The Paperboy (2012) dir. Lee Daniels

The Paperboy centres around the character of Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack) who is in prison, accused of committing murder. Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman) who has a ‘thing’ for prison men, exchanges letters with him, and believing he is innocent seeks help from the paperboys (newspaper journalists): Ward Jansen (Matthew McConaughey) and Yardley (David Oyelowo), with Ward’s little brother Jack Jansen (Zac Efron) watching through naïve goggles and often taking part in the search for the truth. It’s narrated by Anita (Macy Gray) the Jansen family maid, in the form of her recalling the events to another reporter, so it’s kind of meta-journalistic. It’s not really a free-the-guilty-man story though; it’s much more than that, with each character having their own effed up issues. The portrayals of these issues (sex, violence, bizarreness) have been criticised (with people saying it’s too much, too graphic, unnecessary etc), as has the fact that the film is such a big mess with things going all over the place.

I agree it’s a mess, both content-wise and structure-wise, but I disagree with all the criticism. I don’t think anything has been portrayed just for the hell of it or to purposely gross us out. The common thread to their issues is the subject of ‘repression’. Sex-obsessed (misunderstanding it for love?) Charlotte gets a kick out of the repressed sexual desires of prison men who express their yearnings in letters. I don’t want to give anything about Ward’s character away but he also faces a repression, by the time and setting (1969 Florida), and this affects the way he views himself. Jack has an Oedipal passion for Charlotte, and his unfulfillment despite being at a sexually ripening young age is unbearable. All of this has been brilliantly transmitted in the form of the unbearable heat and oozing sweat, constantly on the surface. Once things start to get unleashed, both literally and metaphorically, drama results and truths are discovered. If finding the true killer was the primary goal, indeed they find him, in his truest form.

The film is extremely engaging and memorable. It’s one hell of a feast, so if you’re a light eater don’t see it. I like feasts as long as there’s both quantity and quality, and this film has both. It’s not superficial, it’s a montage of human desires, repressed and liberated. It's meta-journalistic (recollection of a recollection) so structure-wise it would be a bit 'messy'. The cinematography is good, and the performances are absolutely fantastic with all the actors very far out of their comfort zones. Had I seen this last year (it only recently opened in UK cinemas) it would certainly have been in my top 10 of 2012.

Wes Anderson Films Ranked

Ranked from worst to best. Diving straight in:

7) The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

After finding his feet with ‘Bottle Rocket’ and achieving his unique and would-go-on-to-become-iconic style with ‘Rushmore’, Anderson went overboard. I’m generally a fan of Anderson’s films and will usually back them when people say they’re pretentious, but not on this occasion. It actually is a pretentious and over-stylised mess of a film, as he seems to have spent far too much time making the caricature characters as quirky as possible and hiring a line up of stars to portray them. I was able to feel a slight, *slight* bit of sympathy for the character of Richie, but elsewhere there was no emotional connection and believability whatsoever. Ultimately at the end of the film I felt hollow. It’s baffling because a lot of people seem to like this film, some calling it his best work.

6) Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

I’m not the most well watched person when it comes to animation so I can’t really comment on how original I felt it to be in that respect, but it was certainly fun to see Wes Anderson auteurism in the form of an animation, and spot the voicing actors as they were introduced (the voices were perfect by the way). However, there wasn’t very much of the original Roald Dahl story left, both in terms of content and style. There was not really any genuine warmth which the original story offered, there was just dark humour, sarcastic wit… things which I like, but wish he hadn’t stuffed into this adaptation. I'm assuming the film's also marketed for kids - not sure they'd react well to some of the stuff. Pulling myself away from that issue, there were moments of excellent dialogue, I enjoyed the characters and their developments (except for ‘Rat’ who I wanted to see more of), the production design was gorgeous and mise-en-scene incredibly detailed, and the overall experience was somewhat enjoyable.

