"LOOK AT MY SHIT!"- FAVOURITE MOVIES OF 2013

      And finally, we have arrived to the ultimate "Best of 2013" list where I talk about 25 movies that have entertained, inspired and educated me from last year, which is why I love them so much.

Honourable mention:

The Day of the Doctor
I know this is technically a TV show but it was screened in 80 countries (not in mine but what's new about that) and it was almost movie length and well, it was awesome. I regret not writing a big post on it (I was too busy watching it again and again and again). To make an episode that not only pays tribute to the Doctor Who tradition but also paves a new path for the future, bringing together two of the most popular modern Doctors and one superb John Hurt as the War Doctor, giving us action, humour and heartbreak in equal amounts, and at the end of the day make it all about the children because it is a show for children- so many proper feature films are incapable of achieving that "The Day of the Doctor" does, and with such success.


25.

 Beautiful Creatures
Yes, I liked it more than probably everyone in the world. It just makes me happy to see two normal teenagers in love, even though one of them might technically be a witch or whatever. Plus, Emma Thompson and Emmy Rossum are a blast!

24.

 Ernest and Celestine
One of the most beautiful looking films of the year with such a special story about artists and true companionship at heart.

23.

 Pacific Rim
'Cuz it's fucking awesome.

22.

 Captain Phillips
The most thrilling movie of the year with a surprising debut and career-best work by an acting giant.

21.

 20 Feet from Stardom
Incredibly inspiring. When true talent doesn't get the due it deserves but people continue making art in spite of everything. Also, I wish I could sing! :'(

20.

Frozen

Yes, the singing thing again. Also, great to see Disney breaking away from its own tropes and embracing more human princesses while retaining all the splendour from its classic era. Hilarious, beautiful and in spite of the name, heartwarming.

19.

 Short Term 12
Such a delicate story told with such control and balance and insight. Short Term 12 was nothing like I had expected to be and it really blew me away. Excellent performances by everyone, from the adults to those amazing kids.

18.

The Bling Ring

"Only the shallow know themselves." People were put off by the hollowness of the teenagers depicted in the movie, but what we see is really what they are made off. One of the most biting portrayals of modern celebrity-obsessed culture but shown with such a patient, observant eye that we almost don't see the satire and get swept away by its exquisite look.

17.

Blue Jasmine

While this year has been full of figures who absolute greed has corrupted absolutely, none have been as tragic as Cate Blanchett's Jasmine. A perfect balance of comedy and drama, with fantastic performances by Blanchett and Sally Hawkins.

16.

 The World's End
Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost end their Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy with another genre-bending near-masterpiece about the dark effects of personal stagnation and alcoholism hidden under the facade of an apocalyptic comedy. I still have issues with its ending, but it honestly keeps getting better and better for me with every rewatch.

15.

 Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
I had intended to make a post on why YJHD is one of my favourite movies of the year but if I were to narrow it down to one reason only, it would be because it is the closest thing to a 90s Bollywood movie I have seen in years. No, it's not perfect but it's thoroughly enjoyable, has addictively fun songs and Ranbir "Sex Eyes" Kapoor has never been better.

14.

Nebraska
There is a sense of nostalgia that runs through Nebraska that really touched my heart. It could've been a really harsh comedy about the kind of people shown in the movie, but instead the film is incredibly human and gentle in the way it treats the chief characters.

13.

This is the End

Just so freaking hilarious. Did not see that coming at all. It is kind of a spoof but it transcends that with a properly sensible plot and what it does with it. Kudos to all the actors playing madder versions of themselves too. Just look at Cera! If looks could kill...

12.

 The Blue Umbrella
At one point during last year, I was convinced this will end up topping my year end list. I have a special place in my heart for Pixar shorts and this is one of their best. They take a simple idea and just make something extraordinary out of it. The path of true love for our little blue umbrella is not smooth and it has to get to its beloved, the red umbrella. All of this is shown in splendid animation.

11.

 Mud
A cross between a coming of age movie, a fairytale and a thriller, Mud moves with such an assured pace, interweaving these elements effortlessly. Of course none of this would have been possible without its perfect cast- Tye Sheridan, Matthew McConaughey and Jacob Lofland.

10.

 Blue is the Warmest Colour
My film studies professor said that he was disappointed by Blue because he felt it was too conventional. The only reason the story seems conventional because it has happened to most of us. The film captures the pleasures and pain of first love better than I have ever seen in this medium. Of course, the film's life resides in its two actresses, Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux, who are both stunningly good in it.

9.

 Spring Breakers
It is the most wildly original movie I saw in 2013. It has so much to say and so much to show that even trying to define it in any way seems pointless and kind of insulting to the grand scheme of Harmony Korine. Just take it all in and spring break forever, bitches.

