PHANTOM THREAD - Movie Review

Title: Phantom Thread
Running Time: 131 min
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Writer: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Daniel Day Lewis, Vicky Krieps, Lesley Manville, Brian Gleeson

Review:

Paul Thomas Anderson has been an acclaimed director for over twenty years now. Daniel Day Lewis can call three Academy Awards, three SAG Awards, two Golden Globes and a knighthood his own. After these two artists had already collaborated on "There Will Be Blood", they now teamed up for a second time. And if that wasn't intriguing enough, Daniel Day Lewis announced that he would end his acting career after this final film.
I wish he had chosen another project, because to me, "Phantom Thread" is a very frustrating movie. Let's get the positives out of the way first: The cinematography is gorgeous. This movie's shots look like part of photo exhibition at an art gallery. Then there is the sound mixing and the editing that really make sure this quiet films comes alive. Daniel Day Lewis' and Vicky Krieps' acting is on point as well, and it seems that making these characters feel real is a task they master effortlessly. Also, since this is a film about a fashion designer, the costumes are also beautiful to look at.
But then there is the plot of the movie. This story is one of a self-entitled rich old white man whose talents let him to believe his needs are more important than everyone else's. I guess he is supposed to be interesting and suave, but I found his arrogance and lack of empathy less charming than infuriating. Throw in the uncomfortably apparent Oedipus complex and you've got yourself an incredibly unrelatable character. Even the hints of post-war trauma can't help to redeem this entirely unsympathetic man.
The other half of the couple is a woman that doesn't stop admiring him despite his constant disrespect for her. The fact that she talks back to him a couple of times doesn't make up for her constant need of his approval. Their conversations are so very often immature and the more the movie progresses the more toxic their communication becomes. In addition, the film leaves out some important information about them and so it is hard to understand where exactly their affection comes from.
How this movie holds 91% at Rotten Tomatoes and an Oscar nomination for Best Picture is beyond me. This is not a complex love story, this is the romanticization of highly dysfunctional behavior - the relationship dynamics of "50 Shades of Grey" repackaged for a pseudo-sophisticated upper middle class. If you look up "pretentious" in a dictionary, you might just find the plot summary of this movie in there.

For Fans Of:
Elle (2016)
mother! (2017) - if you sympathized with Javier Bardem in that film
The Tree of Life (2011)
Carol (2015)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI - Movie Review

Title: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Running Time: 115 min
Director: Martin McDonagh
Writer: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Caleb Landry Jones, Lucas Hedges, Abbie Cornish, Peter Dinklage

Review:

Martin McDonagh is a genius. Like man film makers he started his career with a short film. But unlike most of his colleagues he immediately got critical recognition for it and won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. He followed this with the now cult classic "In Bruges" as well as the movie everyone tells me they still really want to see, "Seven Psychopaths". All of these works were able to gain critical success despite being full of cussing and violence. Does the next entry in his filmography follow that trend?
Most certainly. "Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri" is a darkly comedic yet thought-provoking movie full of intriguing characters, witty dialogue and fantastic performances. In that way, it is very much a McDonagh film. It might however be his most accessible work, because the message and themes of this movie are much more straightforward than usual.
In "Seven Psychopaths" Christopher Walken's character quoted Gandhi by saying "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." and it seems as if McDonagh set out to construct his latest film in honor of that statement. This movie is about seething anger, the urge for revenge and about how hatred only generates more hatred. The small-town setting is perfect for this story, as it naturally connects the characters and gives each of them an individual history with someone else. The driving force in this film is the character of Mildred Hayes, a grieving mother haunted by the unsolved murder of her teenage daughter. When she puts up the titular billboards in hopes of provoking the police in such a way that they re-open the cold case of her daughter, she sets the ball rolling. From that point on, McDonagh lets the events escalate continuously. His characters don't care for etiquette and when they clash you can be sure to hear some abusive language and aggressive behavior. And the film feels more real because of it. Somehow, people that curse just seem a little more honest. Additionally, the film gains genuinenes by taking its time to insert a few more quiet and sincere moments in between all the turmoil to give the characters as well as the audience room to breath and absorb everything that's been going on.
This great writing becomes even better through the actors. This is a fantastic cast and everyone is on the top of their game. Fraces McDormand gives such a furious and yet vulnerable performance that you are invested in her fate for every second of this film. Also Sam Rockwell manages to bring out the humanity in a seemingly unredeemable character and Woody Harrelson shines as the unlikely moral anchor of the film.
"Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri" is a cleverly written, perfectly acted movie that with all its obscenities, has a kindhearted message at ist core - an absolutely fantastic time. Catch it in theaters as long as you still can!

For Fans Of:
In Bruges (2008)
Seven Psychopaths (2012)
Fargo (1996)
Adam's Apples [orig.: Adams Æbler] (2005)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Pulp Fiction (1994)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

ACADEMY AWARDS 2017 - Oscar Review

 Hello there puny humans,

oh boy, what a night. Even people who didn't watch the show on Sunday have heard at least of its flub ending. It was an outrageous finale to a show that so far had actually been going incredibly well. So in a similar fashion as last year, let me re-cap these 89th Academy Awards for you with all its Ups and Downs:

The Good

The Musical Performances

Musical performances at the Oscars are a time-honored tradition. Every year at least the Nominees for Best Original Song will take the stage. In the past this has sometimes gotten out of hand. With the host opening with a musical number, five Nominees performing and additional musical tributes to past films, it could get a little exhausting. This year however the producers chose and placed the music very well. First of all, they opened with Justin Timberlake's Can't Stop The Feeling, checking off one of the Nominees at the very beginning. Not only was it a nice way of saying "We are going to have fun tonight", but it also saved the mainstream pop number from unfavorably standing out compared to its more profound competitors. Then, since La La Land was nominated with two songs, they were able to combine these two Nominees into a smooth medley. Lastly, it was great to see how the sixteen year old Auli'i Cravalho got hit by a flag during her performance of How Far I'll Go, but just kept going like true pro. Hats off, to this young lady.

Oscars Not So White Anymore

Last year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences came under fire when it turned out that no person of color had been nominated in any of the 24 categories. The hashtag #OscarsSoWhite became trending and the ceremony was only rescued by black comedian Chris Rock handling the issue incredibly well. The Academy certainly learned their lesson: An Iranian movie was named Best Foreign Film, two of the four acting awards were handed to African-Americans (including Mahershala Ali as the first Muslim actor to win the gold) and the (real) Best Picture Winner was Barry Jenkins' Moonlight. Especially the latter win was an important one. Not only did it show that small independent films can come out on top of big studio productions. But it also honored a movie that tells the highly relevant story of a young black man, who struggles with his homosexuality while growing up in a rough neighborhood. In these times, this was a necessary victory for minorities.

Jimmy Kimmel: The Greatest Host in Years

When I heard that Jimmy Kimmel had been chosen to host, I wasn't sure if he'd be up to the task. I had always liked the guy, but felt that he was "too TV" for Hollywood's biggest night. Something that I thought was a problem Ellen DeGeneres had in 2014. Kimmel however ended up proving me very wrong. His jokes were well balanced and a perfect mix of everything. He had punchlines about people that hit hard, but never went below the belt. He addressed racism, sexism and Hollywood's pretentiousness. He got political without ever getting too serious, and even had a few very sincere lines during his opening monologue. Also his fake feud with Matt Damon is a joke that never gets old, and he utilized it perfectly for this ceremony. Then, when the big Best Picture blunder came along at the end of the night, he kept his cool and charismatically controlled the damage. And even though he made a quip about probably not being asked back, I really hope we will see him in that Dolby Theater again!

