Thoughts

Ha I had almost forgotten that this blog existed. Goddamn exams! Anyways, I am back now. Here's what my thoughts have been to film-related news of the past couple of weeks.

1) So Quentin Tarantino has announced that he is thinking about retiring after he is done with his tenth film, which if you count the two Kill Bill movies as one, is three films away. The reason he has given is that he wants to leave his career at a high. While the reasoning is somewhat logical, all I have to say is this- NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! 
I need more Tarantino movies, like hundreds more. Obviously that's not possible, but he can at least increase his stupid limit. I honestly think he's a genius, so I don't know what he's worried about. Although the fact that he has kind of planned his life as if it were a movie, makes me love and worship him even more.

2) Benedict Cumberbatch and James McAvoy may be starring in the Wikileaks movie together. Cumberbatch has already been cast as Julian Assange and McAvoy will probably play the disillusioned Wikileaks spokesperson Domscheit-Berg. Both of them have already starred together in Starter for 10 and Atonement. I am obviously incredibly excited by this new project and for seeing these two very talented and gorgeous, pretty-eyed and sexy-voiced British actors working together.

3) So The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel continues to cause me distress. The role of Harry Osbourne is now up for grabs and vying for it are people like Dane DeHaan, Alden Ehrenreich, Brady Corbet, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, Sam Claflin and Boyd Holbrook. DeHaan, Ehrenreich and Redmayne are among my favourite young actors at present (haven't seen Ehrenreich in a film yet, but he's so pretty in the Sofia Coppola-Natalie Portman- Dior perfume ad). As it is I will probably watch the idiotic sequel because of Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, and Shailene Woodley if she accepts the role of the goddawful Mary Jane, but it becomes so much harder to hate these films with such wonderful and good-looking talent involved. Burn Spidey, burn.

4) There is a Jackie Brown prequel in the works, which will be based on the book 'The Switch', written by Elmore Leonard. This book is a prequel of 'Rum Punch', which Jackie Brown was based upon. It will be about the characters Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara, who were played by Samuel L. Jackson and Robert De Niro in Jackie Brown respectively. The prequel will star Mos Def and John Hawkes in these respective roles. It will also star Isla Fisher as Maggie, who was played by Bridget Fonda in Jackie Brown. I am intrigued by this project and love the inclusion of Hawkes, who is a fine actor.

5) John Hawkes was among the many people interviewed in this year's batch of The Hollywood Reporter's Oscar Roundtables. I wait eagerly for these, though this year has been a bit disappointing so far. The Writers was kind of terrible because I just thought it was so odd to put Judd Apatow and Michael Haneke in the same room together. The Actors was rather good and maybe the most professional of the lot. The best was the Actresses, even though the interviewers suck at asking them the important questions. Still, Anne Hathaway, Helen Hunt, Naomi Watts, Sally Field, Marion Cotillard, Rachel Weisz (yaay!) and Amy Adams in one room together is too much brilliance. The Directors isn't out yet, and it is usually the one I enjoy the most.

6) Aaron Sorkin has announced that his script for the Steve Jobs biopic will be very unconventional- it will consist of three scenes of thirty minutes each, shot in real time. The three scenes will take place in the backstage during the product launches of Mac, NeXT and iPod. It sounds really novel and cool and I have trust in Sorkin (when he's not being too American) and cannot wait for this film to be made.

7) Did you know that I made a Bollywood syllabus with SDG for Ryan at The Matinee? SO EXCITED!!

