Tuesday 31 January 2012

Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?

Dunno about a mirror, but Vanity Fair's Hollywood Issue sure knows-


Taking the two upcoming Snow White movies quite literally, yes? Of course there is Adepero Oduye and Paula Patton, but this is always the case with VF. It's still very pretty though, and that cover is THE cover for a reason-

Goddesses.
Love each and every one of them, and what they are bringing to the picture. Jennifer Lawrence and Mia Wasikowska look like royalty. Jessica Chastain is just adorable and a red head, so don't really need to explain that. And then there's Rooney Mara- who just makes the picture elevate to unexplored heights. I love the dark hair and the dark lips and the expression and everything. I wish I could be her, but then again I wish I could be all of them.




Obviously though, we all know who really is the fairest of them all-
Evil Queen fan 4eva!

Friday 27 January 2012

Thoughts

And so another week goes by...

1) Of course this week was Oscar nominations week, and here are my thoughts on them. Now the actual descent into madness starts. The Artist is really looking like the front-runner now. For those who haven't seen it, this is the video of the Artist team reacting to their nominations. It's beyond adorable, and so very true. I mean seriously, all those people who are all like "I forgot it was today and I was asleep and blah blah blah"- stop lying! If I ever get nominated for some epic that I haven't thought of or written yet, I would react EXACTLY like The Artist folks. Though it's kind of ironic that the stars of the "silent movie" are creating such a racket.

2) Charlie Kaufman's film criticism musical Frank or Francis is getting quite the cast. Along with Jack Black, Steve Carell, Nicholas Cage and Kevin Kline, former Kaufman-ites, Kate Winslet and Catherine Keener are going to be there too. It sounds insane and awesome. I can't imagine Cage singing, but that will be something.

3) Harry Potter's Bonnie Wright is directing a short Separate We Come, Separate We Go starring former cast member David Thewlis, which will debut in the Graduate BAFTAs later this year. How random is that? Maybe that's why she was a block of stone in front of the camera. I mean look at Sofia Coppola.


4) Trailers: Black Gold which takes a look into the beginning of the oil-empire in Arab in the 1930s. Antonio Banderas and Mark Strong are there, along with the yet-to-be-remotely-impressive Freida Pinto. It looks epic, but I just have this feeling that I will hate it. Brake starring Stephen Dorff in which he is locked in a car trunk and then it's a bit Die Hard-y and Kill Bill Vol. 2 (the grave scene). Good time-pass I guess. Jeff Who Lives At Home is the final trailer. It has the quirky dramedy thing going on, but again I am not sold.


5) So my movie-watching this month has been suffering for the weirdest reason- I only have sort of depressing films left to watch. It's not they are bad films, but I know they are all intense films and I just feel like I am going to get bored. The only thing I am really happy watching are Doctor Who stuff (as amazing as that show is, curse it for ruining my attention span even more). Gah!! What to do?


6) Finally, If the posters of this year's "Oscar-worthy" films spoke the truth, they would look a bit like this:
If politicians looked like this, I would change my nationality and vote for them.

Byee.

Thursday 26 January 2012

Valhalla, I am coming.

           It has been more than seven months since the release of that awe-inspiring teaser for David Fincher's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which drove me a little insane. I finally saw it this week, and my waiting has been worth it!


              The story revolves around two characters- a disgraced investigative reporter Mikael Blomkvist, and a brilliant yet disturbed computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, and their unlikely partnership that is formed to catch a killer of women. Blomkvist is employed by Henrik Vanger, a retired industrialist, to investigate a case that has ailed him for forty years- the disappearance and apparent murder of his niece Harriet. When he unearths some clues, Blomkvist takes the aide of Lisbeth, who had done the background search on him originally. Together they solve the mystery, which takes the most unexpected turns and changes their lives forever.


           The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the based on the first book of Stieg Larsson's best selling Millennium trilogy of the same name. Contrary to the popular belief, it is an adaptation of the book and not the remake of the Swedish adaptation, which I saw immediately after the teaser was released all those months ago. As almost everyone has read the book or seen the Swedish version or both, I will not give more details. For those who haven't, well I just did you a favour and you will be deeply ingratiated to me forever. I personally feel it's an average book with a few high points and a lot of unnecessary parts. Here is where Fincher's version triumphs because it trims all those uneven edges and gives us a mind-blowing thriller, or as I like to call it- a true Fincher-thriller (Fincher Fangirls Unite!).


          As soon as those incredible opening credits start rolling, we know we are in for a bumpy, dark, violent, and magnificent ride. Set almost entirely in cold and chilly Sweden, the whole film has a very grey look that emanates the iciness of the settings across the screen to us, and just gets under our skin. That is only just the beginning because the film has some truly cringe-worthy moments, especially the infamous rape scene. What is really brilliant though is how instead of focusing on the actual violence, it chooses to show shots of the people who are causing it or to whom it is being caused. It makes it all the more disturbing and uncomfortable, and we just know how wrong it all is.