The Bad

Academy Award Winner Suicide Squad

Yes, it is true. One of the biggest clusterf**ks when it comes to summer blockbusters is now an Oscar winning film. Granted, it is "only" an award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling, but Suicide Squad was an allegory of everything that is wrong with the movie industry today and thereby so bad that it should have gotten a universal ban from prestigious award shows. To make matters worse, this means the DC Extended Universe got an Oscar before the Marvel Cinematic Universe did. These two massive franchises might be Hollywood's biggest rivals at the moment. But while Marvel has been going extremely strong for nine years (with fourteen films and five tv-shows), the DCEU has not yet managed to produce a single film that is generally thought of as a good movie. Seeing them take home the gold before the MCU does, hurts more than listening to the poorly-written lines of Rick Flag.

Unrecognized Amazing Movies

With the exception of the afore mentioned film, you couldn't really complain about Sunday night's winners. Actually the accolades were spread out quite well across the nominees. But there were two movies that stole my heart this award season that left empty handed. One of them was My Life as a Zucchini (orig.: Ma vie de courgette), a Swiss and French stop motion film that was nominated for Best Animated Feature. Sure, I was more than fine to see Zootopia win (having had it on my Top Ten List of 2016), and it was clear that such a small film wouldn't stand a chance. But My Life as a Zucchini was a completely unexpected gem. Since it was heavily marketed as a kids movie, I would have never bothered to see it if I hadn't planned to watch as many nominated films as possible. In fact this is a film that kids can enjoy, but only adults can truly cherish. Its beauty lies in the fact that it deals with incredibly serious topics through the innocent viewpoint of children. Making it heart-breaking and heartwarming at the same time. The second film was Lion. The real-life story of a man who sets out to find his family that he has lost 25 years before, is incredibly uplifting. Among other things it deals with the issue of cultural identity crises, something I can definitely relate to. At its center it has two outstanding performances by Sunny Pawar and Dev Patel, both playing the main character as a boy and a young adult respectively. Being only eight-years old, Pawar was probably too young for the Academy, but Patel actually had a shot. Weirdly enough, he was nominated for a supporting role, even though he clearly played the lead, and even then lost out to Mahershala Ali. Ali was barely in his movie, and while his performance was fantastic, I thought Patel was still the stand-out in that category. Unfortunateley, Lion couldn't make up for it in any of the other five categories in which it was nominated. It is really too bad, because it was quite an impressive film.

The Ugly

The Best Picture Mix-Up

Of course, we need to talk about the big screw up that made this ceremony go down in Oscar history. Here is what happened: 

Moonlight and La La Land had been battling it out in the major categories the whole night. Moonlight scored statues for its supporting actor and its screenplay. La La Land missed out on those, but won Best Director and Best Actress in a Leading Role. Then the final and most important award of the night came up. Best Picture. In celebration of Bonnie and Clyde's fiftieth anniversary, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunawaye came on stage to present the award. Beatty opens the envelope and just stares at the card for a few seconds, then reaches into the empty envelope and takes a short look backstage. What turned out to be genuine confusion, was at this point interpreted as a failed attempt to build up the tension. You can even see Dunawaye growing impatient next to her co-presenter and so when he hands her the card to look at it, she makes short work of calling out the winner: La La Land. The crowd claps, the music plays and the whole cast and crew get on stage. The producers get their awards handed to them and start their acceptance speech. It isn't until the third speaker, Fred Berger, when things start getting strange. Men with headsets enter the stage and and a commotion arises. They are the producers of the show, and after Berger interrupts his acceptance speech to quickly ask the people behind him what is going on, he turns back around with the words: "We lost, by the way." Now nobody knows what the hell is going on. Another one of La La Land's producers, Jordan Horowitz, still holding his Oscar, goes up to the microphone and explains that there has been a mistake and that Moonlight was the real winner. To prove it he pulls out the correct card from the new envelope Beatty is holding now and shows it into the camera. When Jimmy Kimmel confirms the news, Horowitz says "I am going to be really proud to hand this to my friends from Moonlight." It is an awkward moment, but also a grandiose gesture. It would have been the first time for this man to receive Hollywood's highest honor, and it got taken away from him. He would have had all reason to be absolutely devastated and/or furious but instead showed true greatness by being the best loser in Oscar history. As the crew from Moonlight makes their way to the stage, Warren Beatty tries to explain himself. The card had said "Emma Stone, 'La La Land'" which had confused him. Faye Dunaway is long gone at this point and it stays unclear whether Beatty showed her the card to escape responsibility or if he actually wanted her opinion on what to do. Sure, Beatty could have handled the situation much better, for example if he had simply said that the card seemed not to be right, but I guess he was under pressure and the real question is, how the wrong card ended up in his hands in the first place. Those who took a closer look realized, that he was indeed holding an enveloped saying "Best Actress in a Leading Role". While the internet jokingly started blaming Leonardo DiCaprio, because he was the last person to be seen with that envelope after presenting the Best Actress Award, Emma Stone stated she had taken that card and kept it for the entire show. By now some light has been shed into the darkness, so here is how it happened: 

It turns out that there are always two envelopes for each category brought separately to the theater inside a briefcase. During the show, one briefcase is placed on each side of the stage so that the presenters can be handed the envelopes regardless of the side from which they enter. Responsible for these cases are two employees of the accountant firm PwC, Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz. It was their job to get the envelopes to the theater in time and hand them to the presenters during the show. Ruiz had handed the Best Actress envelope to DiCaprio, and so it was Cullinan who accidentally handed the same (and therefore wrong) envelope to Beatty. PwC has taken full responsibility and has stated that "once the error occurred, protocols for correcting it were not followed through quickly enough". Embarrassingly so, Cullinan tweeted a  backstage picture of Emma Stone just moments before the Best Picture Winner was to be announced (picture on the left). Whether this tweet was the distraction that led to him making the mistake is not clear, but it is worth noting that it has since been deleted. So I think we do have our scapegoat.

It is cringe-worthy to re-watch that moment, especially when you think of the poor producers of La La Land who, for two brief minutes, thought their dream had come true. The most unfortunate thing about this flub however was that it distracted from an otherwise extraordinarily good show that had a lot of awesome and most of all important moments. Once the turmoil has died down, I hope people will start talking about some of the exceptional acceptance speeches or simply about the fantastic movies that were honored that night. So go out and watch films like Moonlight, Manchester By The Sea, Lion and even My Life as a Zucchini. Till then, don't forget to like, share or leave a comment.

