Helen Hayes, “The First Lady of the American Theatre”, won her first Oscar for playing Madelon Claudet in The Sin of Madelon Claudet.
The Sin of Madelon Claudet is a very, very, dated film. It’s almost 83 years old (!), and to be honest I find it quite mediocre as a whole. On one hand, I don’t want to judge it for its age, but then again there are some brilliant classics from that era, like It Happened One Night and of course, Gone With the Wind (which is more modern than some of the 50s films even). This movie is intended to be a melodramatic weepie, but with only a mere 1h15mins for its runtime, everything just feels too rushed for its own good. Just imagine that in 20 minutes alone (spoilers ahead, although the story is too predictable to really “spoil”), we get to see how Madelon is settling in her second marriage, how she is implicated for a crime she did not commit, then sentenced to jail for 10 years and released!
Other than that, it is also quite stagey, especially the design of the sets and the way the actors enter and leave the scene.
Thankfully, Helen Hayes enters this movie and elevates it to another level altogether. I haven’t watched a lot of a Helen Hayes’ films, other than Anastasia (1956), in which she (in my opinion) out-acted the Oscar winner of that movie Ingrid Bergman, whom I usually love fyi. I have also watched clips of her second Oscar winning performance in Airport, and from what I gather, she seems to be the kind of actress who can command the screen effortlessly, pretty much like divine Dame Judi Dench.
In The Sin of Madelon Claudet (I really don’t want to type this out anymore), Helen Hayes gives what I consider one of the most natural performance of that era. It’s really remarkable work, especially given how melodramatic the material that she had to work with was. There are really terrific moments throughout her performance that she plays with extreme subtlety. One would the famous child birth scene, where she wished the baby was dead. It’s a really haunting scene, and you could see the exhaustion and pain of the character. What is even more remarkable is how naturally she transits from that depressive state to motherly love when she finally lays her eyes on her son.
There are a few other truly terrific moments that I remember vividly: her fear and desperation when she was arrested, her pain which was seen through her eyes (despite acting cheerful) when she decided not to reveal her identity to her son, and finally when she was a broken down prostitute.
Madelon goes from point A to point F, a naive girl who thinks she’s in love, to a broken down, bitter woman who will do anything for her son. Hayes’ really showed how Madelon’s life had worn her down. It’s a really masterful performance that I feel should be used in acting classes.
As mentioned earlier, the movie’s transition between these different phases of Madelon’s life is very abrupt, and it’s really up to Hayes’ understanding and grasp of the character to not make it seem like different interpretations. For the most part, she succeeds. I always felt that this was the same Madelon I’ve watched right from the beginning. However, the nature of the film did affect the impact of the performance a little as everything happens way too fast. Because of the brevity of each phase, I felt that the performance was held back from being the truly devastating work it could have been.
I also felt that her earlier scenes were bothering on theatrical, like when she was settling into her first marriage with that loser Larry Claudet. It’s not bad, but the acting was a bit obvious there. I just find it a bit funny when the two of them pressed their faces together and looked upwards with that blissful expression.
Still, this is a very very minor issue, and honestly speaking, I have seen much worse from that era. The naturalism from the rest of her performance makes up for it.
All in all, this is a masterful performance (with a few flaws) from a legendary actress who’s a bit forgotten nowadays. It really showed the talent that Helen Hayes had, and I would even say that her naturalism in this role is more well handled some of the modern performances I’ve seen today. 4.5/5.
Five Easy Pieces (1970) tells the story of Bobby (played by Jack Nicholason), a trained concert pianist turned oil rig worker who comes from a musician family, and what happened when he decided to visit his sick father.
In my humble opinion, Five Easy Pieces is a truly fantastic film. I’m this close to calling it a masterpiece. However, I must also admit that it’s not for everyone; there isn’t really a plot and the pace is very slow. In fact, I would say that it is definitely a character study more than anything. But even so, every moment to me is a crucial detail in making the film a masterpiece that it is. For me, the reason why the film works so well is because of how much I could resonate with it. Basically, the film addresses the angst, confusion, identity crisis and feelings of hopelessness among the people of that era. All these feelings are concentrated in the story’s protagonist Bobby. Although he comes from an affluent background, it is very clear that he was never able to fit into his family, and that he never thought highly of their elitist attitudes. Rebellion is basically his way of expressing himself; be it through running away from home, working in an oil rig, sleeping around with women or mistreating his girlfriend Rayette. What I particularly admire about the film was how Bobby’s emotions were subtly conveyed through his interactions with the people around him, and how they defined him as a person. He NEVER ever expresses his feelings directly, and yet they are all so palpable and raw. With his girlfriend, we see him as a, well, truly heartless son of a bitch, and yet there are hints of his guilt towards his mistreatment of her, such as when he decided to take her along to see his family instead of abandoning her. With his sister, we get to see his more tender, albeit distant side. With Catherine (and the rest of his family basically), we get to see why he became the angst-ridden individual that he is, and why he feels so frustrated with the rest of the world. One scene that was really memorable to me was when he played the piano for Catherine, and how he humiliated her by saying that he did not feel anything while playing despite her being truly moved by his playing. Personally, I think Bobby does have a love for music and playing the piano, but what he truly despised was the social status and prestige that people attached to it. His angry outburst against the family’s snobbish friend who was mocking Rayette really spoke volumes about him to me.
I must also add that the reason why the film worked, other than it’s sophisticated characterization of Bobby, is because of Jack Nicholson’s truly incredible performance here, where he received his first Oscar nomination for lead actor. I used to think that Jack Nicholson was more of a movie star than great actor, but that was because I had a very limited knowledge of his movies (only watched Something’s Gotta Give, The Departed, As Good as It Gets). However, as I got to rediscover his earlier works in the 70s, such as Chinatown, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Reds, I really understand why he is (deservedly) considered a legendary actor. To be honest, I find his performance here the best I’ve ever seen (Btw I don’t agree with all of his Oscar wins except maybe Cuckoo’s Nest). It’s an incredibly difficult and complex character that could have been played as a one note bastard. However, even in the earlier scenes he already hints that there’s an underlying sadness and pain that resulted in Bobby adopting his, well, YOLO approach to life. His final (and only) dialogue with his father in the end was one of the best acted scenes I have seen from Nicholson, and that scene alone provides the clarity needed to understand Bobby as a person. He really showed how Bobby’s father was a major influence, and probably a controlling figure, in his past, and how that affected his outlook on life. Like I said, it’s a very complicated character but Nicholson uses raw emotions to characterize Bobby, making it look effortless and realistic while doing so.