             In terms of the cast, the film is really driven by the two leads- Daniel Craig as Blomkvist and Rooney Mara as Lisbeth. Many people have not appreciated Craig as much, but I think he is such an improvement from Michael Nyqvist who played the character in the Swedish version. In the first half, when both of them haven't met yet and their characters are being set-up for us, Craig's Blomkvist is someone who is normal and rational and quite charming. He isn't necessarily James Bond (hehe), but we see how he reacts to other people- strangers and family, and even a cat, and we understand why someone like Lisbeth is able to like and trust him. I think he is the perfect yin to her distorted yang. Of course, the film's focal point is Lisbeth and Mara's eerily excellent, and as of two days ago, Oscar-nominated portrayal of her. People are rabid fans of Noomi Rapace's Lisbeth, and she is quite good and well badass-er. I think Mara's Lisbeth is quirkier, but also more dangerous. She is kind of funny; though she speaks a little, I actually laughed at some of things she said, and that bloody awesome t-shirt she is wearing when she first meets Blomkvist. She also has a sensitive side, as deeply buried as it is. But at the same time, she has this terrifying rage, which when it comes out, is so much more scarier. I mean, in spite of Mara's miraculous transformation into the tattooed, pierced, shaved and bleached Lisbeth, she still looked beautiful, but every time this side of her came out, I could only think of the phrase, "face of death". So yes, Mara's Lisbeth was more beautiful, funny and sensitive, and also way more deadlier and deranged. "Nod."


          Both of them had great chemistry together. I really liked the way we are introduced to both characters and the world of difference between them, and how they are brought together. Among the other cast members, I liked that Erika Berger had a more prime role in this adaptation and Robin Wright was just the person for her. Christopher Plummer was Henrik, and again he was very convincing in his slightly amused and aloof old man role. Stellan Skarsgård played Martin Vanger, and he was very good too. Lastly Yorick van Wageningen played Nils Bjurman, Lisbeth's twisted and sexually deviant guardian. He was really evil and disgusting. I liked how his bulging ponch was always in focus because we are supposed to find him revolting.

           Steve Zaillian adapted the book into an excellent screenplay, and as I said above, removed many of the unnecessary details. I think the film was more faithful to the essence of the book, than maybe even the book itself. The cinematography is harrowing and quite deservedly nominated for an Oscar. The incredible score by last year's winners Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, was snubbed by the Oscars but it just does wonders for the mood of this modern thriller. That Immigrant Song cover by Karen O is the cherry on the cake. As always, the editing is immaculate, which is something one expects from a Fincher film. It's all in the pacing, and that is what keeps one glued to such a film. One of my favourite scenes is when she gets robbed in the train station, and how she fights back. It's cool and then sound is muffled down and everything just happens.



         Lastly, and most importantly, comes David Fincher and his expert film-making skills. I remember how over-the-moon I was when this film was announced, because none can do a modern thriller like him. Se7en is easily one of the best thrillers from the last two decades, and Zodiac too is quite superb. But not only those, other films of his like Fight Club and The Social Network also come to mind because of his trend to portray unconventional, rebellious, disturbed and quite brilliant characters in his films. Lisbeth could have easily been his brain-child, and it only seemed natural that he will do justice to her. The film has all of his trademark elements in it- the exact investigation, the painful violence, the very dark humour (that Enya song in the end and again that aaawweeesssoommmeee t-shirt), the unforgettable sequences, even a few epic lines- "If you touch me, I'll more than alarm you." I already spoke about the look and the pacing, which are also quintessentially Fincher. Even with these, the best part of the film for me is what Fincher made Mara do. There were many shots of the back of her head, which is a clever tactic to make us, for lack of a better word, identify with her more. She is the focus, the epicenter, and it's her actions and feelings that we have to understand and we do, somewhat. Her outbursts, her lack of emotion and then the unexpected sliver of sensitivity- everything Lisbeth is expected to be and more, he captures it all. He made her a crazed genius, as maybe he is one himself. And for this, I cannot thank him enough (Fincher Fangirls Unite! x 2).

        A perfect thriller, which has been both rewarded and snubbed by the awards folks, though we don't really care, do we? I had only one problem with the film- it ended too soon, though it was quite the perfect ending. Anyhow there are two more books in the series, and I think the producers will go ahead with the adaptations. Though this film feels like perfection on its own, we want Mara as Lisbeth to fill us up with fear and awe again, we want that excellent chemistry between Mara and  Craig to continue, and we want Fincher back at what he does best. Here's hoping to see more adventures of the girl with the dragon tattoo.



Tuesday 24 January 2012

OSCAR NOMS ARE OUT!

One question- what is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close?
            This film has been absent from almost every awards or awards discussion that I have seen or read. And here it is, as one of the nine Best Film nominees. I mean they must really love Stephen Daldry (I shouldn't be one to talk- literally just finished The Hours and yes the film was tad bit better). Also Max von Sydow (who?) bagged the Best Supporting Actor nomination over the likes of Albert Brooks (whaaaaaat- grumblegrumblegrumble).


         Obviously Harry Potter didn't get much love (why oh why?), but the best thing EVER happened with Gary Oldman FINALLY getting nominated for his brilliant performance in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Potterheads and Sex Pistols fans are proud of you, Mr. Oldman. 


         I'm almost as excited for Rooney Mara as and in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids and Jessica Chastain in The Help. What I'm not happy about is the exclusion of the brilliant The Adventures of Tintin from the Best Animated film category and the overwhelming love for the sap-fest that is War Horse.


Okay so my Expectations vs Reality is as follows-


Best Film: 7 out of 9- I thought the Oscars was better than War Horse and again, what is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close?


Best Director: 5 out of 5- Yes dreaming about Refn getting nominated was a bit of an overshoot, but yaay for Malick!


Best Actress: 5 out of 5- I did predict all 5, but I am saddened by the exclusion of Tilda Swinton and Kirsten Dunst, and the inclusion of Glenn Close. However, having seen The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo just yesterday itself, I am completely won over by Mara.


Best Actor: 4 out of 5- Demian Bichir got a nomination. No Golsing or Fassy, but Oldman is there, so yaay!


Best Supporting Actress: 5 out of 5- But what, no Shailene Woodley?! She was the best part of The Descendants! So happy for Melissa McCarthy.