Sincerely,

Your Cinemartian

HELL OR HIGH WATER - Movie Review

Title: Hell or High Water
Running Time: 102 min
Director: David Mackenzie
Writer: Taylor Sheridan
Starring: Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Dale Dickey, Jeff Bridges, Gil Birmingham

Review: 

If you say you will do something come hell or high water, you mean you are determined to do it whatever difficulties might occur. Take this phrase as the title of a heist film, give it a dusty Texas setting and add a mumbling Jeff Bridges in the role of a ranger and you have yourself a promising neo-western crime drama. The script with the working title "Comancheria" landed on 2012 Blacklist (a list of the most promising, unfilmed screenplays) and four years later the finished product received a total of four Oscar-Nominations including its writer Taylor Sheridan.
"Hell or High Water" is the story of two men, Toby (played by Chris Pine) and Tanner Howard (played by Ben Foster), who are not only brothers by blood, but also brothers in arms when in comes to robbing banks. While Tanner has always been a troublemaker and even spent time in jail, Toby has so far lived an ordinary man's life. It is the death of their mother that puts Toby on the path of a criminal. As she was left broke and in debt due to a reverse mortgage of the Texas Midland Bank, the brothers seek revenge by robbing banks of that exact branch, planning to pay them back with their own money.
Whereas the premise of the film might not be the newest thing under the sun, the movie stands out through its characters, dialogue and specific atmosphere. For one, even though this movie takes place in modern times, you really get the old western vibes. There are deserted small towns, outlaws, cowboy hats, shoot-outs and even something resembling the old-school horse-ride-pursuit sequences. Its style sucks you right into the film. In addition, the characters are written in such a way that you understand and care about all of them, even when they are on opposing sides. Toby is a man who does wrong things for the right reasons. Tanner is quick-tempered (think Joe Pesci in "Goodfellas") and gets into trouble. But every now and then you can see that he loves his family very much, he just feels like his path is set and he can't escape it. Jeff Bridge's Hartigan has very hard shell, but you get more and more glimpses at the soft core underneath it as the movie progresses. His colleague Alberto (portrayed by Gil Birmingham) is an all around good guy, so much so, that he even expresses sympathy for the brothers they chase.
In fact, there is no bad guy in this film. At least not one of flesh and blood. The real villainous force in this film is the banks and a reprobate system that works at the expense of the common people. It is a phenomenon that strongly shapes the area the movie is set in, including all of its inhabitants, and the film really captures that very specific zeitgeist. As a result, the movie feels completely authentic and you can quickly empathize even with the smallest secondary characters.
The actors are all giving a hundred per cent across the board and especially Jeff Bridges gives a multi-layered performance that is simply excellent. Director David Mackenzie tops it all off with some marvelously composed shots, cleverly constructed sequences and a distinct dusty look. It is an atmospheric piece of cinema that finds a good balance between character exploration and action. Worth the ticket. Worth your time.

For Fans Of:
The Town (2010)
True Grit (2010)
Killing Them Softly (2014)
No Country For Old Men (2007)
The Place Beyond The Pines (2012)
Public Enemies (2009)
Money Monster (2016)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA - Movie Review

Title: Manchester by the Sea
Running Time: 137 min
Director: Kenneth Lonergan
Writer: Kenneth Lonergan
Starring: Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler

Review:
Matt Damon had big plans for "Manchester by the Sea". After pitching writer Kenneth Lonergan the idea for a script and immediately falling in love with its first draft, he decided he did not only want to produce, but also direct and star in this film. But Damon is a busy man and the production of "The Martian" and his fourth "Bourne" outing brought production of this movie to a halt. To make sure the film got made, he handed the director's chair to Lonergan, but said he would only give up the leading role for one actor: Casey Affleck. Well, Affleck took the role and Damon was left "just" producing the film. And as good of an actor as Matt Damon, it seems like it was the right decision.

"Manchester by the Sea" is an emotional drama that stands and falls with the leading man's performance, and Casey Affleck absolutely kills it in this role. The story revolves around a lonesome man, Lee, from Boston who unexpectedly becomes the guardian of his nephew when his brother dies of a heart disease. On top of all the struggle that usually comes with such a situation, the boy lives in Lee's old hometown, a place that he deliberately moved away from to escape his most painful memories.

Kenneth Lonergan's screenplay is beautiful, unpolished and real. Not one scene is romanticized or overly dramatized. People in real-life just don't go out and have outbursts all the time, and thus, a lot of moments in this film play out less pompous than you think. Sometimes they are somewhat awkward and at multiple points even unexpectedly funny. It is a script that doesn't cry for your attention, it earns it. Lonergan creates tension by having his characters share very little about their feelings through the dialogue, having their repressed emotions build up over time. Through a pointedly use of flashbacks he then withholds or reveals information in a way that maximizes their effectiveness.

This also means, of course, that the script calls for great actors that can display all those hidden emotions non-verbally, and Affleck is absolutely perfect for that. It just takes one look in his eyes to see all the pain that lies behind them. His portrayal of Lee is subtle, nuanced and yet endlessly expressive. The character is a hugely withdrawn person, but Affleck evokes so much empathy for him, that when he finally opens up, even just a little bit, it hits you. And it hits you hard. It is an absolutely masterful and heartbreaking performance. His Academy Award nomination is more then deserved, and so would be a win. All of the members of his supporting cast however are on the top of their game as well (Hedges and Williams also with Oscar nominations), and so when the characters interact, it feels like you are watching actual people.
"Manchester by the Sea" is an incredibly effective drama that is as genuine as it gets. Although it is a very sad film, it takes time to give you enough light moments in between so that the sadness you are left with is one that makes you appreciate the good things in your life. Come for Affleck's performance. Stay for the wonderful story. You will not regret it.

For Fans Of:
Locke (2013)
Wild (2014)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
Up In The Air (2009)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

LA LA LAND - Movie Review

Title: La La Land
Running Time: 128 min
Director: Damien Chazelle
Writer: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling,  Rosemarie Dewitt, John Legend, J.K. Simmons

Review: 

"And the Golden Globe goes to... La La Land.“ Yes, this film broke records by winning a total of 7 Golden Globes including awards for its actors, director and music. As a result, in countries where the film is still playing in theaters, the lines for this movie are huge. But what does this romantic musical have that makes it earn so much praise? Can you believe the critical hype?
Well, once you have watched „La La Land“, it becomes clear why the Hollywood Foreign Press Association celebrates it that much: The whole film is a love letter to Hollywood. It is also, so it seems, director Damien Chazelles' apology to all those who felt he misrepresented the spirit of Jazz in „Whiplash“. Our two protagonists are just two lonely souls trying to make it big in the City of Angels (or the City of Stars as Gosling sings of it). One as an actress, the other as a pianist. Both of them dwell on the past, admiring the classic stars of their craft and the glamour of it all.
For the third time, Gosling and Stone are pairing up to play an amorous couple, and their familiarity with each other becomes apparent on screen. They have great chemistry together and since their both playing very much within their wheelhouse (Emma Stone even gets to do a short lip sync performance as she did on the Tonight Show), they play their parts with such an ease that their characters and their relationship seem incredibly natural. On top of that, of course, they had to manage the singing, the dancing and in Gosling's case the piano playing. They pass on all three of those. Sure, there might be better singers than Stone and better dancers than Gosling, but its their comprehensive package that totally sells the film. And Ryan Gosling's skills on the ivories are impressive, especially when you consider he had to learn it from scratch for this film.
But our two actors are not the only players that do their job more than well. Damien Chazelle's direction is incredibly beautiful. Through a pointed use of long takes and conspicuous lighting, he manages to accentuate the musical performances in a way that they feel almost detached from the actual story line. Paradoxically, this makes the musical aspect of the film more believable as you don't have the impression that the characters randomly break out into a song, but rather that (like a dream sequence) the act is just an artistic representation of the characters' innermost thoughts and emotions. You will notice that he usually refrains from doing so, when the characters actually play music for others within the story. In addition, Chazelle also avails himself of the L.A. setting of the film. On every occasion, he stages his scenes around the city in a way that underlines their tone or visually expresses what the characters are going through. It's a treat for the eyes.
The story itself is not only a cute love-story but a tale of dreams, hopes and wishes and how we go about them as our life progresses. The afore mentioned magnificent work of the talents involved manages to save the film from becoming too cheesy, and just when you think you a schmaltzy Hollywood ending is coming up, the film turns it around and delivers a strong conclusion.
So does "La La Land" deserve the hype? Is it even worthy of a Best Picture Oscar? I can't say for sure. It doesn't have the relevance of a "12 Years a Slave", the philosophy of a "Birdman" or the big emotional punch of  a "Spotlight", but then again the conversation whether only heavy-hearted dramas are worthy of prestigious Awards is long overdue. What I can say however, is that this is not a chick-flick, but rather a carefully crafted, charmingly acted and delightfully told romantic musical that will enchant and entertain you for its entire run time. Is there more you could ask for?

