Ones To Watch #10 - Gake No Ue No Ponyo

#10

Gake No Ue No Ponyo (dir.Miyazaki)

Expected Release Date: TBA

Starring: (English dubbed) Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey & Liam Neeson

Studio: Studio Ghibli

Gake No Ue No Ponyo (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) is Jap-animation genius Hayo Miyazaki’s first full length feature since Howl’s Moving Castle (released in 2004). For those following, Miyazaki has created a fascinating library of films inspired by decades of Japan’s heritage, culture and environment.

A list of Miyazaki’s directorial acheivements:

Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro
Nausicaa of The Valley of the Wind
Laputa: Castle In The Sky
My Neighbour Totoro
Kiki’s Delivery Service
Porco Rosso
Princess Mononoke
Spirited Away
Howl’s Moving Castle

The point of this list is not to highlight the brilliance of Miyazaki and of course, Studio Ghibli but more pertinently to understand the themes which traverse through the filmography.


Pixar, (perhaps the only animation studio which compares favourably to Ghibli) uses certain narrative devices throughout its films, lovingly borrowed from the Ghibli blueprint. Like with all great films, both studios passionately acknowledge that the relationships between the chief protagonists are the driving force behind real unflailing emotion.

See how early Ghibli classics like Lupin III, My Neighbour Totoro & Porco Rosso all hinge on unsual, imaginatively rich relationships between two central characters and how Pixar with films such as Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille and Wall-E (to name but a handful) has followed this template and further embellished it.

Ponyo, garnered a stellar critical response in Venice last year and boosted Japan’s floundering box office returns in one fell swoop. Hopefully, the story of the fish who runs away from home will soon find a distributor and we the eager fans can watch what will likely be another masterpiece in the Studio Ghibli cannon.

Ones To Watch #11 - Bruno

#11

Bruno (dir. Mazer)

Expected Release Date: 10th July

Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen

Studio: Warner Bros

Funkyzeit Mit Bruno!

Bruno: Do you think if you changed the bible stories you’d get people more easy to relate to them? (sic)
Christian Rock Star: I don’t think you need to change anything bro…
Bruno: But if you had instead of the fish story and did it about sushi.

Just one of the countless ridiculous suggestions which has spouted from Bruno’s motor mouth.

Sacha Baron Cohen returns with Bruno, the faux-Austrian homosexual reporter, who terrorizes fashion runways and humiliates world luminaries. Bruno is the least known Sacha Baron Cohen (after Ali G and Borat) however his brand of humour always appealed to me the most.

Whereas Ali G attempts to be a bigot and annoying to his interviewees and Borat has a child-like naiviety which provides a charming edge to his character, Bruno is just a broth of pure evil. The way he questions his unlucky victims is the most beguiling and unsettling and provides an extra dimension to which most other comedians are not aspiring (their stand up routines being the sole exception).

In cinematic terms however, we have already seen Cohen use a basic plot as the vehicle for Borat to display his comedic talents. Therefore in terms of narrative backdrop, what can we expect? Well, word is inevitably schtum as Cohen’s increased familiarity provides a greater challenge to hit the right notes. If his recent mixed reception at the Golden Globes is any true indication, then work is cut out for him.

A masterpiece or a missed opportunity? We just have to wait with bated breath…



Freddy Prinze Junior!

He Just Aint That Into Ya Like

Yet another generic chick flick some might say and 'they' would be spot on in some ways. But this little story of love, lust and yearning is slightly different in its storytelling. It tells the tale of a group of interconnected twenty and thirty somethings navigating their way through the shallow end of the dating pool right up through to shark infested waters of married life. The group are trying to read the messages of the opposite sex with the hope of being the ‘exception’ to the rule and securing themselves a happy ending. Sound a bit like Love Actually?

With a stellar cast including Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Justin long and Scarlett Johansen, this film isn’t short on pretty faces. Each play a stereotypical role in the dating game, from ‘the other woman’ to the committed singleton.

Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) is an insecure single gal trying to decipher the male psyche. The narrator of the film and a sucker for schmaltz, she goes on several dates which she thinks have been successful, each ending in exchanged phone numbers and promises of reunion. That is where it gets confusing. In the midst of Gigi getting all giddy and giggly thinking ‘he’s going to call’, she doesn’t realise that the message he was actually giving off was ‘I don’t think this will work out.’ In comes Alex (Justin Long of Dodgeball fame) to help our Gigi decode the vague and hazy message that men give (spoken like a true female -Nikesh) . The rules are simple. If he likes you, he will call. If he doesn’t, he won’t. Simple as pie.

