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, What Happens in Vegas

Larry the Cable Guy and Jenny McCarthy, Witless Protection

Eddie Murphy in Eddie Murphy, Meet Dave

Worst Prequel,Remake, Rip-off or Sequel(Combined Category for 2008):
Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull

The Day the Earth Blowed Up Real Good

Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans

Speed Racer

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Worst Director:
Uwe Boll - 1968: Tunnel Rats,In The Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale,and Postal

Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer - Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans

Tom Putnam - The Hottie and the Nottie

Marco Schnabel - The Love Guru

M. Night Shymalan - The Happening

Worst Screenplay:
The Love Guru Written by Mike Myers & Graham Gordy
Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans Both written by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer

The Happening written by M. Night Shymalan

The Hottie and the Nottie Written by Heidi Ferrer

In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale Screenplay by Doug Taylor

Worst Career Achievement:
Uwe Boll
(Germany’s Answer to Ed Wood)

“Wins” Per Picture:
The Love Guru = 3 Awards:Worst Picture, Actor and Screenplay
The Hottie and The Nottie = 3 Awards:Worst Picture, Actor and Screenplay
In The Name of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale = 1 Award: Worst Director
Indiana Jones and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull = 1 Award:Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off or Sequel

Mike Myers was the biggest loser of the year with his latest release recieving worst film, actor and script (all of which are the most significant components when it comes to putting together a comedy film). Looks like you've let your voicing of a big green ogre get in the way of your comic talents Mr Myers, back to the drawing board!

Although his film just missed out on worst director to Uwe Boll whose work rate simply cannot be kept up with, well done on your lifetime achievement award sir.

BAFTA Ceremony 2009

2009-02-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

Here are the results of Britain's warm-up to the Oscars:

BEST FILM
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Ceán Chaffin
FROST/NIXON – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard
MILK – Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen THE READER – Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti, Redmond Morris

I think this is what everyone expected really. At a head to head race with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the better film won. No one was really suprised either as the British film won at a British ceremony. The most eye-opening aspect to this award was the decision to use Mick Jagger to present it. As he swaggered his way towards the podium he owned the stage without the use of a band. His comment after Mickey Rourke's acceptance speech claiming that he expected Jonathan to be 'doing all the fucking' was a stroke of genius.

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
MAN ON WIRE – Simon Chinn, James Marsh
HUNGER – Laura Hastings-Smith, Robin Gutch, Steve McQueen, Enda Walsh
IN BRUGES – Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh
MAMMA MIA! – Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman, Phyllida Lloyd, Catherine Johnson
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson, Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy

In my opinion the fantastic horror film Eden Lake deserved a nomination but such films, no matter how skilled, have never been award friendly. However when Man on Wire won, everyone was certain that Slumdog was destined to win best picture, this award is set aside for the more artistic, smaller works which is very comendable.

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film
STEVE McQUEEN (Director/Writer) – Hunger
SIMON CHINN (Producer) – Man On Wire
JUDY CRAYMER (Producer) – Mamma Mia!
GARTH JENNINGS (Writer) – Son of Rambow
SOLON PAPADOPOULOS, ROY BOULTER (Producers) – Of Time And The City

Hunger was definately the right choice but I still think James Watkins definately deserved a nomination for his film Eden Lake which was certainly outstanding for his debut script and direction. Nevertheless it would not have beaten McQueen's politcally conscious work of art which truly deserved award recognition somewhere.

DIRECTOR
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - Danny Boyle
CHANGELING – Clint Eastwood
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – David Fincher
FROST/NIXON – Ron Howard
THE READER – Stephen Daldry

This award was presented by Magneto and Professor X. themselves (that's Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian Mackellen for those of you not familiar with the X-men films) who are currently starring together in Samuel Beckett's Nihlist play Waiting For Godot. The BAFTA awards may not be able to acttract the level of stars on the scale of the Oscars but they certainly do enough to rival them. As Boyle picked up his award he found it hard to keep focused as his son Gabriel shouted 'I love you Dad' from the crowd.

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
IN BRUGES – Martin McDonagh
BURN AFTER READING – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
CHANGELING – Joe Michael Straczynski
I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Philippe Claudel
MILK – Dustin Lance Black

The two people who presented this award were Michael Sheen, who played David Frost in Frost/Nixon, and David Frost himself. An ingenious idea for the presentation of an award, this is something at least the Oscars would not have been able to do. The decision for this particular script to win may have been slightly biassed but I think it will struggle to win at the Oscars as comedy is always a difficult genre to crack unless you are Woody Allen.

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Simon Beaufoy
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Roth
FROST/NIXON – Peter Morgan
THE READER – David Hare
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Justin Haythe

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Yves Marmion, Philippe Claudel
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX – Bernd Eichinger, Uli Edel
GOMORRAH – Domenico Procacci, Matteo Garrone
PERSEPOLIS – Marc-Antoine Robert, Xavier Rigault, Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud
WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Serge Lalou, Gerhard Meixner, Yael Nahlieli, Ari Folman

A slightly different set of nominees for this particular award in comparison to the Oscars. In particular the BAFTA's were right to nominate Gomorrah which has been overlooked. It is also interesting to point out that the winner here I've loved you so long is not even nominated at Oscars, so there was a really diverse set of opinions here in relation to the LA based Academy. Nevertheless I still think Waltz With Bashir should have won as it was easily the most daring, powerful and artistic of those nominated.

Animated Film in 2008
WALL•E – Andrew Stanton
PERSEPOLIS – Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud
WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Ari Folman

Here it was a more advanced decision by BAFTA voters to nominate animated films that dealt with adult subject matter. This was certainly a more interesting and closer competition than the Oscars who for some reason stupidly decided to nominate Bolt and Kung-Fu Panda as well as WALL-E in this catagory. Such tension was never felt on the BBC though as we were subjected to Stanton's acceptance speech whislt the credits roled over his face.

LEADING ACTOR
MICKEY ROURKE – The Wrestler
FRANK LANGELLA – Frost/Nixon
DEV PATEL – Slumdog Millionaire
SEAN PENN – Milk
BRAD PITT – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

It was an ambitious decision to nominate Dev Patel as he had no hope in hell of winning against such established talent. But he should be well in line for a rising star award next year if he gains a few more roles which I'm sure he will not find difficult. Michael Sheen deserved a nomination in place of either Brad's plain or Dev's debut performances as it was severly overlooked. Frank Langella would have not been as effective without such a strong performance to feed off. All in all though Rourke was the right winner and his blunt speech on how he had 'fucked up' his career for the last fifteen years was met with an equally hilarious comeback by the razor sharp Ross who found his infamous 'improbable comment' by claiming Rourke would now face 'four months suspension'.

LEADING ACTRESS
KATE WINSLET - The Reader
ANGELINA JOLIE – Changeling
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS – I’ve Loved You So Long
MERYL STREEP – Doubt
KATE WINSLET – Revolutionary Road

This was the only awards ceremony to get it right in nominating Kate twice in the leading actress catagory. After the travesty of the catagorising of the Golden Globes where they for some reason thought her Revolutionary Road acting was a supporting performance couldn't have been any further from the truth. Although I'm sure she didn't mind winning two awards on the night.
Despite two nominations I still find it odd how she didn't win for her better performance in Rev Road and hasn't even been nominated for this character at the Oscars. Oh well, at least she kept the yuck factor of her speech down in front of her home audience due to the backlash she has recieved from the press from her daft Globes acceptance speech.

SUPPORTING ACTOR
HEATH LEDGER - The Dark Knight
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. – Tropic Thunder
BRENDAN GLEESON – In Bruges
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – Doubt
BRAD PITT – Burn After Reading

I don't understand why Brad Pitt and Downey Jr. were nominated in this award and it must have felt slightly insulting for Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brendan and Heath's family. There was never any doubt that Heath would win but Ray Fiennes' mob boss in In Bruges could have done with a nomination nod.

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
PENÉLOPE CRUZ – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
AMY ADAMS – Doubt
FREIDA PINTO – Slumdog Millionaire
TILDA SWINTON – Burn After Reading
MARISA TOMEI – The Wrestler

MUSIC
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – A. R. Rahman
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Alexandre Desplat
THE DARK KNIGHT – Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard
MAMMA MIA! – Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
WALL•E – Thomas Newman

Mamma Mia was probably one of the most ill founded nominations here. Yes the film was a musical and relied on such music, however it was terribly original having been written by ABBA twenty odd years ago!

Cinematography in 2008
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Anthony Dod Mantle
CHANGELING – Tom Stern
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Claudio Miranda
HE DARK KNIGHT – Wally Pfister
THE READER – Chris Menges, Roger Deakins

Editing in 2008
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Chris Dickens
CHANGELING – Joel Cox, Gary D. Roach
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lee Smith
FROST/NIXON – Mike Hill, Dan Hanley
IN BRUGES – Jon Gregory
As there was a tie in this category there are six nominations

Production Design in 2008
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo
CHANGELING – James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
THE DARK KNIGHT – Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Mark Digby, Michelle Day

Costume Design in 2008
THE DUCHESS – Michael O'Connor
CHANGELING – Deborah Hopper
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jacqueline West
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lindy Hemming
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Albert Wolsky

Costume dramas are always a favourite for this particular award.

Sound in 2008
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp
CHANGELING – Walt Martin, Alan Robert Murray, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lora Hirschberg, Richard King, Ed Novick, Gary Rizzo
QUANTUM OF SOLACE – Jimmy Boyle, Eddy Joseph, Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith, Mark Taylor
WALL•E – Ben Burtt, Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Matthew Wood

Special Visual Effects in 2008
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Barba, Craig Barron, Nathan McGuinness, Edson Williams
THE DARK KNIGHT – Chris Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul Franklin, Tim Webber
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL – Pablo Helman, Marshall Krasser, Steve Rawlins
IRON MAN – Hal Hickel, Shane Patrick Mahan, John Nelson, Ben SnowQUANTUM OF SOLACE – Chris Corbould, Kevin Tod Haug

I have no idea why Indiana Jones was nominated for this catagory as the CGI looked so fake it did in fact suck a lot of the proverbial fun from this film. Ben Button was the deserved winner as its greatest achievement was turning Brad into a withered old baby midget.

Make Up & Hair in 2008
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jean Black, Colleen Callaghan
THE DARK KNIGHT – Peter Robb-King
THE DUCHESS – Daniel Phillips, Jan Archibald
FROST/NIXON – Edouard Henriques, Kim Santantonio
MILK – Steven E. Anderson, Michael White

Again, Brad Pitt as a midget, hilarious!

Short Animation in 2008
WALLACE AND GROMIT: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH – Steve Pegram, Nick Park, Bob Baker
CODSWALLOP – Greg McLeod, Myles McLeod
VARMINTS – Sue Goffe, Marc Craste

An unimaginative choice here. Nick Park's animation was not any different from any of his previous short films and didn't really push the format. However, it may have in fact deserved to win as I have not seen the other films nominated and Park's preservation of stop montion animation does need to be kept up.

Short Film in 2008
SEPTEMBER – Stewart le Maréchal, Esther May Campbell
THE DREAMER – Kate Ogborn, Tony Grisoni
LOVE YOU MORE – Caroline Harvey, Anthony Minghella, Sam Taylor-Wood, Patrick MarberRALPH – Olivier Kaempfer, Alex Winckler
VOYAGE D’AFFAIRES (THE BUSINESS TRIP) – Celine Quideau, Sean Ellis

ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
NOEL CLARKE
MICHAEL CERA
MICHAEL FASSBENDER
REBECCA HALL
TOBY KEBBELL

This award was placed in an odd section of the ceremony. Broadcast just after the obituaries it was quite a downer for this award. Whether it was intentionally put before the rising star award to demonstrate that there are rising stars in relation to the deaths I'm not sure and I'm not all that convinced that if this was the intention that it paid off. It was fairly ironic however that the recipient of last year Shia Lebeouf has not starred in anything other than Eagle Eye since. This may have been why he chose to turn up this time when awarding it rather than recieving it last year, but Im sure he is busy on the set of Transformers 2 which sort of demonstrates how he has not really progressed or developed in his roles. I think Noel Clarke was a good decsion to be presented with this award. His last film may have been a bit cliched and too ambitious but he is nevertheless a force to be reckoned with as he is a writer, director and star unlike the other nominees. It's just a shame his acceptance speech was very chavvy indeed!

OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA
PINEWOOD STUDIOS AND SHEPPERTON STUDIOS

All I can say is I can't believe these world reknown studios haven't won such an accolade sooner, that is of course unless they haven't won it in previous years.

ACADEMY FELLOWSHIP
TERRY GILLIAM

A master of cinema this American turned British citizen is a credit to our industry. As a fan of Jeff Bridges it was good to see his tribute to an old friend. It's just a shame Gillingham's speech and montage of films were severly and abruptly cut so by BBC editors. I just hope his next film The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus lives up to our expectations and I have every faith that it will with Gillingham having said on several occasions that it is the film he is most pleased with in a long, diverse and colourful backlog of films.

All in all I felt slightly sorry for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who both looked bored throughout having made such a journey to our rainy little island without an award for their efforts. Oh well at least it is a vote of confidence for BAFTA who don't simply hand out awards to the biggest A-listers they can manage to attract.

As Danny Boyle looked lovingly on as the majority of his crew picked up BAFTA masks these should be possitive omens for the fastly looming Oscars.

The best thing about this awards ceremony was the fact BAFTA had such a fruitiful choice of British films to pick from this year. With the credit crunch putting pressures on our small film industry which struggles to find money at the best of times I just hope such a healthy output of talent can continue to blossom.

It is Film Four who are the real winners this year as if it were not for their persistence, films like Slumdog and In Bruges would not even exist. Hopefully their efforts will be recognised in the next few years by BAFTA with an 'Outstanding contribution to cinema' award.

Problems on the set of Terminator Salvation

2009-02-04T05:48:00.000-08:00

Christian Bale completely loses his temper with a member of the crew.......

Eden Lake

2009-01-30T08:46:00.000-08:00

All's well in the Garden of Eden

DETAILS:
Released - 12 September 2008
Certificate - 18
Running Time - 91min
Director/Screenwriter - James Watkins
Producers -Christian Colson, Richard Holmes, Ivana Mackinnon, Diarmuid McKeown, Paul Ritchie Cinematography- Christopher Ross
Editing - Jon Harris
Music - David Julyan
Theatrical distributor - Optimum Releasing
Country - UK

SYNOPSIS:
Nursery teacher Jenny (Kelly Reilly) and her boyfriend Steve (Michael Fassbender) escape for a romantic weekend away. Steve, unbeknown to Jenny, has chosen a remote lake enclosed by woodlands and is using the holiday as an opportunity to propose. Although the lake is far from idyllic as first thought when their peace is shattered by a group of unruly Chavs. Reveling in terrorising the couple, things get out of hand when the gang steals all their belongings leaving them stranded. Events then proceed to go from bad to worse when Steve decides to confront their ring leader Brett (Jack O'Connell) leaving them at the mercy of their captors.