Another performance that really stood out was Karen Black’s Oscar nominated role as Rayette. The dumb girlfriend role has always been awards bait, but Black took the role one step further and turned it into heartbreaking gold. Her character is fairly simple; she dreams of breaking out of her current job as a waitress to work as a country singer, and her main goal in life is to love Bobby. It’s impossible to not feel sorry for her when the snobbish lady was mocking her, or when Bobby is treating her like dirt (“Why can’t you be good to me for a change?”).
All in all, it’s a movie that can be quite hard to watch because of its slow pace but it’s a truly fascinating character study of that era and the sentiments of its people. 4.5/5.
It has been a hell period for the past 2 weeks. I basically went back to school everyday, even during the weekends to rush projects. And we stayed till pretty late a couple of times too, like past midnight once. Of course, the school term isn’t over and I still have my finals, and yet the exams seem so trivial in comparison to all these major presentations and group reports submissions. I basically cleared 3 major presentations this week and submitted 2 reports, and yeah, lost a lot of sleep. It wasn’t so much of rushing to meet deadlines since I’m not someone who do things last minute, but the constant anxiety about whether our presentation is going to be fine, and the need to memorise 3 different scripts for 3 different presentations that just kept me tossing and turning in bed. I’ve been having pretty bad headaches too. Yeah. Well, I still have a minor presentation next week and another group report 2 weeks later but things have definitely eased up. A lot. I’m just so happy because I don’t need to GO BACK TO SCHOOL TOMORROW (and this weekend)! Just one day of not needing to smell the SMU corridors makes me so happy.
I know school is supposed to be important, but this right now…is the face of evil.
I was contemplating whether to do a reflection post about school, but I’ve decided to do that when this semester is really over. like with finals over and results released etc. It feels so strange to be talking about life and all after doing all these movie posts. Then again, this blog has always been intended to be an outlet for my insights on life, and since I’m a movie fanatic…well, it basically revolves around that.
Let’s talk about something fun, shall we?
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Please understand that I watched this 3 weeks ago so I’m really writing based on what I can recall.
Doctor Zhivago (1965) tells the love story of a russian doctor (played by Omar Sharif) and the wife of a political activist (played by Julie Christie) during the Bolshevik Revolution.
I’ve read some pretty negative reviews for the movie, and also some genuinely positive ones, who even say that this movie should have won the best picture Oscar over The Sound of Music. On a whole, I really loved the film, but I wouldn’t say that it’s on a masterpiece level and hence “robbed” of that award (The Sound of Music is guilty pleasure). I loved the technical aspects the most actually. I know this sounds silly, but it really made the film such a magnificent and romantic experience (which is understandably what some people hate about it). The score is easily my favourite part. Haha, I never knew that “Somewhere My Love” actually came from this movie! I mean, it’s such an iconic tune that’s frequently used in commercials and yet I never wondered where it came from. Of course, the cinematography is breathtaking as well, especially the shots of Yuri trudging through the snow, which were both harrowing and beautiful at the same time. I think David Lean’s direction was pretty great, although I think his work is Lawrence of Arabia was better. While the overall tone of the film is skewed towards romantic, he really constructed an intense and claustrophobic atmosphere in some scenes, such as when Yuri and his family were cramped into the train, and when he was being interrogated by “Stelnikov”.
The acting was also top-notch. Omar Sharif’s casting is a bit strange since I wouldn’t have considered him “russian looking”, but his acting was really great. Unlike Peter O’ Toole in Lawrence of Arabia, Sharif’s performance is one that mostly reacts to his characer’s circumstances, and yet he managed to say so much about his character with his eyes. It’s a quiet performance, yet everything comes so naturally and subtly from him, pretty much like how his character subtly expresses his views in the poems he wrote. I thought he portrayed the character’s flaws very convincingly as well, like how his infidelity towards his wife was something that happened “naturally” instead of a conscious choice. Julie Christie was also great (a compensation for my not so kind review of her performance in Shampoo). She actually won the Oscar for her performance in Darling the same year, but I thought this performance was equally strong. Her beauty really helped in bringing out the mysterious and alluring qualities of the character, but she also effectively used her emotions to portray Lara’s confusion and self-doubt about how “naive” and “innocent” she really is. (Her expression after the “rape” scene says a lot). The 2 supporting performances that really stood out for me were by Rod Steiger and Tom Courtenay. Tom Courtenay was (deservedly) nominated for his chilling performance as Stelnikov, and I thought he did a fantastic job in showing how the character naturally changed from being a passionate man driven by his ideals to a cold-hearted monster despite his brief screen time. However, it was really Rod Steiger who stuck out as the initially charming Komarovsky who seemed so intelligent and in control of the situation at first, but turned out to be a slimy bastard and loser in the end. I really loved his performance, it was brilliant.
The problem I had with the film is actually pretty much consistent with the criticisms, but I must add that it didn’t bother me as much. I just didn’t find the love story between Yuri and Lara extremely convincing, even though I know it constitutes the second half of the entire film. I believed that the writing played a part…the earlier scenes where they were working today seem to portray them more of as “close friends” rather than lovers, so it made the reunification later seem so strange because they immediately slept together. Yes, I praised their acting but I didn’t find the chemistry between the 2 actors very strong. In fact, I thought the love story between Yuri and his wife Tonya (played excellently by Geraldine Chaplin) was even more subtle, heartbreaking and beautiful.
So overall, Doctor Zhivago is a really grand epic that I wouldn’t mind re-watching despite its long screen time. I think Lawrence of Arabia was still Lean’s better film, but this one was pretty magnificent in its own right. 4.5/5.