8.

 Wadjda
I love simple stories that have something important to say. Wadjda, in a sentence, is about a girl in Saudi Arabia who wants to ride a bike. It is as uncomplicated and as profound as that.

7.

 Stoker
'Cuz it's so pretty! Yes, there is also disturbing stuff and "finding your true self" stuff and Matthew Goode's sexy stuff but ultimately, I adore Stoker because of the way it looks and sounds. Gorgeous.

6.

 The Lunchbox
Exactly what I said about Wadjda except this also has a romance angle to it and it has a superb cast of Indian character actors. It is the kind of movie Indian filmmakers should focus on making.

5.

Her

I occasionally suffer from movie-induced depression and I swear I went through that after watching Her. It is so lovely and so sad. As I read somewhere on Twitter, "it is both a timely and a timeless romance." This is the most perfect description of Her that I have seen. Also, the world that Spike Jonze has created in this film, along with the performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson- all of it just floored me.

4.

Gravity
Many people are scared that Gravity won't be as good when seen on small screen and I disagree because though we definitely don't get the total movie theatre effect, this film expands far beyond the idea of  "visually spectacular blockbuster". There is such heart in the movie and a very important theme about the strength of human spirit that can strive against all odds, and once you do see that, the film is revealed to be a cinematic treasure for doing the things it did and being so deceptively powerful.

3.

Frances Ha
It's one of those movies that I love because I can relate to it. No, I'm not 27 or a dancer and I don't live in New York either. However, the idea of being directionless and confused is something I know far too well. Again, it is not on the level of Frances, but I have my days, and she has become an almost role model in the sense that she she still manages to remain funny and charming throughout it. It is altogether a delightful movie that is full of unforgettable moments and one wonderful performance by Greta Gerwig.

2.

The Wolf of Wall Street

The most fun I have had in the theatres in the longest time. The film is outrageous, crazy, obscene, astonishing and I love every second of it. From the direction to the writing to all those brilliant actors, lead by Leo DiCaprio who surpassed all my expectations of him and then some in this movie, to the bleak truth that it confronts its audiences with, WoWS is basically amazeballs and I want to see it over and over again.

 1.

 Stories We Tell
There were moments in Sarah Polley's Stories We Tell where I just wondered about how awkward it must be for her to dig into her own past in this way. But then, the film reveals its main ploy and it becomes something more than a film about personal discovery- it becomes an exploration about memories and stories and how they are universal things that all human beings can relate to. But at the same time, the heart of the movie remains very much with these loving people in Polley's family and their feelings and thoughts. It is that balance that Polley manages, never losing the emotional gravity of these personal memories while also intellectually investigating this common human trait, that impressed me most about this film. It is one of the best films I have ever seen.

      And that's it. I hope you liked my choices. You can also check out my: 

1. Favourite Performances
2. Favourite Shots
3. Favourite Scenes
4. Favourite Everything Else including Characters, Villains, Objects, Ensembles, Accents and Quotes

     Now to move on to 2014. Anyone wants to make bets on whether or not The Lego Movie will remain in my top 10 of 2014? Too soon? :/

Motifs in Cinema 2013- "Coming of Age"

       I chose the motif of "Coming of Age" for Andrew’s Motifs in Cinema blogathon for a number of reasons: 1) It’s one of my favourite sub-genre of movies, in any year, 2) this year had a really interesting crop of these kind of movies, 3) the other motifs were harder and so on. The biggest reason why I chose it though is because, and I know how profoundly douchebag-y this is probably going to sound, I came of age in 2013. It wasn't after some major traumatic event in my life; it was a truly random moment, the kind I have had thousands of times before, and a thought suddenly came to my mind and I understood what it meant and that was it.

         Don't worry though, I have no intention of going all philosophical on you. I am not going to write about that thought because I feel it’s different for everyone, much like the movies that I have chosen.

      I have a list because I like lists :)

Honourable mentions: The Kings of Summer and The Way, Way Back, both of which were a lot of fun, but they were more stereotypically “coming of age” and I wanted to pick some more unusual films.

