Friday 20 February 2015

Oscar Predictions 2015 - Phil's Five Words for Films

OK, so here are my thoughts on which films I think will walk away with the statues at the Oscars 2015. There could be a big 'USA/Brit' swing thing this year, with 'The Imitation Game' & 'Theory' versus the 'Boyhood' & 'Birdman'. It could go either way but I think 'Boyhood', the excellent 'Birdman' and Keaton will win by a beak and if that does happen, then 'Imitation' and 'Theory' will be drastically under represented by the end of the night. The 'production' statues will be dominated by 'The Grand Budapest Hotel', such a large gathering won't go unrecognised.

Best Picture - Boyhood
Best Director - Alejandro G. Inarritu, Birdman
Best Actor - Michael Keaton - Birdman ( 'Theory' close enough 2nd to steal it)
Best Actress - Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Best Supporting Actor - J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress - Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Original Screenplay - Wes Anderson - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Adapted Screenplay - Graham Moore - The Imitation Game
Best Cinematography - Emmanuel Lubezki - Birdman
Best Film Editing  - Boyhood
Best Production Design - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Costume Design - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Visual Effects - Interstellar
Best Makeup and Hairstyling - The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Sound Editing - American Sniper
Best Sound Mixing - Whiplash
Best Original Score - The Theory of Everything
Best Original Song - 'Glory' Selma
Best Animated Feature - How to Train Your Dragon 2
Best Foreign Language Film - Ida

Monday 16 February 2015

X-Men:Days of Future Past - Phil's Five Words for Films

X-Men:Days of Future Past This is a great example of the idea being better than the reality. On paper, a time travelling X-Men film starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Halle Berry and many others, seems like a great idea. Uniting the old and new cast together in one awesome film. However, if the writing is this lazy and incoherent, no amount of special effects and star dust will cover up the holes. The story is all over the place, sudden revelations crowbarred in to provide a workable plot point. Whole histories erased and characters rewritten in the name of a 'reboot'. More time was probably spent writing the cast list than developing a convincing storyline, choosing to go with 'Mutants+Matrix+Terminator'. Done. The two saving graces were

Sunday 15 February 2015

Birdman - Phil's Five Words for Films

Birdman Riggan Thomson ( Keaton ) used to be a cinema star. An actor who played a comic book superhero in blockbuster films. The Birdman. Now, twenty years later, he is staging a risky, Broadway play and searching for acclaim and validation. His mental stability and personal life are falling to pieces and financial pressures and critical reviews may tip him over the edge. Riggan battes himself, his daughter ( Stone ), his fellow actors ( Norton ) and his 'Birdman' past. Apart from the brilliantly intense central performances from Michael Keaton, Emma Stone and Edward Norton, there are three main elements that really standout for me in 'Birdman'. Firstly, the wonderful, jazz-infused score that 'pops' and 'sizzles' throughout, adding to the freestyle weirdness of the script, sometimes encroaching on the perceived reality. The second is the long, sweeping camera shots that weave in and out of the action, continuous image streams that elegantly follow the story and add to the building insanity. You will struggle to find the joins. The third is the soaring use of