Argo Wins Best Ensemble at SAG, Downton Abbey and Modern Family win on Television Side

Tonight Argo stepped even closer to a Best Picture win at the Academy Awards.  Argo has now won Best Picture at the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Golden Globes, Producer's Guild Awards, and here.  At this very moment I can feel many film critics and Oscar pundits switching their Lincoln Best Picture win to Argo.  One of the most intriguing things to me is if Argo wins Best Picture who wins Best Director?  I will be theorizing that one for a while.

In the other film categories Lincoln picked up two trophies one for Best Lead Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis), and one for Supporting Actor (Tommy Lee Jones).  Day-Lewis has the Best Actor prize in the bag, and Tommy Lee Jones has a strong shot at the Best Supporting Actor award, but he was not there to accept, so look for missing Christoph Waltz to be a spoiler.

Jennifer Lawrence made the Best Actress category more interesting tonight beating Jessica Chastain, this puts Lawrence out front, but never count out any surprises although with Harvey Weinstein behind her campaign she has the best chance.  Anne Hathaway further proved that her dream she dreamt will come true winning Best Supporting Actress, and I like that she thanked her Dark Knight cast; she gave a much better speech.

On the television side the Comedy Winners remained as stale as day old bread.  Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey whom I love won for Best Actor and Actress, and obviously it was as a parting gift for their great work on 30 Rock.  Modern Family also won for a third year in a row, and while I love their ensemble there are so many other great ensembles out there.  I guess I am just glad Betty White did not win this year or else they would have been the exact same winners as last year.  Baldwin and Modern Family have won together for the last three years, sloppy!

In the mini-series or movie category rubber stamped winner Kevin Costner and Julianne Moore won.  Costner was not present, but neither were any of his competition.  I think this is the first time in all my years of watching award shows where not a single nominee in a category has shown up.

The drama categories finally shook things up for the television world.  Best Actor went to Bryan Cranston he beat out front runner Damien Lewis.  Claire Danes was not nominated last year, but won Best Actress last year.  Downton Abbey won Best Ensemble, and I loved watching the actress who plays Mrs. Hughes accept for the cast; she was too precious.

One of the highlights of the evening was watching Dick Van Dyke get his lifetime achievement award. In watching his film reel, and hearing beautiful but brief acceptance of the award it was a great moment in one of the more boring award shows.

While Uneven Les Miserables is an Entertaining, and Emotional Experience Saved by Solid Performances (minus Russell Crowe)

Les Miserables (3 out of 5 Stars)

Directed by Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)

Written by William Nicholson (Gladiator, Nell, Shadowlands)

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Samantha Barks, Sascha Baron Cohen, and Helena Bonham Carter

Making this project looked like a labor of love.  The stage version is one of Les Miserables is one of the most popular, and most acclaimed stage shows of all time.  The film was made into a live action film, without singing back in 1998 with Liam Neeson as the lead.  Without music this film missed the mark in every way on achieving the Hugo's goal.  When this project was announced, fans screamed with utter joy, and as the cast list came out, people exclaimed with even more joy.  With such high expectations there was bound to be both excitement, and disappointment.   This film is an entertaining ride, but there are also flaws in the direction, which prevent it from being truly great.

The film follows Jean Valjean (Jackman) who has been imprisoned for 19 years after stealing a loaf of bread.  As the day of labor ends prison gaur Javert (Crowe) informs Jean Valjean he has been allowed parole, although he will always be seen as scum by others.  When Valjean is finally taken in by a priest he robs him, but the priest grants mercy on him helping him transform his life.  Years later Valjean is mayor of a small town under a different name.  One day while a fight between some women breaks out a factory in his town and worker Fantine (Hathaway) is tossed out, and fired.  Fantine eventually gets taken advantage of to support her daughter Cosette (Seyfried).  The film centers on Valjean's escape from his past and being chased by Javert, along with Cosette.  

Les Mis is based on the novel by Victor Hugo, which has been adapted numerous times in a variety of way.  This version, with William Nicholson's screenplay (one of a dozens) is the most faithful, which helps hit all of these right notes.  Nicholson's screenplay does not reinvent the wheel, neither hurting or adding to the film experience.  Without giving too much of the plot away (if you have not seen the show) those are the basics to the film set to the second part of the French Revolution. The film balances the intense drama of love, war, mixed with the humor perpetuated by innkeepers Thenardier (Cohen) and his wife Madame Thernardier (Carter).  The comedic helps balance out the heavy drama, which sometimes becomes to overwrought in the film.

