"I've always seen myself in sentences. I begin to recognize myself, word by word, as I work through a sentence."

      The New York Times have released their annual shorts celebrating the year's best performers, and in the case of this year, the best writers. They have all been shot by the incredible cinematographer Janusz Kaminski. As usual, some of them are quite "out there", but I do like the concept a lot and the lines are kind of amazeballs.

Cate Blanchett with line by Andrew Bujalski

"Show me where the bed is, put a blanket over me, and don't ever let me see you again."

This one is definitely one of the weirder ones but god, I love the Cate-ness of it all! She's such a goddess. Also, one of my favourite lines.

Bradley Cooper with line by J.C. Chandor

"I’m broke. I mean it. Don’t laugh. It’s all gone. Seriously, I got nothing left. But I still got this. What’s it worth to you?"

Oooo dancey and sparkly. Also, I don't know how to put this any other way, I was kind of staring at Bradley Cooper's butt throughout it :/

Robert Redford with line by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg

"Actually, I’ve never really liked tofu."

 One of my favourites. I love the anticlimactic humour, and boy, is the climax built in this.

Oprah Winfrey with line by Sarah Polley

So you died while I was out. How convenient. I thought it would be easier if you were dead. But actually, it’s just irritating."

 OPRAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I liked it.

Greta Gerwig with line by Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater

“You look like you want to say something. But don’t. That look on your face is so different now."

I liked this one too, especially the line. Plus, the The Shining-esque setting is pretty awesome. And I am a little bit in love with Gerwig at present.

Forest Whitaker with line by Greta Gerwig

"People are always telling me, ‘It’s so messed up what she did to you.’ Whatever. It’s all in the past."

 This was one of the more sensible ones and Whitaker kind of gives it his all. What an actor.

Julia Louis-Dreyfuss with line by Nicole Holofcener

"Yes, I’m wearing a wig."

My absolute favourite. What can I say, I am biased towards red lipstick. And then you pair it with a shiny pistol, a lipstick-stained cigarette and a line like that that just comes out of nowhere- love!

Michael B. Jordan with line by Spike Jonze

"Well, recently I found out that I am alive. And I guess it’s a lot to take in. I didn’t realize exactly what it all entailed. And I really didn’t know it was going to be so incredibly sad."

Just reminds me of how hilarious "Bound 3" actually is.

Oscar Isaac with line by Lake Bell

"I hope this is a joke."

 Was anyone else reminded of Amelie? I thought it was funny.

Chiwetel Ejiofor with line by Jeff Nichols

"How long have you been waiting there?"

This was kind of meh.

Adele Exarchopolous with line by Danny Strong

"They call me sexy, smart and sociopathic. But not necessarily in that order."

I am definitely in love with Adele. I thought it was lovely.

       I am guessing that the lines were given first and then the shorts were made around them. My favourites turned out to be the really mundane lines that would have probably stuck out in any context. I am super happy that Exarchopoulos and Gerwig were included but it would have been great to see some other biggies of the year, performance-wise, like Scarlett Johansson, James Franco (though he still wins) and Tom Hanks.

        Awards season is go!

Thoughts

          Hello everyone! So guess what? My exams have been postponed for another month which is great news except that they are starting the same day as the new ANTM cycle which is the Guys and Girls cycle AKA my most anticipated thing on TV ever! Gahhhhhhh.
           Don't judge me.

1) Gary Oldman is eyeing Benedict Cumberbatch and Ralph Fiennes for his second directorial feature, Flying Horse. It will be about a photographer who murders a theatre critic who is having an affair with his wife. I think this will be excellent. All of them should definitely act together, even though Oldman has separately costarred with both the actors- with Cumberbatch in Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy and with Fiennes in the Harry Potter movies. Honestly though, if the Harry Potter films were still being made, Cumberbatch would have definitely made it into its gargantuan British cast. He could have been a Death Eater, or maybe a younger version of Snape. Yes! They should actually make a Snape spin-off with Cumberbatch- I will not mind one bit. Anyways, I want Flying Horse now!

2) Speaking of other Hogwarts alumni, Emma Watson is going to reteam with Harry Potter producer David Heyman in Queen of the Tearling, the adaptation of the first book in a trilogy. The story is "set three centuries after an environmental catastrophe when a malevolent Red Queen holds considerable power". People are calling it the Game of Thrones for women, which makes no actual sense if you watch the show- the women are the biggest badasses in Westeros. Like duhhh. Still, I am really happy that Watson is going places, though I don't know if another blockbuster series is a good idea. Having said that, she has already played one of the most inspiring female role models in recent times so she is an apt choice for this.