Stoker

There has been a lot said about the visuals, acting, Hitchcockian influences, Matthew Goode's oozing sexiness etc. in Park Chan-Wook's Stoker, but ultimately the movie is a "coming of age" tale where India Stoker, played to icy perfection by Mia Wasikowska, comes to a conclusion about her dangerous true self and how embracing it is the only way for her. The film opens with her whispery proclamation, "Just as a flower does not choose its colour, we are not responsible for what we have come to be. Only when you realise this do you become free. And to become adult is to become free." Though that may seem almost too in-your-face, the events that lead up to that declaration just validate it even more. One of the things that come with growing up is the understanding of who you are, which in India's case is *SPOILERS* that she's inherently a psychopathic murderer *END SPOILERS* but you know, at least she's happy being who she is. Right? :/

Mud

Immediately after I saw Jeff Nichols' Mud for the first time, one of my professors started her lectures on James Joyce's short story 'Araby'. It was impossible to read the latter without thinking about the former. Both of them are about young adolescent boys who have a romanticized notion of the world and then have to come to terms with reality. Tye Sheridan's Ellis is someone who has such faith in the idea of true love and how it never ends, even in the face of real danger, that the bitterest cynics cannot question his innocent belief. We all know that that moment is coming when his trust will be broken and when it does, it is nothing short of shattering: partly because of the script and the way it is handled, partly because of Sheridan's prodigious ability to show so much pain so sincerely, and partly because I think we have all felt that way at some point in our lives- when the fairytale ends and what is left is much stranger and sadder. It is a cruel realisation that is an element of growing up.

Spring Breakers

Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers is a great many things, one of which is the "coming of age" of our young heroines. The film starts with the starlets, who play college students, bored with their monotonous life, one which is shot in dull, hospital-like colours. They dream of an escape, the ultimate escape- spring break, and are ready to do anything for it. The spring break is in contrast painted with vivid hues, as though it is life itself for the girls, but of course it is not real. When they get arrested and subsequently "saved" by a gangster named Alien (James Franco's best performance to date), this limitless dream world comes to an end, even if all of them don't realise it. Two stay and two leave, but all of them are changed through their experiences. For Selena Gomez's Faith, the spring break reaffirms her, well, faith and for Rachel Corine's Cotty, it literally wounds her and she has to learn from her mistakes. As for Ashley Benson's Brittany and Vanessa Hudgens' Candy, though they proclaim their slogan "Spring break forever bitches" till the end, they have perhaps come the longest way, accepting their inner criminal, darker selves, much like India above. Spring break may well last forever, but do you stay the same person throughout it?

The To Do List

One of the reasons this is an odd year for films with the "coming of age" theme running through them is because they have focused more on girls. Usually, such movies are about a boy's journey into manhood and that is accompanied by sexual discoveries. In Maggie Carrey's The To Do List, these gender roles are reversed. The ambitious and determined Brandy Klark, played by Aubrey Plaza, wants to be completely sexually proficient before she starts college and so she makes a to-do list, full of various sexual acts and embarks upon achieving all of them during her summer break. Even though the film was uneven as hell, it tackled issues like virginity and female sexuality with a frankness that I have rarely seen before. Much of this is thanks to Plaza's natural deadpan style that is both funny and nonchalant. The "coming of age" element comes when amidst all her sex-capades, Brandy realises that while sex is important, there are more essential things in life that one cannot do without. Sexual maturity is almost always thought if in relation to actual maturity and it was refreshing to see a girl's handled so well.

Frances Ha

All the other movies in my list so far have revolved around teenage characters because ideally, that's when we are supposed to "come into our own" and "become the person we are supposed to be". Frances Ha however shows a 27 year old, "which IS old" as one of her roommates reminds her, as adrift in her life as she is when it comes to finding living arrangements. It was impossible not to connect with Frances, never more than when she says "I am not a real person yet." She is shown as almost regressing in her life in the movie, going from someone with a dream to someone who has to make-do with living in her old college. This is because she is constantly finding someone to hold on to since her previous anchor, her best friend Sophie, has moved on in her own life. Of course, Frances realises that the only person she really needs is herself and the film shows this subtly and beautifully. It is the kind of phase a lot of people go through, especially in this day and age when we are constantly told that anything can be achieved, but life, obviously, has other plans. The way by which we cope with this truth is what helps us to become the person we are supposed to be. 

The World’s End

In contrast to these "coming of age" movies, there are some which show the failure in crossing this threshold of maturity. 2013 gave us the king of all man-children- Gary King. Gary was the coolest guy in town when he was 17, and so he decided to stay that way forever, not realising how lonely that would make him once everyone else grows up. Deceptively sold as a comedy, The World's End is a bleak look at people like Gary, who are ultimately tragic in their inability to accept reality and themselves, giving in to things like alcohol in order to forget that. They hold on to the "good ol' days" and can manage to cause a lot of pain and hurt to themselves and those who care about them. Of course, the end of the movie and of Gary is more hopeful, but the portrayal and ideas are still sad and dark.

"I am not formed by things that are of myself alone."- FAVOURITE SCENES OF 2013

        They're finally here! My "best of 2013" lists are go! I begin with my favourite scenes/sequences of the movies that released in 2013. Last year I divided this list into a normal Best Scenes list and a Best Action Scenes list but this time, it's back to being one list. 

