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Room (Review)

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Perfect)

Director: Lenny Abrahamson
Starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers, Tom McCamus, William H. Macy 
Certificate: 15
Run Time: 118 mins

‘Room’ is an adaptation of Emma Donoghue’s powerful Booker Prize shortlisted novel. It tells the story of Ma and Jack who are imprisoned in a garden shed but for Jack, who has never seen the outside world, this is his universe. In the director’s chair is Lenny Abrahamson who recently directed the interesting but tonally jumbled ‘Frank’. ‘Room’ is completely different territory story-wise and features a maturing Brie Larson in the lead role with child-actor Jacob Tremblay. It has received 4 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Very rarely would I say this, but ‘Room’ is a perfect film and deserves a 5 star rating. It is an inspiring watch and reaches various emotional heights. The performances from the cast all round are nothing short of incredible and Lenny Abrahamsson’s careful and assured direction works wonders. The film has a beaming heart at its core – at times the film is devastatingly sad and at others, warm and feel-good. There is never a dull moment – the film is expertly paced and takes ample time to develop its characters.

The acting is incredible. Brie Larson is perfect as Ma and commands the screen. There is a brief section in the film where she isn’t present and we are left with Jacob Tremblay’s Jack and the isolation felt as an audience member conveyed through him and the omission of Larson is testament to her performance. Jacob Tremblay’s career has really taken off thanks to this film and he is wonderful as the innocent and oblivious Jack. The chemistry between Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay is astonishingly good. I could have watched these characters all day long and I wouldn’t have got bored of them.

Even the supporting cast manage to hold their own and Tom McCamus brings a warm heart to the screen as does Joan Allen. Sean Bridgers is plain terrifying as ‘Old Nick’ and Abrahamson’s decision to portray this character through Jack’s eyes and we witness the torture and brutality that he is capable of inflicting. William H. Macy, who is a brilliant actor, is unfortunately underused for his talents but is effective in the short scenes that he does play in. I was really hoping to see his character feature at the end but it never happens and it leaves a gaping hole in these characters’ lives and his impression to the audience. Whilst he doesn’t get to showcase his talents, it’s an important role and he fits it very well.

Both distinct halves of this story are fantastic – what the audience witness is two very different films but both are completely engaging and cinematic. A lot of this is down to Emma Donoghue’s fantastic screenplay and whilst the film does cut out some details from the book, both book and film stand extremely high in their own right. Donoghue’s screenplay is suitably devastating and humorous at times and she deserves all the praise that she has received for her efforts.

Stephen Rennicks’ score compliments the film extremely well and the cinematography by Danny Cohen is also excellent, in particular the final shot.  Both Cohen and Abrahamson have minute attention to detail and there is a sequence involving Jack’s feet that is so wonderfully executed and makes the world alien for him.

‘Room’ is a stunning and flawless piece of work. This deserves to win Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards, but unfortunately I don’t think it will win as there will be a lot of audience members who won’t understand it. Brie Larson’s career will undoubtedly reach new heights and I hope she continues to pick the right roles and Lenny Abrahamson too has finally broken out into mainstream cinema. If I was asked to name my top 5 favourite films of the decade so far, this would definitely feature. It’s that good.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Perfect)

The Issue With ‘Deadpool’

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The famous Marvel character, ‘Deadpool’ is finally getting his own feature film next month. Ryan Reynolds is portraying him once again after ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ where the character unfortunately was poorly handled. What fans really want is a film filled with swearing, violence, gore, sex etc… ie. a film that will not be rated 12A / PG-13 which would appeal to mass audiences and instead a film that is rated in the higher boundaries of either a 15 or an 18 in the UK. ‘Deadpool’ has received an R rating in the USA which is equivalent to a 15 in the UK. The trailers all suggest that this will be the case and the MPAA’s R rating warns potential viewers that the film contains ‘strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and graphic nudity’.

Unfortunately there are petitions for this film to receive a second edit to a PG-13 so that kids can enjoy the film as well. Namely, one 8 year old in particular whose mother has called for this petition and YouTuber and part-time actress, Grace Randolph (‘BeyondTheTrailer’) has headed this petition by creating a Change.org link to get support.

Now, over the years film viewers have had to endure watered-down versions of their favourite films. Studios often do this to receive a bigger box office so that kids drag their parents to watch the film. Just from the last couple of years, the Die Hard franchise gave us the abominable 5th film with a 12A / PG-13 rating, ‘The Expendables 3’ deviated from its normal 15 / R rating for a more ‘kid-friendly’ film. The newest two ‘Terminator’ films got slapped with a lower rating Now none of these two aforementioned films are designed for kids to watch so this is a real travesty that this is happening.