3) This news came out on the morning of the day Matt Smith announced his retirement which was when my world ended. Anyhoo, Karen Gillan, Smith's ex-costar and companion on Doctor Who, is going to play a lead villain in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy movie, which is brilliant! She will be a baddie alongside another beautiful tall person, Lee Pace, and Michael Rooker. Rumours suggest that she will play a bounty-hunter named Angela but we will see if that's true or not. The film will also star Chris Pratt, John C. Reily, Zoe Saldana and Glenn Close. So happy for Gillan- redheads FTW!

4) Other casting news- Eddie Redmayne is going to play Stephen Hawking in Theory of Everything. The film will chronicle that period of Hawking's life when he was diagnosed with motor neuron disease and was told he has a couple of years to live, causing him to go into depression and have problems with his to-be wife. It sounds like a very demanding, dramatic role and it will be interesting to see what Redmayne does with it. It will be directed by Man on Wire director, James Marsh. Next, Leonardo DiCaprio is going to play Rasputin and Jason Hall, the screenwriter who wrote the upcoming Steven Spielberg-Bradley Cooper movie American Sniper, is going to pen the script. It's still very much in early development but it sounds cool and weird and I'm glad to see that Leo is still after that Oscar. GIVE HIM THAT OSCAR, YOU BASTARDS! Finally, the dude who did win the Oscar, Christoph Waltz might be starring in Roman Polanski's True Crimes which is based on a New Yorker article about a Polish detective solving a cold case that leads him into Poland's underworld. Waltz has worked with Polanski on the delightful Carnage, where he outshone everyone else, and it would be very cool to see Waltz do something subdued and grim like this.

5) Oh btw, are you guys listening to our podcast? You can click on the page above named "Across the Universe Podcast" to listen :)

6) I am on such a Bollywood music binge right now, all because of Yeh Jawaan Hai Deewani. This song in particular-

Yes I am plugging a song in a language most of you don't understand about a festival most of you don't celebrate but imagine there's no countries, it isn't hard to do etcetera etcetera. THIS IS SO MUCH FUN!

7) Posters- Well, not actual posters but discarded ones in fact. Spike Lee's Oldboy remake starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley didn't use these 4 posters but I think they're pretty cool, especially the trunk one.

8) Trailers- Touchy Feely made by Lynn Shelton who direcred the wonderful Your Sister's Sister, looks just as sweet and touching (haha get it?). This too stars Rosemary DeWitt, along with Ellen Page, Scoot McNairy and Allison Janney. Filth has another awesomely disgusting red-band trailer out. I really want to watch this. The Way, Way Back looks very good too. Loving Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell in it. 300: Rise of an Empire looks as over the top as one would expect. It kind of sucks that the main guy isn't hot but hey, Eva Green is one gorgeous lady. The trailer to The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug has me concerned as it somehow features more Legolas than Bilbo. Also I disapprove of us not hearing Benedict Cumberbatch's voice in it. Thank god for all the Lee Pace though. Pretty elf is pretty. Naomi Watts-starrer Diana has a teaser out and it looks very boring, though I have faith in her. Aside from her exciting new project, Karen Gillan is also the star of Not Another Happy Ending which looks cute albeit predictable but I love her so I will watch it. Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer star in gangster-family-comedy The Family, erstwhile known as the v. exotic Malavita, and I might watch it. Might. The trailer of the week/fortnight is *obviously* Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine. It looks amazing and I'm really loving Cate Blanchett losing her mind and Sally Hawkins being just awesome. Two Oscars please.

9) Finally, how awesome is Hannibal? And Mads Mikkelsen? I give you-

Mads Mikkelsen

Sads Mikkelsen

Glads Mikkelsen

Bads Mikkelsen

Knee-pads Mikkelsen

Rads Mikkelsen

Plaids Mikkelsen

Cool-dads Mikkelsen

Honestly, I just wanted a lot of Mads Mikkelsen on my blog. Muahahahahaa.

Be careful of what or who you are eating. Good bye!

Thoughts

       Helloo! How is everyone? Before Midnight has released in some part of the world, not sure where but not in any third world countries, which is where I live. So Operation AVOIDALLSPOILERSERMAHGERD is go! I hope I don't have to wait too long.

