Thoughts

Hellooo people! What do you think of the new banner? ^^ Anyways, thoughts for this week-

1) So apparently Johnny Depp was never going to be in the next Wes Anderson film, named The Grand Budapest Hotel. Sorry Johnny! Anyways you know who is? Saoirse Ronan, who I love. And she's going to be the lead. Also Anderson has reported that the film will be set 85 years ago in a Hungarian Hotel and has been inspired by the works of Billy Wilder and Ernst Luitsch. How insanely awesome is that? Ronan is insanely talented, and she will be starring alongside Ralph Fiennes and Anderson regulars like Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman.

2) That's only the first of the many excellent casting announcements from the past week or so. Benedict Cumberbatch will be playing The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein in an upcoming biopic directed by Wicker Park and Sherlock director, Paul McGuigan. Then uber-talented heartthrobs Colin Firth and Michael Fassbender will be starring in a film called Genius abut Thomas Wolfe and Max Perkins, a publisher to the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. It will be written by John Logan, who has written things like Hugo and Skyfall. Juliet Binoche and Clive Owen will be starring in a romantic drama together called Words and Pictures about a relationship between two teachers in a school. I can just imagine how great both of them will be together.

3) In TV world, Daniel Radcliffe and Jon Hamm are going to star together in a British series called A Young Doctor's Notebook in which both play the same character in different stages of his life. It is based on the semi-autobiographical short stories of Mikhail Bulgakov chronicling his work as a doctor during the Russian Revolution. I love everything that Radcliffe is doing post-Harry Potter and this seems like another excellent project. Also speaking of Harry Potter, David Yates is making the new Tarzan movie. Like why? Do we need a new Tarzan movie? And apparently the studios are considering people like Alexander Skarsgard, Tom Hardy and Henry Cavill. Hot men, but once again, why?

4) Oh Disney bought Lucasfilm and all and there's going to be a Star Wars Episode VII and Harrison Ford wants to reprsise his role as Han Solo. Obligatory big movie news update over.

5) Apparently Channing Tatum is this year's Sexiest Man Alive. 'Cuz of that male stripper movie and all. This is all I have to say to that. Miranda Kerr is the Sexiest Woman Alive. 10 happy Legolases for her.

6) Trailers- I don't really have any trailers. Let's watch The Amazing Spider-Man's Honest trailer instead.

7) Happy 2nd blog birthday to Lime Reviews and Strawberry Confessions run by the wonderful Mette. This post is a must read! Anna from Defiant Success has written two brilliant posts- enumerating her favourite British actors, and book vs movie: Fight Club. I love Fight Club in all its forms obviously.

8) Finally, I want to marry this poster-

The details! :O :O

Bye guys!

Final Adieu to 2010

So...I finally watched all the "Oscar-worthy" films of 2010. Well, as many as possible. No more 2010 films for now. Just general ones, of any year. This is a final compilation of all possible lists regarding 2010 films

  A. Best Films
So I had already made an incomplete list of top ten 2010 films here. Now I could make a top ten list again, but instead I'll include films and their ranks till whichever place the previous number 10 spot had been. It adds up to an even top 20. Ain't I just awesome?
The New List (those in the previous list don't have a description):


1) The Social Network


2) 127 Hours- Oh My Lord! Why did Danny Boyle not make this two years back and win the Oscar for this instead of the over-hyped Slumdog Millionaire?? This film was incredible! James Franco, in his one man show, between a rock and a very hard place, and the gorgeous editting and edge-of-the-seat feel- this film is certainly one of the best this year. It's rather unfortunate it fell out of everyone's award radar, but not mine. My brain totally fuzzled in a certain would-have-been-gross-of-not-superbly-yet-chillingly-filmed-gem-of-a-scene. You know what I'm talking about *wink*.


3) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1


4) Inception


5) Black Swan- Yes, an upgrade (technically not). Not because I love the now number 6 less, but after a reviewing, I love and respect Black Swan more. For Millepeid baby!


6) Easy A


7) Toy Story 3


8) Never Let Me Go


9) The King's Speech- The very first public speech in the film, when Colin Firth as King George VI or Bertie struggles to take words out of his mouth, and the echoes...oh my heart melted. Mr. Firth is a very well-spoken Englishman, but when he transformed himself into this reluctant stammering king, an unparalleled performance of a lifetime along with cinematic magic took place. Beautiful film, and great supporting performances from both "geisha girl" Geoffrey Rush and "exquisite and no-nonsense queen" Helena Bonham Carter.


