Oscar Picks

Tomorrow is the 86 Academy awards which sadly most of us will not be watching. I used to love watching the Oscars and the Grammys when they were on TV. Judging, judging and more judging makes me a very happy man.

Earlier this year New Zealand TV in it's infinite wisdom decided to show the Grammys. My Step-daughter and I had a Grammys day together. We  judged the clothes, the speeches and the winners. We were fair, but cruel.

Lulu "Well that dress wasn't half bad."
John"No it was all Bad!"

But it was great fun for the whole family, and I don't understand why we have to watch repeats of Shortland Street, 2 and a half men or Jeremy Kyle when TVNZ could be showing the Oscars?  Maybe just maybe we could watch it later in the evening and skip an episode of Americas funniest home videos?

So many people I know would actually leave work a little early just to sit down with a glass of wine/beer/ coke zero (gag) if they could watch the Oscars on TV.

Sigh.

Anyway here are some of my picks for tomorrow. I think there might be some surprises tomorrow but you never know.

Picture	12 Years a Slave
Director	Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave)
Actor in a Leading Role	Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
Actress in a Leading Role	Sandra Bullock (Gravity)
Actor in a Supporting Role	Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Actress in a Supporting Role	Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)
Foreign Language Film	The Hunt (Denmark)
Animated Feature	Frozen (Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho)
Documentary Feature	20 Feet From Stardom

Right I'm off to drag my vampire like complexion into the last days of summer.   If you have any picks for the Oscars I'd love to know what they are. Or if you'd like to watch them on TV? Maybe I will get a petition together for next year.

What do you think?

12 Years a Slave

Jesus Christ!

That is what I said after we stumbled gratefully into the light after watching this film.

Brad Pitt is used to taking risks and his production company taking on the story of Solomon Northup was a pretty big risk. With British director and producer Steve McQueen at the helm, Northup's story would be created for the big screen.

But is this adaptation another World War Z?

Synopsis:

Solomon Northup is a successful violinist, married with two children in New York. He meets Hamilton and Brown, two performers who ask him to accompany them on a work trip to New York. The trip does not end well. After a night out of the town Solomon wakes up in chains in the basement.  For the next 12 years he endures slavery, and when I write slavery you can read hell.

12 Years a Slave is a stunning film. Stunning in Chitwetel Ejiofor's performance, Sean Bobbitt's ( the director of photography) and Steve McQueen's depiction of Louisiana, and the terrible brutality of slavery.  The film is pretty relentless in depicting the horror of Solomon's situation. It is not torture porn like  The Passion of Christ,  but it is at times difficult to watch, and that may put a lot of viewers off.

There is an  ensemble British and American cast and they are simply excellent. Chitwetel Ejiofor gives a powerful heart wrenching performance as Solomon Northup. His on screen presence is like a sucker punch to the soul as you endure his indignities with him. The thing I learnt watching this film is that Slavery is the most abominable form of theft there is. The men that kidnapped Solomon stole more than his freedom, they stole his future, his dignity, his family and his very identity. While Northup was a slave he was known as Platt, Solomon Northup was a dream he kept to himself.

McQueen makes the best use of his cast, Michael Fassbender as the sadistic slave master Epps, and Lupita Nyong'o as Patsy the unfortunate object of his desire, give awesome performances. Awesome in the real sense of the word as the horror is pretty awe inspiring.

McQueen's use of music and sound is also incredible. Music is so pivotal in establishing mood and a sense of scene in any film. But his use of  silence in the film  to establish a sense of drama and poignancy is innovative and highly successful.

It was terrible what happened to these men, women and yes children, but it did happen and that is what makes this film significant. Looking around online it appears that the film is a close approximation of Northup's book. His descendants were not part of the production, but they have seen the film and feel it is a surprisingly accurate account of Northup's experiences.

I feel like that I might be painting a pretty bleak picture of 12 Years a Slave and I want to reiterate that while it is a terribly sad story it is also a great film. More than that a powerful film that reminded me that films can be more than entertainment, they can be evocative vehicles for ideas and stories that need to be told.