P.S.- There are a lot of endings that have made their way into this list so SPOILERS of course!

P.P.S.-I am going to say right from the start that 2013 was a fantastic year for movies and all my lists are actually very long and I am only highlighting a part of them, so please don't think that I don't appreciate the things that haven't made it into my lists.

Honourable mentions: The dance scene in The Heat, the Gos gets his ass kicked in Only God Forgives, "Let It Go" in Frozen.

10.

 Westray dies in The Counselor

One the whole, I found The Counselor to be dull and forgettable, except for one fantastically shot and freakishly creepy death scene towards the end. This mode of killing was described earlier in the movie and seeing it executed is both brutal and thrilling. Brad Pitt does excellent dying man acting too. Best death scene of the year :)

9.

Ryan gets detached in Gravity

This scene stood out the most for me on my first viewing of Gravity and it *almost* distracted me from the enjoying the rest of the movie because I was that floored by it. In one single take, the kind that the duo of Emmanuel Lubezki and Alfonso Cuaron have become famous for, we see Sandra Bullock's Ryan Stone spiraling into space and how the camera moves closer and closer to her until we start seeing from her perspective and then it moves back out again. It's absolutely gobsmacking, visually, thematically and emotionally. Bravo.

8.

Barrel of monkeys in Iron Man 3

Some time at the beginning of 2013, Iron Man 3 was my favourite movie of the year and this scene had contributed a lot to that (admittedly I had seen about 5 movies at that point). As fun as Jaegars and Kaijus fighting each other was, this is THE action sequence of the year in terms of pure action, thrill, innovation and just delight. We actually fear for those people's lives and it is amazing to see Iron Man save them in such a way, along with that hilarious twist at the end of it.

7.

The ending of Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips is a very tense movie that keeps you enthralled throughout, barely letting you catch a breather and it is the same way for the characters in it, especially Tom Hanks' Captain Phillips. We see all the hardships that he goes through, protecting his ship from the Somali pirates and then being kidnapped by them, and how he still remains stable and calm. We almost wonder at his resilience to these incredible events, but then, right at the end, he lets go. And its shattering. I dare you to watch that scene without crying.

6.

Going to The World's End in The World's End

Gary King and his two musketeers come face-to-face with the Network at the last bar of their epic bar crawl and the one-liners that are unleashed have to be seen/heard to be believed.

It is the ultimate scene about defiance. Beatiful.

"Go back to Legoland, you cunts!"

5.

Frances' speech in Frances Ha

I was tempted to put the awesome dance-y run across New York streets set to David Bowie's "Modern Love" here, but I was left with my mouth hanging open and my heart completely gone when Greta Gerwig's Frances explains to some people at a dinner party what she wants in life. 

"It's that thing when you're with someone and you love them and they know it, and they love you and you know it, but it’s a party! And you're both talking to other people and you're laughing and shining and you look across the room and catch each other's eyes. But not because you’re possessive or it's precisely sexual but because that is your person in this life. And it's funny and sad but only because this life will end. And it's this secret world that exists right there in public unnoticed that no one knows about. It’s sort of like how they say that other dimensions exist all around us, but we don't have the ability to perceive them. That’s what I want out of a relationship or just life, I guess."

When movies manage to explain something that you know to be true but have never articulated, it's just the best thing ever. I cried.

4.

The ending of This is the End

I am not going to write about it in case someone who has not watched the movie is reading this post. All I am going to say is that I was ASTONISHED, SHOCKED, SURPRISED, FUCKING MINDBLOWN at it. Never expected it in a million years and god, it was heavenly ;-) 

3.

The piano duet in Stoker

Holy moly, I have never been aroused more in a scene that doesn't involve Ryan Gosling, ever. It's sinister and sexy. The chemistry between Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Goode is fantastic. The fact that nothing happens makes it even more eroticised. Musical notes and sexual tension heightening together to reach a crescendo, oh my!

2.

Lemmons in The Wolf of Wall Street

I am taking into account the full sequence from the Country Club to Jordan saving Donnie's life because I can. Everything, from the way Leonardo DiCaprio distorts his face when the lemmons trip starts, to the way he crawls, to the never ending steps in the Country Club, to the opening of the car door, to him screaming nonsense on the phone, to him fighting Jonah Hill's equally tripped out Donnie, to Donnie stuffing his face with salami because why not, to the juxtaposition of Popeye eating his spinach and Jordan snorting his coke- it is all part of the funniest sequence of the whole year. It's crazy and unbelievable and rip-roaringly hilarious and man, Leo is officially the modern master of physical comedy. I can't imagine the state of the set on the days this whole sequence was shot.

