Nothing is What it Seems.

Film: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Year: 2011
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Written by: Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan, based on the book 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' by John le Carré.
Starring: Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Ciaran Hinds, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, David Dencik, Simon McBurney.
Running time: 127 min.

In my English class at the moment we're doing a film study on The Shawshank Redemption. As much as I love the movie, the analysing of all the shots, lighting, sound blah blah blah is driving me nuts (it is interesting, but seeing the opening scene seven times is not my idea of fun). As I sat down to watch Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy around three hours after I left my English class, I still had the whispers about camera techniques and the like bouncing around my head. And while I was watching Tomas Alfredson's first English film, I couldn't help but notice that he turned everything that I had been told in my English class upside down. The thing with The Shawshank Redemption is that the symbolism is always right in your face, directing everyone's line of thought in the exact same direction. Tinker Tailor is nothing like that. This is the spy world, remember, so nothing is ever what it seems. Tomas Alfredson realises that, and makes it in the most subtle - yet detailed - way that he possibly could. This is a film that would be hard to teach at schools.

My Top 10 Favourite (modern) Actors

I realized that I've never sorted my favourite people in the movies into nice lists, like I do with everything else, so I thought now was the right time to make some more lists on the particular matter. You know how I have random 'actor-spazzes', and you know which ten men I have huge crushes on. But you don't actually know who my favourite actors are, do you?
Most of these probably won't come as much of a surprise, either.

Honourable mentions: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Guy Pearce, Ewan McGregor, James Franco, Bradley Cooper, Jeff Bridges, Peter Sarsgaard, Dominic Cooper, Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Ralph Fiennes, Liam Neeson, Sean Penn, Edward Norton, Sam Rockwell, Brad Pitt.


10. Jesse Eisenberg (in The Social Network)

No, this isn't just another one of my geek crushes. I genuinely like Jesse Eisenberg's work as an actor. From all of the films where he played an outwardly awkward little nerd until his explosive Oscar nominated work in The Social Network, I've come to expect big things of Mr. Eisenberg. And the more I see of him, the more I enjoy his acting style. It's like he doesn't even try to be funny or to be anything else. He just is, and I like that.
Favourite performance: The Social Network
Favourite film: The Social Network


9. Aaron Eckhart (in The Dark Knight)

I doubt that any of you have realized my love for Aaron Eckhart, as I haven't really talked about him much. He's an actor who has always been there, and he's always stood out for me, even if he hasn't for others. He's the kind of underrated actor who I usually go for. I simply can't wait to see Rabbit Hole, a film which I assume he should have got more recognition for since Nicole Kidman did get a lot. I'll see any film if it has Eckhart in it. Hell, I even sat through Love Happens just for him.
Favourite performance: The Dark Knight
Favourite film: The Dark Knight


8. Andrew Garfield (in Boy A)

Ah, you were probably expecting Andy to be further up in the list. Alas, he may have topped my biggest crushes list, but he doesn't top this one as he just hasn't been around long enough for me to go "fuck yes, best actor ever!" yet. The work of his I have seen though, is brilliant. He really should have been nominated for an Oscar for The Social Network. His BAFTA-winning performance in Boy A is beyond brilliant. His supporting work in Never Let Me Go, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Lions for Lambs is show stopping. And even seeing him as a robot in I'm Here is an experience in itself. I love you, Andrew Garfield. Where have you been all my life?
Favourite performance: Boy A
Favourite film: The Social Network


7. Robert Downey Jr. (in Iron Man)

Me? Miss a Robert Downey Jr. flick? Never. This man. This man. Why the hell is he so goddamn awesome? I wish I knew the answer to that question. Just anything he is in, he just makes me laugh and want to bask in his awesomeness. And hell, he's the only person ever to get nominated for an Oscar for being an American playing an Australian playing an African-American. Yes, he deserves a spot here.
Favourite performance: Tropic Thunder
Favourite film: Iron Man


6. Colin Firth (in The King's Speech)

Colin Firth is such a great person. Like, every time I see him he just looks like the guy you'd go and hug. Y'know, he just seems like a really nice person. He's had an interesting film career, too. He went from being a dashing young Brit with a knack for playing Mr. Darcy figures, to becoming the thing of middle-aged women's dreams with all those chick flicks, to suddenly becoming hot Oscar property by getting two consecutive nominations for A Single Man and The King's Speech (winning for the latter, of course). I'll continue watching his movies until he stops making them.
Favourite performance: The King's Speech
Favourite film: A Single Man


5. Jeremy Renner (in The Hurt Locker)

Despite being nominated for two consecutive Oscars, Jeremy Renner is not a name widely known in the household, even though if anyone has seen either The Hurt Locker or The Town, I bloody hope they were impressed by this beautiful man. Based on those two movies alone (and a few others to the side), I've fallen in love with Renner's talent. He's such a great actor. And he seems so chill in real-life as well. Please tell me I'm not the only one who loves Renner!
Favourite performance: The Hurt Locker
Favourite film: The Town

4. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (in Brick)