So when ‘Deadpool’ finally is able to buck this trend and the fans are applauding the the studio for doing this, now people are asking for it to be cut down?!!! No way. This 8 year old kid and everyone else who wants to watch it will just have to wait until they’re old enough. By having a higher rating, the film will be more faithful to the comics and really encapsulate the character of Deadpool as portrayed in the comics.

I particularly enjoyed Ryan Reynold’s statement to this petition – “I don’t think so. I mean, you saw it. That would be a very short movie. It’s almost a commercial at that point.”

This is a step in the right direction and hopefully, other upcoming films will see the benefits in creating a better quality film as opposed to earning more cash.

 

R.I.P Alan Rickman and David Bowie

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Both David Bowie and Alan Rickman passed away, aged 69 of cancer, within a few days of each other last week. This has left a gaping hole in both the music and film industry and we will never see the talents of either of these artists again.

David Bowie

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Of course, David Bowie was more famous in the music industry, but he is often overlooked for his acting in the odd film here and there. I thought he was particularly brilliant in Christopher Nolan’s magician film, ‘The Prestige’ where he played Nikolai Tesla and like Bowie, his performance is endlessly charismatic and enigmatic. Nolan famously had to convince Bowie to take the role as he knew he was the only fit.

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Alan Rickman 

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Another wonderful actor, Alan Rickman made every role he played his own and he could transform hokey scripts into works of art. Although everyone seems to agree, his best roles, in my opinion, were in ‘Die Hard’ and the ‘Harry Potter’ series. Rickman revolutionised the Hollywood villain with his dark turn as Hans Gruber in the first ‘Die Hard’ film and his performance was the start of many English actors taking on the stereotypical Hollywood villain, but his is one of the standouts. In fact, I’d go so far as to say Hans Gruber is one of the best villains in film of all time. His performance as Professor Snape in the ‘Harry Potter’ series was another work of genius and he really made the role his own and particularly in the last film, he took a very emotional turn. Rickman was also famous for comedic roles as well and his performance in ‘Love Actually’ revealed a very different man and he is one of the standouts of the film.

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The Hateful Eight (Review)

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⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, James Parks, Channing Tatum
Certificate: 18
Run Time: 168 mins

‘The Hateful Eight’ is Quentin Tarantino’s eighth film and second Western after 2013’s ‘Django Unchained’ (although Tarantino calls that a ‘Southern’) that received critical acclaim. Unfortunately during the scripting process, an unfinished copy of the first draft leaked and Tarantino almost abandoned filming as he was so annoyed. Luckily, he decided to press on with the film and the script finally reached its third and final draft stage. Tarantino has assembled an impressive cast here stating that everyone is ‘equal’ so that they all have a big impact (hence why no Christoph Waltz here) and comprises of Tarantino favourites such as Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth and Michael Madsen to just name a few.

‘The Hateful Eight’ is another knockout from Tarantino – it’s bloody and gory, has fantastic speeches and an excellent story. It has some brilliant performances with the standouts being Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth and Walton Goggins. It’s suitably gory and ramps the tension up with gusto. My only criticism is it is a little baggy and perhaps could lose 20 minutes and then the film would be leaner and more heavy-hitting. This might not be true, but it also doesn’t seem to have as much of a rewatchablity factor as perhaps some of his other films do.

The cast are undoubtedly the film’s strongest asset and if this hadn’t have been the case, the film would have made for a very boring 168 minutes. Samuel L. Jackson is incredible here and this, along with ‘Pulp Fiction’ is a career-best performance. Tarantino gives him some very memorable speeches and he looks as if he’s having barrels of fun filming this. Jennifer Jason Leigh is the only cast member to receive awards attention and she is one of the strongest cast members here – the way her character is treated evokes strong sympathy for her but when she reveals her true colours, it’s all completely justified. Walton Goggins is also another surprise standout and he also seems to have fun here and has some excellent speeches and also Tim Roth is another interesting character who has a full-on British twang.

Of the others,  Kurt Russell is on fine form and chews the scenery and for Demián Bichir, this is a career-best performance. Bruce Dern’s character is very slimy and little by little, more of his true intentions are revealed and he is excellent in the role. The only cast member who fails to make as much of an impression is Michael Madsen, mostly as he is given the least amount of material to work with but his character isn’t as well developed. Madsen is capable of great things as evident in Tarantino’s ‘Kill Bill’ two-parter but he is not as strong here. Finally, it’s a revelation to see Channing Tatum choose a role in this film which diverts from mostly comedic roles and he is very sinister here, although he isn’t a big character.