5) Bottle Rocket (1996)

A great starting point for Wes Anderson. Either because he was still finding his feet or because of the low budget, we see the plot and characters stripped-down in its bareness. Without the fancy stuff (though we do get a glimpse of his trademark shots). The dialogue is awesome (really awesome) and the intentions of these characters are very much out there for their ages but there is warmth, there is connection, there is a sweetness. As a wannabe screenwriter this film is a delight to watch - it’s like a step by step guide to making a perfectly structured film with perfect character arcs. Incredibly good writing. Overall a very enjoyable experience with great performances by the Wilson brothers.

4) The Darjeeling Limited (+ Hotel Chevalier) (2007)

A lot of people seem to think this is his most pretentious film, and while it's true that at the end we don’t really feel any completion and may think well what was the point in that?, this film actually is a guilty pleasure of mine. I admire Anderson’s attempt to cram the world into this train, as opposed to take the train out into the world which is what one would normally assume. The outside isn’t really important, that’s why there wasn’t much effort to really show you enough of India, let alone an accurate India. Pretentious or not, I really enjoyed this film, personally I loved the dialogue (as always), especially that long scene in the train restaurant (?) towards the beginning, the three of them and the two German women. By the end of that scene I had so much hope for the film, was engaged, and I wasn’t let down.

3) Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

I felt detached from the non-protagonist characters (all of them except for the 2 kids) so it lessens the ensemble feel which Anderson’s films tend to have, but as I took it as sort of nostalgic, melancholic, child’s POV film, there was no harm done. You accept that they are in control, and the adults are portrayed as powerless and stupid. And it’s charming to have so many stars play the adult characters as that itself gives the characters a sense of presence and meaning. I felt transported to another world, both geographically and POV wise. There’s no tediousness, no pretentiousness at all (I think), and if I watched all of Anderson’s films back to back this would feel the most like a breath of fresh air. Act 3 is a bit weak, but that was the only disappointment. He uses the camera very well, and the actors very well. Thoroughly enjoyable and engaging.

2) The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Contrary to the many people saying the film started off well but declined, for me the film got better and better. During the first half I thought it was incredibly pretentious, and the protagonist isn’t likeable at all so difficult to connect to, but slowly I began to like how unlikeable he was, as weird as that sounds. A bit like Jane, the reporter played by Cate Blanchett (very interesting to see her in a Wes Anderson film), who was always going to write an absolutely terrible report but by the end, in that excellent scene, squashed together with the rest of the crew, kind of accepting it all, I did that too. I was genuinely moved by the father-son dynamic, and by the end I felt incredibly satisfied. Hats off to Bill Murray who did a fantastic job with that character. He not only spoke his lines but spoke with his expressions and mannerisms, perfectly done. And I loved Klaus! Everything scene with Klaus was hilarious.

1) Rushmore (1998)

THE best Wes Anderson film. Just as the wonderfully written, fabulously acted, unlikeable but loveable at the same time, incredibly charismatic Max Fischer struggles with the real world, Wes Anderson flings himself at the real world. You’re taken for an entertaining and hilarious ride, but he never crosses the line into being pretentious or overly stylish like his later films may or may not do. You’re pulled into it because the characters aren’t just absurd, they’re believable. And it’s consistent throughout. One of my to-go films when I just can't be asked.

Side Effects (2013) dir. Steven Soderbergh

“It's like this poisonous fog bank rolling in on my mind."

In a nutshell, ‘Side Effects’ is about 28 year old Emily (Rooney Mara) dealing with her depression. Her husband Martin (Channing Tatum) is released from prison having been in there for 4 years, but this added responsibility on her shoulders does no good for her mental health and she drives her car into a wall. She starts to see a psychiatrist, Dr. Banks (Jude Law), who prescribes her a number of anti-depressants which all seem ineffective. Seeking advice from Emily’s previous psychiatrist Dr. Siebert (Catherine Zeta-Jones) he prescribes a new experimental anti-depressant called Ablixa. Instantly it begins to work; however there are some odd side effects, and the rest I should probably not say.