**
Performance of the week: Beatrice Straight in Network (1976)
This is something that I’m going to try out. Every week, I’m going to try scouring for some performances (not necessarily Oscar nominated/winners) that were considered iconic and fantastic, but somewhat forgotten. I don’t know how disciplined I will be in maintaining this, but I think it will be fun. 🙂
So today, I will be talking about Beatrice Straight’s Oscar winning performance in the movie Network. Network is a very iconic, and I would even say relevant film in today’s context. It’s damn crazy sometimes, and the dialogue can really go over the top, like the very famous and iconic “I’m mad as hell…!” scene (which some consider off-putting), but I actually think that’s the point of it. It’s meant to be a satire that provides a highly exaggerated and critical portrayal of the power and influence of television. Some of the performances are really brilliant, such as the 2 leading ones by Faye Dunaway and Peter Finch (both Oscar Winning).
At 5 minutes 40 seconds, Straight’s performance is easily the shortest winner of the supporting actress category. I’m not going to go into whether she truly deserved the Oscar or not over Piper Laurie and Jodie Foster, but let me just say that this performance is a true acting master class. She only has one scene of dialogue, but the range of emotions she conveys here is just mind-blowing. The initial disbelief, to the angry outburst (“Then GET OUT!” “I’m your WIFE damn it!”), to the overwhelming pain and sadness (“I hurt, don’t you understand that? I hurt badly!”), and finally when she calms down (“I won’t give you up easily Max”). Just…oh my goodness. All so naturally too, I might add. It was like watching a real human being instead of a scripted character, and the pain unfolding in front of you is so palpable that I’m just blown away. I’ve re-watched this clip many times (it’s basically the bulk of her performance) but it never grows old for me.
Easily one of my favourite winner in this category.
Although everyone has been saying that Leonardo DiCaprio is long overdue for an Oscar, to me, no one is truly overdue as long as the great actress Glenn Close remains Oscarless.
No disrespect to Amy Adams, Julianne Moore and Leonardo DiCaprio, all good actors whom I truly respect and admire.
I’m quite busy nowadays so I don’t have time to do reviews. Latest film I watched was The Elephant Man…I liked it, but I don’t love it. Ok got to go, bye!
Brief Encounter tells the story of Laura (Celia Johnson), a housewife who has a brief affair with a married doctor, played by Trevor Howard.
For a film that is made in the 40s, Brief Encounter feels very fresh and modern. David Lean is known for his epics like Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, but his direction in this simple love story is really outstanding as well. There’s something poetic about the whole mood of the film, and the way the meetings are always set in the train station cafe really brings out the transient nature of the whole relationship. The sound of the train’s whistle serves as a constant reminder of how this relationship is bound not to last, hence making the ending of the film even more heartbreaking. The film is often described as beautiful, and I really think that’s the most apt word for it. It’s really poetic and the flow is very smooth, surrealistic and romantic without being melodramatic or smaltzy. It’s a pretty minimalist film but it manages to construct a dreamy atmosphere thanks to the acting and direction. I especially loved the train shots, because they really represent Laura’s escape from her dull life into this affair, a different world altogether, and the scene in the carriage where she was imagining all the possible happiness she could have with the doctor was pure brilliance. I liked how the transition back to reality in that scene was represented by how “the palm trees change into those pollarded willows by the canal”, because it effectively reminded us (and Laura) that her happiness is short-lived, and that she still has to return to reality, which is her family. That feeling was something I really could resonate with, not that I have affairs or anything of course, but the bitter feeling whenever I know that a joyous occasion is coming to an end. It’s especially obvious how the scenes where Laura is at home feels so ordinary, while the atmosphere instantly changes when she’s with the doctor. And that score! The melancholic piano tune that is interspersed throughout the film really adds to the feeling of doom, reminding you of how this relationship is not going to last.
Celia Johnson gives a truly fantastic, oscar robbed (with all respect to Olivia de Havilland, another favorite of mine) performance as Laura, the housewife. It’s a simple character, but the emotions that the character goes through are complex, such as the ever going conflict in her mind, to the bitter realization in the end that the affair can never last. She successfully contrasts the mere contentment she has living with her husband and family with the exhilaration of being with the doctor. I also liked how she managed to show the flaws of the character, such as when she admitted that the reason why she did not commit suicide had nothing to do with her family. And one must mention how natural and subtle her delivery is, and how her expressive face manages to convey all these emotions, from the emptiness of living with her husband (I love the way she tested to see if he cares about what she’s doing, she really brought out the character’s loneliness), to happiness, and the pure hopefulness, and then to pure despair in the end. Her smile that was reflected in the train window in the imagination scenes really stuck out for me. It’s easily one of the best 40s performances I’ve seen, and I may even like it more that Joan Fontaine in Rebecca (used to be my favorite 40s performance). It’s just heartbreakingly realistic and beautiful, and I find it hard to pick a favorite scene.
Only issue I had was the narration…it was good because of Johnson’s delivery and the emotions she injected in her delivery, but otherwise I thought it was quite unnecessary because of how effectively she already conveyed the emotions through her facial expressions, so there wasn’t really a need for her to list out what she was feeling in her head for us.
It’s a very simple film, and it’s a genre that I’m not crazy about, but I’d make an exception for this one. In fact, I think it’s simplicity makes it even more effective than those sprawling epics about doom affairs, like Out of Africa and The English Patient. Loved it. 4.5/5.
How nice to return to classical films with a great one 😀
Saving Mr Banks tells the story of how Walt Disney managed to convince P.L. Travers to let him adapt her iconic Mary Poppins into a movie. The movie specifically focuses on Travers’ sad childhood and how it impacted her outlook on life.
I didn’t think the movie was as bad as some of the reviews I’ve read actually. It was a decent, enjoyable film that may be no masterpiece, but definitely something that I would be willing to watch to keep myself occupied on a Saturday afternoon. I don’t really have a high opinion of John Lee Hancock as a director, especially after The Blind Side, but I thought this movie was a considerable improvement from that film. Some of the dialogue can get pretty corny, especially by Tom Hanks, but I managed to accept it. It had some sentimentality that feels pretty in your face, but other than that, it managed to keep me intrigued. I mean, Disney movies have alway been all fluff and magic to me, so it’s always fascinating to find out more about what actually goes on behind the scenes. I’m not a fan of Mary Poppins (cynical me found it boring, sorry), but I was very surprised to learn about the inspiration behind her.
