Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

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Cinema, Darth Vader, Episode VIII, Felicity Jones, Film, Movie, Movie Review, Rogue One, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Science Fiction, Space, Star Wars, The Death Star

via youtube.com

“Rogue One” is a well-shot movie which has its place in a binge of the “Star Wars” franchise, but personally I wouldn’t choose to watch it again. As someone who was never really bit by the “Star Wars” bug I found it hard to fall in love with this movie. To me it felt like this film was aimed at the existing audience rather than general moviegoers despite the fact that it was promoted as a new story, and without a pre-existing affection for the series I found the subpar acting extremely hard to swallow. The fact that the story makes sense of plot holes from the original trilogy does improve the movie as a whole because it makes it feel worthwhile, but it doesn’t hide the fact that “Rogue One” only exists to keep the merchandise bandwagon rolling until Episode VIII comes out.

My biggest gripe with this film is that almost everyone watching knows that the characters are going to succeed in their efforts to steal the plans for the Death Star. Of course, knowing how a story is going to finish doesn’t necessarily devalue that story as a whole, but it did mean that I struggled to become immersed in the experience on this occasion.

Without the pull of top quality acting or an unclear conclusion I was consumed by a feeling of indifference, and I couldn’t bring myself to care about the characters despite the fact that the stakes were admittedly high. These factors led to my complete lack of interest in anything that was happening on screen, and ultimately made the film feel hollow and pointless from my perspective.

via indiewire.com

I’d have much preferred a story which was set within the “Star Wars” universe but was also disconnected from the original trilogy, the prequels, or the new ongoing trilogy, as this would’ve meant that I could judge the characters based on their personalities rather than in virtue of their importance to stories that I’ve already seen play out. A film of this ilk would’ve given me something fresh to enjoy, rather than providing me with the same experience I’ve already had except with worse acting and a less interesting story.

This last point is contentious because for many the fact that this film is able to make sense of the Death Star’s fundamental structural flaw is enough to make its story both necessary and compelling. However, if we’re being cynical then it seems obvious that resolving problems within the overarching narrative is a convenient excuse to cash in on a franchise which carries serious name value. I admit that this excuse is a clever one, but the series would’ve thrived without any alterations.

Moreover, this film’s ability to tie things together from the original series doesn’t actually make it a better standalone film; in fact, part of me wonders if the writing was made easier by how clear the ending must have been from the moment the idea was pitched, after all, the majority of the characters in this film mysteriously don’t appear in the original trilogy!

via StarWars.com

The only real work “Rogue One” had to do was to explain why the Death Star was fatally flawed because we already know how the plans for the Death Star were passed on. People have lived without that information for decades, so it seems ludicrous to suggest that we needed this movie. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that “Rogue One” is terrible in any way, shape, or form. There’s plenty to like about it such as well-choreographed action sequences, entertaining cameos, and impressive visuals, but it could’ve been a lot better.

Overall, I think that “Rogue One” is an average film masquerading as a masterpiece. Take away the cameos and the fan service and you’re left with a paint-by-numbers movie with a direct-to-DVD cast. It works fine as a stop gap to whet the appetite prior to Episode VIII’s release, but it isn’t a great film in its own right.

6/10

Midnight Special

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Adam Driver, Cinema, E.T., Fargo, Film, Film Review, Jaeden Lieberher, Jeff Nichols, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst, Man Of Steel, Michael Shannon, Midnight Special, Movie Review, Mud, Science Fiction, Spider-Man, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Steven Spielberg, Superheroes, Superman, Take Shelter, The Berlin International Film Festival, The Gift, The Golden Bear, Warrior

“Midnight Special” is a science-fiction film which was written and directed by Jeff Nichols, the man responsible for “Take Shelter” and “Mud”. It stars an impressive ensemble cast including Michael Shannon (“Man of Steel”), Joel Edgerton (“Warrior” & “The Gift”), Kirsten Dunst (“Spider-Man” & “Fargo”), and Adam Driver (“Star Wars : The Force Awakens”), and was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

With these considerations in mind, you would be correct in assuming that I was looking forward to seeing this film, especially given that Edgerton, Dunst, and Driver have recently been involved in critically successful projects, and I personally loved “Take Shelter”. Sadly, my excitement turned to disappointment, then to frustration, and then to anger, as I watched a dull film which completely lacked in purpose.

The film itself is about Alton (Jaeden Lieberher), an eight-year-old boy who possesses the power to make his eyes go all shiny. Of course, I’m being slightly demeaning about the nature of the child’s powers, but they really aren’t very interesting. The nature of his ability evolves over the course of the movie at various times simply to serve the plot, so what begins as a weird blue light emitting from his eyes ends up as an arbitrary set of skills which allows him to survive any set of circumstances. He can bring down satellites, predict the future, and even speak other languages, all because he isn’t from this world. It’s basically bullshit, but far be it for me to judge.

The story follows Alton and his father, Roy (Shannon), as they attempt to reach a boring location (it’s just a field) by a certain time for boring bloody reasons. There’s more to it than that, but to go into it would probably give me an ulcer! Basically the film is a glorified road trip which begins as a ‘kidnapping’ and ends with Alton ‘phoning home’ – again, I’m being disparaging, but at least I can get some enjoyment from the film after viewing it by belittling it; I certainly didn’t get any from it as I watched it.

“Midnight Special” clearly takes inspiration from science-fiction adventure films like “E.T.”, with many critics stating that it reminds them of Spielberg’s early work, but that doesn’t mean that it lives up to those lofty heights. If anything, this film marks Nichols’ fall from the heights that he has already reached, because as a movie “Midnight Special” is both mind-numbingly stupid and tremendously tedious.

The characters are completely underdeveloped, so there’s no way that you can possibly feel a connection to them, and there’s also no real reason to care about whether or not they succeed in taking Alton to the field that he so desperately wants to get to. We know that Roy and Alton were part of a religious cult, a cult which believed that Alton was professing the word of God, but we don’t get any insight into the workings of that cult or whether or not it was a nice place to grow up. We know that Roy has ‘kidnapped’ Alton at the start of the film with the help of a childhood friend (Lucas, played by Joel Edgerton), but we aren’t afforded any real time with these kidnappers to understand their relationship or even their backgrounds. Is Lucas a religious man? Does he have a family? Who else has seen Alton’s powers other than the cult? How did Roy kidnap Alton? Why does he think getting Alton to where he wants to go is necessary? What does he think will happen if Alton doesn’t get there by the specified time?

This last question is perhaps the most important, because at least if we as an audience believed that something catastrophic was going to happen if Roy failed then we would care about the journey. But because we don’t really know what would happen in that scenario, (to be honest I don’t even think Nichols knows himself), there’s no way that we can invest in anything that goes on. We can’t be sure that Alton getting to the other world would actually be beneficial for him or for anyone else, so it’s extremely difficult to route for him over the course of the film! There is a suggestion from a cult member who’s interviewed towards the start of the film that there could be some sort of doomsday event, but that isn’t built upon, and it just comes across as the ramblings of a loon!

Alton says ‘hi’.

On a positive note, the performances (other than that of the child lead) are adequate. They aren’t good as such because sadly the script doesn’t allow them to be, but it’s clear that Shannon, Dunst, and Edgerton are trying their best to bring emotion to a hollow film. However, this is something that Adam Driver is unable to do, as his character is an unnecessary addition to an unnecessary movie.

When all is said and done, “Midnight Special” is a terrible film. None of the intricacies of the plot are properly fleshed out, and the ‘action’ that occurs over the course of the movie does nothing to make this issue less transparent. The performances are okay, as should be expected from such a capable cast, but this doesn’t elevate the film because the story is ridiculous and there’s absolutely no worthwhile pay-off. It’s a pointless, boring, waste of time, and there’s nothing significantly positive to be said about it.

1/10

The Oscars: Actors Who Have Never Won an Academy Award

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In case you missed it, on Sunday morning Leonardo DiCaprio won his first Oscar. Everybody took to Twitter and Instagram to express their approval, treating the multi-millionaire like an old acquaintance rather than a stranger who would probably avoid them in the street. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against DiCaprio – he’s a good actor and has been in some great films – but he isn’t a man who has been victimised by the Academy because of some fictional bias.

Every year writers pen scripts, adapted from best-selling novels based on true events, and some of them strike gold. They do this with particular actors in mind, and they allow studios to buy the script with specifications/recommendations for which people should play their leading man/woman. So, when you think about the films that DiCaprio has been in over the last few years, don’t attribute his performances to sheer ability – if DiCaprio was cast in last year’s “Fantastic Four”, I doubt that he’d have got an Oscar nomination. He works with the best directors around, taking notes from the likes of Tarantino, Scorsese, and now Iñárritu, so he’d be pretty terrible if he didn’t put in a couple of quality performances here and there.

It’s true that DiCaprio is a brilliant actor – he’s been great in a number of films, (“The Departed”, “The Wolf of Wall Street”, “Inception”, etc.), and to be fair to him he has chosen the right scripts. However, he hadn’t won an Oscar prior to Sunday night because he’s never been the best; it’s as simple as that.

