Now the thing is that I have only watched one Hayworth movie in my life which is obviously Gilda. Therefore, my knowledge of her body of work is v. limited and I didn't want to resort to this being a purely IMDb-based answer, so I *may* be cheating here but it's just so much more interesting like this-
Elle Fanning worked with Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Brad Pitt co-starred with Morgan Freeman in Se7en
Morgan Freeman presents Tim Robbins with Rita Hayworth in The Shawshank Redemption
Taa daa! I now pass the baton on to Getter Trumsi of Mettel Ray and I challenge her to link Rita Hayworth to Ewan McGregor simply because I love him and he's the greatest :)
Mary Elle Fanning is one the biggest rising stars of today, which is insane because she has *just* turned 15. As you can see from my banner, I am quite the fan of Miss Fanning. She started acting at the age of 2 years and 8 months (!) playing a younger version of her sister Dakota. Her recent turn as a troubled teen in 60s England in Ginger and Rosa left me gobsmacked because of her gargantuan acting talent. Also, I think she is one of the most beautiful actresses out there and I have had a girl-crush on her for quite sometime now (which I think is a tad creepy on my part but yeah...). Compared to Dakota, who is quite good an actress herself, I think Elle is the bigger talent and beauty. Even in the pictures of them as children, Elle has a much more soulful look. She just has a great face and is adorable in interviews and I can't wait to see what she does with her career. I already think that she's like the Nicole Kidman of our age.
Hello my lovelies. I haven't blogged in a while and that is because I have been really uninspired and the cold makes me super lazy. This is the first weekly thoughts post of 2013 actually, and here are my thoughts-
1) Sundance Film Festival is go! I have actually been avoiding any and all reviews. Stoker isn't being received very well, which is a shame because it looks pretty awesome. Daniel Radcliffe is apparently really good in Kill Your Darlings, so yaay! And then there is Before Midnight, whose every mention makes my heart race. Apparently, it's the best in the series so far. I don't know if that is even remotely possible, and I am going to continue to be skeptical and totally blind about this movie, because I don't want hype or spoilers ruining it for me.
2) J.J. Abrams is making Star Wars Episode VII. I like Abrams, and I'm neutral towards Star Wars (except when it comes to Han Solo of course- so hot!) so we will see how it goes.
3) Leo DiCaprio, who is the star of my new banner, is taking a long break from films. Honestly, I don't blame him. The man tries and he tries and he tries and nothing. Boo you whore (all of the awards).
4) I saw Gangster Squad. What a waste! The only thing worth watching in that film is Ryan Gosling, in his impeccable suits. And the cinema hall I went to did something to his voice which made him sound like a whiny, little girl so they ruined that as well.
5) Emma Stone will be starring in Guillermo Del Toro's horror flick Crimson Peak. I think most actresses do a horror movie at some point, but if you have to do it, Del Toro is definitely the way to go. And with Stone's ginormous eyes, it will be even more believable. Charlie Hunnam will also be starring.
6) Trance has a super trippy poster out. And of course trippy and Danny Boyle makes me think of Trainspotting, so this film is going to be gooooooood.
7) Trailers- Mud, which looks very good actually. Take Shelter was an amazing film, even if too slow at parts and this looks more thrilling. The trailer says that it has Matthew McConaughey's best performance, which after 2012, is something to get excited about. I am not a big Coen brothers fan, but I am actually looking forward to Inside Llewyn Davis. The cat and Carey Mulligan have made me excited. Spring Breakers looks crazy but it might be a good kind of crazy, we'll see. Also, how fucked up do those Disney tween stars turn out at the end? Trance looks great. Love the cast, love Boyle, love McAvoy's pretty blues. I think this film is going to be epic. Finally, the 20 second teaser of Only God Forgives came out and holy hell, does it look freaking brilliant! Ryan Gosling in suits, beating up people with his bare fists- yes, please.
8) This-
I always liked her. Always.
9) Finally, since we are on the subject of the Gos-
When I was a kid my Dad came upon a truckload of cellophane and he wanted me to help him sell it. So I was taking it to the kids at school, trying to sell it to my teachers. I went and stood in front of the supermarket. I had a fantasy that one day someone would buy all of it. That some guy would just come along and be like ‘I’ll take em all’ It never happened. So I was walking out of Ralph’s one day and I saw these kids trying to sell these cookies and I was like yeah, I’ll take them all. So I bought hundreds and hundreds of boxes. I didn’t realize how many boxes I was going to have. I had a car full of them. I didn’t know what to do so I started just like throwing them out the window to people on the street.
Ryan Gosling- part superhero, part Santa, Total God.
