Award Choices 2015: Part II, Best of Film Music 2015

from weekendnotes.com

I should note that I won't be putting anything from 'Love & Mercy' on this list as the whole film itself deserves a list of excellent music moments in it. I thoroughly enjoyed it as an interesting take on the music biopic, an acting masterclass by Paul Dano and John Cusack (and the particularly underrated Elizabeth Banks), and of course the music of the Beach Boys. Dano has a wonderful singing voice (surprisingly) and a genuine sense of passion regarding music which he conveys so well in character in this film, which can be seen here:

His rendition of 'God Only Knows' is brilliant too:

And this is a non-musical but brilliantly acted scene:

And just so I'm not forgetting Cusack (damn I really underrated him before my re-watch of the film):

Seriously the more I think about this film the more I like it.

10. Anything from The Hateful Eight (which I haven't even seen yet)...because Morricone.

Yes, positively blasphemous. I have yet to be able to see The Hateful Eight anywhere which is just KILLING me as a massive Tarantino fan. But anyway Morricone, my all-time favourite composer, seems to have hit another musical home run with his soundtrack here. Reminds me a bit of his work on Once Upon a Time in the West. We'll see how it fits into the film soon enough but in the meantime, this is just great stuff on its own I felt I needed to share.

9. 'See You Again' by Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth (Furious 7)

I've kind of developed a dislike for Furious 7 as a film overall because of just how much the production company seem to be taking advantage of the Paul Walker tragedy to provide a financial boost for the franchise. Anyway I digress. As an action film didn't think it really stood out beyond the odd cool bit or two, but one thing I did like a great deal about it was the song 'See You Again' and of course, the ending, which I will admit brought a bit of a tear to my eye. Probably the only time a franchise I couldn't care less about has brought about such strong emotions. And also the only time I've liked anything involving Wiz Khalifa. If only the rest of the series could've been handled with such sensitivity.

8. Carter Burwell's theme for 'Legend'

Excellent work by Burwell here (though not his best of the year) as he tones down his usual (good) bombastic style into something decidedly more evocative of the vibes of 1960's London, whatever that means. It just sounds good to me, and actually fits in very well with the best tone the film has going for it; stylishly gritty.  

7. Thomas Newman's 'Standing Man' (Bridge of Spies)

Newman's wonderful score pulsates through one of the most magnificently delivered monologues of the year by Mark Rylance's Rudolf Abel. Instead of detracting from the excellent delivery and performance I feel it actually enhances the overall effect, and makes the story of the resilient 'standing man' and his resemblance to Tom Hank's James Donovan all the more striking and poignant.

6. 'Casadh an Tsúgáin' by Iarla ÓLionáird (Brooklyn)

Who doesn't love a little lovely Irish tune? Context is kind of crucial here as the way this song is employed to convey Eillis' longing for her hometown fits perfectly alongside Saoirse Ronan's . Anyway, regardless of whether you've seen the film or not, this is just lovely music.  

5. 'Writing's on the Wall' by Sam Smith (Spectre)

Confession: I think Adele's Skyfall is very overrated. Another confession: I think Sam Smith's Writing's on the Wall is perhaps the best Bond theme of all time, though Duran Duran are close behind.

Let the mockery begin.

4. 'Let No Man Steal Your Thyme' from Far From the Madding Crowd

Carey Mulligan's singing voice is just the most beautiful thing. Michael Sheen isn't too bad either. The song just comes at a perfect point in the film, so luminous and breathtaking in contrast to the subdued emotional turmoil persisting between the characters. Schoenaerts' reactions in this scene are heartbreaking too (Kerry if you're reading this I still disagree with you about him).

3. Carter Burwell's theme from Carol

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZU-lDDx40s&list=PLPByCpdKvRmlyz6WrUrcljXs6cwjpnHTm you can listen to the whole lovely soundtrack here or alternatively, this is excellent too:

(skip to 1:43)

Ah Mr Burwell, you make your second entrance! Some have complained that this theme verges too closely to his own work on Mildred Pierce or the soundtrack to The Hours. I disagree. I think this music, aside from setting the film so beautifully in its time and place, is just the most mellifluous piece of orchestral harmony I've heard all year. Were it not for nostalgia getting the better of me it'd be right at the top.

2. STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS JOHN WILLIAMS

That rapturous opening theme of course is just as beautiful and spellbinding as ever.

Rey's theme is excellent too. So adventurous, so vibrant, so full of energy just waiting to burst.

The scene where Finn reveals the truth to Rey about his background. Heartbreaking music to go along with the excellent dramatic work of John Boyega and Daisy Ridley.

Han and Leia reunite. Lovely music. Shame about the droid.

The Jedi Steps theme is brilliant, aiding to make the ending even more awesome than it already was.

And finally, at number one...

1. Ludwig Goranssan's 'You're a Creed' from Creed

One will need to watch the film itself to understand just how wonderfully the musical nostalgia of the Rocky films are embedded into the spinoff Creed's finale. It's the single most uplifting underdog moment of 2015 when we watch Michael B. Jordan's Adonis Creed get up for one last bout with Ricky Conlon and the music just comes in at the right time. I was waiting all film long for the familiar theme to ring out and I'm glad they drew it out as long as they did, making those final moments of the final fight, all the more exhilarating.

My Top 5 DiCaprio/Damon performances

I feel like my decidedly less enthusiastic, though still positive, response to Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as Hugh Glass in 'The Revenant' requires me to do an article of the akin to show I'm not duly biased against him as an actor. Here are my 5 favourite performances of his.

