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clips and trailers: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011)

January 31, 2012 // No Comment

It’s not a film I’ve heard that much about but following its strong showing at the Oscar nominations, I thought I’d better find out more about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

The first thing I’ve found out is that it’s got a bit of a mauling in the press… but then that’s not something that I generally worries about. Some of my favourite films have been mauled by the press. Granted, they tended to be a bit heavier on the special effects and explosions, but hey. So what? Ok. I don’t know if this is really going to be my type of film, but with the Oscar nominations, I’ll definitely be checking it out.

Second was that, from the description on IMDb, it kinda reminds me of Hugo. I’m sure it’s nothing like Hugo but the kid looks a bit like him and if you look at the official summary below… and you leave out the September 11th stuff… it kinda does…

A nine-year-old amateur inventor, Francophile, and pacifist searches New York City for the lock that matches a mysterious key left behind by his father, who died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

… there’s a kid who’s an inventor, and there’s a key, and a lock. And France. It kinda does.

Anyway, further digging proves that it’s nothing like it.

In Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close a young boy, played by Thomas Horn, finds himself on a scavenger hunt after coming across a mysterious key left by his father. Before his father was killed in the September 11th attacks it was an activity they had shared and, holding on to that memory, Oskar is compelled to investigate what the key means.

Presumably it has nothing to do with George Méliès. That’d just be weird.

RELEASE DETAILS

release date: 17 Feb 2012
director: Stephen Daldry
writers: Eric Roth (screenplay), Jonathan Safran Foer (novel)
cast: Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock
genre: drama
running time: 129 mins

Official website: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close @ WarnerBros.com
Official facebook page: facebook.com/extremelyloudandincrediblyclose

Video clips available
Theatrical trailer #1
Theatrical trailer #2
clip: How Come You Don’t Talk?
clip: My Dad Was In The Building
clip: Was There Really A 6th Burough?
clip: The Greatest Reconnaissance Mission

Theatrical trailer #1

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Theatrical trailer #2

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clip: How Come You Don’t Talk?

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clip: My Dad Was In The Building

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clip: Was There Really A 6th Burough?

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clip: The Greatest Reconnaissance Mission

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Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is in UK and Irish cinemas from 17th February 2012.

feature: nicola-t’s Oscar Awards predictions 2011

February 16, 2011 // No Comment

If you’re looking for an Oscar prediction ballot form for 2013, I have one right over here – 2013 Oscar Predictions Ballot Form.

Last year I only managed to get this post out a week before the Oscars and it occurs to me now that I actually have no idea how many I got right. Give me a sec…

…Ok, I just checked and I got 10 out of 14. For 3 out of the 4 that I missed I had said that I thought the eventual winner would win but I picked another film. And I really thought Avatar should have won Best Picture. But anyway, the past is the past, time to look to the future!

Same as last year, I’ve done a handy Oscar prediction ballot form with 14 categories on it and I’ll be sticking to those categories for my predictions. If you want to do some yourself you can download it here. Also if you do decide to do some predictions it’d be great if you could e-mail them on to me. If I get enough responses I’ll post up the winner on the Facebook page and mention on the Twitter. The e-mail address is nicola at averagefilmreviews dot com.

For once I’ve actually seen almost all of the contenders this year. Only thing is that, aside from the acting categories, it’s actually a fairly wide race this year. There were some excellent movies in contention so I expect I won’t quite get 10 out of 14 this year…

Hmm… waffling again. On to the predictions.

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

Film editing, film editing… I’m gonna go with The Social Network on this one. My worry is that The King’s Speech is on such a high right now that it could pick up a few that it doesn’t quite deserve… This could be one of them.

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

Some day, there’s gonna be a year where Pixar is competing and they don’t stroll home with this award. I doubt it will be this year. I put Toy Story 3 in at #2 for my top 10 films for 2010 and I genuinely think this is the best film they done since Toy Story 2. So, they should get this.

If they don’t then I’m gonna go down to HMV to buy the box set and watch them all in protest.

Edit: Whoops, I forgot about Cars, they didn’t win for that one. So they’re only 6 for 7 in the category. Thanks DeusExCinema for letting me know!