Best Supporting Actor: 3 out of 5- Nick Nolte and Max von Sydow were not in my list, which is still wayyy better than this little Oscar thing.


Best Original Screenplay: 4 out of 5- Even though I do not like Bridesmaids so much and think Mean Girls was a far more superior film, it gives me joy to think of Kristen Wiig as an Oscar nominee. No Margin Call in my list, but good for the Oscars for nominating Asghar Farhadi for that beautiful script of A Separation.


Best Adapted Screenpaly: 4 out of 5- I did not even think about The Ides of March but yaay for TTSS!


Other ideas-
- Yaay for Jane Eyre and its nomination for Costume Design.
- Yaay for Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall for getting nominated again!
- Ugh that score for War Horse got nominated. I ask you- did you not expect the Von Trapp children to start singing suddenly from among the mountains whenever it played? And then they didn't even show up! Grumblegrumblegrumblegrumble.
- That song from Rio got nominated in which everyone sang, Including Jesse Eisenberg. Yaay for him!
-Hugo's 11 nominations!!
- I am sort of happy, and sort of pissed. The Academy has done its job. Yaaaayy! Now we wait for 26th February, and go a bit insane in the process.



Monday 23 January 2012

HELLO OSCAR NOMS!

       Oscar nominations will be announced in less than 2 days. Yaay! I still haven't seen 3 films that I think can score big here- Shame, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and My Week with Marilyn. Still, the following are my wish-lists/predictions for the Big 5 and the Supporting categories.


Best Film- Trickiest category because no one knows how many there will be.


Mine:  1) The Artist
2) Midnight in Paris
3) Hugo
4) Drive
5) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
6) The Tree of Life
7) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
8) A Separation


Theirs: Them heartless voters will kick poor Harry out, and have The Descendants in its place. Then probably Moneyball in place of Drive, The Help in place of The Tree of Life and maybe Bridesmaids in place of Dragon Tattoo. A Separation won't be nominated here.


Winner: It has become a The Artist vs The Descendants race, but the best part of this award season is still how relatively flexible it is. Between those two, The Artist has my vote. Otherwise I think A Separation is the most flawless film I've seen all year, and Drive is insanely cool.




Best Director- Oh happy happy year. Something old and something new, and everything is just amazing.


Mine: 1)Martin Scorsese, Hugo
2) Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
3) Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
4) Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
5) Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life


Theirs: Either Refn or Malick will be replaced by Alexander Payne for The Descendants. David Fincher is being showered with love for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, so who knows what that will bring. Steven Spielberg is being considered for War Horse, though personally I would prefer if he were nominated for Tintin.


Winner: Scorsese or Refn, in my eyes. But my gut says Hazanavicius.




Best Actress- This was difficult, and also I haven't seen 3 of the performances that will probably make the cut.


Mine: 1) Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
2) Kirsten Dunst, Melancholia
3) Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
4) Viola Davis, The Help
5) Charlize Theron, Young Adult


Theirs: Olsen isn't getting any love, most unfortunately. We can all count Meryl Streep in, for her role in The Iron Lady. Theron will also be substituted by Michelle Williams for My Week with Marilyn. Glenn Close will replace poor Kiki for that awful Albert Nobbs and Tilda, the Goddess, may find herself kicked out in favour of Rooney Mara, for Dragon Tattoo.


Winner- Among the ones I have seen, I think Tilda Swinton was just incredible. But it may become a Meryl vs Viola thing this year, and I can't help but be pro-Meryl, because she IS Meryl "Fuckin" Streep!




Best Actor- Ooh. What a year. Beauties, all of them.


Mine: 1) Ryan Gosling, Drive
2) Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
3) Jean Dujardin, The Artist
4) Ewan McGregor, Beginners
5) George Clooney, The Descendants


Special wish: Daniel Radcliffe- because they had a FYC for him and this was his best performance as Harry Potter ever, and because he IS Harry Potter.


Theirs: They will never nominate McGregor because they are all bastards and do not appreciate that man. Gosling won't get nominated either and if that does happen, it will be for his performance in The Ides of March, who we all know was someone the Driver could kill in a lift at any point of time. Brad Pitt will be nominated for Moneyball. Michael Fassbender might be nominated for Shame though it still might be too racy a role for them. Michael Shannon for Take Shelter (haven't seen that one either). Also maybe Leo for J.Edgar because they love him so.


Winner- Oldman is just so very very good. It's about time Academy recognises this. But it maybe a Ocean's/two-time Sexiest Men Alive face-off with Brad and George fighting for the top prize. Or everyone could have been completely charmed by Dujardin and give him the award.




Best Supporting Actress- This was the category I was least passionate about for some reason.


Mine: 1) Shailene Woodley, The Descendants
2) Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
3) Octavia Spencer, The Help
4) Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
5) Jessica Chastain, The Help/The Tree of Life


Theirs: I have a feeling this might be it. Chastain was apparently the best in Take Shelter so I don't know, but this WAS her year. Carey Mulligan may be nominated for Shame or Janet McTeer for Albert Nobbs.


Winner: I was really impressed with Woodley and McCarthy (yaay Gilmore Girls!). But Spencer is in the lead, and she was good enough.




Best Supporting Actor- I am proud of this one.


Mine: 1) Alan Rickman, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 2 as Professor Severus Snape (I HAD to do that)
2) Albert Brooks, Drive
3) Christopher Plummer, Beginners
4) Hunter McCracken/Brad Pitt, The Tree of Life
5) Ezra Miller, We Need to Talk About Kevin


Theirs- Those bitches will never reward Rickman either. But I shall love him, always. Pitt will get nominated in the Actor category, but he was just better in this role. Jonah Hill was very good in Moneyball. Kenneth Branagh will be nominated for My Week with Marilyn. There is also chances for Viggo Mortensen for A Dangerous Method and all the people from The Ides of March. Whatever- my list rules all.