Whoever doesn't love JGL ought to leave. Now. Right now. Because it's damn near impossible not to love him. He's gorgeous, he's oh-so-hip right now, he's a musician, he has his own rocking website, he's a really chill guy and he's super talented. Ever since I saw (500) Days of Summer, I was in lesbians with him. I flicked back through some of his other movies like Brick and fell in lesbians even more. Completing my love for him was his appearance in Inception for Master Nolan, where he does a gravity defying fight scene which is pretty out of this world. And he's gonna star in The Dark Knight Rises. With Master Nolan. Again. You've gotta be pretty great to do a double Nolan.
Favourite performance: Brick
Favourite film: Inception

3. Mark Strong (in Kick-Ass)

Like Aaron Eckhart, Mark Strong has always been there, minding his own business, but being completely awesome in the meantime. He's been in a heck of a lot of films, and I think - well, I hope - people are cottoning on to how great this guy actually is. To be honest, he steals the show in every movie he is in. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. Body of Lies. Sherlock Holmes. Robin Hood. Kick-Ass. Those are to name a few. I particularly loved him in Kick-Ass, because he is so mean but he is so funny at the same time. He's just great. Mainly because he can actually talk in proper sentences unlike Nicolas Cage.
Favourite performance: Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day
Favourite film: Kick-Ass


2. Cillian Murphy (in Red Eye)

Many people underestimate Cillian Murphy. I don't know why this is. I guess you could call me an expert on Cillian, considering I watched most of his films during my major Cillian Murphy phase in August/September 2010. I learnt that he can indeed do comedy (Watching the Detectives...the whole film wasn't great, but he was pretty good). I learnt that he is a very scary man (Red Eye, Batman Begins). I learnt that he is a great leading man in Danny Boyle movies (28 Days Later..., Sunshine). I learnt that he has the most beautiful eyes in the world (all of his films, particularly Inception). And I learnt that he makes a very good girl (Breakfast on Pluto, Peacock). Yes, Cillian has a very diverse range of films. Which is why I love him so much.
Favourite performance: Breakfast on Pluto
Favourite film: Inception

1. Leonardo DiCaprio (in The Aviator)

No, this spot on the list is not filled because I saw Titanic and decided that Jack was a real hottie. In fact, I saw What's Eating Gilbert Grape and I was like "holy shit, that dude must be Jesus or something". From that performance on, I have gone through my life loving Leonardo DiCaprio. I have pretty much seen his entire filmography (there are a few that have passed me by, oh well), and I have been impressed by every single one of his performances. Though I am thankful that his teen idol status has disappeared and now we only see serious DiCaprio making serious movies which are seriously good. Now, come on, just give him an Oscar already!
Favourite performance: The Aviator
Favourite film: Inception

Expect a list of my favourite actresses tomorrow!

AAN: And thus, my life goes back to normal again (Oscar talk)

This morning I said "By the end of the day I will either hate The King's Speech or start liking it again." Now the end of the day has come, I have gotten over my hating and started remembering small parts of it which were Oscar worthy. Unfortunately, I still can't see how it won. But it had it's time to shine, and it's no skin off my teeth.

I got 16 out of 21 predictions right. My last period at school was filled with happiness whenever I saw Inception winning anything and a huge gasp which stopped the whole class when I found that Melissa Leo won. Now my life is going back to normal, these films aren't feeling as relevant as they used to and I'm just waiting for the next lot of awards...and Christopher Nolan's upcoming win for The Dark Knight Rises (early prediction, bite me).

Anyway, thoughts on the awards given out:

-Best Picture went to The King's Speech. Thought having that movie be the most dominant in that little montage was a dead giveaway. While I'm not the only one bitter, and I still commend their achievements, it was so 'safe'. And there were so many films better than that one in the race. I still think, at the bottom of my heart, that Inception should have been the one that won. But of course, the nature of that film stopped it. The nature of The Social Network and it's youngness stopped it. While I'm happy for The King's Speech, this award simply should have gone to someone else.

-Despite the fact that he got the award for The King's Speech, I will forever think that the Oscar Colin Firth got this year was really for his performance in A Single Man. Bravo to that man. Can't say I didn't see it coming, though.

-Thank goodness Natalie Portman won Best Actress. Phenomenal work, phenomenal actress. God bless her.

-Unfortunately, Jesus Bale didn't trim his beard for his big moment. But how the fuck is this the first time he has gotten a win, let alone a nomination?! All I know is that I'm glad that he's finally got what he deserves.
-Okay so I knew Melissa Leo was going to win, so it wasn't much of a surprise. I suppose I was just angry that Jacki Weaver didn't win. Or Amy Adams. Or Hailee Steinfeld. Or Helena Bonham Carter. So much talent here, not enough Oscar to go around!

-Jeez, I nearly cried when Tom Hooper won Best Director. Academy, first you snub Christopher 'God' Nolan, then you give away David Fincher's Oscar to someone who didn't really need it yet in the first place. Yes, Tom Hooper has a lot of talent, but nothing compared to the talent and repertoire David Fincher has built up for himself. Oh well, the Oscars love new blood, and that is a damn fine achievement for Hooper. Damn fine.
-JESUS CHRIST OSCAR WHY DID YOU NOT GIVE THE AWARD FOR 'BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY' TO THE MOST ORIGINAL OUT OF THE LOT OF THEM?! Oh right, coz you hate Christopher Nolan. I still don't get how David Seidler's The King's Speech screenplay is original, since I saw some books called 'The King's Speech' and those words 'Now a major motion picture' floating around, but meh, it was obvious that they were going to go with the safe choice. And now everyone in NZ is going crazy over this win coz Seidler wants to come back to NZ and go tramping. Yeah thats great...we can move on now.
-Adapted Screenplay to The Social Network. Aaron Sorkin, you are still so amazing. If only your fucking awesome film could have won more, y'know?
-Best Animated Feature to Toy Story 3. That's how it should be.
-Best Foreign Film to In a Better World. I predicted it even though I haven't seen it!
-Same case for Best Doc. I predicted Inside Job without seeing it, and it won!

