Oscar Nominations Report 2012

Okay, I know this is a ridiculously delayed reaction, for various reasons which I won't go into, and I apologise most profusely on behalf of my hectic life that wouldn't allow me to finish writing this (I've actually been writing bits and pieces of this post since the Oscar nominations were announced three weeks ago) but here, I give you my view on this years Oscar nominations.

Since the Academy Award nominations were announced, the general reaction has been that there were huge injustices throughout many categories. Many people and films were expected to feature in the shortlists which didn't, and other cast, crew and films appeared which were a complete surprise, and, in some cases, perhaps undeserved.

Before I begin my long rambling about the nominations, I should say that I haven't seen the majority of the nominated films and actors this year, unlike last year where I'd seen nine out of ten of the nominated films for best picture by the time the awards came around. Yes, I'm disappointed with myself, and my OCD is screaming at me a little, but my point is, I can't give much of a personal opinion on this matter because I haven't seen all of the performances or films for myself. I will, however, discuss films I have seen that I think deserved a nomination, and of course those who I think are undeserving.

We'll start with the verdict on the Best Actor category.

The two on the left are the most suave men on Earth.

There was no surprise when Jean Dujardin (The Artist) and George Clooney (The Descendants) were announced, and they are both fully deserving of their nominations, as is Gary Oldman, who I was worried was going to get overlooked as he did at the Golden Globes. But, even though he has only a slim chance of winning when he's up against Dujardin and Clooney, it's lovely to see him get his first-time recognition in a role that he really deserves it for. Brad Pitt was always in contention for the Best Actor nod, but really he probably didn't deserve it as much as some other actors who were left off, and only got recognised because he's such a big name and there was a lot of publicity surrounding the film. I haven't seen him in Moneyball but, from what I've read, although he was good, he didn't give the best performance of the year. And finally, we have Demian Bichir, who really came out of nowhere to grab that last Academy acknowledgement. Now I know a lot of people aren't aware of him at all. I'd heard of the film (A Better Life) but that wasn't seen by many people and there was absolutely no hint beforehand that he was even being considered. Though I would say it is nice to see an underdog come and steal some spotlight, I do feel that some performances were completely overlooked, and, though I haven't seen his performance, I think a lot of people are asking what he's doing on the list.

As for the actors that were overlooked, I think we need to start with one of the most surprising.

About 98.542% of people I spoke to, as well as critics I've read, expected Michael Fassbender to be on this list for his role in Shame, which garnered him near-universal acclaim. Now I haven't seen the film myself yet, though I definitely want to get round to that (I shall be watching this alone, in a dark room), but I can't really understand why he was left off the shortlist. My only guesses would be that either it was too risque a subject for the Academy to award the proper attention to, or it wasn't widely publicised enough and therefore didn't get the attention it seemed to deserve. Another guess would be that he's too young for the Academy to really consider, as they do have a terrible track record for acknowledging actors that aren't middle-aged. But whichever way you look at it, this was quite a shock, and personally I think there are at least one or two actors that could have been bumped for him instead.

The other actor that had been surrounded by major Oscar buzz was Leonardo DiCaprio. Before J. Edgar came out, there were talks of this being his year, and finally getting the recognition he deserved. Again, this is a film I haven't yet seen, but it seems the view is that although his performance is very good, it wasn't as amazing as everyone was expecting. This is probably because it was hyped up so much that it was such a tall order to fill everyone's expectations, but still, most people thought he was a shoe-in for a nomination.

Onto Best Actress now, and, like its male equivalent, there was a mix of "well obviously!" nominations and "why her?" nods. There was absolutely no surprises at Meryl Streep collecting her record 17th nomination for The Iron Lady, which she's widely expected to win. Also, Michelle Williams was an unsurprising nomination for My Week With Marilyn. Viola Davis' performance in The Help seems to have gained her very good reviews, and she's been recognised by other organisations and academies for her role, even picking up a SAG award (don't get me started...) so it wasn't unexpected. The two surprises were Rooney Mara for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which, although she was brilliant in, was a bit surprising because although there were a few murmurings about a nomination, there weren't any big indications that she was actually going to get one. And lastly, Glenn Close, who is indeed a fantastic actress, snagged a nomination for Albert Nobbs. Now I know I'm not the only one who hasn't heard of this film before, but since it's Glenn Close I'm putting money on the fact it's probably a deserved nomination. Still, that doesn't really make up for the fact other actresses were consequently overlooked.

