True Grit

The Cohen Brothers bring us another great film with True Grit, based upon the novel and a remake of a 1969 film with John Wayne. It is a true western film and follows the story of a 14 year old girl Mattie (Hailee Stienfeld) on a quest to bring justice to her father's killer. The courageous and quick witted young girl hires the help of a 'true grit' man, the abrupt Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to hunt down the murderer. Texan ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) joins the pair who so happens to be hunting the same man for a different crime.

Tension builds leading to a satisfying climax. It is a true western; dirty, gritty, bloody whilst all travelling on horse back.

The characters are memorable; Cogburn as the drunk, egotistical Marshall who shows some of his heart brings the film many laughs, but it is Mattie, the young girl filled with determination and strong will that gives emotional heart to the film. Stienfeld gives an amazing performance stealing the scenes from the more experienced actors.

The film gives hope that the western genre lives on, especially in the hands of the such gifted storytellers as the Cohen Brothers.
4.5/5

127 Hours

It is May 2003. Adventurer Aron Ralson goes on a weekend trip down to Bluejohn Canyon, Utah. He has done this a thousand times before, he knows the land. But one mistake; a misplaced foot, a small fall, a loose rock and Aron's life instantly changes. Aron's right arm gets lodged between the loose rock and the wall of the canyon. He is stuck. With no hope of rescue, a lack of food and water, and hours and hours in the desert Aron has to make an extremely courageous decision to survive.

Based on the incredible true story, 127 Hours stars James Franco as Aron. Franco gives a captivating performance, which is a strong credit as the film basically only features Franco and without this Oscar nominated performance, the film would have failed. Bold British director Danny Boyle, handles the film with an electrifying intensity. Boyle's passion for storytelling is evident by the sheer fact of deciding to direct such a challenging film. Imagine a film crew, director, cameramen, gaffers etc, etc, filming between two rocks and a bit of earth.

The script is emotionally engaging, it does not rely on heavily detailed flashbacks to keep the film interesting but instead incorporates dreamy, quick-edited memory and dream sequences sparked by Aron's self consciousness as a result of his desperate circumstance. These sequences are a reflection of his life. Guilt. Regrets. Dreams. And hopes.

The music by Academy Award winning composer A R Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) is sublime. The soundtrack is the key factor in creating the films emotional impact. The overall sound of the film is amazing, the piercing ringing used in the crisis point creates a long lasting affect. The cinematography is beautiful, the talented work of the cameramen are daring, having to work in a confined space as well as being in close proximity to the actor. Editing of the film is top notch, creating pace, tension and an interesting look with the device of splitting the screen in thirds throughout some of the film.

Danny Boyle brings us another noteworthy film for our generation, and is perhaps a tough contender for Best Picture at this years Academy Awards.

4.5/5

The Fighter

The Fighter is based on the true story of American boxer Micky "Irish" Ward as he struggles with the dream of winning a boxing title, as well as coping with his demanding, crazy, overbearing family. Micky is overshadowed by the dominated personalities around him, much like Mark Wahlberg's performance of the character. Micky is a passive main character, something that is rarely seen in films, but of course rules are meant to be broken, and the film works because the supporting characters are incredibly active, resulting in the actors performances to overshadow Wahlberg's. Micky's coke-head, crazy brother Dicky (played brilliantly by an unrecognisable Christian Bale) along with Mother-from-Hell Alice (Melissa Leo), who both are Mickey's boxing trainer and manager respectfully. But when the new outspoken, cool, smart, loving girlfriend of Micky hits the scene (played wonderfully by Amy Adams) the family dynamic begins to crumble. Add 7 bogan sisters to the plot and you are sure to have a fun time watching one hell crazy family.

The film's main dramatic question is whether Micky will obtain his boxing title dream, but at its heart, it is about the bounds of family. This film would be just another boxing film if it didn't have such a rich collection of interesting characters to be enjoyed. The acting is top notch, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo will definitely take out the supporting actor and actress awards respectfully at the Oscars. Amy Adams and Mark Wahlberg are also at the top of their game but are overshadowed, particularly Wahlberg by the more colourful personalities that surround him.

It is nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards which suggests how good the film is, and although it won't be winning the big gong, it is still a worthy film.

4/5

Black Swan

Two of of my favourite things; Ballet and Thrillers are beautifully captured in Black Swan, one of the best films in the past year. Director Darren Aronofsky choreographs a brilliant piece of cinema through his exploration of the professional world of Ballet. Natalie Portman stars in a career defining role as Nina, a dancer for the New York Ballet Company, who obtains the lead role of Swan Queen in the production of Swan Lake. Nina is subsequently tormented left, right and centre; firstly from her overbearing Mother (Barbara Hershey), also from the sleazy director of the Company (Vincent Cassel) and from her rivaling understudy, Lily (Mila Kunis). The film explores the stress that accompanies a career in ballet, and Nina's strive to find perfection in her performance. Suspense builds as Nina feels that everyone, including herself, is out to get her. The layering of the Swan Lake story into Nina's reality helps to strengthen the film, giving it depth and clever double meanings. The wonderful use of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake music throughout the film easily sets the mood and sits well against the more thrilling scenes. The sound throughout the entire film is amazing, including the subtle sounds of flapping wings, crunching bones etc. which help to layer the film into the Swan Lake theme. Aronofsky was clever in directing the ballet sequences, to give the audience no doubts that Natalie Portman is not actually a world class ballerina. Portman gives it her all and creates an interesting character in Nina. Natalie Portman IS Nina, and we are engulfed in her journey. Winning Best Actress at the Oscar's is well and truly under her wing.
Not only is it the best ballet film I have seen, true in its depiction of pain, greed, jealousy and stress, it is also one of the most thrilling films made in recent years. Ladies and gentleman, put your hands together for Black Swan...
5/5

Golden Globe Predictions

Without having seen all the films and performances (because Australia sucks and some films haven't been released here yet) it's hard to have a well informed guess, but I'll try nonetheless.