Tarantino’s story is also gripping and the whodunnit element is a new type of film for him, but he handles it with great confidence. The audience cannot trust any of the characters and characters constantly switch sides. Tarantino hopes to turn this into a play and I have full confidence that this would be successful as the film is very much like a play and with such strong characters and a gripping story, this would easily establish Tarantino into another platform.

Robert Richardson’s cinematography is outstanding and there is a clear contrast between the cold, harsh snow landscape and the cosy yet impending violence in Minnie’s Haberdashery. Even inside Minnie’s Haberdashery, there is a constant presence of the cold wind breathing on the back of these characters. Ennio Morricone’s score is also wonderful and fully deserving of all the Awards attention it is getting.

‘The Hateful Eight’ is another film to add to Quentin Tarantino’s repertoire. It is a fantastically crafted film that has strong performances from its cast and a gripping story. It’s not quite his best film, but it would rank pretty highly in his filmography. As to the film’s Oscar prospectives, I would say there is a low chance of it being nominated in the Best Picture category. Certain elements of the film such as its editing and treatment of women have been controversial amongst critics and I don’t think the Academy will nominate it for these reasons. But as a film, Tarantino has done a brilliant job here and with a slightly more ruthless editor, this would be a 5-star film.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Review)

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⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

Director: J. J. Abrams
Starring: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, Max Von Sydow
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 135 mins

(POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD) 

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is the long anticipated 7th entry into the Star Wars canon and is a direct sequel to the original trilogy. At the helm is ‘Star Trek’ director J. J. Abrams who has a very good track record. Whilst the sequel trilogy may not have received particularly great reviews, the original trilogy did and as this is a direct sequel to ‘Return of the Jedi’, the expectations here are sky-high. ‘The Force Awakens’ includes a combination of the original cast but also features a new cast, particularly in the form of newcomers John Boyega and Daisy Ridley, who have barely a credit to their name. The film is projected to do extremely well at the box office and possibly become the highest grossing film of all time and sequels and spin-off’s are already in the pipeline. If ‘The Force Awakens’ fails, Disney will need to rework their plans for this lucrative franchise.

‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is overall, a very good addition to the franchise and features many outstanding set-pieces and a formidable villain. It has an outstanding cast that have great chemistry, a blend of old and new cast members. The action sequences are enthralling and the  film has a ‘Laurence of Arabia’ / ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ vibe to it which really works. The film is however extremely silly in parts and does feel a little ‘Disney-fied’ in its execution which is a bit of a shame. The story is also a little derivative of ‘A New Hope’ and feels a little too safe, save for its daring and gripping ending. When the film works, it’s outstanding, but it has its fair share of silliness and is perhaps a little long in its middle section.

The opening hour or so and the ending of the film is superbly crafted. The film’s pacing is pretty good, save for an overlong middle section and the ending leaves many questions for the audience and should provide a good basis for the sequels. J. J. Abrams again proves that he is a master at composing action sequences – the effects here are generally superb and it all feels very reminiscent of the original trilogy.

The main asset ‘The Force Awakens’ boasts is its wonderfully realised characters despite the fact that they have been written into a safe and over simplistic story. In terms of the old cast, Harrison Ford is really at home here and puts in a good performance. Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia on the other hand simply looks as if she’s here for the money and her performance is quite uninspired. The new cast are absolutely outstanding and have a great chemistry together. Both John Boyega and Daisy Ridley are phenomenal here and have successfully completed the move to mainstream filmography. Oscar Isaac is solid here as Resistance X-Winger fighter pilot, Poe Dameron  but is woefully underused. Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis play the supporting villains and are pretty solid but the pick of the cast is Adam Driver’s dangerous and unpredictable villain, Kylo-Ren. It is an outstanding piece of casting and he is perhaps one of the most memorable and formidable villains of the decade. He is developed extremely well and his tantrums are extremely effective into giving an insight into his personality. Driver deserves a lot of praise for his performance and it will be interesting to see where his character arc is developed in the sequels.

John Williams’ score is also a perfect blend of old themes and some new ones, particularly the themes for the new characters and at the end in a key sequence. The cinematography by Dan Mindel is solid and is very reminiscent of the original trilogy.