Alongside this, we have our other couples, Neal (Affleck) and Beth (Aniston) who are the committed singles, although sweet together not particularly the marriage types. Polar opposites, Ben(Cooper) and Janine (Connolly) are a happily married couple who have lost the early hazy spark. So what happens? He cheats. His uncontrollable animalism takes over leading to a torrid affair with Anna (Johansson) his curvaceous yoga instructor.

The film twists and turns through each of these couples’ love lives, teaching women the simple rules of men and their ‘signals’. It points out that women love to think of a million and one reasons why a man isn’t calling you, isn’t interested in you, or isn’t sleeping with you. The simple truth of it all is, that if a man doesn't act interested, it's probably because he's not interested. It's a simple premise and one that some women may find slightly patronising

However, its a film that serves as a wake-up call for men and women alike. It is a tad on the long side but is still full of sitcom wit and drama enough to keep us all entertained on a friday evening. It isn’t up there with the masters of chick flicks, but it is a solid attempt nonetheless.

Grade: C+ (6/10)

Ones To Watch #12 - Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince

#12

Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince (dir. Yates)

Expected Release Date: 17th July

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint et al

Studio: Warner Bros

The sixth installment of the worldwide phenomenon that is JK Rowling’s Harry Potter returns to our screens this forthcoming July. It will have been a full two years since Order Of The Phoenix was released in July 2007, the longest gap between any of the films in the series.

The Half Blood Prince was originally slated to be released in late 2008 but the gargantuan success of The Dark Knight allowed Warner Bros to spread their eggs in several baskets, so to speak.

So what can we expect from The Half Blood Prince? Well, since Prisoner of Azkaban (the third book in the seven book series) each impending installment has introduced darker themes greatly tailored for adults. Of course, having previously directed Order Of The Phoenix, director Yates has the opportunity to push several boundaries which he himself constructed in the fifth film.

The plot as many of you will know involves the death of another major character and the continuation of the ever growing maturity spurt of the three leads. The Half Blood Prince involves arguably the most indispensible plot threads of the whole seven book series and having decided to split the final chapter, The Deathly Hollows, into two separate films there is an argument that the same could have been done here.

Ultimately, Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince is in safe hands with each film steadily improving on the previous.

Stand up and incessantly clamor for what will undoubtedly be the BIGGEST film of the year.

Chick Flick Heaven

With ‘Confessions Of A Shopaholic’ having hit the big screen last friday, let’s take a look at a collection of the biggest, girliest chick flicks of the past year.

Starting way back in March,

27 dresses

This film is for single women everywhere! Ever felt like the ever-present singleton at yet another wedding? Well this is exactly the case for our main girl, Jane (Katherine Heigl). Always a bridesmaid and never a bride. She may be the sad singleton with whom we sympathise, but she is eternally hopeful, that one day she will be the bride.

She has been the eager and dedicated bridesmaid 27 times, and has the dresses to prove it. With a wardrobe full of puff-ball madness and shimmering satin, her story starts to draw the attention of the sprightly Kevin (Josh Marsden), who, unlike our fair Jane, isn’t as optimistic about love. Ironically, he writes the ‘commitments’ column for the Sunday wedding section of the New York Journal. He is fascinated by Jane’s bridesmaid story and takes every opportunity he can to get his scoop of a story. But alas, the inevitable happens, love cynic Kevin realises that maybe, just maybe, he can feel love, and our single Jane, proves to women everywhere that the bridesmaid, can eventually become the bride!

Definitely, Maybe

The gorgeous Ryan Reynolds stars as the hapless Will, father of 10-year-old Maya(Abigail Breslin) who is having trouble dealing with why her parents are no longer in love. Her perfect picture of loving mummy and daddy isn’t what she has, she wants to know why. Will proceeds to tell her the story of how he met her mother but also of his love for two other women along the way. He changes the names of his three ladies in hopes that Maya can guess which one is her mother.

The film is real and portrays love in a different light. The script twists and turns telling us that love is something that is unpredictable and hard.

Like all good romantic-comedies, there is of course a happy ending, but its how we get there that is the heart of this film. Like Maya says in the film, "It's like a love story-mystery."