The only minor issue I have is pretty much the same as what most people have with the film: the flashbacks are a bit disruptive to the rhythm. To be honest, it feels like 2 different story lines running concurrently, which may have been Hancock’s intention, but whenever they go back to the flashbacks I feel that something is a bit off because the smooth flow of the present day storyline gets cut off a bit abruptly. I would rather that the storyline on Travers’ children was focused in the front part of the film, and that the key flashbacks from her past that are needed to explain her mentality/behavior in the later parts of the film be more succinct so that it doesn’t feel so disruptive to the main storyline. They could have remained as references, I feel, rather than a separate storyline altogether. And to be honest, something about the childhood scenes didn’t really click with me…I can’t really figure out exactly what it is. I think it’s partially because they’re really cliche and sentimental in a forced way, but I think it has also got to do with Collin Farrell’s performance, which I couldn’t really warm up to because the writing for his character wasn’t very strong either. I just couldn’t buy his performance as the loving father who is an alcoholic. In fact, I feel that the tragedy was more effectively communicated through Emma Thompson’s performance and emotions rather than the actual scenes themselves.
Emma Thompson gives a really good performance as P.L.Travers. To be honest, she made the movie watchable for me, and I’d even say she rose above the material that’s given. The movie seems to want to portray her as some one-note grumpy bitch throughout, but Thompson always succeeded in showing a sort of sadness in her eyes that explains her behavior. She handled the development of her character more realistically than her script, which is saying something. A lesser talent would have made the character a caricature, like a typical grumpy lady who suddenly breaks out of her past self and becomes cheerful. I feel that Thompson added many layers to her performance, and she successfully showed how she was haunted by her own past, and how much Mary Poppins really meant to her. In that way, she managed to actually make me sympathise with her character despite her being ultra dislike able.
Tom Hanks was good. He’s doing his charming American man thing AGAIN, but I must add that he managed to tone down the cheesiness by quite a lot as compared to his Forrest Gump days.
I don’t really have much to say about the film because it didn’t leave that much of an impression, but I can safely say that I liked it. It’s flawed, but watchable. I used to think that Emma Thompson was robbed of that nomination, but like I said in my Oscars post Amy Adam’s performance really grew on me. I’d still have nominated Thompson instead though.
Ok, ok…I have been thinking about the future direction of this blog. I still don’t have a plan but a part of me wants one. I’m wondering whether I should start watching more foreign films, or whether I should review Oscar best picture winners, like do a profile for all the best picture nominees for each year and a ranking. On the other hand, another part of me wants to just go by my gut and randomly select a film to watch and review…so I’m conflicted. I’ll think about it but honestly profiling sounds very troublesome haha and I’m lazy…but it’s nice to have some structure too.
Anyway! I’ve had enough of modern films for now. I’m going to head back to watching classical films and some of the other ones. Just a heads up on what are some of the performances and movies I want to review, in no particular order:
1) Brief Encounter (1946)
2) The Sin of Madelon Claudet (1931, very interested in watching more Helen Hayes movies)
3) Doctor Zhivago (1965) – About time
4) The Elephant Man (1980)
5) The Informer (1935)
6) Some Katharine Hepburn movies, especially the ones from the 30s to 40s LOL
7) More Anne Bancroft movies too…maybe like The Pumpkin Eater or ‘night, Mother 8) update: Zorba the Greek (1964) 9) Five Easy Pieces (1970) 10) Nashville (1975)
Yeah, you can see I’m exposing myself to more of David *Lean’s works.
And the unconfirmed list of films that are on my rewatch list, but highly tentative:
1) Gone With The Wind (1939)
2) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)
Ok the rewatch is unlikely to happen, it’s just something I decided on a sudden impulse. :p
Shampoo (1975) tells the story (?) of George Roundy, a hairdresser who sleeps around with his customers, and the supposed “troubles” and “complications” that arise from his promiscuity.
Wow. I’m not going to lie, but this movie is SO INCREDIBLY BORING. To be fair, my expectations were pretty low because the reviews I read were really negative, but you know that I try as much as possible to avoid letting them influence my opinions. Anyway, when I read the synopsis (which pretty much summed up the entire film in one sentence), I wasn’t too excited about it either, but I thought that it was going to be a very trashy, over-the-top film that may not be Oscar worthy (By the way it got 4 Oscar nominations,with 1 win), but entertaining as hell. I mean, movies about shallow people leading shallow lives has never been appealing to me; I feel that the only way to really make them stand out is to go all out to make them over the top, silly and satirical. Well, at least that’s mostly what it was like for The Wolf of Wall Street, which I really enjoyed.
The thing is…there’s nothing happening in this movie. Don’t read on if you intend to watch the film *SPOILER* Ok, Warren Beatty is sleeping around with Goldie Hawn, Julie Christie, Lee Grant (in her Oscar winning role) and disturbingly, Lee Grant’s creepy daughter (I think. It’s strongly implied). Oh then Lee Grant’s husband Jack Warden (in his Oscar nominated role) is cheating on Lee Grant on Julie Christie, who is still trying to seduce Warren Beatty. Or maybe not. Honestly, I don’t care. They then attend this party and of course all the sleeping around naturally revealed itself, with Lee Grant leaving Jack Warden, and Jack Warden proposing to marry Julie Christie even though he saw her having sex with Warren Beatty. Oh, and he still agrees to invest in Warren Beatty’s shop, because he “doesn’t know what’s right or wrong anymore” or something like that…wow…*SPOILER*
I really don’t know what the movie is trying to tell me. It’s very muddled, slow and repetitive. Like you would, you know, think that all those sleeping around would be *ahem* a real sight, but nope. And the dialogue can be problematic in this aspect as well, I know they’re trying to establish George as a wishy washy guy who doesn’t answer questions straight, but after a while I’d rather he just answer the questions that are thrown at him straight away (“Are you gay?” “Does it matter?” blablabla) because it’s really tiring to follow. And…seriously, what’s the point of the whole freaking movie? I mean, I can see that it seems to be criticising George’s behaviour, especially in the ending, but the impact of its message is very very weak due to the lack of character development. I feel like George is still the same person he was at the start of the film. The only effective message it brought across is that these people are empty people with no purpose in their lives, and they’re just bored and sleeping around, but it didn’t need to be so draggy (movie is not even 2 hours). In fact, I don’t even know whether the movie trying to be a comedy (Maybe I have no sense of humour, but I didn’t find any of the scenes particularly funny),or a drama (no emotional tension). I guess the best satires blend both together, but this movie seems to straddle between both, and the final result is half-baked.