Charlize Theron's role in Young Adult has gained her some spectacular reviews, and I honestly cannot wait to see this film. A few critics have said she's better in this than she was in Monster, in the role that gained her an Academy Award in 2003. There has been quite a bit of outcry about her exclusion not just from this shortlist, but from many others this year too. So, although the Academy are just following in the footsteps of the other awards this year, it seems like Charlize has been done a great disservice.

Another actress who has been overlooked is Tilda Swinton for her role in We Need to Talk About Kevin (a film which itself was overlooked, but we'll come to that later). We know that the Academy is very aware of her, considering they gave her an award back in 2007. Again, her snub is probably due to lack of promotion and awareness in America. No, she probably wouldn't have won if she had been nominated, considering who she would have been up against, but it would have been nice to see her acknowledged.

And lastly, there has been a ridiculous amount of backlash at the fact Olivia Colman was left off the list for Tyrannosaur (still unsure whether she's a Best Actress or Best Supporting Actress contender - she's been nominated for both in other awards). Her performance has been named as outstanding by basically every critic I've heard talk about her, and even from the little clips I've seen she does seem quite deserving of a nomination. Still, again it's probably due to lack of awareness on the Acadamy's part (though that doesn't excuse BAFTA, who should be aware of such homegrown talent).

I'll move onto films now. For those who don't know, the rules changed this year regarding Best Picture nominations, where there could be a shortlist of between five and ten films, as opposed to the ten it has been in previous years. I don't really know why this is - surely just stick to ten and give more films the recognition? But anyway, nine films were announced, some deserving, some really, really not, and again, others completely overlooked.

The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Hugo, and War Horse were all pretty much expected, with The Artist being the early favourite to win, and War Horse, in my opinion, not really deserving to be there but not unexpected. Other nominees Midnight in Paris and The Tree of Life were also not hugely surprising considering the favourable reviews they've been given, especially the latter. Moneyball and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close were the most surprising, having been given less acclaim than the other nominees; as for the last one, as far as I can tell it's about some irritating boy obsessing over a key, even if it does contain 9/11 themes and stars Oscar winners Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. But this only adds up to nine. Why would they not only exclude extremely worthy nominees, but not even fill the potential ten spaces? My theory is that they wanted to leave at least one space free to prove that the new rules aren't completely redundant - after all, if ten films were nominated everyone would have been questioning why the new rules needed to be put in place. Yet at the same time it feels like some were nominated for the sake of it - I'm almost certain that Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was nominated based on it's summary, because I haven't heard great things about the film itself. But this doesn't excuse the fact that other more deserving films were left off the list in favour of some of these which actually made me quite angry when they were announced.

We'll start with Super 8, which anyone who has read this blog knows I'm a huge fan of. It's genuinely one of the best films of last year, and received critical acclaim. There's not a fault in the entire film, and in my opinion this is the biggest crime the Academy have carried out this year. It just proves that they are complete snobs when it comes to sci-fi films, prefering them to the challenging dramas, some of which are on the list undeservingly. I am disgusted. But again, the Academy are not the only ones who've done this, so actually I take back what I said; sci-fis are overlooked and unappreciated in the film industry full stop, and that is a major issue that needs to be sorted out. After the success of Lord of the Rings, I thought we would see a change in this, but apparently not.

Shame is another film that most people thought would get the nod, but, like it's star Michael Fassbender, it has been cast aside for less worthy films, probably for the same reasons that Fassbender was snubbed. There's not really a lot else to say about this one except the Academy really need to widen their range of consideration and look beyond the obvious.

The same goes for Drive, Ryan Gosling's most acclaimed offering this year (for the record, he should probably have been nominated too either for this or The Ides of March). Other films include We Need To Talk About Kevin and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, but my theory is that they just weren't as embraced in America like they were over here, and that's a real shame because they are both fully deserving films.
And what's with The Adventures of Tin Tin being left off the animated film shortlist? As much as I like Rango and am now rooting for it to win, surely Tin Tin was the most heralded animation of last year? Maybe it's more American snobbery over including the British, who this year have been so strong that perhaps they merely feel intimidated and overwhelmed by our brilliance. Or maybe I'm making excuses that make us look good. But still.