5. The Departed/The Basketball Diaries

from dailymotion.com DiCaprio with young Marky Mark

from fanpop.com

I'm not a massive fan of either film here, but I can't deny that DiCaprio acquits himself very, very well in both roles, at very different stages of his career. Whether as an undercover cop at wit's end or a teenage basketball prodigy dealing with a crippling drug addiction, he handles both sorts of characters very well and is easily the highlight of both films. I will say though that in The Departed his best scenes are where he's being more naturalistic/not undercover i.e. his final scene with Damon, his scenes with Vera Farmiga's psychiatrist.

4. The Revenant

from blogs.indiwire.com

The only real complaint I have about this performance is just how it lacks any real depth, so to speak. Hugh Glass suffers from Mother Nature's wrath and DiCaprio plays this wonderfully and gives an intense, unsparing and flawless portrayal of a physically degrading man. He never manages to make Glass himself particularly compelling though. He 'aint afraid of dying because he done that already, and that's all there is to him. Not a bad performance in fact, quite brilliant in some respects, but somewhat overshadowed by the direction and co-star Tom Hardy.

3. What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

One of his earliest performances and quite possibly his most heartfelt. He plays the autistic Arnie Grwpe with such outstanding accuracy and more importantly, such endearing sweetness, but also remembering to add the right amount of problematic behaviour to his portrayal. He has fabulous chemistry with Johnny Depp and gives a performance that holds a very special space in my heart.

2. The Wolf of Wall Street

Perhaps DiCaprio's true calling is as a comedian. This is just one rollicking ride of a film from start to finish and DiCaprio is a big reason why. Jordan Belfort is a cunt. Simples. I've seen live interviews of the guy, he's an unrepentant asshole and I have absolutely no empathy for the man. That DiCaprio manages to make this character so incredibly funny, charismatic and in a way, endearing, is testament to his drug-fuelled, laugh-filled comic portrayal of utmost indecency being among the finest of its uncouth sort.

1. Catch Me If You Can

Just a wonderfully simple, and simply wonderful, performance that makes use of DiCaprio's star power and charm, and of course his good looks, and distills it into Frank Abangale Jr., just one of the sweetest cons in movie history. The film itself could've come across as slight and morally dubious but DiCaprio instead, with his deceptively complex approach to the different sides and guises of Frank, gives a splendid portrayal of the smooth talking professional crook, then movingly tears it down to reveal the lonely soul lurking within.

10. Romeo and Juliet/Revolutionary Road
9. The Aviator
8. Django Unchained
7. Inception
6. Titanic

I should note that I do like him a great deal in Inception, Django Unchained and The Aviator too, but find him overshadowed by his co-stars in the first two, and Scorcese's direction in the latter. And don't get me started on Shutter Island. Just don't

Also, since people might also be questioning why I rate Damon and his performance in The Martian so highly...let's take a look at my top 5 for him.

Hon. Mention: True Grit

sheknows.com

Technically speaking this is quite a simple performance. All Damon has to do is adopt that nasally sounding funny accent, look good in a sheriff's outfit, and be funny. He does all that but I mention him here because he's just so good at it, surprisingly. He makes LaBouef not the annoying, extraneous character he could've been but just the most endearing sort of Wild Wild West Bumpkin you can't help but love. 

5. Good Will Hunting

lightsremoteaction.com

The only real flaw I can find in this performance is that his Boston accent is a bit much, and he does show a hint or two of inexperience in his first leading role. Which is fine really, because otherwise Damon gives a very effective performance as first a genius (which he does convincingly), and then as a troubled young man (even more convincingly), and brings both these sides together in his wonderful scenes with Robin Williams, and (my personal favourite scenes) with Ben Affleck (as for Minnie Driver I find her the weak link of the film, but he does just fine in scenes with her too). He makes Will Hunting a very good character to follow throughout the film.

4. Behind the Candelabra

theredlist.com

This is far from a flawless film but it's more than made up for that by the excellent central performances of a particularly lively Michael Douglas as the notorious pianist Liberace, and Matt Damon's excellently understated turn as his lover Scott. Damon is definitely made to look his ultimate prettiest here and he's very good at playing up the dim-witted, endearing pretty boy nature of his character. When the film goes into more dramatic territory though he's equally game, transitioning from an innocent doe-eyed fella into a haunting, drug-addicted figure seamlessly.

3. The Bourne Trilogy

gowherehiphop.com

I couldn't quite pick just one film to talk about here so I chose all three of Damon's outings (so far) as Jason Bourne to talk about. If I had to pick one I guess I'd say he has the most emotional heft to handle in The Bourne Legacy and thus gives his most 'dramatic' performance as Bourne in it, but really he's excellent in each instalment, and makes Bourne into a terrific character with great character development over the trilogy. From clueless fish out of water in Identity to grieving, revenge-seeking hero in Supremacy and to the cold, but not remorseless, professional in Ultimatum e successfully bridges all the transitions Bourne goes through into the same character. It's top-notch action hero work from the actor which is so distinct through the deadpan, heartfelt approach Damon takes to this assassin.

2. The Adjustment Bureau

What could've been a bland romantic leading performance is made magical by Damon's deceptively complex portrayal of David Norris, a man who is simply willing to do whatever it takes to be with the love of his life. He's excellent first at portraying the charm and intelligence of the Congressman figure Norris is, and more importantly with his onscreen paramour Emily Blunt, has such amazing chemistry that makes them one of my all-time favourite onscreen couples. Damon not only makes you symapthise and root for Norris to get the girl against the odds, he makes this journey an effectively funny, tense and ultimately rapturous one through his charismatic turn that drives the film with Blunt.

1. The Martian

screenrant.com

I think I've probably said more than enough on this performance on this blog...oh wait, I haven't really, but I'll leave that to another future post. Damon's best performance is one of his simplest in conception. A man stranded in a deserted land (in this case, planet Mars). Where have we seen that before? But perhaps that's what gave Damon the opportunity to turn the role of Mark Whatney into something truly great. He gives one of the most naturalistic, lived-in performances I've ever seen of a man, just a man, albeit and exceptionally intelligent and humorous one, fighting against the odds of galactic pathos so compelling and exciting a journey despite being confined in one setting. The Martian is a brilliantly made film but it's also a great showcase for Damon's talents at not acting like, but BEING a character.