The acting is kinda flat in general. It’s a star-studded cast, and I think the actors know this, because they all seem to be coasting on their star power in general. If the cast was some unknown cast instead (with the exact same performances), I’d have just passed it off as a cheap TV movie. Warren Beatty is not my favourite actor, but I think he’s a really great movie star. Ok, I think he’s a decent actor, not fantastic, but quite good. I feel like he was the George Clooney of his time, both of them are decent actors, considered good looking and charismatic, and they like to produce and direct their own films. I’d probably give Beatty the edge in terms of acting, but not much. I really liked his performances in Bonnie and Clyde and Heaven can wait, but I’d also agree with some of the criticisms that he tends to coast on charisma in some of his performances. Like the emotional aspects of his performances are usually very “safe” and good, but not like OMG amazing. Over here, I tell you, he is totally coasting on his appeal. His whole performance and delivery was a bit flat, and frankly, he sounded very bored. Other than the physical appeal, I don’t even think he is trying to turn on the charm he uses in a lot of his other performances, like he’s just “I’m physically sexy, so screw the rest (no pun intended)”. Ok I’m not a girl so I don’t know what they want (but honestly, I doubt girls’ nowadays would be drawn to a guy like that), but without the charm (very important in this case) I honestly find George quite a loser…the way he always seems so lost because he cannot juggle his women, the way he doesn’t answer your questions directly, the way he always fumbles around in his job…
The female performances were slightly better, but I wasn’t crazy about them either. Julie Christie is an actress whom I usually like. I’m not a fan, but I thought she was great in Darling and McCabe & Mrs Miller. I haven’t watched her in Away From Her, but I think that she must have been excellent since there are people saying that she should have won the Oscar over Marion Cotillard’s towering achievement in La vie en Rose. Over here, I thought she gave the weakest performance among the three actresses, although I usually like her more than the rest. She really succumbed to the poor writing and her performance was quite one note. She was basically a bitch throughout. I think she tried to add a few vulnerable moments here and there, but eh, it overall just didn’t quite work for me. It also didn’t help that her character was so freaking illogical, although she could have tried to play it in a “mysterious” and “vulnerable” way instead to at least justify her actions.
I think Lee Grant, and very surprisingly for me, Goldie Hawn gave the best performances. I’m not saying that I’m blown away by either of them, but at least they managed to add some layers to their characters that made them stand out. Goldie Hawn is playing a more serious version of her character in Cactus Flower (she won the Oscar for that performance), and although I frankly don’t get her character, who can be incredibly annoying, she really managed to make me sympathise with her plight at times. The same goes for Lee Grant, who even won her only Oscar here. I actually prefer Goldie Hawn’s work, and I think that she’s quite good as well, but I don’t find her performance particularly outstanding to warrant that win. She has some strong moments, like when she’s accusing Beatty of neglecting her, and her final realisation that she was going to lose both Warden and Beatty to that slutty Julie Christie (loved that mutual death glare LOL). But I think the quality of the writing is just too poor for me to care about her character (could have focused a bit more on her emptiness/loneliness) Ok, I admit that I watched this film out of curiosity for her performance, because I have never watched a movie of hers before. Some people are saying that her win is totally undeserved, while some say that she grows on repeated viewing…but I doubt I’d ever watch this movie again unless I really want to examine her performance again.
Oh, and Jack Warden is good too, but I feel like there’s really nothing much for his character also.
Overall, Shampoo is a rather weak film that I’m really not crazy about. I wouldn’t even say that it is a missed opportunity because the entire premise is just utterly ridiculous. Maybe it was considered relevant and “important” back in 1975, but now it’s just dull. Some mildly entertaining and funny moments here and there, but otherwise underwhelming. 2.5/5.
Ellen Degeneres. Pure awesomeness, my favourite Oscars host ever. She really proves that you can be silly and funny at the same time without all the sex jokes and raunchy humour. Seriously, I LOVED the pizza delivery and the selfie gigs, they were just brilliant!
Anyway, what a year for films and performances! I’m very happy to watch all the films and performances this year, and it’s a great end to celebrating them.
So it’s time for my simple, humble opinions on some of the major categories this year.
Best Picture: What a great lineup! My top 2 are masterpieces, but the rest are great too. In fact, some of them would have made very worthy winners in the other years. Only one didn’t fare so well with me, but I was entertained by it, so no issues there! You know it’s a great year when you are fine with the winner even if it is not your pick. It’s one of the rare few times (the other 2 being last year and 2007) I watch all the nominees because they all seem so interesting. And they are! In fact, even though I loved last year for the overall originality and uniqueness of the films (Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook), I’d actually give this year the edge in terms of quality.
1) Gravity (5/5): I’m not going to go into why this film resonated so well with me. It pushed me to go on during a stressful school period, but objectively speaking, a human drama set in space that is not science fiction? What a marvellous concept! Of course, it’s understandably not loved by everyone and has its share of haters, but I’m not one of them. LOVED IT. I have no issues with some of the imagery and metaphors employed, it didn’t feel as pretentious as some other films (in fact I thought they were outstanding).
2) 12 Years a Slave (5/5): Very deserving winner. Bravo!
3) Philomena (4/5): Ok fine, it was really the element of unexpected surprise that influenced my judgement here. Probably swap it with The Wolf of Wall Street after the surprise dies off.
4) The Wolf of Wall Street (4/5)
5) Nebraska (4/5)
6) Her (4/5): It’s a great film, I’m just not particularly crazy about it.
7) Dallas Buyers Club (4/5)
8) Captain Phillips (4/5): I’m a bit less enthusiastic about it now, but it’s still a solid thriller with very good performances.
9) American Hustle (3/5): The more I think about it, the more annoyed I get. It could have been a BRILLIANT film, but instead it turned out to have some really some missed opportunities, like with uneven storytelling, pointless character arcs and standard acting. Still, it’s a good and entertaining piece that I liked for what it is.
Best Director: Not really going to go into details here. 2 outstanding works that are deserving, 2 great (yes, even Alexander Payne), and 1 okay.