Okay, other nominations for some of the more random categories: Where was Alan Menkel's Best Song nomination for 'Star-Spangled Man' from Captain America? I know I personally didn't hear a better song in film this year - it's on my iPod. It's probably the fact that the film itself would never have been taken seriously for awards consideration, and therefore one of the most deserving aspects got overlooked in the process. Such a shame.

Another one is for Diablo Cody for Best Original Screenplay for Young Adult. I've already spoken about Charlize Theron's oversight, but I've heard that Cody's script is better than her Juno one, for which she picked up her first Oscar. It's another one I'm not really understanding and am struggling to explain. Also for that category is J.J. Abrams for Super 8. It would fit right into the apparent theme of nostalgia the Academy seem to have this year, since it's basically a tribute to the 70s and Abrams' own childhood. And it's so brilliantly witty, heartwarming, and tragic all at the same time, it literally has everything. Why, Academy, why?!

I have another suggestion which I know I will probably result in me accused of being biased and showing favouritism towards, but Water for Elephants deserved some awards in the technical categories. I said in my very first review that it would no way win awards for screenplay, directing or acting, but the sets and costumes were stunning, and so realistic. It does deserve recognition for it's art design and costume design (maybe even make up as well, though The Iron Lady will most certainly win that anyway). Also it perhaps should have been recognised for its cinematography, which is really visually stunning. It makes the film look so good without the use of special effects or cheap tricks, just amazing camera work. I think it's an underrated category anyway, but this film really should have been included in the shortlist.

I could go on for days about the many injustices, but I'm going to wrap it up now. I just have one last point to make, that really needs to be said and that I've been getting mildly irritated by for weeks now.

Why are people getting upset and angry about the fact that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 wasn't nominated for Best Film? It wasn't even the best film in the franchise (controversial!), and none of the others were nominated, so why would this one be? It was nominated for Best Art Direction and Best Visual Effects, and it's unlikely to win either of those anyway (Art Direction will go to The Artist if there's any justice, and Visual Effects will should go to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, because that was truly incredible). So, ridiculously obsessive and oversensitive fans, just enjoy the films and revel in the knowledge that it's the most successful film franchise of all time, and stop getting all shirty about the little things like undeserved Oscar nominations.

Okay, I'm stopping now. I may post my predictions up here in a couple of days, but I've pretty much said here who I think will win so it all depends on whether I can find the time. And if you're planning to watch on Sunday, let me know! Kathryn and I will be watching it live all night, so feel free to get in touch.

My Top 11 Films of '11

Happy new year to all my wonderful followers and readers!

At this time of year, critics tend to post their lists of their favourite films from the last year, and I thought I'd hop on this bandwagon now that I have an appropriate outlet for this. So without further ado, my top 11 films of 2011 (apparently also known as "films most overlooked in 2011").

11. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

As a Gary 'G-Man' Oldman lover, I was anticipating this film because his performance had been so hyped up in it, with many people calling this the role that will finally give him that long overdue Oscar nomination. Suffice to say, I was very impressed with him. He may not win the Academy Award, and possibly won't even be nominated (he's almost guaranteed to win the BAFTA though, because they are the most biased organisation I've seen in the film industry), but it was good. The cast was amazing, and I think actually Benedict Cumberbatch stole it for me, with his incredibly underrated performance. Overall, it was a little disappointing considering all the hype and anticipation, but definitely still worth a watch for anyone who hasn't already seen it.

10. Source Code

This could quite easily have gone either way in how I reacted to this film. A Groundhog Day-esque narrative with a female lead who I wasn't keen on wasn't getting me overly excited for this before I saw it, but damn was it good. Duncan 'Moon' Jones proves again that he is the sci-fi director of the moment, and Jake Gyllenhaal gives a wonderfully moving turn as a confused army pilot forced to ride the same exploding train over and over again to find the bomber. It's one of the smartest action sci-fi thrillers I've seen in a long time.

