The Leading actor choice this year was easy, whilst I remain ambivalent about the film few could deny the power and commitment in the lead performance, indeed it should have won the Oscar last year (and yes I did see Jeff's work). Maybe they'll make up for it this year.
1. Colin Firth as George Falconer in A Single Man. I expect you guessed it from the intro. Colin gives one of the most convincing portrayals of grief in screen history, using the British stiff upper lip and the homophobic worldview as excuses to hide his emotions they are there and leak out in poignant and realistic ways throughout the movie. 
2. Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerman in The Social Network. In the race to heap laurels on The Social Network by American critics it's surprising that more kudos hasn't been given to Eisenberg's central role. Taking on such a infamous character must have been a daunting task for the 27 year old but he manages to capture the essence of a man who needed to create Facebook.
3. Leonardo DiCaprio as Teddy Daniels in Shutter Island. Leo had two opportunities this year to present characters obsessed with their ex-wives in movies that aren't all they first appear to be. It's the sweaty claustrophobia of his role in Shutter Island that works the best for me, and the final line delivered to Mark Ruffalo on the steps of the Asylum is delivered perfectly.
4. George Clooney as Ryan Bingham in Up in the Air. I think many people wrote off this performance as George Clooney playing himself. But ask yourself this: could any other actor carry off this blend of self assurance and disguised contempt for his life over this sort of character arc?
5. Alden Ehrenreich as Bennie in Tetro. From the moment Ehrenreich appears in his ill-fitting naval uniform you know that here is a star in the making. He carries the film rising above the petty squabbling of his family and slowly realising the truth about his brother.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
2010 in Review: Best Actor
Monday, 3 January 2011
2010 in Review - Best Supporting Actress
Of the categories this will, I expect, bring the most comments. Last year when I excluded a particular performance (because it hadn't come out yet) I got a number of comments asking me why. This year I have seen that performance and she wasn't my favourite - can't wait to hear what you have to say.
1. Vera Farmiga as Alex Goran in Up in the Air. Vera walks a tightrope in Jason Reitman's corporate satire, projecting an yearning behind the held together exterior and her final scene on the telephone shows an awareness of the characters strengths and weaknesses few others have matched.
2. Olivia Williams as Ruth Lang in The Ghost. There's a cat-like intensity to the role as portrayed by Olivia Williams, alternately preening over her husband an purring to induce sympathy from Ewan MacGregor's hapless ghost writer. When the final act reveal comes about you can see the tension in every movement. 
3. Mo'Nique as Mary in Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire. She's the villain of the year, certainly, a performance that over powers the film with dread and menace as well as a knock out monologue explaining her own private fears at the end. 
4. Julianne Moore as Charley in A Single Man. It's wildly over the top, but I think that's what makes Moore's Charley so likeable, a prototype fag-hag unable to break away from her reliance on Colin Firth's George and gripped by an unbreakable desire to win him back.
5. Marion Cotillard as Mal in Inception. It's hard to imagine a year when Marion fails to achieve a nod from me for her performances. Given she's purely a construct of Leonardo DiCaprio's fevered mind she manages to give the most consistent performance in the film, always deadly. I really want to see her as a proper femme fatale.
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
A Single Man
2009. Dir: Tom Ford. Starring: Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Matthew Goode, Nicolas Hoult and Jon Kortajarena. ●●●●○
I am not a student of film. Like the proverbial boor I know nothing about art, but I know what I like. Indeed it is the way a movie stirs me or causes me to think about the situations of the characters that I most like about films, and that guarantees a positive review. It is with that in mind when I say A Single Man left me cold. I appreciate it's a well made movie, stylistically and thematically stimulating but for me it comes across as an exercise in great film techniques and not as a great film.
The film follows Professor George Falconer (Colin Firth, giving an excellent low key performance) during a seemingly ordinary day. He has breakfast, goes to work, visits his bank and has dinner with his closest friend Charley (Julianne Moore). As the day progresses we become increasingly aware that Falconer intends this day to be his last, he plans to end his life because it is now empty, because his one love (Matthew Goode in flashbacks) has died and he cannot see a way forward without him; "Getting up hurts" without Jim in his life.
Luckily for director Tom Ford Firth rises to the challenge in the role. The wistful way he touches his lips in the opening scene, remembering Jim kiss is painfully real. Another stand-out is the moment when he hears of Jim's death in flashback and slowly sinks into himself. First is able to convey not only the horror of losing a loved one but also the betrayal he feels for it happening elsewhere, where he cannot attend the funeral and start to build a new life. Finally the indignation that his best friend still doesn't understand the importance of his relationship and the cry against "substitute" is a feeling I believe many of us know only too well.
Not only does the camera track Falconer, but it often reflects his state of mind, the cinematography appearing muted and fuzzy during most of the time, with occasional bursts of colour and definition co-inciding with occasions when his senses are heightened. Whilst this could be heightened by a smell or a gesture or, as often as not, by sexual arousal. The camera also focused on little details, eyes, lips in extreme close-up daring us to look for the telling details that show the characters true moods.
Not that we ever really get the chance. As this is essentially Falconer's movie all the other characters are defined purely in terms of their relationship to him, and whilst we have a clear idea of Falconer and his motives the remainder of the cast are more iffy. This does work well - if we take Nicolas Hoult's enigmatic student as en example during the number of scenes he shares with Falconer we understand clearly that the professor is curious about the boy and is stifling feelings towards him by Hoult's actions could equally be defined as callously observant or sexually precocious.