There are only two roles that I think he could’ve won an Oscar for, and neither of them are for his performance in “The Revenant”. The two roles that I’m referring to are Calvin Candie in “Django Unchained” (a supporting role for which he failed to earn a nomination, as Christoph Waltz was nominated and won for his performance in the same film), and Jordan Belfort in “The Wolf of Wall Street”. It’s definitely possible to make a case for DiCaprio’s performance in the latter, because he was undeniably brilliant, but I don’t think that he had any right to feel hard done to – it was just a great year. He was beaten by Matthew McConaughey who gave an exceptional performance in “Dallas Buyers Club”, and also would’ve had to take the award ahead of Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave”), who was excellent in what was a Best Picture winning film.

With that in mind, and with the mystical injustice that the public has peddled in the run up to this year’s Academy Awards expelled, I present to you ten actors who have never won an Academy Award, despite a number of fantastic roles.

Bill Murray

‘Goddamn it, Bill Fucking Murray!’

If you haven’t seen “Zombieland” then please excuse the language, but come on now, the man is a bona fide legend! He’s the leading man in the best Christmas movie ever made, as well as one of my favourite films of all time, so I think expletives are necessary! You might read his name on this list without feeling too surprised, because it was never likely that he would win an Oscar for his performances in “Groundhog Day”, “Scrooged”, or “Ghostbusters” – those films are bloody brilliant, but they aren’t what I’d call Oscar-bait – but a film that he definitely, definitely, definitely (did I say definitely) deserved to win for was “Lost In Translation”.

Directed by Sofia Coppola, “Lost In Translation” is one of the most beautifully soul-destroying whilst simultaneously uplifting movies ever made. An indie darling with depth and an understanding of the human condition, it features two of the finest understated performances you could ever wish to see, from leading man Murray, and the ever-reliable Scarlett Johansson.

Murray is fantastic in the role, and he shows that whilst he is a hilarious comedic actor with a lot of money, he’s been through life like the rest of us and understands the difficulties that people face to get through the day. It’s almost as though Murray plays a portrait of himself in the film; an actor who has been successful but is slowly fading away, trying to find purpose in a life that doesn’t appear to have one.

“Lost In Translation” came out in 2003, and was up for Best Picture in 2004 against stiff competition. Not many would argue that “Lord of the Rings : Return of the King” didn’t deserve to win that year, and neither will I, but I maintain that Murray should’ve taken Best Actor In A Leading Role ahead of Sean Penn, who won for his performance in “Mystic River”.

Other notable films on Murray’s filmography – “Caddyshack”, “Fantastic Mr Fox”, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, “The Royal Tenenbaums”, “Rushmore”, and “Space Jam”.

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt was ‘Fury-ous’ about being snubbed for his performance in “Fury”!

Where do you start with a man like Brad Pitt? He’s been in so many great films, and given some fantastic performances, but in most cases these roles have been as part of an ensemble cast. As such, it’s been difficult for him to stand out, which has meant that he hasn’t gained significant recognition from the Academy.

He does have three nominations for his performances, one for Best Supporting Actor (“12 Monkeys”), and two for Best Actor (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” & “Moneyball”), but he’s never really been in contention to win an award. Now, I’m not about to argue that he should’ve done so for any of the aforementioned performances, because in 1995 he was beaten by Kevin Spacey (“The Usual Suspects”), he wasn’t exceptional in “Moneyball”, and I don’t even think he should’ve been nominated for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”.

Nevertheless, it’s a shame that an actor with so much ability and an impressive résumé has been unable to put in an Oscar-worthy performance, and it came as a surprise to me when I found out.

Other notable films on Pitt’s filmography – “Babel”, “The Big Short”, “Fight Club”, “Fury”, “Inglourious Basterds”, “Ocean’s Eleven”, “Seven”, “Snatch”, and “12 Years a Slave”.

Edward Norton

You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry…

Yet another overlooked actor – Edward Norton is fantastic.

He could’ve and perhaps should’ve won for his breakthrough role in “Primal Fear”, which is an unsettling thriller starring Richard Gere. In that film Norton plays a young man accused of murder, when it is revealed that he has multiple personalities; this allows Norton to show off his range, creating two wildly different characters and switching between them with ease. If you haven’t seen “Primal Fear” then I really do recommend that you watch it; I won’t spoil it for you with any specific details, but it’s a tense film with two great lead performances that Norton could’ve easily taken home an Oscar for.

More recently, Norton appeared in Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Birdman”, alongside Michael Keaton and Emma Stone, and for me he stole the movie. His performance was so committed and genuine that you forgot that you were watching a film, and his delivery was spot on so that you could just about take him seriously despite how ridiculous his character was. In my opinion, he was desperately unlucky not to win the Best Supporting Actor award back in 2014, which he only lost because of how memorable J. K. Simmons was in “Whiplash”.

Other notable films on Norton’s filmography – “American History X”, “Fight Club”, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, “The Illusionist”, “The Incredible Hulk”, “Kingdom of Heaven”, “The People vs. Larry Flint”, and “Red Dragon”.

Gary Oldman

Gary Oldman is about to blow following a string of ignored performances.

In my view, Gary Oldman is the most versatile actor in the world today, yet I don’t believe that he’s ever had a role worthy of winning an Oscar. If you take a look at Oldman’s filmography then you will see that he’s had a lot of excellent supporting roles; Mason Verger in “Hannibal”, Sirius Black in the “Harry Potter” series, and Jim Gordon in “The Dark Knight” series, to name just three. However, he’s never really done it as a leading man, and the Supporting Actor category is a very difficult one to stand out in when there are so many memorable candidates to choose from each year.

Oldman’s only nomination for an Academy Award is for his performance in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”, a film which critics enjoyed, but I felt was an absolute snooze-fest. This lack of nominations speaks to the fact that Oldman simply doesn’t choose the right films if he actually wants to win an Oscar, but it also goes to show that you don’t have to win an award to be considered a great at what you do.

Nobody could deny that Oldman is an excellent actor who can perform exceptionally in the right film; it’s just a shame that he hasn’t had the right role to truly show the world just how good he can be.

Other notable films on Oldman’s filmography – “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”, “Child 44”, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”, “Lawless”, and “Léon: The Professional”.

Joaquin Phoenix

If only there was an Oscar for Best Beard In A Lead Role.

Joaquin Phoenix is probably less familiar to the majority of people than previous actors on this list, mostly because of the type of movies that he chooses, but that doesn’t make him any less talented of an actor.

Most people who have heard of Phoenix will remember him from films in which he plays a supporting role, such as “Gladiator” and “Signs”, but recently he has held his own as a leading man in films like “The Master” and “Her”.

Phoenix has been nominated for Best Actor twice (for “The Master” and “Walk The Line”), as well as Best Supporting Actor for his role in “Gladiator”, but my personal favourite performance of his was as Theodore in “Her”. “Her” is a beautiful film directed by Spike Jonze, which won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay back in 2014, about a man’s relationship with an operating system. It’s a fascinating movie that critiques modern relationships and asks questions about how far our obsession with technology will go, and it also explores what really matters in a relationship, as there is nothing physical between Theodore and the operating system, yet it does have intelligence and is able to have stimulating conversations with him.

Phoenix is great in the movie, displaying a true understanding of his character and allowing the audience to take the premise of the film seriously despite its slightly odd science-fiction elements. It’s just a shame for him that that movie came out in the same year as “The Wolf of Wall Street”, “Dallas Buyers Club”, “12 Years a Slave”, “Nebraska”, and “American Hustle”, so his performance failed to earn a nomination.

Other notable films on Phoenix’s filmography – “Brother Bear”, “I’m Still Here”, “Inherent Vice”, “The Village”, and “Walk the Line”.

Johnny Depp

The lack of nominations has really taken its toll on poor old Depp.

Johnny Depp is one of the most recognisable actors in the world, and yet he refuses to take on a role unless he can completely change his appearance. Depp has become known for his quirkiness on screen and his many strange characters; he has played Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd, and even Willy Wonka, yet he has failed to win an Academy Award.

Like Bill Murray, Depp was nominated for Best Actor in 2004, but was beaten by Sean Penn. The role that he was nominated for is probably the one for which he is best known; Jack Sparrow. Depp was fantastic as the drunken pirate with an ego problem, and he made worldwide audiences spill their popcorn as they tried in vain to hold back laughter.

Again, I’m not going to argue that he should’ve taken the award, because it’s very rare that a role like that wins you an Oscar, but I do think that over the course of his career he has given some truly memorable performances. He’s certainly one of my favourite actors, and although he has gone off the rails recently, his early filmography is magnificent.

Other notable films on Depp’s filmography – “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, “Black Mass”, “Donnie Brasco”, “Ed Wood”, “From Hell”, “Public Enemies”, “Rango”, and “Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride”.

