NZFF Mini-Reviews: Frank, Locke, Maps to the Stars, Boyhood

Good things about going to university: having a cinema about five minutes away instead of 45 minutes away. Bad things about university: everything had to be due on the week when the New Zealand International Film Festival hit town, but through some pretty intense time management skills gained last year I managed to get everything done while escaping to the cinemas on four different occasions. Which, of course, is better than having to very selectively choose one film to beg my parents to drive me over for. Still, some pretty selective choosing went on here and I ended up seeing a very interesting selection of films: Frank, Locke, Maps to the Stars and Boyhood. I won't bore you with too many more details, so here's what I thought about them here:

I must admit, it has been a little while since a film really 'clicked' for me. Not really a fault of all the films I've been watching, it has just been a little hard for me to really escape into a film. Frank was the one that changed it all, though. To be honest, I thought it was going to be a little jarring watching a film where Michael Fassbender has a giant head over his head, but it really didn't take anything way from his performance. He was so fascinating to watch, particularly in the film's final act. However, you can tell that he really let himself go when he was wearing the mask, owning his craziness which fit in perfectly with the way the film unfolds.
The film zips and zaps from one extreme to the other with dizzying speed, becoming one of the darkest comedies I've seen in quite some time. It is made of all the tropes that would make your typical band road movie, but it is also a pretty interesting look at the connection between creativity and madness. While many have called out the fact that having the film centred on plain, wannabe musician Jon (played by the charming Domhall Gleeson who should probably be in everything), I thought it was a great way of grounding the material and always keeping the film in check. It isn't just Frank who is the eccentric one - his entire band is filled up with some pretty crazy characters who don't seem to be filtered. Jon provides a lens for keeping the film centred, and also, his reliance on social media is one of the better depictions I've seen of the internet in film (not sure why, but everyone always manages to get it wrong).
Basically, I had a really good time with Frank. It was so dark in some places, so light in other places, and just generally a pretty strange film that wore its heart on its sleeve. And again: Michael Fassbender is everything. Best performance from him I've seen this side of Shame, I'd say.

Making the Case for The Dark Knight Rises + Blogathon Links!

So this blogathon went rather well, considering it was my first real crack at one. Lots of great entries, I'm seriously impressed with the variety among them. Super huge thank you to everyone who participated! And while I have everyone's attention (hopefully), I have exciting news that deserves a line of its own:

I was announced Head Girl of my school last night!

Very exciting times. Alas, now I shall add my own case to the pile: the case for The Dark Knight Rises to win all of the awards. And I've got a few honourable mentions because I couldn't bear to leave them out. Here we go!

So I really don't need to say any more about it: I love The Dark Knight Rises. I love that movie so much I'd shout it from the rooftops but I can't be bothered doing that so I just made a whole Christmas window based around it. The Dark Knight Rises is just amazing to me, and it is a shame that people can't see it in the same light. I'm not going to get into the whole "ah everyone sucks because all they did was pick at the plot holes (which I contest didn't really exist)" thing. I just want to say that this was a movie that has played a huge part in my life. I've never been more excited to see a film, nor have I ever experienced the intense emotion I had when I first saw it. The only thing I was really sad about was something that was beyond anyone's control. However, this movie is something of a cinematic marvel: it shows a pretty brave and gritty social commentary through the eyes of a superhero movie. No, I didn't think it was better than The Dark Knight, but I still thought that Bane was an extremely good villain, looking like a human Hulk and getting on people's wrong sides in an extremely smart way. And don't even get me started on those final moments. I still cry every time I so much as think about it. The look on Gordon's face when the Batman statue gets unveiled - it gets me every time. In an ideal world, this is what I'd love for The Dark Knight Rises to be nominated for:

Best Picture - We used to be so sure it would get in. What happened? It was bad enough that The Dark Knight got snubbed all those years ago. Of course, this one can't stand as a consolation prize, but The Dark Knight Rises truly does deserve it. It is a modern epic that we'll remember for years to come.
Best Actress: Anne Hathaway - Sure, she'll be getting her fair share of awards for Les Miserables. But her performance as Selina Kyle was nothing short of amazing. Just her walk and her talk - wow. And people thought she couldn't pull it off.
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Caine - He made me cry. A lot.
Best Supporting Actor: Tom Hardy - I once saw a picture of him in his Bane costume and it said, "Still has more facial expressions than Kristen Stewart". And that's the outright truth. Even with a huge piece of machinery on his face, he managed to be wonderfully chilling. Not to mention that last scene with Marion Cotillard. Who on the flipside I've come to realise gave a truly terrible performance.
Best Director: Christopher Nolan - One day the Academy needs to get over the fact that he's better than the large majority of them.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan - Because that would be cool. Some of the lines in this film are so amazing I try and use them in day to day life, but people look at me strangely when I put on my Bane voice.
Best Cinematography: Wally Pfister - It would be cool to see Pfister to have an Oscar nomination in this field once more before he turns his hand to directing. His cinematography is wonderful - the movie is actually darn pretty.
Best Original Score: Hans Zimmer - There's not a day that goes by when I don't wish that I could casually use 'Why Do We Fall?' and 'Rise' in a film of my own. The rest of the score is wonderful.
Anything else - I imagine that the film will at least get a whole lot of nominations in the technical categories. And I'll still be waving my little one-man fan club flag down here!

Other honourable mentions:

Matthew McConaughey in Killer Joe and Magic Mike - I never used to like old Matty M. But no-one can deny that this has been the year of Matthew McConaughey being bloody awesome at acting. His performance in Killer Joe is by far my favourite of the year. It is so blood-curdlingly great that every time I see so much as a picture of him in the film I cover my eyes. Which made watching Magic Mike very hard, but he was easily the best thing about that film. That SAG nomination snub hurt, but I just know that he'll make it to the Oscars. If he doesn't, I'll be very angry.

Michael Fassbender in Prometheus - One I reasons why I liked Prometheus was because of Michael Fassbender's stunning performance as David the android. Even though the character annoyed the hell out of me, Fassy's transformation into an android was actually terrifying. He was so...wow.

Rosemarie DeWitt in Your Sister's Sister - Because Rosemarie DeWitt is just awesome and Your Sister's Sister so clearly shows that. She's so wonderful, as is the movie.

Jack Black in Bernie - Jack Black is another actor who I generally don't like but he was great in Bernie. He managed not to annoy me for once. And was I the only one who was absolutely shocked when I found out that this story was true at the end?

Rian Johnson's screenplay for Looper - Because Looper was utter awesomeness and it happened to be a great time travel film. As I said in my review, he created "a vision of the future, not a dream".

Matt Whelan in The Most Fun You Can Have Dying - A really huge longshot, but I thought I'd throw this one out there. The Most Fun You Can Have Dying is a NZ film, and a surprisingly good one (your move, The Hobbit). Matt Whelan gives a stunning performance as a man out to destroy himself on his last days of life. I've never actually seen a Kiwi perform so well as an average Kiwi. He was great.

Jessica Chastain for the newly incepted award called 'Most Awesome Person Alive' - I really need to appeal to the Academy for this award, just so Jess can win it every year.

Everyone else's entries, in no particular order:
-Sati @ Cinematic Corner makes her case for the awesome score by Hans Zimmer for The Dark Knight Rises.

-Anna @ Defiant Success makes her case for the three performances in The Deep Blue Sea from Simon Russell Beale, Tom Hiddleston and of course Rachel Weisz.

-Nikhat @ Being Norma Jeane made a case for The Avengers to get a Best Ensemble nod at today's SAG nominations, but unfortunately, her case went unnoticed. So she decided to make a case for The Perks of Being a Wallflower's Adapted Screenplay, adapted by Stephen Chbosky himself, and the performances by Logan Lerman and Ezra Miller. Even though I haven't seen the film, these choices are infinitely awesome!