What’s particularly impressive about ‘The Force Awakens’ is its impressive and secretive marketing. The trailers didn’t reveal a lot of the film’s story and there are a lot of surprises to be had in store if you can avoid spoilers.

Overall, ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ is a very good basis for the future and is an impressive blend of old and new. At times the film is edge-on-the-seat exciting but it does unfortunately become very silly a little too frequently. Adam Driver’s portrayal of Kylo-Ren is fantastic and is one of the most interesting and unpredictable villain of recent years. Episode 8 will be directed by Rian Johnson who has previously directed 2012’s ‘Looper’ which was very well received and will be released in May 2017. Before that, a spin-off ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ will be released in December 2016 and it will be directed by Gareth Edwards who directed 2014’s remake of ‘Godzilla’. J. J. Abrams has unfortunately stepped away from this franchise, perhaps a little too soon as he’s done a good job here and it is his best work yet. There is a lot of potential here for the future.

⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

Ranking Pixar Films

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With the release of ‘Inside Out’ and ‘The Good Dinosaur’, now seems an appropriate time to rank the films by Pixar. Pixar are geniuses when they come to animation and are yet to make a bad film – even the worst film on this list is still decent by animation standards, it’s just a let-down when compared to what Pixar can achieve.

16) The Good Dinosaur

Pixar’s most recent offering is very disjointed and a tonal jumble but as a film in its own right, it’s decent. The story is all over the place and whilst individual set pieces work, as a whole the film doesn’t quite gel together. That said, the animation here is stunning and there are many sweeping panoramic shots of landscapes that are stunning to behold. (Review here)

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15) A Bug’s Life

Pixar’s second film couldn’t quite match their debut, but ‘A Bug’s Life’ is still good fun even if it doesn’t pack the emotional punch that we have come to expect from Pixar. It all feels a little too simplistic and it’s not particularly memorable. Unfortunately, it has too many parallels to DreamWorks ‘Antz’ which came out shortly beforehand.

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14) Brave

Although it’s a disjointed film and is second-rate Pixar all the way,’Brave’ still has its moments with its relatable characters and simplistic, easy to follow story.

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13) Wall-E

This would normally feature right at the top of many people’s lists, but it’s nowhere near as good as it’s made out to be. There are many dull moments in ‘Wall-E’ and its pacing is uneven, but when the film gets into its rhythm, it’s fabulous.

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12) Cars

John Lasseter’s pet project isn’t one of Pixar’s best, but it’s still a satisfying film and good fun. As well as its sequel, the race sequences are wonderfully realised and are exhilarating to watch.

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There is now a big step-up in quality…

11) Toy Story

The first ever Pixar film was an incredible debut and it has laid the foundations for sequels that are even better than this original outing. The script is outstanding.

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10) Monsters University

Although the sequel to ‘Monsters Inc’ wasn’t quite as refined as its predecessor and had a wobbly first act, it managed to redeem itself half-way through and storms to the end and packs an emotional punch.

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9) Finding Nemo

A very memorable and quotable entry to the Pixar canon, ‘Finding Nemo’ is an emotional journey and the characters are wonderfully developed. It doesn’t rank quite as highly as its pacing is a little uneven at times.

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8) Cars 2

Many critics and audiences alike aggressively disliked this film, but I thought it was even better than the original. It’s better paced and has an interesting story. It’s barrels of fun.

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7) Inside Out

Pete Docter’s most recent film out of three, although this is his worst one, it is still near-perfect. ‘Inside Out’ is extremely original and has a wonderful script but the reason it cannot quite rank as high is because the story is a little too conventional and predictable in parts. (Review here)

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6) Ratatouille

Brad Bird’s first of two offerings for Pixar, ‘Ratatouille’ is a tale of how anyone can do anything they want and it’s an uplifting, satisfying and mouth-watering journey of a film. It’s more mature than a lot of other Pixar films which is for the better and elevates the film.

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5) Toy Story 2

The sequel that nearly ended up being a disaster, Lasseter decided to release it in cinemas as opposed to straight-to-DVD and it ended up being even better than the original. It’s better paced and features a terrific climax with the characters.

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And now for the best of the bunch…

4) Toy Story 3

The 3rd ‘Toy Story’ ended up being the best one and what elevated it from the other two was its emotional heart. It is paced perfectly and the spirit that was present in the first two films lives on here. I just hope they don’t botch up the planned 4th instalment – please, Pixar, leave this perfect trilogy as it is.