Liam Neeson

Neeson has a particular set of skills, but the Academy don’t seem to notice.

Liam Neeson falls into the same kind of category as Bill Murray on this list. No, I don’t mean that he’s a hilarious actor with a great talent for comedy; the comparison that I’m making is that Neeson is a household name, but he isn’t your typical Best Actor nominee. He was never going to win an Oscar for his role in “Taken”, or his voice performances in “The Chronicles of Narnia”, because whilst they are fun movies that will entertain an audience, they aren’t exactly artistic. However, like Murray, Neeson has been in one truly exceptional movie, in which he most definitely delivered an Oscar-worthy performance.

As Oskar Schindler in “Schindler’s List”, Neeson showed not only his acting ability, but a level of empathy that you rarely find in film. He showed that he really can act when he’s given the right role, and he carried one of the best films of all time by being sympathetic yet strong. It’s a truly brilliant performance which deserved recognition, but unfortunately for Neeson, he gave it in a year that was littered with fantastic acting. At the 66^th Academy Awards, Neeson saw Tom Hanks take the award for Best Actor for his performance in “Philadelphia”, and was up against stiff competition in the form of Daniel Day-Lewis, who had been nominated for “In The Name of the Father” – another marvellous movie. Neeson gave a career-defining performance, but he faced competition that had done the same.

Other notable films on Neeson’s filmography – “Batman Begins”, “Darkman”, “The Dark Knight Rises”, “The Grey”, “The Lego Movie”, “Love Actually”, “Michael Collins”, and “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace”.

Ralph Fiennes

Fiennes has even resorted to magic to try and win an Academy Award.

Ralph Fiennes is another brilliant actor yet to be acknowledged by the Academy. He has received nominations in the past, one for his supporting role in “Schindler’s List”, and another for his lead role in “The English Patient”, but regrettably for him he failed to win either, losing out to Tommy Lee Jones (“The Fugitive”) and Geoffrey Rush (“Shine”) respectively.

Looking back, Fiennes was very unfortunate not to win the Oscar for his role in “Schindler’s List”, because his performance is incredibly dark and extremely memorable. He’s one of the many reasons why the film works so well, and he does a great job of seeming almost too evil to be human whilst remaining believable.

Other notable films on Fiennes’ filmography – “Coriolanus”, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, “The Harry Potter Series”, “The Hurt Locker”, “In Bruges”, “Red Dragon”, “Skyfall”, “Spectre”.

Samuel L. Jackson

One word… motherfucker!

This is getting a ridiculous now – how has Samuel L. Jackson not won an Academy Award? He may predominantly perform in a supporting capacity, but Jackson is one of the most recognisable and unique actors around today. If he’s in a film then you’ve probably heard of it, and if you see his name on a poster then you’ll probably watch it. His delivery, mannerisms, and general ability to take a role and make it his own, makes him one of the best actors in the world.

For me, he could’ve won the Oscar this year for his performance in “The Hateful Eight”, but the Academy didn’t even give him a nomination, and he definitely could’ve got a Best Supporting Actor nomination for “Pulp Fiction”. Sadly, Jackson probably won’t ever win an Academy Award, because his in-your-face style of acting just isn’t what the Oscars usually reward.

Still, that doesn’t make him any less of an actor.

Selected films on Jackson’s filmography – “The Avengers”, “Coach Carter”, “Django Unchained”, “Goodfellas”, “Iron Man”, “Jackie Brown”, “Kingsman: The Secret Service”, and “Unbreakable”.

Tom Cruise

Why does it always rain on me?

This pocket-sized action hero probably doesn’t pop into everyone’s head when they think of Oscar-worthy actors, but people forget that Cruise isn’t a one-trick pony. He might choose roles for pay-checks now, or perhaps for the adrenaline high that he is said to enjoy, but he has some outstanding performances to his name which demonstrate his credentials as a serious actor.

Cruise is part of an amazing ensemble cast in one of my favourite movies, “The Outsiders”, an outstanding film that you can’t really find in the UK anymore. If you’ve ever quoted ‘stay gold, ponyboy’, you’ve probably done so with “Step Brothers” in mind, but in reality that quote is taken from “The Outsiders”.

Stay gold, Ponyboy.

Early on in his career Cruise was also in movies like “Rain Man”, “Risky Business”, and “Top Gun”, all of which show off both his charisma and his acting ability. Cruise is brilliant in all of these films, and most importantly he carries them. He’s a great leading man, and he knows how to get the best out of himself no matter what the role is.

Other notable films on Cruise’s filmography – “Collateral”, “Edge of Tomorrow”, “Eyes Wide Shut”, “The Firm”, “Jerry Maguire”, “Magnolia”, “Mission: Impossible”, “Rock of Ages”, and “Tropic Thunder”.

The Oscars 2016 Round-Up

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The 88^th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood last night, and the results were… interesting. A selection of films took home the awards, with no one picture dominating, but whilst this might seem like a fair way of distributing pats-on-the-back, it isn’t so apt for giving out gold statuettes.

The biggest winner on the night numerically was “Mad Max: Fury Road”, but having collected six awards from a possible ten, it’s slightly confusing that it didn’t take Best Picture. If you read my predictions then you will know that I didn’t think it deserved to win the award, but it seems a little farcical to me that it can win in six categories which relate to technical achievement, yet lose Best Picture to “Spotlight” when that film only won one other award.

via independent.co.uk

“Spotlight” won the award for Best Original Screenplay in what was a pretty weak category, with the only worthy competition being “Straight Outta Compton”, but after that it was largely ignored; that is, until the big award reared its controversial head. After a quiet night for Tom McCarthy and his team, “Spotlight” was announced as the Best Picture, to the surprise of a worldwide audience. In the run-up to the ceremony nobody tipped it to make an impact, mainly because it doesn’t really scream ‘I am the best, pick me’. It’s a good film with many positive features, but nothing about it is particularly exceptional; from performances, to cinematography, to direction, it’s a pretty standard affair.

Nobody expected it to beat out the favourite, “The Revenant”, particularly after that film took home three big awards before Best Picture was announced (Best Leading Actor – yes DiCaprio finally did it – Best Directing, and Best Cinematography). The only other films in the discussion prior to the ceremony were “The Big Short”, and “Mad Max : Fury Road”, so the result really was a shock, especially given that those films took home 10 awards between them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that it beat “The Revenant” because I think that would’ve been an incredibly dull choice, but there were plenty of better films this year than “Spotlight”; “Straight Outta Compton”, “Room”, and “The Big Short” to name just three.

Alicia Vikander as Ava in “Ex Machina”.

Strange choices were a theme of the night, as “Ex Machina”, an isolated low-budget science-fiction film from the mind of Alex Garland (“28 Days Later”), took home the award for Best Visual Effects ahead of huge blockbusters like “The Martian”, “Mad Max: Fury Road”, and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”. This was another decision that had my mouth wide open, because whilst the effects in “Ex Machina” are admirable given its $20,000,000 budget, it isn’t exactly visually stunning. Alicia Vikander was mesmerising as a robot pretending to be human, and the set was pretty cool, but most of the time the effects were only effective (excuse the pun) because of how good Vikander was at playing the robot. Her movements and delivery are spot on, and ultimately it is her, not the effects, which make the film feel so other-worldly.

Vikander’s performances this year were rewarded by the Academy, as she won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in “The Danish Girl”, defeating her more experienced counterparts. I’ve already stated that I thought Vikander deserved a nomination for “Ex Machina” over her work in “The Danish Girl”, but I’m still pleased that she took home an award because she’s had a pretty great year, and she seems like she has a really bright future.

Brie Larson accepting her well-deserved award.

Finally, the award that I was most invested in was Best Actress In a Leading Role, because I loved “Room” and I was desperate for Brie Larson to win. To my great relief and joy, she did, and I can now go on with my life with a feeling of justice in my heart.

Other Award Winners

Best Original Score – “The Hateful Eight”

Best Original Song – “Writing’s on the Wall” by Sam Smith (“Spectre”)

Best Foreign Language Film – “Son of Saul”

Best Documentary – “Amy”

Best Animated Feature – “Inside Out”

Best Supporting Actor – Mark Rylance (“Bridge of Spies”)

Best Adapted Screenplay – “The Big Short”

Notable Snubs

“The Revenant” (Beaten by “Spotlight” for Best Picture)

“Mad Max: Fury Road” (Beaten by “Ex Machina” for Best Visual Effects)

Kate Winslet (Beaten by Alicia Vikander for Best Supporting Actress)

Films That Had More Than One Nomination But Failed To Win An Award

“The Martian” (7 nominations)

“Carol” (6 nominations)

“Star Wars : The Force Awakens” (5 nominations)

“Brooklyn” (3 nominations)

“Sicario” (2 nominations)

“Steve Jobs” (2 nominations)

The Oscars 2016 Predictions

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This year’s Oscars is a controversial affair. A lot of the talk surrounding the award ceremony has centred on a lack of diversity in both the films chosen and the voting panel, as films like “Creed”, “Concussion”, and “Straight Outta Compton” have been overlooked despite commercial and critical success. I’m not about to lose my temper over that issue or dwell on it too much, (although I do think that it’s slightly ridiculous that the Academy is predominantly made up of elderly white men), but at the same time I have to say that this is a very weak year.