-Nicole @ The Madlab Post saw Skyfall by chance since she'd missed the screenings for Argo and Lincoln - and lucky she did, because she wrote a beautiful piece about the score by Thomas Newman and the original song by Adele.

-Katy @ The Drama Llama also got on The Perks of Being a Wallflower train and made a case for Ezra Miller's performance. I can only imagine how wonderful he is!

-Courtney @ On the Screen Reviews makes the case for Dwight Henry's supporting performance in Beasts of the Southern Wild. I'd love to see some new talent in the mix!

-Alex @ And So It Begins... makes his case for Edward Burns' screenplay for The Fitzgerald Family Christmas. It would be awesome to see him get nominated!

-Rich @ Wide Screen World makes his case for Frank Langella's performance in Robot & Frank. No amount of Langella love will ever go amiss!

-Drew @ A Fistful of Films made his case for Greta Gerwig's work in Damsels in Distress...and also making Greta Gerwig a thing!

-Nika @ The Running Reel makes a case for Moonrise Kingdom to get a whole slew of nods. I can't wait to finally see it at the end of this month!

-Josh @ The Cinematic Spectacle makes the case for Cloud Atlas, hoping to see its ambition rewarded.

-SDG @ U, Me and Films also shares some love for Rosemarie DeWitt's performance in the brilliant Your Sister's Sister.

-Robert @ The Sketchy Details makes a case for Cosmopolis, a film which still intrigues me to this very day, and this article makes me even more intrigued.

-Brittani @ Rambling Film makes the case for Pierce Gagnon's show-stopping performance in Looper. I definitely thought of including this one - how great was he for someone who is only 5 years old?

If you have a case you want to be made, it isn't too late. Mail me in the next three days and I'll add you to the list! Who's case would you believe out of these wonderful entries?

A Firey End to an Epic Trilogy.

Film: The Dark Knight Rises
Year: 2012
Director: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Juno Temple.
Running time: 164 min.

Let me be straight-forward from the start: The Dark Knight Rises is the biggest film-event of my life so far. Sure, I've only had 16 years for films to compete for that title, but this film takes the cake by a long shot. That is not to say that The Dark Knight Rises is my favourite film ever. I honestly don't think it will have the mass effect that The Dark Knight had, with it making it's way to the top of IMDb's top 250 or anything like that. Simply put, The Dark Knight Rises isn't as good as The Dark Knight. But there's no denying that this is a grand-scale finish to what is probably the best trilogy of films that I have ever seen. The only problem that I have is that now the trilogy is all over. I guess that I can now properly understand how all of those Harry Potter fans felt when their series came to a close this time last year. Even though Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise and I didn't get off to the most conventional start, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic over the way The Dark Knight changed my perception of films when I was just about to leave primary school. Now I'm nearly on the precipice of leaving high school, The Dark Knight Rises has come along and reminded me of why I love Nolan's take on Batman, why I love Nolan's films in general, and why I love going to the cinemas. However, Nolan's closing the door on his Batman, even though he's leaving the door somewhat open for someone else to pick it up. Which I hope isn't the case, because I don't think anyone can do the superhero genre better than Nolan. Hell, this guy invented his own genre.

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.

Underrated Leading Performances of 2011

Last weekend, I looked at the ten most underrated supporting performances from 2011. I couldn't really just give you that list and run away laughing, now could I? It is time to look at the leading performances that didn't get an adequate amount of attention. Here's my ten picks, ranked...

10. Rachel Weisz in The Whistleblower

It pretty much sounds like an Oscar success story: an ever dependable actress playing the lead in a true story of a woman working against all odds. Alas, The Whistleblower wasn't received that well and hardly anyone saw it. Maybe the film is a little too dependent on Rachel Weisz being dependable, but she gives a wonderful lead performance that the film itself can never live up to. Her performance/character can be summed up by one line that she utters in the film: "I don't want a scandal, I just want to do my job." And what a brilliant job she does.

All the Clichés, But All the Heart Too.