9. Thor

Easily the second-best superhero film offered this year (see number 7 for my favourite), Thor gave Chris Hemsworth his first proper leading man role, and he does it perfectly. The film blends comedy, action, family fueds and drama wonderfully, and the special effects are mesmerising. But really, the reason this made my top 11 films of this year is because of Tom Hiddleston's Loki, who steals the entire show, and is the loveliest, most misunderstood supervillain ever. The fact he is returning for The Avengers makes me so excited I could bounce around. And I think I did when I found that out. The odd choice of Kenneth Brannagh as director pays off, and I'm a little disappointed he isn't returning for the sequel. But still, enjoy this one, and watch as a very enjoyable prequel to The Avengers in the spring.

8. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2

Surely everyone's most anticipated film of 2011, there was so much pressure on this film to be good, and it mostly didn't disappoint. I've already written a lengthy blog post containing my thoughts on this, so just refer back to that to see what my verdict was. But still, having grown up with Harry, I couldn't wait for this film, and to use the much-overused-but-very-appropriate-phrase, it was the end of an era. There were tears. There were laughs. There was an unwanted amount of disbelief. But I think it would be doing it a discredit to say it wasn't a great way to say goodbye, and for that reason, it made my list.

7. X-Men: First Class

The number 1 superhero movie of the year goes to X-Men: First Class. Absolutely superb acting from the two leads, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender (we forgive the accent) made it compelling to watch, and it was lovely to see the return of strength to this franchise which had been diminshed somewhat by the previous two offerings. It earned my first five-star review on my blog, with good reason. The plot is engaging, Kevin Bacon clearly relishes in playing a hideous villain, but really it is the chemistry and bromance between McAvoy and Fassbender that seal the deal.

6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

I haven't done a blog post on this yet and I don't know whether I'll actually get around to doing it, so I'll put my general thoughts here now. Lots of people, including myself, were a bit skeptical when the Hollywood remake of the cult Swedish thriller was announced to be in production, but as more information came through I began to get a little optimistic that maybe it wouldn't be a remake that completely destroys the foreign original and gets completely slated. David Fincher is one of my favourite directors, so that was the first promising tidbit, and then the cast was announced, it was revealed that it was staying true to the books, and it was being filmed and set in Sweden, as the novels state. It's a very dark film that deals with subject matters that made me feel quite uncomfortable at times, and was clearly given an 18-rating here for a reason. But the whole cast are terrific, Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara in particular, and the plot was very engaging. Yes, anyone who's read the book and/or seen the original film (which I must point out, I haven't yet done either) before knows the outcome of the mystery, and actually it was rather predictable once it got to a certain point within the film, but it was very stylish and I hope they do make the sequels, with the original cast and crew. The titles alone - which were very Bond-esque in the fact that they were put at the start of the film overlaid with a cracking song (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, who actually deserve an Oscar for the soundtrack this time, did a great remix of Led Zeppelin's 'Immigration Song') and weird silhouettes of contortionists - deserve a place on the list.

5. True Grit

One of the most overlooked films of this year, especially when awards season approached last January, was this one. Like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I'd never seen the original, but as a big fan of the Coen brothers I was excited to see their latest offering, which was brilliant. Jeff Bridges was outstanding as Marshal Rooster Cogburn, and I actually think Hailee Steinfeld deserved the Best Supporting Actress awards over Melissa Leo, but hey, I seem to be one of the only people giving this film the attention it deserves. Unorthodox casting of Matt Damon was pulled off completely, and he was another one who didn't get the recognition he deserved this year, with The Adjustment Bureau also getting overlooked. It's definitely awarded my "Most Underrated Film of 2011" award (that I just made up. The King's Speech probably gets the most overrated award).

4. Black Swan

Yes, the "lesbian ballet film" earns a space in my top 11 this year. Watching it first time round, I was impressed, especially by Natalie Portman who completely deserved her awards for this, but it didn't strike me as being absolutely amazing. After watching it again (and again and again...) though, it was brilliant. Darren Aronofsky should have won all the best director awards for this. The cinematography and special effects are stunning, but really it's the engaging, original script of a mentally unstable athlete striving for glory, which Aronofsky of course has previous experience with, having directed The Wrestler, that really sells the film. It's dark, disturbing, but beautifully made and with an amazing score that I'm actually listening to as I write this. Just don't watch it with your family. Especially your mother.