-Even though I'm eternally sad that Hans Zimmer didn't win anything for the most beautiful score I have ever heard in my life, I'm happy that The Social Network got this one. Absolutely genius score. But I'll still be playing 'Time' everyday and having the same chills everytime I hear it.
-I loved the song from Tangled, but of course Toy Story 3's 'We Belong Together' had to win. Surprisingly, out of 20 nominations, Randy Newman has only won twice.

-WALLY PFISTER FINALLY GOT AN OSCAR! He had been nominated four times, all for Chris Nolan masterpieces (Batman Begins, The Prestige, The Dark Knight and Inception) and finally won. Feeling kinda sad for Roger Deakins and Matthew Libatique though, since they've gone home empty handed even though there work in True Grit and Black Swan was amazing, but Wally Pfister rules! Especially when he thanks his 'master'. Yes, Nolan has incredible vision.
-Art Direction to Alice in Wonderland? What?!
-Costume Design to Alice in Wonderland? It still kills me to say that this film won more Oscars than True Grit, which was nominated 10 times but didn't get any return.
-Visual effects to Inception! Yeah, like it had any competition.
-The Wolfman got an Oscar...just for makeup. I heard about Cate Blanchett's 'thats gross' comment. Must have been more priceless than the movie.
-Sound editing to Inception! Wooo!
-Sound mixing to Inception! Woooo! It got 4 Oscars!

I didn't really watch much of the awards, only from about Best Song onwards. I wept over The King's Speech, but that's all in the past now. James Franco was a pretty dead end host, but Anne Hathaway was gorgeous...in the million dresses she wore.
Speaking of gorgeous, I'll just post my three most favourite and three least favourite dresses:

Best dressed-

Jeez, Natalie Portman is glowing. She could have worn a brown paper bag and she would have looked amazing. That colour is so cool. Like, it's my new favourite shade of purple.
All through the awards season, the Black Swan ladies have been the best dressed. Lilac is a risky colour, but Mila Kunis is so beautiful that she could pull this look off. Sure, it's a lot of lace just draped in weird ways, but it is beautiful. Definitely my favourite of the night.
The only thing that could have made Hailee Steinfeld's dress better would be making it go all the way down to the ground. But having it cut like that is cute and young. She's so gorgeous. I just hope we get to see more of her around these awards in the future.

Worst dressed-

Yeah, I know that Scarlett Johansson is supposed to be the sexiest woman in the world but this dress? Table cloth made pink and wrapped around 100 times until it fits averagely. Boring and pretty ugly.
Marisa Tomei's dress looks as dull as anything. That thing forming on the bottom sure doesn't work.
Jeez, Jennifer Hudson has lost a lot of weight. Unfortunately, the weird squeezing and colour of this dress makes her look a little less than special.

So, that's my first Annual Awards Nerdism done for 2010/2011 (sob). Feeling a little less than satisfied with this years outcome, I will go on with my life waiting for 2011's version of Inception or The Social Network to come out. Was Annual Awards Nerdism a 'yay' or 'nay' for you? What about the awards? I love comments :)
Thanks for reading this, everyone! Now back to normal reviews and everything...

AAN: Oscar predictions - Acting

Welcome to Part Four of my Oscar predictions, the big one that Annual Awards Nerdism for 2011 has been leading up to.


Key:
My Leo – The actor who I want to win
My Zuck – The actor who my predictions want to win
My Steve – The actor who will go home empty handed

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

James Franco lost an arm,
Jeff Bridges lost an eye,
Colin Firth lost his ability to speak,
Javier Bardem probably dies,
Jesse Eisenberg lost his friend,
As you see in the end,
All these men lost something,
But one of them is sure to gain,
A little reward for all their suffering and pain,
It probably won’t go to the Zuck,
Bardem, Bridges and Franco are all out of luck,
Colin Firth will be the one they choose,
As there simply ain’t a way for him to lose.

Last year, Colin Firth was nominated for his first time for his career defining, breathtaking performance in A Single Man. Jeff Bridges won the award, as he was ‘overdue’. This year, Bridges is nominated, but won’t win, because now Firth is nominated, and it would seem that he is ‘overdue’ thanks to what happened last year. Previous winner Javier Bardem doesn’t stand a chance, either.
If I had a vote, it would have to go with either Jesse Eisenberg or James Franco. I feel like Eisenberg won’t have another chance like this, because his performance in The Social Network was like one of those once off kinda deals. I would like Franco to win, simply because he was given a D for an acting class assignment because he was filming 127 Hours. It would be like the ultimate shame if he won (for the marker, that is). But he should worry about hosting the show more.