1) Alfonso Cuarón
2) Steve McQueen
3) Martin Scorsese
4) Alexander Payne
5) David O. Russell
Best Supporting Actress: This wasn’t an outstanding line-up, but far from horrible. The performances didn’t really jump out at me. My winner is probably the least popular, but I don’t really care; she made me laugh out loud, and she moved me at the same time, despite her rather shaky lines (not her fault of course). Nyong’o and Lawrence cancelled each other out for me. Jennifer plays the kind of role and performance that I personally love (guilty pleasure): the crazily funny wife/mistress with vulnerable moments (Hello, Penelope Cruz). However, her performance was a bit shaky. Like I said, she did seem a little lost at times and her first scene was quite overacted at times. But she had some really, really strong moments that I’m not going to deny, like the microwave (Yeah, yeah, I loved it, so what) and the “I don’t like change”. Lupita, on the other hand, gave an incredibly haunting performance, and I really can see that she elevated the material. Unfortunately, her role is just waaaay too limited to impress me. She felt a bit like a plot device to me, rather than a character. It didn’t even have to be exceedingly complex; maybe just focus a little bit more on her naivety, or something simple about her personality (other than making it entirely about her suffering) that can make us love her even more and feel strongly for her. I really felt she was overshadowed by her strong film and Ejiofor’s performance. Still, I have zero issues with her win, and her recent Ellen interview just made me root for her even more. One can see that she is a beautiful (that face! that body! that dress!) and very talented actress (to make such a strong impact with only 2 scenes of dialogue? Wow!) with an awesome personality that I really love. So eloquent too. I hope that this win would propel her to juicy and complex roles that can blow us away.
1) June Squibb in Nebraska (4/5)
2) Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle(3.5/5)
3) Lupita Nyong’o in 12 Years a Slave (3.5/5)
4) Julia Roberts in August: Osage County (3.5/5): I really struggled with her placement. She was once my pick, then my second and now my fourth. And it’s probably going to continue jumping around. I can see the issues that people have with her: She really brought out the bitterness of the character, and I felt her. But I think there were other aspects that can be explored too, other than the fact that she’s a bitter woman with a whacked out family. Still, it’s a good, solid performance.
5) Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine (3/5): Eh, her performance is really true to its name: she was there to support the development of the main character and the plot. Still, her last scene was very strong, especially the “I’m like this, because you married the biggest loser of all” line (or something like that). I know I am very unfair, but Kim Hunter’s outstanding work in Streetcar has totally distorted my judgement. I also felt that the tension between her and Blanchett was a bit lacking.
Omissions: Margot Robbie in The Wolf of Wall Street, and I guess Amy Adams in Her although I’m not crazy about her work there. Update: Sarah Paulson in 12 Years a Slave
Best supporting actor: With Jared Leto being one of my favourites winners in this category ever, I now have no complains. Michael Fassbender would have been very worthy in another year.
1) Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club (5/5): Nuff said.
2) Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave (4.5/5): Although I prefer complex and evil geniuses, he really bought all he could to this role and made it very chilling.
3) Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips: (4/5): I liked him a bit more than I initially did. Some people have said that his acting is amateurish, but I think we tend to forget that even if that is true (guy never acted before), it really fitted his character and brought out the traits: an uneducated, simple Somali pirate who only has a simple goal of robbing the ship. He even added extra layers to the character. I try to imagine how calculated a trained actor would be, trying to portray the simple and educated aspects of the character. I even think that it’s remarkable how he added the extra layers to the character.
4) Jonah Hill in The Wolf of Wall Street (3/5): He was appropriately disgusting and funny in his movie, and didn’t come off as annoying as number 5.
5) Bradley Cooper in American Hustle (2.5/5): Even if I managed to convince myself that the character is supposed to be very annoying (which I disagree, look at how Hill balances the obnoxious and the annoying aspects), I just couldn’t buy that he was from the FBI. I mean really? He was so…coked up. Still, a good effort I guess, and I’d also blame the writing.
Omissions: Stacy Keach in Nebraska, Jeremy Renner in American Hustle, haven’t seen Matthew Mcconaughey in Mud.
Best actress: It’s a really strong category, even better than last year (which I loved for its uniqueness, rather than the quality of the acting). I usually go for brilliant, complex roles, but I decided this time to follow my heart and go for the emotionally transformational one. But I have no issues with Cate Blanchett winning, that performance is a masterpiece.
1) Sandra Bullock in Gravity (5/5): *Ducks for cover* From the initial quiet pain about her personal tragedy, to the giving up of hope, to finding hope, to the ending…I don’t care, I loved her perfomance. It’s one of the rare few times where the performer doesn’t get overshadowed by her fantastic film (what I feel a little about Kate Winslet in Titanic), and it’s also one of the rare few times I am actually impressed with the physical aspects of the performance.
2) Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine (5/5): What happens when Blanche Dubois comes to the modern world? Voila, you get Cate Blanchett as Jasmine French, a performance that is so masterfully complex, brilliantly calculated, and highly original without feeling like a rip-off of a legendary performance. One of the best winners in recent years.
3) Judi Dench in Philomena (4.5/5): It’s the kind of ordinary, non-flashy performance that people think that a nomination is enough…but not me! I think this is a very strong, I daresay powerful performance by one of the greatest actresses ever. Even a “typical” Judi Dench performance is at least “very good”, so go figure.
4) Meryl Streep in August: Osage County (4/5): While I am a hardcore Meryl Streep worshipper, I have to admit that her acting style isn’t one of my favourites (Focusing on technicals, mannerisms and accents). Still, Marvellous Meryl can always turn the most unlikely roles that don’t fit her into something gold. A few overdone mannerims, or Meryl-isms, but still a strong and at times heartbreaking performance by this great actress.
5) Amy Adams in American Hustle (4/5): She actually grew on me. Honestly, it’s not a bad performance at all, and sometimes I even feel that she is the only one (and Bale) among the cast making a conscientious effort to do some serious acting, to create a character. Unfortunately, her movie’s writing made her seem sooooo pointless! Like when I’m watching her scenes, I feel like I’m watching a separate movie altogether: The life of Sydney Prosser, or Lady Edith, and her adventures with one of the stupidest FBI agents on screen. Her shaky accent didn’t bother me: I think the woman was never the master (yeah, I had to reference that role) that she thought she was, and for a con artist she is especially full of insecurities and confidence issues. Amy depicted all these very well. Personally, I’d have loved it if she attacked the role like Sharon Stone in Casino and went full throttle with the over-the-topness, but her approach is good, probably better than what I suggested (guilty pleasure).
