Monday 23 February 2015

Oscars 2015 LIVE BLOG AND STUFF! (thought i'd be too lazy but nah).


01.18. No red carpet shenanigans from me this year sadly troopers. a) because i needed some sleep, preparation for life beyond Kodak and b) because i love everyone and i truly believe everyone looks beautiful and stuff.


Emma Stone. First Pic. The stars aligned. She'll rip me a new one for not blogging the red carpet. Whilst stoned.

01.25. I don't know if I prefer Winkledawg or Alex Zane. I've decided. Actually I prefer the woman who's on the panel who doesn't know anything about film. Because she "loves fashion". Long night ahead.

01.30. We're going to be talking about Nightcrawler when the evening finished. Coz t'was robbed. But yes, Boyhood.

01.32. Best and whitest. Loving NPH already. 


01.35. Jack Black was made for the Oscar ceremony. DELLLL TAAAAACCCCOOOO. 

01.40.

Blogging is difficult from a phone. Bad decision. Best Supporting Actor to JK Simmons is about to be announced. Usually JK Simmons wins these. That was a jk. Loved Ed Norton, but loved JK Simmons even more!

And the actor goes to...I mean Oscar....I mean Lupita!


01.50. 20 minutes in, 1 award handed out. So that means this will finish at 2pm tomorrow. Problematic. That's ok though because Maroon 5 are on stage to allow me to...

01.51-01.54. zzz


01.56. I'M UP. I think let's do some technical categories please! Achievement in Button Sewing. Or Costume Design. I'll not demean. Has to be GBH doesn't it?!

Yes, the Grand Budapest checks in.

02.01. GBH takes Make-up and Hairstyling too. Mainly based on Adrian Brody's nonce in this picture. That was nutso. I dream to achieve such horizontally challenged madness one day...

02.10. The Best Foreign Language Film category this year is really strong..happy with Ida or Leviathan but Ida should win. And does. On a related note, why is there a bosanova/jazz backdrop to the collecting of this award? So so random. And pretty patronizing. LOVE THIS SPEEECHHHH! Two swells and still going on!

02.15. WELCOME TO THE SUCK.

02.18. Cotillard is EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!


As i was saying, Cotillard is transcendence. Not Johnny Depp, transcendence, because that would mean she would be laughingly cerebral and the third act of her life would be confusing and pointless but the other kind of transcendence.

Anyway.


DARKKKNESS.
NO FAMILY!!

02.25. Someone needs to create a Vine of Kerry Washington's walk to the podium. It's world changing. Live Action Short and Documentary Short. I watch so many films each year I should make time to watch more shorts. The Phone Call takes Live Action Short and Crisis Hotline for the Documentary Short.

Hayao Miyazaki received an honorary Oscar.  I'll just take the fact that millions of people just saw the catbus for the first time ever.


02.46. The sound categories! Is this where I get to say INTERSTELLAR, I COULDN'T HEAR ANYTHING! Whiplash was made for sound mixing..and editing too actually so should win that one too except it's not nominated so gunfire, strategically placed, takes it. 

02.52. Actress in a Supporting Role. This is Patricia Arquette all the way and rightly so. Although whenever Laura Dern turns up in life one can be happy.



Yay L'Arquette FTW (and a standing ovation). And that was before her brilliant speech. Love this woman, lefty feminist rants are the best. P.S. It was https://www.givelove.org. 

03.00. Beyond the Lights. Was a Best Actress nomination in there somewhere. It's ok though because we have Rita Ora to take us through the next few minutes instead. 

03.01. zzz (part 2). where's amazing amy to slit this thing. Weirdly this Oscars seems more relaxed but less risky and out there which considering how safe the previous have been is saying something...maybe we need a Will Ferrell /John C Reilly duet to perk things up.

03.04. Interstellar's visuals were stunning so it should win and...does.

03.07. I've seen the animated shorts!! that makes me a film snob and more the makes up for live action short braindeadness. Loved the animation for Feast. 

The winner is...Feast. Woah I should've put some dollars down on these predictions. Although I could've had an extra 2 hours sleep if I knew I'd be 100% so far. But then again I would've missed Channing Tatum play with a Lego Oscar.

Talking of Lego...