My Leo: Jesse Eisenberg
My Zuck: Colin Firth
My Steve: Javier Bardem

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

A grieving mother in Rabbit Hole,
Nicole Kidman had the Academy sold,
A crumbling marriage in Blue Valentine,
Michelle Williams’ NC-17 rated film nearly crossed the line,
A girl trying to find her father in Winter’s Bone,
Jennifer Lawrence rose above the films dark tone,
A lesbian meeting her baby daddy in The Kids Are All Right,
Annette Bening may put up the fair fight,
A prima ballerina and the new swan queen,
Probably more famous for that lesbian scene,
Natalie Portman will win for Black Swan,
Unless the voters sanity has gone.

I’ve heard a lot of people saying ‘Natalie Portman won’t win!’ this week. Where is this coming from? Not only has she won like every award, she has the most amazing performance out of the lot of them. The only reasons I can think of that will see her not winning are she’s either too young or an ‘overdue’ Annette Bening could win. I don’t want Annette Bening to win. Her character is just too bitchy.
Jennifer Lawrence is awesome in Winter’s Bone, so I can’t exactly write her off. Having not seen Blue Valentine or Rabbit Hole, I can’t really comment on Michelle Williams and Nicole Kidman being nominated. I respect them both as actresses, and I wish them well. If Natalie Portman doesn’t win? The voters have gone as insane as Nina.

My Leo: Natalie Portman
My Zuck: Natalie Portman
My Steve: Nicole Kidman

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Jeremy Renner got the sole nomination for The Town,
In Winter’s Bone John Hawkes liked to frown,
Mark Ruffalo donated sperm,
Geoffrey Rush’s voice techniques helped the King learn,
But did any of these actors lose lots of weight?
Christian Bale’s nomination has come a tad late,
There’s no way that he can’t win,
Even if this isn’t the best film he’s ever been in.

Yeah so, Christian Bale will win. The only competition he has is Geoffrey Rush, who won the BAFTA. But that can’t really taint his chances, surely?
I may have doubted John Hawkes before, but since seeing the film I thought he rocked. Though, I could have replaced him for an Andrew Garfield nomination. I haven’t seen The Town, but I’m glad that Jeremy Renner got another nomination for the second year in a row. He’s such a brilliant actor. Mark Ruffalo is awesome, too, but I’m more surprised that this is his first nomination. Maybe I overrate his brilliance, but the guy could be classed as ‘overdue’ too.
Christian Bale deserves it most, though.

My Leo: Christian Bale
My Zuck: Christian Bale
My Steve: Jeremy Renner

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

I’m Team Jacki Weaver, all the way,
But an Amy Adams win shouldn’t be far away?
Helena Bonham Carter is an amazing royal,
Melissa Leo plays a mum tough and loyal,
Hailee Steinfeld is cute and sweet,
Even though she plays the lead,
But who could win, I don’t know?
Melissa Leo will probably steal the show,
Unless the photo controversy hurts her odds,
So, Academy...you know I love you lots,
Leo and Carter are good, but don’t pick either,
Go for the underdog, JACKI WEAVER!

It’s the same everywhere. Anyone who has seen Animal Kingdom will agree that Jacki Weaver delivers the best performance out of all of these lovely ladies, but the size of the project and perhaps the country it hails from hurts her chances. My next choice would have to be Amy Adams. She has been nominated three times, in this very category, without any luck. With this being her best performance, surely they would give her the gong? Well, I hope they do. But her costar Melissa Leo will get it, as she has got everything else, unless her self-advertising controversy stalls her.
Hailee Steinfeld is becoming a likelier choice by the day. The problem is, she is essentially the lead role, so she should have been nominated there, and it just won’t seem fair if she wins. Helena Bonham Carter is also likely, after her BAFTA win. She could have the ‘overdue’ cloud hanging over her, which could get her the votes that Melissa Leo lost. Maybe I just don’t want Leo to win.

My Leo: Jacki Weaver
My Zuck: Melissa Leo
My Steve: Jacki Weaver

There's todays lot...the second time I've written it (stupid Blogger deleting it all as soon as I published it). Tomorrow I will rank the Best Pic nominees. See you then!

AAN: I think the Brits might like The King's Speech (BAFTAs banter)

The lengths I go to for my obsession with movies. It was only this morning I realized that the BAFTAs were on in the morning, during school time. What was I to do? Well I got the tweets from BAFTA through my phone, but it was even luckier that the majority of the awards happened during first period, in which case I was in ICT (computing class). Unfortunately, two of the main awards, best actor and film, spilled over into period two, when I had English, and it was virtually impossible to sneak a peek at my phone the whole hour. When it came time for interval, though, all hell broke loose when I found that The King's Speech swept up, leaving The Social Network nowhere to be seen. But then I realized, those British people really liked The King's Speech, and hopefully that won't be the case at the Oscars (two weeks!).

The King's Speech mob and their mob of awards.

