Latest screening: Winter's Bone

Winter’s Bone is bleak. There’s no denying that fact. It deals with a young woman in a tough situation in a brutal environment surrounded by unlikeable characters. It is therefore all the more impressive that this is such an engaging and stunning piece of cinema.

Eschewing the sorts of back-water clichés (both in character development, or lack thereof, and plot-points) any Hollywood film would embrace to throw against the heroine Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) Winter’s Bone manages to wring real, believable characters from even its most loathsome of antagonists. Every moment of the film from quiet trekking across a barren landscape to familial pleasures and concerns to moments of disturbing violence, threat and discovery is treated with a sense of absolute truth

Nothing feels false here and there isn’t a performance that lets it down, even the young kids that play Ree’s younger siblings can’t be faulted and Dale Dickey, probably best known as trailer-trash hooker Patty in sitcom My Name Is Earl, pulls off a brilliant job in probably the film’s hardest role – a loathsome bitch matriarchal character who could have, and would have, descended into caricature in most hands.

John Hawkes is equally brilliant as Ree’s uncle Teardrop. His frustrations and fury show in his eyes and despite his slight frame you sense exactly why people in this world might be afraid of and respectful toward him. He is a powder-keg but he has a heart. It is another fine balancing job that could have been overplayed. He could have been a monster yet despite his initially unsympathetic, and at moments appalling, treatment of his niece you understand him and you feel for him. A moment of tension with the local sheriff (Garret Dillahunt) is riveting.

But while surrounded by excellent performances from experienced character actors the film belongs to Jennifer Lawrence. Lawrence was very good in the under-seen (but admittedly only so-so) The Burning Plain but is a revelation here. This is breakout stardom good. Lawrence is virtually never off screen and yet holds you enthralled in her quest and trials that you couldn’t tear your eyes away if you tried. I swear there could have been a seven hour cut of this film and no one would get up to even go to the toilet Lawrence’s performance is so compelling.

It will be interesting to see her as Mystique in the new X-Men movie, playing in a role that makes immersive belief much more difficult, because in Winter’s Bone you never doubt her for a second. If you were told this were a documentary you could believe it. In a just world Lawrence would easily walk away with a slew of Best Actress awards this year but small independent films with no star names have trouble getting attention and so I fear it is a very long shot to the gold. Still noms like that for Melissa Leo in Frozen River mean it’s possible. In fact that film and Wendy & Lucy are good examples of films that if you liked them you are sure to love this. Only, Winter’s Bone is far better a film than either.

Director Debra Granik has delivered on every level. This may well be the best film of the year. It certainly is so far.

***** (5 stars)

Bullock: Oscars & Razzies - how make a speech

I haven’t seen The Blind Side so I can’t comment on Sandra Bullock’s worthiness to win the Oscar Sunday night, but everything about her conduct over the awards weekend justifies it in my book.

Firstly there was the Oscar speech. Easily the best of the night and arguably the best Best Actress acceptance in modern history. It seemed genuine. It had emotion but neither the histrionics of a Halle Berry or a Gwyneth Paltrow nor the forced “look at me emote” of Nicole Kidman. It was funny, from the self deprecating opening of “did I really earn this, or did I just wear y’all down?” to the references. Even when the emotions took over with tributes to her mother she still threw in several funnies and ended on that note too. Often winners evoke the brilliance of their fellow nominees and it is always a hideous, false gush, but not from Bullock, again she seemed genuine and was funny (and thankfully unlike Kate Winslet from last year did remember all of them – she forget Angelina!)

I also like the idea of films like Speed and Demolition Man playing on TV with an “Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock” slogan!

The win also made it a good showing for stars of the 1993 remake of The Vanishing, with both Bullock and Jeff Bridges winning. I bet Kiefer Sutherland and Nancy Travis wish they’d done supporting performances this year.