I loved this film, I found it moving and evocative. I can understand that people will be reluctant to see 12 Years a Slave, especially in America. However it is probably the best film I will see this year.  It is my pick for best picture at the Oscars.

10 Monkeys

Harold Ramis RIP

"It's hard for winners to do comedy. Comedy is inherently subversive. We represent the underdog as comedy usually speaks for the lower classes. We attack the winners."
 Harold Ramis

Harold Ramis was a pivotal influence in comedy during the 70's,80's, and 90's. As a writer, and actor and director  his works include; Caddyshack, Stripes, Groundhog Day, Animal house, National Lampoon's vacation, and of course Ghostbusters. 

He was a deeply talented man at the hardest of jobs, comedy. He worked with exceptionally talented actors from Robert De Niro to Bill Murray, Robin Williams, Peter O'Toole and Dan Aykrod. But of course as much I love  Stripes  and Animal house it is for Ghostbusters that I will forever remember him. The good doctors Spengler, Stantz and Venkman still drive me to raucous neighbor frightening laughter to this day. It is an excellent script with excellent performances. 

I think that it is indicative not only of his work but him as a man that most of the images of Ramis on line are of a man that is truly happy. 

 

The reason I post about people like Ramis is because he has brought me so much joy over the years. While he has obviously benefited financially from every film of his I have watched, I still feel oddly grateful for men and women like Ramis that can create laughter in this world. 

I could keep talking but I think I will leave the last words with Harold Ramis' great friend. 

"Deeply saddened to hear of the passing of my brilliant, gifted, funny friend, co-writer/performer and teacher Harold Ramis. May he now get the answers he was always seeking."

Ivan Reitman, director of the two movies, also paid tribute, saying: "The world has lost a wonderful, truly original, comedy voice with the passing of Harold Ramis."

He possessed the most agile mind I've ever witnessed. He always had the clearest sense of what was funny and how to create something in a new clever way ... Harold had an extraordinary impact on my career and I loved him like a brother." - Dan Aykrod

November 21, 1944, February 24, 2014, 

Frozen

Frozen is the latest animated film from Disney. Based on the Danish fairy tale the Snow Queen, and with the same creative team that made Tangled,  I took my girls for some summer fun. We have had some really bad luck at the cinema recently, and sadly that trend continued. I had a small child kicking my seat, and my girl sat next to a child who had nauseating body odor. At least the dad behind me got his little girl to stop kicking my seat, sadly all my fiance could do was lean as fay away as possible.

But we were determined to have a fun family treat.

Synopsis:
Frozen is the story of  Anna (Kristen Bell) and her older sister Elsa (Indina Menzel). Anna and Elsa are princesses of the kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa has the magical power to create snow and ice, and when she traps Arendelle in a permanent winter Anna is determined to save the kingdom and her sister.  To aid her in her quest she has the ice merchant Kristoff, his clever reindeer Sven, Prince Hans and Adolf the living snowman.  But Anna and her friends not only have to survive Elsa's rage, but they don't have long before the people of Arendelle succumb to the cold. 

Prince Hans and Anna

Like Tangled, Frozen  has an excellent story, full of drama and laughs. For me though  Frozen  had a an almost musical quality about it. Of course most Disney films are full of songs, but the music of Frozen  had a structured narrative feel about it, like a west end musical or Broadway.

Disney has really made an effort to bring something new with this film, but retaining what Disney is famous for. The animation was great, the picture was beautifully rendered and the voice acting was excellent. The artists captured a real northern feel with the characters and the setting, from the clothing to the architecture of the houses.

With the success of Tangled, Disney seems to be heading in a new direction story wise.  In the original story of the Snow Queen, the hero is Gerda, a young Danish girl who is determined to rescue her friend Kai from the wicked Snowqueen. Frozen's story is a complete departure from the Danish fairy tale, but it does keep the focus on the heroine Anna.  Despite being surrounded by handsome prince Hans and Brave Kristoff, it is Anna who is the driving force of the story. Her love for her sister drives her and us on to save the day.

