Annual Awards Nerdism - Oscar Predictions (with poetry) - Acting and Directing

Well lookie here, I'm back to my world famous (okay, maybe not), fantastic prediction poetry that everyone loves. I am not a poet, nor do I have any intentions of becoming one, but normal predictions do bore me a little bit and spinning a rhyme is one of my favourite things to do. It is dry stuff, but hopefully you find some joy in it...

Best Achievement in Directing 

Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity / Steve McQueen - 12 Years a Slave / David O. Russell - American Hustle / Martin Scorsese - The Wolf of Wall Street / Alexander Payne - Nebraska

Without Paul Greengrass it's not really the same,
Especially as his place went to Alexander Payne,
Remember that film The Descendants with the Cloon?
I think everyone forgot that pretty soon,
Nebraska's chances here are pretty grey
(yeah, thinking of that joke took me all day)
Since this time the Cloon is out in space,
And Alfonso Cuaron is likely to win this race,
Meaning there could be a Pic/Director split,
But I don't think Steve McQueen will quit,
It's great to see him getting notice for 12 Years a Slave,
Even if I'm pretending it's really for Shame,
And then there's Oscar favourite David O. Russell,
Getting his third nomination for American Hustle,
Which is great for making an easy rhyme,
But I didn't find the movie to be a good time,
Yet, my loyalties lie with The Wolf of Wall Street,
With Martin Scorsese's direction being no mean feat,
Because his direction is terrifyingly fun,
And better than anyone else could do at 71.

All I can say is that I want Alfonso Cuaron to win because Gravity is easily the best directed film of the decade, but then I want Steve McQueen to win because 12 Years a Slave makes the third out of three movies of his that got 5/5 from me. But I also want Martin Scorsese to win because his direction of The Wolf of Wall Street is so amazing because he is taking the piss out of so much and it is beautiful. And yeah, I haven't seen Nebraska so I can't comment on Alexander Payne and well...not a fan of either David O. Russell or American Hustle. Apart from the fact that they rhyme. Whenever I say "American Hustle by David O. Russell" I automatically feel like putting my hood up, getting out my grills and corn rows and start an underground rap career.

At least I took something away from that movie...

Questions About Improv, Brought to you by American Hustle's Non-Existent Script

I wouldn't say I have a lot of dramatic training - I did it all through school with considerably good grades and both performed in and directed several stage shows - but there's one thing that we're trained to do: stick to the script. Many days and nights are spent going over the lines, with annotations adorning the margins, and when it comes time to do the performance, the only worry is if you're going to stuff up one of those meticulously learned lines. One of the greatest things that can happen is if someone does end up stuffing up, who will take the initiative to improvise and cover up the missed line so the audience is left none the wiser?

If you're that person (as I have been quite a few times), there's nothing that can rival that sense of achievement and pride.

But that's only a line. What happens when you're given a story and a character and you have to make up everything they say?

This week I had the interesting experience of viewing both Drinking Buddies and American Hustle, two films that were heavily improvised by the actors. As someone who doesn't think cinema gets much better than The Social Network's script and with ambitions of becoming a screenwriter myself, wonders how you can get an improvised feature made, I have a few conflicting thoughts about fully improvising films.

Super Late 2012 Retrospective: Top 10 Female Performances

I must admit that 2012 wasn't my favourite year for female performances. In fact, I had a lot of trouble compiling this list, since there was only one person who really really impressed me (as you'll see later in this list). Alas, at least there was no Meryl Streep breaking another Oscar record or that many towering biopics to contend with, and we were left with actresses in indie films getting some great notices. This may be a strange little list, but it was a strange little year for ladies in film.