Notes on the winners:
-I don't care how great everyone thinks The King's Speech is. It is a fantastic movie, but it is my least favourite out of the nominees here, and the nominees I have seen at the Oscars, for that matter. Oh well, I'm happy it won, but The Social Network is better.
-You know what's cooler than winning Best Film? Winning Best British Film, too. The King's Speech did that.
-I guess Jesse Eisenberg went the whole awards season without winning anything. In fact, I'm sure every actor in the lead role went the whole award season without getting anything. Congrats, Colin Firth. Though I still think you are getting all these awards for your work in A Single Man.
-You go Natalie Portman. YOU ARE THE SWAN QUEEN!
-Geoffrey Rush for Best Supporting Actor? He was excellent, but he was just there. I was sure the BAFTAs would have gone with Christian Bale like everyone else, or Andrew Garfield since they really like him. But they go with an Australian? Hmmmmmm...
-This was a WTF moment for me. Helena Bonham Carter is great and all, but I thought they would have gone with Amy Adams. Then again, HBC probably won't upset Melissa Leo's Oscar campaign.


Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg hold David Fincher's award very tightly in fear that Tilda Swinton may steal it.

-I love that David Fincher won Best Director. I mean, there's supposed to be that film/director thing going on, right? Well Finch broke that right up. It would have been better if Christopher Nolan won, though. -Everyone except the Writer's Guild will keep ignoring Christopher Nolan's script for Inception and keep going for David Seidler's 'original' one for The King's Speech. Sweet as then, brothers.


Aaron Sorkin and his bagillionth award...and Julianne Moore.

-Who won Best Adapted Screenplay? I'll give you a clue: it wasn't The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. -The cinematography seen in True Grit really stood out for me, but no love for Wally Pfister and Inception? I sense another winless year for Mr. Pfister...
-The editing in The Social Network is good. I don't mind this award going to them.
-That's how we do it. Inception for Best Production Design. Go Ariadne. (Wait...she wasn't really the architect? We need to go deeper...)
-Costume Design for Alice in Wonderland. Seriously? Hasn't everyone forgotten about that movie now?
-I give up on campaigning Hans Zimmer's amazing Inception score to win. It never gets me anywhere. Thanks to no The Social Network, The King's Speech gets its sticky beak in here, too.
-Makeup/hair for Alice in Wonderland? Guess that makes partial sense.
-Best Sound for Inception. Just because everyone knows its amazing.
-Inception gets Special Effects, too. Because it actually looks real, y'know.
-It makes me laugh that The Secret in Their Eyes didn't win Best Foreign Film even though it won an Oscar last year. Well deserved win for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, though.
-SHOCK! Toy Story 3 won Best Animated.
-N-n-n-noooo Andrew Garfield for Rising Star? Sad. But Tom Hardy is a good choice, since we'll be seeing him everywhere soon.

Notes on the bits I saw of the show:
-Did anyone bother to turn up? Like, 50% of the people I saw winning awards couldn't be there. Natalie Portman is understandable though, since she is preggers and all.


Random hobo Gerard Butler with Darren Aronofsky and Natalie Portman's award.

-On the subject of Portman, the speech Darren Aronofsky gave on her behalf was awesome. So true that she didn't have to thank anyone. -Colin Firth is a funny bugger. Tom Hooper is apparently as thorough as his routine health check.


I wish I could be Amy Adams.

-Amy Adams is beautiful. Particularly in that dress.


Rosamund Pike and Dominic Cooper with original screenplay winner David Seidler

-Rosamund Pike was funny. So was the crack Gerard Butler made at her.
-Helena Bonham Carter's speech was perfect. Love her.

That's a wrap for the BAFTAs. Now only the big one to go. Is The King's Speech going to continue sweeping up there?

Just because it is Nicholas Hoult in a suit and it's Valentines Day and I am lonely :( HAPPY VALENTINES DAY MY LOVELY READERS!

Cinema--The King's Speech

or: The big Oscar nominee.

One word to sum it up: Uplifting.

To be perfectly honest, I was a little disappointed by The King's Speech. I think I was expecting the most amazing movie ever, because of all the hype. It didn't reach the highest of heights I'd had set up for it. However, despite my minor disappointment over this movie, it was pretty awesome. Well acted, if anything. Dear God, I think I would die if I had a stutter.

The King's Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI (Colin Firth), the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother (Guy Pearce) abdicates, George ('Bertie') reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stammer and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country through war.

A film about British royalty shouldn't be as exciting, nor as uplifting as The King's Speech is. This film has everything: drama, comedy, history...but most of all, it works as a very scary thriller. I swear, when this movie came to it's climax, I was on the edge of my seat. This was Colin Firth's film, because I'm not sure if one actor, on his own, can generate that much intensity in one scene. I don't even know how he managed to master that stuttering. All I know is that it was painful to watch him, but thankfully, it was the kind of pain that an Oscar is made of. I may have been a huge Eisenberg fan before, but after seeing Colin Firth's performance, if he doesn't get the Oscar, then that will be the biggest mistake the Academy has ever made.

Tom Hooper does a flawless job of directing, along with some enchanting cinematography. The script does a good job of telling the story simply, but intertwining various parts of history successfully without becoming a bore. Alexandre Desplat's score is, as always, a perfect touch to a great film. While the film belongs to Firth, there are three other standout performances within this film. Perhaps the best is Geoffrey Rush, who serves as some comic relief, and is forever attempting to outshine Firth (sometimes he does). Helena Bonham Carter is angelic as Queen Elizabeth, and, surprisingly, fits the royal role very well. The one that everyone would probably forget is Guy Pearce, who is simply amazing in this film. Why do people underrate him so much? He has come such a long way since the days of Neighbours.