03.10. The Best Animated Feature. If Isao Takahata comes up on the stage I will wake up everyone in this building. But Lego Movie will win. 

Yep it was Big Hero 6. Looking forward to watch it. Still 100%. Supposedly really good so shouldn't be downplayed.


03.21. Best Production Design. Going out on a limb here...Grand Budapest Hotel perhaps? Although Mr Turner's set design was an epochal and subtle wonder.

03.25. The first really interesting category tonight. Cinematography. Wonder if Lubezki will win again..I say yes! But wouldn't be surprised if this is on the GBH train again. Nah Chivo wins it! Two years in a row. He's the best around. Should've won for a few others too...Tree of Life especially.


03.31. Streep introducing the In Memoriam segment.



03.44. Whiplash takes it for Best Editing. Probably an incorrect stat but doesn't the Best Editing award pretty much always guarantee Best Picture?! Whiplash winning would be absolutely insane.

03.51. Documentary Feature. Citizenfour. Was pretty much the biggest doc out there this year. And really good too. Shout out to 'Life Itself' the documentary on Roger Ebert which wasn't nominated but was my fave of the year (and so I can mention it!).

Did he just say Best Original Sauce? I think so.

04.00. Great staging for 'Glory'. Last song I think before the...nope Gaga next. This year's show is feeling really long compared to normal. Yawn.




04.06. Woah emotional and funny moments there. A decent NPH joke followed a teary Selma cast, Pine, a standing ovation for a song and then Travolta back on stage with.......Idina Menzel. Hilarity ensues. 'Glory' wins Best Original Song and livens the night up.


04.14. I don't want to watch a Sound of Music montage :s. Now Gaga is performing. Seriously what the bloody hell is going on Isaacs? Did someone die in the cast? Is there a new version on Broadway sponsored by AMPAS? Don't care. Don't care. Don't ruddy care. Gaga is dressed in a formal dress tonight not made of meat, or not in some sort of quail egg. A minor victory. For some reason she gets a standing ovation. OHHHH ITS BECAUSE JULIE ANDREWS IS ONLY PRESENTING BEST ORIGINAL SCORE. Love it when it adds up. Pure sexual tease there.

Let's face it, hollywood needs its grand dame Brits.

04.24. After all that...I love the Interstellar soundtrack. Bombastic. But Desplat did some fine work too. Who wins for GBH. Imitation Game is going home empty handed. Desplat was always going to win for something.

04.30. Big 6 coming up!

Eddie gives it up straight for Best Original Screenplay. I'd like to see Nightcrawler win this but obviously love Boyhood. Birdman takes it...awesome film but I'm feeling the Boyhood non love now. Which is sad. For me anyway.

04.34. Best Adapted Screenplay. Again another annoyance here. Gillian Flynn not being nom'd for her adaptation for her own novel, Gone Girl, is silly. Haven't a clue what will win this. Probably The Imitation Game. Yes. Still 100% in my predix coz I'm a G yo. Really hoped that team would at least get one award.

Yet another wonderful speech. Had a few tonight. In other news, if I had enough devices id have taken at least 10 photos of...

Julianne Moore's Tears. More valuable than the tears of the last unicorn on Earth. 

04.41. BEST DIRECTOR. Please be Linklater. Please. Please. Please. Please.


Inarritu. Great filmmaker. Well done to him. I think the Academy had the opportunity to award a rare acheivement in film history but it didn't so that's that.

04.49. Actor in a Leading Role. Redmayne's to lose but Birdman is on a role. Still think it's Redmayne's though.


And so it be.

04.54. The award for Best Julianne Moore goes to (it's a repeat joke, you know like what I did earlier, time is a flat circle don't you know).

Wait, McConnaisance is on stage.


One of the best actors in the game for years. Finally wins one. Fist bump emoji. 

05.04. And on this note I say goodnight...

Oh, Best Picture.

I think you all know what I want. But Birdman would be worthy too. And Selma. 


Birdman wins! Great night for that team! What a film! And on to another year of greatfilmmaking and exciting and life altering moments in cinema!

Thanks for reading!