Having read and listened to a bunch of reviews and interviews before seeing it, I knew that there were going to be a lot of twists and turns. Despite my determination to spot things beforehand, of course I was still taken back by surprise. It not so much ‘tricks’ you but demonstrates the power and control of the mighty camera. It picks out the important things for you but also presents falsities and red herrings right into our faces, ‘locking’ us in. So trying to spot things really does you no good. The music by Thomas Newman illustrates just how sinister the situation is and what’s lying underneath, still to come. The idea of the story may not be entirely new and original, but it’s certainly a very well made film with excellent cinematography and great performances. Rooney Mara very convincingly plays a woman burdened by depression; Jude Law equally as an overworked man who starts to crumble to pieces. None of the characters are played particularly likeably – this moral ambiguity and lack of someone to ‘root for’ is another aspect of the film which adds to the overall eeriness and brilliance of the film. Steven Soderbergh’s final film – it’s good to see him end his directorial career on a high note with such technical excellence and confidence. 

Top 10 Leonardo DiCaprio films

10) Shutter Island (2010) dir. Martin Scorsese

A patient has disappeared from Shutter Island Hospital for the insane and is thought to be hiding nearby. US marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) is called in to investigate… and it becomes a hell of an investigation, a trip into his own sanity and memories. I don’t want to give away too much, and don’t think I could anyway even if I wanted to as it’s extremely complicated, but the confusion you’re made to sit through as a viewer is exactly what the film wants you to feel. I love watching DiCaprio play crazy, and this is the craziest he has ever played. He is absolutely superb in this film.

9) The Aviator (2004) dir. Martin Scorsese

A biopic of Howard Hughes, like his many endeavours from film directing/producing to aviation, his OCD and his womanising ways, the film feels like a jumbled up montage. This is both what makes the film enjoyable (personally) and what fails to make it a masterpiece as it doesn’t feel like there is any clear route or direction it’s headed in. I don’t necessarily think that a film must have a well structured story, but in this case I understand that some people may have felt they were up in the air, wanting to put their feet onto the ground. But regardless of whether it’s perfectly structured or not, the direction is brilliant and the acting is amazing (even Kate Beckinsale). It’s perfectly enjoyable and is great cinema!

8) This Boy’s Life (1993) dir. Michael Caton-Jones

Based on the memoirs of writer Tobias Wolff, this is about a mother, Caroline Wolff (Ellen Barkin) and son Tobias ‘Jack’ Wolff (DiCaprio) who escape from Caroline’s abusive boyfriend and search for a place of comfort, in the 1950s. Caroline meets Dwight (Robert De Niro), who seems a nice guy, and they marry and move to his hometown. Dwight then turns out to be a selfish and abusive douche. They live under his ‘control’ in this small and caged town, until one day Tobias learns that that may not have to be the case. It’s a sad story because many people do live this way and may not be able to find an escape route. The acting is great, the dialogue is great, very witty at times, and the story is told incredibly well. The film is, like I said, quite sad, but also gives you hope at the same time.

7) Marvin’s Room (1996) dir. Jerry Zaks

Lee (Meryl Streep) and Bessie (Diane Keaton) are sisters but they haven’t spoken in 17 years. Through Bessie’s Leukemia and her need for a marrow transplant, Lee and her sons Hank (DiCaprio) and Charlie (Hal Scardino) travel to see Bessie and reignite the sisterly relationship. Hank is a troubled youngster, put into a mental institute after trying to set their house on fire, and we watch him soften and learn to care for others. It’s a sweet little film with a pretty amazing cast (Robert De Niro is also in the film, playing Bessie’s doctor), and DiCaprio doesn’t falter at all. He adds depth to his character, and is very entertaining to watch.