Sex and the City

The girls are back in town! With more shoes and handbags than I will own in a lifetime, Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha hit the screen to remind us just how much we adored the small screen delight.

The film is set four years after the TV series finale and each girl is still exactly where she wants to be: in love. Carrie and Big are shopping for apartments, Charlotte and Harry are happy parents, Miranda and Steve are still balancing work and play, and Samantha and Smith, are, well, Samantha and Smith!

But as the film progresses, as with any love story, their perfect lives start to show cracks. We see all four women go through all sorts of scenarios that a woman may encounter in her life, ranging from infidelity, pregnancy and not being appreciated.

Yet again, our Manolo wearing Carrie trips and falls thanks to ‘Big’. Will these two ever just be happy?

It is not until the last 10 minutes or so that we do find out if Carrie gets her fairytale ending, and it’s an ending worth waiting for.

The film is sexy, sentimental and, of course, tremendously materialistic. But so what? After all, all a girl wants are labels and love!

Well there you go! Three delectable films that score highly with women all over!

A Few Good Giggles

Live Oscar-thon!

Good evening all!

It's 11.04 and we're just under two hours away from the beginning of the show!

The red carpet hits over the next couple of hours so ill keep you updated with the highs and lows.

First, I need a vanilla chai latte.

11.10 Fearne's out ready to interview whoever she can crack, although with day glow pink eyeshadow (bright enough to blind) she looks a bit over eager...

11.25 It's Dominic Cooper! Yep the one from The Duchess and also the one from Mamma Mia! I swear he has been on more red carpets than films. Something he seems slightly embarrassed by!
11.27 Sir Anthony Hopkins likes Fearne's eyeshadow..."It's original" he quips. I couldn't agree more.


11.38 Kevin Kline Four words. A Fish Called Wanda. Apparently Mr Kline is due to present an award this evening. That's the total extent of the excitement so far!

11.42 "I'll be like Superman, getting changed in the phone booth. Except there are no phone booths now because we all have cell phones." Classic. The delightful Taraji Henson.


11.48 The Slumdog Kids (TM) are out in force which is fantastic! They're all high on skittles, smarties or something similarly hyperactivating. Can you imagine how their lives have changed since the film was released in India?

00.00 Danny Boyle. Cotton: "What does it mean to you to win an Oscar?" Boyle: "I don't know, I haven't won one!" Humble to the end.

00.04 Michael Shannon of Revolutionary Road ilk. The man does not cry!

00.12 It's another Michael...Michael Sheen this time. Why was he not nominated? "I've heard that they're really going for it tonight..." Interesting. Ooooh Ahhhh

00.19 Robert Pattinson (Twilight Vampire). I'll be honest, he has nothing to say (which is exactly what he says).

00.20 Fearne's watched Mamma Mia on DVD four times. There are a few problems with that statement. BUT WAIITTTTT! It's AMY ADAMMMMSSS! Highlight of the night already, though she has a really revolting piece of neckwear going on...

00.23 Sarah Jessica Parker & Matthew Broderick. She's wearing Dior, he looks like he doesn't give a toss. How about a Ferris Bueller sequel eh? Any takers for 'Ferris Bueller: Struck Off Work'?

00.25 Josh Brolin. Great in Milk. If he won an Oscar he would send it to the Coen's...right...

00.26 Ben Kingsley. It's going crazy now. Kingsley, stately as ever sporting a gangster beard-moustache combination. Favourite film: Slumdog Millionaire. After the show he'll be ''having a beverage." MARRRRISSAAAA TOMEEEIIII sporting an L-neck topped ivory dress. That's a new one! She's asked by Miss Cotton if 'The Wrestler' is the best film she has made. An understandingly flummoxed Tomei eventually replies that "it may just be..."

What better than 'The Guru'? Surely not...

00.32 Mickey Rourke. "I don't know what's gonna come out. I'm a bit absent minded." [ENTER OBVIOUS GENIUS SPEECH REMARK].

00.35 The real David Frost. He seems happy enough with Frost/Nixon. Maybe it nudged him gently into a light slumber.

00.37 Peter Gabriel. He isn't performing tonight because the Oscars titted the performing of his song. Fairplay.

00.44 I hate Claudia Winkleman and I'm not too fond of Gok Wan too... Brangelina have arrived. Mrs Pitt-Jolie looks rather regal really. Ohh and Fearne Cotton hasn't managed to grab the Cruzster. Must try harder.

10 minutes to showtime!