1) I had spoken of this exactly a year back, about how Cate Blanchett and Mia Wasikowska have been cast in the adaptation of a Patricia Highsmith's novel, which will be called Carol. Boy A director John Crowley was going to helm the project that was about two women in the 50s in a relationship. Crowley has unfortunately left the project, but replacing him is none other than Todd Haynes. Haynes has made films like Velvet Goldmine, Far From Heaven and I'm Not There and I feel is more than capable for a story and cast like this. This is v.v.v. exciting news indeed.

2) Evan Peters of the American Horror Story fame is going to star as Quick Silver in X-Men: Days of Future Past. This is sort of unfortunate, even though I quite like Peters, as Joss Whedon had earlier announced that the character of Quick Silver and his sibling hero Scarlet Witch will be joining The Avengers 2. As much as I enjoyed X-Men: First Class, it was more because of the combined beauty and bromance of McFassy and very little else. And let's not get into how much I loved The Avengers. It will now be interesting to watch how they settle this whole dilemma.

3) The Fault in Our Stars movie has cast its Augustus Waters. Ansel Elgort, who will also be seen in the new Carrie and the new sci-fi film Divergent is going to play the beloved character of Gus. Funnily, Elgort is playing the brother of Shailene Woodley, who has been cast as TFiOS's protagonist Hazel Grace,  in Divergent. I am not that impressed by this casting choice as he just doesn't look like the Gus I had imagined. Also, I wish I had seen him in something. We'll see how this works out. I really hope they do the book justice, and a big part of that will be having the right Gus.

4) Posters and pictures- Woody Allen's next Blue Jasmine has a poster out. It's an okay poster on its own, but gosh I want this film!!! Pictures-wise, instead of linking to some new promotional pics, I want to share these incredible 100 behind-the-scenes pictures from 100 movies. Some of them are just gob-smacking. 2001, GoldenEye, Kill Bill Vol. 1- everything!!!

5) The second episode of Across the Universe Podcast is up. We discuss The Great Gatsby.

6) So if you did hear the podcast, I bitched a little about the unnecessary lingerie shot of Alice Eve in Star Trek Into Darkness. Apparently, so did a lot of others, which is why J.J. Abrams apologised and spoke about how the film was actually going to have a small scene of Benedict Cumberbatch's character showering to balance it. YES IT SHOULD HAVE!

7) Trailers- My most anticipated film of the year, The World's End has a full trailer out now. If I had to choose only two films to watch this entire year, it would be this and Before Midnight. I need them. Even though I audibly groaned when I saw Jennifer Aniston's name in the cast, We're The Millers actually looks really hilarious. Mostly 'cuz Nick Offerman is awesome. Ain't Them Bodies Saints looks really, really good. I love the look and the cast, and I swear I had thought of a similar idea for a story a few years back. Ah well, c'est la vie. I want to watch Metallica Through the Never for Dane DeHaan but I am really not a Metallica person :/ The trailer of the week is Don Jon, which is the directorial debut of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is also the lead. Co-starring are Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore. I think this is going to be weird and hilarious and JGL and ScarJo look brilliant.

8) Finally, I saw this on Tumblr yesterday and haven't stopped laughing since-

He looks so cool :')

Adieu!

Hellooo 2013!

       Happy New Year folkses. And with this new year, we have a whole slew of films that need to be seen. 2013 seems pretty awesome all in all. I am going to dub it "The Year of the Cumberbatch".

These are some of the films I really want to see in 2013- Prisoners, The Place Beyond the Pines, Gangster Squad, Pain and Gain, Man of Steel, The Double, To the Wonder, The F Word, Horns, The Butler, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola, The Dallas Buyer's Club, Diana, Nightingale, The Railway Man, Lovelace, This is the End, White Bird in a Blizzard, Oz: The Great and Powerful, Warm Bodies, I'm So Excited, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Elysium, Pacific Rim, Now You See Me, Oldboy, Jack Ryan, Blood Ties, Monsters University, Admission, 42, Movie 43, Kick Ass 2, 300: Rise of an Empire, Thor: The Dark World, The Wolverine, The Lone Ranger, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, World War Z, Nymphomaniac, The Zero Theorem, The Young and Prodigious Spivet, Venus in Fur, Frances Ha, Frank, Trance.