Saturday 24 January 2015

Oscar Bait Reviews!! (The Theory of Everything, Birdman, The Imitation Game, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Boyhood)

Favourite time of year? Christmas? Easter? Eid? Diwali? Transfer Deadline Day? 28th day of each month? Unlikely.

Its awards season! It's wonderful, frustrating, meme-worthy, a one trick pony and cant-take-your-eyes-away-for-a-second-ly ravishing. Today marks the start of the va-va voom period in the awards season calender where things get serious (sorry Golden Globes, although this was worthy)..


The PGA (Producers Guild) are announced today so we're now at the point where we shall see if American Sniper in on target to upset Boyhood which lets face it is humpty dumpty sitting on a bald golden wall.

Selma is the only film of this year's Best Picture nominees not to be released as yet. Thatll be on the 6th Feb. I'm still behind on American Sniper and Whiplash also so will make time to watch those in the next week or so.  The other five I have seen 11 times between them in the cinema since they were released so maybe I can bust open an opinion or two on them in the next few paragraphs...

The Theory of Everything

Where better to start than the most immediate viewing, The Theory of Everything. 

The unavoidable start point in all this is the remarkable physical transformation of Eddie Redmayne as one of those most beguiling and storied presence' of the last half century.  Redmayne portrays the intelligence and wit of Hawking with a nuanced, precise interpretation which is interwoven into the main narrative of the dissolution of an untenable marriage.  Felicity Jones, playing Hawking's first wife, Jane, provides a fine emotional counterpoint to Redmayne's Kodak theatre pyrotechnics.


As pleasant and well acted this picture is however, I can't get away from a nagging feeling that a film titled 'The Theory of Everything' even though positioned as a double entendre of sorts aims less for the stars than maudlin sentimentality which while solidly earned, should have been the base plate for a film of wonder and ideas.  A higher plane melodrama is still a melodrama and bolder choices in the writing department may have produced more interesting if less universal results.  Of course there's a limit to this creativity as the screenplay was adapted from Jane Hawking's 'Travelling to Infinity; My Journey with Stephen' which provides the framework for a more introverted and introspective narrative. 

Ultimately as much as there is to commend about the performances, with Redmayne turning out a career performance which is up there with the top 4/5 of the year, I found myself left somewhat frustrated by a lack of ingenuity that does a slight disservice to the grandstand expectations the film sets out for itself at the outset.

GIVE ME STAGGERING!

Grade: B-/C+ (6.5/10)

Birdman

Or the unexpected virtue of timing.

From the outset there was a ravenous buzz.  The Venetians were seen coming out of festival screenings with bellisimo murmurs. And yet after that initial critical steam train burst through the limited release dam there was an almost subdued collective exhale. Would the bubble burst, would it continue to grow.  It continued to grow. And why not?

Birdman is everything one would wish a Best Picture nominee to be.  It is full of technical glee, outstanding and varied performances, stunning cinematography, edge-of-the-seat editing, a playfully inventive score.  In many ways it seems just to begin with that score.  Mixing Mahler with percussive elements is a pretty novel idea but it's not just a stunt. Everytime this marmite melange lifts it head above the parapet it serves as a timely reminder of the film's gleeful self-awareness.


And who to portray that central struggle of art vs commerce than Michael Keaton?! If you were to read about this inspired piece of casting on its embryonic IMDB title page you would think this was purely a stunt. But what director Alejandro Inarritu (21 Grams, Amores Perros) and his team of collaborators are able to acheive with this fantastic blend of stunt and Brechtian' wisdom.

With such fizzy sherbet antics on display, a lesser auteur would be satisfied with creating a head-spinning merry-go-round and faking the outcome (so to speak) but Inarritu was somehow able to approach the landing with integrity and honesty and in doing so elevate his picture into something Fellini and Bergman would be proud of. Much of this IS due to Keaton's performance which is at turns bombastic, naive, pathetic and empowering.

That's not to say the film is perfect. For example the theatre critic, Tabitha, played dryly by Lindsay Duncan almost feels too acute a portrayal of artistic antagonism. It's very on the cuff and perhaps a little too black and white for a film that deals in shades rather than monotones.  But taken as a whole, this is as fine an example as English-language cinema has provided on a critique of self and in doing so in an inventive and thoroughly original manner.

Grade: A- (9/10)