00.55 Brad waves hello to the UK. He's got five minutes to get in. Better run, Lt. Raine.

Right, I'm not blogging the red carpet now. NOPE! WAIT! Winslet. Save the best to last! I hope she wins for Revolutionary Road...ohh wait. She's wearing Yves Saint Laurent. Excellent.

Right, definately off. Back in a bit for the real deal.

01.05 HERE WE GO. ITS THE 81ST ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS!

Nope, not yet. First some Winkleman-Wan-Wankery.

Freida Pinto: Galliano. Good, not great.
Heidi Klum: Dior Galliano. Nice.
Amy Adams: Carolina Herrera. No No.
Sarah Jessica Parker: Dior Couture. Apparently needs some hair product.
Taraji Henson: Alberto Ferreti.
Marisa Tomei: Versace. Looks amazing. I agree.
Anne Hathaway: Armani (with a million quid worth of bling).
Kate Winslet: YSL. Always gets it right. Kate "lives in her body" according to Wan. Spooky.
Natalie Portman: Pink on red. This years look apparently.
Angelina Jolie: Wan likes it but...

The fashion review right there in a little nugget. Not my views, just Gok's. He KNOWS apparently.

01.28 A midnight menagerie. Idle thumbs. Fresh impetus. Invigorated outlook. And, here...we...go!

01.34 And here's our host, Hugh Jackman (Sexiest Man Alive). "I would swim a sea of excrement!"

The Reader in a quasi-Kraftwerk posterior. Who woulda funked it?

"IIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMMMM WOOOOOOOOLLLLLLVEEEERRRRIIIIIINNNNNNEEE!"

01.43 Jackman informs us that he is contractually obligated to mention Brangelina at least five times tonight. Four to go.

01.46 Introduction to Actress in a Supporting Role. Oscar has shaken up things here by bringing past winners on the stage to describe each of this year's nominations. Different, though I don't think it's a move which will make the Oscars shorter. Onstage luminaries include Angelica Huston, Tilda Swinton & Whoopi Goldberg.

And the Oscar goes to... Penelope Cruz! Yay!

"Has anyone ever fainted here?! I might be the first one!" Truly deserved. Slight water work burst followed by a twist of Espanola. I just love me an overwhelmed winner.

For the only other 50:50 acting award we have to wait for Leading Actor methinks.

01.55 Steve Martin & Tina Fey. Some witty banter then, Original Screenplay.

And the Oscar goes to... Dustin Lance Black (Milk). The best of the picture nominees so I'm glad it won (though Wall-E would've been a nice surprise also).

"God does love you." Amen to that.

02.01 Adapted Screenplay. Hmm will it be someone other than Simon Beaufoy? If it is I will burn the hair on my feet...

My feet live to walk another day as Simon Beaufoy wins. He looks as surprised as a male snake who has just been told he will be made into shoes at the earliest available opportunity. Therefore not very. Slumdog Millionaire is one for one.

02.06 Jack Black bets all his money (earned from work on Dreamworks productions) on Pixar. Good call Mr Black, good call. This not-so-secret tip leads us to Animated Feature which Wall-E will win. There I said it ok! Sorry to curtail any suspense...

Wall-E wins. Should have been in the Best Picture category. Baaaah Humbug.

Animated Short -La Maison En Petit Cubes. I haven't seen any of the shorts but I want to!

02.16 The background music is cloyingly annoying! Why do we need neo-jazz over the top of the award for Art Direction? Daniel Craig & Sarah Jessica Parker battle to get a word in.

And the Oscar goes to... The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. So it does win at least one award tonight. There was a possibilty (although distinct) it could have gone home empty handed.
Costume Design - Right, I get the picture. They are bundling the techies together in some sort of filmmaking narrative, which is time saving but unrequiringly glib. Kinda gives the impression that these awards matter less somehow. Taste Mouth Bitter In.

And the Oscar goes to... The Duchess which wins by default as it was the only one with 'out there' costume design.

Make-Up Design - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button. Well done to this crew, terrific work all round to make Brad Pitt look quasi-pubescent. No matter how difficult that sounds (sticky jealousy).

02.25 Robert Pattinson & umm...The girl in Mamma Mia, Amanda Seyfried, introduce the best of Romance in 2008. How odd...will there be a best of narcotic teenagers segment later on?