3. The Fighter

Another film about an athlete striving to succeed! Except of course, this is completely different to Black Swan, and not just in terms of their athletic fields. This is much more of a drama focusing on the complexity of family life and the conflicts between the family members. Mark Wahlberg was snubbed after not getting nominated for this role, though I think his quiet voice of reason in this gets overshadowed by loud, brash but wonderful performances by the supporing cast of Christian 'Jesus' Bale, Amy Adams (in a career-best, I think) and Melissa Leo, with the former and latter of course walking away with many awards. Truly an amazing film to watch; if you haven't seen it yet, do it.

2. Water for Elephants

No, this was not the best film of the year, on my list or many other people's. But it makes number 2 on my list because it really was very special to me. It was based on one of my all-time favourite books, starring some of my all-time favourite actors, and subsequently containing one of my all-time favourite scores. It was my first ever review on this blog, and if that wasn't enough, I also got tickets to the premiere, to walk the red carpet and see it before anybody else. But aside from that, it's the most visually stylish film I've seen this year, and certainly my favourite period-piece. The acting was superb, with Robert Pattinson in particular shining in his first big role since Twilight began. It's no secret that I'm a fan of his, and I was so pleased that he was able to properly showcase his acting ability in this. Also, I think it has been overlooked in the 2012 awards season in terms of the technical side of it: the cinematography is beautiful and the costumes are splendid. I also think I felt every emotion it's possible to feel during a film during this, and I've never cried so much inexplicably watching a film before. I honestly can't even explain why, but the ending sets me off every time I watch this. Kathryn and I were weeping for about half an hour after it finished, and that isn't even an exaggeration; they were cleaning the theatre around us. So, because it was so personal to me, it's ranks as my number two film of the year.

And number one?

1. Super 8

It was the most flawless film of the year. I cannot fault it at all. The acting is amazing, the special effects are stunning, the banter between the young characters is a highlight, and it's so refreshing to have a truly brilliant original script from Hollywood. And what have they done? OVERLOOKED IT. I cannot comprehend how this isn't sweeping the boards. Everything about it is perfect. This is a prime example of the hatred that academies seem to have for sci-fi films. But you forget it's even catagorised as that, because for the most part it's a mystery, a suspense, and a comedy, with a side of tween love-triangle thrown in there. Writer/director JJ Abrams (Lost, Star Trek) is fast becoming one of my favourite directors, and his creativity and originality is incredible. Filled with fantastic one-liners as well, it's suitable for pretty much everyone over the age of 10, and everyone should see it. The fact that I cannot find a fault in it at all, and that it's one of my absolute favourite films ever now, is why it clinches the top spot on my list.

Do you agree? Drop me a comment below and share your thoughts.

See you in 12 months for this year's summary!

A Look At Upcoming Films: 2011

A Total Film Twitter post yesterday asked followers to name their best movie year and the films in it. This opened the floodgates of people posting 1985 (arguably one of the best, as frequent contributor Kathryn would defend - Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, St Elmo's Fire etc.), 1999 (Fight Club, The Sixth Sense, Toy Story 2) and more. But Kathryn and I posted two different ones. I said 2011, which has already thrown up some amazing movies (The Fighter, True Grit, Water for Elephants among many), but has the promise of many more to come. And Kathryn posted 2012, which has so many films coming out that are must-see that I am already saving up (keep your eyes peeled for my post about 2012 coming soon).