8) Lots of trailers- World War Z which has quite an exciting trailer and Brad Pitt and fast zombies, who look a bit too CGI-ey but I'm sure it will be fine in the film. Still, the zombie movie I am more excited for is Warm Bodies, which looks hilarious. I mean, it's a zombie romcom people- a zomcom! The whole story is evident from the trailer but I love Nicholas Hoult and Teresa Palmer is very pretty. The other supernatural Hoult movie with a trailer out is Jack the Giant Slayer, made by Bryan Singer and co-starring Ewan McGregor and Mark Strong. This looks a bit unfortunate, just like the other upcoming fairytale movie, Oz The Great and Powerful. This has a good cast- I am especially loving Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams in this mix, but god too much is going on in the trailer and if the film is like that, we have a guaranteed technicolor headache, people :/ Speaking of, now that Twilight is over, there are many movies that want to target that whole demographic and some of them have trailers out. First of all, we have the trailer of Stephenie Meyer's very own The Host that has Saoirse Ronan (why Saoirse, why), Max Irons (next RPatz maybe? Though with definite Jeremy Irons genes), Boyd Holbrook and Diane Kruger. I will say it looks less painful than Twilight. Next, Beautiful Creatures actually has Jeremy Irons in it, along with the likes of Emma Thompson and Viola Davis. The reason I mention them first and not the protagonists played by Alden Ehrenreich (pretty :-) ) and Jane Campion's daughter Alice Englert, is because this trailer is an absolute monstrosity and I don't understand how people of their caliber are starring in this movie. It also has Emmy Rossum, remember her? The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones stars Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower and looks okay-ish. I have heard good things about the books though, so we'll see. Jean Dujardin's next Mobius looks like a painfully predictable and stereotypical action-spy movie. Also I like seeing him happy- too much smouldering going on. A few comedies are also in the works- The Heat is made by the Bridesmaids folk and stars Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as cops. The trailer is quite bad, but I like the people involved. Tina Fey and Paul Rudd are two other people who I like a lot and they are starring in Admission, which looks sweet. Parental Guidance has Billy Crystal and Bette Midler playing Marissa Tomei's visiting parents. I think I will watch this when it comes on TV... at some point. One of the better trailers that I have seen is of Steven Soderbergh's next and possibly last theatrical feature *sniff* Side Effects. Love Rooney Mara being a crazy person, and Jude Law looks good too. Goddamn Channing Tatum continues to get good roles though, so that sucks balls. The king of trailers this week is Now You See Me, which has quite an excellent cast headed by Jesse Eisenberg, who I love like shit. There is also Mark Ruffalo, Isla Fisher, Melanie Laurent, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Dave Franco. The trailer and the premise looks intriguing enough, but I will say that there is a huge possibility of the film being really terrible, or conversely really good. Finally in the world of television, we have the trailer to the David Fincher- Kevin Spacey Netflix series House of Cards which looks fantastic. Only Fincher can get me excited about a show on US politics. It also stars Robin Wright, Kate Mara and Corey Stoll. And then we have the trailer to Doctor Who Christmas special The Snowmen, which will have Richard E. Grant playing the baddie and the introduction of the new companion Clara, played by Jenna Louise-Coleman who I have started to like a lot already. Accio Christmas!

9) Liked/loved The Cabin in the Woods? See this article on the its awesome opening titles.

10) Finally, just when you thought there possibly could not be anymore pictures of Ryan Gosling posted on this blog-

It's actually not sane how attracted I am to this poster. Reasons- 

a) Ryan Gosling

b) Nicolas Winding Refn

c) The beat-up face that reminds me of Fight Club

d) Beat-up Ryan Gosling

e) The fact that their previous film together was Drive

f) Ryan Gosling

I hope to blog loads now that exams are over. Tata!

"I see a rhinoceros!"- FAVOURITE PERFORMANCES AND ENSEMBLES OF 2011

       FAVOURITE PERFORMANCES

          This year had a few major breakthroughs, the most notable being Jessica Chastain. La Chastain is beautiful and lovely and on her way to becoming a great actress. Anyways, here's my list-


Honourable Mentions- Ezra Miller in We Need to Talk About Kevin, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis in The Help, Mia Wasikowska in Jane Eyre, Craig Roberts in Submarine, Hunter McCracken in The Tree of Life, Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter 8.

Special Mention- Michael Fassbender

I haven't seen Shame yet. If I had seen it, I am pretty sure Fassy would have been in this list. The trailers make me go crazy.

20.

Jessica Chastain in EVERYTHING

I cannot choose. She was a darling in her Oscar-nominated role in The Help, the face of grace itself in The Tree of Life and the strength behind Michael Shannon's character in Take Shelter. I haven't seen The Debt, but I am sure I would have liked her in that too. I think this is only the beginning for her, and she will give even better performances in the future.

19.

Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids

I have loved her ever since Gilmore Girls. People think she's a comedian and she's just being funny here, but it's such a different kind of funny. She's adorable, but Megan verges on being scary. In a way it is almost as no-holds-barred a performance as Rooney Mara's was in Dragon Tattoo. But comedy is given such less attention. I'm so happy she got her Oscar nomination for this (my pick if they would only listen).

18.

Christopher Plummer in Beginners

He is such a darling in this film. A breath of freshness even though he is an old man. I think everyone would love a dad or a granddad or a friend like Hal, and that's only because Plummer plays him with so much care and affection .