10. Contagion
9. The Departed
8. The Informant!
7. The Talented Mr. Ripley (this is a performance I need to re-watch to see where I stand on it)

Award Choices 2015 Part 1: Best Actor/Actress, Best Makeup/Visual Effects

I'm not particularly good at commenting at the technical aspects of films so I'll leave those blank for now...

Best Actor

Winner:

Sir Ian McKellen in Mr Holmes (I've probably repeated myself too many times over on this point, but this is a performance that has stuck with me for quite a while now as my win. A wonderfully calibrated performance of equal poignancy and humour, the perfectly peels off layers of the enigma that is an aged, haunted Sherlock Holmes)

Nominees: (clockwise from top left)

Tom Hardy in Legend (Hardy gives a magnificent depiction of two fascinating characters in themselves, but in scenes where he plays against himself also generating such a fascinating dynamic, that is positively electrifying. He makes a dual performance feel not merely gimmicky but also cool)

Jason Segel in The End of the Tour (wonderfully nuanced work as David Foster Wallace, as Segel carefully implements Wallace's mannered intellectualism as part of the essence of the man, anc delivers a funny, moving and haunting perfomance as an intelligent but troubled man)

Matt Damon in The Martian (simple, straightforward yet terrific leading man work as Damon gives a realistic portrayal of a man being worn down by the odds and elements against him, as well as an inspiring depiction of his intellect, resilience and humour)

Michael Fassbender in Macbeth (not normally a massive fan of Fassbender but this is a glorious performance. The Bard's language flows beautifully from his mouth, and the release of pent up energy is so skilfully handled, truly a great performance)

Honourable Mentions:
6. Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
7. Michael B. Jordan in Creed
8. Ben Mendelsohn in Missisipi Break

9. Abraham Attah in Beasts of No Nation

10. Johnny Depp in Black Mass

11. John Boyega in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

12. Jesse Eisenberg in The End of the Tour
(this year is so strong I could've constructed a second set of Best Actor nominees, and still missed out on two other incredibly deserving performances:

Redmayne: A good performance mostly with some excellent moments, let down slightly by some of his mannerisms that seem awakrd and out of character.



Best Actress

Winner:

Rooney Mara in Carol (sublime Celia Johnson-esque work as Mara so beautifully sets up the shy and retiring nature of Therese, and by slowly transitioning her out of a shell, gives a magnificently subtle, and also just plain magnificent, piece of work. With just her gazes alone she'd be wprthy pf the Oscar)

Nominees: (clockwise from top left)

Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn (entrancing work as Ronan makes the arc of her homesick Irish lass so moving and yet so rich in colour. There is not a wasted moment in her performance and she carries the film and its beautiful tone so well.)

Cate Blanchett in Carol (flawless depiction of a New York socialite as the mannerisms are just so well done, she is effectively stylized but also nails her emotional scenes, also has brilliant chemistry with Mara)

Emily Blunt in Sicario (extremely underrated work as Blunt makes so much of her blunt, no-nonsense badass character by firstly being such a convincing action hero, and also tenderly revealing the character's fears and insecurities in a heartbreaking way)

Carey Mulligan in Far From the Madding Crowd (equally underrated work as the perfect Bathsheba. She generates a fascinating chemistry with two of her co-stars, and the fact she makes something out of Tom Sturridge's trainwreck of a performance is an achievement in itself worthy of awards attention)

Honourable Mentions:

Charlize Theron in Mad Max

Carey Mulligan in Suffragette

Daisy Ridley in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years

Alicia Vikander in Testament of Youth

Best Makeup/Hairstyling

 Winner:

Mad Max Fury Road

Nominees:

Star Wars The Force Awakens

Black Mass

Ex Machina

Crimson Peak

Visual Effects:

Winner:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Nominees:

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

Ex Machina

Jurassic World





What has 'The Force Awakens' awakened? (SPOILERS)

nothinguncut.com

Methinks the time for a proper conventional overview + review of The Force Awakens has come and passed. Judging by those incredible box office numbers I feel pretty much everyone who wants to see the film has seen the film, or is planning to see the film, or even planning to re-watch the film (which I did on Christmas Day) and thus needs no further recommendation from me. The hype was definitely warranted; the seventh instalment in the Star Wars franchise is every bit as exhilarating, epic and entertaining a venture into the galaxy far far away. Performances are universally excellent (with one or two exceptions more possibly down to writing), the effects were flawless, the pacing was on par with A New Hope's relentless and constantly engaging speed of exposition, the script though a bit on the nose, and with a few awkward moments, was mostly very good, and just on a general point it played so well into both the nostalgia of just having more Star Wars while also doing many new and exciting thing with the existing conventions.

So anyway, where do we go from here? Well I don't confess to being any sort of fortune teller insofar as movie plot points are concerned (The Force Awakens constantly took me aback) but I do enjoy a bit of theorizing and analzyzing of how where the franchise stands, has implications for its future. So without further ado my (potentially completely wrong) predictios...

