"The 87th Annual Academy Awards - My Predictions"

 

Well, it is that time of year again, as all the good and great of the film world descend upon that which we call the 87th Annual Academy Awards. And as ever here are my predictions.

As always, each of the selected categories will have two entries. Who I think will Win, and who I want to see Win.

 

Best Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen

For me it has to be Wes Anderson all the way for his brilliant work on "The Grand Budapest Hotel", but a little part of me would equally love to see "Nightcrawler" win too



Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published 

    
It is a tough to choose who I think will win, as it could easily go to The Imitation Game, but I think The Theory of Everything will bag it. And of course would love to see Whiplash win         


Best Actor In A Supporting Role

J K Simmons all the way. He will soon be adding an Oscar to the many awards he has rightly won for his brilliant performance as Terence Fletcher in the oustanding "Whiplash"







Best Actress In A Supporting Role

Likewise it will be Patricia Arquette adding another award to her cabinet for her work on "Boyhood". Despite my protestations against the film winning Best Picture, she gives a great performance, and it is nice to see her getting some acclaim, as she is a great actress.





Best Actor In A Leading Role

Despite those who think that Michael Keaton will bag the Lead Actor Oscar, I still think Eddie Redmayne will be victorious. Though a little bit of me would love to see Benedict Cumberbatch win for his work as Alan Turing in The Imitation Game


Best Actress In A Lead Role

Despite the film not opening here yet, she has won every major award going, and it is her time. The amazing Julianne Moore is long overdue for an Oscar, after so many great performances, and tonight will be her night





Best Director

In another battle, as Birdman 
Vs Boyhood, I think that Alejandro G. Innaritu will triumph against Richard Linklater. Would be nice to see Wes Anderson again win for The Grand Budapest Hotel


Best Picture

It pains me to say it, but despite those who think that Birdman will make a last minute win (And I hope it does), then I do firmly believe that the over hyped Boyhood will Win Best Picture....for all the wrong reasons. 

So there you have it, and with just 18 minutes to go, I had better go and get ready for the 87th Annual Academy Awards, and best of luck to host Neil Patrick Harris. 

Happy Oscars !!!!

"Jupiter Ascending"

Hmmm...where to begin?
Well first of all, for those who have not read any reviews yet, and seen the slating that this film has been getting, it is one of those movies, where you leave your brain in the foyer, in fact better, leave it at home.

Jupiter is born with no country to call her own, as she is delivered at sea, her Mother a Russian on her way to start a new life in America after her British born husband is murdered in Russia.
Years later and Jupiter and her Mother earn a pittance by doing very menial cleaning. She has very little purpose in life, but she does share her father's love of the stars and astronomy. But whilst she is trying to look at the stars, it would seem that the stars are watching her, and with very keen interest, the main reason for this interest is that Jupiter is a genetic match or reincarnation of the Mother for three siblings, who are locked in a war to gain control of Earth, their Mother being the previous owner of our planet. Their need for the planet is that by killing 100 humans, they get one cannister of a life saving substance, it allows one to live well passed traditional age, with one of the siblings already being in their 14th millenia. So yes, kill 100 Earthlings, and you get a jar of the ultimate Oil of Ulay !!  L'Oreal never went to this much trouble.

So as everyone in the known universe seems to be fighting over getting their hands on Jupiter, thankfully she has someone in her corner, and he comes in the form of Channing Tatum as 'Caine Wise', a kind of protector. And boy doe he look good in leather and with the blond hair. At the end of the day this film is all about the visuals, and whether you are marvelling the excemplary visuals or just perving at Mr. Tatum, it is the main reason for watching, as the story is just pure hokum.

Pretty to look at but that is about all.................4 out of 10

"Inherent Vice"

I have been quoted a saying that watching the trailer for this film was far more fun than watching the whole of the film "Mortdecai" and I still stand by that, however the film was a huge disappointment.

It had so much promise from having seen the trailer on numerous occasions.
'Doc' Sportello is a practicing Dick, or Private Eye to you and I, and he has been hired by his former girlfriend Shasta, who has concerns about her lover, a Billionaire property developer, who may have been kidnapped, indirectly by his wife and her boyfriend. Also investigating a murder is 'Bigfoot Bjornsen', a local Cop cum TV actor, but is the murder connected with the kidnapping? Also what is the connection to a group of Dentists, one of whom is high as a kite?

There are a few laughs in the film. But it has to be said that the plot is maybe a little too multi-layered, and I never thought I would hear myself about a film by Paul T. Anderson, especially being such a huge fan of "Magnolia", and you don't get much more multi layered than that, but there you go.
The period, 1970, has been wonderfully recreated, and there are great performances most notably from Joaquin Phoenix as 'Doc Sportello', who looks like an early 'Wolverine', and also Josh Brolin who excels as 'Bigfoot'. 