Similarly to last year, I’m not going to waste time analysing every single category. I don’t have enough knowledge of things like editing or sound mixing to give an educated opinion, so to offer one would be both pointless and arrogant. Instead, I’m going to focus on the big awards that end up on the front of DVD boxes, and probably offer a cynical view or two.

Best Picture

Let’s kick things off with what I believe is one of the weakest categories at this year’s Academy Awards. Eight movies have been nominated for Best Picture this year, and in my opinion, only three of them deserve the recognition. “Room”, “The Big Short”, and “Spotlight” are all films that have a level of artistic quality worthy of the Oscars, whilst also being entertaining enough to interest mainstream audiences, which is why they deserve their place at the ceremony in my opinion.

My favourite of the three is “Room”, which I think is a wonderful movie, but I’d be happy if any of them won. The same can’t be said of the other five, although in the interest of fairness I should admit that I haven’t seen “Bridge of Spies” or “Brooklyn”.

From my perspective, “The Revenant” is ridiculously overrated, but the cinematography and the direction are top notch. Alejandro G. Iñárritu certainly knows what he’s doing, and the cast at his disposal is very impressive, so it isn’t exactly a surprise that “The Revenant” impressed what is a very predictable panel. I expect it to take home the award, but I have to say that I will be incredibly disappointed if it does.

I actually think that it would be a shame if “The Revenant” won Best Picture, because a lot of people will rate it on that basis and take for granted that it’s a great film, when in actual fact there’s a lot wrong with it. I haven’t met anyone who thought that it was exceptional, and in the group of people that I refer to when I say ‘anyone’ there’s a lot of variety. I’m talking about casual cinemagoers and extremely intelligent fans of film alike, so I really don’t like the fact that the Academy is speaking for what the rest of the world will believe is the majority by calling this film the best. It just isn’t; pure and simple.

“Mad Max: Fury Road” earns its spot for very similar reasons, because whilst I didn’t think it was an exceptional film, the cinematography, direction, and special effects were all pretty admirable. I do think that it’s a polarising film, with a lot of people loving it for its action and its quirkiness, and others just not getting it. I’m somewhere in between, because although I enjoyed how the movie was filmed, I really wasn’t that enamoured by the story. I thought that the positive aspects definitely could’ve been preserved whilst making the story a lot more exciting, but on the whole I did enjoy the experience, and I think it’s good that this kind of film can be nominated.

“The Martian” isn’t bad, but it didn’t deserve to be nominated, because we’ve seen this film ten times before but with more capable actors and a more interesting story. I suppose that the direction was good, as was the cinematography, but that’s about it. The fact that the Academy think that this movie deserves to be acknowledged after ignoring “Straight Outta Compton”, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, “Ex Machina”, “Macbeth”, “The Gift”, and “The Hateful Eight”, is an absolute disgrace. I don’t want to be overdramatic, but I honestly believe that there are filmmakers out there who deserve acknowledgement much more than the people involved in making this lacklustre movie.

With that out of the way, I’d like to take a moment to relax and imagine a world where the nominations for Best Picture are; “The Big Short”, “The Hateful Eight”, “Mad Max: Fury Road”, “Room”, “Spotlight”, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, “Straight Outta Compton”, and maybe “The Revenant”. A nice variety which celebrates quirky filmmakers like Tarantino, a wonderful franchise set in space, and the legacy of an influential rap group; whilst also enlightening the public about an earth-shattering Pulitzer prize winning journalistic investigation and America’s failing economy back in 2008/09. With “Mad Max” and “The Revenant” thrown in there too because the people behind the cameras did a good job, and everyone likes DiCaprio and Hardy. Peace in the world.

Nominees – The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Martian, The Revenant, Room, Spotlight.

What I Think Will Win – The Revenant.

What I Want To Win – Room.

Directing

For me, this is probably the fairest category at this year’s awards. If I have one gripe it would be that J. J. Abrams didn’t get a nomination, because although “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” wasn’t really expected to win any Oscars, he did an incredible job in making it accessible to a wider audience whilst still pleasing die-hard fans. He also managed to maintain continuity, and create several avenues for the sequel, so in my opinion he deserved recognition.

I think that last year’s winner, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, did another great job with “The Revenant”. That might sound crazy because I don’t really like the film, but the performances, cinematography, sound, etc., are all good, and the director oversees those aspects.

I also think that Lenny Abrahamson did an incredible job with “Room” – I absolutely loved that movie, and he did a wonderful job of getting the best out of child-actor Jacob Tremblay. In my opinion, it should be between those two.

Nominees – Adam McKay (The Big Short), Alejandro G. Iñárritu (The Revenant), George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road), Lenny Abrahamson (Room), Tom McCarthy (Spotlight).

Who I Think Will Win – Alejandro G. Iñárritu.

Who I Want To Win – Lenny Abrahamson.

Actor In A Leading Role

This, for me, is by far the most frustrating category. In my mind none of the nominees actually deserve their nominations, which is a crazy thing to be able to say.

Leonardo DiCaprio does better work than the competition, and I want him to win the award as much as the next person, but he doesn’t really do a lot. He crawls about a bit, wheezes, and whispers, but I’d back most actors to do what he did in “The Revenant”. He deserves to win an Oscar at some point, even if it ends up being the Lifetime Achievement award, because he is a great actor with a string of brilliant performances to his name, but I think it would be a real shame for him to win the award for what is one of his least memorable performances. It’s not that he’s bad in “The Revenant”, but he didn’t give the best performance of the year by a leading man.

Other actors nominated include Michael Fassbender and Matt Damon. Fassbender is an actor I really like, but in my opinion he’s been nominated for a performance that isn’t even his best this year! He’s fantastic in “Macbeth”, conveying an array of emotions and displaying an understanding of his character’s motivations, yet he’s been nominated for his performance in “Steve Jobs”; a film which most cinemagoers forgot immediately after leaving the theatre. I know that biopics are the voter’s favourite type of film, but surely they like Shakespeare too? I’d have thought that they would’ve nominated him for “Macbeth” on the basis of the trailer alone!

Damon is another actor who everybody knows can act, but it feels like he’s been nominated this year simply for turning up on set! Excuse my sarcasm, but he barely does anything in “The Martian”, and no one could ever convince me that he deserved a nomination. There are plenty of actors who I felt gave better performances than him this year, but because of his reputation and the fact that “The Martian” was directed by Ridley Scott, he got the nod!

Every lead actor in “Straight Outta Compton” had more to do and performed better than Damon did in “The Martian”, with O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Corey Hawkins really excelling as Ice Cube and Dr. Dre respectively. This is one of the big issues I have with the Academy and the aforementioned diversity issue, because I struggle to believe that a group of elderly white men can truly appreciate a movie about a rap group fighting against the system – mostly because it is a system that they were a part of! It’s crazy that a movie that was as brilliant as “Straight Outta Compton” was overlooked in so many categories, when it seems as though the panel was scraping the bottom of a very dull barrel.

I also feel that Jacob Tremblay should’ve been nominated, and that he should’ve won, because his performance is utterly outstanding considering his age and the issues that “Room” tackles. It’s very rare that a child-actor performs to an acceptable standard, so for Tremblay to be as likeable and considered as he is in “Room” is a revelation that should’ve been celebrated, rather than ignored.

So, it’s fair to say that I’m not a fan of the Academy’s nominations in this category, but if I had to choose the best of a bad bunch then I’d probably pick DiCaprio; although the cynical side of me has a suspicion that the category was made intentionally weak so that he could finally win… but don’t be quoting me if you have a conspiracy theory!

Nominees – Bryan Cranston (Trumbo), Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl), Matt Damon (The Martian), Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant).

Who I Think Will Win – Leonardo DiCaprio.

Who I Want To Win – Leonardo DiCaprio.

Actress In A Leading Role

I’ve already admitted that I haven’t seen “Brooklyn”, the film for which Saoirse Ronan has been nominated, and I’m going to be honest here… I haven’t seen “Carol”. Neither “Carol” nor “Brooklyn” really appealed to me, and I actually thought that “Brooklyn” looked pretty terrible, so I’m not off to a good start in my predictions for this one.

I respect Cate Blanchett as an actress, and I think Saoirse Ronan is pretty good as well, so I believe people when they tell me that their performances are Oscar-worthy, but I still don’t feel inclined to find out for myself. At some point in the future I’ll probably make my own decision on whether or not they deserved to be nominated, (probably when “Carol” and “Brooklyn” appear on Sky Anytime and I have nothing else to watch), but for now I can’t make a case for either one of them.