6) Titanic (1997) dir. James Cameron

I’ve watched Titanic many many times, but the more I watch it, the less the terrible sadness becomes about Jack and Rose, but I am reminded and I see that every single passenger on that boat had a family, or a lover, that they were torn away from each other. Humanity is shown in its truest form, both in good ways and bad ways. DiCaprio plays Jack, the poor guy, and Kate Winslet, Rose, the rich girl. DiCaprio and Winslet have great chemistry; though their story is the narrative that you follow, ultimately this is a film about humanity, and the film succeeds in carrying that weight and depth forward to the audience.

5) The Basketball Diaries (1995) dir. Scott Kalvert

Based on the real life published journals of Jim Carroll, the film essentially is about the effects of heroin on Carroll, played by DiCaprio, and his dreams of becoming a professional basketball player. We also watch Carroll confront the realisation of mortality and explore his sexual angst. The reoccurring voiceover narration reminds us that this isn’t just a druggie film, it’s a true story. I enjoy this so much because of DiCaprio’s performance. He is completely convincing as a mischievous youth who’s life spirals out of control. We’d seen him play all sorts of characters before but it was the first time seeing such a dark and desperate side of him. He makes the film an engaging experience, and I think this is one of his best performances ever. 

4) Blood Diamond (2006) Edward Zwick

DiCaprio (Danny Archer) and Djimon Hounsou (Solomon Vandy) give incredible performances in this film set in Sierra Leone (though not filmed there) about the diamond trade. Now I hardly know anything about the history or the politics or the diamond trade in Africa, but I don’t feel that there was any unnecessary violence, and I sensed the characters inside the film to be as horrified by the violence as we the audience are. I’ve also read praising reviews by people who are knowledgeable about the issue, so there you go. As a film it’s perfect. A solid script, brought to life by great directing, characters which draw us in, incredible acting, and I also love the beautiful music by James Newton Howard.

3) The Departed (2006) dir. Martin Scorsese

A remake of the Hong Kong film ‘Internal Affairs’, Billy (DiCaprio) works for Boston mafia chief Costello (Jack Nicholson) but is secretly on the side of the Massachusetts Police. Likewise, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon) who works for the police, is secretly on the side of Costello. I’m sure that could’ve been worded better but anyway. They discover that there is a ‘rat’ among them, and it becomes a thrilling cat & mouse chase x2 to find out who the ‘rat’ is. The storytelling is superb and performances are excellent. Mark Wahlberg’s Sergeant Dignam almost steals the show with his awesomely witty dialogue and final scene of the film. Great entertainment!

2) What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) dir. Lasse Hallström

This is a beautiful, tender and warm film, at times heartbreaking, about the Grape family. DiCaprio plays Arnie, the retarded younger brother of Gilbert (Johnny Depp). With so many things on his plate, including their extremely obese mother who can’t/won’t leave the house, Gilbert becomes a bit of an empty vessel, putting other people before him, not really finding any pleasures in life besides the occasional sexual encounters with the married Betty Carver who shops at his grocery store. He meets Becky (Juliette Lewis), who makes his life more interesting and opens him up a bit. Gilbert could easily have become a one dimensional character, but Johnny Depp does a great job by bringing him to life and making him lovable. DiCaprio does a phenomenal job playing Arnie, to the extent that some people who didn’t know DiCaprio thought he was a retarded actor playing the role. 

1) Catch Me If You Can (2002) dir. Steven Spielberg

This is based on the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr., the famous conman who passed himself off as a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer mainly by forging cheques and being charming. Played by DiCaprio with such cheek and charm, you’re pulled into the story and root for him. Tom Hanks plays Carl Hanratty, the FBI agent who humorously chases and tries to catch him. It’s a fun, engaging and funny ride, but there is depth too. We see how his relationship with his parents, especially his father, played by the wonderful Christopher Walken, affected his character and actions, and we also take a peek into his lonely soul through the conversation we see between Frank and Carl Hanratty over the phone on Christmas Eve. It’s a film that I watch once every now and then and never get bored by, and I can just back, relax and enjoy!