17.

Albert Brooks in Drive

Oh cruel Oscar snubbery. This was such a creepy role, played with so much ease. He was a great villain. Something about the way he talked was so brilliant; I can hear that voice whenever I think about him and it is so sinister. That is how awesome he was.

16.

Joel Courtney in Super 8

I have written about this before. He was natural and sweet and just a real kid. I love his performance because it makes me feel all warm inside.

15.

Shailene Woodley in The Descendants

She was the best friggin' part of this film. Like Joel Courtney, it was such a naturalistic performance. And she is sassy and funny and beautifully emotional (that pool scene) and holds her own against a massive star like George Clooney with the utmost ease. Kudos.

14.

Michael Shannon in Take Shelter

With his imposing height and that weirdly fantastic face, Shannon often plays the half-crazed guy. But the sadness and despair in his performance in this film, along with the impending insanity, is something else. It is quite a heart-breaking performance, and he does it excellently.

13.

Ewan McGregor in Beginners

*Sigh* When will the world just accept the brilliance of Ewan McGregor? He delivers one fantastic performance one after the other, and no one notices. Oliver is exactly like that. Subtle, sad, quirky, sweet- he is so lovely in this film. Even though all three leads + dog are all fantastic, I am most blown away by the simplicity of McGregor's acting.

12.

Brad Pitt in The Tree of Life

Yes the first time I saw this film, I was extremely annoyed with his character. He seemed plain awful. But on the second viewing, I understood him so much better. He is strict, yes, but he is also loving in his own way. He was actually the most multi-faceted character in the film. It was a simple role in which Pitt gave his better performance of the year.

11.

Elizabeth Olsen in Martha Marcy May Marlene

I loved her in this. Most of the film focuses on her face, as we try to understand what is she thinking. Though she seems aloof, she is mostly scared or confused of what is happening to her and seemingly around her. It is a complicated performance, one that could have been boring or overly-dramatic, but she does it absolutely with the expertise of a veteran, even though this is her big screen debut.

10.

Owen Wilson in Midnight in Paris

Even though he is the Woody-doppelganger in this, Wilson makes this role his own in every way. His natural comedic talent makes his performance so genuine. We don't only want to be him because of all the wonderful things that happen to him, we want to be him because he is a really good, smart and fun guy. 

9.

Alan Rickman in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Yes I did take all the films into consideration, but mainly this one. He is so heart-breaking in this film. A great character portrayed by one of the best actors working today. No one could have played Snape. Ever. I salute you Alan Rickman.

8.

Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn

I thought she was spectacular in this. We all have our ideas about who Marilyn Monroe really was, and I think Williams captured mine almost perfectly. I love the mystery behind Monroe's onscreen glee. Williams was incredible in both her happy parts and her sad parts, and it will be a performance I won't stop thinking about anytime soon.

7.

Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia

I love how soul-sucking she is in this, but what is magnificent is that how her own soul suffers first. It is a brave performance, though an almost uncomfortable one to watch. I love Dunst and how usually bubbly she is, but Justine is very much the opposite. And she plays her superbly.

6.

Tilda Swinton in We Need to Talk About Kevin

This woman constantly amazes me more and more. Her despair and horror and occasional awfulness in this film is so harrowing. Even though we don't want to put ourselves in her position and understand what she is going through, Swinton's performance makes us do that. It is unnerving.

5.

Jean Dujardin in The Artist

In a year in which had all the Hollywood heartthrobs starring in films, an unknown French man in a black and white silent movie ends up being the one that charms us the most. That is artistry.

4.

Rooney Mara in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

It must be difficult to take such a beloved character, that has already been portrayed once and to much acclaim, and make it her own. But Mara manages to do this perfectly. Her quirky and mad Lisbeth is unique and brilliant and it is a bloody ballsy performance that no one will be able to forget in a long time.

3.

Gary Oldman in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

When in The Hollywood Reporter actors' roundtable Christopher Plummer was asked what makes a great actor, he answered that it was the great rage which is something Gary Oldman possesses. His words, not mine. Of course I agree completely, and this is what makes George Smiley exceptional because he is so restrained and collected. He seems to be doing nothing, but you understand that a great mind is at work. It is an astonishing performance, one which has been thankfully rewarded by many.

2.

