Late-Ish 2013 Retrospective: Top 15 Female Performances

If you've been following ze blog for a few years, you know that I don't deal well with watching movies from the year before until we're halfway through the next year. Hence my top lists of 2011 happening in July 2012 and my top lists of 2012 happening in August 2013. However, this year has been kinda different: I spent a lot more time watching good stuff (because I had so little time I didn't want to waste it) and I moved to a place with a cinema three months ago which meant I could catch up with a lot more. I haven't seen films like Nebraska, Saving Mr Banks or August: Osage County, but I'm pretty confident with the lists I have at the moment. So over the next few days/weeks/whenever I sit down at my laptop and actually blog for once, I'll be unleashing my top lists of 2013, beginning with my Top 15 Female Performances. Usually I don't go for 15 in the list, but there was so much goodness in 2013 that I didn't want anyone to miss out. People still missed out though. Which sucks, but hey, yay for cinema! 

Honourable mentions: Berenice Bejo - The Past, Amy Adams - Her, Amy Adams - American Hustle, Jennifer Lawrence - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Jena Malone - The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Judi Dench - Philomena, Sarah Paulson - 12 Years a Slave, Carey Mulligan - Inside Llewyn Davis, Brie Larson - The Spectacular Now, Olivia Wilde - Drinking Buddies, Lake Bell - In a World..., Amanda Seyfried - Lovelace, Scarlett Johansson - Don Jon, Melonie Diaz - Fruitvale Station, Octavia Spencer - Fruitvale Station, Onata Aprile - What Maisie Knew, Greta Gerwig - Frances Ha.

15. Andrea Riseborough as Nina Dunham in Disconnect

Disconnect is one of those films that works well mostly on the basis of the solid acting from an ensemble cast that includes Jason Bateman, Paula Patton, Alexander Skarsgard and Michael Nyqvist, but no one stands out as much as Andrea Riseborough. I've long been a fan of Andrea's work since her brief role in the oft-forgotten Never Let Me Go, and she's pulled in some great work since in otherwise dull films like W.E. and Shadow Dancer. In Disconnect, though, she plays the part of an over-ambitious news reporter terrifyingly well, with the role fitting into her oeuvre perfectly - does she have one of the most underrated filmographies ever? She literally walks into this film and lights up the screen, even as her character goes through some pretty dark stuff. And yet, even as it becomes apparent that perhaps her character's storyline isn't the most exciting in the multi-stranded plot, she makes the plot last until the very end. Seriously, someone needs to line her and Rosamund Pike up and get them some great roles.

14. Sally Hawkins as Ginger in Blue Jasmine

Another ever-dependable performer, and definitely someone who turns a relatively thin role into a layered, beautiful performance. Blue Jasmine works on the merits of its pairing of Cate Blanchett and Sally Hawkins, who compliment each other in a way that I couldn't imagine any other actresses doing a better job of. Ginger is fiery, flighty, the exact opposite to Jasmine, and Sally is able to nail every single thing about the character that makes her different from Jasmine.

Being a Feminist is Hard, and Other Thoughts from a Filmic Female Dreamer

Prepare for a post full of paradoxes. About time I gave meaning to the shitty, nonsensical title I gave this blog when I was 14 and impaired by my Inception obsession.

I swore I would never write a big post on the state of feminism/females in the film industry. But after Ryan, who will forever be the rabbit I chase (not insinuating you are a rabbit, Ryan, but you get the metaphor I'm heading for here), posted a piece on Lena Dunham not pushing her case for females being given opportunities in the whole entertainment industry hard enough, I chimed in on the comments section. And hey, in the two hours of lectures that came after that comment, I decided I want to make a post on this ongoing saga.

I've never seen anything Lena Dunham has done apart from This is 40. Girls has been on my watchlist but considering I still haven't seen Game of Thrones season three, I don't think I'll be getting around to it any time soon. So really, I can't judge her standings on anything, but she did raise some valid points at SXSW where she noted that Adam Driver is getting some great role offers, yet the central female cast are not. Ryan said that Lena should aspire to write about more females rather than the ones she knows of. Fair points all round.