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3) Monsters Inc

Into the top three, Pete Docter’s first of three offerings, ‘Monsters Inc’ is hilarious and has memorable characters and is very emotional at times. The combination of John Goodman and Billy Crystal is a match made in heaven and the two bounce off each other extremely well.

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2) The Incredibles

A close second, ‘The Incredibles’ is better than most superhero films out there and it has a very warm heart. Its superheroes are very relatable and the film is expertly paced. The perfect superhero film.

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And the best Pixar film is…

1) Up

The best Pixar film undisputedly, ‘Up’ is an emotional roller coaster yet hilarious at times and and it has a tremendous heart. The first five minutes is perhaps the best opening to a film in history. It’s an extremely memorable and quotable film and it’s just wonderful to watch. A perfect film.

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So what does the future hold for Pixar?

‘Finding Dory’, a sequel to ‘Finding Nemo’ is scheduled for June 2016 and ‘Coco’, an original Pixar film directed by Lee Unkrich behind ‘Toy Story 3’ is scheduled for November 2017. ‘Cars 3’, ‘The Incredibles 2’ and ‘Toy Story 4’ are also in development.

 

The Good Dinosaur (Review)

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⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

Director: Peter Sohn
Starring: (voices of) Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Sam Elliott, Anna Paquin, A. J. Buckley, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Steve Zahn
Certificate: PG
Run Time: 101 mins

‘The Good Dinosaur’ is the second of Pixar’s two offerings in 2015. ‘Inside Out’, released in the Summer (my review here) was hailed by many as a return to form by Pixar and there have been calls for it to feature on the Best Picture category in the upcoming Academy Awards. Personally, I don’t think they ever had a dip in quality between 2010 and 2015  apart from ‘Brave’ which I had my problems with. ‘The Good Dinosaur’ has had a very turbulent production and has been in the making for many years. Originally, it was to be directed by ‘Up’ co-director, Bob Peterson but then after he couldn’t find a way to crack the film’s third act, he was replaced by Peter Sohn. Peterson remains with just a writing credit. The film’s cast was also reworked in the transition between Peterson and Sohn and only Frances McDormand remains from the original cast which also included the likes of John Lithgow, Neil Patrick Harris and Bill Hader. The film was delayed by a year and a half, originally slotted in for a May 2014 release date and many employees of Pixar had been laid off due to the delay. Has this all paid off?

‘The Good Dinosaur’ is a decent film in its own right but by Pixar standards is one of their worst. It is a disjointed and manipulatively emotional film and its story is all over the place – the film hasn’t quite gelled together. Pixar famously boast that their story is their number-one priority but this is definitely not the case here. That said, the animation is breathtaking and there are many sweeping panoramic shots that are just stunning to behold. As a film in its own right, it’s still much better than many other animated films there are to offer, but it’s just disappointing that this film is not Pixar at its best – it definitely has the potential. There is also a lot of excessive biting and screaming from the characters in the film and it left me with a bit of a headache.

The story, whilst familiar, works at times but overall it feels incredibly disjointed. The whole concept of the asteroid missing Earth is genius and it’s just a shame that the story that follows ultimately can’t live up to this.  Dinosaurs are essentially the humans – evolved over many years and intelligent and social and humans are referred to as ‘critters’. The opening 20 minutes or so are classic Pixar – the introduction to protagonist, Arlo’s family are wonderful and it is established what constitutes a family. There is a very powerful sequence where Arlo’s father (wonderfully voiced with a James Earl Jones twang by Jeffrey Wright) takes his son up a mountain to chase the ‘critter’ who is eating their harvest.

However, the rest of the film is extremely disjointed and whilst individual sequences work in their own right, it doesn’t gel together and it all feels aggressively out-of-touch and strange. There is one scene that particularly comes to mind where Pixar use drug references and especially for a child audience feels very strangely placed. The film also can’t decide what it wants to be tonally.  At times, it feels like a film critiquing the environment and at other times feels like a Western. To be fair to Pixar, at least they’re trying to be different.

To Pixar’s credit, the animation is outstanding and is one of their best works. As mentioned, there are many stunning panoramic shots of Arlo’s environment and the attention to detail is mind-blowing. However, as critic Mark Kermode wrote in his review, if all you are looking at is the animation then there must be something seriously not right with the narrative and this is sadly the case. Even the score by Mychael Danna and his brother, Jeff Danna is all over the place.