Honourable mentions: Vanessa Redgrave - Coriolanus, Andrea Riseborough - W.E., Rosemarie DeWitt - Your Sister's Sister, Rashida Jones - Celeste and Jesse Forever, Melanie Lynskey - Hello I Must Be Going, Emily Blunt - Looper, Kelly Reilly - Flight, Alicia Vikander - Anna Karenina, Samantha Barks - Les Miserables

10. Dreama Walker as Becky in Compliance
I remember that there was all this buzz surrounding Ann Dowd's performance in Craig Zobel's uncomfortable Compliance. To be honest, I never understood that buzz. I found that the best in show was actually Dreama Walker, who was the one at the centre of all of the film's controversy. She was the one that had to go through all of the horribly uncomfortable stuff. This was really her film. And she carries it without being alienated by the source material, and instead with a certain sort of maturity in confronting it. I hold a lot of hope for this young actress - it is certainly different from the more mainstream image she's created for herself in Don't Trust the B---- from Apartment 23.

9. Naomi Watts as Maria in The Impossible
One thing that I really admire (as you will see later on in this list) is when somebody actually uses their body in a performance. This can work in one or two ways: have it trained to do glorious things like Natalie Portman's rigorous work in Black Swan, or when the actors have to take their body's ability away. Such is the case with Naomi Watts in The Impossible, who spends much of the film on the brink of exhaustive death. It's a great paradox, but I find that when the body's ability is limited, this is where the acting really shines through. Naomi is a classic example of this, and her utterance of the words "thank you so much" is one of the most devastating, heart-wrenching yet relieving thing that happened in 2012 cinema.

8. Jennifer Lawrence as Tiffany Maxwell in Silver Linings Playbook
Again, Bradley Cooper is my favourite performer in Silver Linings Playbook, and even though I'm still a little annoyed with Jennifer's extremely premature Oscar win, there's no denying that she had a special sort of energy in this film. She was this strange blend of kinetic and magnetic energy, happy one minute and boiling with anger the next. Jennifer plays the part with wisdom and charisma far beyond her years, which makes me realise that this is just another stepping stone in what is shaping up to be a brilliant career.

7. Rachel Weisz at Hester Collyer in The Deep Blue Sea
I didn't really like this movie all that much, but if there was one thing I took away from it, it was how scarily similar Rachel Weisz was to Vivien Leigh. Not just in looks, or poise, but in the tragic way she carries her character. I guess that's testimony to Vivien Leigh being the originator of this role, but Weisz embodies this film and her character in a way that few actresses in period pieces can. She doesn't get lost in the time, she just belongs in it. Such a strange beauty to this performance, but if anyone is brave enough to make a Vivien Leigh biopic, I'll be campaigning for her.

6. Amy Adams as Peggy Dodd in The Master
Joaquin Phoenix is best in show in this film (I couldn't fit him into my unbelievably strong actor's list unfortunately), but Amy Adams was brilliant in every scene she was in. Yes, she's in very few scenes, but she's just so...different. I wouldn't say that she plays all the same kind of role - there was plenty of difference between her roles in Trouble with the Curve and On the Road last year - but this role was pretty special. I felt a little bit frightened by her. And to be frightened by Amy Adams, the sweetest woman in the world...I think that kinda deserves an Oscar.

5. Quvenzhane Wallis as Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild
I wasn't the hugest fan of this film (I really should watch it again when I'm not so saddened by the fact that I had to leave Japan), but there's no denying little Quvenzhane Wallis' immense talent. She commands the screen like people five times her age can't even manage. And I can't even begin to process how she does it with such panache, like she's been acting for more years than she's even been alive. Which is a little bit intimidating.

4. Emmanuelle Riva as Anne in Amour
This is just the same as Naomi Watts - this is a performance that requires the actress to limit her body, and that counteracts into an amazing performance. I felt absolutely paralysed by Riva's performance, mainly because she can command so many emotions through a single look. This isn't Riva "acting her age", because what I've seen she's still full of vitality, and I find it so brave that she confronted her age in such a brutally honest way. She was robbed of that Oscar, pure and simple.

3. Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises
I'm one of the few people who was cheering with delight when Anne Hathaway won her Oscar for Les Miserables, and have stuck by her through all of this strange Anne hate. She deserved that Oscar, because she literally ripped my soul out and made me cry every time she was on screen. However, this wasn't my favourite performance from Annie in 2012. There's her ferocious, smooth, unyielding performance as Selina Kyle (or Catwoman, as she isn't called in this movie) in The Dark Knight Rises, who steals every single scene she's in. Her voice literally purrs, she moves around so smoothly, and the best thing is that we're never really aware of what her agenda is. This is barely the energetic, beaming Anne Hathaway that we've seen grow up over the past decade. She embodies Selina Kyle, with such athleticism in both the way she moves and the way she acts. And she certainly runs rings around poor old Marion Cotillard, who definitely disappointed in a role that could've been so much more.

2. Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Kate Hannah in Smashed
I always find a certain sense of pride when an actress I've admired for a while - even if they haven't had the most amazing roles in the most amazing films - suddenly breaks through with this amazing performance in an amazing indie film. Such is the case with Mary Elizabeth Winstead's incredible breakthrough in James Ponsdolt's brilliant Smashed. She's had some mildly good supporting roles, but here we see something completely different: an actress playing a normal human being as natural as possible. Which is quite an impressive feat considering this is a film about alcoholism, which gives anyone the assumption that they can just go crazy. Winstead keeps it frighteningly real, and this is a raw, heart-wrenching performance. One that certainly deserved a whole lot more recognition than it got, that's for sure.

1. Jessica Chastain as Maya in Zero Dark Thirty
This will come as little surprise to anyone, but in fact I was surprised to find out why this performance resonated with me so much when I watched it a second time a few weeks back. Maya is probably the closest thing I'll ever get to a character who is like me. Sure, I'm not off trying to find Bin Laden, but her scary determination is something that I connected with all too well. You can say that Maya isn't a character with a huge backstory - she just turns up, is determined and finds Bin Laden - but it doesn't really matter than she doesn't have an emotional monologue detailing every single reason she has behind her determination. The most amazing thing is that Jessica doesn't need that emotional monologue to convince us of anything. She yells sometimes, but her overall presence just commands conviction. My favourite part is when she looks up from identifying Bin Laden and just nods every so slightly to confirm that it is him. Her face is so exhausted and wounded. And then there's the tears at the end. Which really devastated me. I just felt everything in this performance. I can see why it polarises, but from one Maya to another, this is probably the best female performance I've seen in a long while.

What do you think of my choices? Who were your favourite female performances?

Five Performances that Make Amy Adams My Favourite Actress.

There are some actresses that bring a certain sort of radiance and happiness to my days whenever I see them in movies. One, of course, is the lovely Jessica Chastain. The other is unsurprisingly another red-head, and also the woman who I deem to be my favourite actress: Amy Adams. I have been in love with Amy since I saw her in Enchanted over four years back, and have been watching her in anything I possibly could ever since. Through that I’ve seen a few misfires (Leap Year and Moonlight Serenade stick out in that department), a few little gems (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day and Junebug), but of course, I’ve seen Amy’s immense talent shining through in every single one of them. So I thought, since it is her birthday and all, I may as well appreciate that talent by listing the five performances that make her my favourite actress. And you must know that it was quite hard to whittle the list down to just five.

5. Rose in Sunshine Cleaning

Sunshine Cleaning is quite an underrated little gem, boasting two fine performances by both Emily Blunt and Amy. The pair starts up a business cleaning up crime scenes, with Emily playing the unreliable sister, and Amy playing the brains behind it all. What I loved about Amy’s character was the fact that back in the day, she was the most popular girl in high school, and everyone expected so much from her. However, now, she’s in adult world, she finds herself struggling, even saying that she’s a real estate agent to a former class mate to make herself seem like she’s still on top. Unfortunately, Rose is still stuck in that high school ideal where you have to appear as if you’re doing well, as opposed to actually doing well. Amy hits the right notes with that, instead of turning her character into a whiny, “oh my life sucks” kind of person. Which, in an independent feature such as this, is quite a rare thing.