1.

"Everytime" in Spring Breakers

Even a doped out Leonardo DiCaprio opening his Lamborghini with his legs cannot trump this scene in terms of what-the-fuck-ness. As funny as this scene is, what with James Franco's Alien showing his sensitive side by playing and singing "Everytime" by Britney Spears, "one of the greatest singers of all time, an angel if there ever was on this earth," on his white grand piano while the sun sets to inspire a trio of girls in leopard-print monokinis and pink ski masks to go rob spring breakers followed by the actual, rather violent robbing, it simultaneously subverts and pays an ode to pop culture, which is what I love about it the most. Think 20-30 years ago, such a scene would have been set to classical music and it would have been big men carrying out these armed robberies. But the world is changing and pop culture is changing and the American dream is changing and the scene captures all that, amidst some of the most beautiful cinematography of the year. It is monumental.

HELLO OSCAR NOMS!

           Yes, I know that the Oscar nominations are almost upon us, but it's a blog tradition and it brings me joy. I will list all of my choices for the Oscars in the Film, Director, Acting and Screenplay categories. I still haven't seen Nebraska, Inside Llewyn Davis, Philomania, Fruitvale Station and All is Lost which I think are the only other possible Oscar contenders.


Best Film: I'm going to go with 6 nominations though we don't know how many there will be. 

Mine- 1) Gravity
2) Frances Ha
3) The Wolf of Wall Street
4) Her
5) Stoker
6) Spring Breakers

Special wish that has no chance- Not that 50% of my list has any chance, but still, I wish foreign films like The Lunchbox, Wadjda or Blue is the Warmest Colour (which should really, really get consideration) were included.

Theirs- 12 Years A Slave, American fucking Hustle, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club and Nebraska will make it in. From my list, Frances Ha, Stoker and Spring Breakers probably won't get any nominations, *especially* not here. If the Oscar voters are really impressed, also watch out for Lee Daniels' The Butler, Inside Llewyn Davis, Rush and Philomania.

Winner- It's between 12 Years A Slave and Gravity. If American Hustle wins this, I will probably punch a hole through my TV.


Best Director: I think there's going to be a split between Best Film and Best Director this year too.

Mine- 1) Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
2) Edgar Wright, The World's End
3) Harmony Korine, Spring Breakers
4) Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
5) Martin Scorsese, WoWS

Special wish that has no chance- The daring that took to make Wadjda, Haifaa Al-Mansour should definitely get some award.
Theirs- Steve McQueen for 12 Years A Slave, which is fair even though I have liked his other work much more. The adorable Spike Jonze might make it in with Her and David O' Russell is apparently the new Oscar favourite so yeah, him. The Oscars also love the Coen brothers so I won't be surprised if they are nominated for Inside Llewyn Davis.

Winner- Cuarón. It really is a no-brainer.


Best Actress: This can see a repeat of last year's Best Supporting Actor category with all past winners being nominated.

Mine- 1) Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha
2) Adèle Exarchopoulos, Blue is the Warmest Colour
3) Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
4) Sandra Bullock, Gravity
5) Brie Larson, Short Term 12

Special wish that has no chance- Scarlett Johansson for Her. It's kind of like Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. Her presence permeates through the whole film, and to do that with just your voice is amazing.

Theirs- Amy Adams will become a 5-time Oscar nominee with her role in AH. Then there are the British greats, Emma Thompson for Saving Mr. Banks and Dame Judy Dench for Philomania. It's the Oscars so a Mery Streep nomination is never shocking. My poor Greta and Adèle and Brie have no chance in hell.

Winner- "'Blue Moon' was playing- you know the song, 'Blue Moon'..." Queen Cate is in it to win it.


Best Actor: I thank Stevee Taylor for reminding me who should get nominated.

Mine- 1) Leonardo DiCaprio, WoWS
2) Leonardo DiCaprio, WoWS
3) Leonardo DiCaprio, WoWS
4) Leonardo DiCaprio, WoWS
5) Leonardo DiCaprio, WoWS

Special wish that has no chance- If this was the actual line-up, Leo would win! Anyways, I spoke about how Tye Sheridan and Simon Pegg deserved to be in that category.

Theirs- The real travesty is that Leo might not even be nominated, at which point I will start a week-long marathon of crying and cursing. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT, ACADEMY?! They will definitely nominate Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years A Slave, Tam Honks for Captain Phillips, Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club, Bruce Dern for Nebraska and the maybes for that fifth spot (GIVE IT TO LEO, YOU BITCHES!) include Robert Redford for All is Lost, Michael B. Jordan for Fruitvale Station, Forest Whitaker for The Butler, the beautiful Joaquin Phoenix for Her and Oscar Isaac for Inside Llewyn Davis.