Firstly, just around the corner (literally just), is the highly-anticipated X-Men: First Class. I am so unbelievably excited for this film I do a little happy dance in my head every time I think about it. After the shambles of X-Men: The Last Stand and the atrocious Wolverine, I cannot wait for this reboot that promises plenty of action, stellar performances (though I’m not too thrilled about the women involved – Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne and January Jones – but we shall see) and amazing special effects. From what I’ve seen, which as I have complained about before, is far too much before the film has even been released, it looks like just the kick the franchise needs. And I am happy about Matthew Vaughn helming it, I think he’ll do a great job. And it also doesn’t hurt that James McAvoy is in it. It looks like him and Michael Fassbender have amazing chemistry going on - I sense bromance. My review for this will come at some point next week when I finally get to see it. Expect much praise already.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrbHykKUfTM

Of course, the most hyped-up film of the year has to be the final instalment of the Harry Potter franchise (sob). Having grown up with Harry, I am going to be so depressed to see it end. Yes, it’s had its ups and downs (I won’t get into the debate of the best and worst ones) but overall there isn’t one person who has seen it and can deny that they have been entertained. For anyone who’s read the books (and if you haven’t then you are not a fan. You’re not.), you know what’s to come and what a tear-fest it will surely be – there are at least three deaths that I’m hoping are going to make me cry or I’m going to be disappointed. As I’m planning on going to the premiere/midnight screening/multiple viewings, I cannot wait for the film to get here, but at the same time I don’t want it to end. It will be a bittersweet goodbye.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mObK5XD8udk

There’s also the gloriously titled Cowboys and Aliens to look forward to - even that title alone should make you want to see this. The cast and crew are an action-movie fan's ultimate dream: the delicious Daniel Craig, the always entertaining Harrison Ford, Jon Favreau (Iron Man) directing, and the brainchild of the great Steven Spielberg. It sounds amazing, and from the trailers it looks like it’s going to be one of my favourite films of the year. It's so original and I love that in the current theme of book-to-film adaptations and sequels/prequels we have something new and exciting.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJixNxFxhT4

And then there’s Captain America: The First Avenger. Continuing with the onslaught of superhero films, this is one which is relatively original in Hollywood. I’m excited to see Chris Evans in a role which I think will actually suit him (he was the best part of Fantastic Four, another superhero film which puts him in good stead for this one), and the trailers look impressive. I like the whole background and setting (weedy man rejected as a soldier takes super-serum in WWII to become the buffed-up First Avenger) and the whole premise of it. It definitely looks like an original, great movie to see, and I’m excited to see what they do with it with such a blank canvas. And of course, it has to be good to set up the Avengers film.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy6CCuw7pxI

One of the films I'm really hoping is going to be good - like awards-nominated good - is the adaptation of On the Road. Merely from pictures I've seen, it looks impressive. I'm starting to get annoyed with it because they filmed it nearly a year ago and there's still no word on a release date; I've only read today that it's put in a submission to be screened at the Venice Film Festival, which still doesn't really tell us anything. Still, I have high expectations for this. It has a good cast - Sam Riley (Brighton Rock), Garrett Hedlund (TRON: Legacy - one of Kathryn and my favourite actors at the moment) Kristen Stewart (Twilight - people need to stop judging her, she's a very good actress. Watch Adventureland, Panic Room or Welcome to the Rileys if you don't believe me) and Viggo Mortensen (LOTR and many a Cronenberg film), among other high-profile actors, and the production already looks amazing. I can't wait for a trailer, and the release.

I'll end with Crazy, Stupid, Love. Not something I'd usually be interested in or recommend, but I've seen the trailer many times now and every time I see it I still laugh at points. Steve Carell has so far only impressed me in one film (Little Miss Sunshine) but with support from Julianne Moore and Ryan Gosling he looks like he could actually be very entertaining in this. The whole premise sounds corny, but generally it looks very enjoyable, with laughs aplenty and a nice feel-good vibe about it. I look forward to its release. It's something a little different for my usual taste of action, but I have high hopes for this.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDLhjm-0rJQ

I could go on with 2011, but this is already a long post and I haven’t even gotten started on 2012, so I’ll just list the upcoming films that everyone should see: Green Lantern, The Three Muskateers, Jane Eyre, Immortals, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Fright Night, Rise of the Planet of the Apes to name a few. I'm sure I've missed some, but I'll keep everyone up to date.

Happy cinema-going! Look out for 2012 soon.

Random Film Ranting

Just a couple of quick things to say generally.