Best Costume Design
Alice in Wonderland
I am Love
The King’s Speech
The Tempest
True Grit

Woo… and for once there isn’t a clear winner in this category. The period drama usually takes this one but there’s a lot of buzz around Alice in Wonderland and it has Colleen Atwood, 8 time nominee and 2 time winner in the category. On the other hand, The King’s Speech has Jenny Beavan… also an 8 time nominee but only 1 time winner. Hmm… I’m gonna say The King’s Speech on this one. Maybe there is a clear winner after all.

Best Original Song
Coming Home – Country Strong
I See The Light – Tangled
If I Rise – 127 Hours
We Belong Together – Toy Story 3

I’m still surprised Burlesque wasn’t nominated in this category. I don’t understand why they’ve gone down to 4 contenders. Burlesque totally should have had a song (or two) nominated. But anyway, whatever. I haven’t actually heard any of these songs so…. I’m going to have to get back to you on this.

UPDATE: Right I have listened to all the songs now and to be honest, none of them jump out at me. I think I’ll go with… I See The Light from Tangled.

Best Cinematography
Black Swan
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
True Grit

Cinematography is a category that is close to my heart, I think it makes a film and almost all these films deserve recognition here… The King’s Speech is probably the weakest here but the likelhood is that it’s all moot. This award is going to True Grit – Roger Deakins has done the cinematography on most (if not all, I’ll have to look it up) of the Coen Brothers films as well as many others and he’s been nominated 9 times in this category. This, I think, is his year.

To be honest though, if it were up to me, The Social Network would be going home with a wheelbarrow to carry all the awards they would win. Course it’s not up to me and I think here the Acadamy will choose to tread safer ground.

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

Art direction, art direction… I’d like to think The King’s Speech won’t sweep the Oscars? And I’m feeling it’s momentum slipping… but… hmm. I would give it to Inception. I think Inception will probably pick up the sound categories but I think it has a chance here. Certainly the people nominated for it seem to be more reknowned than the person for The King’s Speech…. ok. I’ll go out on a limb and say Inception. It’ll probably be Alice now… it was beautiful after all.

Best Original Screenplay
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech

The King’s Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

The Social Network

I don’t think there’s any doubt who’s going to win in the screenplay categories.

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

I actually have no idea on this one… imagine me making a frowny face here. I guess after winning the Directors Guild Award, Hooper has to be fancied, even the favourite in some eyes. Personally I think the Academy would be mad to give it to him. I know the Oscars are, theoretically, awarded on the individual film and not on the body of work… but we all know that’s not true, and Hooper’s body of work is the weakest here.

Let’s look at the others. Coen’s have already won a few Oscars so I think they’re outsiders here. David O Russell and Aronofsky are first time nominees, though Aronofsky’s films have been nominated before. David Fincher is a second time nominee and his last film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, did pick up 3 Oscars. His only problem is that he’s a bit popular. That’s how Christopher Nolan ended up on the sidelines again. That and the fact that his film isn’t as good as these five… but that’s just my opinion. ;-P

On paper I think Fincher should have it. I’m gonna call it for Fincher. But I’m probably wrong.

And by the way, I never realised till I had a look just now… how was Zodiac passed over for Oscar nominations? Ridiculous.

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

This is probably the only acting category without a clear winner. Notwithstanding the fact that Hailee Steinfeld is clearly the lead in True Grit, there are some very noteworth performances here. I guess the gamble is on whether the fact that Steinfeld is really a lead will allow her to win this category or if it will rule her out. There’s no way I think she was actually good enough to compete in the lead actress category so I guess it was a good choice on the studios part.

My prediction though, having not seen Animal Kingdom, is Melissa Leo. She was fantastic in The Fighter. So that’s my choice.

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

More very good performances here. I’m happy to see John Hawkes nominated for Winter’s Bone, absolutely deserved. He should have been nominated in every set of awards this season. After seeing Geoffery Rush in The King’s Speech I thought he had it in the bag. In fact, I have money on it. But… then I saw The Fighter. Hands down it should (and, I predict, will) go to Christian Bale, he was brilliant in it and I really do think the minute or so of the real Dicky Eklund clinched it for him. It was uncanny. Unfortunately the odds on Bale are crap so I guess I’ll just have to hope for Rush.