But ultimately the main reason you have to love her and give her the award is her appearance at and acceptance speech for Worst Actress (for All About Steve) at the Razzie Awards Saturday night – complete with DVD copies of All About Steve for all the members of the audience. She was gracious and hilarious – funnier than she’s been on film in years – and frankly utterly loveable.

This simply demands to be watched:

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/16553/golden-idol-spirit-awards-the-razzies

She’s never been in a position to win an Oscar prior to The Blind Side and she may never be again and so this seems fine. I would have liked Carey Mulligan to win, but I have no doubt given her extraordinary talent that she’ll have many, many more opportunities.

This was a Bullock version of Julia Roberts’ Erin Brockovich win.

Don’t know what the film is like but after her Razzies and Oscars performances I’m glad I’ll be able to revisit Speed 2: Cruise Control and Love Potion #9 with the knowledge I’m watching Oscar-quality acting (sort of!)

Latest screening: Glorious 39

There are two things that have to be said up front about Glorious 39. Firstly it is best seen knowing nothing, and I mean nothing about the story. Don’t read reviews, don’t read synopses, nothing. Total blackout. Just go!

Secondly see it at a cinema if possible to make this more achievable but you must, MUST watch this film straight through in one sitting. No toilet breaks, no taking phone calls, no making a snack. Otherwise the impact will be lost. This is slow burn. At times early on you are not sure where it’s going or indeed if it is that interesting but you need this build to pay off later, and boy does it pay off.

This (while nothing like it in storyline terms and obviously not on the same level of utter genius) is like There Will Be Blood in its necessity to be experienced as a straight sitting film. Everyone I know who couldn’t see beyond the grandiose DDL performance in There Will Be Blood to the carefully constructed majesty of that film where people that saw it on DVD rather than in the cinema. In other words they saw in piece-meal and so the impact was dissipated. That was a film that should leave you reeling, leave you breathless, speechless, stunned. Glorious 39, while not at the heights of There Will Be Blood relies on the same one-sitting requirement in order to have the desired impact.

Don’t short-change it, see it this way (with no story knowledge – I literally knew nothing about it going in other than the cast, director and that it was set in 1939 England) and I am sure you’ll be blown away as I was.

Because of the above I obviously can’t talk about the plot and characters in this review so I will just leave it with my assurance that this turned out to be, after sticking with it, one of the most intriguing, exciting, and stunning films I’ve seen this year. It left me stunned. It is rare than cinema can surprise me in the way this did. It is sadly all to rare to find writing this brilliant any more.

Garai has never been better than she is here. She completely convinces as her character goes from wide-eyed enthusiasm, to paranoid conspiracy theorist, to numbed shock, to battling heroine. A superb performance that I believe can’t be denied regardless of your thoughts on the film. Garai has promised much since taking centre stage in I Capture The Castle some 7 years ago but never has her promise been better realized than here. For me she's a definite Best Actress contender for the BAFTAs.

The film is not without its problems. The slow pace and seeming lack of events in the first hour, while key to later story, may prove insurmountable for many – which is why I insist on the single sitting viewing. The film also takes a misstep in book-ending the film with present day scenes that provide the way into the story in a “tale told” approach that is wholly unnecessary and, in the case of the ending, irritating. The final couple of minutes serves no useful purpose and derails the impact of the film somewhat. A shame when excising these brief scenes would not only not have harmed the picture but would likely have benefitted it – not to mention dropped 5-10 minutes off the run time.

Even so I found this another fine addition to the exciting roster of British films this year. Usually I am a Brit film cynic, always ready (and expectant) to dislike them. But with Looking For Eric, An Education, Moon, Harry Brown, etc the British films actual seem to be the best this year. One of the few I’d rate as high that isn’t British is A Single Man and that boasts both multiple English actors and two British lead characters! A banner year indeed for our little Isle.