It’s a real shame that ‘The Good Dinosaur’ isn’t able to match ‘Inside Out’ – it doesn’t even come close. It has gone through a very turbulent production which evidently shows in the finished film and it just all feels disjointed and tonally jumbled. Whilst it is still better than many other animation films, for Pixar, it is one of their very worst.

⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

‘Sanjay’s Super Team’, the preceding short before the film is also a tonal jumble. Perhaps it has been released at the wrong time after a slew of superhero films, particularly ‘Big Hero 6’ which it feels extremely derivative of.

Golden Globe Nominations – My Thoughts

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It’s that time of year – Awards Seasons has begun and the Golden Globes have been announced. Here I offer my views on them and predict who will be the winners. Overall, it’s a pretty good mix this year and the HFPA have got it mostly right, but understandably there are a fair share of snubs as well, some that are unforgivable.

Best Motion Picture – Drama

Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Room
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An interesting field of contenders here and good to see ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ getting the recognition that it deserves. I think the winner here will be ‘Carol’ as that’s the film that’s been getting the best reviews out of the five.

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

The Big Short
Joy
The Martian
Spy
Trainwreck

I think the winner here will be ‘The Big Short’. Again, it has very strong reviews and its actors have been recognised further down the nominations. The only other possibility would be ‘The Martian’, but it hasn’t featured much anywhere else so that’s why I’m going with ‘The Big Short’. ‘Joy’ has received rather polarising reviews and ‘Spy’ and ‘Trainwreck’ are filler.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama

Bryan Cranston for Trumbo
Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant
Michael Fassbender for Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne for The Danish Girl
Will Smith for Concussion

Now here I have some issues. What is Will Smith doing here?! Johnny Depp for ‘Black Mass’ or Michael Fassbender for ‘Macbeth’ or Ian McKellen for ‘Mr Holmes’ is a much better fit than Smith. As for the rest of the nominations, it’s pretty much spot-on. Naysayers think that DiCaprio could win here and then go onto win at the Academy Awards – I disagree. I think it’s Redmayne’s year again as he is playing a role that is ‘different’ and these kinds of roles are the ones that ultimately end up bagging the win. However, I would still be happy if DiCaprio did end up taking the win.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama

Cate Blanchett for Carol
Brie Larson for Room
Rooney Mara for Carol
Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn
Alicia Vikander for The Danish Girl
This is a toss-up between Blanchett and Larson, I think and Blanchett could possibly prevail but they’re neck-and-neck at the moment. Mara and Vikander shouldn’t be in this category as they play supporting roles in their films but in terms of performances, all are really worthy of a spot.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Christian Bale for The Big Short
Steve Carrell for The Big Short
Matt Damon for The Martian
Al Pacino for Danny Collins
Mark Ruffalo for Infinity Polar Bear

I think this is a win for Matt Damon but don’t expect a further nomination at the Academy Awards. Audiences really connected with his character in ‘The Martian’, particularly as he has the screen mostly to himself. Impressively, ‘The Big Short’ has managed to get two nominations here but seeing as both actors received recognition recently, I think this should be Damon’s. Pacino and Ruffalo are filler.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy

Jennifer Lawrence for Joy
Melissa McCarthy for Spy
Amy Schumer for Trainwreck
Maggie Smith for The Lady In The Van
Lily Tomlin for Grandma

Surely this has to be Jennifer Lawrence’s award? She’s the only one out of the five who is being tipped for Awards success. Smith is another worthy actress here and the rest are just filler.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Paul Dano for Love And Mercy
Idris Elba for Beasts Of No Nation
Mark Rylance for Bridge Of Spies
Michael Shannon for 99 Homes
Sylvester Stallone for Creed

I think this is Mark Rylance’s award as he has been getting a lot of good recognition for the role. Elba and Shannon are closely following behind and Stallone is the ‘Robert Duvall’ (who got nominated for the extremely disappointing film, ‘The Judge’) of this year.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture

Jane Fonda for Youth
Jennifer Jason Leigh for The Hateful Eight
Helen Mirren for Trumbo
Alicia Vikander for Ex_Machina
Kate Winslet for Steve Jobs

Alicia Vikander has done really well to get nominated twice and she’s had a fantastic year in film. Ultimately whilst not on this list, I think her performance in ‘The Danish Girl’ will win at the Academy Awards, here I think the Golden Globe will go to Jennifer Jason Leigh as she’s been getting a lot of buzz for her performance. I’ll say this again, I really don’t understand why Kate Winslet is getting all the fuss she is getting, her performance in ‘Steve Jobs’ was atrocious and she kept slipping and sliding between accents – it’s enough that people like it but then to actually go and give her a nomination is just horrendous.