I watched the NMAs the other day. I have to say, of all the film awards ceremonies I've seen this year (and there have been a lot), this is by far the worst one. If the most high-profile actor there is Ed Westwick, that tells you something about the calibre of the show. Oh, except Gwyneth Paltrow who randomly turned up for no reason I can fathom in a dress that left very little to the imagination. Hello, deluded NMA organisers, hardly anyone turned up for the BAFTAs! Why do you think they will turn up to your quite frankly awful knock-off three months later? The highlight was a five minute montage where Johnny Depp (who I also share a birthday with!) was awarded Screen Icon. That was it. And he wasn't even there.

As usual this year, all the awards were mind-numbingly predictable (The King's Speech and Harry Potter, anyone?), all except for the One to Watch prize, a cheap rip-off of BAFTA's Rising Star Award, which went to Jamie Campbell Bower, who of all the films I've seen him in hasn't really demonstrated any kind of notable acting ability. How he won over the likes of Tom Hardy and Andrew Garfield I will never know.

And don't even get me started on Christine Bleakley. I fail to see what relevance she has to the world of films, and she was just very irritating the whole way through. I may be biased because I hate her anyway, but she did such an appalling job it made me want to cry. And I don't understand why there were only nine awards, and only Performance of the Year instead of Best Actor/Actress? Basically everyone knew that Colin Firth was going to win that. Why did they even bother putting other people into the category?

All in all, a waste of two hours of my life. That's enough time to watch a film in.

On another note, I watched An Education tonight. I thought it was high time I watched it, based on all the praise I've heard, but from what I can gather from my one view of it, it was incredibly overrated and bordering on dull. I can understand why people like it, if they like that understated, pretentious thing, but in my opinion the best thing about it was Carey Mulligan (who I'm starting to get slightly concerned about - diversify please!), who deserved her nominations at least last year, though I still reserve judgement on whether she actually deserved the BAFTA over her fellow nominees. The rest of the film was too irritating, and frankly a little creepy.

Again, another hour and a half I won't ever get back.

Just another quick thing: I'm starting to get a little annoyed about the amount of footage I'm seeing of X-Men: First Class. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely cannot wait for this film, but I feel like I'm seeing too much of it and it's ruining the anticipation a little. Matthew Vaughn and Marvel Studios, stop releasing stuff, please. It's only another couple of weeks until we can all see the whole film in its entirity.

Finally, just to inform you, I'm going to see Water For Elephants for a fourth time tomorrow. I think that should give you all some kind of indication on how much I love that film already. Go and see it if you haven't, you are really missing out. And bring a tissue.

P.S. It is the wonderful Robert Pattinson's birthday today. Just saying.

My First Review is a Special One

In advance, I would just like to say that these reviews are going to be my personal opinions. You may not agree with them, you may not like what I say, but this is what I think, so suck it up and deal. It's not going to stop me from posting.

Anyway, since this is my first proper review, I thought I would make it a special one.

Water for Elephants.

Yes, the movie I have been looking forward to for over a year. I first read the book (amazing, read it if you haven't, it's my all-time favourite) about a year and a half ago, and I remember when they first announced they were making it as a film. I cannot even describe my joy when I found out the cast. Three of my favourite actors in a film based on my favourite book? It couldn't have sounded any better to me.

And then the pictures from filming came out, and it was everything I imagined it to be.

So months later, I find out I have to wait until the following spring before I can see it, and I'm a little bit pissed. But Fox are forgiven, because I'm still so damn intrigued.

Anyway, so two weeks ago I got my notification saying I could buy tickets for it, so I did straight away, for the first night of course. I had already got my mother interested and she read the book and loved it too, so she was coming along with me.

And then the call came on Tuesday morning. I won't go into the whole premiere thing right now, I may do a separate blog post later. But it was amazing. I cried, I laughed, I smiled so much my cheeks hurt by the end of the film. But I don't think I could have made a sound judgement on it, because I was too emotional. So I just accepted it as amazing the first time round, and reserved proper judgement until the next time. Which is where this review finally begins.

The film was pretty much everything I thought it would be.

I love the story, and I always held a little reservation about how they could put it into a film and have it still be as amazing as it was in the book. I had seen Francis Lawrence's directing before in I Am Legend, good film (let's not focus on that ending). Rodrigo Prieto's cinematography was bound to be amazing, since he worked on Brokeback Mountain. And the stars. Well, like I said, three brilliant actors involved, and the often overlooked Hal Holbrook, who made me cry as Old Jacob.