Charlize Theron in Young Adult

I deemed Mavis Gary as one of my role models as soon as I saw the film. It was because she was awesome and kind of crazy, but as time has passed, I have really grown to appreciate the performance, and Charlize Theron's guts for doing it such great justice. I mean, Mavis is a total bitch, and no one should like her at all. But we still get her, and even feel sorry for her at times, however reluctantly. It is not easy to be someone that realistically unlikable, and Theron is just so spot-on with it. She has made me a real fan after this.

1.

Ryan Gosling in Drive

Uh duh. It was the Year of the Gos people, who else could you expect to be number 1? The Driver is just fantastic. The control, the silence, the loneliness, the smiles, the anger, the violence. It is a film that will be spoken about for ages, and Gosling as the Driver will be remembered forever.

FAVOURITE ENSEMBLES

         Since we are talking about best performances, I thought best ensembles are also in order. It is difficult to have one great performance in a film, and when everyone in the film is amazing, that's quite something else. These are my picks.

Honourable mentions: The men of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the women of Bridesmaids, and the men and women of Carnage.

5.

Super 8

All these kids were fantastic. J.J. Abrams wanted to make one of those old Spileberg films with kids, and he got the perfect cast of child actors. 

4.

A Separation

A most affecting film, mostly because the honest performances by everyone in it. My heart breaks most for the children of course, and they too were incredible in it.

3.

Beginners

The three leads are adorable. That dog makes me reevaluate my overwhelming fear of his species. Also Mary Page Keller, who has minor role as Oliver's mother, is quite brilliant. A great cast altogether.

2.

Midnight in Paris

What is this film without its million superb characters from a different and magical era? Fitzgeralds, Hemingway, surrealists (Adrien Brody is my favourite cameo of the year) and of course Owen Wilson as Gil and  Marion Cotillard as Adrianna. And the awful people from today, and the first lady of France. It is quite a dream of an ensemble.

1.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

This series employed the majority of the British film industry for the last decade. I mean when in BAFTAs the reporters were talking about TTSS being an outstanding British film which has many of its members, I wanted to throw a Grawp at them. Come on! Everyone in this is awesome. They are a part of my childhood. I will never forget anyone and love them for all eternity.

"I have already turned these moments into the Super-8 footage of memory."- FAVOURITE SHOTS OF 2011

           My favourite shots of 2011. Most of these are not exactly spectacular, but they are my favourite because they mean something or leave an impression in some way. Hope you like them.

And a bonus-

Just for the "Why are you drooling?" expression.

Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?

Dunno about a mirror, but Vanity Fair's Hollywood Issue sure knows-

Taking the two upcoming Snow White movies quite literally, yes? Of course there is Adepero Oduye and Paula Patton, but this is always the case with VF. It's still very pretty though, and that cover is THE cover for a reason-

Goddesses.

Love each and every one of them, and what they are bringing to the picture. Jennifer Lawrence and Mia Wasikowska look like royalty. Jessica Chastain is just adorable and a red head, so don't really need to explain that. And then there's Rooney Mara- who just makes the picture elevate to unexplored heights. I love the dark hair and the dark lips and the expression and everything. I wish I could be her, but then again I wish I could be all of them.

Obviously though, we all know who really is the fairest of them all-

Evil Queen fan 4eva!

Valhalla, I am coming.

           It has been more than seven months since the release of that awe-inspiring teaser for David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which drove me a little insane. I finally saw it this week, and my waiting has been worth it!

              The story revolves around two characters- a disgraced investigative reporter Mikael Blomkvist, and a brilliant yet disturbed computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, and their unlikely partnership that is formed to catch a killer of women. Blomkvist is employed by Henrik Vanger, a retired industrialist, to investigate a case that has ailed him for forty years- the disappearance and apparent murder of his niece Harriet. When he unearths some clues, Blomkvist takes the aide of Lisbeth, who had done the background search on him originally. Together they solve the mystery, which takes the most unexpected turns and changes their lives forever.


           The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the based on the first book of Stieg Larsson's best selling Millennium trilogy of the same name. Contrary to the popular belief, it is an adaptation of the book and not the remake of the Swedish adaptation, which I saw immediately after the teaser was released all those months ago. As almost everyone has read the book or seen the Swedish version or both, I will not give more details. For those who haven't, well I just did you a favour and you will be deeply ingratiated to me forever. I personally feel it's an average book with a few high points and a lot of unnecessary parts. Here is where Fincher's version triumphs because it trims all those uneven edges and gives us a mind-blowing thriller, or as I like to call it- a true Fincher-thriller (Fincher Fangirls Unite!).