A woman I can make a case for is Brie Larson, and because I’m a complete fanboy for “Room” I probably should. In my opinion, Larson is fantastic in “Room”. She’s incredibly believable as a damaged woman struggling to cope with freedom after living in captivity for seven years, and her charisma with co-star Jacob Tremblay is really sweet. She doesn’t put a foot wrong at any point in the movie, and she expresses herself in a beautifully sincere yet anguished way. She’s just brilliant, and I’m desperate for her to win!

Sadly, wishes rarely come true, and if I am honest with myself I don’t think she’ll take the award home. Not enough of a fuss has been made of “Room” as a movie, and I think the same can be said for the actors involved; a trend which I think will continue at this year’s Oscars ceremony.

Nevertheless, I’ll accept any winner other than Jennifer Lawrence, because “Joy” is an awful movie and there’s nothing special about her performance. She’s fine because she is a talented actress, but her performance isn’t good enough to save the film from mediocrity – how she has been nominated really is beyond belief.

Nominees – Brie Larson (Room), Cate Blanchett (Carol), Charlotte Rampling (45 Years), Jennifer Lawrence (Joy), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn).

Who I Think Will Win – Cate Blanchett.

Who I Want To Win – Brie Larson.

Actor In A Supporting Role

I have no massive issues with any of the nominations in this category, (other than Tom Hardy’s because he’s completely forgettable in “The Revenant”), but at the same time I don’t think that any of the actors involved gave an outstanding performance. When I think of an actor winning in this category, I think of someone who stole their film and gave a performance that was better than the leading man’s, but none of the actors nominated for this award achieved in that way.

Christian Bale is good-ish in “The Big Short”, but he isn’t really on screen very often, and the same can be said of Mark Ruffalo in “Spotlight”. Both actors are very capable and they rarely let a film down, but this year their performances weren’t exceptional in any way. They simply turned up and did what they do, but I don’t feel that they went above and beyond expectations.

I can’t really pick a winner from the category – it’s anyone’s game – but I hope that Sylvester Stallone gets the nod; he’s had a great career and he made some of my favourite childhood movies, so it would be nice to see him being acknowledged as a genuinely good actor. I think that the Academy might operate with a similar logic and give him the award, because they’re all at an age where they probably enjoyed “Rocky” and “Rambo”, and none of the other actors in the category really deserve it any more than him.

Nominees – Christian Bale (The Big Short), Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight), Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), Sylvester Stallone (Creed), Tom Hardy (The Revenant).

Who I Think Will Win – Sylvester Stallone.

Who I Want To Win – Sylvester Stallone.

Actress In A Supporting Role

Marion Cotillard should’ve won this award; it’s as simple as that. I count her as a supporting actress in “Macbeth” because that film is inherently about its titular character, and also because Lady Macbeth isn’t on screen very often, but I accept that whether or not she plays a supporting role is questionable. Nonetheless, when she does appear she’s absolutely awesome, giving one of the most haunting and captivating performances of the year. She’s an actress that the Academy really likes, so I am genuinely surprised that she didn’t get a nomination this year, but they didn’t get it right in any other category so I suppose they weren’t going to get it right in this one.

Having said that, I do rate every actress on this list pretty highly, and I’ll be fine with whoever wins the award. Rooney Mara is pretty great in everything I’ve ever seen her in; “Side Effects”, “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”, and even “Her”, despite the fact that she’s only on screen for a few minutes. But, as I’ve said, I haven’t seen “Carol” yet, so I can’t make a case for her.

I thought that Rachel McAdams was pretty decent in “Spotlight”, and I do have a soft spot for her, so I’d be more than happy for her to win, but she doesn’t do any more than the other actresses who have been nominated.

I’m also a fan of Alicia Vikander, although it is early days in her career, and I thought that she was fantastic in “Ex Machina”. She was scarily believable as a robot pretending to be human, which can’t have been easy to pull off, so I think she could win an Oscar in the future. However, “The Danish Girl” wasn’t a film for me, and I don’t think that she deserves to win this award ahead of the other nominees.

Of all the actresses nominated in this category I would personally like Jennifer Jason Leigh to win, simply because she elevated “The Hateful Eight” to another level, which I don’t think the rest of these actresses did for their respective films. Of all the great actors in that film she gave the most memorable performance, which is saying a lot, and she really made the most of the brilliant dialogue that she was given.

Still, I think that Kate Winslet will win the award for Best Supporting Actress… because she’s Kate Winslet. In my opinion the Academy plays favourites, and Winslet is the biggest name on the list.

Nominees – Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), Rooney Mara (Carol). 

Who I Think Will Win – Kate Winslet.

Who I Want To Win – Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Best Animated Feature Film

Last, but not least, is the award for Best Animated Film. I have to confess that I’m a lot less invested in this category than I was last year, because in my opinion the films aren’t of the same calibre. I absolutely loved “Big Hero 6”, and I thought it was more than worthy of its Oscar win in 2015, but when I look at the 2016 nominees I just don’t see a movie at that level of quality.

“Anomalisa” is a film that may make me eat my words, because I really want to see it, but sadly it hasn’t been released in the UK yet, (it gets its release on March 11^th), so I don’t know whether or not it deserves to win the award. Charlie Kaufman (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) is at the helm, which makes me think that it probably does, but it would be unfair of me to make that statement when I haven’t even seen the movie yet!

From a personal perspective, I would love to see the “Shaun the Sheep Movie” win an Oscar, because the novelty of that would be hilarious and actually quite heart-warming. In reality I don’t think that it will happen, but I’ve got my fingers crossed anyway.

In my opinion, “Inside Out” is the odds-on favourite to take home this award. I wouldn’t be completely happy with that outcome myself, because I don’t think that it’s as original as people make out, but it’s still a fun idea that’s pretty well executed.

Nominees – Anomalisa, Boy & the World, Inside Out, Shaun the Sheep Movie, When Marnie Was There.

What I Think Will Win – Inside Out.

Who I Want To Win – Shaun the Sheep Movie.

My Favourite Films of 2015

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2015 was a great year for film; at least it was if you live in the UK. In the US and various other regions more than one of the movies on this list would be classified as a 2014 film, which would definitely lower the standard. However, as far as I’m concerned a film belongs to 2015 if it was released during that year in my country, so “John Wick”, “Birdman”, etc., are fair game.

I’m sure that plenty of people will disagree with this list and its order, which is fine, but unless you’ve spent many hours developing your opinions and are willing to tell me why I’m wrong with pages of A4, please accept that our tastes differ. I just didn’t love movies like “Ex Machina”, “Spectre”, “The Martian”, or “Sicario”, so they won’t appear on this list.

Also, it goes without saying, but I haven’t seen every film that was released over the course of the past year. If I’ve left something off the list that you think was worthy of a place then it might just be that I didn’t see it, either because there were problems in my life that got in the way, or because I simply didn’t want to; “Crimson Peak”, “The Walk”, “Inside Out”, and “Bridge of Spies” are prime examples of films that I wanted to see and might’ve really enjoyed, but just couldn’t find the time for. I’m doing this list now because it feels appropriate and because by this time next year nobody will care what happened in 2015, but it should be clear that if I’d have waited till then the list would be different; “Calvary” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” would definitely be on my 2014 list had I wrote it today rather than at the end of that year, which goes to show that things can change.

10. Macbeth

“Macbeth” is a bit of an outlier on this list, which is perhaps why I enjoyed it as much as I did. In a movie landscape populated by grandiose blockbusters, sequels, prequels, and superhero flicks, this film was a refreshing change. “Macbeth” sets itself apart by telling an age old tale written by Shakespeare himself in a beautiful modern way, and it does this whilst still preserving the heart of the original work. It’s a wonderful merging of careful cinematography, terrific acting, and perfect casting, which allows both fans of classic literature and mainstream audiences to appreciate the brilliance of a story which most are already familiar with. “Macbeth” could easily appear right at the top of this list because of how flawlessly it was executed and how relevant its themes still are today, but personally I connected with other films that little bit more in 2015.

https://benjaminwhittaker.wordpress.com/2015/10/09/macbeth/

9. John Wick

From “MacBeth” to “John Wick”… maybe I’m losing it in my old age. It speaks volumes of the weird and wonderful world of cinema that those two films can be so different yet so good, and that one person can enjoy both of them regardless of how dissimilar they are.

“John Wick” doesn’t contain the complexity or duplicity that “MacBeth’s” story can boast, nor does it have a single performance as good as Michael Fassbender’s or Marion Cotillard’s as Macbeth and Lady MacBeth respectively. However, what it does have is gun-fu, ridiculous action sequences which are wonderfully choreographed, and a revenge tale that every animal lover can get behind.