For Fans Of:
The Artist (2011)
Singin' in the Rain (1952)
West Side Story (1961)
Crazy Stupid Love (2011)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

ACADEMY AWARDS 2016 - Oscar Review

Hello there puny humans,
the most glamorous night in Hollywood took place on sunday and of course I couldn't help but write-up my thoughts on the event. This year I got 16 of the 24 categories right, so I was quite happy, but of course the night wasn't without a few surprises. But let's begin:


What I liked

Alicia Vikander for the win:

Everyone who has watched the nominated performances must not have been surprised that this swedish enchantress took home the gold. But still, it was pleasant to actually see her receive the statue. My personal crush on her aside, she seems to be as talented as she is beautiful and has made an amazing Hollywood debut last year:

Next to her award-winning performance in The Danish Girl, she also starred in cult-director Guy Ritchie's fun spy flick The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and the fellow Oscar-winning picture Ex Machina. The fact that she could easily have been nominated for her performance in the latter film as well, shows that she is more than a one-hit-wonder, and hopefully this win will give her the opportunity to show even more of her acting prowess.

Awards for Room and Ex Machina:

The two films above showed, that less than a handful of characters interacting in a small space are enough to be just as compelling as big ensemble casts, pompous set pieces or scandalous "based on a true story" scripts. Eventhough both movies weren't able to turn their nominated screenplays into winners, each film managed to suceed in another category. Brie Larson was a revelation in Room and her performance was deservingly honored by an Oscar for "Best Actress in a Leading Role". While I am not a hundred per cent on board with Ex Machina's win (see further below), I am still happy that one of my favourite films of last year can now call itself an Academy Award-winner. In general it is great to see when indie movies get that kind of recognition. To me, they are as much part of what makes cinema great as major studio pictures. 

Nothing for The Martian:

This one sounds a little mean (and I guess a Sound Mixing Award would still have been okay), but when I read that The Martian had a total of 7 nominatons, I was scratching my head. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun with this film, but never had I had the feeling that it was as outstanding as the Academy seemed to believe it to be. I love Science-Fiction, as well as a good survival story, but The Martian was less captivating than many other films of that type this year. I've always felt it was overhyped, so now I feel that it is quite alright that the film has "only" the nominations to show off.

No awkward presenters:

Technically, this shouldn't be something you'd have to point out. In the past however there have been more than a few presenters that missed their mark, resulting in an unsettling silence from the audience's side. Some of them were even cringeworthy (especially when Mr Glom Gazingo was involved), and so it was nice to be spared from these moments. In fact, there was a lot of good stuff: Tina Fey and Steve Carell were pretty funny, just as Russel Crowe and Ryan Gosling (making me even more excited for their collaboration in The Nice Guys). Abraham Attah and Jacob Tremblay were super cute, and Louis CK's take on short documentary filmmakers as well as Andy Serkis' jab at Donald Trump were absolutely hilarious.

What I loved:

Chris Rock's opening monologue:

It must not have been easy to prepare the opening of the 88th Academy Awards. Especially as an afro-american host in a show that was criticized for only nominating white candidates. Musician/Actor Tyrese Gibson even asked Rock to step down from the gig, claiming there was "no joke he can crack" that will properly adress the problem. Chris Rock however proved him wrong by delivering one of the best and most relevant opening mologues of the past decade. Welcoming the audience to the "White People's Choice Awards" and immediately giving out a huge blow to the boycotting Jada Pinkett-Smith, he quickly came to the root of the problem: It's not the Oscars, it's Hollywood. His take on the issue hit the nail on its head, and not only did he find the perfect balance, but also managed to address other issues like women's rights as well. In my opinion, this dead on handling of the controversy was surprisingly powerful.

Mad Max is the big winner of the night:
This was great!  It felt like suddenly the world finally realized that an action movie can be as much a piece of art as a heavy drama. Mad Max: Fury Road is one of these rare films that could overwhelm the majority of critics and mainstream audiences alike. To me it was an extravagant spectacle that has yet to find its equal. That a specific genre film like this one is able to take a quater of all the awards given out that night is simply awesome. What a lovely day!

Leo finally did it:
Naturally, I have to adress the elephant in the room: Leonardo DiCaprio finally (!) won an Oscar. And it was about god damn time. There is no doubt that by now, he has established himself as one of the most talented actors of this century, but the 41 year-old actor has already been giving Oscar-worthy performances 23 years ago. His body of work is astonishing and he has collaborated with most of the big directors in Hollywood. Spielberg, Nolan, Scott, Tarantino, Luhrmann, Eastwood, Cameron, Inárritu and of course Martin Scorsese, who seems to have found a personal muse in DiCaprio. In his acceptance speech he even sweetly thanked the 73 year-old director for everything he taught him. But this cute moment wasn't what made his acceptance speech so great: Actually he used his time to smoothly spread awareness for the ongoing climate change. "Let us not take this planet for granted. I do not take tonight for granted." Leo, you are amazing. We adore watching you work, and we do not take YOU for granted! Thank you.

What I found odd:

Restricting the host's time ...again:

People who've been watching the Oscars for a few years now, might have realized big differences in the amount of comedic numbers by the host. In 2012 for example, Billy Crystal opened wit a long video montage, followed by a monologue, followed by a 8 minute musical performance. Each year since then however, the producers have been trying to shorten the event, but mostly taken away from the host's time. Quite frankly, I find this decision kind of dumb, because that should be the funniest part. You could already see it last year, when everyone said Neil Patrick Harris only had a few good moments, but if you recap the show one will realize that he had only a few moments in general. And if you look at the numbers, Billy Crystal's show was even the shortest of the past 5 years. In my opinion, appearances of politicians or the presented clips of the Best Picture Nominees could much rather be cut. Otherwise they could just hold the ceremony the way it was held in 1929... it lasted 15 minutes.

Visual Effects Award for Ex Machina:
As I said before, I loved this movie, but with special effects juggernauts Star Wars and Mad Max in the same category I just couldn't understand how Ex Machina's effects were supposed to be superior. The design of the artificial intelligence Ava was beautiful, but The Force Awakens was offering droids like BB-8, cool new lightsabers, spaceship battles and Star-destroying weapon-planets. Additionally, visual effects are not limited to computer effects (in fact using computer effects was considered "cheating" in 1982). George Miller used tons of practical effects and stuntwork. Everything you think could be real, was real. Including massive explosions, car backflips and people on giant sticks being lifted from a car onto a truck. The only thing CG was the massive sandstorm sequence, of which each frame could have been sold as a painting. When watching Ex Machina on the other hand, I felt that a few of the effects could even have been rendered a little better. Thus, I really have no idea what the Academy was thinking here...