Right when the credits rolled I wanted to stand up and cheer. It's a gem of a film, which deserves whatever accolades it will be getting. It just wasn't amazing.


THE VERDICT: The feel good hit of the year which also had some fantastic performances, particularly Firth's. Exquisite viewing.

8/10

AAN: Good choices win over silly nominations (Golden Globes gabble)

After the Golden Globes, will there be any surprises left for the rest of the awards season? Will Inception continue to be snubbed in all the big categories? Will The Social Network end up taking over the world? Well, at least the Hollywood Foreign Press Association managed to pick the right winners over it's shoddy nominations.

It looks like the main awards have been sorted out, even if the HFPA don't usually have the best ideas. Christian Bale got the first award for his performance in The Fighter, and it feels like a certainty that Monsieur Bale will get the award. The only surprises to come out of that category will be who gets nominated at the Oscars. I hope Andrew Garfield gets in, even though he failed to get a Screen Actors Guild nomination. Natalie Portman got Best Actress Drama...they may as well just give her the Oscar now and get it over with. Colin Firth, by no surprise, got Best Actor Drama for The King's Speech. As for the winners in the comedy/musical section, do they stand to upset Portman and Firth? Annette Bening has a good chance. But who saw Paul Giamatti winning for Barney's Version? One would have thought that Johnny Depp would have won against Johnny Depp. Then again, Paul Giamatti seems like a good choice, but I doubt he'll even make it to the Oscars.

Melissa Leo...scared of her own Golden Globe.

The category that could have offered the biggest surprise was the Best Supporting Actress one. Helena Bohnam Carter, Mila Kunis, Jacki Weaver and Amy Adams all stood fantastic chances of winning. But who did? Melissa Leo. I wasn't convinced by her Critics Choice win, but maybe my opinions have changed. I still think Amy Adams could sneak the upset, or will she become the next Kate Winslet? Even though Jacki Weaver didn't get the SAG nomination, I'm still rooting for her to get something. And howsabout that bitchy eyeroll Helena Bohnam Carter did during Leo's acceptance speech. We get it. We know your jealous. But maybe if you matched those shoes, more people would have voted for you?

With all the shitcakes on display, you would have thought at least one of them won something, right? I mean, one would have thought the Depp would have won for Alice in Wonderland or Burlesque may have gone in for a major upset (far-fetched...but perfectly possible). Well, Burlesque won one award for Best Original Song, not that that really counts. It's just sad that they kept pushing The Tourist and Alice in Wonderland into the spotlight thanks to their multiple 'nominations'. I mean, on the radio, they kept talking about how The Tourist and Burlesque were the big nominees, with no mention of Inception or even The Social Network. Just shows how obsessed with starpower the HFPA really are. Luckily, the voters pushed The Tourist out, and I bloody hope that they never make a mistake like that again. Anyway, I thought The Tourist was more of a drama?

David Fincher turns up to see his film win big...it is his film, right?

Someone arose an issue with a very interesting tweet (I know I shouldn't listen to these, but #thesocialnetwork was trending so I had to check it out): "Now it seems like more people are bashing The Social Network and praising Inception." Just before awards season started, and particularly around the time everyone was doing their top films of 2010 lists, there was so much hate for Inception going around. Now The Social Network is winning all these awards, there is a lot of hate circling that film and all this "where the hell is Inception?" chatter going around. You may think I'm saying this because I'm obsessed with him, but Christopher Nolan deserves the accolades for Best Director a lot more than David Fincher does. You look at the scale of Inception. It ain't your average blockbuster. It's a grand epic, and Nolan directed, wrote and produced it by himself. This is something which isn't taking into consideration a lot. Fincher directed The Social Network with style, but didn't add anything great (apart from maybe the regatta sequence), like Nolan did. Oh well, TSN will end up taking all the prizes, and Inception is left to get all the technicals, and hopefully a Best Original Screenplay award for God. To conclude this topic: Why the hell did Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross beat Hans Zimmer? I love The Social Network's score, but Inception's has all these great songs, and ends with 'Time', quite possibly the best song I've ever heard.

Here are my thoughts on the winners (excluding TV...not my area):
-I let out a shriek when The Social Network won Best Picture-Drama. I thought it was so cute when Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield stayed sitting down when everyone else got the award, but then producer Scott Rudin told them to get up. Jesse got up, and then literally hauled Andrew out of his seat. At which point the producer commented joyously "The extraordinary right brain left brain of Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield!" Bromance of the century, I tell you. But it puzzles me as to why David Fincher didn't go up. He just feels so detached from this picture.
-Watching the nominees for Best Picture-Comedy/Musical was painful. I think I actually tweeted before the winner was even announced that The Kids Are All Right won.
-Gah. I love Colin Firth, but I thought he could just not win this award so Jesse Eisenberg or James Franco could win. Just to show everyone that Jesse isn't the new Michael Cera and that James isn't really a stoner (or worthy of the D he got given in an acting class because he was filming 127 Hours). But Colin deserves it, most definitely.