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence – Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman – Black Swan
Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine

This year has been much better than last for female roles and there’s a few here I’d be happy to see walk away with it. Not Annette Bening though. I did not like The Kids Are All Right (review here). They do sometimes like to give younger actresses the award here but I think Natalie Portman has it this time.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Colin Firth – The King’s Speech
Jeff Bridges – True Grit
James Franco – 127 Hours
Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network
Javier Bardem – Biutiful

After last years travesty, TRAVESTY I tells ya, when they overlooked Firth for A Single Man (review here) I’m not sure I even want to look at this category. And speaking of travesties, how the hell was James Franco nominated this year? I mean he was good… but he wasn’t better than Mark Wahlberg and he definitely wasn’t better than Ryan Gosling. Bah.

Happily though, I think Firth has it in the bag this year. It’s pretty much the shortest odds you can get on Oscar betting, 1/50 on Paddy Power last I looked.

The irony this year is that imo Jeff Bridges in True Grit was better than Firth in The King’s Speech. So, if the Academy had done the right thing last year, they could do the right thing by the performances this year too. Oh well. Congratulations Colin Firth, undoubtedly I’ll shed a tear listening to your acceptance speech.

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

And so it comes down to this. Fortunately for me I put money on The King’s Speech when The Social Network was the favourite and vice versa so… I should be a winner either way. Unless there is a massive upset, which seems very unlikely at this stage. I should point out, it’s very little money. I think I come out with like €10 or something. Still, it’s €10 I don’t have right now, so that’s good.

But who do I actually think will win? I honestly don’t know. I’d love The Social Network or Toy Story 3 to take it… but The King’s Speech is just so hot right now. If this were a competition I’d say The King’s Speech. But, like last year, I going to go with the one I want to win. It’s gotta be The Social Network.

Go on Academy, surprise me.

So that’s it done for another year. Let me know what you think yourselves. Is The King’s Speech unbeatable? Will The Social Network claw the ground back, or will something else get a few more?

film review: The Kids Are All Right (2010)

November 1, 2010 // No Comment

A week or two ago I tweeted an interesting article from Awards Daily discussing some of the early contenders in the Oscar race for Best Lead Actress. Thankfully it looks like this year is going to be a much better year for women than last year and one of the movies that’s providing a lot of buzz about the category is The Kids Are All Right.

Unfortunately I didn’t really like the movie but Annette Bening and Julianne Moore both put in strong performances as Nic and Jules, the lesbian parents of a couple of somewhat angsty teenage children. I don’t know if I’d be ready to call them as real contenders just yet, so until I see more of other tipped performances all I can really say is that they’re in with a shout.

I would find it hard to believe that either of them will win though. The early talk is splitting vote I think, with some going to Annette Bening and some for Julianne Moore. It seems unlikely that both of them will be nominated for the same film. I know it happens but I don’t think the film is strong enough for it, and add to that the fact that I don’t think either of them really has a scene that’s memorable enough to point to and go “There’s an Oscar winning performance”.

The other big issue is that typically you see the Oscar going to a woman who’s carried the film on her own and neither of them do it here. That said, with the reviews this film has been getting, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility… If one of them is going to win then, even though I would dearly love to see Julianne Moore win an Oscar, I think Annette Bening is the more likely candidate. She’s the stronger character and I think they’re more likely to go for that.

By the way, if I were to call it now, having only seen 3 of the lauded performances – I am very much looking forward to seeing Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams efforts – I’d have to go with Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone, her muted determination is the centerpiece of a fantastic film which really deserves to be seen by more people. I can’t imagine that she won’t get a nomination, the Academy seems to like giving Best Actress nominations to younger women, but whether she’ll win if she’s up against someone of the stature of Annette Bening, Hilary Swank or Julianne Moore is another question.

All this tells you nothing about The Kids Are All Right though.

The Kids Are All Right is about a lesbian family whose children (who both came from the same donor) decide to go look up their donor father, played by Mark Ruffalo. Simple enough premise. Perhaps too simple.

Actually no. It’s not too simple. If you’ve got the script and plot then the premise needn’t be complicated. Unfortunately this is where I think The Kids Are All Right falls down. I’m sorry, I know a lot of critics seems to think this film was brilliant but personally, I thought it was seriously lacking.

I actually thought it felt half finished. There were loose ends a go-go in the film. I don’t think these are particularly spoilers because, well, how can you spoil stuff that doesn’t tie up? But if you want to look away… What happened with Laser’s friend? What happened to Joni’s fella? Or her other friend for that matter? In fact, what happened to Paul?