          As soon as those incredible opening credits start rolling, we know we are in for a bumpy, dark, violent, and magnificent ride. Set almost entirely in cold and chilly Sweden, the whole film has a very grey look that emanates the iciness of the settings across the screen to us, and just gets under our skin. That is only just the beginning because the film has some truly cringe-worthy moments, especially the infamous rape scene. What is really brilliant though is how instead of focusing on the actual violence, it chooses to show shots of the people who are causing it or to whom it is being caused. It makes it all the more disturbing and uncomfortable, and we just know how wrong it all is.

             In terms of the cast, the film is really driven by the two leads- Daniel Craig as Blomkvist and Rooney Mara as Lisbeth. Many people have not appreciated Craig as much, but I think he is such an improvement from Michael Nyqvist who played the character in the Swedish version. In the first half, when both of them haven't met yet and their characters are being set-up for us, Craig's Blomkvist is someone who is normal and rational and quite charming. He isn't necessarily James Bond (hehe), but we see how he reacts to other people- strangers and family, and even a cat, and we understand why someone like Lisbeth is able to like and trust him. I think he is the perfect yin to her distorted yang. Of course, the film's focal point is Lisbeth and Mara's eerily excellent, and as of two days ago, Oscar-nominated portrayal of her. People are rabid fans of Noomi Rapace's Lisbeth, and she is quite good and well badass-er. I think Mara's Lisbeth is quirkier, but also more dangerous. She is kind of funny; though she speaks a little, I actually laughed at some of things she said, and that bloody awesome t-shirt she is wearing when she first meets Blomkvist. She also has a sensitive side, as deeply buried as it is. But at the same time, she has this terrifying rage, which when it comes out, is so much more scarier. I mean, in spite of Mara's miraculous transformation into the tattooed, pierced, shaved and bleached Lisbeth, she still looked beautiful, but every time this side of her came out, I could only think of the phrase, "face of death". So yes, Mara's Lisbeth was more beautiful, funny and sensitive, and also way more deadlier and deranged. "Nod."

          Both of them had great chemistry together. I really liked the way we are introduced to both characters and the world of difference between them, and how they are brought together. Among the other cast members, I liked that Erika Berger had a more prime role in this adaptation and Robin Wright was just the person for her. Christopher Plummer was Henrik, and again he was very convincing in his slightly amused and aloof old man role. Stellan Skarsgård played Martin Vanger, and he was very good too. Lastly Yorick van Wageningen played Nils Bjurman, Lisbeth's twisted and sexually deviant guardian. He was really evil and disgusting. I liked how his bulging ponch was always in focus because we are supposed to find him revolting.

           Steve Zaillian adapted the book into an excellent screenplay, and as I said above, removed many of the unnecessary details. I think the film was more faithful to the essence of the book, than maybe even the book itself. The cinematography is harrowing and quite deservedly nominated for an Oscar. The incredible score by last year's winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, was snubbed by the Oscars but it just does wonders for the mood of this modern thriller. That Immigrant Song cover by Karen O is the cherry on the cake. As always, the editing is immaculate, which is something one expects from a Fincher film. It's all in the pacing, and that is what keeps one glued to such a film. One of my favourite scenes is when she gets robbed in the train station, and how she fights back. It's cool and then sound is muffled down and everything just happens.

         Lastly, and most importantly, comes David Fincher and his expert film-making skills. I remember how over-the-moon I was when this film was announced, because none can do a modern thriller like him. Se7en is easily one of the best thrillers from the last two decades, and Zodiac too is quite superb. But not only those, other films of his like Fight Club and The Social Network also come to mind because of his trend to portray unconventional, rebellious, disturbed and quite brilliant characters in his films. Lisbeth could have easily been his brain-child, and it only seemed natural that he will do justice to her. The film has all of his trademark elements in it- the exact investigation, the painful violence, the very dark humour (that Enya song in the end and again that aaawweeesssoommmeee t-shirt), the unforgettable sequences, even a few epic lines- "If you touch me, I'll more than alarm you." I already spoke about the look and the pacing, which are also quintessentially Fincher. Even with these, the best part of the film for me is what Fincher made Mara do. There were many shots of the back of her head, which is a clever tactic to make us, for lack of a better word, identify with her more. She is the focus, the epicenter, and it's her actions and feelings that we have to understand and we do, somewhat. Her outbursts, her lack of emotion and then the unexpected sliver of sensitivity- everything Lisbeth is expected to be and more, he captures it all. He made her a crazed genius, as maybe he is one himself. And for this, I cannot thank him enough (Fincher Fangirls Unite! x 2).

