I have seen the majority of the movies but have fallen behind on my reviews, mainly because I was planning my Oscar party this week! Anyways, here are my picks: Best Picture: Argo - handsdown, one of the best films of the year, and that I've ever seen. Best Director: Ang Lee - since Ben Affleck wasn't nominated. Life of Pi is the most beautiful film ever. It's actually stunning and I loved it. It is a wonder in film making and a joy that everyone should watch Best Actor: I think Daniel Day-Lewis will take it, but I'm putting my pick as Hugh Jackman, the hardest working man in Hollywood. Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz - let's make it two! Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence - I really hope she takes it over Jessica Chastain, read my blog about Zero Dark Thirty to see why. Lawrence is an exceptional actress who makes such interesting choices and appeals to all audience. Best Supporting Actress: I'm picking Amy Adams just purely out of my dislike of Anne Hathaway - she will probably take it but c'est la vie. I think Amy Adams gives incredibly strong performances no matter what she does and if Hugh is Hollywood's hardest working man, then Amy Adams is the hardest working woman. Enjoy the show folks!
I must confess, I saw this film on its opening day and was very irresponsible in not reviewing it sooner because I'm struggling now to remember every detail. However, one thing I'm certain about is that Les Miserables is truly a showcase of Mr. Hugh Jackman, and is hopefully a vehicle for future talents like Eddie Redmayne and Samantha Barks.
Spanning seventeen years and set against the backdrop of political turmoil in Paris (but not the French Revolution of 1789, this is a common misconception), Les Miserables is a true epic film, and a true musical as there is hardly any dialogue that is not sung. The film follows Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman), an ex-con who has served nineteen years of hard labour for stealing a loaf of bread and who goes on to better himself by becoming the mayor of a town in France. Once exposed, Valjean agrees to raise Cosette (young: Isabelle Allen, Amanda Seyfried) the illegitimate daughter of Fantine (Anne Hathaway). As well as the new responsibility of raising a daughter, Valjean must also contend with avoiding capture at the hands of police inspector Javert (Russell Crowe). Throughout the film the audience is introduced to Thenardier (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Madame Thenardier (Helena Bonham Carter) and their daughter Eponine (young: Natalya Wallace, Samantha Barks) who were Cosette's original caregivers, as well as Marius (Eddie Redmanye) the love interest of both Cosette and Eponine. The film culminates in the June Rebellion or Paris Uprising of 1832 led by student societies.
I was a fan of the 1998 non-musical version of the film starring Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush and I've seen the stage show in London (how posh), so I was a bit skeptical when I heard they were making another version. Yet this feeling was disregarded when I heard that Hugh Jackman had been cast as Valjean. I know that Daniel Day Lewis is the favourite for the Oscars tomorrow night, and he is fantastic, but I can't help but say a little prayer for Hugh. Is this may favourite of his roles? No, but I feel it would be just desserts for arguably one of the hardest working and most professional actors in Hollywood. I saw his one man show in Toronto and honestly, the man should give classes on how to survive in Hollywood. He is a chameleon, equally believable as X-Men's Wolverine as he is playing gay Peter Allen. I truly believe there is nothing this man can't do. I can remember my parents went to see The Boy From Oz, the biographical broadway show of Peter Allen's life. When my dad came home, he could not believe that Hugh Jackman was the same man who'd played Wolverine, such was his transformation.
I am not the biggest Amanda Seyfried fan in the world, I don't dislike her, it's just she's not a huge draw for me. However, she can sing and I did like her in this movie. I've heard that Russell Crowe has taken some stick over his performance in Les Miserables because his singing voice is not up to scratch with the rest of the cast. I will admit he is not the best singer in the world, but somehow, he suits this role and I loved him in it. I felt like his gravelly voice suited this hardened police inspector, he was just a good fit for the role. Would he have made it on Broadway? No, but that's the business of movie making.
Next up, Anne Hathaway. If any of you readers know me in real life, you know my sentiments on Hathaway, rather my disdain. I don't know what it is, I won't deny she is a good actress, but I always get the feeling she is overacting. She was the annoying kid in your drama class who always insisted on speaking in accents and is now desperately trying to show the world that she's gone from geek to chic. I haven't always felt this way - I liked The Princess Diaries and I liked The Devil Wears Prada, but I feel she's really trying too hard to show the world she is no longer Princess Mia. We get it! You've made the transition! Now stop annoying me.