Mark Rylance as the supposed Best Supporting actor:

When Patricia Arquette read the name "Mark ..." I was just about to start cheering, because I had really rooted for Mark Ruffalo. My excitement was especially great, because I was sure he would lose to Sylvester Stallone (I even bet against him). So when Arquette continued with "Rylance", I was pretty confused. Mark Rylance is a fantastic actor and his subtle performance in Bridge of Spies was perfect for the film. However, he did not show a lot of range in that film, and basically (because the character demanded it) stayed in one mood the entire time. Critics called Stallone's latest take on Rocky the best performance of his career, and Ruffalo poured his heart out with power in the finale of Spotlight. Even Christian Bale showed us a completely new side of him in the biographical comedy drama The Big Short.

What I hated:

Sam Smith winning for Writings On The Wall:
Okay, now this was just horrible. Sam Smith's composition was one of the most unfitting and dull Bond Songs we've ever had. In Interviews he had proudly stated that he wrote it in 20 minutes, and I thought it showed. The lyrics were shallow, the melody was cheesy and yet the ballad was missing a catchy part. Compared to Adele's intense but classy Skyfall, Smith's Writings On The Wall sounds like the practice session of an eight year-old choir boy. Lady Gaga's nominated Till It Happens To You, a captivating song about the consequences of sexual abuse, is as relevant as it is powerful and her touching live performance with a large number of actual rape victims earned a standing ovation that was more than deserved. It was the real winner! I have no idea how the Academy could hand out the statue to such an inferior piece of music.
But if that wasn't enough, Sam Smith put a rotten cherry on top of that melted pile of ice-cream by falsely claiming he was the first openly gay artist to win an Academy Award. It is more than great to dedicate your award to the LGTB comunity, but he recklessly overlooked seven openly gay Oscar winners that came before him, including Sir Elton John and John Gielgud who won 11 years before little Samy was even born. Such a lack of knowledge about the very community you dedicate your Award to is pretty embarassing, and retroactively blaming Ian McKellen for your misinformation is just sad.

Quick Side Notes and Thoughts:

Chivo is crazy good

This year was the third time in a row that Emmanuel Lubezki (aka. Chivo) took home the gold for Best Cinematography. The mexican cameraman (who's holding a total of six ASC Awards) is not only a master of the long-take, but also manages to get camera angles and perspectives that leave you in awe. Aside from his technical achievements, his distinctive ability to make you dive right into the film, adds so much to the movie going experience. Thus, you might want to look out for his name rather than the actors' or directors', to determine wether you would want to buy your ticket or not.

Rooney Mara as "supporting" actress

This year once again this weird thing happened where a leading actress was nominated as a supporting character. Apparently there is no rules to this in the Academy's nomination system, but to me it always feels like diminishing an actor's effort when he or she plays the major part of a film. And albeit not being the titular character, Rooney Mara definitely was the main character. I don't know if there really is a solution to this, or if a solution is even necessary, but it still startles me every time.

Domhnall Gleeson - remember the name

If you have managed to catch every movie nominated for a major award this year, a certain face might have popped up more than once. The young man you might have only recognized as Bill Weasley from the final Harry Potter installment is Domhnall Gleeson*. As it happens, all of the films the Irish actor starred in this year managed to be nominated for an Oscar. And he managed to show some range in them too: He was a determined Captain in The Revenant, a suave countryboy in Brooklyn, a flat out evil General in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and a relatable, everyday-guy-type computer-programmer in Ex Machina (see picture from left to right). All of these amazing films are completely different and their only common denominator is a top-notch performance by Gleeson. He seems to have a knack for great and interesting projects (did you know he had also been in the Oscar nominated Unbroken, Anna Karenina, True Grit and the cult-comicbook-film Dredd?), and so people should pay close attention to whatever he will pick next. This guy is going places.

The Best Picture paradox

This is merely an observation: Before the final award of the night was given out, Mad Max: Fury Road had already received six trophies, The Revenant three trophies and Spotlight only one. The name of this very category suggests that the winner should be a film, that suceeded in all aspects. However, Spotlight had lost most big categories (except Best Screenplay) to the two films mentioned above and was still named Best Picture. The same happened in 2014 when 12 Years a Slave won the prestigeous award over Gravity, a film that took home a total seven statues including Best Director that night. The Best Picture Winner Argo wasn't even nominated for Best Director in 2013. As a matter of fact, all of these three winners had only won Best Adapted Screenplay and maybe one other award before. It seems like the Academy likes to give the Best Picture Oscar to movies that have the most relevant or important content, but couldn't win big in the artistic or technical categories.

Ennio Morricone, the DiCaprio of Composers

Everyone was talking about Leo, but nobody paid attention to another life-long Oscar snub: The Italian composer Ennio Morricone has been working in the movie business for more than 50 years, wrote scores for some of the most iconic films ever made (including The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Untouchables and Inglorious Basterds), had been peviouly nominated five times and was named as a big influence by musicians from Muse over Metallica to Hans Zimmer. Eventhough he received an Honorary Academy Award for his life's work, he had still been missing out on the real deal until Sunday night. That no one even mentioned his name in the DiCaprio discussion just shows once again how much more actors are focused on, when it comes to the moviebusiness.

So these are my thought on the 88th Academy Awards. Comparably, it was actually a really good show (I'm still a big fan of McFarlane's hosting though) that despite the preceeding controversy, managed to adress the issue and still be fun. What are your thoughts on the night? What did you hate, love or find odd? Feel free to leave your comments below. And let's see what next years Oscar season will bring.

Sincerely,
Your Cinemartian

*fun fact: Domhnall is the son of actor Brendan Gleeson, who portrayed "Mad-Eye" Moody in the Harry Potter films.

STILL ALICE - Movie Review

Title: Still Alice
Running Time: 101 min
Directors: Richard Glatzer (†), Wash Westmoreland
Starring: Julianne Moore, Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth

Review:
Less than two weeks ago, the director of this movie, Richard Glatzer, passed away. With his final film the man who had been batteling the motor neuron disease ALS brought us the story of a woman struggling with yet another uncurable disease: Alzheimer's.
It is very clear to see that Glatzer was able to bring a lot of emotions and experience to this somewhat sensitive subject and so, the result is very impressive. "Still Alice" is an incredibly touching piece that treats its subject with a lot of subtlety and respect. The titular Alice is a woman in her early fifties. Being a professor in linguistics and having a very loving family on her side, her brain and her memories might be the most precious things to her. Thus, her shock is quite big when she finds out she suffers from early onset Alzheimer's disease. More and more difficulties arise as her cognitive functions degenerate and she has to face many problems like losing the ability to carry out her work or knowing that all of her three children could inherit the condition.
This kind of premise always has the risk of getting overdramatized, but what cast and crew have created here is anything but. Instead, the movie keeps you invested by creating very genuine characters through great writing and exceeding performances. The film, for example, uses a lot of time jumps, but keeps the viewer in the dark about how much time has actually passed. As a result, you have to find that out by yourself and so the impact feels much bigger when you suddenly see how far Alice's disease has progressed already. And then of course there is Julianne Moore, who plays the main character with such an honesty that you immediately feel empathetic. It's a quick smile, a glance of her eyes or just a cocked eyebrow that tells you everything you need to know about what's going on inside of her, and one can really appreciate this kind of subtlety. A well deserved Oscar.
So in the end, "Still Alice" is an amazing piece about the struggle with a disease such as Alzheimer's. A film that doesn't need to dramatize and even in the few scenes that it almost does, it gets grounded by the excellent Julianne Moore. A film that even Kristen Stewart didn't manage to ruin for me.