Best Director – Motion Picture

Todd Haynes for Carol
Alejandro  González Iñárritu for The Revenant
Tom McCarthy for Spotlight
George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Ridley Scott for The Martian

A very good field of nominations, maybe Ridley Scott’s direction is being bit optimistic and could have been replaced for Quentin Tarantino for ‘The Hateful Eight’. I think Haynes will win here as ‘Carol’ has received universal acclaim but Miller could also win here for his sterling work on ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ as he created arguably one of the best action films in recent years.

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture

Charles Randolph and Adam McKay for The Big Short
Quentin Tarantino for The Hateful Eight
Emma Donoghue for Room
Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer for Spotlight
Aaron Sorkin for Steve Jobs

This is a fantastic set of nominations and it could be anyone’s. My guess would be Sorkin for Steve Jobs as it is a very strong script but it could also be Donoghue for Room for adapting her own novel. Very tough list to call.

Best Original Song – Motion Picture

‘Love Me Like You Do’ (Fifty Shades Of Grey)
‘See You Again’ (Furious 7)
‘One Kind Of Love’ (Love And Mercy)
‘Writing’s On The Wall’ (Spectre)
‘Simple Song #3’ (Youth)

Well, it hasn’t particularly been a strong year in this category anyway so a very predictable set of nominations with the exception of ‘Love and Mercy’ and ‘Youth’ – I think one of these two films will take the win as the others are filler.

Best Original Score – Motion Picture

Carter Burwell for Carol
Alexandre Desplat for The Danish Girl
Ennio Morricone for The Hateful Eight
Ryuichi Sakamoto and Carsten Nicolai for The Revenant
Daniel Pemberton for Steve Jobs

An interesting set of nominations – I think this will be a win for Morricone as it is his first score in years. The others are also very strong and it’s a shame that Sakamoto and Nicolai have been disqualified for the Academy Awards. There are a few snubs here though. Tom Holkenborg’s score for ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ is amazing, as is Johann Johannsson’s score for ‘Sicario’ and Jed Kurzel has also had a strong year for ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Slow West’.

Best Animated Film

Anomalisa
The Good Dinosaur
Inside Out
The Peanuts Movie
Shaun The Sheep Movie

A very strong set of nominations, this will undoubtedly go to ‘Inside Out’ with many hailing it as the return of Pixar and is was loved by audiences and critics alike.

Overall

Overall, a very strong set of nominations and the HFPA have got it almost correct. There are a lot of snubs here though and there are number of films that failed to receive recognition for anything:

– Sicario
– Macbeth (I had my issues with this film but that doesn’t stop it being deserving of so many awards)
– Slow West
– Black Mass

These films are deserving in so many categories and all received very strong reviews but the HFPA have failed to catch on – hopefully these will be recognised in the BAFTA’s and Academy Awards.

The Golden Globe winners will be announced  on Sunday 10th January at
8 pm ET / 5 pm PT on NBC.

Bridge Of Spies (Review)

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⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Austin Stowell, Scott Shepherd, Jesse Plemons, Sebastian Koch 
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 141 mins 

‘Bridge of Spies’ tells the true story of James B. Donovan, a  respected insurance lawyer who is entrusted with negotiating Francis Gary Powers, a spy whose plane was shot down over the Soviet Union and Frederic Pryor, a university student caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time for Rudolf Abel, a suspect Soviet spy who is in the hands of the United States at the height of the Cold War. The latest film directed by one of the masters, Steven Spielberg seems looks as if it’s business as usual for the maestro.  It certainly inspires confidence when you have a formula of Spielberg directing, Tom Hanks in the lead role, Mark Rylance in a supporting role, Janusz Kaminski as cinematographer and a Coen Brothers script which tells a true story.  This must be a surefire hit, right?

‘Bridge of Spies’ is usual business for Spielberg – it’s a very engaging story, has a great script and features a fantastic performance from Mark Rylance.  The problem with ‘Bridge of Spies’ however lies within its pacing – whilst its first hour is great, the second half changes tone and shifts down a notch and can’t quite match the compelling courtroom drama film that the first half of the film aspires to be. It’s also sadly the case that the trailer practically shows the entire film in a condensed format – if you’ve seen the trailer, then you’ll have virtually seen the film.