Leo plays Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, directed by Baz Luhrmann, set to come out in theaters this May. He will also be in The Wolf of Wall Street, based on the memoir by Jordan Belfort, directed by Martin Scorsese. No release date set but probably late this year. Though he's currently taking a break from acting to focus on environmental work, at least we'll be seeing him on screen this year. Then I hope it won't be toooo long till he returns!

Oscar Predictions

The Oscars, alas! It'll be around 2am UK time but I'll be up, and with Seth Macfarlane hosting, I'm very excited :) 

Here are my predictions on who will win for some of the categories, and my thoughts on who I personally think deserve the award:

Best Picture

Nominees:

Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty

Prediction: Argo or Lincoln

I wish it was: Life of Pi

Out of these picks, the film which blew me away the most in terms of its visuals and its themes and meanings was Life of Pi. Argo was great but it’s won way too many things now. I haven’t seen Lincoln so I cannot comment. By the way I am confused as to why The Master wasn’t nominated for Best Picture. What the hell did they increase the number of films that can be nominated for?? This was also 007’s best shot at a Best Picture nomination, so I’m disappointed Skyfall wasn’t nominated.

Best Actor

Nominees:

Bradley Cooper, Daniel Day-Lewis, Hugh Jackman, Joaquin Phoenix, Denzel Washington

Prediction: Daniel Day-Lewis

I wish it was: Joaquin Phoenix

Haven’t seen Lincoln so cannot comment on DDL’s performance. Joaquin Phoenix was absolutely phenomenal in The Master.

Best Actress

Nominees:

Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Emmanuelle Riva, Quvenzhane Wallis, Naomi Watts

Prediction: Emmanuelle Riva

And so it should be: Emmanuelle Riva

Besides Quvenzhane Wallis (because she's too young) I think everyone in this category was amazing so I wouldn’t mind if any of them won to be honest!

Best Supporting Actor

Nominees:

Alan Arkin, Robert De Niro, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Tommy Lee Jones, Christoph Waltz

Prediction: Robert De Niro or Tommy Lee Jones

I wish it was: Philip Seymour Hoffman

Again I haven’t seen Lincoln so I cannot comment on TLJ’s performance. I also see Christoph Waltz possibly winning this, and it’s true he did an awesome job supporting Jamie Foxx, but the best thing about that film was Leonardo DiCaprio. I wish wish wish he’d been nominated. Philip Seymour Hoffman is the only one that truly, truly deserves to win in my opinion. His performance was masterful as the Master in The Master.

Best Supporting Actress

Nominees:

Amy Adams, Sally Field, Anne Hathaway, Helen Hunt, Jacki Weaver

Prediction: Anne Hathaway

I wish it was: Amy Adams

Anne Hathaway was the best thing about Les Mis for me. But I don’t want to start a Les Mis rant, that could go on for pages. But just because I know she’s going to win, I want Amy Adams to win. Her role in The Master really was effectual in giving off this sinister sense of control lurking behind the Master.

Best Director

Nominees:

Michael Haneke - Amour, Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild, Ang Lee - Life of Pi, Steven Spielberg - Lincoln, David O. Russell – Silver Linings Playbook

Prediction: Steven Spielberg

I wish it was: Michael Haneke or Benh Zeitlin

I’m not sure why Beasts hasn’t been nominated for best cinematography! It looked gorgeous! He directed a 9 year old to put on an Oscar nomination worthy performance right? Haha. Also gutted for Beasts being thrashed by Silver Linings Playbook at the Indie Spirit Awards yesterday. SLP is really ‘indie’, yeah.

Best Cinematography

Nominees:

Anna Karenina, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Skyfall

Prediction: Life of Pi

I wish it was: Skyfall

See this is the thing. I’m confused about what ‘Cinematography’ actually means, because I used to think it meant cinematography WITHOUT visual effects, but apparently it doesn’t? Life of Pi should win Visual FX, definitely, but in terms of non-completely-reliant-on-CGI, I’m rooting for Skyfall. GO ENGLAND!!! (and Scotland) The whole stage-production-within-a-film thing in Anna Karenina was an interesting thing to do but it didn’t do anything for me. If only they’d had more vastness and openness in Levin’s scenes. I mean that was the point I thought, when I was reading the novel many years ago. That we were liberated from all the suffocation and tension through Levin’s outdoor scenes.