1. The story beats will follow that of The Empire Strikes Back

The apprentice shall become the master

The ending of The Force Awakens seems to have directly taken inspiration from the beginning of the second act of The Empire Strikes Back, with what I now assume will be the new trio of the new trilogy--Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron--split into two by necessity. I thoroughly applaud this. Though it's clear the three actors have fantastic chemistry with one another already (actually I take that back--namely, John Boyega's Finn has great chemistry with the other two. We've yet to see Rey and Poe meet, but I'm sure they'll be great together too), splitting the dynamic up can only be a good thing as we'll presumably get more focus into Rey as an individual, and her relationship to the force, and Finn and Poe will get to show more of that incredibly entertaining dynamic they showed in their few scenes together in The Force Awakens. Let's look at how the 'teams' have split up now:

Rey with R2-D2, Chewbacca, Luke. Mark Hamill's taking on the mentor role he was placed under the tutelage of all those years ago by Obi Wan and Yoda, is just such a tantalising prospect. I assume though he'll probably be a much more haunted figure seeing as his best friend's just died at the hands of his own son (and Luke's former apprentice), and that he and Ridley's dynamic will be decidedly more dramatic than Yoda-Luke-esque comedic. So I guess it's a good thing there'll be R2 and Chewie to lighten things up a bit.

Finn, Poe, Leia, BB-8, C3PO and The Resistance. I see this as being the grander adventure contrasting with the quieter character developments of Rey and Luke. The Aragorn + Gimli + Legolas shenanigans in contrast to the Frodo + Sam + Gollum interplays. Anyway, have no idea what's in store for them, but hoping for a lot more excellent piloting by Poe, comic beats and more development of Finn's aptitude as a hero to match his enthusiasm, more development for Leia as a character, and who knows? A certain someone, I hope, will pop up.

2. Watch out for Captain Phasma

blastr.com

They clearly didn't cast the fantastic Gwendoline Christie to just turn up, say a few throwaway lines and act as a plot device and setup for a sanitation joke. I'm sensing that Rian Johnson will have more than a few tricks up his sleeves regarding her character in Episode VIII. Is she a full-on baddie? Is she a Resistance mole? Does she have a relationship with any of the existing characters? Will she lead a coup of the First Order? My guess is that things won't end up pretty between her and Domnhall Gleeson's Admiral Hux, and that there will be a power struggle between the two at some point in the next instalment. Can't wait to see what they make of her character. (also in terms of shortchanged characters I think Max Von Sydow could make a return, in a flashback or something. He was clearly a very crucial character to the 30 years post-Endor and perhaps, had a strong relationship to Luke or something)

3. Snoke is not a lost cause

slashfilm.com

I'm still not a big fan of the whole conception of the character of Supreme Leader Snoke but upon re-watch I was struck by several things. One, the hologram images of his guise, though distinguishing his features well enough, doesn't really show him in light yet; the lacklustre design of his exterior may well be a product of darkness. Secondly, we've only seen him in brief snippets, and though he's yet to make anything close to the impact Sidious had in his initial appearances in A New Hope and The Empire Strikes back, perhaps more screentime in the sequels will help flesh him out a bit. Thirdly, it's Andy Serkis. Uninspired voice acting aside I really don't think he's intentionally slumming it. There must be something more to the role that's yet to be revealed.

4. Is Finn Force-sensitive?

slashfilm.com

I know some people who had a bit of an issue with how sidelined in terms of 'doing' anything, Finn was in the third act of The Force Awakens. Han fearlessly sacrificed himself for a glimmer of Hope, Chewie set off the explosives, Poe destroyed the Starkiller, Rey maimed Kylo Ren, but apparently lots of people had issue with how Finn didn't really do anything of not besides hold his own for a while with a lightsaber.

I disagree. I thought his very act of rescuing Rey in itself was incredibly brave and in fact, his whole decision to stay behind and help the resistance instead of escaping. He DID have an arc in this film, contrary to what some people say; he turned from a fearful grunt for the First Order, having no identity and nothing to fight for, to a daring, fearless and selfless Resistance member who is willing to do whatever it takes to save Rey, even if it means straying out of his depths and endangering his own life. The lightsaber battle I though was made all the more powerful because Finn, despite lacking any sort of proper training or Force sensitivity, still valiantly jumped into the fray and was prepared to fight Kylo Ren to the death.

Which leads to the question: is Finn Force-sensitive? Though this film would seem to indicate not, hold on to assumptions for a while. He actually managed to get a few good blows off against Kylo Ren, and displayed little instances here and there in The Force Awakens of an awareness and aptitude for battle far more than the usual Stormtrooper (and yeah, also, he could shoot at targets which is never a given for a Stormtrooper). Regardless of what they do with him I hope they keep utilising Boyeha and his character well; he was my favourite part of The Force Awakens.

5. What about Kylo Ren? What sort of arc will he have?

To this I will say I have no idea and I don't want to know. The way they've set up his character here is just so intriguing, I don't want to theorize at all, but rather just sit back and see what they get up to. It was an ingenius stroke of writing to set up Kylo Ren as this Darth Vader figure and instead subvert him as more of a petulant Anakin sort, prematurely encasing himself in the armour of a Sith.

6. Who is Rey's father, and mother?

I thought Luke when I first watched the film. On second watch though, I've begun to question my main basis for this (her flashbacks upon touching Luke's lightsaber) as those flashbacks are not necessarily from Luke's perspective, which I took to be a sign of her lineage. In fact the voices you hear over that flashback are Yoda's, and Obi Wans (of both the Guinness and McGregor sort).

So who are her parents? Who knows. I'm suspecting there will be a strong link to the Original Trilogy, but not necessarily through Luke. Here's to the writers pulling off a BIG reveal sometime soon. I can't wait.

7. What role will the new characters play?

thewrap.com

From what I've heard the only 'new' actor to cast for Episode VIII is Benicio del Toro, hopefully he'll have a more substantial role in this sci-fi universe than he did in the Marvel universe. Other than him though I haven't heard of anything else. I would think they'd probably be more preoccupied with further developing the existing characters...which is a good thing in itself, too.

8. Who's next on the kill list?

Okay that was a lot more ominous than I meant for it to sound. I'm thinking Leia, Chewie are probably going to get through this trilogy unscathed. Same for C3PO and R2-D2 although don't count out one of them making a heroic sacrifice just to give them something to do. Luke...hm. I am willing to bet money that they'll definitely NOT kill him off in Episode VIII. But the way they're developing his character I could see them delving with him, into dark waters where the prospect of death is high...