Director Tom Hooper is the reason Les Mis becomes often overwrought.  Hooper who directed the Best Picture winner The King's Speech (and won director for that film) was guilty of that same crime in his directorial style.  In The King's Speech the direction hit hard so often at the characters emotions that you often lost the nuances of the story.  With King's Speech solid acting saved the film (although I thought King's Speech was beyond over rated).  Hooper hits hard at the emotional here as well.

Hooper hits the emotions so hard he wanted his actor's to sing live while listening to an ear piece of a piano being played.  With this method actors are able to perform while singing rather than letting digitally enhanced voices to determine their actions on camera.  In Hathaway's "I Dreamed a Dream" this method is beyond successful. Hathaway is brilliant with her performance stealing the film in her brief role; she emotes so well, and the camera focusing on her without cutting away works.  I would add that this also works incredibly well in with Eponine's (Barkman) soliloquy "On My Own."

The problem here (for the most part) is the direction, and not the performances. Hooper strives to capture every emotion, sometimes forcing the emotion, without cutting away in every song.  Hooper has not learned the lesson that this style can detract from the impact of the material.  Hooper did not learn because he was not slapped on the wrist for his direction of King's Speech; he was rewarded with a Best Director Oscar.  Hopefully he will heed these words for future projects.  Hooper needs to let the performances speak for themselves.

As mentioned above Ms. Hathaway is the true standout of the film, namely because her version of "I Dreamed a Dream was one of the most poignant parts of the film, giving me chills.  This was Hathaway's first time singing in film, although she has proven her talent on the Oscar stage.  Jackman the film's lead has done Oklahoma, and The Boy from Oz.  Barkman has done Les Mis in the anniversary version of the show.  Seyfried did the pop musical film Mamma Mia.  Cohen and Carter were both in the film version of Sweeney Todd.  Redmayne is no stranger to the theatre winning for the play Red.  Together these performers know how to bring a musical to life, and they inhabit their characters well.

Jackman proves he does his best while singing, carrying the emotional complexities of Jean Valjean well, along with the physical journey.  After Jackman's tour de force performance, the true standouts were Redmayne, and Barker.  Redmayne has started to get larger film roles, and his performance here has proven he is going to be a sought after man in the next few years.  If you kept a dry eye during his "Empty Chairs" soliloquy you are heartless.  The same can be said for Barkman's "On My Own" and her performance, a star on the rise.  These two actors better get ready for a lot of job offers!

The main problem in the acting department was Crowe's Javert, who after two decades of playing "tough guys" came across as an incredibly whiney and weak Javert.  Crowe is also another reason singing to the music failed.  Javert's "Stars" misses every mark, and the intense relationship between Valjean and Javert is weakened.  

While this has a significant effect on the film, the film was still entertaining.  Many critics are going to say "I hate this film" and "this film was bad."  Neither are true.  While the film is not the best of the year, there are moments which bring you to sheer excitement.  "Do You Hear the People Sing?" is the best number of the film, making you want to stand up raise a flag and join the cause.  Even though Hooper hammers at the emotions too hard, I often got swept up with the ride, and let it take me away allowing the film to remain successful.  While uneven Les Mis is an entertaining, and emotional experience saved by great performances (minus Russell Crowe).

Boston Online Film Critics Name Zero Dark Thirty Best Picture (with some other fun Surprises)

This year already has a runaway favorite with critics groups, NY, NBR, and now the Boston Online 

film critics have named Zero Dark Thirty Best Picture.  Kathryn Bigelow has won Best Director every time as well.

In the acting world Daniel Day Lewis and Jessica Chastain both have two wins.  Day Lewis won with NYFC, and now Boston.  Chastain won with the NBR, and Boston as well.  Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Hathaway have surprising picked up their first wins with this critics group.  Looking at all of the major categories I would not be shocked  if these were the wins (at least in the acting world).

Zero Dark Thirty could also be the best Picture winner, but Lincoln (at this point) could be an incredibly fierce competitor, or maybe even Argo, the Academy love the actor turned director.

