A Film Like a Migraine, But One You Can Appreciate

Film: Tyrannosaur
Year: 2011
Written and directed by: Paddy Considine
Starring: Peter Mullan, Olivia Colman, Eddie Marsan, Paul Popplewell, Ned Dennehy, Samuel Bottomley, Sally Carman, Sian Breckin.
Running time: 92 min.
This film will be released on DVD by Madman Entertainment on June 14th in New Zealand.

Let me be straightforward from the get-go: Tyrannosaur is not a feel good movie. It is not the kind that one can easily crack the faintest of smiles at. I've heard it said many times before that the cheeriest scene in this movie is a funeral scene. Which is absolutely true. This film is exactly like a cracking migraine. It crushes your brain for the entire time, leaving you completely still and transfixed on the screen as if the slightest movement could make the migraine worse. Your eyes are forced to see things they don't want to see, and they want to shift out of focus so that things don't turn out so bad. While the film is heaving this mass amount of pressure onto your head that ensures the most uncomfortable viewing ever, it rips your heart out and holds it in this dark cube, where happiness is about ten planets away. Tyrannosaur may be capable of all of those different, horrible feelings, but I can promise that it is a very good film. It isn't the kind that you can easily sum up as being a "film that I enjoyed". It is a film that I "endured and appreciated".

AAN: Where all of the awards are up to...

As I said earlier in the week, awards season has been getting away from me, so I'll just round up all of the awards in this singular post. Next week promises to be a real treat, though, since we have the Crtics Choice, Golden Globes and SAG awards nominations being announced. I will still be covering those while I'm doing my Harry Potter marathon. What I won't be covering on time, though, are the actual ceremonies for the Critics Choice and Golden Globes. At that time I will be out of the country (in Melbourne, Australia, to be exact), so I'll catch up with them when I get back. I'm taking awards coverage seriously, this year!

Anyway, let's start with the WAFCA awards (Washington DC Area Film Critics Association...I presume.)

Best Film: The Artist, The Descendants, Drive, Hugo, Win Win.
Best Director: Martin Scorsese (Hugo), Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris), Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist), Alexander Payne (The Descendants), Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive).
Best Actor: George Clooney (The Descendants), Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Michael Fassbender (Shame), Brad Pitt (Moneyball), Michael Shannon (Take Shelter).
Best Actress: Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn), Viola Davis (The Help), Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady), Tilda Swinton (We Need to Talk About Kevin).
Best Supporting Actor: Albert Brooks (Drive), Kenneth Branagh (My Week with Marilyn), John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene), Christopher Plummer (Beginners), Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes).
Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer (The Help), Berenice Bejo (The Artist), Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids), Carey Mulligan (Shame), Shailene Woodley (The Descendants).

Best Acting Ensemble: Bridesmaids, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, The Help, Hugo, Margin Call.
Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash (The Descendants), Tate Taylor (The Help), John Logan (Hugo), Steven Zallian and Aaron Sorkin (Moneyball), Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy).
Best Original Screenplay: Will Reiser (50/50), Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris), Michel Hazanvicius (The Artist), Tom McCarthy (Win Win), Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids).
Best Animated Feature: Rango, The Adventures of Tintin, Arthur Christmas, Puss in Boots, Winnie the Pooh.
Best Documentary: Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey, Buck, Into the Abyss, Project Nim.
Best Foreign Language Film: The Skin I Live In, 13 Assassins, Certified Copy, I Saw the Devil, Pina.
Best Art Direction: Hugo, The Artist, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, The Tree of Life, War Horse.
Best Cinematography: The Tree of Life, The Artist, Hugo, Melancholia, War Horse.
Best Score: The Artist, Drive, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hugo, War Horse.

What does this mean for Oscar? Other than that we can still be pretty sure that The Artist will win Best Picture? Hmmmm...I'm still about 80% sure that it will win. The other 20% goes to the possibility of the Academy being 'old-fashioned' and going with War Horse, or going with Hugo because that's been given a bit of attention, or going with anything else. But I do think that The Artist has won it.
In regards to Best Actress, I'm slightly surprised that Michelle Williams got the award, especially in a category with Meryl Streep. I guess I should buck it up and put Streep in my predictions, but I refuse to let go of Rooney Mara. Only time will tell. But maybe Viola Davis hasn't won the award just yet. Same with Christopher Plummer, who lost his award to Albert Brooks. I think he might have a chance at getting an Oscar nomination now. Bonus points for adding Andy Serkis, though!
Jessica Chastain was not given a nomination for any of her performances, and I fear this will be the case come Oscar time. She's just been in too many movies and she's been too consistent - there's nothing that really 'stands out' because they all stand out. I still think this is a weak category, though.
I'd love for 50/50 to get some Oscar love, and I think it stands a good chance in the Best Original Screenplay category, particularly because of the back-story. Rango also stands a good chance at possibly winning the Best Animated Feature category, especially winning this award. I've only heard mixed things for The Adventures of Tintin, but because it is made by Spielberg it will probably win there and then. Winnie the Pooh is the deserving one, though.
As for the 'technical awards', I'm surprised for the non-love for The Tree of Life, War Horse and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in the earlier categories. However, if The Tree of Life doesn't win Best Cinematography, I will personally start a riot.
Anyway, these people seem to love Bridesmaids. I'd be happy about this since it's a female driven comedy, but it's not necessarily a very good movie.

British Independent Film Awards, European Film Awards and National Board of Review after the jump...