Winner- Plummer is the front-runner, though I still think Brooks was better. They're it really.




Best Original Screenplay- This is a good year for this category.


Mine: 1) Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
2) Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
3) Asghar Farhadi, A Separation
4) Mike Mills, Beginners
5) Diablo Cody, Young Adult


Theirs: I don't think Farhadi will get nominated. There are films like Bridesmaids, 50-50, Take Shelter, Shame and maybe even The Iron Lady (it's the power of the Streep) who can take the place.


Winner- Woody. I shall hear no more of this.




Best Adapted Screenplay- Honest question: how does someone decide this without having read the source material?


Mine: 1) Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
2) John Logan, Hugo
3) Moira Buffini, Jane Eyre
4) Yasmina Reza and Roman Polanski, Carnage
5) Steven Zaillian, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo


Theirs: The Help and The Descendants is a lock. Maybe even Moneyball. From my list, I think only Hugo and maybe Dragon Tattoo will make it through.


Winner: TTSS really impressed me, but they love The Descendants.




My winners are sort of preliminary, but I don't think my final decisions will be all that different.
And now we wait...

Friday 20 January 2012

Thoughts

Sorry I'm a bit late. My mother hijacked my laptop since hers isn't working- MLIA. Anyways, here we go-


1) The Oscar nominations come out in 4 days. I completely forgot about this. In my head, it is still ages away. I have to start making my predictions/ wishlist. This will obviously be related to my final year-end lists. I saw most of the remaining "award-worthy" films this week- just have The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Shame left, them being the two films I think will feature majorly in my lists. I am very reluctant to watch J. Edgar and The Iron Lady, and maybe, if I can, will see My Week with Marilyn and A Dangerous Method. I think Harry Potter has lost all its chances except if someone puts an Imperius curse on the Academy voters (this is not a thought- it's a suggestion. Someone do this please!).


2) Anyways, this brings us directly to Awards Talk- right after its major win in the Golden Globes, I saw The Descendants. I liked it quite a bit in the first hour after seeing it, but with the realisation dawning on me that such a relatively bland and forgettable film is a front-runner for the Best Film in Oscars this year, its becoming less and less impressive for me. Clooney was rather good, though nothing tops his performance in Up in the Air for me; what can I say? I love Clooney playing Clooney. I was really impressed with Shailene Woodley and she was the best part of the film for me. Then I saw Moneyball. I know people say "it's the sports movie not about sports" and blah, but as much as I wanted to believe that, it still was a sports film for me. Here's a fact about me- I don't do sports. And then it was baseball, which is like the most foreign of all sports for me. I spent too long trying to figure out what Jonah Hill's idea was in the beginning that caused the whole stir in the system or whatever.  It did get better for me around the second-half, but I could not shrug the feeling of complete unfamiliarity. Also the song Brad Pitt's onscreen daughter keeps singing is "The Show" by Lenka, which came out in 2008 and this film is set around 2002-2003. I just could not understand why they had to use that song since it was obviously so anachronistic. Little things like this can really get me distracted, and Moneyball unfortunately suffered due to that. Pitt was good, but personally I prefer his performance in The Tree of Life. Hill was a revelation here, and the best scenes were seriously of him and Pitt together. Finally I just saw The Artist. And it was lovely. I would be overjoyed if such a film wins the top prize at Oscars this year. It is not a great or unique film on its own, but the ambition and heart put into making it in this day and age definitely is great AND unique. I loved Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo and even Uggie (I will still not sit in the same room with him though, obviously). For such a nostalgia-filled year, nothing could be better than a black and white, silent (mostly) film, with actors whose faces light up the screen like the celluloid gods and goddesses of  yesteryears. Ouie?


3) I saw the SNL episode hosted by Daniel Radcliffe. He was very good and confident, but he mostly got terrible sketches. His Harry Potter sketch was the best part, though I kind of dug the idea of  him and Kristen Wiig together. Still, his Allen Ginsberg film Kill Your Darlings has an excellent cast lined up. Elizabeth Olsen, who was amazing in Martha Marcy May Marlene; Jack Huston, who plays Richard Harrow in Boardwalk Empire and is possibly my favourite character in the show; and Dane DeHaan, who will be in Chronicle, The Wettest Country in the World and Gosling-starrer The Place Beyond Pines. It's an impressive group of young actors, and I am really looking forward to this.


4) Sherlock got over this week- oh the infinite sadness! :'( Three episodes per year, that which get over within the first half of the first month of the year, is just cruel. I have to finish rewatching the last episode, and then I will hopefully have a little write-up on it. It really is quite a marvelous show, and Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, and I have to mention him because even my ringtone is "Staying Alive" for him, Andrew Scott who plays Jim Moriarty, are all just superb! I'm a Freeman Fangirl!!


5) Trailers- Detachment, which has the fantastic Adrien Brody in lead. It's about teachers and their thankless lives- believe me, I know all about this. Therefore I think it will become either a love it or hate it film for me. Looking forward to Brody's work though, and the Tony Kaye is the director. He made American History X, which is a film I really need to watch completely at some point. Also there is Resident Evil: Retribution, which is apparently the 5th film in the series, though I don't know when the fourth one came out. I have seen the others, and have little-to-no interest in watching this. It is some sort of mobile ad/ culmination of all the previous ones/ whatever. Milla Jovovich is really gorgeous though.


6) Finally, I have barely been on Tumblr this week, so I don't have much to choose from. Most of it is just SOPA humour, like this. Or this. Or definitely this


Byee.