02.32 Natalie Portman & a jungle-bearded Ben Stiller/Joaquin Phoenix introduce Cinematography. Anthony Dod Mantle (Slumdog Millionaire) grabs the gong. But you knew that already, did you not?

02.39 Jessica Biel presented the Sci-Tech Academy Awards. I'm not to sure why she presented it but good on the girl. If you have an open diary, host the tech awards!

02.42 Another 'best of' segment, this time Comedy with the Pineapple Express guys. Hilarious James Franco/Seth Rogan/Milk joke.

They then come on stage with Janusz Kaminski (Schinder's List framer) to present Live Action Short which goes to Spielzeugland (Toyland). Well done.

02.53 Hugh Jackman &...Beyonce Knowles in a old fashioned cabaret number which morphs into Grease & other assorted musicals. I've now seen it all. No I haven't as here come real-life couple Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens and not-so-real couple Dominic Cooper and Amanda Seyfired to help out. That was created by Baz Luhrmann by the way.

03.01 As I enter my fourth hour, the Actor in a Supporting Role descriptions begin. Christopher Walken, Kevin Kline, Alan Arkin, Joel Grey & Cuba Gooding Jr do the honours. Just the image of Heath Ledger makes my hands clammy and my spirit tremble. Nervous...

And he wins.

Followed by a montage on Documentary of 2008.

03.14 Can I just say Werner Herzog is a genius. Well I have! Grizzly Man was top, top documentary filmmaking. The winner this year is, Man On Wire which is as worthy winner as any film this year. Philippe Petit, ever the showman!

03.18 Smile Pinky wins Documentary Short.

03.23 It's Action 2008. RAAAWWWKK ME BAABBY. YEEEHHHHAAAWW! Half of these films are terrible!

03.25 Big Willie comes on to present Outstanding Visual Effects. Won of course for some astonishing work in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

03.28 Sound Editing. Ooh interesting one. Will Slumdog keep up it's sweeping course? NO! The Dark Knight wins. Makes sense to me.

03.32 Sound Mixing. Wall-E contains un-bel-ievable sound mixing and should win. But Slumdog Millionaire wins. How strange then that it didn't win Sound Editing. You would think they would go hand in hand!

03.35 Film Editing. Slumdog Millionaire wins! I'm so happy I want to kick a dog. Actually this one is well deserved. The editing truly made this film. Four wins out of five so far for the Mumbai movie.

03.43 The Jean Hersholt Award to Jerry Lewis. Love his role in Scorcese's King of Comedy.

03.50 Original Score expertly played by the in-house orchestra. Out come Alicia Keys & Zac Efron to present. A.R Rahman wins for Slumdog Millionaire.

John Legend comes on to sing Down To The Ground from Wall-E (written by Peter Gabriel & Thomas Newman). The song is flanked by the two Slumdog nominees (Jai Ho & Oh Saiya). The ending is the strangest combination of the night. No contest.

04.01 Original Song. Jai Ho wins. I thought the Slumdog pair would split the vote but alas I am wrong! That makes six wins. It's got two more to come (Picture & Director) and it's favourite for both.

04.05 Liam Neeson & Freida Pinto come-a-prancing to present the award for Foreign Language Film. Departures (Japan) wins!!! Probably the biggest shock of the night so far. I had Waltz With Bashir, The Class and The Baader-Meinhof Komplex ahead of Departures.

In Memoriam...to those who will stay with us for all of time...

04.19 Reese Witherspoon arrives with swan-like grace to present the first of the four big 'uns, Directing. Danny Boyle wins his first and seventh for Slumdog Squarepants. He bounces up and down on the stage, a reference to Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. Winkleman and her merry crew are overjoyed.

04.25 No let up now, Actress in a Leading Role. Last year's winner Marion Cotillard was an unexpected pleasure, same again this year?

Halle Berry, the aforementioned Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren et al arrive on stage.

Kate Winslet for The Reader. Wrong film, right actress. 'Nuff said really.

04.36 Actor in a Leading Role. OK now I'm seriously excited. I haven't got a clue. Who did I predict. Penn you say? Could be a tie in my view. Both performances just elevate each other's performance to that next step of greatness.

Out come an ostentatious group of actors. Robert De Niro, Sir Ben Kingsley, Anthony Hopkins, Adrian Brody & Michael Douglas. Wow.

Sean Penn wins! Harvey Milk will be remembered forever and Penn has a huge part in that. It's Penn's second win and even though his reputation as a great actor was already secured this just solidifies the status further. Well done Sean! (Mickey your turn will come).