        A perfect thriller, which has been both rewarded and snubbed by the awards folks, though we don't really care, do we? I had only one problem with the film- it ended too soon, though it was quite the perfect ending. Anyhow there are two more books in the series, and I think the producers will go ahead with the adaptations. Though this film feels like perfection on its own, we want Mara as Lisbeth to fill us up with fear and awe again, we want that excellent chemistry between Mara and  Craig to continue, and we want Fincher back at what he does best. Here's hoping to see more adventures of the girl with the dragon tattoo.

OSCAR NOMS ARE OUT!

One question- what is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close?
            This film has been absent from almost every awards or awards discussion that I have seen or read. And here it is, as one of the nine Best Film nominees. I mean they must really love Stephen Daldry (I shouldn't be one to talk- literally just finished The Hours and yes the film was tad bit better). Also Max von Sydow (who?) bagged the Best Supporting Actor nomination over the likes of Albert Brooks (whaaaaaat- grumblegrumblegrumble).


         Obviously Harry Potter didn't get much love (why oh why?), but the best thing EVER happened with Gary Oldman FINALLY getting nominated for his brilliant performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Potterheads and Sex Pistols fans are proud of you, Mr. Oldman. 


         I'm almost as excited for Rooney Mara as and in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids and Jessica Chastain in The Help. What I'm not happy about is the exclusion of the brilliant The Adventures of Tintin from the Best Animated film category and the overwhelming love for the sap-fest that is War Horse.


Okay so my Expectations vs Reality is as follows-


Best Film: 7 out of 9- I thought the Oscars was better than War Horse and again, what is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close?


Best Director: 5 out of 5- Yes dreaming about Refn getting nominated was a bit of an overshoot, but yaay for Malick!


Best Actress: 5 out of 5- I did predict all 5, but I am saddened by the exclusion of Tilda Swinton and Kirsten Dunst, and the inclusion of Glenn Close. However, having seen The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo just yesterday itself, I am completely won over by Mara.


Best Actor: 4 out of 5- Demian Bichir got a nomination. No Golsing or Fassy, but Oldman is there, so yaay!


Best Supporting Actress: 5 out of 5- But what, no Shailene Woodley?! She was the best part of The Descendants! So happy for Melissa McCarthy.


Best Supporting Actor: 3 out of 5- Nick Nolte and Max von Sydow were not in my list, which is still wayyy better than this little Oscar thing.


Best Original Screenplay: 4 out of 5- Even though I do not like Bridesmaids so much and think Mean Girls was a far more superior film, it gives me joy to think of Kristen Wiig as an Oscar nominee. No Margin Call in my list, but good for the Oscars for nominating Asghar Farhadi for that beautiful script of A Separation.


Best Adapted Screenpaly: 4 out of 5- I did not even think about The Ides of March but yaay for TTSS!


Other ideas-
- Yaay for Jane Eyre and its nomination for Costume Design.
- Yaay for Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall for getting nominated again!
- Ugh that score for War Horse got nominated. I ask you- did you not expect the Von Trapp children to start singing suddenly from among the mountains whenever it played? And then they didn't even show up! Grumblegrumblegrumblegrumble.
- That song from Rio got nominated in which everyone sang, Including Jesse Eisenberg. Yaay for him!
-Hugo's 11 nominations!!
- I am sort of happy, and sort of pissed. The Academy has done its job. Yaaaayy! Now we wait for 26th February, and go a bit insane in the process.

Evil is as Evil does

Video- Cinematic Villains

NYTimes did the classic silent movie types last year, and this year they are back with Touch of Evil, showing the 13 actors who have given some of the best performances of 2011 as famous cinematic villain types. I love this! Seeing that one of the biggest films this year has ended up being The Artist, maybe unintentionally this will start some sort of trend. And this would be very cool because I adore villains (MUHAHAHAHAHAHAAA). So as my limited film knowledge is failing me yet again (I haven't even seen Touch of Evil), like last year, I will just give my thoughts on the actors and their little skits-

* The ones who I don't know.

1) Brad Pitt- Henry Spencer in Eraserhead (he sort of looks like Gollum in the end) .