-Natalie Portman. Your Oscar is awaiting you...
-Just before they announced the winner for Best Actor-Comedy/Musical, I sent my friend a txt, saying "Can Johnny Depp beat Johnny Depp? No." That was a joke, honestly, I thought he'd win for Alice in Wonderland. Little did I know I was right, and my prediction was wrong. Bravo, Paul Giamatti!
-Obviously Annette Bening was going to win for Best Actress-Comedy/Musical, but the ghost-looking Emma Stone should have. Mind you, this is the first of many nominations for her!

I'm pretty sure he could fit his little awards collection in his hair.

-I give up on Best Supporting Actor. Andrew Garfield is never going to win, Christian Bale is going to continue trying to look like Jesus...the future's looking dim.
-Look above for thoughts on Best Supporting Actress. I thought Jacki Weaver had this one. Time for her to threaten the awards voters with "You've done some bad things sweetie."
-At least David Fincher was there to get his award. You're a great director, but when I see Christopher Nolan and the geniusness that radiates off him, he's always the winner in my heart.
-Aaron Sorkin and his bloody good dialogue skills. Even I admit that he deserved the award over Christopher Nolan and Inception.
-Burlesque and 'You Haven't Seen the Last of Me' gets the award for Best Original Song. Which isn't great if you consider the former but fantastic if you consider the latter.
-Why is there all this sudden love for Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross? Let me say this: their score is great, but there are few standout songs. Hans Zimmer's Inception score, however, is epic...and as I write this, I'm listening to Time, which gives me the chills and makes everything more epic. I'm so glad they played that song when they were announced Inception as a nominee for this category. Hans Zimmer deserved it. Hopefully he'll get the Oscar, because Ross and Reznor's score wasn't as amazing as this one.
-Toy Story 3 for Best Animated Picture. Well, no shit. That film is bloody fantastic.

Susanne Bier (director of In a Better World): happy for all of us that I Am Love didn't win.

-I was so glad that I Am Love didn't win Best Foreign Language. However, this morning I said that In a Better World didn't stand much of a chance. So then it comes out and wins. I have got to see this one.

Other thoughts on the show:
-Michael Douglas getting a standing ovation was amazing. But his line was even better: "There's just gotta be an easier way to get a standing ovation."
-Did they have to play 'Hand Covers Bruise' everytime The Social Network got a mention? Seriously, that was one of the worst tracks. 'In Motion' or 'A Familiar Taste' would have been better.
-Ricky Gervais is funny, but I found him to be a bit arrogant and annoying. Tone it down next time, Mister.

Just beam that cute smile and everyone will forget your mistake...

-When Andrew Garfield got hung up on the word 'inspiringly' while presenting The Social Network, I fell in love with him even more. He's human, and he pulled that off without even visually breaking a sweat. Oh, how I love that beautiful man.
-Justin Bieber should not have presented an award for a brilliant film like Toy Story 3. Seriously, he's not even an actor. GET OUT!

WARNING: Do not mess with this man.

-I think Ricky Gervais learnt the hard way that you do not mess with Robert Downey Jr. Gervais tried to jab Downey with several 'jokes' about his porn-ish movie titles and then his former residence at a rehab centre. At which point Downey comes out and starts off by saying "I don't think an actress has done her best work...until she's slept with me." He goes through all of the nominees of the Best Actress-Comedy/Musical category, concluding by saying "I'd give it to all five of you...at once." Totally stole the show.
-Matt Damon hadn't heard of Robert De Niro until five years ago. You are kidding.
-Robert De Niro made a joke about the badness of Little Fockers. I expected him to understand.
-A bad actress presenting a bad film...Megan Fox and The Tourist.

-I wish I was Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He got to introduce Inception, quote Bette Davis and praise Christopher Nolan. Lucky guy.
-I wonder if Mark Zuckerberg is taking notice of all The Social Network buzz?

What did you think of the Golden Globes? Comments please...I'm still begging!

AAN: How many chances does Inception have left? (Critics Choice chatter)

AAN is a new feature designed especially for awards season...the abbreviation standing for Annual Awards Nerdism.

Okay. We get it. Every critic loves The Social Network. That's cool. But it's super unexciting. Is there anyway any other film can beat it? Probably not. I personally think it's more interesting guessing what films will make it to the Oscar nominations, because I don't exactly think 127 Hours, The Town, Toy Story 3 and Winter's Bone are all locks for the category. Not that it matters, because you may as well put The Bounty Hunter in there since there's no way to beat The Social Network, as the Critics Choice Awards have proved.

Up until The Social Network came out in October, Inception seemed like a sure thing to win every award. Mind you, it's a summer blockbuster, and they barely ever win anything.  Inception may have trickled down the ranks a little bit, but there was this certain hope that it would win the awards for Best Original Screenplay. The King's Speech came through and won that award, leaving Inception's chances in the big categories to fade away a little more. But will this be the case when it comes to Golden Globes time? No, I don't think it will be. As this is Critics Choice, of course they would go for a historical drama like The King's Speech instead of a creative sci-fi thriller like Inception. With the way the Hollywood Foreign Press are, Inception is likely to win over The King's Speech. This could work in Christopher Nolan's favour if he is going to get a well deserved Oscar (for both this and The Dark Knight), as long as he can get an award from the WGA's.

Christopher Nolan with his wife/producer Emma Thomas with some more reasons why they rule.