04.47 The 'Berg comes out to draw a close to proceedings. I'll eat my telly if Slumdog doesn't win. I'm rooting for Milk. Best Picture is won by. . . Slumdog Millionaire! Well done to the cast and crew who are all on the stage (and some drape just off centre).

Eight awards. Slumdog is topdog tonight and 2008.

I'm off to bed! Thanks to the few who stayed up and checked out the live blog!

It's An Oscar Jamboree!

The end of the film year is nigh (though my patriotic inner-self tells me that the year ended on the night of the BAFTAs). This Sunday, the Academy of Motion Pictures and Sciences wraps up a splendid year for world cinema. Many new and unexpected twists are expected at the Kodak Theatre this year, not least the producers attempting to shave a whole hour off the ceremony's bloated girth.

What won't be as surprising are the winners on the night, many of which could have been settled as locks several moons ago...

So predictions are as predictions will always be, pointless and ultimately fruitless apart from those categories which still have some sort of lottery attached;


Rourke Vs Penn

A monolithic acting face off. Probably the most exciting category of the night and to be honest either winning would greatly ameliorate what is certain to be a dour night in award terms. Many pundits would claim that Rourke is the sentimental choice, Penn the actors' choice. But that is a disservice to both men, who will have a much larger voting base and could conceivably cancel each other out. I love both performances (the Leading Actor category is arguably the strongest category in the field) but I just feel Penn will edge the voting.

Winslet Vs Hathaway Vs Streep

Not as uncertain as Rourke/Penn but another category which won't necessarily mean victory for Winslet. As with the Leading Actor race, Streep won the SAG award (voted for by actors, the largest group in the Academy) and Hathaway has picked up a few critics awards during the award season. But with Winslet having won the Golden Globe and BAFTA I won't be the one to back another actress!

Cruz Vs Tomei Vs Davis

Davis winning would not be the biggest surprise to be honest. Cruz still remains favourite in my view though Tomei could also nick the prize.

I think the other races are pretty much signed, sealed and delivered. Slumdog will win at least six prizes including Best Picture (the most boring line-up since Chicago won a few years back). The Curious Case of Benjamin Button should win two or three techies including visual effects and make-up. Wall-E for animated film, Waltz with Bashir for foreign language film and Man on Wire for documentary.

Another indicator for the night will be the two sound categories (mixing and editing). If Slumdog wins both then we're looking at the first clean sweep since Return Of The King in 2003.

Just A Quickee

For those of you who don't have access to Sky One & Sky Movies Premiere this Sunday, i'll be live blogging the whole Oscar she-bang from the red carpet to the encore come 4-5am (undoubtedly a herculean task). Hopefully, I will be able to get my hands on live images and video and stick them up on the blog as and when they arrive.

Check out the blog from 11pm ish on Sunday evening. Should be bangin!

Ones To Watch #13 - Nine

#13

Nine (dir. Marshall)

Expected Release Date: TBA

Starring: Daniel Day Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Judi Dench, Stacy Ferguson, Kate Hudson & Sophia Loren

Studio: The Weinstein Company

Would you just look at that cast! You don’t need me to tell you the extent to which it must have taken to put this ensemble together…

Nine, directed by Chicago director Rob Marshall, is based on the musical of the same name, with the original play written by Mario Fratti who was inspired by Federico Fellini’s 8½ (for me the greatest film ever made). The play was called Nine as “when you add music to 8½, its like half a number more”.

Personally I can’t reimagine 8½ as a musical. The whole notion sounds ridiculous, however, the play has been running strongly since 1982 achieving countless awards since its conception.

So, what is the potential banana skin? Well, my largest gripe is with director Rob Marshall. Chicago was a fun though dramatically limited film with some excellent song-and-dance scenes scattered throughout. That it won Best Picture over The Pianist at the Academy Awards shows what numbnuts the members can be (no doubt a conversation for another morning…). Marshall’s follow up feature, Memoirs of A Geisha, was silkily woven but ultimately singly layered and lacking in any sort of emotional resonance. You just get the feeling that without a strong script Nine could end up following the same path.

BUT! And what a marvellous and intriguing BUT! Daniel Day Lewis in the lead role is the most exciting casting choice of 2009 and Nine will hopefully provide another chance to watch the Cruzster (tm) steal the limelight.

Just for those enticing subplots alone, Nine would make my top 20.