2) Rooney Mara-Alex Delarge in A Clockwork Orange (gorgeousity).

3) Gary Oldman- Fats in Magic (He disturbingly resembles one very famous Indian actor-director Raj Kapoor in this. Good).

4) Mia Wasikowska*- The Homewrecker (plain love... kind of reminds me of Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity.)

5) Ryan Gosling- The Invisible Man (ugh, he should totally play this...).

6) George Clooney- Captain Bligh in Mutiny on the Bounty (I'm sorry, but bahaha for the eyebrows).

7) Viola Davis- Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (scary shit...no idea where the bugs came from).

8) Kirsten Dunst- Carol in Repulsion (there's a reason why she sort of invented the manic pixie girl ideal... so much allure, and then just stuff of nightmares).

9) Michael Shannon- Gordon Gekko from Wall Street (the papers were too distracting and unnatural).

10) Jessica Chastain*- The Firestarter (and this is why the whole world wants her- superb).

11) Jean Dujardin*- It's apparently from Green Street Hooligans (very energetic... not that malevolent).

12) Adepero Oduye- Bonnie Parker from Bonnie and Clyde (how is this villainous? It's sad, and melodramatic like Jennifer Lawrence last year).

13) Glenn Close*- The Vamp (sort of in the style of Norma Desmond... her icy cold eyes that have made her so famous help her immensely).

My favourites- women rule with Mara, Wasikowska, Dunst, Davis, Chastain and Close all being absolutely spot on. In the men, it's the Year of the Goz, so how can he not be bloody brilliant? I sort of liked the minimalistic monochrome of last year's better, but with ones like Gosling's, Mara's, Wasikowska's and Chastain's, it sort of makes sense why they went for the spectacular sets and effects. 

Enjoy :D

Thoughts

Really random, disjointed thoughts this week. Let's see if we can make any sense out of them.


1) I'm just going to start with the trailers. So what's with everyone and Tom Hardy in the This Means War trailer? He's cool, I get it. But come on, Chris Pine is awesome! And Captain Kirk. And the closest thing to Prince Charming we've ever seen (I like the Princess Diaries movies okay). But yeah, we're all totally going to watch this film for the plot. I personally am dying to watch it because it will be deadly hot, inspite of the total miscasting of Reese Witherspoon and Chelsea Handler (why is she even there?). Sherlock Holmes 2 and Woman in Black both have released their second trailers. Sherlock Holmes looks okay...I dunno. It might be nice, might suck...I can't really care much. On the other hand, Woman in Black has another good trailer out. The first one was incredible, for those who remember. The second one has more Daniel Radcliffe in it. I am really hoping the film will be great...for Dan Rad and just for the genre itself. Finally, on the topic of trailers, I have come to realise that I have become really nit-picky, or well using a more Bueller-esque word, snooty, when it comes to them. For example, The Raven. This came out a while back, but I just saw it. It's awful. The sudden, uninspiring start, the loud music, the psuedo-apocalyptic words appearing on the darkening sky, people talking in urgent voices- eugh. It might not be that terrible, seeing that I love V for Vendetta, and John Cusack's a doll, but eugh. Also, remember how last week I was talking about Tom Sturridge? The trailer of his new film Junkhearts came out. It is so freaking boring, that trailer. I really do not want to see this film because I am convinced that I will fall asleep, but then I won't let myself fall asleep because of Sturridge and I'll just end up with a gigantic headache.


2) So I was having this great movie-watching month, and I had this Halloween thing planned. But then my goldfish-like attention span and obsessive nature came in the way, as they always do. I started watching and am now addicted to Doctor Who. I mean Doctor Who is brilliance and bowties are super duper cool, but I have gotten distracted from my film-related goals and stuff. By the way, for those of you who think I am a major nerd for watching Doctor Who (like what my friends think), I must tell you that I like it for the same reasons I love Indiana Jones. Something about demented cocky heroic geniuses just makes me go "Va Va Voom!" Also the arch nemeses of the Doctor are these things called Daleks, which look like a cross between letter boxes and vacuum cleaners *cue sarcastic shudders*. Ofcourse I'll love the show.


