It is the Sunday night before the Oscars and I am both excited and not excited. Excited because I always look forward to the show: the glitz, glamour and the whole production. With Billy Crystal back to host this year it should be funny in a non-offensive way. And who can resist looking at all the pretty dresses and mentally handing out your own best and worst dressed awards? Not excited because this year looks like being one of the most predictable in a while so the suspense is fairly low. And also it's hard not to dream about what it would have been like with Eddie Murphy hosting (if you read my Tower Heist review, you'd know the old fast-talking jive Eddie is back) and Brett Ratner producing. Brett's big mouth put paid to that though so we may never see it.
For Aussies, the Oscars will be shown live tomorrow (Monday 26 Feb) from 11am and probably repeated tomorrow night. That means today was my last day to "bone up" on the films before the ceremony. Although I probably won't watch it until Tuesday which is a day off, thanks to working tomorrow and a Sidewave tomorrow night. So today I studied up.
Of the 9 films nominated for Best Picture, I've now seen 7 after watching The Tree of Life and The Help today on DVD. Sorry but the Tree of Life is going to go down as one of the worst movies I've seen (review coming - stay tuned) but The Help was very good. I haven't seen Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close or Warhorse but neither of those is really in the running. The race is officially between The Artist and The Descendants, bit I actually think that The Artist and Hugo were the best movies. I think The Artist is definitely going to win and it's such a hot favourite you wouldn't even bet on it at $1.05 odds on. It has the X factor that in my opinion The Descendants was lacking, while Hugo is going to suffer for being written off as a kids' movie which it really wasn't. Both Moneyball and Midnight in Paris were enjoyable movies but just not in the same league. Strangely for The Help it is looking likely to sweep the acting trophies but not win the Best Picture even though it could also deserve it. Any other year and such a big "issues" film with a strong cast and wide appeal would have been the favourite. But The Artist is a very poignant film with the added bonus of being about the movies and also something that we haven't seen for a while (silent, black and white).
Money's on: The Artist
Could still go to: The Descendants or The Help
The Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress trophies are odds on to go to Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer respectively, both for The Help. Octavia has won this category in every awards ceremony this season so why would she stop now? The only real competition for the Best Actress award is the first lady of acting, Meryl Streep, for her impersonation of Margaret Thatcher which looked frightengly good in the previews I saw. I think though that The Help actresses will have popularity on their side, and their performances were very touching and not too showy. It's a real shame I think that Kirsten Dunst did not score a nomination for Melancholia as I think her acting was incredible in that movie and she could've been a strong contender. Rooney Mara's nom for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a bit of a head scratcher as she's too new and it's a bit too alternative. Jessica Chastain is unfortunate to be up against her own castmate who had the more sypathetic role, as she was also very good in The Help and a lot of people thought she should've been nominated for The Tree of Life. That girl came from nowhere and was everywhere last year!
Money's on: Viola Davis (Best Actress) and Octavia Spencer (Best Supporting Actress)
Could still win: Meryl Streep (Best Actress)
The Best Actor race is also down to a two-horse race between Mr Clooney and Jean Dujardin from The Artist. Having won most or all of the lead up awards where the categories weren't split (at the Golden Globes George won for Best Drama and Jean for Best Comedy/Musical), Jean is a hot favourite to win. The betting is more open for this category so it really could go either way. But it's pretty certain that Brad Pitt (Moneyball), Gary Oldman (Tinker, Tailor etc) and Demian Bechir (A Better Life) aren't really in it. I praised Pitt's performance but it is too understated. My personal view is that Clooney has given one of his best in The Descendants but Jean Dujardin is irrestistible as silent movie star George Valentin. He portrays the rise and fall of George perfectly, especially given he doesn't get to utter a word until one minute before the end.