The acting was very good, in my opinion. Robert Pattinson showed he could hold his own in a cast which included three Oscar winners, and still stand out. His facial expressions were amazing, so brilliant at channeling his emotions. In my opinion, he has never acted better. And I've seen pretty much every film he's ever done. It didn't hurt that he was also pretty nice to look at as well. It showed in the film that he can also laugh at himself. I won't ruin the particular scene for anyone who hasn't seen it yet; all I will say is, remember the Storage Trunk ;) But he made me laugh, and cry a lot, so I think he did a pretty damn good job in it.

I also liked Reese Witherspoon. Was it her best performance? No (though she is an Academy Award winner, and her performance in Walk the Line was just about brilliant), but it wasn't her worst, and she was believable. I admit when I first heard she was cast as Marlena, I was a bit dubious. I never really imagined her to be that much older than Jacob, but now I really can't imagine anyone else. At times it seemed like she was just reveling in the fact that she got to wear pretty costumes and ride an elephant, but she looked stunning and graceful, and there are points where my heart just breaks for her.

I agree with what is being said about the chemistry between the two. It doesn't have that magic spark, and there's never really that much intensity. He is smitten with her from the moment he lays eyes on her, and she just seems as if she is being distracted by a shiny new toy. It doesn't seem genuine, and feels a little forced, but the two actors make it passable. I've definitely seen worse on-screen relationships.

Christoph Waltz was pretty much perfect for me. He's just like I imagined the paranoid schizophrenic August to be, and he plays villains so incredibly well. I think someone called him a "watered-down Hans Landa", which it pretty much is; no, it doesn't reach the brillance of Inglorious Basterds, but like Reese, I don't think anything ever will. That being said, I don't like the way Christoph is being typecast as the villain now (see: Green Hornet and the upcoming Three Muskateers) but he does do a spectacular job at it. He is genuinely terrifying at some points, and he is so horrific as a person that you can't help but hate him. But you love to do it. There were points when I was gritting my teeth at him and wanted to hit him so hard, but that's what's meant to happen, and he acted the part so damn well.

I have said before many times that I don't like the way they have toned it down to a 12 just to appeal to Rob's extensive fan-base of teenage girls. I much prefer the graphic, darker and grittier scenes in the book, but I have to praise Richard LaGravenese for staying true to the novel. In some ways it actually improved, as in the book I found myself wanting to skip ahead to the 1930s chapters, as nice as the present-day ones are, so I like the way LaGravenese has instead chosen to nicely book-end the film with the "Old Jacob" parts instead of constant interjections that break up the action. Which is something else I want to add. I absolutely loved the ending. I thought it was beautifully done, so emotional and just perfectly fitting. It's made me cry both times. It's cathartic.

I think Francis Lawrence did an amazing job in bringing this book to life. The cinematography was beautiful, the sets and costumes were stunning, and the acting was brilliant. Not to mention the elephant, Tai, who plays Rosie. She was wonderful, and I really did find myself so emotionally attached to her. She acted so brilliantly, and it was easy to see why the stars loved working with her so much. Which is another point: you could see that they were all so proud of what they had done, and how much they enjoyed working on the production, and that for me made it all the more worthwhile.

Another thing I have to add is that I am listening to the soundtrack as I write this. James Newton Howard (who I share a birthday with!) has done a fantastic job, adding in touches of 30s music with gorgeous piano pieces which really make the film more emotional. Just listening to the last track can bring tears to my eyes. Definitely in my top 5 of all time. Give it a listen if you're into that kind of thing.

So, basically, this has been, personally, my favourite film of the year so far. I had such an emotional attachment to it from the beginning of the production, and it lived up to my expectations. I really want people to see how good Rob is as an actor outside Twilight, and I really think this film shows that he has a long career ahead of him. What I was struck by was how wonderfully different it was to anything I have seen in a long time, though it may have followed the same basic structure (a struggle for love faced by obstacles with an ultimate triumph). I sincerely urge everyone to go and see it.

Verdict: A valient effort, a beautifully made film that may not win any awards for its acting or screenplay, but is very deserving of a wide audience and respect.

****