3) I totally forgot to freak out about  Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman reuniting for a new film. YESSSSSSSSSS!! It is a political satire and it will star Joaquin Phoenix and I-love-what-she's-doing-with-her-career-save-that-Gatsby-film Carey Mulligan. Words cannot explain how much I admire Kaufman. I mean, forget John Malkovich, Kaufman's brain would be a wondrous place to visit. And I love Jonze too. Did anyone see the Scenes from the Suburbs short he made with Arcade Fire? It was interesting. I kept feeling like it was sort of the flipside of Children of Men in the sense that the world in it had a lot of young people and no grown-ups of any consequence, except the military folk.


4) A big shout out to Stevee at Cinematic Paradox, who is celebrating her/its 2nd Birthday today. She's ab fab! Also check out her 100 Favourite Films. Brilliant list...one which does not make me feel completely clueless thank god. I am thinking about maybe doing this list, but it is so hard. Also see the goldfish-attention span above.


5) Did anyone see this? She looks fantastic.

Beautiful.

Bye guys.

IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE!!

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo has a proper trailer now. And Oh My Dumbledore it is amazing!! Other things about it-


1) I LOVE LOVE LOVE Rooney Mara as Lisbeth. Her hair keeps changing though...
2) Daniel Craig looks faaiiinnee with that stubble.
3) There is a somewhat thick Swedish accent among the people. It was difficult to understand at first, but then it was fine.
4) The music. The bloody awesome music!! Reznor-Ross, I salute you.
5) I know this will be better than the Swedish version.
6) Christopher Plummer still has those Captain Von Trapp blueee eyes.
7) I'm excited to see what Stellan Skarsgård will do with the character of Martin.
8) I liked Erica in the books, and Robin Wright Penn is lovely.
9) I don't know why only one of those Biblical lines were said though, but who cares?!
10) David Fincher is a wonderful, wonderful man.

I think I am going to cry with excitement. Guess what just became the number one candidate of "The Social Network" film of this year?

Thoughts

I might actually have a regular feature with this one. So thoughts:

1) Fincher on my Mind- The first leaked and then official teaser trailers for David Fincher's adaptation of Stieg Larsson's acclaimed thriller The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo came out this week. Needless to say, I went nuts. I saw the "apparently" leaked red band one non-stop, started hyperventilating when it got removed, and am now seeing the green band (?) one in similar fashion. And can you blame me? It's fucking Fincher making a thriller! The first time I saw the first trailer, I sat down and watched the Swedish version of the film. It was good, but Fincher and Fincher alone can make it great. I am already predicting falling in love with Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig within the end of this year. So Freaking Excited!

2) This is a continuation of the previous stream of thought- Fincher is apparently directing Cleopatra with Angelina Jolie as the title character. Um... I just can't... can't imagine what it will be like, look like, anything like. I don't know how long this has been in the works, but I just read the IMDb page for the film, and another internet article about it, and my brain has fuzzed over. I had been predicting that Fincher will be making more female-oriented films and dramatic ones, though he is mostly a guy-director. Yes there was Aliens 3 and Panic Room, and Marla Singer and Daisy...but Fincher seems like a guy's-guy. I think Jolie will be fine, as a cousin of mine pointed out- she is part of the Fincher-Pitt family, but still I cannot fathom what the film will be like. I was a bit skeptical about The Social Network too originally, and see how that turned out. Here's hoping it will be just as great.

3) Hungover...again?- I saw Hangover 2 this week. It was good, but honestly the same thing as the first one with a lot more violence involved. Apparently there might be a third one...in Amsterdam. Lots of questions popped into my head after this- Will Alan get married now? Because that will be weird. What will Stu do with the Red Light District hookers of Amsterdam? What animal will they use? How seriously will Phil get injured? And most importantly..WHY, OH WHY WOULD THEY DO IT AGAIN?? Seriously no one is stupid enough to get fucked over 3 times, no matter how funny or insane! (I'll do a quick review soon, after watching X-Men probably.)

4) Sequels- Peter Jackson-directed The Hobbit, will now be divided into two parts. I'm fine with it, but it does make me think that Deathly Hallows might have started some sort of a trend now. Sad names though- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again. How does one compare something like Fellowship of the Ring to There and Back Again...it sounds like a Backstreet Boys song for crying out loud! Also a sequel that I have personally been waiting for is finally in works...or is it? Paramount has apparently set the release date of Star Trek 2 next year June...despite the fact that there is no script or director or actors. I thought Star Trek was brilliant, and as much as I want to see a sequel, I really don't want it to be crap due to limited time and rushed production.

ALSO-

Okay...personal thoughts over. How about yours?