The design is generally light on detail as befits a work about grief, and naturally the costumes are all utterly gorgeous.
On the negative side I suppose I was not taken in by the central conceit. It seemed to me that Falconer was crying out in every conversation that he had that this was his last day on earth and that he wanted someone to stop that. This therefore removed the dramatic tension for me, and whilst the last minute was surprising, the five minutes beforehand were pretty well telegraphed in the movie.
There was also something self-consciously arty about the whole enterprise, the same camera tricks I spoke of earlier with the changing focuses and extreme close-ups seemed to be a case of shoving in too much style. But as I said at the beginning, I'm no artist.
Overall a very well made film, if one that I would struggle to recommend to see.
Friday, 12 February 2010
Out This Week (12/02/10)
It's an extremely busy week with 12 different titles competing for audiences, including 2 animations, 2 big budget action adventures, an all-star romantic hyperlink picture and this weeks film of the week: A Single Man
Anonyma: A Woman in Berlin
Hailed as a major turning point in World War 2 cinema, Anonyma looks at the occupation of Berlin following it's fall to the Russian Army, and the sacrifices and concessions a group of women had to make.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Battle for Terra
Looking suspiciously similar in plot to James Cameron's Avatar (humans conquering defenceless peace loving planet) this computer generated animation plays to a much younger audience and probably is less defensive about it's parallels to modern society. Cast includes supporting turns from Brian Cox and James Garner.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Beyond the Pole
Big screen adaptation of the cult British radio serial about the first organic, carbon-neutral expedition to the North Pole. The trailer looks hilarious, with some high class UK comic actors in the main roles. Worth going beyond the multiplex for.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
My Name is Khan
Bollywood superstar Sharukh Khan has been going all out to publicise his latest project, including interviews with Empire Magazine and on the massively popular Jonathan Ross show. Whether this will translate to a bigger audience will yet to be seen, but the trailer which highlights the personal journey a Muslim man makes to speak with the President following 9/11 looks like it has potential.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The lightning Thief
The first of 2 Greek themed adventure movies for 2010 (Clash of the Titans is coming in April) this one transplants the Greek legends to a 21st century setting with the teenage son of Poseidon rescuing the lightning bolt stolen from Sean Bean's Zeus. All very silly. Catherine Keener (Who should know better) and Uma Thurman take on supporting roles.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Ponyo
Ponyo on the cliff by the sea (to give it the full title) may not be getting the raves that director Hayao Miyazaki is used to but the animation is still divine and the story will entrance everyone who sees it. The English language cast includes a galaxy of big names such as Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Liam Neeson, Lily Tomlin and Cloris Leachman.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
A Single Man
Finally bringing Colin Firth the awards attention he has deserved since his harrowing turn in the BBC film "Tumbledown" back in 1988. Firth excels as the gay university professor who has resolved to commit suicide but calmly lives his last day as normally as possible. Julianne Moore also has a plum role as his boozy neighbour.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●●○○
Sukhmani
Finding anything about this Bollywood drama is really difficult. It was filmed in the Sabathu Army camp and concerns a family dealing with everyday issues against a backdrop of army life. The only trailers I've seen are song listing which doesn't sell it to me.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Takeshis'
It's taken nearly 5 years for Takeshi Kitano's surreal neo-noir to hit UK cinemas, which is odd as he's pretty much a known entity with a serious committed following. The film starts with a meeting between actor Beat Takeshi (himself) and his doppelganger (also Takeshi) and then slowly segues into masses of violence. Business as usual, then.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Valentine's Day
Big confession here. I know I have A Single Man as my film of the week, and I suspect Ponyo will be a much better second choice, but this is the film that I plan to see over the weekend. It's got an all star cast who all fall in love. What could be more wonderful than that?
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Winter in Wartime
The second World War 2 film of the week - it never ceases to produce new storylines - revolves around a small boy in the Netherlands finding out his family are involved in the resistance and assisting an injured British soldier. Similar to a reverse Whistle Down the Wind.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
The Wolfman
There was a point when there were very high hopes for this Universal monster remake, but with Joe Johnston in the director's chair we should have known better. Still it should be the number one box office hit of this weekend. Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro play the world's least likely father son pairing and Emily Blunt gets to wear period dresses again.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Tuesday Trailers - Oscar special
Like most film fans I am influenced by other fans and by the industry. There are a selection of websites and blogs that I look to for advice about what films to see next. Occasionally that means that films I wouldn't normally go to see move up in my plans. At no time of the year is that more prevalent than in the months before the Academy Awards. During this period the films which are being touted as potential nominees will still a dormant interest that may just steer me to the cinema another time. These following four films have all come to my attention as part of that buzz.
Precious, Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Director Lee Daniels, along with stars Gabourey Sibide and Mo'Nique are reaping lots of precurser attention with this bleak looking poverty drama. (Not bad for a collaboration between the director of Shadowboxer and the star of Phat Girlz). It's released on 29 January 2010.
A Single Man
Tom Ford turns from the fashion world to Hollywood to make the equistitely crafted A Single Man, based on the Christopher Isherwood novel. The trailer is enigmatic and gorgeous to look at - I hope the rest of the film lives up to that. See it on 12 February 2010.
Crazy Heart
It's not all about the performances, but if this is the film that Jeff Bridges finally wins an Oscar for then it's got to be worth seeing. On 19 February 2010 to be exact.
The Last Station
Tolstoy famously died in a train station, which I should imagine gives away the ending of this star-studed biopic about the writer and the ultimate fate of the rights to his novels. It can be seen on 19 February 2010.