Film: Warrior
Year: 2011
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Written by: Gavin O'Connor, Anthony Tambakis, Cliff Dorfman.
Starring: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo, Kevin Dunn, Maximiliano Hernández, Vanessa Martinez.
Running time: 135 min.

Imagine how Warrior must have looked on paper: another fighting movie about two brothers from a stuffed up family who are the underdogs that have to fight there way up and win against all odds. I can imagine the money-grubbers turning their heads away and wondering when the next movie about boxing robots was going to be pitched. Alas, even though Hollywood is partial to their clichéd stories that generally make everyone feel good, Warrior had the incomparable task of making Hollywood like it, and everyone else too (if you think about it, not many films succeed in that area). Like the story in the movie, Warrior was a film that not many of us expected great things to come out of. It was indeed the underdog who achieved some great things.

It's been a year since I first saw Inception...time for 52 things I love about Inception!

I find it hard to believe that this time a year ago, I was sitting in the cinemas after months of watching the trailers over and over again, having mini heart attacks every time the word 'Inception' was uttered, watching every other Christopher Nolan flick, and then spending this day shaking excitedly at school, because every minute gone was a minute closer to seeing the film. Just so you know, this was the only time I've ever been so excited over a films release, and yes, even I admit I was a bit obsessed. But do you know what the best thing was? The film topped my sky-high expectations. Which is probably why, after 365 days and nearly 15 watches, I still absolutely love this movie. It hasn't been just a 'film' for me, it's actually meant a lot to me.

So, if you don't like Inception, go to the left. This is my time to share 52 reasons why I think this movie is amazing, and I don't really want any crap comments ruining it. I get that it isn't as good as what it was a year ago...even I don't find it as amazing as I did. But, you know, I still love it to bitty bits. Okay, are we good? I hope so.

Anyway, here we go, 52 reasons why I love Inception (one for every week since my first viewing, not in any order either):

1. "You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling."

2. All of the totems

3. ...but especially the cheeky one at the end.



4. Blasting up '528491' in my headphones at full volume, because that is freaking epic.

5. Cillian Murphy crying.

6. Arthur's wardrobe.

7. This is completely original Nolan - not adapted Nolan.

8. Oh yeah, and this is directed by Nolan. 

9. Yusuf. You should never forget Yusuf and his crazy driving skills and his cats.

10. That spinning hallway scene.

11. Cobb is the director, Arthur is the producer, Ariadne is the production designer, Eames is the actor, Saito is the studio, and Fischer is the audience.

12. Michael Caine's in it for like three minutes and he still gets top billing.

13. When Cobb finally shoots Mal.

14. The fact that 'Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien' is my alarm and it's the best alarm ever.

15. Even the posters are awesome.

16. Tom Hardy.

17. Ellen Page shooting Marion Cotillard because of the 2008 Oscars.

18. The suit porn.

19. This film required a food stylist and an assistant food stylist...(When I found this out, I actually listed all of the food in the movie. Hell, if this means you can take part in a Nolan flick, I want to be a food stylist.)

20. It won as many Oscars as The King's Speech.

21. This is the third Nolan flick that Cillian Murphy has spent a considerable amount of time hidden beneath a cloth sack.



22. The track 'Time' which is at the end of the soundtrack. Simply beautiful

23. The name Ariadne. 

24. "You're waiting for a train. A train that'll take you far away. You know where you hope this train will take you. But you can't know for sure. Yet it doesn't matter. Because we'll be together."

25. When the little kids finally turn around so Cobb can see their faces.

26. Saito and his carpet.

27. Blowing up Paris. Because that's a cool way to get friends.

28. Oh, and folding over Paris. Because that's a cool way to get an architect.

29. "Un café! Un café!" - That's how you try an disguise yourself in a chase through Mombasa.

30. The awkward moment when Ariadne finds out Cobb's wife is actually dead.

31. Pete Postlethwaite. Always great.

32. "I bought the airline...it seemed neater."