Tuesday 17 January 2012

Monday 16 January 2012

Everything is GOLDEN GLOBES and Nothing Hurts

except maybe the lack of Ryan Gosling and his dapper suits :(

This is a special edition of mid-week Thoughts post, just for my new favourite Awards show- The Golden Globes.

1) So I wake up at 4:45 am to see if it is coming on the telly. It is not.
2) Usually I wake up earlier to see the red carpet, but I didn't because there are guests in my house and my alarm is super annoying.
3) I really liked what Charlize Theron and Tilda Swinton were wearing.
4) Anyways, after around half an hour of frantic and curses/whining- filled live stream search, as soon as I gave up all hope, I found a nice live stream. As a result I missed Best Supporting Actor and Miss Globes. The former was Christopher Plummer, which even though I was supporting Albert Brooks, is nice. I mean it's an adorable old man playing and adorable old gay man. Miss Globes is Andie MacDowell's daughter.
5) I just have a feeling that one of these days I'll get up and Suri Cruise will be Miss Globes. Okay not really.
6) This is when everything gets mixed in my head- I saw Sherlock's season finale after that okay. That show... :'(
7) Ricky Gervais was not all that bad this year, was he? I didn't think so. And I think this time the presenters were armed with comebacks.
8) So anyways, Globes made me happy because- Woody won! Scorsese won! Tintin > Rango!
9) George Clooney was so much fun- that cane :D
10) Also his jokes about Fassy's massive um... golf club was hilarious (I don't think we've heard the last of this) and made even more awesomer by shark teeth.
11) I was really happy that A Separation won also, though man did those people look bored! It was one of the moments when the stream froze so I didn't hear everything. Same thing happened with Jean Dujardin.
12) Speaking of, he reminds me of a European Don Draper. The Artist won loads of stuff, and so did The Descendants. So I suppose these two are the big contenders this year.
13) I like how much people just enjoy the Golden Globes, and that's exactly the kind of awards they give. Screw the pretentious! Maybe it's my Bollywood-ness seeping through, but I like that Madonna got an award, and that royalty is always served first- for example Queen Meryl and next-in-line Kate Winslet.
14) Streep totally butchered Mia Wasikowska's name, didn't she? But atleast she mentioned her. She's the ruler of us all! Also Michel Hazanavicius has a pretty cumbersome name.
15) Glenn Close didn't win anything for that Albert Nobbs. Hehehehe. Janet McTeer is really pretty in real life.
16) War Horse didn't win anything either. Hehehehehehehehe. Why did Michele Pfeiffer have to present that? LAME.
17) Morgan Freeman IS God. That was sweet. Elton John was so distracting for everybody.
18) I hated Paula Patton. Even the darling Melissa McCarthy looked positively pissed at her over-excited act.
19) So Octavia Spencer is a lock? Or will the Chastain Express come in her way?
20) Idris Elba looks so much sexier with a beard. I saw one episode of Luther on a flight, and I sort of liked it.
21) Reese Witherspoon was such a pageant contestant. I really liked Michelle Williams's speech.
22) Seth Rogen was funny. Kate Beckinsale's woodenness was no match for him. JGL's bow tie was adorkable.
23) Modern Family won! Woo hoo! That's about all I know from the television categories.
24) My favourite award was Woody Allen winning for Best Screenplay. I'm clueless- does Woody come to award shows? Hasn't he gotten those lifetime achievement awards already? If no, isn't it about time?
25) If they put musical numbers in this, it will most definitely become a Bollywood award show. Obviously they are never live, and this whole live streaming thing wouldn't be that big a hassle.
26) My biggest complaint obviously was that there weren't any Harry Potter people, except for Bill Nighy, Helen McCrory and Kenneth Branagh and I think someone else though my mind is going blank. REPRESENT!
27) Then again I didn't see any Twilight people either, so it's a minor save.
28) They should nominate Sherlock. Please. Anyways next year The Hobbit is bagging everything. Martin Freeman, my love.
29) Seeing Rooney Mara just sitting there, I realise one thing that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo's promotional team lacks is the charm and goofiness of Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer. They made last year's award season so much fun.
30) Ryan :'(


Sunday 15 January 2012

Film Makers who make Me want to be a Character in their Films

       This can be considered as film makers who I wish could direct my life, but the truth is that my life is wayy too boring and lackluster for them. Instead, I want to be one of the brilliant characters in their films, because then I would be awesomely quirky or drop-dead gorgeous or super smart or deliciously badass.


Honourable mentions: Steven Spielberg except I really only want to be Indiana Jones, Peter Jackson but not anyone from Heavenly Creatures or The Lovely Bones (the only PJ films that I have seen are the aforementioned and LoTR films), P.T Anderson but not really (no Daniel Plainview for me), Richard Curtis so that I can get charming, funny, handsome, brunette, blue-eyed British men or Hugh Grant.


The list (not in any particular order because I cannot choose)-


Sofia Coppola
Have you seen the women in her films? I would be oh so beautiful and lovely and mysteriouzzz then. (See how I ruined that? I need help Sofia, please).


Wes Anderson
I wanted to marry the recently released Moonrise Kingdom trailer. Quirky, fun, flawed, brilliant- basically characters as colourful as his films.


Quentin Tarantino
Do I really need to explain this? I would be a total BAMF, that's why!


Edgar Wright
All the films he has produced/directed/written have one thing in common- insanely epic characters! They are uber violent AND they tickle your funny bone- YES!!


Woody Allen
Uh duh. It's my list. I crave to be a nervous bumbling knowledgeable depressed narcissistic brilliant person. Some one get me a psychoanalyst please!