This is where I stand on feminism. You probably know by now that I want to be a filmmaker. It's leaning more towards writing screenplays because I want to write about females. The reason that I want to be a filmmaker stems back to the literal moment that Kathryn Bigelow won an Oscar for Best Director in 2010 (though she did win for a largely "male" film, which critics are quick to point out, but AT LEAST IT HAPPENED). Late last year, likely due to procrastination, I found myself reading Indiewire religiously, especially the Women in Hollywood/other pieces on women. Anything else I could find on the internet about this topic, I would read. I still do it. However, as this is inspiring and fuels my aspirations more, it's also poisonous.

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...

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.

Musings on Cate Blanchett in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

David Fincher has made many movies in his time. The majority of them are dark, serial killer themed films, like Se7en, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Zodiac. He's made a movie about Facebook. He's also made a romantic drama about a man who ages backwards. If there's anything out of the ordinary in Fincher's filmography, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is it. Many people tend to overlook this film which doesn't go as dark as the rest of what he has to offer, but this film, which was the first work of Fincher's that I ever saw, is one of my favourites of all-time.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a film that I'd like to think of as a 'future classic'. In it's day, many dismissed it as being too long (and at nearly three hours, it is a bit of a stretch for the attention deprived people of today), a piece of Oscar bait (it certainly gives off that impression) or just plain boring. The thing about Benjamin Button is that it isn't like many of the other films in recent memory. Barely anyone does 'life' movies like this anymore, mainly because of today's attention deprived market who don't make a lot of room to see someone live out their life in a movie. These glossy, 'warm' looking period pieces are also in short supply, as anything set around the 1930's/1940's tends to be focused on war or gangsters. The film just feels like it could have been from another time, but I can't quite put my finger on what time that might be. Yes, it could indeed be a film from the past, but it also feels groomed for the future. Which is what makes it such a strange, yet wonderful film.

"I just missed your heart."

Film: Hanna
Year: 2011
Director: Joe Wright
Written by: Seth Lochead and David Farr
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, Cate Blanchett, Tom Hollander, Olivia Williams, Jason Flemyng, Jessica Barden, Vicky Krieps.
Running time: 111 min.

Imagine living out in the forest with your father, away from everything. Wouldn't it be so hard? Being so far away from civilisation, living in something similar to a cave, and having to fetch your own deer as some food to last for maybe a week or two. Now imagine being a teenager stuck in a forest. No Facebook, cellphones or iPods...THAT WOULD BE SO HARD! Well, for most of the teenagers who grace the Earth these days. Take a look at Hanna (Saoirse Ronan). She was brought up living in a forest with her father (Eric Bana), without ever hearing the sound of music, being taught stuff by her father. She didn't turn out so bad. Oh, and she could probably beat your ass in five seconds. Now, she's off to get out of the forest and into the big world...all at the flick of a switch. Her mission in the big wide world is to kill Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett), but this seemingly easy task turns out a little harder than expected. Oh well, once Hanna thinks she has killed Marissa (she only really killed someone trying to be Marissa), Hanna finds herself in Morocco and tries to deal with the real world. The real world that she never knew existed.

My Top 10 Favourite (modern) Actresses

Of course, yesterday I made a list of my favourite actors. Today, as promised, I am going to list my favourite actresses. So, without further ado (I don't even know what that means), here is my list of favourite women in the movies:

Honorable mentions: Kate Winslet, Carey Mulligan, Zooey Deschanel, Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Williams, Meryl Streep, Chloe Moretz, Carrie-Anne Moss, Michelle Monaghan, Abbie Cornish, Ellen Page, Saoirse Ronan.