Winner- If it was me, there is *only* one winner. But in case said winner doesn't get nominated because there are a lot of idiots in the world, I would really like to see Tam Honks win.


Best Supporting Actress: For once, I don't want to see JLaw get anything.

Mine- 1) Scarlett Johansson, Don Jon
2) Shailene Woodley, The Spectacular Now
3) Lea Seydoux, Blue is the Warmest Colour
4) Emma Watson, The Bling Ring
5) Sarah Paulson, 12 Years A Slave

Special wish that has no chance- What I said at the beginning of this category.

Theirs- Pretty certain no one from my list will make it in. Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years A Slave is loved by most people. Apparently June Squibb is fantastic in Nebraska so her. Julia Roberts in August: Osage County who just missed my list. Oprah with her Oprahness might make it in for The Butler. And finally, Sally Hawkins, who really was lovely in Blue Jasmine.

Winner- Though I liked Paulson more, Lupita is a stunning woman and that Oscar will look very nice with her.


Best Supporting Actor: *the forgotten category* I forgot to include this the first time I published this post. Guess that means something.

Mine- 1) James Franco, Spring Breakers
2) Jonah Hill, WoWS/ This is the End
3) Matthew Goode, Stoker
4) Jake Gyllenhaal, Prisoners
5) Matthew McConaughey, WoWS/ Mud

Special wish that has no chance- Hiddles as Loki? Pwease.

Theirs- I don't think my list will make it in at all. As I said, I've lost interest in this category. Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club is a sure-shot. John Gandolfini for Enough Said, Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips, Fassy for 12 Years A Slave, Daniel Bruhl for Rush and Bradley Coooper for AH all seem like good bets. They are *all* very good, but come on, ALIEN!!!!!

Winner- Leto. Shoulda been Franco.


Best Original Screenplay: I never finished reading any of these so guesses abound.

Mine- 1) Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig, Frances Ha
2) Jonás Cuarón and Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity
3) Spike Jonze, Her
4) Woody Allen, Blue Jasmine
5) Nicole Holofcener, Enough Said

Special wish that has no chance- I'm going to go with The World's End, 'cuz it's hilarious, badass and deeply affecting.

Theirs- Again, the Coen brothers are a big favourite, and so is Alexander Payne for his work in Nebraska. American Hustle might make it in here so boooo. I do think that all my picks do have some chance so let's keep hoping.

Winner- Possibly Jonze. Which is awesome because he's like cute but looks hot in a suit and seeing him win will be nice.


Best Adapted Screenplay: I've read The Great Gatsby. That's it.

Mine- 1) Terence Winter, WoWS
2) Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater, Before Midnight
3) Abdellatif Kechiche and Ghalia Lacroix, Blue is the Warmest Colour
4) Tracy Letts, August: Osage County
5) Sofia Coppola, The Bling Ring

Special wish that has no chance- Does Much Ado About Nothing count? If it does, then Joss Whedon! Please!

Theirs- 12 Years A Slave and Captain Phillips will definitely be in there. 

Winner- I really want WoWS to win this- "I WILL NOT DIE SOBER!"


Special mention: Best Costume Design- I have v.v.v.v. strong feelings about this category this year so here it goes.

Mine- 1) Stoker
2) Laurence Anyways
3) Spring Breakers
4) The Bling Ring
5) Blue Jasmine/ Frances Ha/ WoWS

Theirs- 12 Years A Slave, which I'm okay with, and a whole lot of other movies with period settings. I really wish they would consider contemporary movies in this category. Sure Stoker or Spring Breakers don't have the extravagance of the clothes in The Great Gatsby, but the clothes are actually a big part of the movie, both aesthetically and symbolically. Both The Bling Ring and Blue Jasmine costumes speak about the lifestyle of the people in the movie more than "oh they wore this because everyone else at the time wore it". Frances's clothes reflect the way she matures. Laurence Anyways is brighter and flashier than all the American Hustles in the world and again, the clothes mean something. And whoever put Leo in that blue suit in WoWS just needs all the awards.


      So um, that's it! Let's wait and watch how the Oscars step over and crush all my hopes and dreams.

Making a Case for Comedy

         Stevee Taylor's "Making a Case for" Blogathon has returned, asking us to champion those underrated gems in 2013 films that will have a hard time getting the awards attention they deserve. For my first post, I am going to talk about those actors or films I feel deserve to be considered for at least the Best Comedy/Musical section at the Golden Globes (since the Oscars have no such category because they are all serious old bores over there).