REVIEW:
Eden Lake is easily the most criminally overlooked film of 2008. In the UK it made £404,758 and in the US a measly $5,824. To put this in perspective let me draw your attention to the most successful horror film of 2008, Saw V, which grossed $56,729,973 in the USA and £6,123,282 in the UK. Therefore this proves that a film's success is at the mercy of its distributors. You can make the best film ever created but unless it is distributed to the people, no one will ever see it. Eden lake which is undoubtedly the best horror film of 2008 (barring of course the experimental [Rec]) had a non-existent marketing campaign and was thus unable to reclaim its budget. In comparison the worst film of 2008, let alone Horror film, Saw V made around ten thousand times more gross in the US box office. Initially I was angry at the public for not going out of their way to see this film but I soon realised it was not their fault. You cannot blame the people for not seeing a film they were unable to access. The distributors should have had more faith in this film as I honestly believe it had the potential to be the most successful British Horror film since Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later.

The fact millions of people went out to see Saw V demonstrates how the public are prepared to watch any tripe so long as it readily available at the right time. With Eden Lake only open for a week across 10 screens in the USA people did not have enough time to get a hold of it. For a debut feature you need to give such a film time to spread through word of mouth. Unless it has a gimmick to promote itself, like the first prominent horror film this year My Bloody Valentine 3D which has already in its first weekend been opened across 2,534 Screens and has grossed $21,241,456, there is no hope.

For a horror film Eden Lake ticks all the boxes and still manages to exceed all expectations. It shocks, appalls, grips and disgusts you throughout. But what makes it far better than all its contemporaries is the fact there is substance behind the violence. The whole film is not carried by is repulsiveness (which sometimes works in splatter movies) but by Jenny's struggle. Not for a great while have you truly felt for a struggling protagonist as you have Jenny.

But this is due to the film's cultural relevance. Many of the landmark horror films in the past are remembered for playing upon fears of the people at the time and this is exactly what Eden Lake does. Essentially it is a social commentary on our disillusioned youth and their Chav culture. You can read as many Daily Mail headlines as you like but nothing will play on your fears as much as this film. As soon as you finish watching Eden Lake you will be haunted in the knowledge that such events are possible. Perhaps this cultural significance is more relevant to a UK audience but nevertheless it deserves more credibility than a five thousand dollar profit in the US box office. You have no idea just how far this dark film will take you. Without giving too much away the ending itself is one of the most effective endings to a horror film ever written, completely free of cliché or predictability.

TO SUM UP:
If I had had the opportunity to see this film last year it would have made my top 10 list for the best films of the 2008. It deserved far more success commercially to go hand in hand with its critical appraisal. We cannot change the film industry overnight but nevertheless my message to you is to seek out this film, watch it, rent it, buy it and help raise its credibility with a DVD success reminiscent of the infamous Shawshank Redemption story. Also stay away from the mass produced rubbish this year i.e. My Bloody Valentine 3D and Saw VI and spend more time and effort on the smaller critically acclaimed features. They won't dissapoint and will guarantee that better horror films will be made in the future, it is a win win situation. Make a start now by seeking out Mum and Dad!

Sundance Film Festival 2009

2009-01-29T13:02:00.000-08:00

What makes Robert Redford's Utah based festival so different from all the others is the fact that it effectively acts as stepping stone for all the new and interesting film talent out there with as well as giving rise to the more "indie" releases perhaps more so than the rest of the film festivals out there.

Obviously I have not had a chance to see any of the films featured as I was not present at this years festival (just like a lot of journalists it seems). So here are the list of winners with a full synopsis from IMDB where available as they are no doubt worth a look in the future! You may have to wait a fair while though, the four big winners do not yet have a distributor which I guess is all part of Sundance's charm.

Grand Jury Prize, U.S. Dramatic:
Push: Based on the Novel by Sapphire , Lee Daniels.
SYNOPSIS: In Harlem, an overweight, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction.

Grand Jury Prize, U.S. Documentary:
We Live In Public, directed by Ondi Timoner
SYNOPSIS: On the 40th anniversary of the Internet, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC tells the story of the effect the web is having on our society as seen through the eyes of "the greatest Internet pioneer you've never heard of", visionary Josh Harris. Award-winning director, Ondi Timoner ("DIG!"), documented his tumultuous life for more than a decade, to create a riveting, cautionary tale of what to expect as the virtual world inevitably takes control of our lives. Josh Harris, often called the "Warhol of the Web" through the infamous dot.com boom of the 1990's, founded Pseudo.com, the first Internet television network and created his vision of the future, an underground bunker in NYC where 100 people lived together on camera for 30 days over the millennium. He proved how in the not-so-distant future of life online, we will willingly trade our privacy for the connection and recognition we all deeply desire. Through his experiments, including a six-month stint living under 24-hour live surveillance online which led him to mental collapse, he demonstrated the price we will all pay for living in public.

World Cinema Jury Prize, Dramatic:
The Maid, directed by Sebastian Silva

World Cinema Jury Prize, Documentary:

Rough Aunties, directed by Kim Longinotto

SYNOPSIS: Fearless, feisty and resolute, the "Rough Aunties" are a remarkable group of women unwavering in their stand to protect and care for the abused, neglected and forgotten children of Durban, South Africa. This newest documentary by internationally acclaimed director Kim Longinotto (SISTERS IN LAW, DIVORCE IRANIAN STYLE) follows the outspoken, multiracial cadre of Thuli, Mildred, Sdudla, Eureka and Jackie, as they wage a daily battle against systemic apathy, corruption and greed to help the most vulnerable and disenfranchised of their communities. Neither politics, nor social or racial divisions stand a chance against the united force of the women. Once again Longinotto has managed to bring us an intimate portrait of change from Africa, this time from post-apartheid South Africa, a nation being transformed with hope and energy into a new democracy.

Audience Award, Dramatic:
Push: Based on the novel by Sapphire, directed by Lee Daniels.

Audience Award, Documentary:
The Cove , directed by Louise Psihoyos

World Cinema Audience Award, Dramatic:
An Education , directed by Lone Scherfig
SYNOPSIS: Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is a bright young girl on the cusp of her 17th birthday who finds herself in a whirlwind romance with a much older David (Peter Sarsgaard). Prior to meeting David, Jenny was trying to excel in her life by going to a prep school to get into Oxford. Once she sees the lifestyle David can provide, one she never imagined might so easily be hers, she is hooked and thoughts of Oxford go out the window. Then, when things are looking pretty good for Jenny with the dashing (yet a little too smooth) David, the truth hits her like a ton of bricks. Jenny goes from being a bright eyed school girl to a sophisticated young lady and then all the way back to questioning if she really knows who she is at all.

World Cinema Audience Award, Documentary:
Afghan Star, directed by Havana Marking
SYNOPSIS: A look at how contestants on the a musical contest program "Pop Idol" in Afghanistan risk their lives to appear on the show.

Excellence in Directing, U.S. Dramatic:
Cary Joji Fukunaga, Sin Nombre
SYNOPSIS: Sin Nombre tracks the fate of three teenagers traveling through Mexico on their way toward the U.S. border. Sayla (Gaitan) is living a hard life in Honduras when her father and uncle decide it's time for the three of them to attempt to cross over into the United States and meet up with dad's "other family" in New Jersey -- full of brothers and sisters her father fathered before he was caught and deported

Excellence in Directing, U.S. Documentary:
Natalia Almada, General, El
SYNOPSIS: The glimpse into the life of Mexican President Plutarco Elias Calles.

Excellence in Directing, World Dramatic:
Oliver Hirschbiegel, Five Minutes of Heaven
(This Film Stars Liam Neeson, I'm sold)

Excellence in Directing, World Documentary:
Havana Marking, Afghan Star

Excellence in Cinematography, U.S. Dramatic:
Adriano Goldman, Sin Nombre

Excellence in Cinematography, U.S. Documentary:
Bob Richman, The September Issue
SYNOPSIS: The September 2007 issue of Vogue magazine weighed nearly five pounds, and was the single largest issue of a magazine ever published. With unprecedented access, this film tells the story of legendary Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and her larger-than-life team of editors creating the issue and ruling the world of fashion.

Excellence in Cinematography, World Dramatic:
John De Borman, An Education

Excellence in Cinematography, World Documentary:
John Maringouin, Big River Man
SYNOPSIS: To be titled "Big River Man", the film will follow Strel as he attempts to cover 3,375 miles in what is being billed as the world's longest swim. Strel, who hails from Slovenia, previously completed record swims in the Danube, Mississippi and Yangzte rivers and holds several Guiness World Records.

Excellence in Editing, U.S. Documentary:
Karen Schmeer, Sergio
SYNOPSIS: Charismatic, charming and complex, Sergio Vieira de Mello was the world's go-to guy, a man who could descend into the most dangerous places, charm the worst war criminals, and somehow protect the lives of the ordinary people to whom he'd devoted his life. SERGIO tells the gripping, inspiring story of his most treacherous mission ever...a mission in which his own life hangs in the balance.

Excellence in Editing, World Documentary:
Janus Billeskov, Big River Man

Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award:
Nicholas Jasenovec and Charlyne Yi for Paper Heart
SYNOPSIS: A look at the relationship between two young actors.
(Michael Cera's latest starring role is probably all you need to know)

World Cinema Screenwriting Award:
Guy Hibbert, Five Minutes of Heaven

Special Jury Prize for “Spirit of Independence”:
Humpday, directed by Lynn Shelton
SYNOPSIS: When Andrew unexpectedly shows up on Ben's doorstep late one night, the two old college friends immediately fall into their old dynamic of heterosexual one-upmanship. To save Ben from domestication, Andrew invites Ben to a party at a sex-positive commune. Everyone there plans on making erotic art films for the local amateur porn festival and Andrew wants in. They run out of booze and ideas, save for one: Andrew should have sex with Ben, on camera. It's not gay; it's beyond gay. It's not porn; it's an art project. The next day, they find themselves unable to back down from the dare. And there's nothing standing in their way - except Ben's wife Anna, heterosexuality, and certain mechanical questions.

Special Jury Prize For Acting:
Mo’Nique, in Push: Based in a novel by Sapphire

Special Jury Prize For U.S. Documentary:
Good Hair, directed by Jeff Stilson
(A documentary starring Chris Rock apparently!)

World Cinema Special Jury Prize, Dramatic:
Catalina Saavedra for her performance in The Maid

World Cinema Special Jury Prize, Dramatic:
Louise-Michel, directed by Benoit Delepine and Gustave de Kervern, for its “originality”

World Cinema Special Jury Prize, Documentary:
Tibet in Song, directed by Ngawang Choephel
SYNOPSIS: A look at the life and struggles of the Tibetan people and their culture told through music.

The Alfred P. Sloan Prize For a Feature Film:
Adam, directed by Max Mayer.
SYNOPSIS: A lonely, autistic man, Adam, develops a relationship with his upstairs neighbor, Beth.

Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Awards
Diego Lerman, Ciencias Morales (Moral Sciences)
David Riker, The Girl
Qurata Kenji, Speed Girl
Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Evolution

Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking:
Lies, directed by Jonas Odell.
SYNOPSIS: Three perfectly true stories about lying. In three episodes based on documentary interviews we meet the burglar who, when found out, claims to be a moonlighting accountant, the boy who finds himself lying and confessing to a crime he didn't commit and the woman whose whole life has been a chain of lies.

Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking:
Short Term 12, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.
SYNOPSIS: A Film about kids and the grownups that hit them

The film Push it seems will be worth looking out for in the future having picked up no less than three major awards. Also as a massive fan of Nick Hornby books I am looking forward to his latest filmed screenplay; An Education

Screen Actors Guild Awards 2009

2009-01-29T12:46:00.000-08:00

Not that these really account for much in the greater scheme of things but I thought I'd just list the nominations and subsequent winners anyway as it is all partially relevant in the lead up to the 81st Academy Awards!

The winners are highlighted in bold.

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn, Milk
Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie, Changeling
Melissa Leo, Frozen River
Meryl Streep, Doubt
Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin, Milk
Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams, Doubt
Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis, Doubt
Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Kate Winslet, The Reader

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Oscar Nominations

2009-01-28T12:10:00.000-08:00

Here are all the nominations announced last week. Who I believe will win are highlighted in Bold and written underneath are my thoughts and opinions on who should actually win. For nominations to which I do not really have a clue about, these have all been left untouched and are open to suggestions.

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Richard Jenkins in The Visitor
Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn in Milk
Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Firstly it is good to see Richard Jenkins' role deservedly picking up a nomination for the criminally overlooked The Visitor. Frank Langella however is not the leading actor of Frost/Nixon. He is predominantly a supporting actor alongside Michael Sheen who for some reason has been overlooked by the Academy. As good as Langella's Nixon is, it would account for nothing unless he had Sheen's Frost to play against.

Sean Penn's performance is flawless but for me there is nothing inherently different, challenging or 'out there' about his portrayal of Harvey Milk. Similarly Benjamin Button is the typical Brad Pitt Role. For me and I believe the Academy, the performance of the year has to go to Mickey Rourke. He may effectively be playing himself but no other performance this year is as moving. Behind his tough exterior lies this emotional wreck, and if it were not for him, the film would not work. His acting just seemed so extremely demanding unlike that of Penn who was effortlessly playing yet another role which he thrives in. I think it is about time Rourke won an award but keep your eyes on Sean Penn as he may narrowly beat him. Also where was Benicio Del Toro's nomination for Che Guavara?

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Josh Brolin in Milk
Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road

Heath rightly deserves this award and I think the Academy will agree with me. None of his other rivals are anywhere as near as colourful, inventive or just as mind blowing. I think it is insulting that Downey Jr should be nominated as his character was nothing other than a daft and stupid gimmick to raise his profile which wore a little thin as the dismal Tropic Thunder trundled along. If Heath somehow managed to lose out to that excuse of a performance he will be turning in his grave! The fact when Downey Jr.'s name was mentioned the whole audience guffawed in laughter demonstrates how no one is taking this nomination seriously. It could have been replaced with far better performances that are far more deserving, Michael Sheen in Frost/Nixon is an obvious example. Even though Josh Brolin, who could have perhaps been nominated for best actor in W, and Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who is brilliant in everything he stars in, are worthy of nominations their performances are simply forgettable when they are pitted against Heath's performance of a lifetime.