Hell, even The Men Who Stare At Goats had the omnipresent BBC Films behind it! They seem to be behind every other movie this year. Possible Brit-awards season contenders from them include also An Education, Bright Star, Fish Tank, The Damned United, Creation, Glorious 39, The Boys Are Back, In The Loop!

Latest screening: Precious

A very good film with a stunning central performance (and some excellent supporting ones too) Precious could well be the "little" movie that makes it big this awards season. It seems almost certain that newcomer Gabourey Sidibe will be nominated for Best Actress - the performance demands it - and also that Mo'Nique will pick up a Best Supporting Actress nod (she's currently considered the favourite, though i'm still giving it to Julianne Moore for A Single Man), but this could easily find itself seriously conpeting in Adapted Screenplay, Director and even Picture categories.

It's not an easy film but curiously it stands out this year in a lighter-weight line-up amongst the strongest contenders. Even those that are dramatic (like A Single Man) don't feel so gruelling, like last year's line-up where even the so called "feel good" film was the often tough going Slumdog Millionaire!

Precious tackles the abuse, both physical and mental, heaped upon an teenager who when given an opportunity in life will try her hardest to improve her situation but approaches most situations with a resigned gloom and a hard attitude because that is what she needs to survive. The film doesn't pull its punches either (well, my understanding of the what's in the book suggests it does a little but then it would likely be unwatchable). There are several brutal scenes that go beyond discomfort for the audience. So not a Sunday-afternoon crowd pleaser then, but a must-see none the less.

Gabourey Sidibe, in her first film, is simply tremendous as Precious. It could be tempting (since it is her first role and so viewers can't be sure) to think, oh well she knows it, she is it, it's not acting it's casting. Having been to a Q&A screening let me assure you it is acting of the best calibre. Sidibe in person is a sunny, smart girl with little seeming in common with the on-screen character. That she so inhabits the character with no training demonstrates how good a performance this is.

Much has been made of Mo'Nique's role as the abusive mother, and she is impressive. But i can't help feeling firstly that this is partly that people expected her casting is such a role and such a film to be stunt-casting (as with the cast's fellow players Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz) and were expecting her to be all wrong in the role. That she is so good (as is Carey for that matter, though Kravitz, while fine, has little to do) almost makes the performance seem even better. Secondly this is one of those gift roles. A superbly written monster. You feel the character created in the writing, the set-ups and shocking dialogue the script provides. I take little away from Mo'Nique, she does deliver the goods, but i feel this is one of those brilliantly written roles that a dozen actresses could have done just as well without missing a beat - much like Viola Davis' role in Doubt last year; a barn-storming scene-stealer that stays with you after the film, but really is it completely the performance or is it mostly the character?

Sidibe brings so much to her role she feels irreplacable. In comparison to Mo'Nique my vote for Supporting Actress this year (Julianne Moore in A Single Man) brings such a depth of character you can palpably feel beyond what's being presented you get a fully formed character that lives and breathes beyond her scenes and, indeed, beyond the story. Mo'Nique is giving her all to what is on the page, there's no doubt, but i get no sense of anything more. Of course the Oscars love a big shouty, unsubtle performance and favour them over delicacy and true character embodiment year after year so Moore will probably lose out (again!) but she shouldn't.

Paula Preston adds some much needed light to the film. She has little to really do beyond empathise and try to help Precious but once she is in the film it becomes more bearable. It doesn't hurt either that Preston much have a pretty good claim on "world's most beautiful woman", she simply is stunning.

Lee Daniels has delivered a thought-provoking and often harrowing film but it goes beyond strong performances and a tough story, Precious is a genuinely compelling film to watch. So often these kinds of films are lost behind a single strong performance (Monster) or get bogged down in their world (A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints) or feel like stunt-casting for a famous face known for alternate fare (Havoc), or are simply too full on to be really watchable (Johnny Mad Dog) - films are to some degree entertainment after all - but Precious, while often difficult to watch, is not a film you regret watching, or feel you wouldn't watch again, and what stays with you from it is so much more than the gruelling abuse episodes.