For Fans Of:
Away From Her (2006)
The Theory of Everything (2014)
Deux jours, une nuit (2014)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

OUTSIDE HOLLYWOOD EP.9 - 87th Academy Awards

 Hello there puny humans,
once again, my buddy from B.A.'s Screentest and I got together to record another podcast. This time (because we had to do it) we tackled The Oscars. Who won? Who deserved it? Who didn't? And how did Neil Patrick Harris do? Find out in part one:

In part two we're giving you some speed reviews for the nominated films this year, and because there never is a podcast without it we will also talk comicbook-movie news: Spidey in the MCU!

I hope you enjoy the first episode of 2015!

Sincerely,
Your Cinemartian

AMERICAN SNIPER - Movie Review

Title: American Sniper
Running Time: 132 min
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Max Charles, Kyle Gallner

Review:
When you say someone is the most successful in his job, but said "success" is measured in the number of people he killed, it is already a pretty divisive statement. If you make a movie about this person you are most definetly in for some controversy. Nevertheless, the Clint Eastwood directed Chris Kyle biography topped the US Box Office, and was nominated for a total of six Academy Awards. So does this mean the film isn't debatable after all?
No, it doesn't. "American Sniper" is a failed attempt at an anti-war movie that tells such a one-sided story, that with the right (or in this case wrong) interpretation it could easily be used as propaganda. Whatever good intentions Eastwood might have had with this film, he misses the mark over 90% of the time. And yet, the film starts with such a great opening (basically seen in full length in the first trailer) that seems to promise a multilayered and questioning look at a soldier's duties. But it is a deceiving first impression. What follows is an uncritical tale of a glorified soldier that flagrantly paints war black and white.
Not one shot an American soldier fires in this film is portrayed as unjustified, not a single Iraqi is shown to be a good person (or a normal person for that matter), a connection between the events of 9/11 and Iraq is implied, and when Chris Kyle says that he isn't haunted by the many people he killed but rather by the soldiers he couldn't save, there is nothing to challenge the moral of that statement.
There is a scene where he aims at a little boy who is about to pick up a bazooka. Many questions could be asked here, like: Would Kyle have to make a kill shot, or could a warning be enough? Or even more interestingly: What drives a young lad to even consider using this weapon? Instead of touching on these subjects however, the movie simplifies it for you. If the child doesn't pick it up it's good and is allowed to live, if it does pick it up though, he needs to die. According to the film this would be tragic, but also absolutely necessary. Even the few strong scenes (the phonecall from the bar, or a frightened Kyle at a child's birthday party) can't redeem the film from these kind of blunders.
A lot more could be said about this movie (did I mention it contains the fakest baby ever?), but in the end one has to only know this: "American Sniper" depicts the life of a soldier who went on record saying he 'loved' and had 'fun' killing people, without ever scrutinizing this man's ethics. A brilliantly acted, but poorly written film that wants to show how war destroys everyone even beyond the battlefield, only to end up saying that war simply ain't for sissies.
Seth Rogen's comparison between this movie and "Inglorious Basterds'" fictional nazi-propaganda "Nation's Pride" might be exaggerated, but quite comprehensible.

For Fans Of:
Lone Survivor (2013)
Shooter (2007)
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

SELMA - Movie Review

 Title: Selma
Running Time: 128 min
Director: Ava DuVernay
Starring: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Giovanni Ribisi, Oprah Winfrey, Common, Wendell Pierce, Keith Stanfield

Review:
"I have a dream...!" These are words you will not hear when watching this Martin Luther King film. Why? Well, not only does this movie take place just after the activist's famous speech, but writer/director Ava DuVernay had to rewrite all of King's original speeches as his estate licensed them to a different studio. But isn't the story of  his campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery engaging enough?
It certainly is! "Selma" is a biographical drama that works. And it works well. Following the new trend of only showing a specific point of a person's life, the movie still manages to show the different facets of the legend that is Martin Luther King Junior. An absouletly fantastic David Oyelowo portrays him in many different situations: There is the Martin Luther King that gives compelling speeches to his followers, the one that negotiates with the president, the one that discusses the next steps with other leaders of the movement, as well as the Martin Luther King at home with his wife, who is assailed by doubts.
As fascinating as Oyelowo's transformation into this pastor turned activits is, it is the story itself that makes for the big emotional impact. Until the very end, it shows that every step forward in this civil rights movement came at a cost, and that resistance came in many different forms.
Overall, "Selma" is an important piece that carefully displays what was going on in the United States at that time period. Touching, engaging, and educating, it's a film that should be shown in schools, and which everyone even only remotely interested in this topic should have a look at. Especially after the events of Ferguson.

 
For Fans Of:
12 Years a Slave (2013)
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013)
Malcom X (1992)
Gandhi (1982)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

And check out my friend's review over at B.A.'s Screentest for a second opinion!

INTO THE WOODS - Movie Review

Title: Into The Woods
Running Time: 125 min
Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Cordon, Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine, Lilla Crawford, Bill Magnussen, Daniel Huttlestone, Johnny Depp

Review: 
Director Rob Marshall stunned audiences and critics alike, when he released the 2002 musical comedy "Chicago". After a few more acclaimed films like "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Nine" he teamed up with Disney to make... "Pirates of the Carribean 4"?! Yes, it seems like musicals bring out the best in Marshall, while the Mouse House brings out more or less the worst. So what do we get when he directs a Disney produced film adaptation of Tony Award-winning a Broadway musical?
We get "Into the Woods": A pleasantly fresh and clever film, that only suffers from not being as cheeky as its source material would allow it to be. The movie mashes up well-known fairytales like Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella and Rapunzel with a new storyline including a baker and his wife, who collect items from all of the other tales to trade them with an evil witch, who may then reverse a curse she's put on them.

There are a few elements here that make this film exhilarating and quite fun to watch. For one, there are a lot of great comedic moments that come to being due to the casual way the movie adapts a lot of the darker under(and over-)tones of the original stories that are often left out in American film versions. Further, it turns a lot of the classical fairytale elements on their head, ruthlessly exposing how little sense they make (Cinderella is mainly on the receiving end here).

Then there is the music and the choreographies. Solos and duetts balance each other out very nicely and often verses or lines of the different performers overlap, which creates a great harmonies. Moreover, Marshall has created great set pieces without ever forgetting the films theater roots. Often you can see that he refrained from CGI and instead oriented himself after the play. Nonetheless, he still uses his ability of switching camera angles to support the choreographies, and point out certain actors reactions. Most notably in the song "Agony", which is one of the most hilarious moments in a movie musical since "Reefer Madness".
But not only the two singers of that song, Bill Magnussen and Chris Pine, are giving fantastic perfomances. The whole cast does. Meryl Streep and Anna Kendrick have already proven that they can sing and act at the same time, and now Blunt and Corden get to show off what their vocal chords have to offer. Johnny Depp who has fallen from grace in the last couple of years, gets to redeem himself a bit with his performance here. Special mention, however, has to go to Daniel Huttlestone, who brings back a lot of the charm he had in "Les Misérables", and to Lilla Crawford, whose portayal of little red riding hood is incredibly whitty. Both of these child actors manage to hold their own against the rest of this strong ensemble cast easily, and it would be nice to see more of them in the future.
The movie has only one problem: The first act of original musical concludes with the typical happy ending, and then, after the intermission, it lets everything go to hell. A keen concept, but the movie version spends about two thirds with the first act, and then rushes the second (and more clever) act after you thought the movie was already over. Unfortunately, that makes it feels more like a big afterthought, but if you are aware of this structure, it won't keep you from having a great time.