I love watching the critics group anoint people in the technical categories because they usually do an incredible job.  Skyfall winning Cinematography is much deserved, and I hope this film gives Roger Deakins his first win.  Watching the Best Animated Feature race has been fun as well, the critics have been split, picking a variety of options, and this could be one of the few years this face is actually exciting 

BEST PICTURE:

ZERO DARK THIRTY

BEST DIRECTOR:
Kathryn Bigelow, ZERO DARK THIRTY

BEST ACTOR:
Daniel Day-Lewis, LINCOLN

BEST ACTRESS:
Jessica Chastain, ZERO DARK THIRTY

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
Tommy Lee Jones, LINCOLN

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
Anne Hathaway, LES MISERABLES

BEST SCREENPLAY:
Tony Kushner, LINCOLN

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM:
OSLO, AUGUST 31ST

BEST DOCUMENTARY:
HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE

BEST ANIMATED FILM:
PARANORMAN

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:
Roger Deakins, SKYFALL

BEST EDITING:
William Goldenberg & Dylan Tichenor, ZERO DARK THIRTY

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:
Jonny Greenwood, THE MASTER

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST:
MOONRISE KINGDOM

THE TEN BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR:

1. ZERO DARK THIRTY
2. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD
3. LINCOLN
4. MOONRISE KINGDOM
5. DJANGO UNCHAINED
6. OSLO, AUGUST 31ST
7. HOLY MOTORS
8. THE MASTER
9. ARGO
10. CLOUD ATLAS

The Dark Knight Rises to Meet the Expectations of Truly Impressive Conclusion

The Dark Knights Rises (4 out of 5)

Directed by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Inception, Memento)

Written by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan (Memento)

Starring: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman

Last night I was able to experience all three Batman films from Christopher Nolan back to back. What a way to watch this "trilogy!"  Batman Begins started at 6:30, and set the pace from one of the entertaining film experiences I have ever had.  The film series has changed the face of "comic book" or pulp film, and this film is the largest undertaking for Nolan to date within this series.

The films starts eight years after The Dark Knight, Batman and Bruce Wayne have both disappeared from the public since the fall of Harvey Dent.  Batman is public enemy number one for the police, and Wayne himself has isolated himself from the outside world because he felt as though he failed at saving Gotham, and its people from the chaos the Joker imposed.  Bruce Wayne is drawn back in the world of Batman when a cat burglar named Selina Kyle (Hathaway) breaks into his home stealing his finger prints.  This thief leads way to another criminal mastermind Bane (Hardy( who wants to release Gotham from the chains of the government and take chaos to a whole new level.

Revealing any more of the plot would the pure enjoyment for audiences.  The film is epic and Christopher Nolan has taken on some mammoth productions in the past, but this films large scale ups the ante.  Nolan has tied together some modern elements of societal problems within this film like within his other films to make this world more salient.  Financial troubles are at the center of this film, and mistrust of the government.  In the current socio-political/economic climate (on a global level) there is a mistrust of those who were born with silver spoons in their mouth.  There are numerous points in the film when characters like Selina Kyle and others point out the fact that Bruce has never had to struggle financially so he does not understand the way these "villains" have built up this fierce anger and hatred toward those who have never had to fight or even work for what they needed.

As Wayne Batman have grown weaker and goes further into seclusion the League of Shadows new leader Bane becomes "Gotham's reckoning."  Hardy does not get to act in the same fashion Heath Ledger did with his version of the Joker, but the Bane villain is different.  Bane wears a mouthpiece because of something when he was younger, the apparatus on his face keeps him alive.  People are going to complain they can't understand Bane, although it was much better in this film than in the initial test screening.  Bane represents more than an agent of chaos; he wants to turn Gotham inside out, and has no fear about bringing the people of Gotham to their knees.

Selina Kyle wants to see the people of Gotham suffer too.  Kyle's cat burglar is done incredibly well; she does purr, or become overly cat like, she is more of a bad ass acrobat.  Hathaway does a great job with being sultry, and has incredible chemistry with Bale.  The character never feels out of place like I thought it would.  The other female in the film Miranda Tate (Cotillard) is the financial savior for Wayne Enterprises, the character is a bit bland throughout and has sexual encounter with Bruce Wayne that does not seem to make sense because of Kyle, but the end result is brilliant.  

Another new character on the scene is John Blake (Gordon-Levitt) a cop who becomes a detective.  Through John's eyes the story tells a sign of the hope youth have in the the symbol of someone like Batman who will come in and save the day.  Gordon-Levitt is a great addition to this film, and it fits that Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon (one of the best working actors) finally has a cop on his side who understands what Batman represents.