Hux I think is a goner. Gleeson's a fantastic performer but I feel like the character has almost reached the end of his purpose. Kylo Ren's arc is yet to be fully realised yet so they'll keep him around (again, I can't wait to see whether he turns to the light or further into the dark). As for our new three leads...I genuinely worry for all of them. Mortality rates in this new Star Wars universe have been very high thus far, and no one is safe. Funnily enough, though he's had the smallest role (so far), I think Poe, despite his dangerous line of work, is the one untouchable for Episode VIII. I don't think they'll kill Rey off, but something bad might happen to her a la Luke in The Empire Strikes Back. As for Finn...hopefully that Stormtrooper tendency to be constantly on the precipice of death and danger will wear off. It's testament to the performances of Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac that I want to see a LOT more of them together in the upcoming instalments, so hopefully their characters will survive...for now.

Festive Films: It's a Wonderful Life

What better time, with its 70th anniversary coming up and Christmas forthcoming, to look at not only my favourite Christmas film of all-time, but my all-time favourite film, period?



Credit: variety.com

I don't think there's much point dallying about it: It's a Wonderful Life is just the best, the best.  It's a universally adored motion picture that has the quality to back up the nostalgic adoration many have for it; I was personally introduced rather late to the film (a mere 3 years ago, actually), but this made no difference to my reaction upon first viewing of this Frank Capra masterpiece. And second viewing. And third, fourth...it's one of those films that can be re-experienced over and over again, in different contexts. It doesn't have to be at Christmastime either; after all, it's not just about Christmas, as so many misunderstand, but rather about the VALUES of Christmas: selflessness, goodwill, charity, self-sacrifice. In short, the qualities that make up George Bailey, our protagonist of It's a Wonderful Life played by Jimmy Stewart.

The central conceit of the film is that George, at the brink of personal and financial difficulties, is planning to commit suicide. The prayers of friends and families have reached angels up in Heaven, to which they respond by firstly providing George's guardian angel Clarence (Henry Travers) with a retrospective look at the growth of George from boy to man, before then sending Clarence off to intervene by showing George an alternate universe where he had never been born in, and thus to show how indeed, it's a wonderful life after all.

From: dailymail.com

I love each and every aspect of the film but in the end, my unequivocal adoration of it above all my other favourites is indeed Stewart's  marvellous performance. In the very simplest sense this role is the perfect vehicle for Stewart's talents because of how naturally charismatic he is as a performer. Following the same character for 2-plus hours necessitates a movie star of the highest order and Stewart fulfils this more than by name alone. No one else could've played George Bailey because Stewart just IS George Bailey. No other way of describing it. Henry Fonda too was apparently in the running for the role, and he may well have been a good choice, but credit must go to Capra for taking the relative risk of Stewart who, having been out of doing motion pictures for several years on account of his service in WWII, could've been rusty, could've been not as big a box-office pull (I'll get onto that later). But he went with Jimmy, and the rest is history.

Anyway, onto the finer parts of his performance, which is in turn perhaps the best way to look at the differing excellent aspects of the film. George is an idealist, and the 'aw shucks' part of his screen identity fits in perfectly here. It works very well in the scenes where he expresses his lofty ambitions and makes George's desire to move out of his small town and into the wider world not gratingly annoying as it could've been, but instead very sweet and admirable. The best parts of his scenes which involve his 'aw shucks' routine, however, are definitely those involving his onscreen love interest Donna Reed, who turns in a lovely, endearing portrayal of Mary.

 

I find scenes like these to be brilliant in terms of both the writing and the performances because of how enjoyably simple and yet warmth-filled they are. The romance between George and Mary is both one at 'first sight' and also which slowly 'blossoms' throughout the film, and Stewart and Reed are pitch-perfect at finding this sort of dynamic to their performances. Their rapport never feels overly sickly but instead is always sweet, always humorous, never layered on too thick. The dialogue in these scenes too are fantastic because they never feel like they're just there to add spark to the romance, they're there because it just feels like that's the exact words the characters should be stringing around their mouths.

 

Stewart never lets this romance be just another screwball routine for him (which he was equally good at, don't get me wrong) but instead with Reed presents a realistic, heartwarming romance that is so beautifully drawn from the smallest hints of  attraction to set up the film's denoument...but more about that later.

 

Anyone who's seen the other big Capra masterpiece Mr Smith Goes to Washington will know just how wonderful a deliverer of speeches Jimmy is. No matter what the topic, the man gave his all for every monologue he got. Here we get gems like the scene about where he calls out the villainous Mr Potter (Lionel Barrymore in a scene-stealing turn) for his attempts to take over his late father's company and disadvantage the disadvantaged poor in the neighbourhood even more. Though arguably simplistic in nature (good v.s. evil) these scenes are incredibly effective not only for the visceral quality Stewart gives to his monologuing, but also how they set up this compelling conflict that gradually wears down George Bailey due to the power of Potter.