10) I Love You Phillip Morris- Why does noone care about this incredibly hilarious and heart-warming film? Probably the two most underrated and under-appreciated leading men in Hollywood- Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor star in this sweet, fantastical romantic comedy that really happened. It really did.


11) I Am Love- Tilda the Goddes! She's incredible and this film, so beautifully shot mostly in sunny and snowy Italy, in quite lovely too. A simple and complicated story of a high-class Italian family and their little secrets and lives, I Am Love is the only foreign-language film I saw of last year and it mesmerised me completely.


12) Somewhere- Oh so beautiful...one of the biggest tragedies of my life is that I'm not a character in a Sofia Coppola film. I love the way everyone looks in her films, especially her women. And in this film, it was the stunning Elle Fanning. She plays the daughter of the eternally bored and widely loved actor Stephen Dorff, who's existence is confined within his weird-ass room in the very shady Chateau Marmont. Sounds boring? Believe you me, it's not, because thw way it is shot and feels and how unknowingly we feel for both the father and daughter is what the Sofia Coppola touch is all about.


13) Scott Pilgrim vs The World


14) The Town- I hate Ben Affleck. But still I could not deny the energy and the smoothness of this film. It was a great crime film, and the performance by Jeremy Renner and Jon Hamm make it very interesting to see.


15) The Ghost Writer 


16) True Grit- I'm not one for westerns, having had seen only 3 in my whole life. But this film was something else. Maybe it was because it was written and made by the Coen Brothers. Maybe because it starred the Dude. Maybe because it has a character called La Beouf played by the always brilliant Matt Damon. Maybe it was because it marks the beginning of the gorgeous and superb Haille Steinfeld. I don't know, but I sure did enjoy it.


17) Blue Valentine- Fact of life: Ryan Gosling with a balding scalp can make me earthquake as much as Ryan Gosling without a balding scalp can. Now that that's established, I have to say what a great actor, and what an intense performance. Also that the almost equally accomplished Michelle Williams was able to stand up to him. A bittersweet film if there ever was one.


18) The Fighter- Finally Christian Bale'sm mazing body transformations caught attention of critics, along with nutritionalists. It's unfortunate that he's receviving acclaim as the supporting actor, as he is clearly a co-lead. Mark Wahlberg too, has completed his transformation from Marky Mark to one of the most dedicated actors in Hollywood. Add to that actual and equally brilliant supporting roles from Melissa Leo and Amy Adams, The Fighter adds up to a highly enjoyable and touching sports film.




19) The Kids Are All Right- It stars two of my favourite middle-aged actresses who can always light-up the screen with their faces and performances. I love Annette "The Goddess" Bening and Julianne "The Darling" Moore! And such a sweet film. Mark Ruffalo was too cool. A very enjoyable dramedy, though a bit too loved by the crtics.


20) Kick Ass

B. My Favourite Performances of 2010:


1) Colin Firth as King George VI- the stuttering, the pain, the anger, the warmth. Also the build-up from last year's equally amazing A Single Man. Beautiful performance from Mr. Firth, who I like just the way he is- a king.


2) Natalie Portman as Nina Sayers- The way she controls herself and the way she loses the control- so shocking and poignant and scary. The effort that she put in, both to become a pro ballerina and give just the most incredible performance, is groundbreaking.


3) James Franco as Aron Ralston- To carry a whole film alone, confined in a small scary place, and blowing the audience's mind, that's just a bit of the work Mr. Franco did in 127 Hours. And we all know, what he did, we can never do.


4) Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg- From the assumed confidence to the apparent self-doubt, from the assholeness to the loneliness, every emotion on Eisenberg's face and voice showed clear as water. A very brilliant performance, but I sure hope it won't be his best as he obviously has a lot to offer.


5) Christian Bale as Dickey Ward- It's scary whenever he loses the weight, but this performance balanced it out. Amazing.


6) Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin and Tommy D- Two beautiful and heart-wrenching performances. I'm so proud of him.


7) Emma Stone as Olive Penderghast- She delivered. Like noone else. The King's Speech had period drama, Black Swan had Aronofsky's twisted vision, The Social Network had Sorkin's witty script. Easy A had Emma Stone. 'Nuff said.