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie in Changeling
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
Meryl Streep in Doubt
Kate Winslet in The Reader

This is a very tough one to call. It doesn't take a genius to work out that the main focus of the nomination is between Angelina and Kate, but it is anyone's guess. Kate Winslet is so obviously Oscar hungry I think the Academy may in fact pity her and grant her a win. Similarly many members of the Academy may in fact be neutral and grant the win to the outside favourite Anne Hathaway. Like Jolie she is known for her rubbish roles but this year she proved she is capable of so much more. But if I were to bet on anyone it would be Jolie. Her performance is without a doubt the most convincing and it reeks of what the academy favour; a strong maternal woman who uses her strengths to battle against society.

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Amy Adams in Doubt
Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis in Doubt
Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler

I know the Wrestler was Mickey Rourke's film but Marisa Tomei's character does exactly what it says on the tin; it supports and enhances his character. To me the other actresses were trying to steal the spotlight just a little bit too much.

Best animated feature film of the year

Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E

It annoys me that the so-called 'Best animated feature' is only limited to three nominations. For some reason the academy seems to view animated films as a Mickey Mouse award, literally. The fact Kung Fu Panda has even been nominated is insulting. Where is Waltz With Bashir? Persepolis? Just because these two films are full of adult subject matter means they are denied an award opportunity. Dreamworks's Cash Cow has in no way pushed the boundaries of animation or cinema itself. If either Bashir or Persepolis were nominated it would make the race for best animation feature far more exciting. Ultimately there is only one winner here and that is Andrew Stanton's masterpiece Wall-E.

Achievement in art direction

James J. Murakami and Gary Fettis - Changeling
Donald Graham Burt and Victor J. Zolfo - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nathan Crowley and Peter Lando - The Dark Knight
Michael Carlin and Rebecca Alleway - The Duchess
Kristi Zea and Debra Schutt - Revolutionary Road

Achievement in cinematography

Tom Stern - Changeling
Claudio Miranda - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Wally Pfister - The Dark Knight
Chris Menges and Roger Deakins - The Reader
Anthony Dod Mantle - Slumdog Millionaire

The entire feel and darkness of the fictional Gotham City is down to this man. I rest my case.

Achievement in costume design

Catherine Martin - Australia
Jacqueline West - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Michael O'Connor - The Duchess
Danny Glicker - Milk
Albert W Revolutionary Road

Achievement in directing

David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant - Milk
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

There is no way that Daldry deserves to win for his pretentious direction. Similarly Van Sant's direction of Milk was just so straight forward and unimaginative that there is no way he could hope to even win. For me Danny Boyle's dynamic and energetic depiction of the Mumbai slums blows everyone else out of the water. But look out for Ron Howard. In a similar vein he has also taken a television show and translated it into a gripping film. If there were a prize for second place, it would be his.

Best documentary feature

The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

The best documentary of the year in my opinion; King of Kong has either been overlooked or has simply been considered too commercial, despite the fact its box office takings we below par to say the least. Similarly the only reason I can think of that Taxi to the Dark Side has not been nominated is because it has gone out of its way to criticise the fine country they call America, which is something the Academy never takes lightly to. Man on Wire has generated so much buzz since it was released I just cannot see anything else winning. Also let's face it, Encounters at the End of the World has been nominated only because it has Herzog's name attached to it! A few stuffy critics will no doubt be up in arms due to the fact that their favourite documentary of the year, Terence Davis' Of Time and the City, did not get a mention but this is probably because the Academy is uninterested with the slums of Liverpool truth be told.

Best documentary short subject

The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

Achievement in film editing

Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Lee Smith - The Dark Knight
Mike Hill and Dan Hanley - Frost/Nixon
Elliot Graham - Milk
Chris Dickens - Slumdog Millionaire

Best foreign language film of the year

The Baader Meinhof Complex - Germany
The Class - France
Departures - Japan
Revanche - Austria
Waltz with Bashir - Israel

If my 3rd favourite film of the year Waltz with Bashir does not win I think I shall shoot myself! This was in my opinion a step forward for the art of cinema and is better than any of the other films nominated for 'best picture' let alone best foreign film. So layered as a part animation, part documentary and part drama this work of art is so emotionally powerful it hits you square in the face! As entertaining as The Baader Meinhof Complex was it was just too politically didactic and Gomorrah should have gone in its place. For a film industry so obsessed with the Mafia and its legacy I think a film which exposes the criminal organisation for what it really is definitely deserves a nomination at least.

Achievement in makeup

Greg Cannom - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan - The Dark Knight
Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz - Hellboy II: The Golden Army

All they had to do in the Dark Knight was slap makeup on Heath Ledger's face. As imaginative as the make-up is on Hellboy II is, it is the make-up on the elderly Baby which holds the whole concept of Benjamin Button together.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
James Newton Howard - Defiance
Danny Elfman - Milk
A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire
Thomas Newman WALL-E

This is the only soundtrack that stood out in my mind, one which aided and enhanced the magnificent visuals.

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

"Down to Earth" from WALL-E Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
"Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire Music by A.R. Rahman
"O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire Music by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam

Best motion picture of the year

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Compared to last year's Oscar race the films this year are not as intriguing which has thus made the race a tad less exciting. Nevertheless I would quite like to see Boyle's film win as it is without a doubt the best film nominated. However I have a feeling that Fincher's epic is filled with what the academy thrive on; an epic simple man's journey. It may as well have been called Forest Gump 2. Anyway, it doesn't matter who wins anymore because the fact of the matter is Wall-E is far superior to any of the films mentioned. All fairly equally mediocre Wall-E would have stood out and easily had a chance of winning in my opinion.

Best animated short film

La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory - Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto (Pixar)
This Way Up

Best live action short film

Auf der Strecke
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)

Achievement in sound editing

Richard King - The Dark Knight
Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes - Iron Man
Tom Sayers - Slumdog Millionaire
Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood - WALL-E
Wylie Stateman - Wanted

Achievement in sound mixing

David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick - The Dark Knight
Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty - Slumdog Millionaire
Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt - WALL-E
Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt - Wanted

Achievement in visual effects

Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin - The Dark Knight
John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan - Iron Man

Again Wall-E should have been nominated and won. It's special effects were absolutely breathtaking and so unbelievably imaginative and iconic they permanently imprint in your mind. But with what's on offer I think Iron Man should win, any film that takes a man into space convincingly is a dead cert in my eyes!

Adapted screenplay

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Screenplay by Eric Roth
Doubt Written by John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon Screenplay by Peter Morgan
The Reader Screenplay by David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

All the films have been effectively translated for the art of cinema, that's why they have all been successfully nominated. But the script which stands out the most is Beaufoy's Slumdog Millionaire. It is a film in its own right rather than a filmed adaptation of a book or play.

Original screenplay

Frozen River Written by Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky Written by Mike Leigh
In Bruges Written by Martin McDonagh
Milk Written by Dustin Lance Black
WALL-E Screenplay by Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon

None of the other films in relation to In Bruges are as razor sharp or as quick witted. Mike Leigh's script is more of the same and WALL-E's screenplay was barely existent as far as dialogue is concerned. This is an award for the best screenplay not storyboard!

Total Nominations Per Film

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button -13
Slumdog Millionaire - 10
The Dark Knight -8
Milk - 8
WALL-E - 6
Doubt - 5
Frost/Nixon - 5
The Reader - 5
Changeling - 3
Revolutionary Road - 3
The Duchess - 2
Frozen River - 2
Iron Man - 2
Wanted - 2
The Wrestler - 2

No inherent surprises really as to which film has picked up the most nominations. But for me Wall-E deserved to sweep the board . I think it'll be one of those years when all the awards are given to a variety of films rather than one stand alone movie claiming far more than anyone else. None of the films are that superior in relation to their rivals (except for WALL-E of course!)

The real surprise is that Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino has not picked up a single nomination when films like Wanted and Kung Fu Panda can receive up to two. I just think the Academy found nothing in his film they particularly liked, after all I believe it was a film he made for himself rather than for awards which we all know he can do at the flip of a coin.

The Academy Awards will be presented by Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) which is quite frankly a strange choice as despite his musical background I don't think he quite has the edge of a host as say Whoopi Goldberg, Jon Stewart, Billy Crystal or Steve Martin.

The awards will be broadcast live on February 22nd at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Expect a full blown review on my blog the day after the ceremony!

A Film I Cannot Wait to See

2009-01-27T14:52:00.000-08:00

Whilst waiting for the second half of Derby County and Nottingham Forest's infamous Fourth Round FA cup tie to commence (with Derby subsequently proceeding to throw away their victory despite their dominance of the game it has to be said) this gem of a trailer hit the pub's screens.

Now it may have been because me and my Derby mates were all in good spirits being 1-0 up amidst one of the greatest rivalries in the history of British football with a few pints in our system, but for some reason I was totally transfixed by this trailer for its entire 2 minute duration.

Perhaps it is due to the fact I recently turned into a massive Michael Sheen fan overnight after seeing Frost/Nixon, thus realising his portrayal of English figureheads provide more than just observatory impersonations but are filled with real personality, character and an interpretation that always engrosses me.

Or perhaps it is because the story of the eccentric Brian Clough, Middlesbrough born like myself who single handedly managed to prove there is more to football success than money, really intrigues me.

But whatever it is, I cannot escape the fact that this trailer oozes a certain energy and wit which I managed to pick upon despite the fact that the pub's TV had no sound.

Now I am always the first to express my boredom towards British films that are nothing other than generic success stories with the sole intention of aiming to be successful in an American film market e.g. Calendar Girls, Purely Belter, Waking Ned, Lucky Break, Saving Grace, On a Clear Day etc. But I think we could well be in the midst of film with real substance. Unlike the films previously mentioned this does not seem to be chasing a possible American fan base, after all how many American's are going to be interested in Brian Clough?

Ultimately I await the end of March with a positive outlook, firmly in the knowledge that this film will be released! I may not be able to guarantee that it will in fact be as good as I predict or whether it will be a box office sucess but what I can guarantee is that Derby County have no chance of winning the FA Cup this year!

A Brief Analysis

2009-01-27T14:27:00.000-08:00

Here is my analysis of the opening fifteen minutes of the Spielberg-Cruise, sci-fi epic; Minority Report.

This was written for my sci-fi module at uni.

For those of you who have not seen Minority Report or need your mind refreshing the opening sequence can be seen on youtube in two parts:

Part One can be seen here: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=5Eh4qjOopb0

Part Two is here:

Minority Report opening sequence

The main purpose of Minority Report’s opening fifteen minute sequence is to provide the viewer with a first hand experience into how the precrime precog system operates and the uncertainty that comes with it. With a lack of direct information viewers are instantly immersed in this world. The events which develop here work to establish the type of system John (Tom Cruise) will be evading throughout the rest of the film.

As the 20th Century Fox logo fills the screen it is given this pale blue almost colourless, metallic, yet submerged appearance. Instead of containing the bright vibrant colours we are used to Spielberg challenges our expectations by taking the one familiar element of the film and immediately stripping it of all its visual trademarks. This unfamiliarity provides a sense of mystery yet intrigue to the viewer and a minor state of unease as the usual warm reassuring logo now feels cold and distant.

The first images we see are unclear. A series of broken and disorientated flashbacks they are meant to unsettle and perhaps horrify us. Frequently in and out of focus and not having any linear progression the only thing the viewer can make sense of is a violent stabbing. We then see a close up of precog for the first time who is eerily talking, then a red ball rolls down a tube with the word ‘victim’ being the first letters on screen. These events do not make sense but they nevertheless work as Spielberg provides us with an unnerving atmosphere that signifies that there cannot be a positive outcome.

We are then given an establishing shot of the vastly spacious infrastructure of a blue police station full of busy staff all milling about with the words ‘department of precrime’ and ‘the year 2054’. We immediately know this is a technologically advanced future.

As John approaches his super computer opera music begins to play. He has an audience watching him and the long shot behind him emphasises his grandeur gestures. We therefore compare his actions with that of a musical conductor or artist. As his movements are directly replicated on the screen it is as if he and the technology are as one. He interacts in a language only he is skilled enough to understand. The fact he is wearing gloves that are connected to his computer suggest that the technology is a part of him. He his doing this to decode the first images we saw into logistic sense as well as introducing to the viewer the advanced software used in the future which is far more physically and mentally demanding than what we use today.

The film then cuts to a suburban setting. Again we are given an establishing shot with vast space but here this space is used to emphasise the bright green grass. The music also stops playing and we only here the diegetic natural sounds such as the swings and the water sprinkler. This scene acts as a calming equivalent to the unnatural precrime department. This visual emphasis on green space also suggests there is still hope for freedom from technology in the future. However for a relatively calming scene, due to the fact we recognise one of these characters previously committing murder, there is an underlying sense of unease and awkwardness between the husband and wife. Although we have a vague idea of what will happen an audience is intrigued to know how events will develop through this ‘show, don’t tell’ screenwriting.

As John is about to leave the station he is called back due to a ‘location problem’ which leads to the introduction of the Danny Witwer character. Unfamiliar with the system Danny is a plot device to help us to understand events, as they progress they are explained to him as well as us. As Danny offers to shake John’s hand this distracts him and ruins the placement of his on screen documents and files. This suggests how Danny is there with the possible intention of causing John difficulty and trouble. Danny’s smarmy grin facial expression juxtaposed against John’s stern seriousness and concentration demonstrates a personality clash which may well heighten later on.

Proceeding to observe John from a distance, Danny has a brief word with one of John’s officers. This conversation is extremely relevant as Danny is informed how crimes of passion show up late on the system thus questioning its plausibility. Danny is informed how ‘we rarely see anything with premeditation anymore’ to which he responds ‘people have got the message’. This hints to us how the precrime department has too much control over civilians and their personal lives. With no true crimes left to focus on they have now become obsessed with persecuting people for their simple crimes of passion.

It is also significant how the majority of close ups of John’s face are shot through the partially see-through computer screen. Partly distorted through the onscreen images this suggests how John’s life is superficially blinded by such technology. He is hypnotised by it. This is his only window into the outside world as he spends most of his days in this dark office.

The police’s arrival in suburbia emphasises how if it were not for their presence there would be nothing futuristic about this setting and it could be easily mistaken for being set in the current day. These uniforms and flying vehicles seem imposed upon our real world and are obtrusive in our freedom. The arrival of the spaceship blocks out the sunlight and the image of police officers in helmets dropping from the sky are severely out of place as it is not the most reassuring of sights, and feels like an invasion of privacy.

As John surveys the houses he becomes panicked. Emphasised by the fast POV pan of the front doors, he does not know which one to enter. To him all the houses are the same, he is essentially lost in suburbia and has lost touch with the simple ways of life. He relies on technology to get him out of this problem by communicating back to the office and is constantly looking at his watch as he is running against the clock The crosscutting scenes between the police force and family now quicken to heighten the tension and suspense. As John sprints to the door and up the stairs the camera’s fast tracking cannot even keep up with him. Along with fast cutting and high tempo music this furthers the suspense. As John enters the bedroom he directly intervenes in the murder and it is due to his hand on Mark’s arm that a crime never in fact actually takes place. Again his first reaction is to look at his watch as he is a slave to time constraint.