Inception may have been the biggest crowd pleaser during it's theatrical release, have been the subject of many conversations on Facebook and be the most widely seen out of many of the nominees, but it's popularity could work against it. It's gotten a little old now, and those who have seen it  now are turning it down because it simply just doesn't live up to the hype (for them). Over hype is the major problem here, which leads me to wonder as to why The Social Network is still so relevant in these awards. This film isn't particularly special. It doesn't offer any new ideas like Inception does. And being released a few months back shouldn't help it's chances. I guess this is just a case of making the right movie at the right time in the right way. If David Fincher wanted to turn people against Facebook, he may have succeeded with The Social Network, which really is a movie which 'defines our generation'. The Social Network just managed to capture our times by telling us all the story of Facebook. Because we hardly thought the story of Twitter would be that interesting.

Aaron Sorkin: He can take this whole awards ceremony and turn it into his ping pong room.

Aaron Sorkin will undoubtedly sweep up every award possible for his brilliant adapted screenplay, which is pretty much the only reason as to why The Social Network is so fantastic. I imagine every other awards show will follow the Critics Choice's suit and choose this one for Best Picture. But one award I didn't get today was David Fincher winning Best Director. Yes, The Social Network is really well directed, but wouldn't it be a bit sad if Fincher won for his least Fincher-type film? I mean, come on. Look at Fight Club and then look at this one. It's like two different people directed it, right? I don't really feel like this is the best example of what Fincher is capable of, which is why I'm still pinning my hopes on Christopher Nolan to come through. Mind you, I can just see Fincher sweeping up...which is a shame, because I doubt he'll make it to half the ceremonies since he's too busy filming The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in Sweden. Future prediction: that movie will be really good and the voters out there will realize the mistake they made by giving him the award for The Social Network instead of this one.

Here are some more thoughts on the Critics Choice Awards winners:
-Best Picture winner is a lock. As much as I don't want it to, The Social Network will win.
-Glad Colin Firth won Best Actor, but I'm still looking for either Jesse Eisenberg or James Franco to upset his campaign.
-Natalie Portman got Best Actress. As she will for the rest of the season. Even if she's only 29 years old. I guess it's all the rib twisting and pain she put herself through for her role in Black Swan.

"Give me more awards and I will cut my hair!"

-Sob. I knew he didn't have a chance, but Andrew Garfield didn't get Best Supporting Actor. Christian Bale did, of course. Just a shame he won't cut his hair for his time in the spotlight.
-So Melissa Leo won Best Supporting Actress? I'm still not convinced. I'm team Jacki Weaver, all the way!
-While I thought The Social Network might bag Best Acting Ensemble, I never imagined The Fighter would. That was until I remembered that three of the stars were nominated at these awards, and two of them won. Makes sense.
-David Fincher gets Best Director. But we all know that Christopher Nolan is the BEST.
-I wouldn't have thought The King's Speech was an original screenplay, since it's based on real people. Can't see it going much further though.
-Aaron Sorkin...I want to soak up your good writing juices.
-Best Animated Feature for Toy Story 3. Was there any other animated film this year? No.

Hailee Steinfeld is obviously psyched about beating Chloe Moretz...who will go all Hitgirl on her soon.

-Chloe Moretz should have won Best Young Actress for either Let Me In or Kick-Ass. Of anyone, she's made the biggest mark on Hollywood in the past year. But just because Hailee Steinfeld got nominated in Best Supporting Actress and was in a Coen movie means that Chloe's argument is invalid.
-Best Action movie for Inception. Say it isn't so. And for the love of God, Kick-Ass is more a comedy than an action. Just like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (shamefully unnotices) is more of an action than a comedy. Get it right, people!
-Easy A got Best Comedy. When I think about it, a movie which has it's protagonist being a pretend prostitute and plenty of jokes about herpes shouldn't have won. But it's funny, thanks to Emma Stone, and definitely one of the better comedies this year. I would have thought The Kid's are All Right would have been nominated here, though.
-I find it so odd that The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo won Best Foreign Language movie because it came out so long ago (here, anyway). But hey, it's miles better than I Am Love.
-Waiting for Superman got Best Doc. Didn't Mark Zuckerberg have something to do with this film? Further proof that Facebook is taking over the Earth.
-Danny Boyle sure knows how to pick his songs: 127 Hours' 'If I Rise' bags Best Song.
-While Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross' score for The Social Network was beyond excellent, it was Hans Zimmer's Edith Piaf dream infused score for Inception which was way better. You wait and see, Hans Zimmer will come back and get all the rest of the awards!
-If The Pacific deserves a special tin case, it deserves a Critics Choice Award!
-Inception sweeps up all the technical awards (Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound), which is already sending out warning bells that this could easily become exactly like The Dark Knight. It's nice to see that Inception was a big winner here, though.


Alice in Wonderland may have won Best Costume Design, but Helena Bohnam Carter chose funeral styles.

-That old film Alice in Wonderland gets Best Makeup and Best Costume Design. Proves you don't have to be a great film to win those awards. -Finally, I just gotta share this picture of Julianne Moore announcing her A Single Man co-star Colin Firth as the winner of Best Actor. Sums up my reaction a bit!

Do you think the Critics Choice Awards will have a huge effect on the outcome of the rest of the season? Let me know in the comments...I'm begging you!