When assessing “John Wick” it’s easy to get lost in whether or not what it’s doing is as worthy of praise as other films on this list, after all, it isn’t telling a Shakespearean story of tragedy and the trappings of the human condition. But, in my opinion, what matters is how well the filmmakers pull off their intentions, rather than whether or not those intentions are in some way more worthwhile or ‘better’. “John Wick” is an action movie in the mould of some of our most treasured films; “Die Hard”, “Commando”, and even “Terminator” are beloved because they tell the story of one person triumphing against all the odds, and that’s what we see here. It’s just a film that is utterly enjoyable to watch, and that’s why it deserves a place on my list.

https://benjaminwhittaker.wordpress.com/2015/04/15/john-wick/

8. The Gift

“The Gift” was a real surprise for me this year; after seeing the trailer I wasn’t excited at all to see it, but my brother persuaded me that it was worth watching so I gave it the benefit of the doubt – I’m glad that I did. What impressed me the most about “The Gift” was how smart and considered it was; the story was formulated in such a way that as a viewer I was never quite sure what exactly was going on, which in turn led to various different theories flying around in my mind. At the start I got the feeling that Gordo (played by Joel Edgerton) really was a weirdo, as the trailer suggested, but as the film went on that feeling was challenged multiple times – the intrigue that this created, along with Simon’s (Jason Bateman) strange behaviour towards him, made for an incredibly immersive and interesting experience.

None of this would matter if the movie’s ending didn’t provide a satisfying pay-off, but thankfully it really does. You can take it in whichever way you like, and you can come to your own conclusions about the truth, but no matter what you will feel both disturbed and strangely gratified when the end credits roll. “The Gift” is a slow burn, but it’s constantly entertaining and engaging, with three terrific lead performances and layered characters.

https://benjaminwhittaker.wordpress.com/2015/08/15/the-gift/

7. The Theory of Everything

When I saw “The Theory of Everything” I really liked it; I thought it was a brilliantly executed movie and that the performances were outstanding. Stephen Hawking’s life story is such a wonderful example of how one person can overcome incredibly difficult circumstances and succeed in the face of adversity, which is conveyed perfectly through the power of Eddie Redmayne’s performance.

However, the reason why I liked it as much as I did originally was that it moved me emotionally given the place that I was at in my life – I’m not in that place anymore, so it doesn’t hit me in the same way. I still appreciate “The Theory of Everything” for its execution and the beauty of the story that it tells, and obviously I value the reaction that I had to it initially, but I feel a lot less enthused by it now. It’s great and has a solid place on this list, but the reason that it isn’t higher is that I’m not the person who saw the film back in January anymore, so the way I feel about it is importantly different.

https://benjaminwhittaker.wordpress.com/2015/02/13/the-theory-of-everything/

6. Big Hero 6

“Big Hero 6” was my favourite animated film of 2015. Baymax (voiced by Scott Adsit) is such a memorable and loveable character, and the art style behind the whole film is really striking. There’s a lot to like about “Big Hero 6”, from the setting to the story, and it’s a film which both adults and children can enjoy. Great characters, excellent animation, and a well-told story make it a fantastic film worthy of the Oscar that it won in February.

https://benjaminwhittaker.wordpress.com/2015/03/21/big-hero-6/

5. Whiplash

Music has the power to influence people and make them feel a certain way, and so does “Whiplash”. I’m not a musician, I’m not a fan of jazz, and I definitely can’t play the drums, yet this movie made me feel like those three things were the most important things in the world. I left the theatre after seeing “Whiplash” feeling upbeat, excited, and triumphant, and I walked back to the bus stop with a skip in my step. I loved the way that Andrew (Miles Teller) placed success above everything else in his life, and how his ambition drove him towards self-destruction. I loved how Terence (J. K. Simmons) unashamedly tried to get the best out of his students and how he put this ahead of their emotional and even physical well-being. I just enjoyed everything about the movie, and personally I liked both of the leading characters for their ruthlessness and their drive.

I’ll admit that my feelings towards “Whiplash” are probably a bit over the top, because it isn’t the most grand movie in terms of spectacle, and it isn’t particularly surprising in how it tells its story, but there’s just something great about it. If I see the DVD when I’m out shopping it makes me smile, and when I think back to seeing it at the cinema I remember just how much I enjoyed it. I loved it, I connected with it, and it was utterly memorable.

https://benjaminwhittaker.wordpress.com/2015/03/08/whiplash/

4. Birdman

“Birdman” is flawless in basically every way. If this list was designed to state the ‘best’ films of 2015 then I suppose it would have to be at the top for its technical achievements. Nevertheless, I don’t think that writing a list like that would actually be a fair reflection of my opinions, or be useful in any way. I have no authority to decide which films should be seen as the best; I don’t know what the best film of the past year was outright because, at the end of the day, I haven’t seen everything! It isn’t up to me to decide what makes a movie objectively better than hundreds of others, so that isn’t the purpose of my writing this list.

Even if “Birdman” is the best film of 2015, I can say with confidence that it isn’t my favourite. I liked it a lot and I found it very enjoyable to watch, which is why it’s so high on this list, but I loved the three movies I’ve placed above it substantially more. The social commentary that “Birdman” presents is at times hilarious, and when you couple that with fantastic performances from Edward Norton and Michael Keaton it’s hard not to admire the film, but I didn’t have as good a time watching it as I did my top three.

https://benjaminwhittaker.wordpress.com/2015/02/06/birdman/

3. Star Wars : The Force Awakens

The last film I saw in 2015 also happens to be one of my favourites. As a starting point I should say that I’m not actually a massive “Star Wars” fan, so my feelings towards this film aren’t the result of bias. I like the series, I appreciate its influence on pop culture, but for me there’s nothing about “Star Wars” that makes me feel the sense of wonder that I do when I think about something like “The Lord of the Rings”. However, I loved “The Force Awakens”, and I thought it had a sense of fun that’s rare to find in modern cinema.

The way that J. J. Abrams managed to tell a new story whilst keeping a sense of familiarity was admirable to say the least, and on top of that the characters that we’re going to see again moving forward such as BB-8, Rey (Daisy Ridley), Finn (John Boyega), and Poe (Oscar Isaac) were all instantly memorable and likeable. Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) was also suitably detestable as the villain of the piece, and I’m looking forward to seeing his evolution as a character in the next film.

The only thing that perhaps lets “The Force Awakens” down is the fact that for me it was slightly too influenced by Disney, in that at certain points the action felt cartoonish and characters didn’t seem as though they could possibly be in genuine danger. Still, that’s not really something new for “Star Wars”, and it’s not as if the stakes weren’t raised at important junctures. All in all, I thought this movie was an excellent way to keep existing fans happy whilst also bringing a new generation of movie-goers to the party, which is exactly what the doctor ordered.

2. Straight Outta Compton

“Straight Outta Compton” is as visceral and pulsating as the music that inspired it. The film begins with the members of N.W.A struggling to deal with life in Compton, mixed up in violence and dealing with police brutality, and this informs the events which follow. Starting in this way allows the audience to empathise with the characters and understand their actions, and it made every word that the group uttered whilst on stage feel that bit more meaningful; when the group performed ‘Fuck Tha Police’ I could understand the reason why it was written in the first place, and this gave me as an audience member an emotional connection to the song’s lyrics.

One of the major issues with “Straight Outta Compton” is that it leaves out certain significant moments in its character’s lives, such as Dr. Dre’s altercation with Dee Barnes, but for me this wasn’t really a problem. History is told by winners, and at the end of the day this film was funded by Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and a few others. It isn’t their priority to show themselves in a damaging light; they’re businessmen and they want to promote both themselves and their music, past and present. The best way to do that is with a movie which glorifies their lives. I personally don’t have an issue with that because “Straight Outta Compton” is just a movie; it’s designed to entertain and to explore a certain narrative, it isn’t a documentary.

With that said, I think this is most definitely one of the most entertaining movies of 2015, and I also think that the performances from the entire cast were excellent. There’s very little to dislike, and despite the fact that it’s quite excessive in length, I didn’t want it to end.

https://benjaminwhittaker.wordpress.com/2015/08/30/straight-outta-compton/

1. It Follows

“It Follows” isn’t perfect, I want to make that clear. The story and even its basic premise can be scrutinised given enough thought; the creature which plagues the protagonists is meant to walk towards them relentlessly, and it seems as though that’s all it can do, or else it would just kill its targets as quickly as possible. However, at many points in the film the creature demonstrates that it can actually do a variety of things – it appears on a roof, it crawls, and it shows that it’s physically strong. Still, there’s a reason that the creature spends most of its time ‘following’ the heroes of the piece, and it’s this reason, along with the sheer brilliance of the idea behind the film and a wonderful score, which makes “It Follows” my favourite movie of 2015.

I know that a lot of people take issue with this film because they want answers – they want to know what the creature is, what its motivations are, and how Jay (Maika Monroe) could possibly defeat it. I get that. Nonetheless, bringing up that very issue is in itself missing what is so bloody awesome about this movie! There are no answers in “It Follows”, not for the audience and not for the characters. They’re constantly being chased by something that they will never understand, something which is completely unknown to them. They’ll try to avoid it, and at various junctures they’ll succeed, but ultimately it will catch up and they will lose. That’s life, and that in my eyes is exactly what this film is really about (well, that and sexual vulnerability, but we aren’t in film class and I don’t plan on writing an essay here).