Flaws aside, the first half truly is wonderful. The film opens up with a series of scenes following Mark Rylance’s character, Rudolf Abel, who is suspected to be a Soviet spy that are so well realised and choreographed. Once arrested (and what sets the basis for the entire film), Spielberg makes the viewer question their morals as the Americans just want to say that Abel has been fairly represented in his trial whereas Donovan actively pursues to help redeem himself. “Everyone deserves a defense. Everyone matters,” Donovan argues.

Performances-wise, the film is very strong. Tom Hanks, although he won’t receive any Awards acclaim, does a good job here as James B. Donovan who wants to do his job seriously, or as Rylance’s character, Abel calls him “the standing man” who despite constantly being undermined by others always picks himself up and fights back. Mark Rylance is stunning here and surely is destined for contention in the Best Supporting Actor category in the upcoming Academy Awards. His mannerisms are perfect and the audience really feel for his character who he portrays as extremely intelligent but is still very human and empathetic. Perhaps it’s the omission of Rylance in the second half that forces the film to shift down a notch?

The second half of the film whilst still strong in its own right but is very different in tone to the courtroom drama that the film aspires to be in the first half. It deals with the exchange of the individuals concerned and there are many visceral sequences of the Berlin Wall being constructed and this is where Kaminski really gets to demonstrate his cinematography skills and a lot of greys and whites are used to showcase this. As a film in its own right, the second half of the film works but it just cannot stand up to such a wonderfully realised first act and this ultimately brings the film down as a whole.

It’s a real shame that the marketing for this film has tarnished it. It gives away virtually the entire film which is a real shame – of course the film is better than the trailer but it does leave a sour note. Furthermore, Thomas Newman, stepping in for Spielberg regular John Williams can’t even come close to emulating Williams’ genius and the score feels phoned-in.

Overall, ‘Bridge of Spies’ is another winner from Spielberg and  it is extremely engaging and a satisfying watch. Both Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance are excellent in this film, Rylance deserving of Awards attention. It’s just a shame that the film experiences a tonal shift mid-way through (although both halves work in their own right) and the trailer gives away virtually the entire film. In terms of the film’s Oscar prospects, it’s likely it will get some nominations but whether it wins anything is another story. I’d say that Rylance is probably the film’s biggest shot. But as a film in its own right and as a Steven Spielberg film, it’s business as usual.

⭐⭐⭐ (Good)

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (Review)

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⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)

Director: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland 
Certificate: 12A
Run Time: 137 mins

‘The Hunger Games’ series is extremely strong quality-wise and is easily the best teenage fiction series since ‘Harry Potter’. The first two films in particular were near-perfect and weaved in many social and political commentaries to elevate their quality. The third film, ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1′ took a massive nose-dive for the series and all that audiences were left with was a film with build up but no satisfying action. Suzanne Collins’ third book, ‘Mockingjay’ is easily the weakest of the trilogy anyway so it’s understandable why it couldn’t match the first two. Many fans look forward to Part 2 which carries on from Part 1 and culminates into a very satisfying and intense final battle for the future of Panem.

‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2′ is a marked improvement on its predecessor and it very nearly scales the heights of the first two films in the series. It is a heartfelt and satisfying conclusion that makes Part 1 completely redundant and there are many social and political messages embedded throughout. At a time when ISIS terrorise the West, this film couldn’t come at a more ironic time and there are many uncomfortable similarities that both the fictional world created by Suzanne Collins and reality share which culminate in an even more heartfelt watch.

The acting remains as one of the series’ main strengths and Jennifer Lawrence nails the role of Katniss Everdeen again. Sitting most of Part 1 out, Josh Hutcherson has a welcome return and this is probably his most mature performance of the series. The other standouts here are Donald Sutherland who is on great form as Snow again and one of the final scenes of the film with him in it is outstandingly crafted – there isn’t anyone else who could have been as perfect a match as Sutherland is to the role. A lot of the cast are sidelined here unfortunately but the strength of these main performances, along with a sound Liam Hemsworth as Gale, keep the film in check.

The script and set designs are wonderfully crafted and extremely memorable. The battle sequences in particular are particularly well-staged and the film’s ending is very satisfying and rounds off the series nicely.  The score by James Newton Howard fits in well, but he hasn’t really recorded too much new material and instead has worked with what he has used before which is still serviceable.

It’s a welcome and unexpected relief that ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2’ is a return to form for the franchise. It is able to restore the tone and excitement that the first two shared – it’s just a shame that last year’s prelude to this film had to be so dour. With the franchise being extremely profitable, this film will undoubtedly lead into spin-off’s in the future which hopefully will be of the same quality.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Excellent)