Best Picture (Drama)
'Black Swan' (Not released till 20/1/11)
'The Fighter' (Not released till 20/1/11)
'Inception'
'The King's Speech'
'The Social Network'

-I would love to see The King's Speech win, as it's my favourite of the three I have seen... But my guess is going to The Social Network.

Best Picture (Musical or Comedy)
'Alice in Wonderland'
'Burlesque'
'The Kids Are All Right'
'Red'
'The Tourist'

-I don't even need to see all the films to know that The Kids Are All Right will win.

Best Director
-David Fincher for The Social Network hands down.

Best Screenplay
-There is no denying that Aaron Sorkin will win for The Social Network.

Best Actor (Drama)
-Colin Firth better fucking win for The King's Speech.

Best Actress (Drama)
-Haven't seen the film yet but my heart tells me Natalie Portman will be winning it for Black Swan.

Best Actor (Comedy)
None of these are amazing performances, my bet is Johnny Depp for Alice in Wonderland or more probable Jake Gyllenhaal for Love and Other Drugs

Best Actress (Comedy)
Two words: Annette Bening. For The Kids Are All Right. When it comes to the Oscars it'll be a race between Benning and Portman.

Best Supporting Actor
-Geoffery Rush for The King's Speech, or I'm told Christian Bale is just as likely to win for his role in the The Fighter.

Best Supporting Actress
-I would love to see Australian Jacki Weaver win for Animal Kingdom, but Amy Adams seems to be the favourite for her role in The Fighter. (If the trailer is anything to go by, I'll have to agree).

Best Animated Feature
Look. Toy Story 3. (Dreamworks should learn that with Pixar involved, it's hardly a competition).

Burlesque

Burlesque will not be winning any awards for the most original concept; small town girl escapes her boring life to follow her dream and make it big. Think Hairspray but without the fat and message of equality and then think of Chicago but without the great acting, great story and definitely without the Oscar winning content; then you have a fair idea of what Burlesque might be like. Small town girl Ally (played by Christina Aguilera in her debut feature) leaves her boring life to live the big dream in Hollywood. This dream leads her to a fabulous Burlesque club owned by Tess (Cher) which instantly ignites Ally's desire to be apart of the club's show. She befriends bartender Jack (Cam Gigandet) and costume designer (Stanley Tucci) who help her pave the way to her dream. Meanwhile Tess is dealing with a growing debt and the ever looming possibility of losing her club.
The film has some really nice moments, all of these though would in fact be the musical numbers which have seductive costumes, appealing production design, catchy tunes and entertaining choreography. Christina Aguilera is one amazing singer and her talent is put to great use when performing the musical numbers. Her debut as an actor, while a bit shaky should still be applauded. It is Cher though that I had a stronger connection with. I don't know if it was because her greater acting skills made you care more about her story or whether she just had the more interesting character, but her struggle was what kept the film interesting. And let me just say that, even with all of Cher's plastic work and with her inability to move most of her face, she can still bloody well act. Stanley Tucci is amazing as usual. While Cam Gigandet, who was casted well as the love interest due to his appearance, becomes annoying easily.
I had a massive issue with the camera work, sure handheld can work well and look amazing but this camera work was all over the place. Even some of the tracking shots jolted quite a bit. The jolting camera distracted and completely ruined any chance to connect with Cher's heartfelt song in particular.
Burlesque's main problem is the fact that the story and characters are too underdeveloped. When the film begins we seem to be following Ally's dream of making something of her life but when she achieves this early on in the film the focus then switches to Tess. We then begin to follow a love triangle with Ally. Back to Tess. Back to Ally. The film just doesn't know what it wants to be. It is obvious that a lot of time and energy was put into the musical numbers instead of the underdeveloped story. The musical scenes do pay-off but when it is one of the only redeeming factors for the film...is it really worth it?
2.5/5

Tangled

Disney returns in good ol' classic standards with their twist on the Rapunzel tale titled Tangled; the best animated musical film since The Lion King. Like most Disney films that are based on famous fairy tales the film creators add more fun, magic and a bit of cheesiness to accomplish the Disney quality; and Tangled is no exception. The story naturally follows Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) who is kidnapped when only just a baby by the marvelously evil and bitchy Gothel (Donna Murphy), because of the magic powers that Rapunzel's hair possess. 18 years later, Rapunzel is living in a tower never having set foot on the ground because Gothel, who is now pretending to be Rapunzel's mother, wants to keep her safe from the outside world/keep her all to herself. Naturally Rapunzel dreams of leaving the tower and yearns for adventure. Now enters love interest in the form of thief Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) who seeks refuge in Rapunzel's tower. This sets off a series of events that lead Rapunzel and Flynn on a life changing adventure.
The songs, composed by Disney God Alan Menken, the man behind the music for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, creates a wonderfully new soundtrack for Tangled. The songs sung by Gothel are some of the most memorable, but it is the love song 'I See The Light,' which is well on its way to become an instant classic. This scene in particular has some of the most beautiful images seen in an animated film for a long time- which is definitely worthwhile to see in 3D.
The film doesn't come without faults, the beginning narration is a bit clunky and Rapunzel's final realisation leading into the climax is somewhat contrived.
The film caters for all sorts of ages, it has some amazingly hilarious moments (Maximus being a favourite with the crowd), as well as some damn cool action, a developed story, engaging music and a whole lot of Disney Magic!
4/5