Aside from Nic and Jules I dont think anyone actually learns anything in this film… And if we weren’t learning anything then why were we looking at? Now ok, I don’t necessarily have to see loads of things happening in a film. I have no problem with the whole “slice of life” concept of film-making. But this can hardly be considered an examination of a slice of life if we abandon most of the details along the way. In the end are we just supposed to pretend that half the film didn’t happen? Honestly, what the hell was the point?

And another thing. I understand, there’s no reason to not bring a bit of levity to a drama, or a bit of tension to a comedy but if you’re doing it it needs to be done well. I honestly felt like this film was quarter comedy and quarter drama. Where the hell was the rest of it? Plodding along in no-man’s land to get to the scenes with tension and levity, that’s where.

And while I’m at it. The characters too were pretty thin on the ground. Again, aside from Nic and Jules, all our players are very static. Now, I suppose it’s difficult to fully realise a character when the people they are reacting to keep disappearing into the ether, but come on. I know the two ladies are important but surely we could have given a little more time to… I don’t know, talk about what Joni and Laser get up to outside the home? I’ll give them the brief bit of rounding out of Paul’s character near the end, but that’s about it. And you know what? It was far too little too late anyway.

This film really annoyed me. I mean, I can accept the good performances from Bening and Moore. They are consummate prefessionals and they do create the one thing that I liked about the film.

Yes, there was one thing I liked about it…

…I liked that you got to see a gay family portrayed as just a normal family. They don’t make an issue about them having two moms. It’s not the elephant in the room or anything like that. It was refreshing to see a normalisation of the portrayal of gay relationships on screen. You could say that it provides a motivation for the “characters” (using the term loosely) but searching for your father is not the enclave of kids of lesbian parents so there’s no reason to pick that out.

Aside from the performances and that one thing though, I thought the film was pretty poor. I absolutely do not understand how it’s getting such good reviews. The only reason I can recommend for anyone to go see it is if you’re just really into the Oscars and you like to catch all the contenders so you can make informed predictions. For that reason alone I’m glad I saw it but if you’re not into that then don’t bother.

5/10

film review: A Single Man (2009)

March 6, 2010 // 6 Comments

Usually you’d have to read me waffling for a while to find out if I actually liked a film or not… Not this time. This time I’m gonna come straight out with it…

I loved A Single Man.

feature: nicola-t’s Oscar predictions 2010

March 2, 2010 // No Comment

If you’re looking for an Oscar prediction ballot form for 2013, I have one right over here – 2013 Oscar Ballot Form.

So the 82nd Academy Awards are less than a week away, they really crept up on me this year… It’s probably about time I did my predictions. For ease (mine, of course) I’m going stick to the categories I have on the printable Oscar ballot form I did on the day the nominations came out. There’s 14 categories on it so plenty for voting on or using for a prediction competition at your Oscar party, if you’re into that kind of thing…

Anyway, here are my predictions:

Best Adapted Screenplay
District 9
An Education
In the Loop
Precious Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Up in the Air

Up in the Air has really dropped out of the Oscar running lately, I haven’t heard about it in weeks… but I do think if it still has a chance at anything it’s this one. Personally I’d give it to Precious but I think it’ll be Up in the Air.

Best Original Screenplay
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Messenger
A Serious Man
Up

I’m not sure how much damage The Hurt Locker did with that whole e-mail controversy… I still think it’s going to pick up some awards though and I imagine this is one of them. I hope Inglourious Basterds wins though, my favourite film of last year. Not my favourite film at the Oscars because most of them only came out here in 2010 but certainly the best film I saw last year.

Best Art Direction
Avatar
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

I’m surprised A Single Man isn’t nominated here to be honest… I think Avatar will be winner here.

Best Cinematography
Avatar
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

The Hurt Locker has a great chance here… but I’m gonna go with Avatar. Actually no. I’ve changed my mind. It’ll be The Hurt Locker.

Best Original Song
Almost There (The Princess and the Frog) – Randy Newman
Down in New Orleans (The Princess and the Frog) – Randy Newman
Loin de Paname (Paris 36) – Reinhardt Wagner and Frank Thomas
Take It All (Nine) – Maury Yeston
The Weary Kind (Crazy Heart) – Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

I can’t see beyond The Weary Kind here, I loved that song. Then again I haven’t heard any of the other songs… I might have to change my mind when I hear them at the ceremony.