Music – Original Score

Nominees:

Dario Marianelli - Anna Karenina, Alexandre Desplat - Argo, Mychael Danna - Life of Pi, John Williams - Lincoln, Thomas Newman - Skyfall

Prediction: Life of Pi

I wish it was: Anna Karenina

The score was the best character of the film. It really supported the characters and the actions, and brought the production to life.

Best Original Screenplay

Nominees:

Michael Haneke - Amour, Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained, John Gatins - Flight, Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola - Moonrise Kingdom, Mark Boal - Zero Dark Thirty

Prediction: Django Unchained

I wish it was: Moonrise Kingdom

Act 3 of Django was disappointing for me. Throughout all 3 acts there were scenes that went on waaay too long, and elements such as Samuel LJ’s character I wish he’d explored a bit more. Not sure what ZDT is doing in this category, wasn’t that based on true accounts? Flight was terrible. After the plane crash it was just downhill in terms of plot and characters. I wouldn’t mind if Amour won, but I’m rooting for Moonrise Kingdom! It was fun, unique, with more depth than you think.

Best Adapted Screenplay

Nominees:

Chris Terrio - Argo, Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild, David Magee- Life of Pi, Tony Kushner - Lincoln, David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook

Prediction: Silver Linings Playbook

And so it should be: Silver Linings Playbook

I thought the writing was the foundation of SLP. Also wouldn’t mind if Chris Terrio won for Argo. In fact I’d be happy as DOR has already bagged a few awards for this one (either for director or screenplay).

Some films I'd recommend to Diana

My friend Diana told me that it would be a dream come true if I dedicated a blog post to her. Being an insanely busy person with a hectic schedule the prospect of this happening was nil, but I’m one of those people who finds it difficult to say no. And if this small good deed is going to make my friend’s dream come true and change her life then I will find the time to do this.

She sent me a list of films that she likes and asked me for recommendations. Instead of replying to her on Facebook message which is probably what I should do, I will reply here on my blog and make it a public matter: 

She said she likes Tarantino films, especially Inglorious Basterds, and as much as I'd like to be able to wholeheartedly recommend to her the latest Tarantino film Django Unchained, I was slightly disappointed by it. Go see it, by all means, because you probably will one day anyway. But what I will recommend are In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths, by Martin McDonagh. His style reminds me of Tarantino; and obvious similarity is the use of excess violence, but its use is also satirical – more clearly than Tarantino’s, and you can see that at the same time he clearly has something to say about what he is presenting on screen.

She said she likes The Tree of Life. I actually didn’t like it that much. I briefly wrote about it a long time ago on this blog so scroll all the way down to check it out! There was nothing wrong with the film but I just…. well... I’m not as intelligent as you. A film that I saw recently which was also a visual spectacle was Life of Pi. Also pretty impressive visually, not on such a grand scale as The Tree of Life, but what it has to say is easy to understand even for idiots like me.

She said she likes Donnie Darko. I can’t remember much about it cause I saw it when I was like 15, but its time travel vibe reminds me of films like The Butterfly Effect, or even The Source Code. Neither are ‘great’ films, but are pretty decent and highly entertaining. Last year there was Looper, also about time travel with a unique plot, which I recommend.

She said she likes the films of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, especially 21 Grams. I also love 21 Grams. The only other film by him that I’ve seen is actually Babel, also with interweaving plot lines. I remember it being so-so. Interweaving plot lines reminds me of one of my favourite films, The Edge of Heaven, a Turkish & German film, extremely compelling, deep and powerful.