10. Rachel McAdams (in Morning Glory)

Probably not the most predictable choice, but I have been a long time fan of the lovely Rachel McAdams. She totally owned as high school bitch-of-all-bitches Regina George in Mean Girls, even though she was in her late 20s when she took the role. And no, she's not just my favourite actress coz she's in that really 'sweet' movie The Notebook. As time has gone on, Rachel has been outstanding in such films as The Time Traveller's Wife, Morning Glory, Sherlock Holmes, Red Eye, State of Play and Wedding Crashers. By the looks of her upcoming films, she's going to hit it really big in the future.
Favourite performance: Mean Girls
Favourite film: Mean Girls

9. Emma Stone (in Zombieland)

She's still a star on the rise, but Emma Stone has never failed to amaze me. Before her star turn in Easy A, she was the best thing about bad movies, like The House Bunny and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. In 2009, she managed to star in a couple of good movies - Paper Man and Zombieland - and be completely astounding. But hey, it all comes down to her first lead role in Easy A, where she makes that movie even better than it is. I can't wait to see her dramatic turn in The Help and her with Andrew Garfield in The Amazing Spider-Man.
Favourite performance: Easy A
Favourite film: Zombieland

8. Marion Cotillard (in Public Enemies)

Whoever has seen La Vie En Rose will probably agree...Marion Cotillard is one damn good actress. I don't know how she did it, but role just fit her like a glove. Since that star turn she's been taking many supporting roles, all of which she has been scene-stealing in. She was perfect in Public Enemies as Johnny Depp's girlfriend. I don't even know how Penelope Cruz got nominated for an Oscar for Nine, Marion was no doubt the stand out in that. And in Inception, Marion performed probably the best out of that amazing ensemble cast. Anything she does, I'll be there.
Favourite performance: La Vie En Rose
Favourite film: Inception

7. Olivia Williams (in The Ghost Writer)

Olivia Williams is quite a new entry, but ever since I saw her performance in The Ghost Writer, I've become more and more interested in her body of work. British actresses always seem to do amazing things on screen, and none of them more so than Olivia. She seems effortlessly resigned to her work, and the fact that she is largely underrated makes me like her even more, too.
Favourite performance: The Ghost Writer
Favourite film: An Education

6. Julianne Moore (in The Hours)

Who doesn't love Julianne Moore? She seems like such a cool person. And she's a fantastic actress. Her resume is proof of that. But how is it that she can keep starring in all these great films with great performances and not getting an Oscar for it? It's beyond me. Her appearances in the recent A Single Man and The Kids Are All Right should have gotten her an Oscar nomination, but sadly not so. However, I will always remember her for her beautiful performance in The Hours.
Favourite performance: The Hours
Favourite film: A Single Man

5. Anne Hathaway (in The Devil Wears Prada)

Ever since I first saw Brokeback Mountain, I've been in love with Anne Hathaway, and have worked my way through her entire resume. She's had her highs and her lows (during that princess phase of hers), but since she's all grown up she's really come into her own; she's feisty, sweet and courageous. If her Oscar nominated performance in Rachel Getting Married is anything to go by, Anne may just become one of the greater actresses of our future. Well, at least I hope she does.
Favourite performance: Rachel Getting Married
Favourite film: The Devil Wears Prada

4. Cate Blanchett (in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)

Again, who doesn't love Cate Blanchett? Coz if you don't, you ought to leave. Now. She's so brilliant. Every movie she is in, even if it is as dull as Robin Hood, she is amazing in. You know if you're going to watch a Cate film there is a large chance that it will be great. Many of my favourite memories of Cate come from her luminous beauty on display in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Aviator, the later getting her a much deserved Oscar. How is it that she is so great? I will never know.
Favourite performance: The Aviator
Favourite film: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

3. Rebecca Hall (in The Town)

If you've never heard of Rebecca Hall, then shame on you. But I can understand if you haven't. She just fades into the background for most people. However, every time I see a movie with her in it, I am so impressed. She is such a great actress. Greater than people give her credit for. She did some amazing stuff in the lacklustre Vicky Cristina Barcelona (which earned her a Golden Globe nomination), The Prestige for Master Nolan, and recently The Town, where she brings a fresh take on an otherwise flat love interest. Rebecca Hall is just awesome. And really pretty, too.