Batman himself or the broken Bruce Wayne played by Christian Bale has evolved so much.  Watching Bale in all three films yesterday have proven to show that not only has this man grown as an actor, but he truly has taken fans of this franchise on an evolutionary journey with this character.  Bale's Bruce Wayne and Batman has taken flight within this film, and this is one great performance. 

While Bale and Nolan do an incredible job within this film, there are still flaws that exist.  Some will call this film "clunky" and while I disagree with that label I can see where the boom can over power.  The opening sequence tries to replicate the introduction of the Joker, but there is no way to repeat that brilliant introduction.  Hans Zimmer's score for this film has moments where the music overpowers the dialogue or becomes to bombastic, but yet there are also the quiet moments when the score reveals some of the most wrought moments.  There were times in the beginning when Nolan seemed to be going in too many directions with too many characters, but the film filtered that, and even as the end (like in The Dark Knight) feels as though its taking too long to get there you are on the edge of your seat because of the built up with anticipation.

As a comic book reader this film hit it out the park with some of the most interesting Batman stories.  While I know Nolan wants to end the story with this film, and it feels like it could be an ending there are so many stories to explore further.  If this is the end, as Nolan states this was an incredible way to end this series, and I feel as though the closure given provides enough on an opportunity for the caped crusader to disappear into the night. 

Star Making Roles Part 1: Gary Marshall Edition

Ironically the night before I return back home to Boston after coming home for Christmas I am watching Pretty Woman with my family.  If you follow me on here, I watched this movie with my family the night before I went home on Thanksgiving.  This made me think about something different this time, while Pretty Woman was not Roberts first film but this movie made her a huge star. Everyone starts somewhere, sometimes some one's first film rockets them to super stardom while with other actors/actresses it takes one, two and sometimes many more films to make it big.  Gary Marshall's film had the magic with Robert's career.

Julia Roberts-Pretty Woman (1990) In the 80s Julia Roberts was the younger sister of the much more famous Eric Roberts; she had a few acting gigs on television shows like Crime Story and Miami Vice.  In 1988 Robert's landed her first major film role in the small film about a pizza place called Mystic Pizza.  One year later she scored a prime role in with an all-star cast in the film Steel Magnolias.  This film starred three academy award winners,Sally Field, Shirley McClaine, and Olympia Dukakis, the film also had the acclaimed Dolly Parton, and another ingenue Daryl Hannah.  Robert's role Shelby was the only Oscar nomination for the film; she landed a nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category.  While landing an Academy Award nomination pushed her in the right direction it was her lead role opposite Richard Gere  made Roberts a huge star.  Gary Marshall's film utilized her smile, charm, and great comedic timing in order to make her one of the biggest stars of all time.  Roberts was nominated for her second Academy Award for this film, but did not win until 2000 with her film Erin Brockovich.

Marshall seems to have been the master of catapulting leading ladies in the limelight.  I have rarely seen a man help stars become massive stars so quickly.  Not only did Marshall direct Roberts in her star making role in Pretty Woman, but he also directed Anne Hathaway in her first major film, The Princess Diaries (2001).  Anne's career took a lightening bolt ride making her sought after by many directors.

Anne Hathaway-The Princess Diaries (2001) In 2001 a young girl awkwardly turned from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan before our eyes, in the film The Princess Diaries.  Hathaway had the grace, presence, charm and wonderful comedic timing that launched Julia Roberts into being a major star.  Hathaway has gone on to star in numerous films with many major stars.  At the beginning of her career Hathaway was on the path to be pigeon holed into the similar roles; she was going to always play the innocent young leading lady.  Hathaway's next two films proved this trend, they were Ella Enchanted, and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.  Ann broke her good girl routine by baring it all and taking an incredibly dramatic turn in the Oscar winning film Brokeback Mountain.  Since then she has had a versatile resume which included The Devil wears Prada, Get Smart, Alice in Wonderland, Love and Other Drugs, and landed a Best Actress nomination for her performance in Rachel Getting Married.  In 2012 Ann will kick but as Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, and will prove what a wonderful singer she is in the musical film version of Les Miserables.

I love watching actors/actresses becoming stars, and it has been fun to watch these two women's careers grow blossom (they have hit sour notes of course), but these women are legends.