As the remaining officers crash in through the ceiling this rough apprehension echoes a similar scene in Brazil where a man called Buttle is wrongly arrested instead of a man named Tuttle due to a small administration error. There has just been something discomforting about the sequence of events. As well as creating suspense this hardly seems like a reassuring police force and method of law enforcement. The word oppressive comes to mind. This is emphasised in particular when a full body shot of Marks is framed by the close up of a headset in one of the officer’s hands. We know it will entrap and restrict him in some way. As he pleads and the officers follow him there is no escape. As he is taken away we are inclined to sympathise with him more. This was not a conscious decision to murder and the didactic police force has not given him the right to a fair trial. The inefficient and oppression of the police is not perhaps as overtly apparent as Brazil but there is an underlying satirical tone to their methods.

BAFTA Nominations Announced

2009-01-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

The word is out!

The world's second most important film council have announced their nominations.

Having not quite seen all the flicks mentioned I cannot provide my full opinion just yet, but by the time the awards have been broadcast I will have had the time to do so, so watch this space.

In the meantime here are the people The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, a.k.a. the pre-Academy Awards, believe could all be in with a chance of picking up the infamous Bafta mask this year.

I'm sure you are all resourceful enough to find the following information for yourself from the Bafta website, but what kind of a film blog would this be without announcing them?

This is what English actresses Gemma Arteton (Quantum of Solace) and Hayley Atwell (The Duchess), who were strangely looking like a clone of one another earlier today, announced to the world:

BEST FILM
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Ceán Chaffin
FROST/NIXON – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard
MILK – Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen
THE READER – Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti, Redmond Morris
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
HUNGER – Laura Hastings-Smith, Robin Gutch, Steve McQueen, Enda Walsh
IN BRUGES – Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh
MAMMA MIA! – Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman, Phyllida Lloyd, Catherine Johnson
MAN ON WIRE – Simon Chinn, James Marsh
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson, Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD
for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film
SIMON CHINN (Producer) – Man On Wire
JUDY CRAYMER (Producer) – Mamma Mia!
GARTH JENNINGS (Writer) – Son of Rambow
STEVE McQUEEN (Director/Writer) – Hunger
SOLON PAPADOPOULOS, ROY BOULTER (Producers) – Of Time And The City

DIRECTOR
CHANGELING – Clint Eastwood
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – David Fincher
FROST/NIXON – Ron Howard
THE READER – Stephen Daldry
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Danny Boyle

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BURN AFTER READING – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
CHANGELING – J. Michael Straczynski
I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Philippe Claudel
IN BRUGES – Martin McDonagh
MILK – Dustin Lance Black

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Roth
FROST/NIXON – Peter Morgan
THE READER – David Hare
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Justin Haythe
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Simon Beaufoy

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX – Bernard Eichinger, Uli Edel
GOMORRAH – Domenico Procacci, Matteo Garrone
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Yves Marmion, Philippe Claudel
PERSEPOLIS – Marc-Antoine Robert, Xavier Rigault, Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Parannaud
WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Serge Lalou, Gerhard Meixner, Yael Nahl Ieli, Ari Folman

ANIMATED FILM
PERSEPOLIS – Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Parannaud
WALL•E – Andrew Stanton
WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Ari Folman

LEADING ACTOR
FRANK LANGELLA – Frost/Nixon
DEV PATEL – Slumdog Millionaire
SEAN PENN – Milk
BRAD PITT – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
MICKEY ROURKE – The Wrestler

LEADING ACTRESS
ANGELINA JOLIE – Changeling
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS – I’ve Loved You So Long
MERYL STREEP – Doubt
KATE WINSLET – The Reader
KATE WINSLET – Revolutionary Road

SUPPORTING ACTOR
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. – Tropic Thunder
BRENDAN GLEESON – In Bruges
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – Doubt
HEATH LEDGER – The Dark Knight
BRAD PITT – Burn After Reading

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS – Doubt
PENÉLOPE CRUZ – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
FREIDA PINTO – Slumdog Millionaire
TILDA SWINTON – Burn After Reading
MARISA TOMEI – The Wrestler

MUSIC
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Alexandre Desplat
THE DARK KNIGHT – Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard
MAMMA MIA! – Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – A. R. Rahman
WALL•E – Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
CHANGELING – Tom Stern
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Claudio Miranda
THE DARK KNIGHT – Wally Pfister
THE READER – Chris Menges, Roger Deakins
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Anthony Dod Mantle

EDITING **
CHANGELING – Joel Cox, Gary D. Roach
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lee Smith
FROST/NIXON – Mike Hill, Dan Hanley
IN BRUGES – Jon Gregory
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Chris Dickens
**As there was a tie in this category there are six nominations

PRODUCTION DESIGN
CHANGELING – James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo
THE DARK KNIGHT – Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Mark Digby, Michelle Day

COSTUME DESIGN
CHANGELING – Deborah Hopper
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jacqueline West
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lindy Hemming
THE DUCHESS – Michael O'Connor
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Albert Wolsky

SOUND
CHANGELING – Walt Martin, Alan Robert Murray, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lora Hirschberg, Richard King, Ed Novick, Gary Rizzo
QUANTUM OF SOLACE – Jimmy Boyle, Eddy Joseph, Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith, Mark Taylor
SLUMDOG MILLIONARE – Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp
WALL•E – Ben Burtt, Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Matthew Wood

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Barba, Craig Barron, – Nathan McGuinness, Edson Williams
THE DARK KNIGHT – Chris Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul Franklin, Tim Webber
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL – Pablo Helman
IRON MAN – Shane Patrick Mahan, John Nelson, Ben Snow
QUANTUM OF SOLACE – Chris Corbould, Kevin Tod Haug

MAKE UP & HAIR
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jean Black, Colleen Callaghan
THE DARK KNIGHT – Peter Robb-King
THE DUCHESS – Daniel Phillips, Jan Archibald
FROST/NIXON – Edouard Henriques, Kim Santantonio
MILK – Steven E. Anderson, Michael White

SHORT ANIMATION
CODSWALLOP – Greg McLeod, Myles McLeod
VARMINTS – Sue Goffe, Marc Craste
WALLACE AND GROMIT: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH – Steve Pegram, Nick Park, Bob Baker

SHORT FILM
KINGSLAND #1 THE DREAMER – Kate Ogborn, Tony Grisoni
LOVE YOU MORE – Caroline Harvey, Sam Taylor-Wood, Patrick Marber
RALPH – Olivier Kaempfer, Alex Winckler
SEPTEMBER – Stewart le Maréchal, Esther May Campbell
VOYAGE D’AFFAIRES (THE BUSINESS TRIP) – Celine Quideau, Sean Ellis

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
MICHAEL CERA
NOEL CLARKE
MICHAEL FASSBENDER
REBECCA HALL
TOBY KEBBELL

At the moment it is Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire making all the headlines after being given a total of 11 nods. With it being critically hailed as Boyle's most interesting film since Trainspotting in 1996 and one of the most significant British films in recent history I have no doubt that it will be successful in picking up the majority of its nominations.

The awards will take place on Sunday 8 February 2009 at Linbury Theatre, Royal Opera House , Covent Garden (Piazza entrance) from 6pm-10pm. Available to the public are backstage tickets where The Guadian film critic Jason Solomons will be offering his thoughts and opinions.
Anyone got a spare ticket?

Oh well, the rest of us can look forward to watching extensive coverage presented by Claudia Winkleman over no less than three BBC channels.

The centre of controversy himself Jonathan Ross has been confirmed to present the awards this year only two weeks after his suspension from the BBC is lifted. But don't expect this to hinder his enthusiasm as he has recently told reporters his intentions of slipping in an "improbable word" at some point during the proceedings.

It's hard to believe my mum's cousin Amanda Berry is the big cheese at the awards and I doubt I'll ever get the chance to meet her, but there you go!

Is this the most annoying acceptance speech of all time?

2009-01-13T10:25:00.000-08:00

WOW you somehow forgot Angelina’s name, how AMUSING! It’s not like she was your greatest competition in this award or anything.

It surprises me how such a talented actress can give a speech which is so obviously sickly and fake. I'm guessing her performance in Revolutionary Road isn't this see-through. I am not buying this 'girl next door' persona she still seems to be milking. It's not like she hasn't been doing this sort of thing for the past 10+ years. I have much more respect for someone who can just give a simple thank you and actually just be themselves. The Coen Brothers acceptance speeches at the 2008 Oscars were genius!

The fact she is playing a character within the holocaust as a device to primarily chase awards means Ricky Gervais was a little closer to the truth than we initially though in his sitcom/satire Extras.

Although despite its toe-curling annoyingness, this PR stunt means her award win inevitably will go down in history. Mention a female acceptance speech and everyone remembers Halle Berry’s emotional breakdown on the Oscar podium, but at least this seemed relatively genuine and was in fact entertaining, albeit in a weird way.

Ultimately I cannot blame Kate for salvaging the moment at the expense of everyone else’s impatience, it is the globes after all. She might as well try and give the ceremony some significance as the world has got their eyes on the real prize, the Oscars.

Channel 4's Insensitive Commissioning

2009-01-12T16:12:00.000-08:00

As fairly entertaining as the 2001 movie Domestic Disturbance is, it just seemed mildly inappropriate to watch. In a film where John Travolta's character fears for the safety of his on-screen son, the subject matter was a little too close to the bone in places given the recent untimely death of his own son. Channel 4's commissioning was a tad insensitive and in bad taste as there are simply far more just as entertaining films out there that could have been broadcast in its place.

John Lasseter as the new face of Disney

2009-01-11T17:49:00.000-08:00

Former Toy Story Director turned Pixar mogul was granted one of the most powerful positions in the movie business two years ago; head honcho at the Disney animation studios.

That is of course USED to be one of the most powerful positions in the film industry. A recent back catalogue of second rate CGI disasters and an endless tirade of straight to DVD prequels and sequels meant Disney's main revenue rested on Pixar relations and High School Musical films. This has in fact left skeptics considering this position a step down for Lasseter.

Although recapturing the magic Disney once had, which seems to have bypassed an entire generation, and re-establishing its status as a movie giant against new rivals Dreamworks Animation Studios will not be a challenge for Lasseter in the slightest. No one is better suited for this position than the man who is responsible for changing the face of children's animated cinema and initially knocking Walt's empire from the top spot.

The only problem I put forward is this; has he been recapturing Disney's lost identity or simply reworking Pixar's formula within the Disney studios? Or on the other hand, without Lasseter being at the helm of Pixar will the company find itself struggling to bring out masterpieces after its peak Wall-E?

Well with the first Disney film produced entirely under Lassetter's watch named Bolt receiving much critical praise and The Princess and the Frog being the first 2-D animated Disney film since 2004 to be released this coming Christmas 2009, it appears all is well at the House of Mouse.

Is DVD browsing fast becoming a thing of the past ?

2009-01-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

First WoolWorths then Zavvi and now Blockbuster fighting a constant battle to keep its stores open there are increasingly less and less shops out there to browse for DVD's.

Although I managed to work on my Ron Howard collection by seeking out Cocoon for 80p at Woolies and Backdraft for £2.40 at Zavvi this doesn't really compensate for the lack of choice now out there with the collapse of prominent distributor Entertainment UK.

It's all well and good having a DVD in mind when you order it from the cheaply priced bottomless pit that is Amazon, but with the art of browsing comes the discovery of cheap DVD offers and films you had forgotten existed or films you have not heard of before which improves your knowledge. This is all something that is lost online.

For me when I am dragged to the shops or need to pop out for a few things it also provides some light relief in the form of shopping I actually enjoy.

I just hope our future doesn't turn into this seething dystopia where by all the jobs available are in website warehouses and everyone has to do their shopping online, thus never leaving the house and living putrid meaningless existences stewing in their own juices. Not a happy thought, but a possible one!

Kermode threatens to quit!

2009-01-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

You heard it here first folks, that is of course under the presumption you didn't hear his Radio 5 Live show this week!

Kermode was nothing other than appallingly dismayed by the unfunny chick flick that contributed towards kicking off this months mediocre releases, namely Bride Wars. In comparison to the sheer brilliance of the releases this time last year he stated that if Bride Wars doesn't make his top ten worst films of the year by the end of 2009 then he quits!

Honestly I think he was being a bit over dramatic as usual. These amazing films that were released last January; No Country for Old Men, Juno and There Will Be Blood weren't exactly released this early. Plus with Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, Che, The Wrestler and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button all due out it can hardly be considered a bad month for film.

Personally I think he'll make sure that it'll make his end of year list after such a statement! After all who's going to turn down watching films for a living, no matter how bad they are!?!

A Month in Film: December 2008

2009-01-09T14:32:00.001-08:00

Can you still remember the film releases that graced our screens over christmas? If so, have a gander at my review of them Here

Grindhouse Trailer Classics 2

2009-01-09T14:26:00.000-08:00

Click Here to read my review on the Grindhouse Trailer Classics 2 DVD

Criticising the Critics!

2008-12-29T07:38:00.000-08:00

A brief guide on where to get the best film criticism:

Podcasts

Filmspotting
Chicago based podcast written and hosted by amateur critics Adam Kempenaar and Matty Robinson. The fact it is only able to run due to audience donations from all over the world not only demonstrates its popularity but how the love of film alone can be a rewarding and satisfactory wage. With each show lasting up to an hour and a half, plenty of time is spent deconstructing the art cinema. It is also extremely educational as each week their regular top five list slot is bound to contain some films you won't have heard of.

Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo's Film Reviews
What lacks in Filmspotting can be found in the professional Radio 5 live show run by partners in crime Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode. The only reason it works is down to Kermode and the chemistry that flows between him and his friend. His fast but clear and witty rhetoric combined with hilarious impressions are frequently played off by his host. With a run down of the box office top ten, reviews of the latest films, lots of banter and audience participation being an integral part to the show it grabs your attention for a very entertaining 50 minutes and never lets go. As Skilled as Filmspotting is, Adam and Matty are just too nice to each other, frequently complimenting one another and treading carefully when they disagree you need a bit of good old English sarcasm and bickering. The energy and enthusiasm that runs through the proclaimed Kermodian rants are untouchable by any other critic working today. Broadcast every week at Friday at 3pm, Radio 5 Live it is worth waiting all week for. That is of course unless Andrew Collins is standing in for Kermode which means this entire formula simply falls apart, but at least he is better than the God awful Hardip Singh-Koli.

The Film Programme
Radio 4 does film criticism! Interviews with current and past film directors are bound to send you to sleep. Usually the format to such a show would work and be sufficiently intriguing but the extreme density that comes with Radio 4 hosts is just unlistenable.

