Like most self-obsessed actors I dream of one day being accepted by the industry as one of their own, and eventually being invited to join the Academy. (I know, I know, but I can dream). Part of that dream would mean having my own ballot, my opportunity to give my opinion of the best performances and best films of the year.
Well, until AMPAS notice me I guess the only place I can say what I think is right here. So, starting today (and for the next 5 days) I'll give you my votes. Of course they won't follow the Academy rules - I'm using the films I've seen and not just the ones eligible for this years which means 15 of the actual nominees from last year have the opportnity to appear on my ballot.
Like the voters I don't have to explain myself, however I will give a sentence or two to explain my choice. Feel free to argue in the comments.
1. Marion Cotillard - Nine. Marion has proved in both her films this year that she is a singular talent. She really gets to show off her range both vocally and performance wise in Nine, and the way she responds to the audition tapes is jaw-droppingly real.
2. Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Last years Oscar winner comes a very close second for me. Technically the third (or maybe even the fourth) billed actress she is a force everyone talks about and responds to, so much so that the film wilts without her.
3. Melanie Lynskey - Away We Go. Like most of the characters in Sam Mendes' latest film Lynskey only gets a short time to make an impact, but in her scenes as she gradually gets drunker we see the happy facade seep away to reveal the emptiness inside. Witness the pole dance and tell me you don't know everything about how she feels.
4. Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler. Continuing the theme of pole dancing, Tomei hits her usual high marks as a stripper confronting her own limits. Rourke may have taken most of the applause, but without Tomei backing him up we wouldn't have cared for his character.
5. Blanca Portillo - Broken Embraces. The character drifts between guarded sarcasm and over-zealous confessionals which in lesser hands could have been seen as terribly inconsistent. However Portillo shows the tension inside of her in every scene.
Sunday, 27 December 2009
2009 in Review - Best Supporting Actress
Thursday, 3 September 2009
Broken Embraces
2009. Dir: Pedro Almodóvar. Starring: Penélope Cruz, Lluís Homar, Blanca Portillo, José Luis Gómez and Tamar Novas. ●●●●○
During August I went to the cinema twice, both times to my local independent cinema, both times to see auteur films from directors whose work I love, and both times the film was about the power of film, and how it could be used as a tool for revenge. Last week I railed about the lack of humanity in Tarantino's effort which, for me, was the rotten core in his film. This week Almodovar has proven that cinema is about redemption and love. Far closer to my thinking.
Los abrazos rotos (Broken Embraces) opens with the blind screen writer Harry Caine (Homar, superb) seducing a good samaritan. It's a funny and tounching scene - Caine is no adonis but his charisma overpowers the girl - with lots of passion. There isn't however a touch of romance, she quickly showers and leaves, he's back to work before she's finished. This act of love-making was perfunctory and purely a release.
During the aftermath the other modern day characters appear. Caine's agent (Portillo) and her son, his assistant, Diego (Novas). As these three establish their routines we are also treated to flashbacks of Cruz becoming the mistress of ruthless millionaire (Martel), who in the present time has recently died.
Ray X (Rubén Ochandiano), a mysterious first time director, comes to Caine to ask him to aid with writing a screenplay about a son taking revenge on his father. It is from this encounter and a somewhat ham-fisted accident for Diego, that Caine explains how the two stories we have seen are connected.
Ultimately Caine used to be the film director Mateo Blanco, whos last film starred Cruz. They met on set, fell in love (proper love with real sex and much touching after) and eloped when the filming was over. A car accident later took her life and his eyes.
I'm not sure the early flashbacks work, and would question whether we need to know Cruz only got into the relationship with Martel to save her father. The framing of Diego's accident to bring us back to the early 90's is ham-fisted but it would have been much more satisfactory if we had only seen Cruz in fragments of photo's and had no understanding of the characters prior to this.
All of the performances are superb, with the exception of Ochandiano who appears to be channelling Little Britain in the flashback scenes, but I'd expecially like to highlight the work of Blanco Portillo. She has a couple of scenes where she's basically relaying the plot to anyone not paying enough attention, as well as adding in some extra snippets of information. It's a relatively thankless task but she does it so well, balancing the humour and the depth of the moment. She also is able to show a massiv range of emotion in the beach scenes. Fantastic. I'll certainly be looking out for her in the future.