No one can cheat death, and it is always there behind us, no matter what we do. The creature in this movie is much the same; it lurks in the background as our protagonists try to live their lives, and no matter where they go or what they do it will always be there. It won’t do anything spectacular to catch them, at least not on a regular basis, but when they slip up it will appear. That’s why this movie is so goddamn scary, and it’s why I couldn’t stop thinking about it after seeing it at the cinema.

“It Follows” really has stuck with me, and I think it always will; it’s probably my favourite horror movie of all time, which is saying something because I really do love a good horror film. Not only that, but I play the game that Jay and Hugh (Jake Weary) play at the beginning of the movie in my head all the time; I survey a crowd and think which person I would like to be, and then the thought of the horrible creature pops into my head and I feel nervous. I even look around when I’m walking around town and think what it would be like if there really was someone following me, glassy eyed, creeping ever closer. I’m not looking around in fear, nor do I actually expect to see someone there doing anything creepy, it’s just that because of how much this film affected me I feel the need to look.

I just love “It Follows”, and I’d defend it to the death despite its inconsistencies. Last year when I wrote my list of favourite films I knew that in my mind “Gone Girl” had to be at the top, and I was comfortable with making a case for it, but I didn’t feel passionate about it. With this movie I really do, and although I know that there are people who live in the same house as me that think that it’s utter crap, it doesn’t change my opinion. If you haven’t seen it then I would recommend that you give it a chance, but make sure to leave the light on and lock your door afterwards!

https://benjaminwhittaker.wordpress.com/2015/04/10/it-follows/

Game of Thrones: Season Five, Episode 3 – “The High Sparrow”

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Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Aquaman, Arya Stark, Braavos, Cersei Lannister, Daario Naharis, Daenerys Targaryen, Dean-Charles Chapman, Dominic Carter, Dragons, Emilia Clarke, Evil, Faceless Men, Fantasy, Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, Gethin Anthony, Gwendoline Christie, Heroes, Iwan Rheon, James Cosmo, Janos Slynt, Jason Momoa, Joer Mormont, John Wick, Jon Snow, Jonathan Pryce, Justice League, Khal Drogo, King's Landing, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Littlefinger, Maisie Williams, Margaery Tyrell, Meereen, Michael McElhatton, Michiel Huisman, Natalie Dormer, Ned Stark, Peter Dinklage, Ramsay Bolton, Religion, Renly Baratheon, Roose Bolton, Sansa Stark, Sean Bean, Sophie Turner, Stannis Baratheon, Star Wars, Stephen Dillane, Television, The High Sparrow, The Hunger Games, The Night's Watch, The Wall, Theon Greyjoy, Tommen Baratheon, TV, Tyrion Lannister, Unsullied, Villains, Volantis

After criticising the first two episodes of this season, I’m glad to say that “Game of Thrones” has found its feet again. This episode, entitled “The High Sparrow”, was a huge step in the right direction for season five, as more time was spent with the key characters (other than Daenerys (Emilia Clarke)) so that we were able to connect with them emotionally and get a better grasp of where they are right now (psychologically speaking). As we’ve flittered around Westeros over the last couple of episodes I’ve found myself disinterested in the events happening before my eyes, and much more interested in speculating on the future. In this episode I didn’t do that, because it was an hour of compelling television with twists and turns and important character-shaping decisions being made. It didn’t feel like it was setting anything else up (even though each episode of “Game of Thrones” invariably is) and it was thoroughly entertaining.

The first thing to address regarding episode three is that Daenerys isn’t involved at all. She’s spoken about in Volantis, giving us all a bit of an insight into how much her influence is shaping the world around her, but she’s never actually on screen. It’s sad to say it, but I think that this episode was all the better for it. A lot of people love Daenerys as a character, and it’s easy to see why; she started the series as a girl being passed off to a horse lord as a wife – a child being used as a pawn in another’s ugly game. Now she’s a powerful woman with an army of Unsullied, a former kingsguard, and three dragons as her protection. Her arc has been one of the best on the show and she’s one of very few ‘heroes’ in the “Game of Thrones” universe.

However, right now her story has stagnated, partly because she’s simply learning lessons necessary to be a good queen, and also because she has the insufferable Daario Naharis (Michiel Huisman) at her side, making her seem much less self-sufficient and weak. I feel like Daario’s presence in the series is a bit of a betrayal for fans like me who loved Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), and if I’m honest I detest the character. The actor doesn’t really fit in for me, I don’t like his delivery and I don’t buy him in the role. I hope that the character evolves and hopefully has a villainous part to play, because if all there is to him is a piece of eye-candy for Daenerys then I could see myself hoping that the dragons leave Meereen in flames, Daenerys and all.

Without Daenerys weighing the episode down with melodrama things felt a lot more solid, a lot more slick, and I enjoyed it so much more than last week’s episode as a result. Each of the other key characters had more time to be developed, and because of this they all had memorable moments in the episode.

via themarysue.com

Cersei (Lena Headey) and Margaery (Natalie Dormer) faced off over Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman), with the two finally beginning to understand one another. For a while now I’ve been wondering what to make of Margaery myself – she’s a gold-digger, it has to be said, because this is her third marriage to a would-be king and she hasn’t mourned for either of the men she’s lost – but I still felt like there was something nice about her. However, in this episode Margaery’s attitude actually made me feel sorry for Cersei, which is really hard to do, and I finally feel that I have a grasp on who Margaery really is. She’s just as manipulative as any of the players at King’s Landing, even though she wields different weapons than most of the villains on the show, and she has positioned herself as the most powerful woman in the land without even a hint of an objection.

The way that she called Cersei ‘mother’, the way that she told her, implicitly, about making love to her child, the way that she basically tried to get Tommen to cast his mother aside – she’s just another monster in a world of evil. She’s not a woman to be messed with, and I can’t wait to see what she gets up to next.

Because of this interaction and the way that Cersei feels about her status as Queen Mother, she wants to stack the deck in her favour, which leads her to meet a man known as the High Sparrow (Jonathan Pryce). He’s a religious man, and when we first meet him he’s helping the poor, giving them food and even his own shoes. The conversation between the two was amicable and made a nice change from the dialogue we’re used to on the show, as it felt like the religious language used belonged in a Catholic Church just as much as it did in Westeros. However, even as the two talked in this friendly way you couldn’t help but feel uneasy, knowing full well that this man has a larger role to play in the story moving forward, and wondering what both Cersei and the High Sparrow were truly thinking as each word slivered out of the other’s mouth.

via watchersonthewall.com

Outside of King’s Landing, Arya (Maisie Williams) was having religious troubles of her own, as she tried to understand the nature of the Faceless Men and their Many-Faced God. Arya is such a wonderful and likeable character, so seeing her struggle to give up her old life, even crying over trying to become ‘No One’, was pretty heart-breaking (even if she was only crying over a sword and some rags). She’s still a child and her past clearly has a lot of meaning to where she is now and who she will become, so giving that up would be extremely difficult. I can’t see her giving up her old life for too long, and I think that it would only take the glimpse of an enemy in Braavos to trigger Arya’s return, but I’m excited to see what she does in the meantime.

In the North, Sansa (Sophie Turner) finally got to go back to being who she really is, being called by her real name, but it came at a price. It was probably my favourite moment of the episode when it was revealed that she would marry Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) because he’s so evil and she wants revenge, so there’s so much potential for mayhem there. It’s a big change from the books, but it’s a change that actually makes other plots a bit more coherent, even if it doesn’t make complete sense on its own.

Ultimately, I’m not sure that Sansa marrying Ramsay is believable, because part of Roose (Michael McElhatton) must be wondering whether or not she will turn on him, given the fact that he murdered her brother and allied himself with the Lannisters. It also seems slightly odd that Sansa agreed, because although Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) has power over her, she shouldn’t really trust him enough to take this risk, and before now I thought that she was just going along because she had nowhere else to go, but now I’m thinking that she might actually believe in him, which isn’t entirely plausible. It’s genuinely great that she’s playing the game, and she’s really committing to it, but her character change has been so drastic and swift that it can at times seem a little bit too much.

via svt.se

Of course, this plot does mean that I was possibly wrong about Brienne’s (Gwendoline Christie) fate in the last review, but I’m not completely shocked by that. I knew that this could come about when writing the episode two review, but I didn’t want to put it on the table as a possibility because it would’ve been a bit of a spoiler and I’m trying to keep those to a minimum as far as future episodes are concerned. I’m now very worried for what could happen to Sansa, but here’s hoping that whatever Ramsay does to her she gives back to him ten-fold, and maybe we’ll see Theon (Alfie Allen) finally man up, so that together they can flay the whole Bolton army! Wouldn’t that be lovely?

Brienne could still fall prey to Ramsay and his unorthodox methods of psychological and physical torture, because she’s hot on the heels of Sansa, but I hope that that plot takes a slightly different direction. Anything could happen with her so I hope that the writers do something creative if they aren’t going to go with the books. Also, it was nice to get a bit more character development for her in the form of her story about Renly (Gethin Anthony), because we don’t know all that much about her other than the fact that she’s one of the good guys and can play with swords quite well.