Billy Wilder
Whether it be comedy or noir, the Wilder characters are always incredible and unforgettable.


Tim Burton
Yes so his popularity and genius is apparently deteriorating now. But Burton was the king of morbid romantics. His characters runneth over with eccentricity. 


John Hughes
Because I am still a teenager and yes I do wish that he had directed my life.


Now someone please go find me a magic lamp.

Friday 13 January 2012

Thoughts

Yaay January is upon us! This is the first Thoughts post of the new year, and my thoughts are thus:


1) First of all, I made a Facebook page for this blog. It was something made out of curiosity. The app for it is on the side of this page. Please like it if you want to :)


2) So Golden Globes is round the corner. Honestly the biggest reason I'm waiting for this is to see Ryan Gosling in a suit. But they are fun, as one expects them to be. They are doing their job, unlike the BAFTAs. That treacherous awards show- WHY IS HARRY POTTER SHORTLISTED FOR ONLY 3 CATEGORIES?! AND NOT EVEN FOR BEST PICTURE! It only just employed the majority of the British film industry for the last 10 years or so!!!!!!! So what if they gave a special contribution award last year. They should also consider it in the best picture race. If they don't consider it the best, how will they ever hope for it to get any recognition elsewhere?! I mean GO PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS!! I am proud of the people, yes I am! Also Daniel Radcliffe said that he would be bummed if Alan Rickman doesn't even get nominated. He's Harry Potter- Listen To Him! And I swear if they do not get the Harry Potter people to present in the Oscars this year, the AMPAS will get hate mail every week for the rest of my life. Everyone from Twilight has presented, including Taylor Lautner (I'm sorry but I just do not understand how he gets to act in movies). And Miley Cyrus. And Katherine Heigl. 


3) But on the bright side, an Indian film- Dhobi Ghat (which I haven't seen yet but really do want to see as it's an Aamir Khan production) is short-listed in the non-English film category. Obviously A Separation should win this without a glitch, but it is nice to see that an Indian film at least stood a chance at some point.


4) I was randomly watching the 79th Academy Awards today on Youtube. I really liked Ellen Degeneres as the host- I hope she comes back some day. Also, this was the year Gosling got nominated, so I was happy to see him. Plus The Devil Wears Prada brilliance.


5) Trailers: Silent House starring Elizabeth Olsen. It's a horror film set in real time. I don't think I have ever seen a real time film so this does look interesting, though I would like to see her do something a little different from the paranoia thing in the future. Friends with Kids, in which four of the cast members are from Bridesmaids, and the two that aren't are the protagonists. I'm only watching this for Chris O' Dowd and Jon Hamm (did I mention I started Mad Men this week?- He's too good-looking to be true). This trailer probably came out a while back but I have somehow ignored all news about this film- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I saw the Top Gear India special, and it is really hilarious to see the modern outlook of Brits towards India. I quite love the cast, especially Judy Dench, Maggie Smith and Bill Nighy, and it will be interesting. I like how other countries always look more colourful, though India really is very very orange. The last trailer is the most amazing thing ever that just released and I had almost published this post without it- Wes Anderson's Moonrise Kingdom. Oh the happiness and quirkiness and epicness of Wes Anderson films! Cannot wait for this!! Finally, the studios have released the opening sequence of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's magnificent; I nearly cried out of joy, love, awesomeness and anticipation. It is very Bond-esque, but in a much more darker, visceral, black way. It's probably banned in UAE, so I do not know when I will get to see it. Curses.


6) Awards talk: Continuing from above, Dragon Tattoo has been nominated for the PGA, DGA and WGA. I did not expect this. The reviews have not been that amazing, and though I'm pretty sure I will love it, I didn't think it will become such a critical darling out of nowhere. This is what I think happened- everyone just woke up from the nightmare that they have given The King's Speech all the awards over The Social Network, only to realise that they really had done so in some drunken stupour, and are now trying to make amends with Dragon Tattoo. Such madness! Also, the "award worthy" films that I have seen in the last two weeks are- first, Midnight in Paris, which was how I started 2012. As I said I was watching the Oscars, and this was when Scorsese finally won for The Departed- wouldn't it be great if Woody Allen gets recognised like this also? People forget because of his film making-speed that it has been a while for him since he has won any awards. I am harbouring hope for the Best Original Screenplay category. I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 2. I will speak about this on a separate post, though you have gotten a preview above. Then there was Young Adult- I really loved Charlize Theron in it, and even though I haven't seen My Week with Marilyn yet, I am wishing that she bags the Best Actress Comedy in the Globes. Mavis Gary is my new role model. Patton Oswalt was adorable, but Rickman > Oswalt. Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy, for which Gary Oldman must get nominated at least. It's masterful acting that he does here- so reserved, so internalised, but so very excellent too. Added to this, I think Art Direction is fantastic, and so is Sound Mixing/Editing (I forget the difference). Carnage, which everyone forgot about but the Globes (point for Globes!). I had a lot of fun watching it. I don't think I was really that drawn to any of the performances individually except that of Christoph Waltz's, but that's mostly because his character was so delicious, but collectively it was a very enjoyable film. Lastly I saw War Horse. I did not like it- wayyy too much cheese on my plate if you know what I mean. I do not want it to get nominated for anything- more on this later on as well. Also, Jeremy Irvine is adorable and I hate the lack of info on him on the usually omniscient (or atleast that's what I think) internet . Plus, I could not stop giggling in, and after, the Tom Hiddleston scenes- he was the exact image of my gorgeous-and-earnest-soldier-man fantasy. I hope he wins the presently misogynistic Orange Rising Star award in BAFTAs.