Best Costume Design
Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Nine
The Young Victoria

I’m going to go with The Young Victoria here, the period dramas always win the costume and make-up awards…

Best Animated Feature Film
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess and the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up

It’ll have to be Up. I really liked Fantastic Mr. Fox though.

Best Film Editing
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

Just to shake it up I’m going to say Inglourious Basterds. It’ll probably be The Hurt Locker though.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Damon – Invictus
Woody Harrelson – The Messenger
Christopher Plummer – The Last Station
Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds

If The Lovely Bones was a better film I’d say Stanley Tucci. It wasn’t a very good film so Christoph Waltz, come on down!

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Penelope Cruz – Nine
Vera Farmiga – Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal – Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air
Mo’Nique – Precious Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire

I didn’t think this was a particularly good year for female roles, Precious had two of the best performances though and I think Mo’Nique has this.

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart
George Clooney – Up in the Air
Colin Firth – A Single Man
Morgan Freeman – Invictus
Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker

I’d be amazed… AMAZED if Jeff Bridges doesn’t win this. I have actually seen all the performances in this category though and I really think Colin Firth deserves it. He won’t get it though. Jeff Bridges will.

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side
Helen Mirren – The Last Station
Carey Mulligan – An Education
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia

This is a tough one, especially since I’ve only seen one of the films. I’m gonna go for Gabourey Sidibe though. I just can’t really believe that they’d give Sandra Bullock an Oscar for her first real Oscar contending role. She’s been in some awful films and I just think you have to do more to get an Oscar. Then again I’m led to believe that America loves her. Mind you, Meryl Streep hasn’t won an Oscar since 1983… maybe it’s her turn again…

Best Director
James Cameron – Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds
Lee Daniels – Precious Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire
Jason Reitman – Up in the Air

Provided they aren’t too mad about that e-mail, Kathryn Bigelow will probably get this.

Best Picture
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

I know this might be a contentious choice but I think Avatar has to win this. It’s undeniable that it has changed cinema and it’s made a fortune for Hollywood. Sure it’s not a great story but so what? Film isn’t just about telling stories, it’s about taking people to another world – you can’t say Avatar didn’t do that. I really hope it wins. Stick it to those naysayers! I’m not saying The Hurt Locker isn’t a good film… but it’s just another film. Next year there’ll be some other film that everyone will be in a tizzy about saying it’s an unflinching portrayal of … there won’t be another film that pushes the envelope like Avatar for years to come and I really hope that the Academy recognises that.

If you want to know what I thought about Avatar in more detail you can read my review here.

So that’s my guessing done. What do you reckon yourself?

film review: Crazy Heart (2009)

February 28, 2010 // 2 Comments

Saw this in the beautiful Light House cinema, an 4 screen arthouse cinema in Smithfield.

I wasn’t particularly expecting to like this film. I don’t really like country music and it sounded like a story I’ve heard before. I like to see new stuff, or at least old stuff taken in a new direction or seen in a new light. Crazy Heart didn’t really sound like there was anything new about it….

…and there isn’t. But despite that I enjoyed it. More than that, I actually liked it. Ok, it did really remind me of last year’s The Wrestler… and that in turn reminded of the documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil… but still I didn’t mind. This is a good film.

The question everyone is asking though is “Does Jeff Bridges deserve the Oscar?” He certainly puts on a very good performance. I’m not a huge fan of Bridges, which is not to say that I don’t like him, I just haven’t seen that many of his films. Tideland is the only film I remember him in in the last 20 years – yes that’s right, I haven’t seen The Big Lebowski. He was good in Tideland alright but it doesn’t exactly make you develop a strong fondness for him.

Personally I’m not sure if he does deserve the award. I’m sure he’s going to get it… but having seen all the other performances now, I’m just not sure. I think Colin Firth is better in A Single Man. I also think Jeremy Renner is better in The Hurt Locker… well I’m not entirely sure about that one but he’s definitely as good. Either way it’s moot. He’s definitely gonna get it. When you’re a good guy and you’ve been nominated 4 times already the award threshold goes down a little for you. Actually let me be fair – he does deserve it in a general sense, I just don’t know if he deserves it for this role.

