Christian Bale may not be my favourite actor, but I do highly respect his work ethic and how he’s balanced blockbusters with more indie fare. Last year, he had two films – the brilliant American Hustle, where he transformed himself and got a well-deserved Best Actor nomination, and the disappointingly bland Out of the Furnace,…
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The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
When it comes to imagination and brilliant style, Wes Anderson is well-regarded as the best. His films have always been quirky, idiosyncratic and wonderful. He has topped himself this time with the magnificent Grand Budapest Hotel, which is a combination of Anderson’s unique cinematic style, and combined the wonderful European films of the 1930s…
The Best Films of 2013
I finally think I’ve seen enough 2013 films to compile the list of the best films of the year. Unlike last year, however, I will be listing in preferential order, disregarding the scores I assigned the films. But they should sort-of match up anyway The Ten Best Films of 2013 Before Midnight The Wolf of Wall…
Thoughts On…The 86th Academy Awards Acting Winners
The picture above shows the four ecstatic acting winners from Sunday’s Academy Awards. The Class of 2013 was an interesting one, and one we haven’t seen for a while. We have a rock star and method actor winning for his performance as a transgender woman, an unknown Kenyan actress who rose to the top,…
Final Predictions for the 86th Academy Awards
With only a few hours left to go, here are my final predictions for tonight’s Academy Awards…eek. Click on the headings of each category to see my in-depth predictions Best Picture Will Win: 12 Years a Slave Can Win: Gravity Dark Horse: American Hustle Best Director Will Win: Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity) Can Win: Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) Dark…
The State of the Oscars: Best Picture (The Winners)
The Big One now, folks. Best Picture is very tricky for anyone to decide, because unlike other categories, it is a combination of various factors that contribute to choosing a winner. This isn’t just like choosing the best performance or the film with the best writing or the film that is filmed most magnificently. It is…
Harold and Maude (1971)
Yes, this film does sound horribly gross – a young man romancing an elderly lady? In theory, that is a disgusting idea. However, Harold and Maude is essentially a film about friendship and finding someone you enjoy spending time with, regardless of the age difference. Ruth Gordon once again gives a magnificent performance…
The State of the Oscars: Best Director (The Winners)
Best Director has been sketchy as of late – after Kathryn Bigelow’s history-making win in 2010, it has been pretty much downhill for winners of this award. Tom Hooper won a tragically undeserving Oscar for The King’s Speech (likely swept up in the last minute love of the film). Michel Hazanavicius directed a wonderful film…
The State of the Oscars: Best Supporting Actor (The Winners)
This category is very near locked, but we could definitely see an upset, and there is always the chance that any of the nominees could receive a surge of support. THE NOMINEES: Barkhad Abdi as Abduwali Muse in Captain Phillips Bradley Cooper as Richie DiMasso in American Hustle Michael Fassbender as Edwin Epps in 12 Years a Slave Jonah Hill as Donnie…
An Appreciation of…Harold Ramis (1944 – 2014)
One of the most consistently genius but tragically underrated players in comedy has sadly died at the age of 69. Harold Ramis is the man behind Groundhog Day, one of the most iconic and beloved comedies of all time, and one that revolutionised what comedy can go and to which limits it can go, and which…
The Postmodern Pelican 