Money's on: Jean Dujardin
Could still win: George Clooney
Best Director is a more open race in my opinion. Although Michael Hazavinicius is odds on to win for The Artist, he is relatively unknown. I feel that the maestro Martin Scorcese did a terrific job on Hugo, filiming in 3D for the first time in a period adventure film. If Hazavinicius can win for doing something different than expected, then Scorcese should stand an equal chance in my book. Woody Allen created some magic in Paris but that had more to do with the location, screenplay and appealing stars than the direction itself. If Terence Malick won for The Tree of Life I think I'd have to eat my hat. It was so esoteric it's just not funny. Alexander Payne did a great job on The Descendants though, with fans of the book being very pleased with the screen translation. He's also an Oscar fave after winning for Sideways a few years back.
Money's on: Michael Hazavinicius
Could still win: Martin Scorcese or Alexander Payne
In the Screenplay category I'm going to go with the favourite and say that The Artist is pretty likely to win Best Screenplay written directly for the Screen. And it will deserve to win that category. Which is a shame for Bridesmaids which would also deserve to win but won't because it's a straight out comedy and the Academy would never have that. Best Adapted Screenplay is the category that's probably the most wide open. This could deservingly go to either The Descendants, Hugo or Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy. I would really like Hugo to win this one but I'm predicting The Descendants.
Some other predictions are:
Man or a Muppet is definitely going to win Best Song (from a very small field of 2 noms!), Tintin should win Best Score, Best Visual Effects should be Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and The Artist should take out Best Costume Design.
Now the predictions are out there so let's see how I go. The hardest part is going to be avoiding finding out any winners until I watch the ceremony, so I'll be going on a news and social media blackout from lunch time tomorrow. Please don't tell me anything about it until at least Tuesday night!! I do love a good surprise.
Sunday 26 February 2012
Friday 17 February 2012
This week's deliveries - 16 Feb
Apologies for being late!
New deliveries this week are:
V-day big hitter This Means War is out. Suspend disbelief now for what I believe will be an uncool movie verson of that old Mad magazine classic Spy vs Spy. Attractive stars will see this pull a decent box office despite the fact that it's about two super spies using national resources to knock each other out of the running for a hot chick!
The Grey is a survival horror movie pitting Liam Neeson against a pack of super-wolves, freezing cold whether and (probably) stupidity, after a plane crashes and a small group of co-workers survive.
More Oscar movies are being released, with My Week with Marilyn hitting our screens just in time to evaluate whether Michelle Williams deserves the Oscar for her portrayal of the legendary Ms Monroe. Not a full blown biopic of Marilyn's life, it instead focuses on a short period during the making of her film The Prince and the Showgirl in the UK with the equally legendary Laurence Olivier.
If you're a horse lover, you've been spoilt for choice in the last few months with The Cup, Warhorse and now Buck. Buck is a documentary more about a horse whisperer than a horse, but still, it's horses on screen!
Finally, we have One for the Money. A very under-promoted film, perhaps because it should come with a built in fanbase being based on a hugely successful series of novels by Janet Evanovich, about a woman who becomes a bail bondsman after getting a divorce and losing her job. Book fans went "Eeek" when they heard that Katherine Heigl was going to play their kick-ass heroine Stephanie Plum. I see some very mixed reviews about this so I'll defer to my friend E to review this for us (she's been waiting 15 years for this apparently after reading the first book).
Drawn to Screen this weekend has a double of Barbarella (is this the coolest camp movie of all time? it's a must see for Jane Fonda) and Fritz the Cat, with the original Superman from 1978 screening on Sunday afternoon.
New deliveries this week are:
V-day big hitter This Means War is out. Suspend disbelief now for what I believe will be an uncool movie verson of that old Mad magazine classic Spy vs Spy. Attractive stars will see this pull a decent box office despite the fact that it's about two super spies using national resources to knock each other out of the running for a hot chick!
The Grey is a survival horror movie pitting Liam Neeson against a pack of super-wolves, freezing cold whether and (probably) stupidity, after a plane crashes and a small group of co-workers survive.
More Oscar movies are being released, with My Week with Marilyn hitting our screens just in time to evaluate whether Michelle Williams deserves the Oscar for her portrayal of the legendary Ms Monroe. Not a full blown biopic of Marilyn's life, it instead focuses on a short period during the making of her film The Prince and the Showgirl in the UK with the equally legendary Laurence Olivier.