The New York Times Magazine has come up with its annual set of videos that celebrate the best performers of the year. This time around it is all about the ladies and their dreams, shot by Tierney Gearon, as they give us Hollywood Heroines: Wide-Awake.
1) Quvezhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)- It was kind of cute. I especially liked the Barbie-in-distress part. I kind of miss her big Hushpuppy hair though. 2) Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables, The Dark Knight Rises)- This was one of the segments that I actually understood. It was v. pretty, and Anne was as amazing as always. 3) Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect)- Yaay mermaids. The beginning of this is quite odd. 4) Naomi Watts (The Impossible)- This was clearly reminiscent of Mulholland Drive when Watts's character has several mood/character changes. I love her eyes. 5) Kerry Washington (Django Unchained)- I like her slight sass in this. Again, a very elegant. 6) Elle Fanning (Ginger and Rosa)- Ugh her almost unnatural beauty is devastating. Elle Fanning is generally quite fairy princess-y, so this segment was perfect for her. 7) Keira Knightley (Anna Karenina)- I'm sorry but her face looks paralyzed to me in this. 8) Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook, The Hunger Games)- While she looked stunning, this was a very weird idea/dream. Indiana Jones would not approve. 9) Helen Hunt (The Sessions)- This was um, extremely strange. She looked happy though. 10) Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone)- This segment was just beautiful. It reminded me of all those women artists who killed themselves. And Cotillard is exquisite. 11) Shirley Maclaine (Bernie)- Yeah, dogs. Moving on. 12) Amy Adams (The Master)- I didn't exactly get the segment, but I loved the use of Adams's sparkly dress and she looked mesmeric. 13) Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)- Oh this was just so happy and lovely. Adorable. My favourites were Watts, Cotillard and Riva and I thought Hathaway, Fanning and Adams were some of the most beautiful looking segments. Among those missing were Best Actress front-runner Jessica Chastain and one of my favourite performers of the year, Rachel Weisz.
Sometime last week, I had an exceptionally brilliant day when I managed to finally watch J.J. Abrams's Super 8 and Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. Both were very different, and splendid films, except they both had the theme of nostalgia running through them, in different ways ofcourse.
Super 8: The story is set in 1979. It is about a bunch of teenage kids who, while making a film about zombies for a competition, witness a disastrous train accident. Soon after all sorts of weird things start happening around the town, like electronics and dogs and people go missing. With the US Airforce taking over, and an unexpected recording in their super 8 camera, the kids are pulled into a mystery of galactic proportions. And in all of this, romance blooms.
So this is the vaguest and most non-spilling synopsis I could come with. I know that isn't particularly my style, but seeing how much Abrams generally does for the secrecy of his films, and how much I love them, I feel like he deserves it. Except those who have read any reviews (I read only about a couple for the above-stated reason) have seen the parallels drawn to E.T. and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. So you know because of this, the belief that this is Abrams's practical love-letter to Steven Spielberg, and the fact that Spielberg himself is the producer, all points at the fact that this film might (or might not) have something to do with other-worldly things.
But I was going to talk about the nostalgia aspect. Now anywhere that Super 8 has been mentioned, this word has been used. Quite simply it refers to the feel of the film, or rather it the way it makes the viewer feel while watching it. But that made me kind of sad. Super 8 is supposed to make one nostalgic about those lazy hazy days of summer when kids played in green lawns and first crushes were formed; kids ran around together and got into trouble for the stupidest things and the world was just sunnier and cleaner. And it just killed me that I could never feel that way, because I had never experienced such things in my life. As I have said countless times before, there are films that I just want to live in and Super 8 has definitely joined the list. It's just so lovely in its youth, and the child actors- the adorable Joel Courtney, the breath-taking Elle Fanning, the bossy Riley Smith and the destructive Ryan Lee are all great in their parts. Especially Courtney- he was just so honest and sincere in his role, that my heart went out for him. He gave the film the emotional arc it needed. It was because of him, and his relationship with the other child actors that made this summer blockbuster a blockbuster with lots of heart and warmth. Yes, this film exactly like those Spielberg classics, because even if it's about people from different worlds (or not), it shows that things like family and friendship and courage and curiosity are all universal and common, and never more so than in the innocence of childhood.
All in all I thought it was a solid film. I didn't like the ending as much as the rest of it, but I do believe it's more of the theatre's fault rather than the film's. For some reason, Arcade Fire's The Suburbs kept popping into my head while, and after watching the film. All the visual effects, and the feel of a 70s town were spot on according to me. As I said before, what really drove this film for me were the kids, especially Courtney. A fantastic effort by Abrams...I hope he's proud of his tribute, I sure would be.