Omissions: Emma Thompson in Saving Mr Banks (Over Amy Adams), and Zhang Ziyi in The Grandmaster, cause why not? She was great in that film. Update: Adele Exarchopoulos in Blue is the Warmest Colour, my personal pick.
Best actor: Considered one of the strongest set of nominees ever, and I’d agree. ALL of the performances are solid, and the first 4 would have made worthy very winners, especially in years like 2009 & 2010 (with no disrespect for Mr Firth and Mr Bridges intended).
1) Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club (5/5): The rebellious side in me wanted to go for DiCarprio, but honestly, even I can’t deny that this is one of the most powerful and complex portrayals ever. Very deserving.
2) Leonardo DiCarprio in The Wolf of Wall Street (5/5): Honestly, I usually hate such performances (very shallow character), but DiCarprio managed to depict the rise and fall of this master douche in such a masterfully hilarious fashion that I loved it. I wished such performances get recognised more often. It is a very demanding role, I think. How do you prevent yourself from overdoing it? Well, watch him here.
3) Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave (4.5/5): Like Judi Dench, he’s given a somewhat simple character, but he added so many layers and pure, honest emotions to it that the result is a masterpiece. Bordering on 5, and in fact, I might just give him a full 5 for that last scene alone.
4) Bruce Dern in Nebraska (4.5/5): He was not just an old man playing an old man, seriously.
5) Christian Bale in American Hustle (4/5): It’s good on its own, it just pales in comparison to the other nominees.
Omissions: Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips, Joaquin Phoenix in Her, Daniel Bruhl in Rush (it’s a leading performance, please!)
That’s all! Feel free to agree, disagree and declare that I have no tastes in movie, I don’t care. My opinions are harmless!
Philomena tells the story of Martin Sixsmith, a journalist who helps a woman search for her son after he was taken away from her back when she was living in a convent.
What a surprise! This was the best picture nominee that basically had zero buzz (even Nebraska had some), but I found myself loving it much more than people say. I really enjoyed it, and I’d even rank it above a couple of the more well known films. The story is very simple, yet extremely beautiful. And all those beautiful shots of the scenery…wow. I’ll have to admit that there’s nothing overly special technically, but it is more all of the emotional and visual beauty of the film that got me hooked. There was not a single moment where I was bored, and I always wanted to find out more.
I have heard some people complain about the humor being very forced but I have no issue with it…to be honest, I felt like the real humor came from the fact that the jokes cracked by Sixsmith weren’t particularly funny. The palpable awkwardness as he tried to make some funny/witty remarks but
no one understood/gave a shit, was where I thought the humour was actually. Of course, it doesn’t make you laugh out loud, but just enough to smile to yourself, which I liked a lot.
The only controversial point was that of the evil nuns, which even took me by surprise when I watched it. Well, thanks a lot, The Sound of Music for your portrayal of saintly nuns. I don’t really have an opinion though because I’m a free thinker myself so I’m not particularly offended or anything…I just think it’s interesting.
The direction is nothing out of the ordinary, but it was good. I might even have even have nominated Frears over David O.Russell, but I think I’m saying this because of my rather strong dislike for American Hustle. Like I said, I have no issue with the tone of the film; it was very relaxing, charming and entertaining to watch. The pacing was just fine too, and the overall style wasn’t too quirky or forced.
Some people have mentioned Dame Judi Dench’s performance being affected by the “humour” but I have no issue at all. In a way, she reminded me of my grandma, the whole rattling on and on about her favorite book/tv, the slightly eccentric behavior and her slightly naive/simplistic thinking, like when she gets all excited by the superb service and “nice people”. Honestly, when she was talking about the novel I was instantly reminded about how my grandma talks about her tv soap operas, and how she discusses the characters and villains etc…
How I love, love, love Dame Judi Dench! She might be even be the favorite of what I term the “holy trinity of actress dames”, namely Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren. I have actually heard some people saying that she plays herself over and over again/uses the same mannerisms, but I must add that this argument can be applied to a lot of the greats. In my opinion, a lot of the legendary actors have the same acting style/mannerisms in a lot of their performances, just observe Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and especially Jack Nicholson. The true brilliance lies in how they fit their styles and mannerisms into the performances and create a truly original character (usually through emotional depth). Or maybe I’m just lenient, but I never felt the need to see what style the actors employ, as long as they make their performances work. Anyway, the same can be said about Judi Dench. Yes, she does have the same emotional quality and delivery in a lot of her performances, but her characterization is fantastic. Honestly, she can be in a role as limited as her Oscar winning one in Shakespeare in Love, or My Week with Marilyn, but still add so many tiny nuances and details in her performance and reveal the different layers of her character so well that they still leave somewhat of an impression. And what’s even more remarkable is that she makes them look some easy and natural, like the acting brilliance just flows out of her naturally. I’m sorry if I’m rattling on, but I just get giddy with excitement when I discuss brilliant actresses (look at my Glenn Close post).
I absolutely, absolutely loved Dame Judi’s performance here. I’m very very surprised at how little it is discussed. In her way, her character reminds me of Frances Mcdormand in Fargo (I know it’s an odd comparison). They have a very simplistic outlook of what they want in life and from others. They’re eccentric, guided by their simple ideals, and they just cannot understand the cruelty and bitterness about the world. Things like that make them sad, which is why Philomena chooses to forgive and understand things from the perspectives of others. Dame Judi’s performance is very tricky. Like in a lot of her other performances, she very effortlessly portrays Philomena as a simple woman, but adds all these emotional layers to her, like her guilt, her sadness, her simple happiness at the kindness of the service staff, her disappointment in Sixsmith’s behavior, and her rather unusual openness in discussing sex and homosexuality. I love how she can depict all these emotions very naturally without pulling the weird old lady card. Just like the breakfast scene: she could be excitedly talking about pancakes in one second (she really reminds me of how my grandma gets excited when she sees things like that) and then breaking all our hearts by bursting into tears upon hearing the bad news. Or the confession scene, where she basically had no lines but you could see the conflicting emotions and despair in her face.