8) Jim Carrey as Steven Russel- He's such a funny man and this might be one of his best performances to date. He knows what is over the top, and he does it so well that it becomes believable. It's such an excellent quality...how does Hollywood not see it?? How???????????


9) Ryan Gosling as Dean Pereira- He's funny, musical, goofy, loving, forgiving and gorgeous. What an actor!


10) Annette Bening as Nic- She's strong and funny and sad, and the moment she breaks out in a Joni Mitchell medley we know what a performance this is. I love her.


11) Elle Fanning as Cleo Marco- She's so beautiful, and in her aloof childlike performance, she wins thousands of hearts.


12) Tilda Swinton as Emma Recchi- The classy and quintessential wife of a rich Italian household, with a dirty secret. The camera loves her, maybe because of her beauty or maybe because even when she does nothing, she's acting.


13) Jennifer Lawrence as Ree Dolly- The big discovery of this year. She's so natural, and my new favourite young actress.


14) Chloe Mortez as Hit Girl/Mindy Macready- Awesome. No other word. And well, kick ass!


15) Emma Watson as Hermione Granger- The prettiest girl in the world, and also one of the strongest. She held all Harry, Ron and the film together.


16) Jeremy Renner as James "Jem" Coughlin- Violent and volitile, his performance fuels the film.

17) Hailee Steinfeld as Mattiie Ross- Not supporting, definitely lead. What a future this young lady has has...gives me chills.Honourable mentions- Jennifer Lawrence as Ree Dolly and everyone in Scott Pilgrim vs The World.

C. My Favourite Scenes of 2010:


1) The Transformation in Black Swan- I forgot the most basic of all living things functions during this scene- how to breathe. And I'm not exaggerating.


2) Deathly Hallows Story in Harry Potter 7- what a pleasant and unforgettable surprise. Fueled by Emma Watson's beautiful voice.


3) The Condescending scene in The Social Network- BAM! Diss! Awesome!


4) The Video scene in 127 Hours- It was funny and tragic at the same time.


5) Pocket Full O' Sunshine in Easy A- I need that damn card!


6) The End of Toy Story 3- Not gonna ruin the surprise for those who haven't seen it, but I really love Woody and Andy.


7) The Betrayal in The Social Network- Eisenberg's face and Andrew's suit and anger.


8) The Beginning of Scott Pilgrim vs The World- Votte way to start a film. The credits don't roll by, they shock and startle.


9) The Hand in 127 Hours- Painfully brilliant.


10) Harry and Hermione Dance in Harry Potter 7- Poignant and beautiful, kills the romantic in me...in a good way.


11) Black Sheep in Scott Pilgrim vs The World- I guess the best singing part in the film, though there are loads to choose from.


12) The Joni Medley in The Kids Are All Right- So random and funny and sweet. I love Annette.


13) The Ice-Skating in Somewhere- Elle Fanning ice-skates to Gewn Stefani’s Cool in a beautiful light blue costume while Stephen Dorff and the audience watches on. With the Sofia Coppola effect ofcourse.


14) You Always Hurt the One You Love scene in Blue Valentine- This scene is magical. Ryan Gosling’s lovely voice accompanied by Michelle Williams’ adorable tap dancing, while they innocently sing out the story of the whole film.


15) The King’s Speech in The King’s Speech- One feels strangely proud watching it.


16) The Scream in Never Let Me Go- Heart-breaking as hell.

      All in all, 2010 was in my opinion one of the best years for films. Maybe it's because I've never cared like this, or because I was able to see so many of the films, but still this year gave me and everyone some really memorable films, performances and moments.
      Ten-twenty years from now, people will still be talking about what happened at the end of Inception and Black Swan, still wondering the truth behind The Social Network and The King's Speech, still being amazed by the true life tales of 127 Hours and I Love You Phillip Morris and of course, still loving Harry Potter 7.
      It was also a great year for breakthroughs- Andrew G, Emma Stone, Mila Kunis, Elle Fanning, Noomy Rapace, Jennifer Lawrence, Mia Wasikowska, Rooney Mara, Chloe Mortez, Hailee Steinfeld etc.