33. The Eames/Arthur relationship.

34. Fischer's many 'bitch, please' looks.

35. Ooooh, freight train in the middle of the street.

36. Finding out the real story about Cobb and Mal.

37. When Eames turns into a chick. Hahaha.

38. "Paradox."

39. The world that Cobb and Mal built. I can see myself living there.

40. When the van hits the water. 

41. The looks exchanged with Cobb as he walks through the airport.

42. "I know you were disappointed, that I couldn't be you." "No no no. I was disappointed that you tried."

43. Saito's aged look.

44. The fact that it wasn't made in 3D.

45. Mal's dress in the Japanese castle scene.

46. In fact, that castle was beautiful.

47. It's a family affair: Nolan's cousin plays the flight attendant, and his son plays Mal and Cobb's son when he is 20 months.

48. The fact that I can't say 'defibrillator'...but I do like their defibrillator.

49. Arthur's good driving skills.

50. Fischer's wallet has $500 in it, and the wallet is worth more than that.

51. The way the movie starts.

52. The way the movie ends. The screen goes black, the audience gets pissed off, and then the track 'Dream is Collapsing' starts as the title comes up. And then Christopher Nolan's name comes up, and I always cry because I can never be like him.

So there are 52 reasons why I love this amazing film, which has been with me for a year. Why do you like it?

Rewind - Bronson

Bronson's DVD slip promises one thing: that it will take a deep look into the man behind the madness of 'Charles Bronson', Britain's most violent prisoner. You'd think that this wouldn't be much of a hard feat, as most of the film is backed up by Bronson (played by Tom Hardy) being centre stage, telling a whole (imaginary) audience his story in the most narcissistic way. However, other than knowing that Bronson was a very violent man, who was a little on the eccentric side, and enjoyed being as theatrical as could be, we never quite get to know the man at all. And that is where Nicolas Winding Refn's stylish "A Clockwork Orange for the 21st Century" ultimately faulters.

Since we don't ever find out that much about the man behind the myth, the audience is subjected to watching violent escapades that could only be expected...there's nothing more than that. That's not to say that Bronson's story isn't interesting. He's a real character. He states that there isn't anything wonky about his upbringing - he was born into a nice, respectable middle-class family and didn't experience anything out of the ordinary. But there's just something in him that sets him off on a violent streak. He likes being evil. He even likes being in prison. And as time goes on, Bronson creates his own brand of violent. He's all about the theatricals and his interest in art brings out a different side to him, albeit a bad one. Other than that, this is just your run-of-the-mill biopic which feels the need to show important events rather than delving further into the character.

Even though the character's mindset is never fully explored, Tom Hardy gives a simply marvellous performance in this movie. Here he is completely transformed. I actually found it hard to believe that this was the same guy who got his breakthrough from his cheeky performance in Inception. Hardy is undeniably the star of this flick, and probably the only reason that could make it worth watching. He just pulls together the violent act so well, and has a ball being insane, but never loses his grasp on reality. He doesn't have any trouble anchoring the film by himself, either, as he is really the only character in the movie, just with some minor characters floating in and out every now and again. Hardy was completely dedicated to his character, and there are no recognizable similarities between he and his character, come to think of it. It's just a shame that his work went so unrecognized, because it was truly ground-breaking.

Bronson is also really well made. Nicolas Winding Refn has a different sort of style to everyone else. He has a lot of violence to work with in this film, and he tries to make every portion different from the other. His style is very theatrical, which fits the character very well. Also, backing most of the film up with a classical/opera style soundtrack is something which is very interesting. Refn is trying something new here...a sort of artsy style aggression-fest. It works, for the most part, but it really doesn't have the material to back it up. In the end, Bronson is a very disappointing movie. It's too slight and there's no narrative structure to it. But I would definitely like to see a few more movies made with this sort of style and Tom Hardy tackling more work like this. Because, hell, after seeing this, there is no doubt that he's going to become one of the best actors around.

THE VERDICT: Refn's style and Hardy's performance do not make Bronson the film it should have been, mainly because it's missing a vital narrative and something that isn't insanity or violence.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

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!