To me, Dame Judi MADE Philomena the delightful but moving film that it is. I’m very very happy that I chose to ignore the critics and watch the film because I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m admittedly a bit over enthusiastic, but it’s really because I didn’t expect myself to enjoy the movie so much. A very good 4/5 (better than the other 4/5 films that I’ve watched)
P.s. By the way, how can anyone watch Notes on a scandal (her BEST performance) and Philomena and say that she plays the same role over and over again?
12 Years a Slave tells the harrowing true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man who is abducted, seperated from his family and sold into slavery.
I have been very, very hesitant to watch this film because of the subject matter. When I read the synopsis I was instantly reminded of a particular film called Schindler’s List which basically landed me in depression after I watched it. However, while 12 Years a Slave is indeed a very difficult film to watch, it is really a masterpiece in its own right.
One thing particularly admirable about the film is its direction by Steve McQueen. The atmosphere of the film is very natural, if that’s the right word for it. I don’t really know how to describe it, it’s like the intense moments and the emotional moments come and go very naturally without feeling manipulative or forced. For instance, the scene where Solomon gets confronted by Epps for writing a letter was a real heart stopping moment for me, even though it didn’t have any heart-thumping music or special editing. Same goes for the ending: so few lines, yet so quietly heartbreaking. I feel that McQueen made the right choice in telling the story in the most straightforward and honest fashion, because it made the message of the film even clearer and effective. There’s this simplicity in the storytelling, from the dialogue to the creation of the characters, that presents everything clearly and leave it for you to judge. The film never shoves its powerful message down your throat like some other films (*coughs* The Butler) but its truly brilliant.
The only small issue I had was with the scenes with Brad Pitt. They were crucial but for some reason they always seem to disrupt the rhythm a little bit for me. I don’t really know what’s the problem, it could be the lines or Pitt’s delivery, but they just seem preachy and self-righteous, even though you know that what his character says is true. It didn’t help that Fassbender out-acted him. But it’s just a minor issue that didn’t affect me too much.
While the film is indeed hard to watch, I must also add that there is something uplifting about it. I think that really lies with Chiwetel Ejiofor’s highly heartbreaking performance as Solomon. While his character is basically in one of the worst situations that could ever happen to anybody, he really showed the inner strength and determination of Solomon to resist the horrendous treatment of the slave masters. He also effectively showed how Solomon was still trying to cling on to the hope to break free, even when he’s close to giving up. Usually, lesser actors would have made such characters seem pathetic and annoying (to me), like you just want to scream at them for being so stupid and worsening their own suffering . Just watch those Korean melodramas and you’ll get what I mean. Ejiofor, however, made the character’s actions understandable, and in a way you can feel that he is a smart man which makes you root for him. You just get this gleeful satisfaction when you see him whipping Paul Dano (whose performance is better than expected), even though he paid for his actions severely. I admired how he did not reduce Northup to a pathetic, hopeless character, but one who knows how to adapt according to the situation in order to survive.
I’m going to be thrashed for this, but I don’t really get the hype for Lupita Nyong’o’s performance. It’s not so much about the brevity of the part; after all, Beatrice Straight and Viola Davis showed so much emotions in Network and Doubt that they were able to blow me away with their nominated performances, even though they were both less than 10 minutes. It could be me too, I was never a fan of those performances where the character suffers, suffers, and suffers and basically there’s nothing else you know about her. I feel like these performances are out to guilt-trip you, like people will say that if you don’t like them it means that you are a heartless monster, and therefore you are obligated to love them. I find this a very unfair accusation to be honest, I’m not denying that I feel extremely sympathetic Patsey’s situation and that she is one of the most tragic characters in the film. Same goes for Fantine in Les Miserables. I’m just saying that in terms of acting, there’s really too little for Nyong’o to do because of the simplicity of the role. I’m even surprised at how few lines she has. But other than that, I’m not saying her performance is bad at all, in fact she really managed to shine in her scenes and she has her share in making the whipping scene haunting. It’s just that considering all the awards hype surrounding her work, I honestly thought that this was a performance that was going to showcase her emotional range as an actress. It doesn’t even have to be an exceedingly complex and tragic role like Blanche Dubois. Ejiofor’s performance isn’t the most complex ever, and yet the simple layers he added to the role made his performance so effective.
Buuuut…I did like how she avoided the manipulative, over dramatic “GIVE ME AN OSCAR!” approach that Hathaway used in her performance. That was the ultimate guilt-trip performance of all time, I tell you. Nyong’o was very good in her limited part and in a way, she was effectively haunting. Yet I’d say that it’s more because of the character’s situation, which really sucks.
Still…having said all of the above, I have to admit that I have no issue with her winning the Oscar. Her campaign is really, really effective and she presented herself in such a likeable and professional manner (her speeches are wonderful) that I was actually rooting for her even before I watched the film LOL. I feel very hypocritical to be honest…in the past, I’ve said that I will never use awards hype to judge a performance, because I find myself going down this invisible checklist in my head (Crying scene? Check. Emotional complexity? Check) and yet that’s what I’m doing to her work here. But I tend to find myself liking the performances more after awards season, where you have the time to really appreciate the performance for what it is rather than pitting it against the others, so I hope her work here will fare better with me in the long run. Kinda like how I feel towards Glenn Close in Albert Nobbs.
Michael Fassbender’s performance was much more effective, but I wasn’t really crazy about him either. Like with Nyong’o, that invisible checklist is affecting my appreciation of this performance. I prefer complex villain roles, such as Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, or even Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men. Epps is a very simple, stupid but brutal man, and this is very excellently portrayed by Fassbender. He was naturally menacing in some his roles, and the way he portrayed the coarse and barbaric nature of the man never feels hammy or overacted. Michael Fassbender is a great actor, but for me, no one is even close to Leto’s naturally tragic, heartbreaking and complex performance in Dallas Buyers Club.
To conclude, 12 Years a Slave is a really fantastic achievement with a few minor flaws that didn’t bother me too much. While it was hard to watch, I think I wouldn’t even mind re-watching it. 5/5.
p.s. I need to give a shout-out to Sarah Paulson, whose performance I feel was worthier of the recognition. She showed how evil the woman can be, and yet you can still feel her insecurities and jealousy.
Filmfreak! 