1) Just so Beautiful- MARIE ANTOINETTE versus A SINGLE MAN

So I have decided to write blogs comparing two or more films which are inter-related. When the idea came into my head, it was only because of two films. However as I thought more about it, hundreds of comparisons popped into my brain (okay not hundreds but enough to make a really long post). So I decided to post 1 comparison at a time.

Now to be truthful, I had not thought about this topic at all, forget making it my very first one. I just finished watching A Single Man, a film I watched on an impulse. And it was just breathtakingly beautiful. Before this the only other really beautiful film I had seen was Marie Antoinette. I called it the most beautiful film ever. However after A Single Man, I have a slight doubt about this title.

So basic facts about both- One’s made by Sofia Coppola, daughter of the legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola. The other is made by the ex-designer of Prada, the quite dapper Tom Ford. The former is based on one of the most famous or rather most infamous queens in history. The latter is based on a homosexual English professor recovering from the death of his soulmate. The first is set just before and during the French Revolution, in Versailles, while the second is set in early 60s in Los Angeles.

Both films are actually quite different from each other. The only way they are similar is their cinematography. Marie Antoinette starts out in soft colours, like the character itself who is a blooming girl of fourteen, full of innocence and hopes as she is sent from Austria to France to get married and bring about a political courtship between the two countries. Then, as she starts her partying days to fill the void in her marriage, the film becomes bright and colorful and delicious. In the end of her life and happiness, the film becomes grey and pale. Almost similarly in A Single Man, the protagonist George is always in a dullish light, except when he notices the beauty in people and things magically become vivid and warm.

    The thing is that both the films are extremely beautiful in their own way. Marie Antoinette changes one’s perceptions on films about monarchs. It’s fresh and lovely. It is about a princess, who is played just stunningly by the equally stunning Kirsten Dunst- her life, her struggles, her clothes, her hair, her desserts, her lovers, her family. The resplendent French castles and gardens and rooms, the gorgeous dresses, shoes, materials and jewelry, and the scrumptious food and wine, all in a laid-back, fun-filled atmosphere with post-punk music playing in the air- ah the life that never was. But even with all that, one feels for the ill-fated monarch more than ever in this film. Marie in this film isn’t someone who ordered to have cakes given to the poor. She is a lonely young girl who just wants to make everyone happy. She is a teenager and goes through similar problems like many of us today but obviously on a much larger scale. She wants her husband to want her, her mother to respect her, and her country to love her. She is a caring mother and wife by the end of it. I have written it before, and I repeat- this film is a film in which I would spend my entire life.

    A Single Man on the other hand, is a film that shows the fascinating world of exquisite, sensitive men. Colin Firth in his best role ever, quite challenges Dauphine Marie herself, as it is too about his dream-like house, his handsome suits and dazzlingly divine love-interests. His misery, only heightened by afore mentioned lighting and also the chilling and alluring music, is touching and poignant. His relationship with Jim, played by the ravishingly sexy Matthew Goode, is that full of true love and oneness. There is no doubt that they were made for each other and though it was slightly heartbreaking to see the two hunky British men kissing and flirting, it was very sweet. But his relationship with Julianne Moore’s character Charley, the only main female character of the film, is what (according to me) makes the film awesome. She looks incredible, her make-up and clothes and hair. While all women, including the little neighbor girl, looked extremely pretty in the film- Charley was the most bewitching. She is the quintessential lonely woman of the sixties. She drank and smoked and danced. She was brilliant, and her friendship with George is enjoyable and provoking. George’s next relationship is with that of Nicholas Hoult’s character Kenny. Kenny is the confused, good-looking boy who develops an interest in his professor George. Theirs is a more suggestive affair. Though I did not really like Nicholas Hoult’s sweater or hair or accent or the tan a lot, he has one hot body. And his eyes are just enchanting. Lastly, George has a brief meeting with a Spanish male prostitute Carlos, played by Jon Kartajarena, with whom he shares a cigarette or two. Now he was someone I wasn’t aware of and the sheer magnetic beauty of Carlos took me by surprise. With all these people, the emptiness of his life and the brightness of his vision, the one day in his life makes one captivating movie. All I can say is that never before did I want to be a gay man this bad.

    So my final verdict is that there are technically no winners in this category, but Marie Antoinette is the bigger favourite of the two. Still, I repeat that they are both beautiful in their own ways and salutes to Sofia Coppola and Tom Ford for making these beauties.