Favourite performance: The Town

Favourite film: The Prestige



2. Vera Farmiga (in Up in the Air)

Anything that says Vera Farmiga and I'm in. She's such a chill person. And such a marvellous actress. Sure, she's had her highs and lows, but her resume shows diversity and a particular love towards those indie films. I'm a sucker for them. She's probably best known for her Oscar nominated turn in Up in the Air, and that's fair enough. She's absolutely amazing in that. Hell, she was even good in Orphan, which was hated by everyone else but me (hey, don't judge, I thought it was clever). I can't wait to see her directorial debut in Higher Ground. I hope she can direct as well as she can act.
Favourite performance: Up in the Air
Favourite film: The Departed 


1. Amy Adams (in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day)

Amy Adams must be the sweetest person alive. Every time I see her all I can picture are unicorns dancing over rainbows made out of marshmallows...in short, she makes me really happy. Not to mention she's been nominated for an Oscar three times. And she could have gotten a fourth nomination for playing a princess in a Disney movie. I kid you not, her performance in Enchanted is one of the best I have ever seen. In fact, any performance of hers is great. I personally think she was better than Melissa Leo in The Fighter. And at least she wouldn't have said a naughty word in her acceptance speech.
Favourite performance: Enchanted
Favourite film: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day

Righty-ho...next week I'm gonna go all old-school on you and reveal my ten favourite actors and actresses from the classics. Any objections to this list?

Amazing People: Cate Blanchett

"If I had my way, if I was lucky enough, if I could be on the brink my entire life--that great sense of expectation and excitement without the disappointment--that would be the perfect state."

-Cate Blanchett, actress, The Aviator, I'm Not There and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

DVD--Robin Hood

or: Russell and Ridley make Men in Tights...just without the men in tights.

One word to sum it up: Yawn

Robin Hood should have been great. It had everything going for it. Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott were teaming up for the millionth time, but this time tackling an age old story of the msot famous outlaw. Cate Blanchett as Marion. Where did it all go wrong? Batman Begins was the right title for a prequel on Batman, but Robin Hood isn't a good title for a prequel on Robin Hood. That is because throughout most of the movie his name is Robin Longstride and he isn't actually declared an outlaw until the very end of the movie.

This is the untold story of the man behind the legend as Robin (Russell Crowe), a heroic warrior, turns outlaw when he assembles a band of skilled marauders to confront injustice and lead an uprising against the weak and corrupt English King. When the rebellious hero falls for free spirited Lady Marion (Cate Blanchett), he must first save her village and then confront a growing storm of threats from near and afar if he is to win her heart. As Robin and his men answer a call to ever-greater adventure, these unlikely heroes set off to battle for their country and return England to glory—and ride into the legend.

Like most movies, Robin Hood has it's stunning points. It is done in a way which is true to the period, and almost has that Gladiator sort of feel to it, which is what to be expected of Ridley Scott. Towards the end, the film really gained momentum and shone like an epic movie should. Unfortunately, it was a shame that the first one and a half hours (give or take) was actually really boring. Like, nothing happened, apart from a few action sequences placed here and there. I don't even think me paying attention any more than I was would have stopped me from finding it boring. Obviously, the story before the story of Robin Hood wasn't going to be that interesting, but at least it could have tried. I kinda felt like I had to have lived in the 13th century to get any of it.

Russell Crowe makes a convincing Robin, even though he is a little too old for the role and I still felt like this was a rehash of his much better Gladiator performance. When you take a look at Russell and Ridley's working collaborations, there is only one that stands out as a particularly good film: Gladiator. Look at A Good Year and Body of Lies, neither of these films fared very well, and their only saving grace was the star and the director. It's time the pair made a better movie, because they still do have a lot of potential. Thank God Cate Blanchett came along for the ride, too. She was marvellous, as always, in her role, but her performance, too, felt like a rehash of a much better The Aviator. If anything, the stars will get you through, just.

It's trying hard to be the epic film which we haven't seen in a while, but maybe today's audience isn't looking for a medieval romp. Maybe we aren't looking for the back story on a character which we have already seen a film on countless numbers of times. To be honest, I would rather have seen a remake of the actual story on Robin Hood, not Robin Longstride. The film really doesn't have much going for it until the last hour, and even then, you may find yourself constantly checking the time and wondering how much further you have to go.



THE VERDICT: Should have been better. Could have been better. Would have been better. So what went wrong?

5/10