If you're a horse lover, you've been spoilt for choice in the last few months with The Cup, Warhorse and now Buck. Buck is a documentary more about a horse whisperer than a horse, but still, it's horses on screen!
Finally, we have One for the Money. A very under-promoted film, perhaps because it should come with a built in fanbase being based on a hugely successful series of novels by Janet Evanovich, about a woman who becomes a bail bondsman after getting a divorce and losing her job. Book fans went "Eeek" when they heard that Katherine Heigl was going to play their kick-ass heroine Stephanie Plum. I see some very mixed reviews about this so I'll defer to my friend E to review this for us (she's been waiting 15 years for this apparently after reading the first book).
Drawn to Screen this weekend has a double of Barbarella (is this the coolest camp movie of all time? it's a must see for Jane Fonda) and Fritz the Cat, with the original Superman from 1978 screening on Sunday afternoon.
Movie #4 - The Descendants
I'm on a mission to see as many of the Oscar nominated Best Films as possible before the Oscars next week. Having already seen Moneyball, Hugo and Midnight in Paris, I decided it was time to get my butt in gear and go see this. Soon to be followed by The Artist, which I reckon is looking ever more likely to win. Then it'll be a trip to the video store for The Help and Tree of Life. Unless they come out soon, I'm probably going to miss Warhorse and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, but that's okay by me.
I'm actually kind of surprised that this movie is up for Best Film. It didn't quite have that "wow" factor for me. It's a quality film, with quality performances, but there just isn't that decisive X factor to push it to Best Picture Oscar glory. I think the screenplay stands a much better chance of winning. Alexander Payne has track record, winning for Sideways a few years ago (well deserved) and he also wrote the brilliantly black comedy Election. He has done a good job on this, although it is admittedly another in his suite of sad sack fellas with a darker view on life. Don't mistake this for an uplifting, feelgood family drama as one of my friend's wife did although they weren't that disappointed that it wasn't.
The movie opens with the unseen water-skiing accident of Elizabeth King, wife of Matt (George Clooney) and mother of two girls Scottie and teenager Alex (what's with the boy's names?). We quickly realise that with Elizabeth in a coma, wrokaholic Matt is not really that capable of looking after Scottie and Alex and his business affairs. The accident makes Matt realise that he wants to be a better husband and father, but he doesn't really know where to start and Elizabeth's coma means they can't talk about it. A revelation about Elizabeth from Alex sends Matt into an even bigger spin, and the movie explores his rather unique approach to dealing with this with the help, and hindrance at times, of his daughters.
Mr Clooney is pretty fantastic, playing against type for once as a man who is just lost and struggling to find his identity and place in the world, instead of the confident ladies man. This will forever be remembered as the movie that revealed George's big secret - he really can't run! This scene caused quite a few giggles in the area around me as George awkwardly manoeuvres his way to a friend's house for a confrontation. Unless he was doing it on purpose....sure, what a great actor! He is good, as is newcomer Shailene Woodley as teenage tearaway Alex who becomes an unexpected ally to her dad. The portrayal of the family relationships are much more realistic than you normally see up on the big screen, with no glossy little angels or pointlessly rebellious teens who learn their lesson. There isn't really a big feelgood ending, or a really sad ending either. It just leaves you to ponder whether you have chosen the right things to focus your time on or whether you, like Matt, could get caught in a situation of realising what you should have been doing, too late.
This movie is well worth a watch if you like mature, complex relationship dramas. Although the Hawaiian setting is another stunning character in the movie, so it makes a good travelogue as well if you just like pretty pictures. I'd give this a 3.5 out of 5.
I'm actually kind of surprised that this movie is up for Best Film. It didn't quite have that "wow" factor for me. It's a quality film, with quality performances, but there just isn't that decisive X factor to push it to Best Picture Oscar glory. I think the screenplay stands a much better chance of winning. Alexander Payne has track record, winning for Sideways a few years ago (well deserved) and he also wrote the brilliantly black comedy Election. He has done a good job on this, although it is admittedly another in his suite of sad sack fellas with a darker view on life. Don't mistake this for an uplifting, feelgood family drama as one of my friend's wife did although they weren't that disappointed that it wasn't.