15 Favourite Redheads From the Movies...

Brave came out this week, and I have to say, Princess Merida's curly red hair was definitely the best thing I've seen in a long time. As most of you know, I'm a huge fan of red hair - in fact I once tried to dye my own hair red but then I realised that it was only ever meant to be boring brown. So why don't we celebrate the coolest red heads in cinema, whether they be actors/actresses or characters. And no, there'll be no Weasley family. They're awesome, but I feel like they're exempt because everyone knows how awesome they are anyway...

15. Victoria 'Vicky' Page from The Red Shoes.

The Red Shoes is based around some, well, shoes that are red. I guess it helps that the main character Vicky, played by Moira Shearer in her debut performance, has hair that practically matches the shoes that end up destroying her life. It also helps that this 1948 classic has one of the best uses of colour that I've ever seen. And no, I don't think that just because of Moira's beautifully fiery hair...or do I?

14. The natural, but part-time ginger McSexyPants - Michael Fassbender and Tom Hiddleston.

These guys were born and bred guys with hair that's red (ha, I should so be a rapper), but you wouldn't exactly think "oh, they're red heads!" That's because their red doesn't go as far as Merida's, yet if you look hard enough, it is there. Even though I hate Hiddles for his perfection and Fassy for his sharky smile, they had to sneak in a mention. Because they're both great advocates for ginger pride.

13. Rose DeWitt Bukater in Titanic.

From what I hear, Leo-Mania wasn't the only thing that came out of James Cameron's mega-squillions hit Titanic. Kate Winslet, sporting the most luxurious bright red curly hair (in fact, she is pretty much a real life Merida), one over the hearts of many, and sparked a bit of a trend. I mean sure, there was a love affair between the poor Jack and the rich Rose which was doomed thanks to that ship not being 'unsinkable', but I was having a love affair with Rose's hair. Any time Kate wants to go back to red, I'll be happy.

It Takes Guts to Make a Movie Like The Muppets

When was the last time you saw a film and thought: "it takes guts to make a movie like that."

The most recent example I can think of is Shame. I still haven't seen the film, but there seems to be a never-ending chorus of people singing the praises of how gutsy this film is. How it chose to explore sex addiction. How Michael Fassbender had to put everything on the line. It's true, it would take guts to make a movie like that, especially with how it wore it's NC-17 badge out and proud.

We live in a cinematic world where we praise how brave movies can be if they show already extreme things in a more extreme way. We all seem to like the cold hard truth. If things don't appear to be realistic, we instantly start bashing it. If things are too happy, we think they aren't that realistic. Look at this way: the latest teen hyped movie is all about young people killing each other. When we see people getting killed on screen it isn't a big deal. Curse words can make it into a kids movie without a second thought. Hell, kids movies have to be laced with adult humour, violence, even killing of people just to be deemed 'entertaining'.

Apparently, that's what we call 'being gutsy'.

At the beginning of the week, I rewatched The Muppets. Here's a movie where everything is so out and proud. And by that, I don't mean that the puppets all kill each other and one comes out as the felt creation standing.

Underrated Showcase Sundays: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

A movie that I love dearly, and have seen at least 20/30 times by now is Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Surprisingly, very few people have seen this 1930's set comedy starring Frances McDormand as a down on her luck governess and Amy Adams as a budding starlet who takes her under her wing. It is a fairly basic comedy set over the course of a day as Gunievere Pettigrew (McDormand) helps Delysia LaFosse (Adams) deal with her three boyfriends: the naive stage producer Phil (Tom Payne), who she's only with to ensure she gets a part in his next production; the smarmy nightclub owner Nick (the ever brilliant Mark Strong) who owns the apartment she resides in; and Michael (Lee Pace), her piano player, who has just come out of prison and wants her to go to New York with him. There are a few clichés here and there, but the film culminates in such a beautiful way that you can't help but fall in love with it. And it is only fitting to highlight this scene since we've been analysing (and jeez do I hate analysing things) The Shawshank Redemption in class and both that film and this film use the song 'If I Didn't Care' - a song which has been stuck in my head for days now. I know The Shawshank Redemption may be the best film ever made (and it is a fantastic film), but I think Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day uses the song better. Anyway, there are a few spoilers here (since this is one of the last scenes of the film), but I needed it on my blog. Go watch the film now, if you haven't!