 

Some people say a film is only as good as its villain. Well I disagree but It's a Wonderful Life has a splendid villain in the form of evil incarnate, Barrymore's Mr Potter. He makes for a opponent for George that you both love to hate but also, genuinely fear by seeing how his relentless attempts to control the town for the worse take its toll on George. Barrymore's performance is accentuated by how he never leaves his chair, the whole fates of many of the townsfolk in his hands; it's a compellingly evil turn precisely because there's so little histrionics involves. Potter seems like he could care less about the lives of multitudes, and Capra and Barrymore feed into this by using his character not just as an opposing factor to George, but also one who nearly gets the better of him by being such an unrepentant Scrooge. He and his actions act as obstacles to George both pursuing a better life for himself and his family, and also to go out and discover the world, by constantly causing problems in George's hometown, as the below clip demonstrates in a subtle but affecting manner:

 

These obstacles all build the film up into decidedly darker territories. I'll leave it to you to watch the film itself to pick up on the little hints beforehand but it's just little bits and pieces of George's selflessness and kindness leading him to forsake his dreams that ultimately to cause him, on Christmas night, to contemplate suicide after his Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell in an underrated and perfectly calibrated comic supporting role) loses a large batch of the company's funds, leaving them in severe debt and imminent closure. Stewart in turn helps to build up to this moment by also leaving hints beforehand of a darker side to George by showing how some of the decisions he makes for the benefit of others, aren't necessarily what he wants to do. The scene where this finally all comes out is where Stewart and the film finally unleash this dark energy and it is quite an upsetting scene:

 

I can't find a clip of where he screams and unleashes all his fears and sadness but this build-up scene is equally good at showing just how surprisingly depthful Stewart's performance is here. It's just such attuned, emotionally raw work here that Stewart does that makes his imminent suicide all the more affecting and thus, allows the second half of the film to work as well as it does.

 

Henry Travers' turn as Clarence Oddboy, the guardian angel sent down to help George revisit his world and past sans George, is perfectly placed insofar he comes down quite literally when the film is at its darkest, and enlivens and lightens up the screen by his wonderfully funny and just plain wonderful performance. The above two scenes are not only hilarious but do so well in building such an effective chemistry between the characters of George and Clarence. As they go around town, this brief but incredibly memorable pairing enables Capra to revisit similar territory with an altogether different flavour. George's hometown has become Pottersville in his 'absence' and it's bleak, to say the least. George's eventual choice, therefore, to embrace life once more is made all the more joyous once he realises how important he was to everyone in the town. Capra's careful balancing of the darkest elements of the film (i.e. George's crazed reaction to coming face to face with his wife not recognizing him) with some of its most comforting factors (i.e. Clarence's speeches to George telling him just how essential and loved a person he is) is sublime and helps the film reach its famous conclusion, which, you guessed it, is my favourite all-time ending.

 

It's a beautiful ending. The performance, the music, the embracing of Christmas spirit alongside the walking emobodiment of its greatest virtues; George Bailey's joys at living again are obviously rapturous, but even more so is finally seeing his efforts rewarded by the show of love and joy by his friends, family, and all the community. Idealistic and naïve? Perhaps, but I feel Capra has up to this point built such a wonderfully complex and in-depth exploration of the lighter and darker sides of human nature that his choice to end on such a high note, is well earnt. Plus, the emotional response it elicits is just amazing. Just every little touch in this scene never fails to bring a tear to my eye come 'Auld Lang Sye'. 

 

If there's a film you all should watch tonight, tomorrow, tomorrow night and beyond Christmas, every so often when you feel you're down and the world's against you, check out It's a Wonderful Life. I can't advocate it enough.

The Top 10 Samuel L. Jackson Performances

from esquire.com

 

 

The brilliant Samuel L. Jackson has just had his 67th birthday (crazy, right?), and his most recent foray into Quentin Tarantino territory, The Hateful Eight soon to come out in cinemas, I thought it apt a time as any to look into my top 10 favourite performances by the actor...(P.S. just in case you're wondering where his performance in Jungle Fever is, for the brief portions of that film I managed to sift through he was quite good, and if I ever muster the diligence to watch it in full he will get on this list easily.

 

Hon. Mention: John Shaft in Shaft

 

It's nothing close to a masterpiece but John Singleton's Shaft is a fun enough watch, with enjoyably hammy turns by Christian Bale and Jeffrey Wright as incredibly repulsive villains, and Jackson of course as the badass who saves the day. Definitely one of his simpler performance but out of his action roles, this is easily one of his more entertaining ones.

10. Carl Lee Hailey in A Time to Kill

I have many problems with the film's quality and message but Jackson is definitely not one of them. He plays his strong-willed, protective if somewhat hot-headed father very well and makes him into one of the more dynamic aspects of this rather routine courtroom film.

9. Richmond Valentine in Kingsman: The Secret Service

The film itself was a bit too much of...well, everything, really for my tastes, but one aspect of it I did like a great deal was Samuel L. Jackson's villainous turn with a strong comic bent. I loved his little lisp tic and even though the character was meant to be a bit of a joke, Jackson approaches him with enough conviction to make him both entertainingly cowardly in his fear of blood, but also properly menacing when the situation calls for it.

8. Black in The Sunset Limited

The film itself is a tad bit too heavy-handed, and the whole 'conversations in a room' structure gets a bit tiring after a while, but Jackson's performance as a strongly religious man. Far from his best sort of performance in this sort of role but he does well to avoid clichés and ends up striking a very effective dynamic with Tommy Lee Jones, covering some heavy issues in a very visceral, compelling manner.

7. Zeus Carver in Die Hard with a Vengeance

I think this scene alone demonstrates the excellence of Jackson's comedic turn in this, the third Die Hard instalment. What could've proved just to be an uncomfortably funny or just plain unfunny scene in another person's hands, is made uproarious by Jackson's performance. He's both kind of wimpy and yet so endearing, and has such fantastic chemistry with Willis that it just adds so much to the film, giving us two likable heroes to root for.

6. Coach Carter in Coach Carter

So what if Coach Carter is essentially just a showcase for Samuel L. Jackson motivational speech after Samuel L. Jackson motivational speech? I don't mind it at all since each of them are delivered so fantastically by the man as he makes the real-life story of a coach who required his atheletes to excel both on and off the basketball court so compelling. It's breathtaking how well his disappears into the quiet conviction of Carter, while using his natural charisma to breath into the role such passion and vigour to make this a performance well worth watching.