        I am, for one, constantly in awe of the power of comedy and also how easily comedic performances and movies are dismissed by people. One of my most favourite wins of all time has to be The Hangover winning Best Film- Comedy/Musical at the 2010 Golden Globes. Sure, the film spawned two totally unnecessary and annoying sequels, but the original is still one of the funniest films I have ever seen and was completely worthy of the mantle given to it.

        This year, I think there are a couple of performances and movies that I genuinely hope make the cut and here's my case for them-

Emma Watson in The Bling Ring

Quite possibly my favourite purely comic performance of the year. Watson is fabulous as Nicki Moore, the most shallow, spoilt and attention-hungry member of the group of teenagers who went around robbing celebrity houses in order to feel like one. I have a soft spot for actors who immerse themselves into ostentatiously ridiculous roles (see also: Scarlett Johansson in Don Jon and James Franco in Spring Breakers), and Watson is just fantastic playing the ditzy and bimbo-accented Nicki and makes her hilarious in everything she says or does.

Simon Pegg in The World's End

I would rally for a Best Actor Oscar nomination if it would have been a less competitive year. For now, I would love for Mr. Pegg to get recognised at least by the Globes for the truly magnificent job he did with Gary King. It's not easy being as unlikeable a person as King and still make him cool and funny. He's loud and crazy but also lets us see the cracks in the whole persona of Gary King. It is a bloody brilliant performance and it would be the bestest thing ever if he can get some or any awards attention for it. I swear, if he were a bigger star or the film wasn't a comedy per se, he would be getting more recognition.

This is the End and The World's End

2013 has been a good year for apocalyptic movies and none were better than these two comedies that both dealt with the end of days.

This is the End is flat-out the funniest movie I have seen all year. Though the premise sounds insane- a bunch of celebrities stuck in James Franco's house as the apocalypse hits the world, directors Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg totally pull it off. We have actors like Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Jay Baruchel, Emma Watson (again!) and so on parodying themselves and there is talk of Judgement Day and demons and there are drugs and an exorcism and a Milky Bar and cannibalism and home movies but it is all freaking hilarious! And then there's the ending which deserves an award all on its own. It was one of the most pleasantly (and by that I mean I was crying out of laughter) surprising movie experiences of my year, and I think a lot of people feel the same way, and therefore it would be great to see an actual super humorous film to get the Best Film- Comedy/Musical award. I would also love to see it get a Best Ensemble nomination at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Coming to The World's End, while it is not as funny as This is the End, I do think it is a smarter film with a lot of important themes that have been moulded incredibly well with all the comedic elements. As I wrote in my review, while on the surface it is a film about getting drunk with old buddies and alien invasions, it is actually about things like nostalgia, acceptance and alcoholism, and only a genius like Edgar Wright could show all that with so much hilarity. Plus, it would be great to see one of the most original trilogies of our time, The Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, get rewarded in some way. Because of the amalgamation of its complex ideas, Simon Pegg's performance, all the supporting actors, the amazing action sequences and most importantly in this case, the laughs, I think The World's End is totally deserving of a Best Film- Comedy/Musical nomination.

       More posts coming up. What did you think? Do you agree or disagree with my choices? Why aren't comedies given much awards attention? Please comment below.

"How can you tell if you're drunk if you're never sober?"

       2013 has been an odd sort of year. I feel that the only reason that I haven't been completely blown away by most movies was because of my own expectations. I remember noticing sometime towards the end of last year how my most anticipated films of the year were mostly sequels. My top 3 ended up being Star Trek Into Darkness (fun if forgettable), Before Midnight (ummm) and topping the list was Edgar Wright's final installment in his Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, The World's End. I think I managed to lower my expectations for the latter, albeit being super duper excited everytime I read its name anywhere, but now that I have watched it, I kind of feel perplexed by it. Here's my review:

          The World's End follows five childhood friends, headed by their leader, their "king", Gary King- a reckless young man who plans an epic pub crawl with his friends in their town, Newton Haven. They were to visit twelve pubs in one night, starting with The First Post and ending with the one and only, The World's End. Unable to finish "the Golden Mile" as teenagers, a still very immature King decides to end what they started and reunites with his much grown-up friends twenty years later and they return to Newton Haven. However, they soon find out that something very fishy is going on in their old town and getting drunk and getting annihilated might not be the same thing after all.

         With Edgar Wright movies, the basic plot itself is not very important. He bends and moulds genres almost effortlessly. In Shaun of the Dead, we got a action-horror-comedy with a heart. In Hot Fuzz, he took every buddy cop movie ever made and transformed it into an uproariously funny look at country life. Scott Pilgrim vs the World painted the world of a guy incapable of dealing with relationships and adult problems with the bright colours of comic books and video games. Similarly, The World's End may just appear to be a film about people getting drunk and fighting an alien invasion, but it is really about a man who has refused to grow out of his teenage self's idea of cool and fun and is stuck in life while all of his friends have moved on and left him alone. It is also about friendship and closure, till both the bitter end and the lager end.