Guardian Film Weekly

An improvement on Radio 4's show, basically the same concept but at least the somewhat freaky Jason Solomons seems to have passion and enthusiasm for what he is talking about when he interviews his guests. His reviews and debates with fellow critic Sam Brooks is also worth a listen.

James King, Radio One

Short snappy reviews designed to appeal to today's teenage generation, it is a shame the ACTUAL Film criticism is left behind somewhere. He described Role Models as 'genius 'recently, enough said!

Magazines

Sight & Sound
The best way to sum up this magazine is to refer to a conversation that took place between Frost/Nixon actor Michael Sheen and Director Ron Howard. Sheen told Howard he must read S&S as it is 'the best magazine of film criticism written in the English language' to which Howard replied, 'Oh really, I've never heard of it'. The most underrated film magazine out there, the BFI funded publication is far superior to its rivals as it is the only one to provide every film release of the month, no matter how commercial, full analytical page long reviews. Critics from all over the country get to together to write reviews for this publication without subduing to the star rating system. Similarly the news segments do not only focus on A list stars or the latest blockbusters but have the freedom to provide insight into any interesting film movement going on around the world. You will also never find a regular column as skilled or as brilliant as Nick Roddick's.

Empire/Total Film
Although not as good as Sight & Sound and a little mainstream for people's liking there is still always room on my shelf for these publications every month. Jam packed with films and stars to look out for in western cinema with well written features that change every month, reviews and extensive interviews with the greats these mags are what initially got me into film criticism. You will never find such well written content in mainstream magazines.

Fangoria
For those who like their Horror films this is an essential read.

Film Review
Proclaims itself as 'the movie Bible since 1950' but I severely disagree. Its news segments are pitiful as they are basically big pictures with little words taking up one half of the magazine with the other half simply containing film reviews that are too generous with their stars.

DVD & Blu Ray Review
If you are passionate about your DVD collection then this is essential. With over 200 reviews a month you know what is worth buying.

DVD Monthly
Like DVD & Blu Ray Review but if you were to take it seriously you would be buying every DVD released!

Radio Times
More of a listings magazine, if you already buy this publication then the great Barry Norman's regular column is always worth a read. Andrew Collins is also worth some attention to, he may not be as skilled on the radio as Kermode but his articles are always a good read!

Newspapers
Pick up any Broadsheet and are you are guaranteed to read worthwhile film criticism. Throughout the week The Guardian's entertainment magazine G2 is my favourite read of all things in wittertainment but Philip French's column in The Observer is worth waiting for every Sunday!

Websites

IMDB
Mainly user uploaded reviews means this isn't the most reliable site for film criticism but who can blame the sight that holds every single fact according to film.

Rotten Tomatoes

A brilliant film search engine. Type in the name of the film you want a review of and several professional critic reviews are presented before your very eyes!

Metacritic

Similar to Rotten Tomatoes although it is not exclusively a film site and all the reviews are extracted from mainly American publications. Only really deals with films realised in the last couple of years too.

Empire/Total Film

Both websites are worth looking at for regularly uploaded news, reviews and features not seen in their magazines. It is also enjoyable joining in with the varied debates on their forums.

Kermode Uncut
Mark Kermode's video blog is the essential companion to his podcast.

blog.spout.com/

The hottest site for film news

http://www.filmspotting.net/
Not much here in addition to the podcast, but worth visiting to take part in the regular polls.

Television

Film 2009
Hopefully Jonathan Ross will be able to return to his role as film critic in the new year given recent events. Often given a lot of stick this show is nevertheless the best television show out there for film criticism. Ross may not compare to the great Norman but his reviews are well written with real enthusiasm and insight for a foul mouthed television host.

The Culture Show
A show which never actually deals with culture, there is sometimes an interesting Kermode segment where he interviews one of his favourite directors.

Newsnight Review
Offers very deep and insightful debates on the current more predominately artistic releases.

ScreenWipe
OK, so it isn't really about films but Charlie Brooker's masterstroke deserves to be watched by everyone!

Films to avoid in 2009

2008-12-26T15:27:00.000-08:00

As our economic turmoil looks set to turn even bleaker, do not worsen your situation by paying to see these potential turkeys.

Sex Drive
The latest teen sex movie kicks off the new year. Probably the only comedy trailer I have ever seen where the entire audience has not made so much as a titter. If these are the best jokes and set pieces the trailer could offer then avoid like gonohreah!

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
How many times can people find a squirrel chasing an acorn THAT funny?

X-men Origins: Wolverine
Without Bryan Singer behind this prequel, I can sense yet another abysmal depiction like Ratner's X-Men 3. Is there really any need for learning about Logan's past after the stunning X-2?

The Brazilian Job
The most overrated actor, former rapper, Mark Whalberg no doubt steals some gold again. Bearing in mind The Italian Job remake was never actually set in Italy hopefully this film will have the decency to do what the title says. As this franchise gets progressively worse like that of Ocean's 11 hopefully the minimal box office takings will put an end to a potential trilogy.

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Oh well, at least Kate Beckinsale will be scantily clad in tight Lycra again, nice.

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian
A series of seasonal films that only take in a decent profit due to their release dates. If I were to put money on a film that would be the greatest flop of 2009 it would be this one. Scheduled for a May release, people will fail to embrace it outside the season of goodwill. Expect yet another unfunny film full of talented comedians all worthy of far better material. It seems the Frat pack have lost their grip on the pulse of modern edgy comedy.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

As visually striking as the prolonged original was, there is just no real call for a sequel.

The Fast and the Furious 4

Vin Diesel finally gets some work again by succumbing to a franchise he vowed never to return to. This bodes really well.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Is there any heroic figure left in American society yet to be dramatised? Brendan Frasier continues to revive his dismal comeback with yet another dire film that no one has ever expressed any demand for.

Final Destination 4: Death Trip 3D

The only reason this film has been made is due to its 3D gimmick. Get ready for another film full of annoying teenagers predictably being killed in a string of OTT set pieces.

SAW VI

Expect a sequel to be released every Halloween until people stop paying to see them, which doesn't seem like any time soon.

Sherlock Holmes

Guy Ritchie gives us a contemporary Kung Fu fighting Sherlock Holmes played by Robert Downey Junior. He could in fact surprise us with an entertaining film, but I very much doubt it.

Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakuel

The original proved that the film's plot cannot be carried by a bunch of annoying chipmunks squeaking their way through proceedings. Only having this one joke to work with, it seems to have now worked its way into the actual title.

Angels and Demons

A long haired Robert Langdon returns! Without Ian McKellen this sequel is bound to be even more lifeless and droll.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Parts 3-5
Luckily Disney announced they have no intention of releasing any further Narnia books. Hopefully the same will happen for Pullman's equally massacred His Dark Materials.

Films to seek out in 2009

2008-12-26T15:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some worthwhile future releases to accompany our developing world of political change:

The Wrestler
Tipped as Mickey Rourke's greatest ever performance, an Oscar win is certainly on the cards. Hopefully grossly underrated director Darren Aronofsky may finally get the recognition and success he truly deserves.

Che, Parts One and Two
Already screened at Cannes, Benicio Del Toro's stunning performance as the revolutionary icon Che Guavara could provide one of the closest races for the Best Actor Oscar in living memory. Although if he loses out to Mr. Rourke, he could always pick up a statuette next year with part two!

Tooth Fairy
Funny man Stephen Merchant and Dwayne Johnson (A.K.A. the Rock) starring together in a Hollywood Film! What isn't there to like!?!?!

Public Enemies
Already known as Heat 2, Michael Mann gives us an adaptation of Bryan Burrough's book, Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave. Set against the Great Depression of the 1920's Christian Bale will play FBI agent Melvin Purvis hunting down criminal John Dillinger played by Johnny Depp. Expect an epic!

Crank: High Voltage
Considering Jason Statham's character Chev Chelios died after falling out of a plane in his last film it is hard to predict how the next film will overcome this narrative problem. But if it is anything like the original get ready for a high octane, albeit cheesy, action thriller. After all, Statham is the only man who really seems to be filling Schwarzenegger's shoes.

Star Trek
With J.J. Abrams at the helm, this prequel may well be worth catching after all.

Avatar
Over ten years since James Cameron has written and directed a movie, he is back to what he does best with a dystopian and action filled sci-fi.

This Side of the Truth
A dip in form with Ghost Town, Ill give Gervais the benefit of the doubt for his first self scripted and directed full length feature. A comedy set in the future where people are unable to lie it could turn out to be a comedy with real substance.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Heath Ledger's last role has been kept alive through the perseverance of his thespian friends Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. Combined with the sheer determination of director Terry Gillingham I believe there to be one last masterpiece left in the both of them.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
David Fincher and Brad Pitt's third collaboration. A depiction of a boy who is born old and progressively grows younger this strange and somewhat quirky film will hopefully do better than the overlooked although brilliant Zodiac.

Frost/Nixon
A gripping drama that depicts the monumental moment in history where underdog David Frost managed to combine television with politics with the larger than life and villainous figure of Richard Nixon. If you see one Ron Howard film this year make sure it is not The Da Vinci Code 2!

Revolutionary Road
American Beauty Director Sam Mendes is back on familiar ground with his adaptation of Richard Yates's novel of the same name. Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet are back together again although this time fighting against the restrictions of a 1950's American, suburban marriage.

Terminator Salvation
Although Arnie may not be involved, this sequel should not be dismissed just yet. Approved by James Cameron himself and starring Christian Bale as John Connor it may just work. Set during the war between man and machine, which we have only previously seen through flashbacks, I am intrigued to see how it all plays out. Perhaps Bale can bring to life yet another dead franchise.
Inglorious Basterds
Long awaited Quentin Tarantino WW1 tale is finally scheduled for release at some point next year. After several years in development we can forgive his Death Proof glitch and pray for his return back to form. Although don't be surprised if it is delayed once again.

Valkyrie
Tom Cruise and Kenneth Brannagh as Nazi agents being directed by Bryan Singer, I am already sold!

Watchmen
Commonly known as the Citizen Kane of the comic book world this is one of the greatest novels ever written. I doubt Zack Snyder can recreate the atmosphere, philosophy, politics and raw violence envisioned by Alan Moore but I am remaining positive. After all he may have directed the terrible 300 but I admire someone who is willing to take on a project previously turned down by the cinematic greats Terry Gillingham and Darren Aronofsky.

Slumdog Millionaire
Already receiving much critical praise, Full Monty scriptwriter Simon Beaufoy and Trainspotting director Danny Boyle should pick up a BAFTA or two for their gritty tale of a Mumbai street kid seeking a better life through the Hindi Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Originally scheduled to be released amongst the mediocre films this Christmas, this potential family film of the year was sorely missed.

Bronson
An adaptation of the warped Charles Bronson's life should provide plenty of controversy, drama and violence!

The Descent Part Two
As Neil Marshall's talents are blinded by the bright lights of Hollywood he is only credited as an executive producer for this sequel. As he directs actioner Drive with Hugh Jackman a lack of involvement may turn out to be a good thing.

The Road
If done properly Cormac McCarthy's best written novel of a father and son trying to survive in a post apocalyptic world could be a valid contender for film of the year.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Riding off the back of four Golden Globe nominations this is said to be writer and director Woody Allen's return to form. Having said that, anything would be an improvment on Cassandra's Dream.

Milk
Gus Van Sant directs Sean Penn who depicts the first overtly gay man elected into American office, Harvey Milk, who is assasinated a year later. This could mark Sean Penn and Gus Van Sant's most intriguing film for a while.

Rachel Getting Married
I have been fortunate enough to have already seen this brilliant film. For my review read my London Film Festival article.

Eddie Murphy as The Riddler?

2008-12-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

Holy Beverly Hills Cop Batman!

The rumour mill has certainly been in full swing where the casting decisions for the next Batman project have been concerned. Well established character actors such as Philip Seymour-Hoffman and Johnny Depp are but a few to have been name dropped.

But undoubtedly the most surprising to surface is Eddie Murphy supposedly being the front runner for Batman's nemesis; The Riddler. This may initially seem a little off but it could in fact develop into a stroke of genius. Eddie Murphy has never been the most likeable or charismatic screen presence to grace Hollywood. His fast mouthed annoying freakiness is one which may in fact work in his favour for a rather difficult role. Jim Carrey captured the insane madness perfectly back in Batman Forever (1995), but what he missed out on was the underlying evil and violent aspect to his character, one which may well be within Murphy's grasp.

Overall this may be a gamble but if true I remain confident in whatever casting decisions Christopher Nolan agrees too. I would be lying if I was one of the vocal sceptics who was proved drastically wrong when it came to Heath Ledger!

The 10 Most Overrated Films of 2008

2008-12-21T03:37:00.000-08:00

All worthy of Razzies in my opinion:

1. Mamma Mia! (July)
A load of middle-aged actors babysitting a couple of annoying sprogs who cannot sing or dance try their best anyway in a musical that incoherently shoehorns all the best selling ABBA songs into one lengthy inconsistent plot. Well at least it provided all the brainless masses of the world a Tesco induced DVD bargain of £7 which further enabled them to whither away their remaining brain cells as they watch it infinitely for the rest of their miserable lives. People seem to have forgotten that Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd was by far the best musical of the year.

2. Sex and the City: The Movie (May)

Four independent women living the city life prove that you can have fun after reaching the big five-o. That is of course if you douse yourself in buckets of make-up, have a bitchy attitude to life, spend all your money on the latest fashion accessories and generally whore around.

3. RocknRolla (September)

Guy Ritchie back on form???? Piss owf govna! This was nothing other than rehashed material under the guise of a contemporary The Long Good Friday. Personally dreading the sequel, The Real RocknRolla, I can guarantee the script will be as unimaginative as the title.

4. Tropic Thunder (September)

Too much money spent on explosive set-pieces and A-list stars meant the actual comedy was left behind somewhere along with the controversy that failed to surface despite it being at the forefront of its pricey marketing campaign.

5. Ghost Town (October)

I have no idea what the majority of critics were praising. Gervais well and truly took his finger off the pulse of innovative, racy comedy when he decided to star in this unoriginal, over-sentimental rubbish. Still, given that he is rumoured to someday host the Academy Awards means it didn't harm his overseas status though.

6. Quantum of Solace (October)

The eagerly awaited sequel to the rejuvenated Bond franchise was ruined in a swift 106 minutes. Marc Foster may be able to stage impressive action set pieces for the Bourne franchise but he cannot hold together a film, especially whilst enduring a CGI overload thus taking the focus away from Craig's Bond.

7. Rambo (February)

Truly the most morally bankrupt and exploitative film ever made. As 62 year-old Sly pumped himself full of his last batch of steroids he well and truly put an end to his career as well as his clean bill of health.

8. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (August)

Look up 'Gluttony' and 'Greed' in the dictionary and you will find a picture of the beardy mess that is George Lucas, determined not to let his cash cow die.

9. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May)

Trey Parker and Matt Stone provided the best critique to this film in their South Park portrayal of Indiana Jones as being 'raped'. The sooner this fourth instalment is brushed under the carpet the better.

10. Righteous Kill (September)

If the senile Bob and Al were not in the main role, this boring tiresome trash would have never been granted worldwide release and would have deservedly been released as a straight-to-DVD B-movie.

Similarly avoid at all costs: 88 Minutes, What Happens in Vegas, Never Back Down, The Happening, Doomsday, The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

The 10 Best Films of 2008

2008-12-21T03:28:00.001-08:00

The Gospel according to Ben Lamb:

1. No Country for Old Men (January)
The Coen Brothers were back on artistic form as they were able to improve Cormac McCarthy's gripping novel through the medium of cinema. Truly deserving of its Best Picture Oscar at the 2007 Academy Awards; Javier Bardem along with Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin all collectively gave the performances of their careers. A must see!

2. There Will Be Blood (Februrary)
Not many modern releases can rival Citizen Kane, but auteur Paul Thomas Anderson did so with ease. Subsequently redefining the language of modern cinema with his original epic, the performance he got out of Oscar winner Daniel Day-Lewis was simply a stunning portrait of a man's greed and rage driven downfall.

3. Waltz With Bashir (November)
The most emotionally powerful and iconic film of the year. This rota scope animated docudrama on a soldier trying to rediscover his lost memories of the First Lebanon War in 1982 should win the best foreign film Oscar.

4. Gomorrah (October)
An enthralling and gritty insight into the contemporary Italian gangster underworld.

5. The Dark Knight (July)
Now officially the 4th best grossing film of all time it's encouraging to see the Nolan brothers producing a superhero franchise with real substance and atmospheric darkness as they continue to rewrite the conventions of the genre. Heath Ledger stole the limelight away from Christian Bale and outshone Jack Nicholson, to produce the best portrayal of a superhero villain ever. To deny him the best supporting actor Oscar would be a crime against humanity. Rest in peace Heath, your legacy shall never be forgotten.

6. Wall-E (July)
Possibly Pixar's greatest film barring Toy Story 1 & 2. Beautifully shot and full of heart this affectionate tale is more than a entertaining children's film but a dystopian vision that reminds us how beautiful the human condition really is that we all take for granted.

7. Changeling (December)
Clint Eastwood continues to reign as the master of old school cinema. A unbelievably true story where Independent single mother Angelina Jolie takes down the whole police force all on her own in an extremely sexist 1920's L.A. means an Oscar win for best actress is a dead cert.

8. Taxi to the Dark Side (June)
An essential, eye-opening and well researched documentary that unearths what actually goes on behind closed doors in Guantanamo Bay. Effectively told through guards, prisoners and insiders alike you have no idea how corrupt American foreign affairs really are.

9. Persepolis (April)
The restrictive Iranian regime imposed upon a typical maturing young girl is truly heartbreaking.

10. King of Kong (June)
The most overlooked film of the year. Forget Man on Wire, getting to the final level of Donkey Kong is surely a better achievement than tightrope walking between the twin towers. This charming documentary awakens a cult that you had no idea existed.

Also worth your attention: Hellboy II, Juno, Eden Lake, Gone Baby Gone, The Baader-Meinhoff Complex, Iron Man, The Mist, In Bruges, The Boy in Striped Pyjamas, Son of Rambow.

A miniscule literary review

2008-11-27T08:06:00.000-08:00

My short text message which contributed to the debate on Simon Mayo's weekly book panel, BBC Radio 5 Live.

The debate addressed the issue as to whether novellas can still be considered as significant as lengthier novels in the great literature cannon:

Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol is without doubt his greatest work as well as his shortest. Scrooge has the most influential character development of all time within some of the spookiest atmospheric imagery ever written. Not to mention its good old fashioned heart warming promotion of good values. Our contemporary image of christmas would not be the same without it.

Ben Lamb. Hull

Another Way To Die

2008-11-21T08:12:00.000-08:00

My second letter read out on Kermode and Mayo’s Film Reviews, BBC Radio 5 Live:

Dear Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd,

Could someone please explain to me EXACTLY what is wrong with the Question of Sport theme tune; Another Way to Die?

For me it was the highlight of the entire film. The Hendrix of our generation Jack White has successfully written and produced the first ever memorable blues rock Bond song. His innovative collaboration with the very sexy and talented Alicia Keys has gelled together three genres of music and is far more listenable than Chris Cornell's generic You Know My Name. Also let's face it, Amy Winehouse couldn't have done any better.

I have been listening to the song on repeat all day whilst doing my dissertation as it is nothing other than an awe inspiring and ruddy good tune!

Perhaps Mr. Mayo would be more suited to answering my question as his musical knowledge is not limited to the boundaries of skiffle, which would certainly not be suitable as a Bond song!

Ben Lamb.
Hull University, 3rd year film studies student (1st grade degree pending)

The State of Mainstream Horror

2008-11-19T01:13:00.000-08:00

Fancy a rant at current horror releases and a brief history of the genre's development? click here

The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival

2008-11-19T01:05:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I attended the press screenings, but my thoughts have finally been published. Click here to take a look

A Month In Film: October 2008

2008-11-08T16:22:00.000-08:00

Click here to read my longest cinematic review for the monthly Studentbeans zine thus far.

Roger Corman Collection

2008-11-03T04:01:00.000-08:00

The most epic piece of work I have written to date! Click here to read my review of the entire Roger Corman boxset which I watched and wrote in the space of two days intertwined with nine hours of work and some university lectures!

The Edge Of Love

2008-11-03T03:58:00.000-08:00

Click here to read my review of Dylan Thomas biopic, The Edge Of Love

Burn After Reading

2008-10-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

But do not burn after watching

DETAILS:
Released - 17 October 2008
Certificate - 15
Running Time - 95min
Directors/Screenwriters - Ethan Coen and Joel Coen
Producers -Tim Bevan, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Cinematography- Emmanuel Lubezki
Editing - Ethan Coen and Joel Coen (as Roderick Jaynes)
Music - Carter Burwell
Theatrical distributor - Universal
Country - USA

SYNOPSIS:
Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) is let go from the CIA due to his drinking problem. Upon his reitrement he decides it is time to write his memoirs. However, his wife Katie's (Tilda Swinton) attorney loses the word files on a disc at the local gym. Stupid fitness instructors Chad Feldheimer (Brad Pitt) and Linda Litzke (Frances McDormand) feel the disc has political significance and can be bought off to the Russains for a high sum of money. At the same time seedy Harry Pfarrerr (George Clooney) is seeing all the women in the film behind everyone's backs. Before long all the stupid characters find themselves caught up in a wild goose chase.

REVIEW:
If you were to classify the Coen Brother’s career you would have to split their work into two categories. On the one hand you would have their Oscar nominated critically acclaimed contemporary works of art such as No Country for Old Men, Blood Simple, Miller’s Crossing, The Hudsucker Proxy, Barton Fink and Fargo. But on the other hand you have a very hit and miss quirky comedy side that includes The Big Lebowski (hit), The Man Who Wasn’t There (hit) O’ Brother Where Art Thou (hit), Intolerable Cruelty (miss), Raizing Arizona (miss) The Ladykillers (extreme miss). But as far as Burn After Reading goes, in regards to their comedic side, I think this lies somewhere in the middle between hit and miss.

When Burn After Reading wants to be funny, the humour absolutely hits the mark. It may be a film full of idiots but it is essentially a comedy with brains and is a political spoof with a lot to express about modern day American culture and the idiocy that comes with it. It is much more difficult to produce an offbeat comedy with substance and awkward situations than a laugh- a-minute, punch-line rubbish. The Coen’s comedy once again produces something far funnier and poignant in the long run. With the US lapping up Adam Sandler the Coen’s comedies puts my faith back in humanity. With a talented A-list cast to die for you could not dream for anything better. Hopefully with the likes of Brad Pitt and George Clooney at the helm it will attract a mainstream audience who will agree with me.

However, my main criticism of this film is that the Coen’s didn’t quite reach their full potential. Not as coherent as The Big Lebowski, with an equal amount of various characters, the film feels a little confused as to who deserves most of our attention. Ultimately each character has too brief a screen time and the film overall feels like a collection of sketches rather than one overall piece of work. Instead of being a layered script with one goal this certainly has layers but they are only seen individually rather than alongside each other. Also the humour at times could do with a little more pace, not too much as this would take away the Coen’s quirky charm, as it just feels like there is not enough confrontation to bring out consistent humour. We want to see more of John Malkovich completely losing his mind! Burn After Reading has an indecisive, incomplete, up in the air, feel about it. It does develop but a bit too slowly but I assure you it is worth watching for the ending where everything comes together.

TO SUM UP:

In relation to the Coen’s back catalogue of out and out comedies this does not equate to The Big Lebowski (my personal favourite) or Fargo, the only film of theirs to bridge the gap between quirky offbeat comedy and Oscar winning art. Although I do not think it is too far off the mark. There was perhaps a better film at the root of the script but nevertheless I think Burn After Reading will be remembered in the Coen’s back catalogue as one of their stronger works. In the context of recent times it still remains one the most original, thought provoking comedies currently out there.

Why Malcolm in the Middle deserves a DVD release

2008-10-17T10:43:00.000-07:00

Malcolm in the Middle was was one of the best sitcoms ever produced in recent years. It was the only sitcom at the time that truly captured the essence of family life in American suburbia and in turn could collectively appeal to families the world over. Usually this is a show's downfall as all the material is watered down to avoid offence which in turn creates punch line based, canned laughter filled throwaway nonsense; My Family anyone? But somehow Malcolm didn't fall into this trap. It had one of the most original, inventive and culturally precise scripts of recent times. Every episode, including the weaker ones, was pure gold creating six series of essential viewing. It achieved the impossible by somehow having the ability to combine Curb Your Enthusiasm’s edgy humour with Peep Show’s cult appeal along with harmless, wholesome family entertainment. It was a rare show that teenagers could comfortably watch with their parents and enjoy together.

At his peak Malcolm was being aired on BBC2 primetime and attracted audiences everywhere. It was one of those unique shows like Friends and Third Rock from the Sun that actually became funnier as the series progressed. Similarly the characters and their relationships really started to develop as the show began to deal with the problems of family life and growing up and how to deal with such issues. Underneath this humour lied a drama with serious worthwhile messages.

However such a series has been overshadowed by the brilliance of The Simpsons. Although unlike Matt Groening, Linwood Bloomer created a string of consistently funny episodes and did not overstay his welcome by embarrassingly running his show for ten more years. The Simpsons was the show of the ninetees but has long since lost its identity in its desperate attempts at trying to attract fans from the Family Guy bandwagon with its new found zany humour. Malcolm in the Middle may have only been able to run due to the yellow family’s legacy but it is one of the only shows able to rival such a landmark series.

A few years later after its sad demise a Malcolm in the Middle DVD box set is nowhere to be seen. It angers me knowing that there are countless amounts of rubbish family based sitcoms out there being produced, not worth the disc they are burnt on, but the show which at one point was the epitome of such a genre remains unavailable. It is sad to think this timeless work of genius could be missed and unheard of by future generations.

Never Back Down - DVD Review

2008-10-04T15:26:00.001-07:00

This review will be published in the best selling UK DVD publication; DVD & Blu Ray Review. Available in shops from 16th October:

What Never Back Down wanted to achieve was a watered down Fight Club for adolescents, basically a film with nothing other than the adrenaline pumping fighting scenes. Although instead of being Tyler’s days at school this is instead Fight Club without any originality, political significance, or any skilled filmmaking whatsoever. Apparently all ‘cool’ American adolescents should fight each other to gain respect and win over women. With a constant plugging of happy slapping on computer screens and mobile phones the filmmakers insultingly seem to think they are being culturally observant and appealing to today’s youth culture, they couldn’t be anymore deluded.

Filled to the brim with offensive messages the whole film rests on its stylised fighting scenes. However Jeff Wadlow’s direction of such set-pieces distinctly lacks any real punch or intensity that a BluRay disc could never salvage.

All the characters just have no real likeability. Ryan McCarthy (Cam Gigandet) has no reason to be evil and beat up innocent people. With Jake Tyler (Sean Farris) so determined to win such an idiot’s respect there is no way anyone can empathise.

Overall, Never Back Down is just overloaded testosterone filled rubbish that none of the self indulgent special features can disguise, no matter how hard they try. With a constant focus placed on the greased up half naked male leads over any real resonance, the only thing going for this film is its pro gay rights subtext.

Movie ** Extras **

Robot Chicken: Star Wars

2008-10-04T14:00:00.001-07:00

For my review of Robot Chicken's take on Star Wars Click Here

Red Riding Hood

2008-10-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Click Here to read my review of straight-to-DVD horror Red Riding Hood.

A Month In Film: September 2008

2008-10-04T13:36:00.000-07:00

Click Here for my monthly Student Beans article summing up the months film releases

Rock n Rolla

2008-09-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

Ritchie has proverbially Swept Away Revolver under his carpet.

DETAILS:

Released - 5 September 2008

Certificate - 15

Running Time - 114min

Director/Screenwriter - Guy Ritchie Producers -Guy Ritchie, Joel Silver, Steve Richards, Navid McIlhargey

Cinematography- David Higgs

Editing - James Herbert

Music - Steve Isles

Theatrical distributor - Warner Bros

Country - UK

SYNOPSIS:

Some souferners go 'round being all threatening and shooting fings.

REVIEW/RANT:

In an industry which is all about profit and returns, second chances are rare. This is certainly Ritchie’s last chance.

Obviously when I went to see Rock n Rolla I was not expecting a masterpiece. But since Ritchie was now on familiar ground I nostalgically thought he would be able entertain me like he used to when I was a young, naïve and rather spotty teenager. The problem is that he is on too familiar ground. Once again he has remade Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Here Londoners with stereotypical voices and no real names; One Two, Mumbles, Tank etc. take proceedings and not a single one is believable or threatening. The gang ‘The Wild Bunch’ have no real chemistry, comradeship or banter. I am a great fan of the very talented Tom Wilkinson but here his impression of Bob Hoskins throughout is wincingly irritating.

Rock n Rolla is an attempt at remaking The Long Good Friday in a modern day context but to no avail. Ritchie’s script is nowhere near as witty as it thinks it is as all the jokes are based around homophobia and his desperate attempts at punch lines fall flat on their face.

Basically the best way to describe Ritchie’s direction is ‘flashy with no substance’. He should go back to music video direction where he started as this seems to be his true calling. Perhaps he should do a new video for the subways as the song ‘Rock n Roll Queen’ is played annoyingly too often.

Whereas the plot in Lock Stock was well structured and consistent the narrative here has too many different inconsistent storylines and is very confused. Ritchie had one entertaining film in him and people are starting to cotton on to the fact he is simply rehashing the same concept every time.