5. Ordell Robbie in Jackie Brown

In terms of just pure entertainment value, this performance probably tops all of Jackson's filmography. In this second collaboration with Tarantino it's clear the actor was given even more free rein to have as much fun as he pleased in this helluva entertaining villain role. Technically speaking it's a fairly simple character in that he's basically just a casually intense crook trying to tie up loose ends, but boy is it fun to watch him go about doing it. He has great chemistry with almost every cast member he interacts with, with his comic moments with Bridget Fonda, De Niro, and Chris Tucker contrasting well with the more serious menace he parlays into his terrific scenes wit Pam Grier's titular heroine. He makes for a great villain in a severely underrated Tarantino flick.

4. Elijah Price in Unbreakable

imagesdesigntrend.com I won't elaborate anything about this performance except go see it.
Criminally underrated subversion of the superhero genre and Jackson gives one of his most intriguing performances.
Quirky, funny, odd and yet ultimately rather chilling.
No Spoilers.

 

 

 



3. Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction

Well, then, was I really ever going to post any other scene? I mean this is quite possibly one of the most pop culturally relevant movie scenes, ever. I know plenty of people who can recite snippets of this scene off by heart, the testament of Mr. Jackson's impact on the movie world with his star turn here. He has iconic chemistry with John Travolta, is effectively naturalistic with the dialogue, just carries that strong badass presence so easily, and makes his arc from coldblooded killer to reflective pacifist not only realistic but strangely moving. Whenever he's onscreen spouting Tarantino's dialogue, you can't take your eyes off of him.



2. Stephen in Django Unchained

Playing what is effectively a caricature of the Uncle Tom figure of the willingly subservient black house slave, Jackson's performance in Django Unchained is definitely its most underrated factor. His over the top fussy manner and tics are just so uproariously entertaining as he makes Stephen into just the most pathetic, toadying presence and sets him up to be the comic highlight of the film, then in little bits here and there inserts a genuine menace and threat to the character by underpinning these comic follibles with an intelligent, chillingly aloof strategist who has effectively taken over his master Calvin Candie's (Leonardo DiCaprio) household so smoothly and incisively. Whether he's meant to be funny or scary, Jackson nails every aspect of his character so well that the only reservation one could have with this performance is its supporting nature and limited screentime.

1. Lazarus Woods in Black Snake Moan

filmschoolrejects.com

Well here it is. My all-time favourite Samuel L. Jackson performance who plays a Mississippi bluesman who attempts to find salvation for a local nymphomaniac (played brilliantly by Christina Ricci) after finding her beaten by the side of the road. It's such a fascinatingly enigmatic, depthful performance, that really needs an article in itself to fully describe how wonderful Jackson is here. So here are some clips for the time being which showcase the intense passion and talent Jackson infuses into his blues musician with genuine heart and soul, giving his religious beliefs such incredible power and his character's griefs and remorse such a moving quality. He has incredible chemistry with Ricci and manages to turn a questionable, Lolita-esque surface relationship into something genuinely heartrending and even heartwarming despite the sexual subject matter. Each movement made and word spoken, and particularly those powerfuly soulful gazes, add so much to this terrific performance that not even Justin Timberlake's inadequate supporting turn can take away from.

 

 

 





Poem: Baby Steps

Baby Steps

'In my house

what you call jumping,

Is also falling down.'

Is that so?

When you said feelings

Got the better of you

And your blows had meaning

To make me ‘love you true’.

You hide hits with kisses

And sugercoat curses

Your strike never misses

Your words are barbed, merciless

It was five years ago

Since I started taking crap

And allowing abuse.

Well now I refuse.

I’ve done my baby steps,

Now it’s my go.

Time for a new leaf. Leave or I’ll make you.

When you’re falling down

You’re also jumping

The coop

Out of MY house.

Calvin Law

photo credits: http://materreetmonciel.mondoblog.org/2014/12/20/cogne-donc-suis/

Top 20 films of 2015

Some films just haven't stayed with me as strongly as they did upon initial watch (Testament of Youth, Ant-Man, Crimson Peak, Suffragette), though I still like them. Some films I just didn't get the love for (the most recent Mission Impossible). There's also a couple of films like Ted 2 which I thoroughly enjoyed but I know deep down at heart...they're just not very good films. P.S. This list will definitely be quite different to my final 'Oscar selections' as there's a great deal more I will see in early 2016...also I still haven't seen Straight Outta Compton, The Lobster and The Lady in the Van.

20. Steve Jobs

What does hold this lower down the list is (in my humble opinion, of course) Michael Fassbender's lacking lead performance (tell me again why he isn't being nominated for Macbeth anywhere, where he gives a magnificent performance) and just my overall lack of interest in the source material. Steve Jobs' life; is it really that worth retelling again and again and again? These major reservations aside it's a splendidly directed film, with crisp dialogue and pacing and a very good sense of when and where to insert bits and pieces of information, background and style.

19. Paper Towns

Perhaps the two films on this list which have gotten more negative publicity than positive. Still I stand by it. It's far from flawless filmmaking and yes, it is a bit lacking in terms of its supporting cast, but I thought in comparison to the recent trash of The Fault in Our Stars and strings upon strings of inane pseudo-teen films, both these films captured so well just teenagers being their teenaged selves. A bit awkward, hit-and-miss in their funniness, but so realistic in these aspects. It also contains Cara Delevigne in a star making performance.

18. Black Mass

Kind of the opposite of Steve Jobs in some ways. The film as a film itself is rather straightforwardly directed, almost documentary-style with its framing narrative and just the way the sense of Boston is captured with the camera. There's little in the way of directorial innovation but the acting in this film is what makes it superlative. Depp gives a magnificent comeback performance as Whitey Bulger, Joel Edgerton is not far behind as the hot-headed John Connolly, and the likes of Peter Sarasgaard, Rory Cochrane, Jesse Plemons, and especially Julianne Nicholson are excellent too in making this one excellent ensemble, though not quite the best of the year...