And my 25 most-anticipated films of 2013 are-

25) Iron Man 3

The Avengers is still my favourite film of last year, and RDJesus as Iron Man was a big reason for that. In spite of the slightly disastrous Iron Man 2, I am really looking forward to this movie. Yes, it looks like it is going down the "dark, tortured superhero" path (thanks Batman), but I am sure it will be very funny too.

24) August: Osage County

I have heard great things about the play and the cast is to die for. Plus, Ewan McGregor and Benedict Cumberbatch in one film- Hey!

23) Don Juan's Addiction

Seeing how good Argo was, I have a new-found respect for actors-turned-directors. And I adore JGL as it is. 

22) Untitled Woody Allen film

It is a normal thing to go gaga over the cast of a Woody Allen film. But I am especially psyched about Cate Blanchett headlining this. Also I think it will be a drama, which just increases my excitement.

21) The Wolf of Wall Street

Leo is back with Martin Scorsese in this. Though more than anything, I am excited about the Matthew McConaughey role, since that man has made me a fan post-2012.

20) The Counselor

The first of the Pitt-Fassy collaborations of the year. It is written by Cormac McCarthy and being directed by Ridley Scott, so good stuff all around.

19) The Monuments Men

This film has one helluva cast and I usually like George Clooney's directorial features a lot. Very intriguing plot too.

18) Her

I have really liked/loved everything that Spike Jonze has made, and this sounds very endearing. A man who falls in love with a computer reminds me of Jonze's lovely short, I'm Here. Can't wait.

17) The Great Gatsby 

Originally slated to come out in 2012, this adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic will at least be very interesting, and very stunning to look at. Still not sure about the 3D though.

16) Side Effects

Steven Soderbergh's last theatrical feature. 'Nuff said.

15) Fading Gigolo

John Turturro's directorial debut starring Woody Allen. It can go eitherway, but I have an inkling that it will be excellent.

14) Labor Day

Jason Reitman is one of my most favourite directors and I love all his films. This one stars Kate Winslet. WANT!

13) Untitled Terrence Malick film

It has Ryan Gosling and Michael Fassbender sharing the same screenspace (hopefully! Control your editing tendencies, Malick!) and this is MY list. Plus it will be pretty. (Only the shallow know themselves etc.)

12) Kill Your Darlings 

I love a cast of young actors and this film has some of the best around- Daniel Radcliffe, Dane DeHaan, Elizabeth Olsen, Jack Huston. Plus the Beat movement is always fascinating.

11) Anchorman : The Legend Continues

Because I love lamp.

10) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

This one will have Benedict Cumberbatch's voice and Lee Pace being a pretty elf. And of course, my fake husband (well, one of them) Martin Freeman. Yaay! And definitely going to watch this one in 24 FPS.

9) Much Ado About Nothing

No, I am not much of a Shakespeare fan. But after 2012, I am definitely a Joss Whedon fan. And he made this film randomly while on a holiday, in twelve days. And it's in black and white.

8) Twelve Years a Slave

This film has one of the best casts EVER. The second Pitt-Fassy collaboration of the year, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Quvenzhané Wallis, Adepero Oduye, Sarah Paulson and so on. Of course, the star of the show would be one of today's most daring and capable directors, Steve McQueen.

7) Gravity

Another film that was supposed to come out in 2012. Love Alfonso Cuarón and apparently the visuals of this film will blow our minds.

6) The Bling Ring

Sofia Coppola is one of my most favourite filmmakers, and in this film she will show a group of high-life loving robbers. Plus, Emma Watson was born to be in a Sofia Coppola film.

5) Only God Forgives

Drive ranks high in my top 100 films of all time and the Gos and the Refn are back again! All the beaten-up Gosling photos are so hot, it's killing me.

4) Stoker

Fucked-up family films are literally the best. And this looks batshit crazy. Gorgeous cast and please let this be Matthew Goode's big role.

3) Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek is still one of my best cinematic experiences. I had so much fun in that film that when the sequel was confirmed, I was going crazy with excitement. Then they announced that Benedict Cumberbatch will play the probable villain...

2) Before Midnight

The sequel everyone wants and doesn't want. How does one improve on perfection, except that that actually happened the last time around. If this is done well, this might be the last part of one of the greatest film trilogies ever made, and with my second-favourite onscreen couple.