She said she likes The Reader, and I actually just today saw the 2002 film The Hours, with the same director (Stephen Daldry) and screenwriter (David Hare). It wasn’t as great as it made out to be; it was delivered well, structured well, the performances were awesome (especially Nicole Kidman who plays Virginia Woolf, and Julianne Moore) and I guess I’d recommend it. It’s about suicide so yeah, really cheery.

She said she likes Revolutionary Road. I liked it too, I love Sam Mendes’ films – American Beauty (which you’ve probably already seen anyway) and Road to Perdition are some of my favourite films. Their themes are of loneliness, the past and the present, and of hope – something Mendes always explores so well.

You mentioned several other dark/confusing films – Requiem for a Dream, Mullholland Drive, actually that’s it, but I got the general vibe that you like somewhat depressing or sinister films, so I will list out a few more of my contemporary favourites:

 

The Talented Mr Ripley
The Devil’s Double

Blue Velvet (David Lynch, I’m sure you’ve seen it)
We Need to Talk About Kevin

Children of Men

Vanilla Sky (the original Spanish film Abre los ojos is better)

And my favourite film of last year which I’m recommending for the sake of it: Holy Motors

And one of my fav films, not really sinister, just purely depressing (beautiful though): Never Let Me Go

And I hear The Master is really good, I haven’t seen it yet but I think both you and I will like it! I’ll let you know when I eventually see it if I’d recommend it to you.

12 Memorable Movie Moments of 2012

Some of the most memorable moments last year, from terrifying shots to visually splendid sequences.
I couldn't come up with 2012 so I came up with 12 instead.

In order of the modern English alphabet:

Amour

I loved the use of the pigeon in this film. Whether or not it was a symbol of death, or entrapment, whatever the meaning, it was a nice addition. On first viewing I was just hoping he wasn’t going to smother it. On second viewing I was able to find it a touching moment as he tries so hard to capture it, finally manages to, and after a moment of contemplation appears to hug it. That was heartbreaking.

Argo

There were lots of thrilling moments in Argo but one which was particularly effective while being a bit sinister was the shot(s) of the children hired by the Iranian government putting together the shredded photographs of the hostages. I don’t know if this really happened and if it did I have no idea why children were used to do this, but whether or not it was a piece of fiction added on to evoke suspense, it worked really well.

Beasts of the Southern Wild

I liked the brutally honest cinematography of this film in general but the most memorable element for me was the depiction of strength and wilderness in the form of the horned boar-like beasts. I loved the reoccurring shots of them running, expressing power and life, and towards the end when they come face to face with Hushpuppy I loved their eyes which conveyed a sense of a pureness and innocence within the wild.

The Deep Blue Sea

The underground sequence where Hester remembers the people huddled up to shelter from the bombing during the war was incredibly beautiful. As they sung in unison to keep their spirits alive I felt a strong sense of human connection, hope and a united nation. The fact that this is a memory, the camera panning across the platform of the station, makes it quite haunting (it reminded me a tiny bit of the scene at Dunkirk in ‘Atonement’ by Joe Wright) and it remained in my head long after the film ended.

Django Unchained

The dinner scene at Candie’s place was great, though slightly too long, and I thought that anecdote about the skull felt like an accessory more than a necessity. Leonardo DiCaprio was fantastic though. Before watching the film I saw an interview where Leo explained that when he smashed the glass on the table it actually cut his hand and started to bleed but he continued with the scene and that was the take that was used in the film. So I was watching his hand carefully during that scene and there was much more blood than I expected which gave his character and the scene a more menacing effect - kudos for continuing with the scene! Samuel L Jackson is also brilliant here; his character is probably the most fascinating thing about the film.