It would be unfair to mention good guys in “Game of Thrones” without mentioning the most heroic character on the show, Jon Snow (Kit Harington). Jon is fast becoming my favourite character as Tyrion’s (Peter Dinklage) screen time lessens week by week, and in this episode he won my heart all over again. The way that he took charge of the situation with Janos Slynt (Dominic Carter), following his father’s teaching and carrying out the sentence himself, showed that he has what it takes to rule. He’s not a boy with a big responsibility, he’s a man with power and he’s going to use all the lessons he’s learnt from Ned (Sean Bean), Mance (Ciaran Hinds), and Joer Mormont (James Cosmo) to do the best he can for the Night’s Watch.

via wetpaint.com

Jon’s situation this week echoed last week’s execution in Meereen, but the difference was that Jon got an approving nod from Stannis (Stephen Dillane) for his efforts, whereas Daenerys got a barrage of hisses and abuse. The difference as far as I’m concerned is that Jon was doing what he had to do; there was no other genuine alternative because Janos admitted that he was afraid (which has no place at The Wall) and he also questioned Jon’s authority, putting his leadership into disrepute. Any kind of hesitation from Jon would’ve been met with disgrace and shown him to be weak, so by making the sentence and personally carrying it out he demonstrated both control and authority, hopefully winning over his foes at The Wall. Daenerys, on the other hand, did something reckless when it wasn’t pleasing anyone, misunderstanding her role at Meereen and believing that the people would accept her decision simply because it was what seemed right by an arbitrary standard.

Episode three of “Game of Thrones” season five was a massive improvement over the first two lacklustre additions to the series. It felt like it had been carefully put together and the characters didn’t feel like they were fighting for screen time. Each plot point was given time to play out and the actors were allowed to convey the emotions they felt to the audience without the screen suddenly changing and revealing the next obligatory character appearance. “Game of Thrones” is a much better show when we actually get to see how the characters react to the world around them, such as the way in which we got to see Arya mourn her old life as she stared down at Needle. It’s in these scenes that the show shines, because what would the unexpected murders and betrayals be if they weren’t coming from, and happening to, well-established characters? A lot happened in “The High Sparrow”, but it wasn’t happening too fast, which in the end makes the difference between a forgettable hour of television, and an hour to savour in the days before the next episode.

8.5/10

Game of Thrones: Season Five Premiere – “The Wars to Come”

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There’s a lot to come in this season of “Game of Thrones”, as Arya (Maisie Williams), Jon Snow (Kit Harington), Sansa (Sophie Turner), Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), Tyrion (Peter Dinklage), Cersei (Lena Headey), Margaery (Natalie Dormer), Stannis (Stephen Dillane), Brienne (Gwendoline Christie), Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) and more fight for both their lives and screen time, in what is sure to be one of the most eventful seasons so far. There are so many characters to get through each week and an abundance of stories to tell, so while this season opener didn’t quite manage to get around to everyone, it did a good job of setting the foundations for what is to come and getting me back into the political landscape of Westeros.

The first episode of this much anticipated season begins with a treat for book readers, as a young Cersei Lannister (played by Nell Williams) visits Maggy the Frog (Jodhi May) and is told a prophecy of what is to come in her life. We know that a lot of what she’s told is true, so it’s intriguing to hear what else the witch will tell Cersei of her future. Sadly, nothing additional is revealed, and I was left slightly disappointed by the opening scene. I’m not sure if perhaps more of the prophecy will be revealed later on in the season, but if it isn’t then I think that the showrunners might as well have stuck to their guns and avoided flashbacks altogether.

via moarpowah.com

The dynamic between Jaime and Cersei was set straight away; Cersei let Jaime know exactly how she felt about his role in Tywin’s (Charles Dance) death as they stood over his corpse, and it wasn’t rainbows and sunshine. Whether or not their relationship will continue is up in the air right now, but the seeds have been sown regarding Jaime’s role in what is to come. If you’ve seen the trailer then you will know that he’s headed for Dorne, and that the people there aren’t all that keen on Lannisters, so it should be interesting to see how he handles himself with one hand in a land full of enemies. It seems like he’ll be going there to retrieve Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free), or at least to protect her in some capacity, and you would assume that in doing so he’ll hope to win back Cersei’s affection, but of course that’s just one possible motive in a world full of characters with ten or twelve for every drink they pour.

Tyrion and Daenerys are given sparse amounts of screen time in this first episode, practically being relegated to side characters, which is always frustrating. However, when they are on screen the show lights up and things become really interesting. Daenerys has it all to do in Meereen, and it’s abundantly clear that she’s not going to have it all her own way in season five. Not only are Rhaegal and Viserion very unhappy with their current living arrangements, but she’s also in a full-on relationship with Daario (Michiel Huisman) which can only end badly for him (although the highs are probably worth the lows). She also has the slight issue of a band of masked men killing her Unsullied soldiers, so all in all she’s in a bit of a pickle, and it doesn’t seem like she’ll be getting out of it any time soon.

via farfarawaysite.com

Tyrion is having a rather more mundane time in Pentos, as he attempts to drink himself into an early grave. However, Varys (Conleth Hill) comes to the rescue with a plot to see an individual with honour and the right family name sit on the Iron Throne. Drumroll please… it’s Daenerys! I don’t think that anyone whose seen a trailer or a poster will be very surprised by this revelation, but the fact that the journey for Tyrion is clear right from the start of the season is very exciting, because the quicker the journey begins the sooner it will end. So it seems like we might actually see the two most noble characters on this show meeting up by the end of season five. Whether or not their relationship will soar like a dragon or be dismissed like an imperfect lion cub is yet to be seen, but here’s hoping that they are in the same room by episode ten.

Probably the most eventful scenes took place at The Wall, as Stannis asked Jon to convey a request to Mance Rayder (Ciaran Hinds) – bend the knee and serve the one true king, or be burned alive by Melisandre (Carice van Houten). The subsequent back and forth between Jon and Mance was brilliant and made you really feel for Mance as both a man and a leader, which is great writing when you consider that in episode nine of season four he was leading an assault which killed a lot of likeable characters.

Sadly things don’t end all that well for Mance, but the story at The Wall is getting better with each episode, and I’m genuinely excited for what is to come. Where things go from here for Jon is very unclear, but I was pleased that while Ramsay (Iwan Rheon) didn’t get any screen time, the Boltons were mentioned as being in control of Winterfell, and it was revealed that Stannis intends to deal with them. Things can only get better for Jon’s story from here, with an impending battle with the Boltons happening on one side, and a White Walker invasion looming as a possibility on the other.

via hbo.com

Finally, I should mention a moment which lacked any real impact for me, and also a couple of things which I would’ve liked to have been introduced in the premiere. The first of these issues, the moment which lacked impact, involved Sansa and Littlefinger (Aidan Gillen) as the two left a young and feeble Robin (Lino Facioli) in order to venture to a place where even Cersei Lannister couldn’t find them. I am keen to see where that place is and who Sansa will be when they get there, but I found this scene slightly disappointing after waiting so long. I understand that the pieces are being put in place and this episode is basically a set-up for what is to come (so in that sense this scene works) but I wanted to see a bit more, because we knew they were going to be travelling somewhere before the season started, so we’ve effectively learnt nothing from that scene.

I felt that Dorne should’ve been introduced at some point in the episode, because I don’t count the sexposition that occurred whilst Loras (Finn Jones) was talking to his lover as a real introduction to that setting. The show has a very limited amount of time to get us invested in completely new characters, so I would’ve liked to have got a look at them straight away in the premiere. It seems like they could be being saved for when Jaime goes to Dorne, but even so, if their role in this story is really that important then I think it should be at the top of the list for things to include in the first episode of the season. The fact that Dorne wasn’t introduced in the first episode leads me to question whether or not they are really all that important in the grand scheme of things.

via racheltsoumbakos.files.wordpress.com

Another gripe that I had with the episode was that Arya wasn’t involved at all. I know that she’ll get her time and that there’s so much to get stuck into that sometimes we have to accept the sacrifices (at least Bran (Isaac Hempstead-Wright) has been sacrificed, I don’t hear anyone complaining about that), but when you end a season with a particular character setting sail for somewhere new, I think that that somewhere should be front and centre when the next season begins.

Nevertheless, this was a good season opener for a great show. I am ecstatic that “Game of Thrones” is back and that I can spend the next ten weeks talking about what is going to come next, and this episode does nothing to quell that excitement. Jon Snow’s story carried on where it left off, becoming more interesting and rejuvenating my love for the character, and Danaerys’ situation looks like it will be very intriguing in the coming weeks. We’ve already seen dragons which is a good sign, and there’s been a significant death, so the scene is set for another busy season with a lot of pieces shifting as the game carries on being played.

7.5/10