It is worth mentioning that Ritchie’s old producer Micheal Vaughn has gone onto great success with Layer Cake, Stardust and the opportunity to direct X-Men 3. Perhaps this was where the real talent lied. Ever since they stopped collaborating Ritchie’s work has desperately declined whilst Vaughn’s status has reached dizzying heights. It is also reported that Vaughn would take over direction duties when Ritchie couldn’t be bothered turning up for work.

As the credits arrive Ritchie advertises his planned sequel; The Real Rock n Rolla. Although such a film will not be made if this feature does not make enough money. Please do not put your hand in your pocket to fund this abomination. Unfunny, rubbish and unimaginative action proves he is only interested in the money. Help me prove to him that the movie going public are not stupid and make this fail.

TO SUM UP:

Let’s make no bones about it, Ritchie is not a skilled filmmaker. He made a sparkling humorous debut and a solid second film which was more or less the same but it had just enough minor differences to get away with it. Three flops in a row, he has well and truly sold out!

The Wire

2008-09-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

My question pitched to David Simon, creator of ground breaking TV Series The Wire on Simon Mayo, Radio 5 Live:

I don’t want to praise your show like everyone else. You know it’s good. What I want to know is where does the inspiration for your characters come from? Specifically Omar, does such a cool psychopath exist?

Ben - Middlesbrough

(To cut a long well thought out answer short, yes)

Man on Wire

2008-09-14T12:27:00.000-07:00

Click Here To view my review of Man on Wire for Nottingham University student newspaper; The Sanctuary

A Review of August

2008-09-04T16:33:00.001-07:00

To read my latest revamped Student Beans column, click here

The Cottage

2008-09-04T04:03:00.000-07:00

My brief hatchet-job sent to DVD Monthly review:

It is extremely difficult to find a coherent balance between humour and horror. Only a few filmmakers have successfully gelled the two together. Although ever since Shaun of the Dead we have had numerous amounts of copycat filmmakers trying to cash in on its success. But The Cottage has to be the least effective attempt to date.

The main problem is that the film is neither genuinely funny nor scary. Where most filmmakers trying to tap into this comedy/horror genre usually only achieve one requirement or the other, The Cottage misses both completely.

In the first, supposedly comedic, half of the film, Serkis and Shearsmith endlessly bumble around trying to keep the feisty Ellison under wraps. Constantly making mistakes events are far too repetitive. Each character just emphasises their stereotypical characteristics; Shearsmith is a weak coward, Serkis is a hard man and Ellison is a tough babe. The dialogue itself is not witty by any means and just involves a lot of people shouting and swearing at each other. So by the time the horror arrives we couldn’t care less about what happens to anyone. In a sudden stark contrast of events with no sense of development the atmosphere is nowhere near as chilling, shocking or repulsive as it wants to be.

Obviously The Cottage was never going to be ground-breaking as a horror or as a comedy but even as a throwaway piece of entertainment it just isn’t that good. Director/screenwriter Paul Andrew Williams should stick to what he is best at which is realistic gritty drama, as proven with his brilliant hard-hitting debut London to Brighton.

In a few brief extras a great deal of emphasis is placed on how the horror and humour were successfully meshed together. This couldn’t be any further from the truth and suggests how all those involved weren’t really paying attention to the film they were actually making.

Overall: Lasting only a brief 87minutes, this is nothing other than an instantly forgettable Shaun of the Dead bi-product.

David Icke: Live At The Oxford Union Debating Society

2008-09-02T09:45:00.000-07:00

For my reivew of David Icke's filmed lecture click here

Courtesy of VideoVista.net

Buried Alive

2008-09-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

For my reivew of the straight to DVD Buried Alive, Please Click Here

Courtesy of VideoVista.net

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

2008-08-31T12:04:00.000-07:00

The devil spawned Ron Perlman is back

DETAILS:
Released - 20 August 2008
Certificate - 12A
Running Time - 119min
Director/Screenwriter - Guillermo del Toro
Executive Producer -Chris Symes
Cinematography- Guillermo Navarro
Editing - Bernat Vilaplana
Music - Danny Elfman
Theatrical distributor - Universal
Country - USA

SYNOPSIS:
It has been centuries since the indestructible Golden Army has been active. Left dormant due to its inhumane massacre of the humans by order of King Balor (Roy Dotrice) a treaty was reached to keep the peace between both races. But cut to the present day and his son Prince Nuada (Luke Goss) still has a bitter taste in his mouth. Angered by the human's everyday naivety and arrogance he rebels against the long established treaty and is determined to up rise and kill all humans with the assistance of the army. Determined to bring out all mythical creatures from hiding and reassert their greatness all that stands in his way is the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defence run by Agent Tom Manning (Jeffrey Tambor). Here he has such employees that include human torch Liz Sherman (Selma Blair), amphibian Abe Sapien (Doug Jones), German gas bag Johan Krauss (James Dodd, John Alexander, Seth MacFarlane) and the man himself, Hellboy (Ron Perlman).

REVIEW:
Mexican auteur Guillermo del Toro has a somewhat peculiar scheduling system when it comes to making his films. Unimpressed with Hollywood duming down his work to make it more mainstream he now consistently swaps between making his own foreign films and his films for Hollywood. He makes one film for himself and once this is finished he will make one for Hollywood in a recurring pattern. Therefore he has the ability to be commercially successful as well as critically acclaimed which only a few filmmakers can rightly claim.

After his instant classic Pan's Labyrinth (a film for himself) his next film for Hollywood comes in the form of Hellboy II: The Golden Army. However, this seems to have instantly broken his articulate system of filmmaking. Distinctly alternative for a supposedly mainstream film it appears the studios have had little input into his latest masterpiece. If you prefer his foreign work you will be pleasantly surprised. Guillermo del Toro’s talent to switch between fantasy and reality is just so coherent. In a similar plot structure this is without a doubt the American Pan's Labyrinth.

For a superhero film Hellboy II has so much atmospheric and visual identity. It is more gothic than Batman and layered than anything else. One particular confrontation with flesh eating ‘tooth fairies’ lifts off the screen and is simply astounding to sit back and watch. But most importantly aside from his extravagant set pieces and visually inventive fighting the characters morals are at the films heart. Despite my earlier enthusiasm for Iron Man and The Dark Knight, Hellboy is a lot bolder in distancing itself away from typical Hollywood.

The key to Hellboy’s individuality is in its European aesthetic. In a reversal of roles, the token antagonist Prince Nuada actually has a moral posture. He has a legitimate cause to fight for with every right. This in turn changes Hellboy who slowly comes to realise he has no reason to defend the humans who keep him hidden and are starting to turn against him. This is what gives the film its edge. Hellboy has no legitimate reason to save humankind and we do not know whether he will necessarily save the day which completely defies the conventions of the superhero genre.

Although there would be no Hellboy if it was not for Ron Pearlman himself. Born to play the character his massive haggard and expressive face means the make-up department have little work to do. First and foremost a character actor, he uses the make-up as best to his advantage. Not just anyone could play Hellboy like other heroes e.g. Batman.

But if all this wasn’t enough there is a surprising amount of humour and light heartedness about this feature. Either visual or verbal there is no language barrier when del Toro’s knack for humour is evident. Twinned with Perlman’s loveable rogue lack sure attitude his rendition of ‘cant smile without you’ by Barry Manilow is guaranteed to light up any audience.

TO SUM UP:

The underdog of comic book adaptations seems to have bridged the gap between a blockbuster hit and artistic cinema with its latest instalment. A feat that was often considered impossible I eagerly await del Toro’s future project, The Hobbit.

Click Here to see a better edited version of my review for Nottingham Uni paper, Sanctuary

Pinewood Vs. Hollywood

2008-08-27T12:57:00.002-07:00

For my brief analysis of the British film industry in relation the American film industry please click here

A Review of July

2008-08-27T12:57:00.001-07:00

Here is my monthly summary

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

2008-07-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

My brief rant to Empire magazine:

After recently handing my girlfriend the August issue of Empire she was appalled to find such blatant misogyny in William Thomas’ review of her favourite childhood book; Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging. Several outrageous statements which in one instance referred to women as a separate ‘species’ demonstrated Thomas’ lack of insight and empathy towards the films aimed demographic. As a magazine you take great pride in being the best selling film publication in the UK. I feel this will be a title you will struggle to maintain when you purposefully alienate half the public. I expected better of such an established work. What is this? Nuts magazine or something?

WALL-E

2008-07-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

Where's WALL-E?

DETAILS:
Released - 18 July 2008
Certificate - U
Running Time - 102min
Director - Andrew Stanton
Screenwriters -Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon
Producers -John Lasseter, Jim Morris
Production Design - Ralph Eggleston
Editing - Stephen Schaffer
Music - Thomas Newman
Theatrical distributor - Buena Vista
Country - USA

SYNOPSIS:
The last robot of his kind, WALL-E, has been accidentally been left behind on earth for seven hundred years. All alone he is still doing what he was initially assigned to do; cleaning the planet of its rubbish which has polluted the atmosphere. Longing for companionship he is overwhelmed when a robot from space named EVE appears. Although before long they are both whisked away onto a spaceship where all the surviving humans have been living. Here they must convince everyone that their planet is now hospitable as well as coming to terms with their true feelings for each other.

REVIEW:
There are several reasons as to why Pixar continues to dominate the children’s film market. At times their biggest rivals Disney and Dreamworks Animation Studios come close with the odd success but neither really threaten Pixar’s dominance. It is not just the skill of Pixar’s animation which is the key to their success but it is the fact their films have a heart. They are not primarily concerned with cheap childish jokes as they are more concerned that their films are touching as well as amusing on a level that appeals to both adults and children. This was true of Disney but it has since lost its identity that it has desperately tried to recapture through old franchises. Exploiting its legacy with countless sequels Disney are a shadow of their former selves. When Pixar first started they required Disney’s funding to function but now the tables have turned as without Pixar, Disney would not have as many successes affiliated with its name. With a huge boost in the amount of CGI animation films being produced and subsequent flops, CGI itself is not a guaranteed success. As Pixar continue to prove, it is in the quality of the storytelling that goes with it.

In this sci-fi, romance, Macguffin, comedy; Wall-E is a prime example to demonstrate such a theory. To begin with no dialogue is for uttered for forty minutes. In a nod towards silent cinema Wall E’s feelings are conveyed through nothing other than simple movement. A masterclass in animation Pixar have brought filmmaking back to its essential roots. Despite Wall E’s relatively basic features they are capable of conveying a whole world of emotion that dialogue never could. Despite such breathtaking cinematography such as Wall-E traveling through Saturn’s rings this merely comes second to Wall-E’s animation. It appears Pixar know they can produce the best CGI effects and subtly prove this now and again, but they are more concerned with Wall-E’s character over the extent of their animation skills.

But the greatest achievement of this film is in its underlying message. Despite its light hearted feel there is a serious recurrent message that lies beneath. I guarantee once you have seen this film you will begin to appreciate the small things in life we take for granted. No “children’s” film has ever been so powerful or touching for children and adults alike. Its messages about the environment and basic human emotions put things in real perspective without ever getting preachy. In a scarily dystopian vision the human race has become overweight and lifeless. Despite their power of speech they have become transfixed in a world of technology and are ignorant slobs who took their world for granted. This is a slight dig at American society and technology itself, both factors which allow Pixar to make these films in the first place. Therefore is a big risk of Pixar but it has paid off. They have really gone out on a whim and taken severe risks where they are not guaranteed profit which is the sign of true art.

TO SUM UP:
Pixar themselves are the real star of the film. Every single member of staff has contributed to this work of art that rightly deserves a best picture nomination. There are no self indulgent egos here begging for awards, just what Pixar want to do best. Wall-E is without a doubt the most likeable and selfless character to grace our screens. In a journey from pure innocence to experience, with the only ability to move his hands and eyes and speak three words maximum, nobody has ever felt this much for an inhuman species since Spielberg’s E.T.

The Dark Knight

2008-07-30T08:48:00.000-07:00

Nolan's Caped Crusader Returns

DETAILS:

Released - 24 July 2008

Certificate - 12A

Running Time -152min

Director - Christopher Nolan

Screenwriters - Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan

Producers - Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven, Emma Thomas

Cinematography - Wally Pfister

Editing - Lee Smith

Music - James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer Theatrical Distributor - Warner Brothers

Country - USA

SYNOPSIS:

A year has passed since the vigilante named Batman (Christian Bale) first emerged on the dark streets of Gotham to strike fear into its criminals and maintain order. With the public in full support, and some dressing in bat suits of their own, the people’s faith is questioned when the Joker (Heath Ledger) comes to town. Uninterested in money his plan is to reaffirm the mob’s power and force Batman into publicly revealing his true identity thus plunging Gotham into sheer chaos. Batman’s allies; attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), lawyer Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) team up to put the leading criminals behind bars and end the Joker’s reign of terror. However the Joker’s master plan is far superior than initially thought as all involved are individually targeted putting their relationships under great strain which just proves too much for some.

REVIEW:

Batman is a cultural icon. Ever since Bob Kane wrote his first Batman story in 1939 as part of the Detective comics his figure has been kept alive through various other comic books, cartoons, television shows and films. It was Tim Burton in 1989 who realised the darker potential of a cinematic adaptation and made a couple of landmark films. Sadly this was subsequently ruined when Joel Schumacher was given the role of continuing the series and thus brought it to an immediate standstill.

Years of development hell later including the idea of a Batman vs. Superman being thrown around the Warner Brothers studios Christopher Nolan brought the franchise back to its roots. What made Batman Begins so fantastic was the fresh look into Bruce Wayne’s origins, what actually compelled him to become the Batman? Nolan gave us an explanation that so many other works have glossed over. Bruce Wayne’s transformation was at the heart of Nolan’s film. It was groundbreaking in the sense that it proved comic book adaptations should not be judged by the amount and size of action sequences that can be crammed in. Thus a franchise was saved and a sequel was inevitable.

Usually a blockbuster or comic book adaptation is driven by its action finale. More often than not the entire film is a big build up waiting for a tet a tet between the protagonist and antagonist. This is not the case with The Dark Knight. It is the individuals themselves along with the people of Gotham who are central to the plot. Instead of an all guns blazing action finale the very minimal action set pieces only occur every now and then. This must be the closest you can get to having as little action sequences as possible in a blockbuster which still manages to grip you for 152 minutes.

The main difference between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight is that Batman now has met his match; someone with an ego far bigger than his own. The joker completes Batman. He may be the opposite but he is there to compliment his attributes and emphasise his inevitable flaws. His colourful antics are there to counterbalance and feed off the grim darkness and seriousness that encompasses Batman.