For Fans Of:
Mirror Mirror (2012)
Enchanted (2007)
The Muppets (2011)
Maleficent (2014)

And check out my friend's review over at B.A.'s Screentest for a second opinion.

WHIPLASH - Movie Review

 Title: Whiplash
Running Time: 107 min
Director: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Paul Reiser, Melissa Benoist

Review:
Just a week ago, the "Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences" honored the best of the best in the film industry once again. One of their little golden statues went to J.K. Simmons, who gave one of the sweetest acceptance speeches by saying that everyone should call their parents and tell them they love them. Ironically so, the reason he recieved the Oscar that night was his portrayal of what IMDB describes as "a ferocious, bullying music teacher" who pushes his students beyond their limits to realize their full potential, or so he claims.

In any case, the film "Whiplash" has realized its potential by all means. It is a supremely riveting and endlessly thrilling movie that will leave you in awe once the end-credits roll. For a start, there is Miles Teller. He plays Andrew, who is a rather quiet guy, but once he holds sticks in his hands the instrument becomes his way of expression. Impressively so, Teller did all of the drumming himself. He sweats, he screams and he bleeds on the drumset, and when his final performance starts it really feels as if he puts his whole life on the line. But the stakes wouldn't nearly seem as high if it wasn't for J.K. Simmons' cruel and spine-tingling Terence Fletcher, whom he plays to perfection. Everyone knows the kind of shame and tension that you feel when you are chewed out by a mad authority figure in front of everyone, and thus, you can completely comprehend what is going on in Andrews mind when his band teacher torments him. But Fletcher goes even beyond that, and so eventhough music is featured prominently (and performed awesomely) in this picture, it isn't a music film a là last year's "Begin Again" at all. Instead, it is a psychological thriller, that shows how far people go for artistry. Because our main character also has his reason's why he endures such suffering.

All the drama, the emotions and the tension in this film are beautifully directed by Damien Chazelle, whose various shots, angles, and edits are almost like a composion on their own. Every frame seems to serve a purpose, and most of the time it is to get you inside of Andrews head or amplify the already amazing chemistry between Simmons and Teller. 

To sum up, I can honestly say that "Whiplash" deserved all the Academy Awards it got and maybe even a few more (Best Adapted Screenplay, anyone?). It is a cinematic experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat at all times. You don't want to be missing this one!

For Fans Of:
Black Swan (2010)
Birdman (2014)
Grand Piano (2013)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

And check out my friend's review over at B.A.'s Screentest for a second opinion!

FOXCATCHER - Movie Review

 Title: Foxcatcher
Running Time: 129 min
Director: Bennett Miller
Starring: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller

Review:
It is three-for-three for director Bennett Miller, because since he has moved from documentaries to theatrical motion pictures all of his films managed to get multiple nomination at the Academy Awards. Actors seem to benefit from his talent as well: "Capote" earned the late Philip Seymour Hoffman an Oscar, "Moneyball" elevated Jonah Hill from stoner comedies to credible dramas, and now, funny chap Steve Carell gets to show off his serious acting chops with his Oscar-nominated portrayal of real life wrestling coach John du Pont. Next to him star Mark Ruffalo and Channing Tatum as Olympia winners Mark and David Schultz.
But "Foxcatcher" isn't a sports movie at all. It is rather a study of three men's psyche and their distinct relationships with one another. Miller creates an unsettling atmosphere here: With slow pace and an almost non-existent score, a lot of scenes are simply unpleasant to watch, but it feels like this is absolutely intended. There is a constant tension even during dialogue that on paper and taken out of context would seem perfectly normal.
And this is where the actors come in, all of whom probably give the best performances of their careers so far. Rufallo plays the most relatable of the characters with an immense amount of heart and genuineness, and Channing Tatum is incredibly convincing in portraying this rather dull man, whom you'll still care about because Tatum manages to portray a whole lot of emotions just through his eyes and gesture. Both of them have a few wrestling scenes together and it becomes clear that these two have trained quite a lot. Swift, precise, and yet requiring great physical strength, their movements are exactly what I would imagine professional wrestling should look like, and at no point does it look like they're using a double. All this isn't necessarily what gives the movie its big creep factor, but it is their natural performances that give Steve Carell the perfect chance to play his disturbingly dubious John du Pont off of. He is unrecognizable in this role and gives such a brilliantly haunting performance that you feel uncomfortable due to his mere presence. His expression, his posture and his voice transform completely as he creates a tension that only grows bigger as the film progresses. It is not until the climax of the movie that you can gasp of relief, and relief is probably not even the right word for it.
So in the end, "Foxcatcher" might be the greatest movie you will never want to watch again, simply because it creates an atmosphere that works a little too well. Still, if you are a fan of psychological dramas or cinema itself it really is worth watching. Just don't choose it for a "fun little DVD Night" with your friends.
 
For Fans Of:
Raging Bull (1980)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
Zodiac (2007)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!


And check out my friend's review over at B.A.'s Screentest for a second opinion!

15 OSCAR FACTS

 Hello there puny humans,
tonight Hollywood's biggest award show will be taking place. So before you grab your snacks and watch the rich and the famous receive even more praise and gold, I rounded up 15 facts about the Academy Awards you might not know about:

1. Back in the day of silent film, there was a category called Best Dance Direction.

2. Billy Crystal has hosted the Oscars nine times, beginning in 1990 and most recently in 2012.

3. The youngest category of them all is Best Animated Feature which was introduced in 2001, with Shrek as its first winner.

4. After audiences were hugely disappointed that The Dark Knight didn't get a Best Picture nomination in 2009, the number of possible films nominated for that category was increased from five to ten.

5. It Happened One Night (1934), One Flew over Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and Silence of the Lambs (1991) are the only films to win in all of the "Big Five" (Actor/Actress/Film/Director/Script).

6. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was nominated for eleven Oscars and won all of them, which makes it one of only three movies to receive that many Academy Awards.

7. No actor or actress has ever been nominated as often as Meryl Streep, with nineteen nominations of which she won three.

8. Walt Disney won a total of twenty-two Oscars, and is therefore the undisputed record holder.

9. The oldest winner of an acting award is Christopher Plummer, who received an Oscar at age 82 for his role in Beginners (2011).

10. Youngest winner of an acting award is was the ten year-old Tatum O'Neal in 1973.

11. Quvenzhané Wallis was the first person born in the 21st century to be nominated for an Academy Award.

12. Marlon Brando refused his award for Best Actor for The Godfather (1972) to protest against discrimination toward Native Americans by the U.S. and Hollywood.

13. For the 1941 Academy Awards, sisters Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland were both nominated for the Best Actress award. Fontaine won the Oscar. Jealousy between the two sisters continued to escalate after this and the two have been estranged for decades.

14. Nobody really knows where the name "Oscar" comes from.

15. The first Oscar ceremony, in 1929, lasted 15 minutes.


There you go, these are my 15 facts about the Academy Awards! So now, I just hope you'll have a lot of fun with tonights ceremony.