Frozen avoided the trap of trying to create a strong female character by making all the male characters weak. Anna may not be not smartest, or the strongest, but she is the hero and she has the biggest heart. And like the best heroes she over comes adversity with bravery, determination, and a little help from her friends.

Lulu, my 12 year old step daughter to be, loved this film. She loved the music, the humor, the characters, but most of all Anna and her relationship with her sister. She felt that the relationship between the girls at the beginning of the film was great, and echoed her relationship with her little sister.   Frozen  is her favorite film of the year, and I think it is set to be one of Disney's classics.  It has been nominated for 2 Oscars for best animated feature and original song.  I would not be surprised if it picks up both.

8 cold Monkeys from me.

2014

As a strange fog sweeps through the valley and surrounds my home, I have decided to restart blogging.

So much has already happened  this year. Philip Seymour Hoffman,Gabriel  Axel and Shirley Temple have died.

Gabriel Axel 

Thee is new controversy over Woody Allen with further allegations of his past. And the rumour mill is also churning over the up coming features Star wars VII, Superman II, and Guardians of the Galaxy. The BAFTAs have come and gone, and the Oscars loom like a more traditional vampire.

And I have done nothing.

Well that is not strictly true.  I have survived my first stag do, and I have consented to a second (god help me) stag do. I have organised stuff for my wedding, and I have stressed over organising stuff for my wedding.

I returned to work and I have agonised over returning to work. Wringing my hands like a badly written character from a Dickens novel hoping for a better future with each new day.

O god please let me win the lotto

But as the dank and humid sea fog envelopes my house in a smothering embrace, muffling the snuffling of hedgehogs and the hunting of Moreporks, I will resume writing. Writing reviews, things and stuff.  Writing gives me pleasure and peace and I need to do more of it.

Enough for tonight I need to go and look after my greatest love, who also brings me peace and happiness.

Happy new year every body, lets make it a good one.

I think it's time for a cup of tea.

The Hobbit II

Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and                                   Guillermo del Toro, from the Novel by J.R.R. Tolkein.
Starring: Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Martin Freeman (Bilbo),                                    Richard Armitage(Thorin), Orlando Bloom (Legolas),                            Evangeline Lilly (Tauriel), Sylvester McCoy (Radagast),                        Luke Evans (Bard), Stephen Fry (The Master) and                                 Benedict Cumberbatch (Smaug).

Yesterday I watched the second installment of the Hobbit trilogy, but this time in 48 FPS 3D.  I haven't had a great deal of luck with these movies. When we watched the first one we had rotten seats, and this time some overly selfish hippy parents brought their 7 year old who whispered throughout the movie and afterwards had to be carried out as he was terrified.  

But, like Bilbo, we soldiered on. 

The second installment starts off with some more exposition of the history of Thorin, then moves quickly to the Dwarves and Bilbo fleeing from Azog and his Orcs, through Mirkwood and Lake town to the introduction of Smaug. 

The hyper reality of 48 FPS 3D took a moment to get used to, but I think I liked it. However, if you do decide to go and see it I recommend that you sit in the middle as on the very edge there can be some blurring. It is certainly different and I think it is the next step in film.

As far as the story goes I enjoyed this considerably more than An Unexpected Journey. While I am not really sure that the exposition at the beginning added anything of value, and, like the previous film, Jackson has added combat where there was none in the book, this time it wasn't so tiresome. There were many points during the first movie when you could compare the antics of the Dwarves to a Keystone cops movie, however, Jackson appears to have found a better balance of action and humor here.

The look and production of the film was good; Lake town and Mirkwood looked fantastic. Lake town, especially with Stephen Fry as the corrupt master, has been well designed and had a great feel to it.