Upon reflection, I think I can pin my distain to two films, One Day and Love and Other Drugs. I should have loved One Day - it's my kind of story, I loved the book and I love Jim Sturgess. However, I am also a stickler for accents, and Hathaway's in this movie kills me. It's not bad, it's just inconsistent. She constantly changes from a Yorkshire accent to a London one and I've heard this being explained away as her character had been living in London so naturally, her accent would change. I don't buy this, it is an excuse. (Quick note on accents re: Les Mis - why, when a film is set in France, does every person have an English accent??). For Love and Other Drugs, this movie had such promise - a unique storyline that I never would have guessed, and of course, Jake Gyllenhaal, however, Hathaway's portrayal of Maggie grated on me and ruined the film. I'm not even going to get into The Dark Knight Rises... I read The Guardian's review of Les Miserables and the reviewer, Alex von Tunzelmann hit the nail on the head. She said that during Anne Hathaway's rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" "Hathaway's performance veers between fragile sobbing and Susan Boyle-style operatics. It's so nakedly an Oscar clip that they might as well have flashed up the words "OSCAR CLIP" on the screen, as they do in Wayne's Worldwhen Wayne splashes water over his eyes and bawls: "I never learned to read!" Yes Alex! You get me! I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed Les Mis more after *SPOILER ALERT* Fantine dies.
For me, there were three standout performances in this movie, besides the obvious Hugh Jackman. Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks and Sacha Baron Cohen. I don't know what it is about Redmayne but I adore him. I recently watched My Week With Marilyn and he's just excellent. I loved him as Marius, I loved his voice and I hope these two exceptional roles open the door for much more. I saw this film with my mum, and during one of Redmayne's most touching scenes, my mum leaned over to me and whispered "My God, his mouth his huge", all the better to kiss me with! Samantha Barks, while supposed to be the perpetual understudy to Seyfried's Cosette is a scene stealer. She is very familiar with the role of Eponine, having played it on stage and this shows in her performance. I spent the film hoping things would change and that Marius would choose her. I also spent much of the film wondering how her waist was so teeny tiny, but that's another story! Like Redmayne, I wait in anticipation to see what she does next!
I am not a usual fan of Sacha Baron Cohen, I find his Borat et al to be too over the top and really just not my kind of humour. However, his recent roles in Hugo and now Les Miserables have showed his versatility as well as his humour. I believe he was exceptional in this movie, and like Barks, was an absolute scene stealer. In what is a dark premise, he manages to make many scenes lighter and funny. His performance is complimented by Helena Bonham Carter (no, this is not a Tim Burton film), but he is the funnier of the two. (I'm uber excited that he's going to be portraying Freddie Mercury in an upcoming project).
I love Tom Hooper's vision in this movie, it is truly breathtaking. The opening scenes of Valjean in the workers prison are outstanding and they set the tone for the rest of the movie. He has created a version of Paris that I think reflects France in the 19th century. The costumes are also exceptional, the colours reflecting the revolutionary feel. I think the revolution scenes are my favourite and I love when the cast sings "Do You Hear the People Sing?" I had goosebumps.
I had hoped that this version would have made musicals popular again, but I fear the sheer length of it, a whopping 157 minutes (like most best picture nominees this year) may deter folk. It will certainly be a favourite amongst fans of the original musical, and it is an awards darling - as any historical film tends to be, and Anne and Hugh may even take home an Oscar, but unfortunately, I feel that unless you already liked musical before watching it, you won't become a fan at the end (even though it's a great movie). Thankfully, I already love musicals!
F. Scott Fitzgerald (one of my most favourite authors, you know, in case you were wondering) once said,
“Often people display a curious respect for a man drunk, rather like the respect of simple races for the insane. There is something awe-inspiring in one who has lost all inhibitions”.
I believe that is one of the messages of David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook. Throughout the film the audience wonders if the so called “sane” people are really that sane and that perhaps there is something, like Fitzgerald said, awe-inspiring about the ability to lose one’s inhibitions.
The film begins with Pat (Bradley Cooper), a 30-something substitute teacher who has just been released from an institution into the care of his parents Dolores and Pat Sr. (Jacki Weaver and Robert DeNiro). The audience learns through Pat’s inability to listen to Stevie Wonder’s “My Cherie Amour” that his wife cheated on him with a history teacher (with tenure). As a result, Pat seriously attacks his wife’s lover resulting in his institutionalisation.
Upon his return to the family home, we, along with Pat are reminded of the idiosyncrasies of not only the Solatano clan, but our own families. We discover that Pat Sr. is a bookmaker obsessed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Constantly worried about his son’s condition, Pat Sr. overlooks his own quirks (the juju, the remotes...). When I say the audience is reminded of their own relatives, perhaps I’m generalising, perhaps it was just me. Would I have connected with Pat Sr. so much if he hadn’t been played by Robert DeNiro, my own Dad’s personal hero, I can’t say for sure. (Just an aside note, I once had a dream that I won an Oscar and DeNiro presented it to me, and in the dream, my Dad didn’t congratulate me, instead he asked - like a love struck teen - what DeNiro was like).