As with any of Almodovar's films the design is wonderfully detailed, and exquisitely coloured. The use of art in the homes of the protagonists is nicely counterbalanced. And Cruz is dressed beatifully. The red dress alone is a show stopper.
Overall I'd say that whilst it's not without it's problems (messy, some bizarre loose ends but many things which don't need to be explained which were) Almodovar once again makes a fantastic and moving picture.
POSTSCRIPT WITH SPOILERS
I just realised I never said why this was about the cinema and revenge. Well, after Homar and Cruz run away Martel bribes the editor to cut the film really badly and it then flops. At the end though Caine is completing a directors cut which will show once and for all how wonderful Cruz was as an actress.
Friday, 28 August 2009
Out this week (28/08/09)
It's a really tough week for choosing a top film, with 2 battling it out for the honours, and 2 more films with respectable scores lagging just behind. In the final analysis I have decided that film of the week should go to the one with the better reviews, and frankly the reviews have been fantastic on both sides of the pond. Katherine Bigelow's Bomb disposal drama has been on everyone's mind since Toronto last year and continues to find new supporters every time it's seen. The Hurt locker is the standard all war films will be compared to from now on.
Apni Boli Apna Des
The trailer is 12 minutes long. Really, I couldn't sit through it all. Appears to concerns a wealthy playboy who loses his money in the recession and learns that some things in life are more imprtant - like holding on to the woman you love.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Broken Embraces
Every film Pedro Almodovar makes is a sumptious classic. This is a noir-ish piece about film making and the permanance of love, with Penelope Cruz modelling some fantastic wigs.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●○○○
Funny People
Judd Apatow comes of age in this comedy drama with clear influences from James L. Brooks. It's an ambitious tale of cancer and celebrity starring some of the greatest stand-up to film crossovers of the 20 years (Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Eric Bana).
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
The Hurt locker
Heavily acclaimed Iraq War drama from Katherine Bigelow (Strange Days, Point Break). It's pretty much a men at war flick of the kind that we've seen hundreds of times, but done expertly and with no sense of judging the characters.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●○○○
Jetsam
A woman washes up on the beach (not far from London ha ha) with no memory and a stranger seemingly attacked her for no reason. Independant British film with reasonable festival pedigree.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Kissan
Second release date for Hindi drama about 2 brothers finding their own ways in life. No website or trailers, so not completely sure it'll open this week either.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1
Second part of Jean-François Richet's Mesrine biopic. If you've seen the first part this will be a must-see taking up the story with Mesrine at the height of his powers and tracking to his death at the hands of the French armed police, via some audacious prison escapes and thrilling bank robberies.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
The Final Destination
This is The Final Destination, as opposed to Final Destination. They could have called it Final Destination 4, but they wanted to highlight the 3D element and that might have confused. So if you don't think this horror franchise peaked about halfway through the first film then by all means go and watch the production team find more ingenious ways of knocking off the attractive cast. IN 3D!
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Tuesday Trailers - Broken Embraces
I promised you another Auteur's trailer this week, and frankly who could be more auteurish than Almodovar. From the moment the trailer begins the vivid colours and use of reflections/obscured images we know it's one of his films; of course everyone looks incredibly sensous as well which is also a given for Almodovar. Embraces teams him up with Penelope Cruz for the fourth time, so expect more of the same sizzle on screen that we saw in Volver, All about my Mother and Live Flesh.
Broken Embraces is released on 28 August 2009.
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Coming Soon (maybe)
Rounding up those whispers of interesting films on their way.
Poltergeist
The forthcoming remake of the "cursed" early eighties horror fave Poltergeist has found a director in Vadim Perelman. I'm not a fan of the original, in fact I've never watched it in full, but I am concerned with the choice of Vadim. It brings to mind the last time a serious director was called in to helm a horror retread: Dark Water anyone?
Broken Embraces 
The fourth collaboration between Pedro Almodovar and Penelope Cruz is coming along, with a distribution deal signed. Pedro's also let slip it's influences include Leave her to Heaven. Can't wait.
My Very Own Love Song
Forest Whitaker and Renee Zellweger have signed on for this tale of a wheelchair bound singer finding love. I hope they find love with each other.
I'm sorry I have no better pictures to represent love songs.