Precious is every bit as good as last year's Slumdog Millionaire (i would say easily better) and would deserve a Best Picture slot even if we were still done to 5 not 10. The test will be if Daniels can make the five directors. On the strength of what i've seen so far (most everything significant except Nine and Invictus) he deserves it.

Latest screening: An Education

To those of us who have been steadily tracking Carey Mulligan’s career for several years from her small but key, eye-catching supporting role in the BBC’s Bleak House, to a star-making turn in a one-off episode of Doctor Who title Blink (the best Who episode of the modern series) to a blink-and-you’d miss her scene in And When Did You Last See Your Father? right up to a small role in this summer’s Public Enemies as John Dillinger’s wife it comes as no surprise that in her first lead film role she delivers a stunning, assured performance.

For all the good qualities of Lone Scherfig’s An Education, and there are many, it would be nothing without the luminous, brilliant Mulligan at its centre. If her revelatory guest role in Doctor Who was key in catching eyes in Britain then this is her calling card for Hollywood, and given her upcoming projects is surely already proving so. Mulligan is simply sensational here in the role of 16/17 year old Jenny, a high-flying school-girl and Oxford hopeful who gets swept up by the charm and high-living lifestyle of an older man, who her parents are equally taken with, in the early 1960s.

Her performance is so real that you don’t see a false edge. The character doesn’t feel acted but lived, she so embodies the role. You never doubt the character and that is impressive as this is a character that could so easily have come off false. Jenny is at once, incredibly intelligent, self-assured and seemingly wise, yet insecure and unknowingly naïve. She is too young to be an adult but too smart to be seen as a child. As a girl teetering on the brink of womanhood it is simply one of the best and most believable portrayals I’ve seen. She is assured of a BAFTA nomination for actress and should bag an Oscar one too unless there’s a fix going on.

She is ably supported by Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour as her parents. The three have such a genuine rapport together that they feel like a real family. Molina is excellent and deserves supporting attention come awards season. As a conflicted man living in a time on the verge of great change, but from a generation set to be slightly behind the times he is utterly convincing. Molina is a consummate actor but I’m not sure he has ever been as good as here.

Peter Sarsgaard has the tricky role of having to appear both slightly sinister and yet charming and likeable, and manages to pull it off. He can feel a little stilted at times, and I wondered if it he having to get to grips with the accent, but it could easily be read as part of the period setting. That said, it doesn’t play as well alongside the naturalism of Mulligan and Molina.

Cara Seymour compliments Mulligan and Molina as the third point in their failial triangle, and merely on a visual level is smart casting for Mulligan’s mother. Dominic Cooper seems a little unsure of his role in early stages but finds his footing, while the Oxford educated Rosamund Pike enjoys sending up Oxford students and playing an archetypal ditzy blonde – vacant looks abound to great comic effect.

Nick Hornby’s script is as funny, heartfelt and knowing as you would expect from the man responsible for books like High Fidelity, How To Be Good and About A Boy. Here he has found genuine voices for his characters and created a completely convincing world, whether at school, at home or out on the town. The film rushes a little at the end but on the whole the measure of how the script handles each incident and plot point is well paced and smartly thought out.

Scherfig of course deserves praise for realizing these elements on the big screen as well, though I suspect Mulligan and Hornby’s script will be the focus of awards season attention for this film, though a lot depends on the year’s other offerings.

An Education is superbly crafted on every level and as a complete film stands with A Single Man this year as leagues ahead of anything English-language that was on offer in the last awards season.

Smart, funny and genuine a movie as you’ll find this year replete with awards worthy performances, including a star-making turn from Carey Mulligan, you’d be a fool to pass up An Education.

Latest screening: Doubt

I have no doubt that Doubt will feature heavily come the awards nominations. While the film itself may be a long shot - it is another of this year's seemingly unending set of solid films with incredible performances - the four leads are uniformly excellent.