          The film, like the first two installments of the trilogy, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, was written by Wright and Simon Pegg, and stars Pegg and Nick Frost (BEST ONSCREEN COUPLE EVER) as its leads. As expected, one of my most favourite things about the movie ended up being its writing. One-liners after one-liners, it was very hard to stop grinning or straight out laughing throughout most of the movie. For instance, "smashy smashy egg men" has to be one of the funniest things I have ever heard. But quite surprisingly, The World's End also had a poignancy to it that I was not expecting. Yes, the first two movies also have a human and emotional arc at their centres too, but this was so much more mature and affecting. Dealing with themes such as nostalgia, denial, the mundanity of life and even the attempts of the corporate world to control and conform everything and everyone, I can see my twelve-year old brother not enjoying it as much as he does Hot Fuzz, but that's not really a disadvantage. Far from it, actually. It is much more grown up film dealing with grown up things but in spectacular Wright-fashion. I even found myself, for the first time in an Edgar Wright movie, tearing up during one of the scenes, and not because of laughter. And this is linked with my other most favourite, and most pleasantly surprising, aspect of the film- Simon Pegg's performance.

         As much as I love Shaun and Sergeant Nicholas Angel, King ends up being Pegg's crowning glory, as it were, in the trilogy. He is the kind of character that first we feel sorry for being stuck in a rut for twenty years, but who later on rebukes us for our pity. I mean, he's Gary Fucking King and he's not having any of our shit! Impulsive, inappropriate, rude, sad, hilarious and oddly heroic, Pegg plays him with a sort of gusto that I haven't seen in a while. His manic movements are mixed with a strange sort of sadness of a man who never grew up to his ideal self, the king he had always imagined himself to be. It really is a wonderfully complex comic performance that is only elevated with his natural chemistry with Frost, who himself ends up being quite the convincing action hero of the film.

           There are other things to appreciate in this film too. The rest of the "Five Musketeers" consist of Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Eddie Marsan and they are all also very funny, and Marsan is just adorable. Other actors like Rosamund Pike and the second James Bond to appear in this trilogy, Pierce Brosnan are slightly wasted, but it is nice to see them all the same. The direction of course is top-notch. Wright has a gift of constructing elaborate fighting sequences, full of gags and with amazing editing, and all the fights in The World's End are no different. Added to that are all the pop cultural allusions to body-invasion films and also to his own films, as Wright has managed to create a look and feel for his films that is completely unique and instantly recognisable. And I do have a soft spot for filmmakers who do that.

         Throughout most of the running time of the film, I was completely enthralled. The tempo picks up considerably in the last act of the film with loads of fights and one awesome, side-splitting exchange in The World's End. I will say that at least in the first viewing, I got a sense of The World's End not being as flawlessly put together as the rest of Wright's movies, but I was so impressed with the themes that were being shown here, along with Pegg's acting of course, that I was totally enjoying myself. I really thought that maybe I won't be disappointed after all, just as I had hoped and prayed. And then it ended in the worst way possible.

         T.S. Eliot's "The Hollow Men" ends with a frequently quoted line- "This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper." There is a part of me that cannot help but associate it with The World's End. And it's not just that the ending almost managed to ruin the film completely, but also that that is the ultimate ending of what could have been my favourite trilogy of all time. I cannot forgive that ending- it was just so awful.

        Still, in retrospect, the pros outweigh the cons by a huge margin and I am quite pleased with The World's End, though not as enamoured as I had hoped to be. I can fully see myself falling more and more in love with the film in the future (minus the ending obviously), now that there are no more expectations to be met. Wright's movies are full of little details which is what makes them so rewatchable and I don't doubt that he and Pegg must have hidden a number of slices of fried gold in The World's End too. Why, even when I was coming up with my oh so scholarly comparison to "The Hollow Men", I noticed how the blanks in the film are sort of hollow men, and so are the human characters in a way, and was that Wright's intention all along? Also that this might be the movie in the trilogy that I feel people will connect to the most on an emotional level because it deals with one's expectations of themselves and reality being otherwise and choosing to accept that or not.

         I don't know if the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy, a name that has stuck after a brilliant joke made by Wright based on Kieslowski's Three Colours Trilogy, will end up being my favourite trilogy of all time, but I kind of want to go with Gary King's proclamation at the end about how imperfection is better than something cold and perfect and The World's End might just be that. I mean, we will always have the disableds.