17. The Man From U.N.C.L.E

This was just a purely entertaining watch. I thought it made for an excellent time at the cinema because it was so acutely self-aware of what sort of a romp it was going to be, and just milked the whole spy parody trope for all it was worth. Henry Cavill's starting to become a bit underrated as an actor I feel and demonstrated some delicious comic chops here, and Elizabeth Debicki was one snidely scene-chewing presence of the finest sort. There's not much to the plot or really, to the performances, and you could argue it to be purely aesthetic, soulless filmmaking; but oh well, it's fun and great for what it is.

16. Love & Mercy

There's been a surprising amount of love for Paul Dano's performance as young Brian Wilson in this biopic of his life, but there's so much more to the film than just that. It's an understatedly daring move to cast two actors to play such a well-known pop culture figure and segue the narrative in and out of specific spots of time involving them, but it's done so well here by director Bill Pohlad. Dano is fantastic, Cusack is very good too and grows with every re-watch, and if Paul Giamatti is a bit OTT the fabulous Elizabeth Banks makes up for it with quite possibly the most luminous performance of 2015. The unorthodox, yet faithful approach to recreating the creative processes of Wilson + the Beach Boys more than makes up for some of the more jumbled elements of the film like the handling of Eugene Landy.

15. 45 Years

I have to confess, re-watching this very, very recently pushed this film down the list considerably. I still think Tom Courtenay gives a terrific performance but a re-watch did open my eyes up to some of the more caricatured elements to his portrayal of bumbling grief. Nevertheless this is an excellently understated motion picture which through the quietest possible depiction of a shattering marriage, evoked a sort of 21st Century Ordinary People feel.

14. Inside Out

Not much to say about this besides it being yet another solid entry into the Pixar cannon. It's both moving and funny, it hits the right moments in the right places, the script is well-written, and the voice performances were all uniformly good with Richard Kind being particularly good. The low ranking of this list is merely due to how good the next 13 films are. Hold on, folks.

13. Far From the Madding Crowd

There's a gaping black hole of non-charisma, talent and appeal in this film that is Tom Sturridge's infamously poor portrayal of Sergeant Troy. Does it saddle the film down? Not really. Thomas Vinterberg's direction is assured enough with the great performances of the other three central players to place the focus on them and find some very clever ways to get around Sturridge's lacklustre quality of characterization--not since Barry Lyndon has a poor casting choice been so splendidly navigated around with such style. As an adaptation of one of my favourite novels it's far from flawless in terms of fidelity to the text, but in terms of capturing the mood and passion of the source material it's terrific. Alas, though, one will never know what compelled Bathsheba Everdeen to choose a complete mophead like Sturridge's Troy over the dashing Matthias Schoenaerts and the gentlemanly Michael Sheen.

12. Beasts of No Nation

In one of the finest displays of the mentor-protégé cinematic dynamic in recent years, Cary Fukunaga crafts a haunting tale of innocence lost from the eyes of Agu (Abraham Attah) by the horrific actions of a militia led by Idris Elba in a terrifyingly good and just plain terrifying performance as the Commandant. The ending's perhaps a bit rushed and some of the montage scenes go on too long but it's largely one of the most important films of 2015, regardless of your subjective views on it. It paints a visceral, unforgettable portrait of bleak darkness that makes for one oddly compelling journey.

11. Sicario

One of the best thrillers of its sort in recent years, Sicario pulsates with tension and violence from the very start and never really lets go of you. Even a potential sex scene soon becomes ladled with violence of the most disturbing sort. Emily Blunt's badass leading turn has become perhaps the most underrated piece of female acting work in 2015; the prim and propriety of The Devil Wears Prada and The Young Victoria has been eschewed by a sort of blend of her battlegirl image in The Edge of Tomorrow and her more sensitive work in The Adjustment Bureau. Benicio del Toro's compellingly savage and yet oddly sympathetic portrayal of a hitman also just happens to be my win for 2015 Supporting. Go figure.

10. Bridge of Spies

Speilberg does it again. A 140-plus minutes biography which somehow feels so brisk and yet so informative (at least until the last 10 minutes of the film or so) is carried well as just a straightforward cold war thriller by Tom Hank's excellent adaptation of the 'aw shucks' Jimmy Stewart routine to the role of James Donovan, and the interesting story behind the film. What makes it all the more exceptional is an excellent script co-written by the Coen Brothers which always adds in just a modicum of humour to blend in with the thrills, and of course Mark Rylance's magnificent supporting performance which, though brief in screentime, is very large in impact.

9. The End of the Tour

Essentially just a film about two guys talking on tour, this sort of biographical look at David Foster Wallace (a brilliant work of character creation by Jason Segel--who would've thought he had it in him?) through the eyes of Rolling Stones journalist Dave Lipsky (played excellently by Jesse Eisenberg) is a great example of how films about writing don't always have to just centre their conversations about writing, and that films about personal interviews can also develop genuinely captivating relationships. You feel like you've really been drawn into the lives of two people just by their conversations alone, even though they're often relating about things outside of themselves, which is testament to the excellent performances. It's hard to explain how it's so intelligent a film and yet so without pretense about it, but it certainly does that.

8. Mr Holmes

Mr Holmes has its flaws, mostly minor though (i.e. Laura Linney's accent) and the storytelling structure gets a bit muddled at certain points, but none of this detracts from the fact that, overall, this is a very finely made film which depicts an elderly Sherlock Holmes, haunted by his past and searching amidst his waning memory for the clues to solve an unresolved case. Like The End of the Tour it's deceptively complex, and all the better for it. For more detail about Ian McKellen's great performance: http://actorvsactor.blogspot.com/2015/07/head-to-head-sherlock-holmes-part-2.html

7. Ex Machina