I can understand the Solatano’s superstitions because my family also has a sporting obsession, one in which, and I’ll reference good ol’ F. Scott, we totally loose our inhibitions when supporting them. We’ve painted our faces, missed school and work for matches and for many years I would wear the same necklace and pin to every game. To an outsider, yes, this may seem crazy, but to us, it’s tradition and ceremonial. For me, the Solatano’s Eagles love is a reminder not to pass judgement too quickly because we’re all capable of a little crazy sometimes. It also shows the unique bond this family shares and that regardless of fights and misunderstandings, their's is a deep rooted love.
Jacki Weaver is superb as Dolores, the most sympathetic and understanding character in Silver Linings. She worries rather than judges and somehow manages to keep her family together. She seems to know her son the best, and unlike other characters, she has faith in him. She is the orchestrator of his “Silver Lining” by helping to set up his jogging meeting with Tiffany.
Ah yes, Tiffany - played brilliantly by Jennifer Lawrence. She is a true star, someone parents and kids can both like and she always seems genuine in every role whether it’s fighting to the death a la Hunger Games or fighting just to keep afloat in life as a young widow in Silver Linings. This is indeed a different role for Ms. Lawrence, we are used to seeing her as strong (X-Men, Hunger Games) but not usually so hard as in this film. She is also vulnerable and sad, and most importantly misunderstood, leading her family, and Pat Sr. (and even Pat Jr. on occasion) to define her as crazy. Yet grief affects everyone differently and while morally, we may not agree with how she’s handle her grief, the point is just that, it is her grief and we as an audience, or Pat as her friend don’t necessarily need to understand, we need to support (a major theme of the film).
Chris Tucker as Danny, Pat’s friend from the hospital, John Ortiz and Julia Stiles as Ronnie and Veronica as Pat’s friend and his wife and Anupam Kher as Dr. Patel round up this incredible cast. Tucker adds comedy and dance skills to the film as he goes on his own journey of acceptance so he can shed the crazy label. Veronica and Ronnie are interesting as their main plot purpose is to highlight the fact that despite the pretense of a happy family, Ronnie feels like he’s suffocating and can’t tell his wife. They like to pass judgement on Pat and Tiffany for not being normal but what they fail to realise is that Pat and Tiffany don’t need to be normal or “sane” because as the movie progresses, propelled by emotion and not expectation, they become increasingly free and less likely to feel suffocated. Dr. Patel also adds comedic effect and is a shining example of things not always being what they seem. During the week he’s a mild mannered therapist, but come Sunday (like my family), he’s not afraid to throw some paint on his face to support his team. Again, some may say this is “crazy” but I think it’s letting go of expectations.
Despite his predicament, Pat manages to remain optimistic and resolute with a personal motto of “Excelsior!”. This motivation is initially to get back with his wife thus proving that he is healed, shedding the crazy label. Yet as the film moves forward, Pat instead begins to shed his inhibitions as well as the expectations of others. This manifests itself in many ways - I personally love that he runs with a garbage bag on. Yes, he is running to get in shape for his wife, but the fact that he doesn’t care what he’s wearing is liberating. If I ever jogged, after seeing this film, I’d be tempted to throw on a garbage bag to do it.
Pat and Tiffany embark on an emotional journey, initially not realising they are doing it together. I love that they enter a dance competition with no hopes of winning, simply because she loves to dance. To be that passionate about something is an incredible feeling, and like Pat with the garbage bag, it doesn’t matter what people think or if they win, the fact is they’re doing something, they are living. I was a bit skeptical of this pairing when I first heard about it, perhaps because I picture Bradley Cooper in The Hangover and Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games but the chemistry is undeniable. Cooper shows some serious acting chops which no doubt made his old dean James Lipton proud.
In fact the chemistry between the whole cast is remarkable. Each character, in their struggle to appear sane inadvertently showcases their little "crazies", putting the audience at ease because we too have our own. And if there’s one thing this movie shows without a shadow of a doubt is that that’s ok. In her SAG acceptance speech (which is hopefully a precursor for the Oscars), Lawrence said that David O. Russell made a film for his son, so that he wouldn’t feel alone and so that he would be understood, and that Russell actually ended up making a film for so many who suffer from mental illness.
Yes Silver Linings Playbook wraps up neatly with the help of a football game and a dance contest, and no, that is not real life. However, the film tackles real life issues, and tackles them well. It highlights the fear people have about mental illness and more importantly, their fear of talking about it, but it is something that, especially nowadays, needs to be discussed. I think my favourite thing about this film wasn’t the incredible cast, the witty writing or the emotional journey but rather the fact that it really made me think about how exhilarating it would be to run down my street wearing a garbage bag, throwing caution and more importantly, people’s opinion to the wind...call me crazy, I’m ok with it.