However, I think Jackson missed a great opportunity. Freedman is an excellent Bilbo and his performances were always good, and with the scenes between Smaug and Bilbo there was enormous potential for dialogue. Especially when you have the established relationship between Freeman and Cumberbatch to work with. But I thought the focus of the scene was not the dialogue, but the retrieval of the Arkenstone.  Also, the scenes with the Dwarves and Smaug seemed to drag on. I understand that Jackson wants to show off his wonderful dragon, but I think the execution was misplaced and the film suffers again for it.

While purists will be frothing at the mouth over the additions to the plot, the most controversial turned out to be the most enjoyable. Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel was a superb addition, and one of the best female characters I have seen in years. Her story line, while a departure from the book, brought a well needed feminine side to the story. It was also the most compelling. While I am usually on the side of the purists, the decision to add Tauriel to the story was probably one of the best creative decisions Jackson has made.

The new visuals work well and the film  doesn't drag on so much until the end. The performances were all good, and as you expect it is spectacular viewing. On the whole it was a better film than the first, but it still suffered a little from self indulgent film making.  I enjoyed it.

7 monkeys from me.

Philomena

Director:             Stephen Frears
Producer:            Steve Coogan
Screenplay:        Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope
Book:                  Martin Sixsmith
Starring:             Judi Dench, Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark,                                   Anna Maxwell Martin, and Michelle Fairley. 

One of the more curious things people have said to me is, "I was born in the wrong time, I should have been born in (insert historical period here)".  Now I get the appeal of history I really do, but I think I like toilet paper, medicine, international travel and not being oppressed by the local nobility even more.

But not everything about our recent history is an improvement, like the story of Philomena Lee.

Film synopsis:

In 1952 in Ireland, an unwed Philomena Lee got pregnant. She had her baby, Anthony, at the local convent. She worked in the nuns' laundry for four years and she was allowed to see Anthony for an hour each day.

Anthony was adopted out by the nuns during this time and Philomena never knew what happened to him. Once she left the convent she did not tell a soul about him, until fifty years later on the anniversary of his birthday, she finally tells her daughter Jane.

Martin Sixsmith was a foreign correspondent for the BBC in Washington and Moscow, before working for Tony Blair's administration. Martin lost his job over an email he sent, and is now out of work.  While contemplating his future and his past, Martin is approached by Jane to help her mother find Anthony. Martin decides that Philomena's story would make a good human interest piece and agrees.

Ensue the search for the missing child.

At its heart Philomena is a road trip movie. It's a journey of discovery both figuratively and literally for the jaded atheist Sixsmith, and the irrepressible Philomena. They are from different generations, and social classes, with different values and beliefs about tradition, religion and authority.   Philomena accepts and endures life and, solid in her faith, she never questions authority. As a journalist, Sixsmith questions everything, especially religion and authority. Philomena comes from a generation which was brought up to be polite, courteous and with her faith comes an optimism about humanity.  Sixsmith, as a busy and important journalist, is dismissive, cynical and somewhat impolite.

The search for Anthony is challenging for both Sixsmith and Philomena, and the reality of what happened to Philomena in 1952 affects them both. It tests their own world view and their faith in human nature and God. Interestingly, despite the convent's, and the church's treatment of Philomena, the film never portrays her piety disrespectfully. It gracefully avoids that and portrays her with a simple dignity.

(Steve Coogan and Philomena Lee. Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)(Credit: Chris Pizzello/invision/ap)

As you would expect Judi Dench is excellent as Philomena Lee. Her performance was also reminiscent of another important woman in history, my mum. In Dench's portrayal of Philomena I could see the mannerisms and the out look of my mothers generation. In reflection it brings home to me that Philomena's and Anthony's story could have been anyone's story in the wrong circumstances, even mine.

This is obviously a project that Steve Coogan was passionate about, and his performance shows that he is capable of more than Alan Partridge, but despite his thoughtful performance Dench's on screen subtle charisma steals most scenes.

In an age of three hour block busters, at 98 minutes Philomena seems to be over almost too quickly, but I think they get the balance right

The story is funny, thoughtful and horrible all at once. That is the thing about history, it isn't always fun, but it should always be told. It is a very good film, and I suspect it will put Dench in the running for an Oscar.

7 monkeys