When Heath Ledger was initially confirmed to play this role I was a tad sceptical to say the least. Typecast as romantic heart throbs how could he possibly rival Nicholson’s take on the character? Well he has silenced all scepticism with this monumental performance. Twinned with the work of the films make-up team ledger’s joker is the most effective evil character in cinema since Darth Vader and of all time. His performance is just so layered and when he leaves the screen we miss him. He is an unnerving, on the edge, amusing, troubled, brutal, sadistic, but believable character. We feel for him but at the same time we cower in fear at his presence. He has countless scenes which will go down in film history; in one particular case he dresses as a nurse which is so memorable in its disturbing but strangely hilarious feel. As good as Nicholson’s daft, camp and humorous comic Joker was, we soon realise that he has in fact been surpassed. Where Ledger brings the term ‘freak’ to a whole new inconceivable level, Nicholson was in fact really playing an emphasised version of himself.

Although with such attention on Ledger it is worth mentioning Oldman’s often overlooked performance. With a far more extensive part than in Batman Begins we see more of his talents. He adds a certain gentle humanism in amongst the colourful characters. He keeps the film firmly rooted to the grounds of reality. With his subtly emotionally charged performance he is definitely the character we feel for the most. With so much attention grabbing joking around it is just too easy to miss.

With so many main characters to focus on the film is essentially an ensemble piece. In order to explain each main character and maintain your interest each scene moves at such fast pace it is difficult to keep up. There is certainly an awful lot to take in before the film quickly cuts to the next scene or character. It does not breathe for a minute, you will have no chance to sit back and take things in. At first it feels a bit rushed but around half an hour in you become used to this unique form of blockbuster cinema. You just have no idea how events will develop as the plot flits between people. For a fairly long 2 ½ hours running time you never feel restless or bored. The time flies by and is just about right to fit everything in. There is just so much more substance and ideas to this epic than ever seen in any comic book adaptation before. The script itself is full of memorable and iconic lines offering questions open to audience interpretation. As soon as you have left the screen you will want to turn right round and go back into pick up on the things that you will definitely have missed.

With such a vast amount of ideas floating around there is not necessarily as much emotional engagement between the characters and the audience as the Nolan brothers would have liked. There was a real connection with Batman in the original but here with so many other characters I feel a bit has been sacrificed to fit them all in. There is just an ever so slight sense of detachment from everyone involved. I felt more admiration for the skilled filmmaking than perhaps real engagement with it.

Also with lots of new and more interesting characters than the Batman he is no longer the centre of our attention. The film might as well have been called ‘the rise and fall of two face courtesy of the joker’. The dark knight himself is overshadowed as he is just not exciting enough in comparison. Now we have seen enough development of him in the first film it is time to focus on his enemies. But it still all works though, it is all 'part of the plan’. With as many characters as Spiderman 3 this is certainly not as all over the place and remains focused on the vision, development and direction it is taking.

TO SUM UP:

This is certainly the best a blockbuster can get. Nolan has continued to save a franchise which was considered long since dead. However I wouldn’t mind seeing the brothers doing a more artistic production to let their talents go wild without the constrictions or limitations of mainstream cinema. Having said that they have certainly raised the bar and continue to change the super hero genre leaving marvel with a sold-out Sam Raimi and no Bryan Singer to slowly try and keep up. With the sheer amount of films they have planned I doubt any will fair against such an epic.

A Review of June

2008-06-24T01:38:00.002-07:00

Please click here for my summary of the cinematic month gone by. Courtesy of Studentbeans.com

The Incredible Hulk

2008-06-24T01:38:00.001-07:00

Ed Norton is out to prove he is more than Ang Lee

DETAILS:
Released - 13 June 2008
Certificate - 12A
Running Time - 112min
Director -Louis Leterrier
Screenwriter - Zak Penn
Producers -Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, Gale Anne Hurd, Stan Lee
Cinematography - Peter Menzies Jr.
Editing - Rick Shaine and John Wright
Music - Craig Armstrong
Theatrical distributor - Universal
Country - USA

SYNOPSIS:
After a military scientific experiment goes wrong, Dr. Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) is infected with gamma radiation and is classified a fugitive of the American government by order of General Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross (William Hurt). After years of living secluded in trying to come to terms with his disease it is time for Bruce to come back into the open to find a cure for his Hulk symptoms. Whilst trying to meet with a scientist samaritan under the pseudonym Mr. Blue, Bruce has to deal with the pursuing armed forces, his love for the general’s daughter Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) whilst not forgetting the biggest threat of all; evil rogue marine Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth), a megalomaniac who is determined to hunt him down.

REVIEW:
The story of the Hulk is a problematic narrative to translate to the big screen. It is extremely difficult to find a coherent balance between emotionally engaging characters and testosterone filled carnage. This problem does not concern the comic books as the narration of Bruce’s inner thoughts lets the emotion flow easily through both sides of Jekyll and Hyde to maintain one fluent plot. But without these soliloquies the darker side of Bruce cannot be as effectively portrayed in a more visual medium. The Hulk just becomes a big green piece of CGI, an angry Shrek or jolly green giant with a frown which is not as threatening. Such difficulties Ang Lee tried to avoid with an art house approach are just as present here. Once again the CGI takes the spotlight over the actual story. In an attempt to find a balance between a plot and bashing things a vague love interest makes us mildly care but ultimately the only way to end things is to introduce a bigger and meaner creature for Hulk to bash to bits.

Despite this, Louis Leterrier’s Hulk is a vast improvement on Ang Lee’s depiction which proved that art house cinema and blockbusters do not mix. In simple terms Hulk fans are into action and uninterested in art house whereas Ang Lee fans are generally not into blockbuster cinema. After marvel’s hiccup this time around the action film the fans wanted originally has arrived. A plot which puts Bruce Banner on the run adds more urgency and intensity to proceedings. The main problem with the original was that we were waiting too long for Bruce to realise that he was the Hulk and begin to turn into it. The initial wait is not as long this time around as Bruce’s transformation is summed up in an extremely brief opening montage that lasts the best part of a minute. This is all that was needed in the first place. Similarly an action director is integral to the film and who is better for the challenge than the Transporter 2’s Leterrier. What he has proved in places is that Bruce Banner does not necessarily have to be green for the action to take place. The first chase scene where Bruce runs from Marines over favela rooftops is derivative of Paul Greengrass’ Bourne franchise and almost as heart pounding. Plot tools include a pulse monitoring watch which enhances the tension. Also a humorous reference to where his purple stretchy pants came from shows how Leterrier has the fans best interests at heart.

Ed Norton is the perfect casting for the role. He has proved in the past that he can play a calm collective and likeable character with the ability to switch on a convincing rage driven monster particularly in his Oscar nominated role as murderer Aaron Stampler in Primal Fear. Although here there is not much for him to do except run and look scared. He has done what he has been told perfectly but he is unable to explore his vast talent. Also Roth just has to look mean, but he is the right person to play a psycho.

As Marvel enters its second phase of dominating the comic book cinematic market more critically established actors are taking on the Superhero limelight which is beginning to add a certain integrity to this genre. But is this also a step backwards that means in order to get noticed more such actors are turning down better less blockbuster type roles? Ultimately superhero movie characters are caricatures and nothing more. At the end of the incredible hulk another reference is made to the Avengers project as Tony Stark cameos at the end. Here we are reminded how Marvel are going mental in the future with a vast amount of further releases. Hopefully the quality will not slip through their fingers as they become overloaded with too many projects to handle. In the Avengers will too many chefs spoil the broth? Only time will tell.

TO SUM UP:
Overall the Hulk is a far better film than Ang Lee’s initial attempt. Having said that it suffers from the same problems, the intense action and emotional side story do not seem to gel well together proving that the Hulk is best left in the comics.

Gone Baby Gone

2008-06-24T01:38:00.000-07:00

are our memories of Ben Affleck's dire reputation

DETAILS:

Released - 9 May 2008

Certificate - 15

Running Time - 109min

Director -Ben Affleck

Screenwriter - Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard based on Dennis Lehane's novel

Producers -Sean Bailey, Alan Ladd Jr., Danton Rissner and Aaron Stockard
Cinematography - John Toll

Editing - William Goldenberg

Music - Harry Gregson-Williams
Theatrical distributor - Buena Vista

Country - USA

SYNOPSIS:

Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) is a streetwise freelance private investigator who lives with his wife Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) in a less affluent area of Boston USA. One day Bea McCready (Amy Madigan) grandmother of a missing child asks for his services in the high profile case, which has been swept up by the media, due to his connections with the criminal underworld. Before long Kenzie unwittingly finds out who has captured the young four year old girl but an accident occurs during an exchange for money which leaves her dead. Months later when taking it upon himself to redeem himself with a similar case certain inaccuracies from his aide Det. Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) come to light which begin to unearth corruption possibly involving Capt. Jack Doyle (Morgan Freeman) of the police department.

REVIEW:

Utter the name Ben Affleck and you are more inclined to remember endless wooden performances and a high profile relationship with Jennifer Lopez. With this in mind it is easy to forget that he is in fact an Oscar winning writer for his co-written script with Matt Damon for Good Will Hunting. Whilst Damon’s career has soared he is often regarded as the more untalented half of the relationship. With Good Will Hunting seen as his fluke big-break into Hollywood Affleck has now finally bounced back and proved his talent behind the camera. His directional debut has a real sense of atmosphere and identity. The location of Boston is a part of the film. Boston itself is a character. His camera ignores the more famous landmarks and captures the graffiti which tells its own story. Affleck has captured the essence of his old stomping ground. His camera shots accentuate a way of life for him growing up, particularly in the opening few minutes. This is far more interesting than another high profile director per say, directing the same story but missing out on Boston’s integrity to the film. Aside from his identity Affleck also shows his talent for creating a sense of a haunting atmosphere. With such delicate subject matter, Affleck’s darkness has a subtlety that is not too gruesome. His contrast between light and dark especially in one scene where Casey runs out into the daylight after a robbery in a dark smoky bar is very iconic. Also his contrast between music and silence shows his ability to flit between scenes of panic and scenes of solitude.

His decision to cast his brother in the lead role rather than himself is admirable. Casey has a certain quality and subtlety which lacks in Ben’s overacting. Casey feels more down to earth, his broken voice portrays a character with human qualities such as imperfection and vulnerability. His heartfelt voice over during shots over Boston in the films opening minutes certainly catch your attention. He also carries a sense of mystery around his characters. All this makes his parts likeable opposed to his smug brother. His face makes him look a lot younger than thirty-one which gives him a feeling of innocence, but he is able to switch on intensity and threatening qualities. By the end of the film his face looks more troubled, aged and experienced than the fresh faced tracksuit wearing character that started the film. His streetwise adolescent maturity into a hardened cop is certainly believable. His Boston accent is also a lot more natural than the cast of the Departed. His supporting cast also do what they do best. Ed Harris once again is an old and intense hardened cop. Freeman’s stern upright police chief is a part he has been cast for more than just his dramatic voice, especially when he gets angry.

As the film develops into unknown territory it seems to remember that it is primarily a crime thriller and conforms back to certain plot conventions. However Gone Baby Gone manages to stay clear of the simplistic story of good detective capturing evil kiddy capturer with a few tricks along the way. Casey’s decision at the end makes us question our own morals and the overall conclusion is rather open ended. Gone baby Gone has more to it than Alex Cross’ adventures as far as a standard missing persons crime thriller goes.

TO SUM UP:

Ben has the skill to direct Scorsese-esque identity and David Fincher type darkness but due to demands of conforming to the genre and Dennis Lehane’s novel he is unable to ultimately branch out into something different. However, there is definitely a future career for him in directing and his masterpiece will come, eventually.

A Review of May

2008-06-24T01:37:00.000-07:00

Due to my exclusivity to StudentBeans, please Click Here to view my article

What Happens in Vegas

2008-06-19T08:53:00.000-07:00

Should have stayed in Vegas

DETAILS:
Released - 9 May 2008
Certificate - 12A
Running Time - 98mins
Director -Tom Vaughan
Screenwriter - Dana Fox
Producers -Michael Aguilar, Dean Georgaris, Shawn Levy
Cinematography - Matthew F. Leonetti
Editing - Matt Friedman
Music - Christophe Beck
Theatrical distributor - 20th Century Fox
Country - USA

SYNOPSIS:
After being fired from his job, Jack Fuller (Ashton Kutcher) decides to go on a trip to Vegas to forget about his troubles. Whilst there he bumps into Joy McNally (Cameron Diaz) who is also there to forget about her boyfriend who recently dumped her in front of all her friends. After a wild night of boozing and partying the couple wake up to find that in a alcohol fuelled act of idiocy they have married each other. But to confuse matters after Joy puts a quarter into a slot machine Jack pulls the lever to win $3 million. To resolve who is entitled to the money whilst applying for divorce a judge sentences the couple to live together for six months before he will let either party get their hands on the fortune.

REVIEW (My letter published in Sight and Sound magazine):
On a trip to my local cinema with a group of friends I was a tad unconvinced with a collective decision beyond my control to see What Happens in Vegas. But due to a more than positive review from Sight and Sound, the only publication to give every new film release a deep and thorough analysis without subduing to a brief star rating system, I kept my spirits high and ignored the various critical hounding I had read elsewhere.

Although one and a half hours later I was distraught that I had wasted the best part of five pounds on quite arguably the worst film of the year so far, let alone the summer. Obviously when I entered the screen I did not expect a film with any form of artistic license. But as a simple low key form of entertainment it failed on so many levels that it ruined our evening altogether.

What Davies’ review failed to address was the film’s sheer predictability. As soon as the characters were established you could see the awkward situations that would arise and subsequent happy ending a mile off. Also in no way was this 'chick-flick' fresh in its attempt to narrow the gap between male and female audiences. Jokes such as a couple living together disputing over a toilet seat is an observation that is overused in the genre. Davies was right to point out that this film will appeal to both sexes, but only in the sense that they will both agree in unison at the film’s lack of originality.

Aside from the obvious predictability it was simply a film I had great difficulty in empathising with. Never having visited Vegas myself or similarly being an extremely beautiful Hollywood A-lister with the confidence to drunkenly marry another one I still fail to see the film’s general engagement with mass audiences. All I saw was a pair of arrogant and image conscious former models playing themselves. As comic performers all they did was shout at each other and pull daft faces, which is a far cry from effective comic timing. As far as the sexual chemistry goes; if you want to see two people unashamed to reveal to audiences worldwide their sharply toned bodies which they constantly slave over to maintain, then go ahead.

What Happens in Vegas had the potential to question the drunken marriage culture in Vegas that has encompassed so many people including high profile celebrities, but in the end in just became a product of this cultural trend. Not a feel-good hit but a throwaway and mundane piece of tosh I hope Davies’ review was writhing with subtle sarcasm that I failed to pick upon.

Ben Lamb
Hull