The movie opens with the unseen water-skiing accident of Elizabeth King, wife of Matt (George Clooney) and mother of two girls Scottie and teenager Alex (what's with the boy's names?). We quickly realise that with Elizabeth in a coma, wrokaholic Matt is not really that capable of looking after Scottie and Alex and his business affairs. The accident makes Matt realise that he wants to be a better husband and father, but he doesn't really know where to start and Elizabeth's coma means they can't talk about it. A revelation about Elizabeth from Alex sends Matt into an even bigger spin, and the movie explores his rather unique approach to dealing with this with the help, and hindrance at times, of his daughters.
Mr Clooney is pretty fantastic, playing against type for once as a man who is just lost and struggling to find his identity and place in the world, instead of the confident ladies man. This will forever be remembered as the movie that revealed George's big secret - he really can't run! This scene caused quite a few giggles in the area around me as George awkwardly manoeuvres his way to a friend's house for a confrontation. Unless he was doing it on purpose....sure, what a great actor! He is good, as is newcomer Shailene Woodley as teenage tearaway Alex who becomes an unexpected ally to her dad. The portrayal of the family relationships are much more realistic than you normally see up on the big screen, with no glossy little angels or pointlessly rebellious teens who learn their lesson. There isn't really a big feelgood ending, or a really sad ending either. It just leaves you to ponder whether you have chosen the right things to focus your time on or whether you, like Matt, could get caught in a situation of realising what you should have been doing, too late.
This movie is well worth a watch if you like mature, complex relationship dramas. Although the Hawaiian setting is another stunning character in the movie, so it makes a good travelogue as well if you just like pretty pictures. I'd give this a 3.5 out of 5.
Thursday 9 February 2012
This week's Movies 9 February
Well the big news this week is the re-release of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace in 3D. You can now relive the joy of the pod-race and disappointment of most of the rest of it in 3D. This isn't the good kind of 3D though, it's been added in just recently and by the reports I've seen, it's pretty bad. So the gimmick is not even worth it! To anyone considering lining George Lucas' pockets even further (please don't) I extend this invitation: come over to my house and I'll chuck on the DVD and click on the 3D conversion button - it'll be just as good but not paying Georgie a cent!
The real new movies out this week are:
1) Any Questions for Ben? The new modern rom-com from the wonderful Working Dog team who gave the world "The Dish" and "The Castle". Starring Josh Lawson as a 27 year old trying to find some meaning after suffering a mini quarter life crisis.
2) Safe House. Denzel Washington doing his nasty criminal thing again, set in South Africa, as a crook who is being prepped for investigation by the US when the "safe house" is stormed by masked criminals. Ryan Reynolds is the CIA guy who spirits Denzel's character away and tries to keep him alive until the backup can arrive.
3) The Vow - a very wet looking rom-com as a wife wakes up after a car accident and doesn't recognise her husband anymore. He has to win her over all over again. Naaawwww, what a great Valentine's Day movie!
For those who are into short films, Flickerfest is on at the Powerhouse in Brisbane for the next 3 days until Sunday.
Total mixed bag at Drawn to Screen program at the Gallery of Modern Art this weekend. Friday night - Swamp Thing (a Wes Craven movie) and Killer Condom, Saturday has V for Vendetta (great movie) followed by A History of Violence and then Ichi the Killer (by the king of weird and violent, Takashi Miike) and then Weird Science and Afro Samurai on Sunday afternoon.
The real new movies out this week are:
1) Any Questions for Ben? The new modern rom-com from the wonderful Working Dog team who gave the world "The Dish" and "The Castle". Starring Josh Lawson as a 27 year old trying to find some meaning after suffering a mini quarter life crisis.
2) Safe House. Denzel Washington doing his nasty criminal thing again, set in South Africa, as a crook who is being prepped for investigation by the US when the "safe house" is stormed by masked criminals. Ryan Reynolds is the CIA guy who spirits Denzel's character away and tries to keep him alive until the backup can arrive.