1) The World's End

Speaking of greatest film trilogies and favourite onscreen pairs, THIS FILM IS IT! I have been waiting for this film ever since I heard that Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are a part of the Three Favours Cornetto trilogy. Every announcement of this film has had me screaming like a fangirl. Added to the dynamic duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (BEST ONSCREEN COUPLE EVER), my husband Martin Freeman is there too. I have no doubt that I will love this film. We just have to see how much.

Here's to an ab fab film year :)

My Top 10 Female Performances

       Continuing the third anniversary celebrations of this blog, I list for your pleasure, my favourite female performances. They are in random order, save the last one who is my number one.

Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

From all the films with corsets and period settings, a character like Clementine would be the last thing one would expect Winslet to tackle. However, when she did, she ended up giving her best performance to date. Winslet completely transforms into this impulsive, free, complicated, lovely woman.

Favourite scene- Her (second) first meeting with Joel in the train.

Marion Cotillard in La Vie en rose

I usually have a soft spot for biopics. I like it when famous actors become someone else. However in the case of Cotillard's Edith Piaf, it was quite the opposite because I had no idea who she was and was shocked to see how different (and utterly gorgeous) she was in real life. This just goes to show her total immersion into this character in all the stages of her adult life. 

Favourite scene- Singing on the stage of the music hall for the first time.

Isabelle Huppert in The Piano Teacher

One of the most powerful and silent performances that I have ever seen. This film's soul lies in the face of Huppert, which just tells everything without really changing. Because Erika Kahut is not a woman who speaks loudly of her desires.

Favourite scene- When Walter plays Schubert in his auditions and the camera focuses on her face and we just know that by the end of the piece, she is a woman in love.

Natalie Portman in Leon: The Professional

Possibly my favourite performance by a child actor. Portman's Mathilda is a troubled child and that's what leads her to form a very strong and unconventional bond with an assassin. She is like a grown-up trapped in a child's body- so worldly and bold.

Favourite scene- Mathilda impersonates many famous personalities for Leon.

Nicole Kidman in To Die For

It is a gargantuan task to get a role like Suzanne Stone and not make a complete caricature of it. Kidman makes someone as beautifully ugly as Stone real. She is hilarious and repulsive at the same time. It's awesome.

Favourite scene- Every time Suzanne talks to her "audience".

Cate Blanchett in I'm Not There

Unlike Cotillard, I was very much aware of who Cate Blanchett and Bob Dylan were, and it seemed ridiculous that a stunner like Blanchett could ever play a man. However once Jude Quinn makes his appearance, all such thoughts disappear, just how Blanchett disappears into this version of Dylan, arguably his most well-recognised. The mannerisms, the way she talks and sings- it is all freaking fantastic!

Favourite scene- Mr. Jones interviews Jude.

Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves

This wasn't even supposed to be her role, but once Watson comes onscreen as Beth, you can't even fathom anyone else in her place. You almost start to feel that this is her in real- no one can be a character like Beth just like that. The balance between the childlike innocence mixed with all the incredibly courageous things that her character does is plain remarkable.

Favourite scene- Her last conversation with God, in the movie.

Juliette Binoche in Three Colours: Blue

I can only imagine the pain Binoche's character goes through when she loses all her family at one go. She becomes completely empty and emotionless, or atleast she tries to. But life has other plans. To see Binoche tackling such a conflicting reality is a joy indeed. She is magnificent in this.

Favourite scene- Discovering a nest of new-born mice in her wardrobe.

Vivien Leigh in A Streetcar Named Desire

It is particularly tragic to think that someone like Leigh played Blanche DuBois, but then who else could have? Even Elia Kazan, in spite of all their differences, said that she had "the greatest determination to excel of any actress I've known. She'd have crawled over broken glass if she thought it would help her performance."

Favourite scene- "I have always depended upon the kindness of others."

And my favourite female performance is-

Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns

I kind of have a tendency to idealise crazy, bold, weird, awesome women in films and I think it all started when I first saw Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. After being shown as a loser in her office and by extension her whole life, Kyle's personality goes a drastic change after the first of her nine lives is taken by her boss. Then we see this outrageous, black leather-loving goddess of mayhem come out.

Pfeiffer's Catwoman is as sexy as she is forlorn. Out to take her revenge in the world of men, she falls for the greatest protector of them all. Even at her most deranged and dangerous, Pfeiffer manages to make Catwoman someone tragic and lost. I think of her more as an anti-hero than a villain because she is just trying to make right everything wrong done to her.

Favourite scene- The transformation of Selina Kyle into Catwoman. Break all the doll houses!