For what it’s worth, Crazy Heart is worth a watch quite apart from Jeff Bridges. It’s a good classic story well told and there’s great music in it. And like I said, I don’t even like country music. Then again these days when I think about country music I think of like… Taylor Swift. I’m sure there are those who would say that doesn’t count. The songs in Crazy Heart are the real thing, I’ll be very surprised if The Weary Kind doesn’t win the Best Song Oscar. It’s actually not my favourite song from the film but it is excellent.

I kind of feel a bit weird recommending that people go see a film that’s so unoriginal. Honestly, you’ve heard this story a hundred times. There really is nothing new in it, but I feel I’d be doing a disservice if I didn’t. I’ll put it this way. If you liked The Wrestler or if you like country music then go see this film.

8/10

film review: Up In The Air (2009)

January 16, 2010 // 4 Comments

Ok, I know this has only just released in Ireland so technically it’s 2010 here but it released in the US on 23rd Dec 2009, just in time for the Oscars.

Up In The Air is based on a novel of the same name by Walter Kirn. I don’t know that novel but I am familiar with the director – Jason Reitman. He directed Juno but more importantly he directed the excellent Thank You for Smoking. A film I would heartily recommend to everyone. Up In The Air I also recommend… and on balance I would recommend it to everyone… but with certain reservations.

I guess I’ll have to explain a bit about this film, I won’t be giving anything away that you haven’t seen in the trailers though so don’t worry.

Basically George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a man who’s dedicated to his job. His job happens to be a professional firer. He’s contracted out to other companies to tell their staff that they’re fired. He lives his life in airports, on planes and in boardrooms all over the USA, rarely physically “touching base” as they say. When a new recruit, played by Anna Kendrick, comes on board, Ryan finds himself saddled with… baggage.

To be honest, I didn’t find it completely engaging, but then again I did like it. It’s a bit of a puzzler because so many people I know really thought it was brilliant. I found it difficult to relate to. Course I am lucky; I still have my job… I know more than a few people who have lost theirs in the last 12 months, but this film isn’t really about that anyway. It’s about… what people value in life… to sum it up in one. I still don’t really know why I found this film so difficult to relate to though. Perhaps it depicts a lifestyle and an attitude that is so far from my own that I just don’t understand it.

So, when I say I’m recommending it with reservations it’s because, while I wasn’t mad about it, I can’t deny that there is something to it. I’ve thought long and hard about what I didn’t like about it and I can’t point to it so I have no reason to not recommend it. Especially when there’s a chance that others will take a great deal from it. The only thing I will say against it is that I thought it was a little slick…

For what it’s worth, it is a smart, solid story and, as I mentioned earlier in the week, there are some great poignant scenes. There’s a bit of drama, there’s a bit of romance, but it just never quite came together for me. It is however a very good character study and George Clooney does a good job. Anna Kendrick is grand as well. I’d never heard of her before but I gather she’s in Twilight, so good for her, this should keep her out of the typecasting for a while.

Hmm… It probably is time I started talking about the Oscar buzz. Everyone else is after all.

This is probably one of the most hotly tipped contenders for the Oscars. It’s been nominated for 6 Golden Globes and it’s George Clooney who’s attracting most of the heat. So far in the awards season he’s well ahead in the Best Actor stakes. Ok, last night he just missed out on the Critics Choice Award however with the Golden Globes tomorrow it’s hardly the one he’s focussed on.

Having seen the film, I don’t know if he’ll get the Oscar. We all know that it’s not necessarily all down to the performance but I just don’t know that he’s done enough here to win. The other thing is is that I do believe that the Oscars like to be different… so all his wins may put him out a little bit here. Then again, I hear this year they’re trying to be a bit more populist, extendeding the best picture category to 10 to take in a bigger range of films and all. It’s really a hard one to call.

Then again, who are the other contenders? As I also mentioned earlier in the week, I hear that Colin Firth gives the performance of a lifetime in A Single Man. I’ve seen The Road now and while I’d say Viggo Mortensen has a good chance at a Oscar nomination but I don’t think the buzz is there and I’m not sure the range in his performance is big enough win it for him. I’m still holding out for Jeremy Renner and his performance in The Hurt Locker but the thing is I’m really not feeling the buzz around anyone else this year. Maybe Clooney has it in the bag.

Best picture wise… again I’d like to say The Hurt Locker over Up In The Air? Well actually I’d like to say Inglourious Basterds but that’s just not going to happen. What do you think yourselves?