Holy Motors

The film was built from numerous spectacular-looking, often bizarre sequences. To name a few, there was the shocking (and hilarious) flower-eating sequence in the cemetery, and then underground with Eva Mendes with his… erm… yeah. The motion capture scene was equally memorable. In fact pretty much every sequence was memorable so I can’t highlight one that particularly stood out, so I’ll just choose the scene towards the end with the monkeys. For a split second this monkey scene ruined the entire experience for me by taking it to a ridiculous level, but I quickly became accepting. It didn’t do anything for the narrative (if there is such thing in this film) and had it not been included it would probably have made no difference, but I liked how far it stretched out to be bizarre and say something about cinema.

The Imposter

At the end of the film when Bourdin is seen dancing to a Michael Jackson song in prison, it’s pretty chilling and somewhat humorous at the same time. Bourdin clearly had a fascination for the American life (evident from when he talks about the ‘yellow school bus’ and his experiences of going to high school for the first time), so I interpreted the dance as representative of that fascination for America he may have had for many years, since he was a child perhaps (judging from the elaborate choreography). And of course there is the popular interpretation of it being a metaphor for ‘robbed childhood’, relatable to MJ.

Les Miserables

I didn’t really like the film itself for its lack of variety in shots and ungrand scale despite all the money spent (basically it felt like a musical stage on screen), but the point of redemption for me was the final scene where the ghost of Fantine appears and takes Valjean away with her. I’ve always appreciated how this sequence was pulled off on the musical stage but in this film there were literally two Valjeans, one who had just taken his last breath in the chair and the other, liberated and striding off into the afterlife, guided by Fantine. This is something that could only have been done on film, and I appreciated it and it actually moved me. And after this came the very final scene of the film where the entire cast sing ‘Do you hear people sing’, which was equally moving. They finally use a wide shot!

Another scene from Les Miserables which was impressive and memorable – Javert’s suicide. Among all the obsessively used close up shots and feeling of claustrophobia, the height of the fall here made the sequence a liberating experience. It also finally frees us from his god awful singing. The liberation hits a grim note as Javert, plunging to his death, smacks his head against the rocks before being washed away limply by the water.

Life of Pi

The whole middle section of the film was a visual spectacle, with pretty realistic looking animals and the enchanting colours of the water and the heavens at night. As the shipwreck is happening, Pi dives underwater and we watch the ship fall apart and sink together with him. Cut to over an hour of visual splendour later, Pi's adventure at sea ends as he collapses onto the Mexican beach. Richard Parker jumps out of the boat and strides off into the jungle without looking back to say goodbye and this brings Pi to tears – even present day Pi as he tells his story. It brought me to tears too.

Looper

The scene where older Seth’s body parts fall off/disappear is truly unique and horrifying. The way this is presented to us, first with the emerging of the carved words in his arms, and then how one by one pieces of him just fall off or shrivel into themselves is something I’ve never come across before. He cannot see what’s going on but he obviously realises what is happening to his past self – the thought of this itself is terrifying - wow!

Skyfall

The opening credits of this film is so brilliant, it gave me goosebumps. Bond’s fall into the water links into the credits nicely, and the title song by Adele is so perfectly Bond-like and classy, as is the credit sequence itself. And it’s just so interesting to start the credits right after Bond has been 'killed'. Of course we all know there’s no way that he's actually dead, but precisely because we know this I think the credits draws out a sense of immortality and it begins to develop the major theme of this film of Bond becoming too old (both him and the franchise itself).

Another memorable scene is when Silva, confronted by M, takes out his fake jaw and shows us his disfiguration, which is so terrifying and creepy. It sums up his menace and gives depth to the backstory of when he used to be an MI6 agent himself and his relationship with M.

Zero Dark Thirty

The final half hour of this film pays off for the frustrating 2 hours before that, and knowing the weight of the subject matter it was a tense experience. The best part, though, was the final shot of the film. From the prior sequence where the soldiers return and bring the supposed corpse of Bin Laden, Maya does not show any hoorah or sense of accomplishment at all. Then she is shown on the plane alone, a close up on her vague and questionable expression. She’s just dedicated 10 years of her life to this mission. What was the significance of it all? What now?

Note: I still haven’t seen ‘The Master’.