Despite all the promise, sadly this film was not for me.........4 out of 10

"Kingsman The Secret Service"

Take a Comic Book co written by Mark Millar, have the book interpreted for the Screen by Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn, and have the same Mr Vaughn sit in the Director's chair, and just like "Kick Ass" you have all the ingredients for a kick arse film.

When a leading World Scientist is kidnapped, it takes a special organisation to investigate and rescue. Here come the Kingsman, a collective of Gentlemen and Ladies, well groomed, well refined, well spoken, but who an also, when required, deal with an agressor, in an ungentlemanly fashion.

However, said missing Scientist is soon once again walking the streets of London, and the Kingsman have lost one of their group. Whilst still trying to uncover what the Scientist is working on and find out why he has been seemingly freed, they must fill the vacancy left by their recently departed colleague.

Each of the elite gentlemen agents gets to assign a protege, someone to mould in their image. Most of the new recruits would not look out of place as students at Eton say.
Elsewhere in a housing estate in London, Gary, or 'Eggsy' as he is known to his mates goes on with his mundane day to day existence, he shares a flat with his Mum and her loathesome boyfriend. After some joyriding he finds himself under arrest. He has a necklace / chain given to him by those he loves, and told to use in an emergency......so 'Galahad' (Firth) receives a phone call and his release is soon forthcoming. 'Galahad' sees this rough young lad as a possible Kingsman candidate and promptly enrols him.
Whilst training is going on, we learn more about what 'Valentine' is upto. He believes that the World has become over populated, and that this will lead to the end of the human race as custodians of Earth. So he sets about a plan of action to heavily reduce the number of inhabitants, seemingly looking like the philanthropist he says he is, but actually a mass murderer on an epic scale, and quite mad.

Cutting to the chase, Valentine and his organisation go to battle against humanity, and its increasing number, and all that stands in the way of his success is the Kingsman.

Whether a fan of comic strip violence, or Bond films, or just out to be entertained, then  you should quite rightly love this movie. It has it all, great screenplay, fun characters, loads of kick ass violence, amd is just a great barrel of laughs.
I am amazed that I have still not seen the film a second time yet, and I must rectify this.
We get to see a small example of Valentine's scheme in action, during what is a memorable head popping sequence.
All the cast are exemplary, from Michael Caine as Kingsman head 'Arthur', to Mark String as a Q type figure 'Merlin'. There is the very good looking Taron Egerton as 'Eggsy' who is a real find, he conveys both the streetwise Eggsy and the gentlemanly Kingsman brilliantly.
Colin Firth however does steal the show as 'Galahad', it is rumoured Firth may have offered Bond, and if so, then this is a worthy chance for us to see what might have been. And the highlight of the film is during a small fracas in an East End pub when he has to tackle a few unruly youths.

Great fun, great cast, great film.................8 out of 10

"American Sniper"

There has been a lot of hoo haa about this movie, ranging from the subject matter, to the wide range of love and loathing for it, to the remarkable performance of the film at the US Box Office.

The film concerns Chris Kyle, a Marine who was an exceptional shot, and has the highest number of kills in US military history. It starts off with his being on duty in Iraq,and having to decide whether to kill two potential life threatening targets, a mother and her young boy. Then we jump back, and get a look at Kyle's earlier life. From being a young child and getting his first feel of a rifle, whilst out hunting with his Father, to then getting into rodeo riding.He is a very ordinary typical American, but when the events of 9/11 occur, he feels he has to do something, and so enlists.

During his number of tours in the Middle East he starts to get quite the reputation, and before long is officially classed as the most lethal sniper in US history.The film examines the effect these tours have on Kyle, both in respect of being of service to his fellow soldiers, but also when he has to make a snap judgment call, that could conceivably end an innocent persons life, if he gets it wrong. But equally he could see his fellow countrymen hurt or killed if he fails to stop someone out to do harm.
There is also the effect that the film has on his relationship with his wife, as each time when he returns home, he understandably becomes more withdrawn, and this does start to take its toll.

We have great performances from the two leads, as ever Bradley Cooper is 100% on top form, as is Sienna Miller playing Kyle's wife. As good a performance as it is, I would question whether it is worthy of an Oscar nomination. And I feel it is this nomination that saw Jake Gyllenhall so cruelly miss out on a nod for his career best work on "Nightcrawler".

The Direction as one would expect is top notch, but what I find most remarkable is that a movie of this level of attention to detail, the amount of big set up scenes and action and it is all undertaken by a man approaching his 85th year.

I have to say that I did not realise how recent the Kyle story was, and more so by the ending of the film, which I did not know about, it made it all the more powerful. In fact because the film highlighted the date, you knew there was going to be something happen, but I expected it to go in a different direction.

At 84, Eastwood still has it......8 out of 10