7) Finally- since I spoke of BAFTAs so much, and the next (and last *sniff*) episode of this season of Sherlock comes out this week, and I'm still Mrs. Dent Watson Baggins Freeman, I present to you my Fake Husband Prime-


'Nuff said.

Toodles!

Tuesday 10 January 2012

"Come and dream with me"

         So I started on my Hugo review on 12th December. Of last year. If you think anyone is better at procrastination... think again. I have been slagging on with this review for nearly a month now. I even asked my friend Pragya, who has not seen the film, to write it. This was her review-


HUGO.
Spelt with 4 letters.
Shares name with HUGO BOSS.
Can be rearranged to spell GOHU, OHUG, HOUG, HUOG, GHOU, GUHO.
Very good movie.
Good perfume.
Sxc sxc men.


        I think she has a future, ouie? Anyways, after two viewings, here is my review. Hopefull it will be marginally better than Pragya's masterpiece.



             Hugo revolves around an orphaned boy Hugo Cabret, who lives inside a train station in Paris, winding up the clocks there as he had learned from his now deceased father, who was a clockmaker. Right before his death, Hugo's father brought home a broken automaton, which is a metal man designed to write, in hopes that they would fix it together, but he dies. Hugo, bent on making it work as a sort of tribute to his father, has to constantly steal bits of food and also broken parts from the toy store at the station, all while trying not catch the attention of the inspector Gustav who would send him to the dreaded orphanage. One day the owner of the toy shop catches him and takes away his father's book with all the instructions for the automaton. In desperation Hugo befriends the toy maker Papa Georges's ward Isabelle and he also starts working for him so that he may earn the book back. But what Hugo doesn't realise is that his quest to solve the mystery of the automaton is completely intermingled with Papa Georges' absolutely wondrous past.

        As everyone knows by now, Papa Georges is in fact the famous, prolific and creative film maker of early cinema, Georges Méliès. This film is Martin Scorsese's tribute to the man, and probably to all of cinema for making him what he is today. 



         Asa Butterfield plays Hugo. He's a wonderful child actor because he has the ability to portray the naivety and mischief of a kid, as well as capture those truly sad moments of when he's alone, and his big blue eyes are so perfect for this sort of dreamer-role. For me he is somewhat in the league of Daniel Radcliffe in terms of the total wonder and joy that comes in his face when he sees something unexpected, and also Haley Joel Osment when he's supposed to show hurt and sadness. He truly was the standout actor in the film. The others- Sir Ben Kingsley, Chloë Moretz, Helen McCrory, Sacha Baron Cohen, Michael Stuhlbarg are all very good in their roles also. I especially liked McCrory for the emotions she was able to bring into the film with her really limited screen time. While we see young Hugo and Isabelle getting introduced to the enchantment of films, McCrory’s Jeane was there from the beginning and she gets to rediscover her love for them. This film also showcases the best performance from Cohen that I have seen. We first think his role is that of a humorous villain, but there is much more to him.



          However the real star of the film is Scorsese. He has made a really beautiful film- both aesthetically and emotionally. In today’s world, when 3D gets an automatic disapproving look by any “real” film enthusiast, Hugo embraces the technology and makes it part of the story itself. The idea that the first film ever shown was about a train arriving at the station made the viewers gasp and duck as though it was coming out of the screen, and that is exactly what 3D does, just left me gobsmacked. Also, and this will sound lame I promise, the snow in it made me really happy because I’ve never seen snow. Even outside of 3D, the film is just beautiful to look at with the Parisian train station from the 30s and the rooms inside of clocks and obviously, Méliès' sets.




          On an emotional level, first the film is the story of an orphaned boy who has a gift for fixing things finding a secret and eventually happiness. It is a sweet tale but the real magic of the film is the story of cinema within it- its birth and its glory. This part really got to me. I mean honestly these two parts of the film do not go together completely, which can be considered as the main flaw of the film, but the creation of cinema is so magnificent and touching; I cannot help but overlook all flaws. I had multiple epiphanies while watching it both times (yes I do know how deranged that sounds, but I did) and it helped me in ways I cannot explain here. I mean I have always written extremely subjective reviews, and it cannot get more personal than this film. I think that a film like Hugo is almost custom-made for people like me. I am someone who loves to watch children’s films, and there is nothing I love more than films. Hugo is both of these, and despite its imperfect mixture and unequal amounts screen-time given to all the characters, I have fallen in love with this movie.



             Going with the theme of nostalgia that is prevalent in many films of this year, Hugo is a breathtaking film about the start of cinema that was as marvelous then as it is now. Scorcese, ever the master that he is, presents us with a story that will strike a chord with lovers of cinema of all ages. It must have been wonderful being there when it all started, with the technologies developing and people discovering films for the first time. They were like dreams, and that is what Hugo really is: a film about dreams- of Hugo Cabret's, of his dad's, of Georges Méliès', of Martin Scorsese's, and well, somewhat of mine too.



       Please watch it! Especially in 3D if you can and if you don't mind so much. It really is one of the best films of the year, the closest to my heart, and I promise you won't be disappointed.

In the Land of Blood and Honey- Live Q and A with Angelina Jolie




In association with PartnersHub, we are proud to present Angelina Jolie in a Live online Q&A on Thursday Jan 12th at 8pm EST / 5pm PST to discuss her writing and directorial debut, In The Land of Blood and Honey. This exciting and interactive event gives fans the chance to ask Ms. Jolie questions about the film LIVE!


You can also win a poster of In The Land of Blood and Honey, just by asking some fantastic questions in the comments section below. Only the residents of USA and Canada will be applicable for this, so do specify. But even without this, all questions will be welcome.