3) The Vow - a very wet looking rom-com as a wife wakes up after a car accident and doesn't recognise her husband anymore. He has to win her over all over again. Naaawwww, what a great Valentine's Day movie!
For those who are into short films, Flickerfest is on at the Powerhouse in Brisbane for the next 3 days until Sunday.
Total mixed bag at Drawn to Screen program at the Gallery of Modern Art this weekend. Friday night - Swamp Thing (a Wes Craven movie) and Killer Condom, Saturday has V for Vendetta (great movie) followed by A History of Violence and then Ichi the Killer (by the king of weird and violent, Takashi Miike) and then Weird Science and Afro Samurai on Sunday afternoon.
Thursday 2 February 2012
New 2 Feb - possible Oscar winner
We have four new movies out this week.
The most curiousity arousing movie is 'The Artist', which is definitely looking like winning some Oscars after winning Best Picture at the Critics Choice Award and getting some wins for the Director and lead actor Jean Dujardin. It's nominated for 10 Oscars. The curious part arises because it is a (almost entirely) silent movie, filmed in black and white, and a tribute to the silent movie era. It could also be the first romance drama to win Best Picture since Titanic back in 1997.
Our second movie is Chronicle, which has been getting some TV ads of late but otherwise flew under the radar for me. Some teens come into supernatural powers and eventually start to use them for evil rather than good, with one particularly spinning out of control. Some say it's bad, some say it's good but at least it's a different spin on the superpower movie.
Also out is Martha Marcy May Marlene which is a psychological drama about a young woman who has spent some time away from the real world on what might be described as a commune, now adjusting back to normal life. This had good word of mouth at the Brisbane International Film Festival last year, based around a strong performance by Elizabeth Olsen (sister to the everywhere twins, Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen, but apparently with some talent).
Finally there is Man on a Ledge, starring Aussie Sam Worthington as a cop claiming he's been framed for a crime he didn't commit, standing on a ledge to draw attention away from something else (I'm guessing from the trailer anyway). I think this probably does what it says on the packet but it's not sending my excitement metre into "go see it" territory.
Just a reminder too of the Drawn to Screen program at GOMA - Friday night has a great double with Hellboy (one of my favourite movies) and Tales from the Crypt, Saturday has Watchmen (one of the best superhero films of all time) and Oldboy (extremely violent) and Sunday arvo has the fabulous Flash Gordon from 1960.
The most curiousity arousing movie is 'The Artist', which is definitely looking like winning some Oscars after winning Best Picture at the Critics Choice Award and getting some wins for the Director and lead actor Jean Dujardin. It's nominated for 10 Oscars. The curious part arises because it is a (almost entirely) silent movie, filmed in black and white, and a tribute to the silent movie era. It could also be the first romance drama to win Best Picture since Titanic back in 1997.
Our second movie is Chronicle, which has been getting some TV ads of late but otherwise flew under the radar for me. Some teens come into supernatural powers and eventually start to use them for evil rather than good, with one particularly spinning out of control. Some say it's bad, some say it's good but at least it's a different spin on the superpower movie.
Also out is Martha Marcy May Marlene which is a psychological drama about a young woman who has spent some time away from the real world on what might be described as a commune, now adjusting back to normal life. This had good word of mouth at the Brisbane International Film Festival last year, based around a strong performance by Elizabeth Olsen (sister to the everywhere twins, Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen, but apparently with some talent).
Finally there is Man on a Ledge, starring Aussie Sam Worthington as a cop claiming he's been framed for a crime he didn't commit, standing on a ledge to draw attention away from something else (I'm guessing from the trailer anyway). I think this probably does what it says on the packet but it's not sending my excitement metre into "go see it" territory.
Just a reminder too of the Drawn to Screen program at GOMA - Friday night has a great double with Hellboy (one of my favourite movies) and Tales from the Crypt, Saturday has Watchmen (one of the best superhero films of all time) and Oldboy (extremely violent) and Sunday arvo has the fabulous Flash Gordon from 1960.
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