Your Cinemartian

BOYHOOD - Movie Review

 Title: Boyhood
Running Time: 165 min
Director: Richard Linklater
Starring: Ellar Coltrane, Ethan Hawke, Patricia Arquette, Lorelei Linklater, Marco Perella

Review:
Have you ever watched a film with a big time jump in a character's life and thought: "These actors totally do not look like they could be the same person!" Well, that will most definitely not happen here as "Boyhood" did the unimaginable and was actually shot over the course of twelve years, so that its actors could age in reality the same way they do in the script. This level of commitment (and risk) has been unprecendented by any production, and to put this in perspective: Ellar Coltrane was six years old when he was cast as the protagonist. By the end of shooting, he was eighteen. But does all this effort really enrich the film? Or is it just a nice little gimmick after all?
Well, the crew's patience definitely paid off, because "Boyhood" is an impressive piece of cinema. It really is overwhelming how much of a difference it makes when you see the cast actually age. The characters feel so incredibly real that the film does not need a clear story line or cohesive plot, because you imidiately care for the characters. Instead, the movie perfectly captures what childhood, parenthood and living in the 2000's is like, and as it progresses you will find shades of your siblings, cousins, friends, parents and of course yourself. Obviously, nostalgia adds a lot to it as well, because you will see a lot of songs, films, games and events brought back to life in front of your eyes once more.
Artisticly, Linklater handles the challenge of having to do multiple time jumps formidably well, as he gives the audience a chance to piece it together themselves. Never do we see an on-screen date displaying the current year, but rather hints like a small line of dialogue or a certain trend that you can connect to a particular time. Further, he had to change and develop the script as years passed, and to add genuineness to it, he tied real-life events of main actor Ellar Coltrane's life into the one of our main characters. At this point, credit also needs to go to the cast. Coltrane starts out as a fine child actor, but gets better with age, and the director's daughter Lorelei Linklater is alright as well, eventhough we don't see much of her when she's older. So especially in the beginning, it is to Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette to carry the emotional weight of the film. It's their interaction with the child actors that brings out the best in them and throughout the whole movie they do an absolutely fantastic job. Particularly Arquette has a lot of scenes with a great emotional power.
At some point, the movie drags on a little and it is in fact very long, but it manages to pick up a bit of speed again and once the end-credits roll it still feels kinda weird that the journey has now ended
All in all, "Boyhood" is the ultimate coming-of-age movie, that engages you completely as you watch this boys life unfold on screen. One of the most real and genuine movie experiences you'll get, and a film that you might not rewatch that often, but that you should have seen at least once. Especially, if you are a child of the "Harry Potter generation"!

For Fans Of:
Before Sunrise (1995)
Before Sunset (2004)
Before Midnight (2013)
Dead Poet's Society (1989)
Perks of Being a Wallflower (2011)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

And check out my friend's review over at B.A.'s Screentest for a second opinion!

BIRDMAN - Movie Review

Title: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Running Time: 119 min
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Starring: Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Zach Galifianakis, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan

Review:
For today's kids, the name Michael Keaton will probably not ring any bells. Yes, the actor who was the original Dark Knight to a whole generation including myself has slowly vanished from the spotlight after turning down a third Batman film twenty years ago. Thus, you can't overlook the self-irony in this film as he plays a faded Hollywood actor who had been famous for his superhero role and even explains at one point that he said no to a fourth installment twenty years ago.
Alejandro González Iñárritu's "Birdman" however is special in so many more ways besides its meta casting. The director has truely created a piece of art. And not that conceided pseudo-sophisticated kind of art, but rather a matchless mix of comedy and drama, complexity and simplicity, imagination and reality.
Firstly, there is the astonishing fact that the movie is filmed to look like it is one big continuous shot. Apart from being incredibly complicated (as the film still uses minor time jumps), this technique puts the viewer right there with the actors and you are immediately sucked into the world of the film. You follow the characters on their way from one room to another, and stripping the cast off the ability to cut between lines seems to have brought out the best in them. Everyone in this film is phenomenal, from a perfectly cast Edward Norton to an Award-worthy Emma Stone to a terrific Zach Galifianakis who is surprisingly credible in a serious role. But the man of the hour is, of course, Michael Keaton who has found the role of a lifetime. His performance makes every struggle and every emotion so truthful that it is simply breathtaking.
This leads me to the second big strength of the film: characters and dialogue. If someone asked what "Birdman" was about, you would only scratch the surface if you summed up its plot. Ultimately, it is about everything. Not because it tries to jam so much in there but because it feels so very real, and real-life doesn't have just one theme. Every character is completely fleshed out and in their conversations you'll find an endless number of topics. Family, love, art, the movie business, film criticism, our relevance in life, our legacy, fame and the different masks we wear everyday. The movie wears one on its own, as it might be an arthouse film, but still pays great tribute to big blockbusters. It gives us so many images to interpret, but at several occasion it says that interpretations simply don't matter.
It is this duality that makes "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)" absolutely perfect. A thought-provoking film, without ever hitting you over the head with a wise message. It stirred up something within me that I haven't been able to shake off. Extremely powerful and endlessly captivating: A masterpiece!

For Fans of:
Black Swan (2010)
Memento (2000)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

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WILD - Movie Review

Title: Wild
Running Time: 115 min
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Thomas Sadoski, Keene McRay, Kevin Rankin, Gaby Hoffman

Review:
Sometimes life writes the best stories. At least that appears to be the case with travelling or backpacking films. But what exactly fascinates us about movies that basically just consist of a person walking around? Well, it's most likely the motivation behind it, and as a result, these kinds of films can turn out to be very interesting character studies. Jean-Marc Vallée's "Wild" is an excellent example for that.
The movie tells the true story of Cheryl Strayed, a woman who hit rock bottom and leaves everything behind to go on an incredible thousand mile hike. On her way she is not only faced with physical challenges, but also tries to figure out what kind of person she is and ultimately, what kind of person she wants to become. Thus, Reese Witherspoon had to carry a lot more than a huge backpack on her shoulders, as the whole movie relied on her performance. But what a performance it is. It seems like Witherspoon put her heart, soul and body into her portrayal of this troubled woman, and there is a genuineness to it that makes it very easy to relate to her. Eventhough usually expressed by voice-over, at points you know what she is thinking just by the look on her face.
But big credit also needs to be given to director Jean-Marc Vallée, because in the end it is the combination of him and Witherspoon that makes this movie feel so real. He starts the film with the start of the trail, and gives us the backstory of the protagonist only through her thoughts and memories. They way he ties these inner processes into the film is impressively dynamic. As she makes her way through dry lands, rocks or snow, something small catches her attention and, wether it was audible, visual or just a feeling she has, reminds her of something in her past. Sometimes it stays small and other times it forms into a whole memory, just like it would in reality, but it is always just enough to give the viewer a deeper understanding of this woman's life with every bit.
So, superficially there really isn't a lot happening in this film, but under the surface it is the absorbing story of a person's fall from grace and her need for self-discovery after that. Striking both visually and contentwise, it is a sensational emotional journey, that is worthwhile for the attentive and patient viewer. If you are a traveller yourself, you might find shades of your own experiences in there.

For Fans of:
Into The Wild (2007)
127 Hours (2010)
Cast Away (2000)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

And check out my friend's review over at B.A.'s Screentest for a second opinion!