The film manages to avoid the trappings of its stage origins well, a particular surprise given that director John Patrick Shanley is both writer of the screenplay and of the original play, and hasn't directed a film since the painful Joe Versus the Volcano (the Hanks/Ryan collaboration most people conveniently forget!) This may largely be due to typically stunning cinematography by Roger Deakins (presumably the film that prevented his working with the Coens on Burn After Reading). It is an intimate film as necessitated by the play construct though and that is perhaps why the film does not resonate like the performances do.

Much will, and already has, been made of Meryl Streep's performance and rightly so but Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and, in a single but memorable split-scene Viola Davis, all bring their A-game and match her. There is a feeling in Hollywood right now that Streep will take best actress and it would be no bad thing were she to, but i suspect not. Streep, like Hoffman, is typically excellent here but there are other performances this year as good (see my first predictions later today) and this feels like a nomination not a win. Personally for my the performance that really resonated was Adams.

Awards chances: Expect to see Streep and Adams get nominations with possible spots for Hoffman (although with best actor so strongly contested this year i suspect not) and maybe Davis who, despite very limited screen time, makes an impression and supporting actresses worth nominating currently seem few and far between. The screenplay if also likely in the adapted category and Deakins may well find himself short-listed once again. The film is more in doubt, though it is not a strong year so it could do. Director i'd be very surprised.

Latest screening: Changeling

It's very possible that Clint Eastwood is the best director currently working. Consider the recent work: Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Flags Of Our Fathers (which works better on repeat viewings), the superb Letters From Iwo Jima. The man has defined the western with films like Outlaw Josey Wales and Unforgiven, and flips genres with ease. And his next one, Gran Torino, looks great:

http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/grantorino/large.html

This brings us to Changeling - hailed at Cannes but meeting mixed reception in the US. A.O. Scott in the New York Times for instance said of Jolie, "It insists on being redarded as a great performance and may, indeed, be mistaken for one."

I have to disagree with this statement. I think you can apply that to Jolie's (failed) Oscar-bait performance in A Mighty Heart or Halle Berry's cynical turn in Things We Lost In The Fire, but here i found Jolie much more restrained than i had expected. There are scenes when she seems so small, so lost, so frail - Lara Croft! For me this was her best work since Girl Interrupted, once again showing what has so easily been forgotten in the Brangelina, world-adopting image of her in recent times.

Eastwood's economy of filmmaking is again present and while it is true that applied to period settings his style can sometimes appear a little straight-forward and idealised this is after all a film, not a documentary. He and his collaborators create an effective 1920s world, that takes you there rather than feeling like a backlot (the only really grating thing being the use of a period Universal logo at the head of film which is now becoming overdone). It is not Eastwood's best film but it is an admirable one and as usual from Eastwood he has drawn the very best out of both every cast member and the crew.

Awards chances: Excellent. Jolie seems certain for a nomination and must be a good shot at the gold, although Kate Winslet may have something to say about that and Kristin Scott Thomas should figure prominently. Still with a French-language performance winning last year and Winslet potentially having two roles that could both be up and cancel each other out Jolie has a very good chance, and Eastwood has been a dab hand recently at bringing home gold for his actors. Technicals like production design, costume, hair & make-up are all assured at least at nomination level. The film probably wouldn't be in a highly competitive year but no clear winner has emerged from those i've seen so far this year and i suspect Changeling may well feature alongside Revolutionary Road in the five nominees this year.

Will it be Winslet vs Winslet?

The Reader trailer is up and it looks good: http://www.apple.com/trailers/weinstein/thereader/

Winslet is superb in Revolutionary Road and seems sure of a nomination for that. Could she go head-to-head with herself? Seems more than possible off the evidence of this.

For that matter Fiennes is always good and the best thing about The Duchess so perhaps he might fight for two noms too.