"Life is a happy song."

Film: The Muppets
Year: 2011
Director James Bobin
Written by: Jason Segel and Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones, Steve Whitmire, Eric Jacobson, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, David Rudman, Matt Vogel. 
Running time: 103 min.

I feel like sort of an outcast. I didn't really watch the Muppets much when I was a child, in fact, I didn't watch or do much of what any normal child did. For me, I was more content riding and caring for horses than I was with anything that happened on screen. That's what I love about cinema: it is constantly introducing me to all of these things that I have missed, which I'm happy that I've found. You've really got to hand it to Jason Segel and his co-writer Nicholas Stoller, who have dragged the felt favourites up from under what seems like a celluloid rock and brought the Muppets to our world and our times. Still, they remain the same as they ever were, realising that perhaps their world doesn't transfer so well to our world. And that is the beauty of The Muppets.

16 Days of Birthday, Day 6: My Favourite Female Performances

This will be pretty much the same as last night's post, but of course, tonight I'll be focusing on brilliant performances by members of the female species. The first 20 picks I have are all performances which I really liked, but aren't the big mammas of performances (they're all in alphabetical order because I'm lazy). The last 5 are my 5 favourite performances as of today, the 12th of August, a whole ten days before my 16th birthday. They're in order, because they're easy to put in order.

Performances in which I liked:

Kim Basinger in L.A. Confidential

Ingrid Bergman in Gaslight

Cate Blanchett in The Aviator



Vera Farmiga in Up in the Air

Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married

Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story

Kate Hudson in Almost Famous

Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge!

Rinko Kikuchi in Babel

Diane Kruger in Inglourious Basterds

Julianne Moore in Boogie Nights

Carey Mulligan in An Education

Natalie Portman in Black Swan

Noomi Rapace in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Sissy Spacek in Carrie

Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity

Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada

Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom

Olivia Williams in The Ghost Writer

 

Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

 

And here are my five favourite female performances...

5. Amy Adams in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

You all know that I love Amy. But you may ask, why not Enchanted? Why not Junebug? What about Doubt? You didn't like her in The Fighter? Truth is, I love her in everything she's starred in (okay, maybe not the bits I saw of Cruel Intentions 2). But I gotta say, when it comes down to choosing my favourite performance of hers, it has to be her one in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. The movie itself is a very light and fluffy rom-com, but it's, well, done right. Her performance, as up and coming actress/singer who is currently courting three different men, is so mind-blowingly delightful and filled with glee. Seriously, her charm is infectious!

4. Bette Davis in All About Eve

There are so many other Bette Davis performances that I could have picked, but this is by far her best. She takes bitchiness to a whole other level, with her fierce portrayal of a fading actress at war with a sneaky younger actress. The title may suggest that this film is 'all about Eve', but really, it's all about Bette Davis.

3. Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose

Many actors and actresses have tried their hand at portraying a famous figure in the world of music, but few have succeeded as well as Marion Cotillard. Here she plays French singer Edith Piaf, basically for most of her lifespan. Marion put her body and soul into this movie, and even though she didn't actually sing the songs, her lip-syncing was spot on. It's absolutely impossible not to be in awe of what Marion achieved with her amazing performance, and I'm sure as hell glad that she got the Oscar that year!

2. Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream

Even months after seeing the film, I am still traumatised by Ellen Burstyn's brilliant performance. Her story is the one that I think it the most heart-breaking out of all of them, mainly because Ellen portrayed the differences in her character - thanks to drugs - so well. I think she made me cry the most, too. I mean, when she was going through shock treatment: I cried. When her friends saw what had happened to her: I cried. When she had that one last dream about the game show: I had finished the entire box of tissues. And that all important line "I'm going to be on television!" still echoes through my head every now and again, reminding me of how lucky I am not to be addicted to drugs.

1. Vivien Leigh in Gone with the Wind

I had such a hard time deciding which was my most favourite performance of Vivien's out of this and A Streetcar Named Desire. Scarlett only just beat Blanche. As some of you may know, I'm a huge fan of Vivien Leigh. Have been ever since I watched...you guessed it, Gone with the Wind. Her performance in this film is just impeccable. She adapts to Scarlett's unlikeable traits and still makes sure she comes out as the heroine in the end. Scarlett O'Hara is a damn good part, and Vivien took the opportunity in both hands and did some amazing things with it. All I can say is thank goodness David O. Selznick has waited until literally the last minute to cast his Scarlett, because even though Vivien was British, she was pretty much the most perfect thing about this film.

Now it's over to you: what are your favourite female performances?

16 Days of Birthday, Day 4: My Actress Idols

Being around movies all the time, I tend to look up at a lot of actresses as role models. Not the Disney types of actresses that us young adults are all supposed to aspire to be...no. It's the real kinds of actresses who are out there kicking Hollywood's butt, and looking awesome while doing it. Here's my ultra cool list of some of my favourite actress role-models:

Jennifer Lawrence is someone who I think is completely awesome. Not only did her career sky-rocket in 2010 thanks to her gutsy performance in much acclaimed indie Winter's Bone, she is practically now one of Hollywood's most-wanted actresses. And you know, she still seems to be a completely normal girl. Completely normal.

Vera Farmiga has slipped off the radar a bit of late, but I sure am looking forward to seeing her directorial debut, Higher Ground. I just love Vera, and I can't really pinpoint on the exact reason why. But she's one cool chick.

Anne Hathaway has been my idol ever since I watched Brokeback Mountain back in 2006. She radiates all kinds of happiness it's just ridiculous. Oh, and who remembers that huge Disney princess phase she had back in the day? Yeah...that's a distant memory.

Y'all know that I quite like Rebecca Hall, the rather tall British actress who always seems to be in the right movies. Seriously, I will watch anything that she stars in. Even though she's so amazing that I want to cry.

I think I just wish I was Saoirse Ronan. She's one of those rare teenage actresses who has all the talent of an actor who has been in the profession for a few decades. Seriously, if I was an eighth of how awesome she is then I would be such a happy panda.

As you're all probably well aware, Amy Adams is my favourite actress, and I think she's an amazing person, too. Sure, there have been some mishaps in her career (ah, Leap Year, anyone?). But she's still one of the bubbliest and most vibrant actresses out there, who continuously shies away from the spotlight.

Ever since I watched The Disappearance of Alice Creed, I've been in love with Gemma Arterton. In that movie, I thought she was incredibly gutsy, and she looked so real, unlike any of those other stick-thin actresses. Also, watching Tamara Drewe fuelled my love for her a bit more. Seriously, the girl is amazing!

Who doesn't love Natalie Portman? I think she's such a cutie pie, and she seems to have a heart of gold. Plus, her laugh is crazy. Not to mention that she shaved off her hair for a movie role. And learned how to do ballet for a movie role. Dedication.

Emma Stone is probably the actress that I look up to the most. First of all, she made a powerpoint to convince her parents that she should be an actress. Look where that got her. Piles of crappy movies, but she always remained the best thing about them. And along comes Easy A, the film where she showed us all that she could indeed carry a comedy by herself, and be naturally funny. She's such a cute person, too. Let's just hope the sudden boom her career is having won't go to her head...

So, do you have any actress idols?