Anyway I forgot to do the rating before I started talking about awards… so here you go.

7.5/10

releasing this week: Up in the Air & The Book of Eli

January 14, 2010 // 1 Comment

Two movies going on general release this week that I think could be worth a watch. The first is Up in the Air and the second is The Book of Eli

Up in the Air comes to us from Jason Reitman, director of Juno and Thank You for Smoking, and is based on the novel of the same name by Walter Kirn.

I didn’t actually know this was based on a novel till I started writing this post however I have seen Reitman’s other works. Thank You for Smoking I thought was excellent. Maybe it’s another I should have put on the top films of the decade list. Juno I thought was ok, not amazing.

Now I have already seen Up in the Air so I can tell you it is worth a watch. I have read and heard a lot of very positive reviews, I wouldn’t go as far in my praise as some of them however I do think that quite a few people will love it. There were some brilliant poignant scenes but the story just didn’t quite resonate with me, it didn’t quite strike the right balance. It is however still a smart and solid drama with a hint, or perhaps it’s a streak, of romance though it. I would recommend seeing it… well for the female half of the population anyway.

Also in case you are not aware, George Clooney is heavily tipped for awards for this film… I don’t know if I see the Best Actor Oscar happening for him this year to be honest. I do think it’s a good performance and I think he’s very likely to get the Golden Globe for it but I haven’t seen enough of the other likely Oscar contenders to be sure. I hear that Colin Firth gives the performance of a lifetime in A Single Man and I’d like to think that Jeremy Renner has a good chance for his performance in The Hurt Locker. I’ll be seeing The Road so will have an idea of Viggo Mortensen’s chances then.

As for the second film, The Book of Eli, I haven’t heard much about it at all. Again it’s another film where I have been avoiding the trailer. It’s another post-apocalyptic story and as I’ve said a few times lately (since there seem to be a few out there atm) I love the ol’ post-apocalyptic dystopia story. It’s funny, you wait for ages then three come along all at once.

I get the impression from the trailer that this particular one is more just set in a post-apocalytic era, as opposed to being a study of a dystopia or even about the post-apocalytic era itself. The trailer pretty much pegs it as a straight action flick. Denzel Washington seems to be in full ass-kicking mode and Gary Oldman seems to be in full evil villain mode so it looks like it should be good fun. I don’t expect this will be a classic… indeed I fully expect we’ll see a good bit of chewing the scenery here… but so what? As long as I can have a bit of a laugh at it I’ll be happy.

click image to watch the trailer of The Book of Eli on apple.com/trailers

Up in the Air and The Book of Eli are in Irish cinemas from Friday 15th January.

review: Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

January 10, 2009 // 1 Comment

The standees in Movies@Dundrum describe Slumdog Millionaire as the “The feel-good film of the decade”… so from the get go I’m worried; I’m not usually into “feel-good” films. Add to that the buzz about this film from the US… There’s nothing wrong with good buzz… but about a “feel-good” film with no associated buzz about the script or the acting… what are the critics buzzing about exactly? Is this just some great PR machine at work? On the other hand this is a Danny Boyle film and imho Danny Boyle is on of the most interesting directors out there at the moment. So I cast aside my trepidation and decided to bask in the buzz. One ticket for the opening night please.

For those who don’t know, Slumdog Millionaire is based on a novel called Q and A by Vikas Swarup. It’s about a boy from the slums of Mumbai, Jamal (played by Dev Patel), who goes on the Indian version of Who Want To Be A Millionaire but is suspected of cheating when he reaches the last question; nobody believes that a kid from the slums could possibly do so well without help.

Is it a good film though? For the most part, yes. It is a good film… but it’s not really a great film… That said, I really enjoyed it, it’s practically impossible not to get caught up in the drama of the story. There’s a reason Who Wants To Be A Millionaire is the most internationally popular TV franchise of all time.. the lights, the music, suspense of it all just draws you in. Danny Boyle is very successful in bring that suspense into the film, you need to know what happened to Jamal, how did he get to this point?