So please do join me for this event, and also spread the word around to your friends and all Angelina fans. Be there on January 12th!



Set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War that tore the Balkan region apart in the 1990s,  In the Land of Blood and Honey tells the story of Danijel (Goran Kostić) and Ajla (pronounced Ayla) (Zana Marjanović), two Bosnians from different sides of a brutal ethnic conflict. It portrays the incredible emotional, moral and physical toll that the war takes on individuals as well as the consequences that stem from the lack of political will to intervene in a society stricken with conflict.
 In the Land of Blood and Honey has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. 

Friday 6 January 2012

It's That Time Again...

The Oscars are coming folks!


It's funny though why they thought of putting Josh Duhamel and Megan Fox in the video is beyond me.  I was thoroughly deceived the last time round, but Billy is a safe bet I suppose.


(Also sorry for not putting up a Thoughts post this week. Everything's going a bit slow at present... hopefully I'll be back on track soon-ish).

Monday 2 January 2012

Hellooo 2012!

A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS! 

So last year I made quite an extensive list of films releasing in 2011, and I was a bit off in my predictions. I will make a similar list this time round- of films I will watch, and then of my most anticipated films of 2012.

  • 21 Jump Street- The trailer was funny. Johnny Depp cameo!
  • Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter- Just because it has a cool name.
  • Argo- Really liked The Town, and so I'm expecting great things from Ben Affleck's next project.
  • Bin Laden film- I haven't seen any Katherine Bigelow films. Hopefully I will amend this by the time this releases.
  • Cosmopolis- Cronenberg's next with Robert Pattinson as lead. Can RPatz show that he's more than a sparkly dead face?
  • Dark Shadows- Tim Burton's next. I hope it brings us back to the good old Edward Scissorhands days.
  • Dr. Seuss' The Lorax- It looks adorable, and I love Dr. Seuss stories!
  • Frankenweenie- The other Tim Burton film. It looks adorable.
  • Les Miserables- I hate Tom Hooper, but even that cannot stop my need to hear Hugh Jackman sing.
  • Lincoln- So Daniel Day-Lewis is totally getting nominated for, and probably winning the Oscar for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in this. 
  • On The Road- This was in my list last year as well, but it didn't release. I hope it's great.
  • Perks of Being a Wallflower- I love me some teenage angst, and it has Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller.
  • Skyfall- Bond 23. Not convinced about Sam Mendes but it really is one helluva cast.
  • Snow White and the Huntsmen- Ugh, I am sooo on the Evil Queen's side. Charlize-liciousness is too much.
  • The Amazing Spiderman- I am watching this for Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone only, unless they come up with some really mindblowing trailer.
  • The Five-Year Engagement- Cute, funny and I love Emily Blunt.
  • The Great Gatsby- The 3D aspect freaks me out, but it will be a Baz Luhrmann spectacular, and man Leo looks gorgeous!
  • The Hunger Games- It looks cool enough, and it is said to be the next big franchise.
  • The Wettest Country in the World- Really cool cast, including the lady of the hour- Jessica Chastain.
  • This Means War- I'm sorry but I will let my hormones decide this.
  • World War Z- A different take on the whole post-apocalyptic tale.

And now, my most anticipated films of 2012:


10) The Woman in Black
Daniel Radcliffe's first film role after Harry Potter (no HP film this year, or ever again *my creys*). The trailers have been fantastic, and it has the potential of being a really good scary movie. I hope it delivers.


9) Prometheus
After seeing Alien and Aliens recently, I am seriously hooked on to this series. Plus super-sexy cast with Fassy as an android.


8) The Avengers
The trailer looked like fun, and this will be the real clash of the titans as too many superheroes may spoil the broth. Love Loki though!


7) The Gangster Squad
The picture alone guarantees a spot here. But it does have a stellar cast and everyone is getting serious L.A. Confidential vibes from it. Oooh.


6) Gravity
Alfonso Cuarón's next is about two scientists played by Oscar-winners Sandra Bullock and George Clooney who are stuck in space together, and promises to be absolutely mindblowing with things we have never seen on the silver screen before *drool*.


5) Moonrise Kingdom
The most brilliant cast ever assembled in this- Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Frances McDormand and Harvey Keitel. Can't wait for the next Wes Anderson modern classic.


4) Brave
I am in love with Princess Merida, and my devotion to Pixar is absolute. They will make a comeback with this, I am certain.


3) The Dark Knight Rises
Uh duh. I mean The Dark Knight has to be one of the best films ever made, and Christopher Nolan is a certified genius, and the trailer of this looks fantastic. Also Catwoman :D


2) The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Oh look it's my husband there with Gollum! I am so excited for this. LoTR is one of the greatest trilogies ever made, if not the greatest, and The Hobbit is certainly on the right track with that amazing trailer.


1) Django Unchained
The wonderful and violent genius returns with a Western. After what he did with Inglorious Basterds, I can't even fathom (not that I can ever fathom anything in any of his movies) what sort of pure brilliance is going to be shown here. Plus, Leo as a villain seems too delicious a role to miss. Absolutely dying to see this.




* I completely forgot about Nero Fiddled (formerly known as Bop Decameron) which is Woody's next and stars Jesse Eisenberg, who was born to act in a Woody Allen film. 
** Also the Untitled Terence Malick project... though Ben Affleck makes me want to puke.
*** Martin McDonagh's Seven Psychopaths, because we love In Bruges, don't we?
**** P.T. Anderson's The Master, as anything following up to There Will Be Blood has to be a cinematic event.
***** The next Refn-Gosling venture- Only God Forgives.


It will be a great year, ouie?