Rating- 9.5/10
Midnight in Paris: Gil is visiting Paris with his fiancée Inez and her parents. He is a Hollywood scriptwriter who is now trying his hand at a novel he has forever dreamt about writing. He is also in love with the City of Love, especially in the 1920s, but his love for the past is ridiculed by Inez, her parents, and her friends- the 'pedantic' Paul and his wife Carol. One night when he's out taking a walk, slightly inebriated, he comes upon some stairs somewhere in Paris, and as the clock strikes twelve, an antique car stops in front of him and people in it, dressed in 1920s attire, ask him to get on. And he does, and is transported to the time and land of his dreams- the 1920s. Here he meets a whole bunch of artists and writers and eccentrics, and is totally mesmerised by the glamour and romance of it. But this land only exists during the nights, and he is transported back to the 21st century in the morning, with Inez and everyone. This creates a few peculiar problems for Gil, and he must decide where, and when, his heart truly lies.
This film...oh my god...BRILLIANCE! Okay focus. I have not connected to a Woody film like this since The Purple Rose of Cairo.
Nostalgia in this film is a feeling that the Gil longs for...for belonging to a place and time where important things that mattered happened, and the world was a better place with art and music running through it. It is an idea, or an an idea of a feeling. In the beginning Michael Sheen's absolutely repulsive character Paul (psuedo-intellectual- eugh!) says this about Gil's played by Owen Wilson, love for things and people and life of the past, or 'Golden Age thinking'- "The erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one you’re actually living in. It’s a flaw in the romantic imagination for people that find it difficult to cope with the present." I am telling you that if I was in Gil's place there, I would have either punched Paul on the face real hard, or ran away from there crying, or probably both. Because that right there isexactly how I am. This is my nostalgia- for a time where I have not really existed in. Like me wanting to live in the Super 8 world. I want to live in the Midnight in Paris world also...even more than that of Super 8, because the way Woody lays out the honey-hued Paris in the 20s...is quite something else. And I haven't even started talking about the people Gil meets yet!
He meets everyone really- the Fitzgeralds, Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Cole Porter, Salvador Dali, Man Ray, T.S. Elliot etcetera etcetera. Woody Allen films have a way of making me feel really uncultured and stupid, and never moreso than in this film. But that's just a minor issue because these characters are really Woody's idea of them, and they are all extremely entertaining. My mouth was open through half of the film, because just the idea of meeting these masters of art and literature is just so mindnumblingly fantastic, that I could barely believe it. Note the barely, because I have this fascination with what general people call unreal, and that's very much real for me. Just like in Purple Rose. Among the people, I especially loved the Fitzgeralds; Zelda is splendid, Hemingway and obviously Dali. Dali! Dali! Rhinocerous! Yes I am not explaining that- watch it, if not for anything then to figure out my really pointless riddle.
Ofcourse the most important person that Gil meets is someone who is actually not real at all- an artist muse named Adriana, played by the divine Marion Cotillard. In her he finds someone quite like himself- sopmeone who is unhappy with her present era and dreams of another one, and they have quite a lovely relationship. She becomes instrumental to his character development throughout the film, because it is through her decisions that Gil makes his important life decisions.
I said in my 15 Questions Meme that my favourite movie setting is Paris, and Midnight in Paris has defintely become one of my most beloved films set there. The charm of the city, that is as present today as it was at any point in history, is shown so beautifully in the film. The beginning was quite a bit like Manhattan and I loved it; maybe not as much, but still. The music is excellent, especially all the Cole Porter. Another thing was the costumes- oh so Jazz Age! The actors were pretty fantastic too. I must say I had reservations about Wilson being the lead in a Woody Allen film, but he has totally proved me wrong. Yes he did do the Woody doppelganger thing, but it was so convincing. His expressions, for things like amazement at meeting someone ancient, being irritated of Paul, or scared of Inez, were spot on and funny- both in a HaHa way, and a sweet smiley way. Cotillard too was incredible, but that's a given. Still she was so romantic and beautiful and sad...no wonder Picasso would paint her. Amongst the supporting cast I loved, lurved, loaved, luffed Adrien Brody the most.
Woody Woody Woody...no one understands me like you do. I've noticed that those films of his with a bit of magic involved end up being my favourites. Despite the ending, I am absolutely overwhelmed by the concept of travelling to your favourite time period in Paris. Mine is the 60s, but I would love to go there at any point of time really. The screenplay and the film are both simply enchanting. There is the perfect amount of comedy, romance and wonder in it, and lots and lots of Paris's unmatched beauty. This is the first film this year that I am going to start my Oscar campaign for, and yes it indeed has become my favourite thus far.
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.