It’s also a great looking film. The cinematography is brilliant, the slight over-saturation really works and there’s some wonderful framing – excellent set pieces in the land and cityscapes. There’s a vibrancy to the film that really sets off the story… It really reminds me of City of God. I’m sure I’m not the first nor will I be the last to say that…

Mentioning City of God brings us to the most important question though… City of God was one of the greatest films I’ve ever seen and it didn’t win an Oscar. So is Slumdog Millionaire worthy of the hype? I’m not sure… I’m loath to say that it isn’t because I think it’s great that a film like this is being brought to a mass audience. I also think it’s great for Danny Boyle and his co-director Loveleen Tandan that they are getting recognition for a great film. Danny Boyle should have been nominated for an Oscar for Trainspotting and 28 Days Later…!. Personally I can’t say if this film is worthy of the Oscar, I haven’t seen the competition so I can’t really comment… but I can say that it’s not without flaws.

I think the most glaring of them is that, in all the excitment, it’s easy to miss that we don’t actually know that much about the characters. There are glimpses at what drives them… but we don’t actually know them outside what is relevant to the story. We don’t know who they are, we just know what they’ve done. I would have liked to have seen more characterisation. Another is that I felt toward the end that we got a bit mixed in what matters… there’s two threads in the story and as they both climax it doesn’t quite manage to keep the momentum for both stories but it doesn’t quite manage to merge them either… It might just be me but there wasn’t the satisfaction in the end that I expected.

The last thing that bothered me about Slumdog Millionaire isn’t really a flaw but I do think it stops it from being a really great film. I thought it was forgettable… and maybe that’s the problem of the feel-good film. There was nothing there for me to think about afterwards. I like to walk out of a theatre thinking about what I’ve just experienced – I might be thinking “What would I have done?” or “How could that have happen?” or I might just be thinking “Wow, the effects in that film were incredible”, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m thinking of it and in this case I wasn’t.

So… how to rate it? I would have loved for this film to be a new classic… which is what the marketeers would have us believe… but I really don’t think it is. I think it’s a good story told well and that might be enough for it to win an Oscar but it’s not enough for me.

7/10

review: There Will Be Blood (2007)

April 3, 2008 // No Comment

I didn’t really know what to expect of There Will Be Blood. I didn’t really want to see it. It didn’t seem like my kind of film… I don’t really like Westerns and it seemed a bit “worthy” to me… and I never mean “worthy” in a good way. Also I’d heard that it was very long and I was a bit ambivalent on the director – not that I don’t like Paul Thomas Anderson or anything, it’s just that after having seen three of his films previously I still didn’t really have an opinion on him. I decided I had to though, there was so much talk about it and I just couldn’t see how a film that seemed so… linear perhaps? could be garnering so much praise.

Happily, it wasn’t really a Western, it doesn’t really feel that long and it wasn’t overly “worthy” either. I still have no particular opinion on Paul Thomas Anderson though.

So what’s it all about? Well, There Will Be Blood is loosely based on the 1927 Upton Sinclair novel Oil!. Since you’ve probably never read the book though and I gather the association is quite loose, I shall summarise. Basically There Will Be Blood is the story of the life of Daniel Plainview (played by Daniel Day-Lewis). There really isn’t much more to it. It opens with Daniel happening upon oil while out on his own in the desert prospecting for silver and follows him as he grows his oil business, eventually becoming one of the most successful oil men in California.

It’s a very interesting film. I don’t usually enjoy films that just go from A to B but I found this one very interesting. Not storywise, it’s fairly mundane in that respect, stuff happens, la la la. Where There Will Be Blood excels is in the characterisation, it paints these people’s personalities and motivations so vividly… I know that doesn’t really sound like much but to be honest it’s something that’s very rare in recent films. I thought the acting was great all round and I have to say it eventually, Daniel Day-Lewis completely deserved the Oscar and every other award he’s won for this performance. Really, it’s an amazing performance. The other characters in the film are peripheral in a sense but I still thought they were very well played and that all the interactions between them were suberb. As an aside, I’ve noticed on the internet that opinion has been split on Paul Dano‘s performance as Paul / Eli Sunday. I just wanted to say that I thought he was good.

There was one thing that annoyed me though… I don’t want to give anything away but I did think that the film skipped too much time at one point, when it jumped to 1927… I would have liked to know what happened in the years between. It’s rare that I’d say that a two and a half hour film should have been longer but in this case I am!

Anyway, I thought it was a good film… I didn’t think it was a great film to be honest, but it was an interesting film and Daniel Day-Lewis was very good. I’m glad I saw, if only because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about…

8/10