Category Archives: Drama

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Leonardo Dicaprio and that elusive Oscar.

Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr, Johnny Depp, and even our Inside Film favourite Bill Murray, are just a few of countless examples of superstar actors who have, surprisingly, never won an Oscar.

However, none ever seemed more surprising than the case of Leonardo DiCaprio, possibly the most “A-list” one of all. In recent years, the capture of “Leo” as your lead or supporting actor almost guaranteed Box Office success.  His four film partnership with master director Martin Scorsese has provided some of the most complete pictures of the last two decades.

The Aviator picked up five Oscars in 2004, whilst the Departed took four in 2007. He was the main event of the $160 million dollar blockbuster Inception, which also won four Oscars. The joint highest academy award winning film in one year, Titanic, which took eleven, co-starred DiCaprio in what once was the highest grossing film of all time, second only to Avatar.

Did DiCaprio ever really stand a chanc of winning an Oscar in 2014? "Absolutely ****ing not. image via www.awardsdaily.com

Did DiCaprio ever really stand a chanc of winning an Oscar in 2014? “Absolutely ****ing not.
image via www.awardsdaily.com

Yet, as we all know, DiCaprio has not managed to pick up an Oscar for himself, and that has slowly become a somewhat begrudgingly, accepted reality. Speaking to Deadline.com before the 89th Academy Awards, DiCaprio said that “As you know my friend, no one knows what is going to happen. Everyone has their predictions about everything. I’ve no expectations whatsoever for anything or anyone. All I am doing at this point is doing my best to showcase a project I love very dearly and am very proud of.”

No one ever really expected Leonardo to win Best Lead when he was nominated in 2014, yet everyone was rooting for him when the award eventually went to Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club.

Despite his countlessly diverse roles, undeniable popularity and an ability to be an absolute box-office smash hit, DiCaprio appears to be no closer to making his acceptance speech to the academy. Moreover, his recent announcements to take a “long, long break” from acting, after filming the Great Gatsby, Django Unchained and the Wolf of Wall Street back to back threatens any opportunity of academy award nominations, of which he has only ever had four, in the near future. His last substantial hiatus lasted over two years and DiCaprio has given very little to indicate when he will return to the screen.

However, with Scorsese remaining precautious over details of a Frank Sinatra biopic, which may or may not be coming sooner than we originally thought, it has become a widespread assumption that DiCaprio will take the lead on a sixth collaboration. Biopics have long since been seen as an actor’s easiest way to win the award, a recent example being Jamie Foxx taking the Best Actor award for Ray in 2004.

So, perhaps it may still be a case of when, rather than if, Leonardo DiCaprio finally wins an Academy Award. DiCaprio said in 2014 that “I don’t feel like I deserve anything but it feels good to just be in the conversation and have your peers say, ‘OK, this is at least worth talking about’. “ Though in hindsight, does Leonardo even need the award in the first place? He may not have been officially recognized by the Academy, but that does not mean DiCaprio still has anything to prove. Not to his fans at least, who to them – the longer Leo goes on without winning an Oscar, the less significant every past Oscar winner becomes.

Keep smiling Leo!

image via kelizaeverson.wordpress.com

image via kelizaeverson.wordpress.com

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Is Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit too much?

Gandalf walking through a dark cave with his staff lit in front of him.
Gandalf and Radagast talking next to a tree.

Image via: http://apnatimepass.com/

I would most definitely describe myself as a fan of the works of Tolkien. There isn’t a published novel, poem or essay of his that I haven’t read, and I am a true believer of the opinion of the Sunday Times, in that “ the English-speaking world is divided into those who have read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and those who are going to read them”.

Back in 1997, Peter Jackson began work on The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of three attempts to convert the epic high fantasy novel of J. R. R. Tolkien into film. I loved these films, but I wish that there had been more. Three films (and yes, I have seen the extended versions) simply wasn’t enough. So much potential was missed out on. The entire chapter In the House of Tom Bombadil was missed, The Council of Elrond made too simple. So when it was announced that The Hobbit was to be given the “Jackson” treatment, I was over the moon. But did he go too far?

The Hobbit has always been intended as a children’s book. A little hard to read for today’s youngest readers perhaps, but nonetheless written for them. At just shy of 300 pages long, it is the perfect length to tell the tale of one Hobbit and his journey. Let’s not forget the true tale of the hobbit – don’t worry yourself with details of Elf/Dwarf love triangles – is Bilbo’s adventure to reclaim The Lonely Mountain, during which he discovers his inner courage. So when I learned that it was to become three films, a nine hour epic, I had one question. Why?

Bilbo stood on a mountain path.

Image via: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/

Now we have something entirely different. We have the original idea of Tolkien, which was to write a book called The Hobbit and have it entirely about said Hobbit. But Peter Jackson wanted more. He wanted a prequel to his Lord of the Rings, which is never a good idea in writing movies (ahem, Star Wars episodes 1-3).

Because of this, we now have multiple plot lines that feel splintered from the main effort – Gandalf’s fight against the Necromancer being a particularly unforgivable example. Here we have a fight that isn’t really built up to that doesn’t make sense if you haven’t seen The Lord of the Rings. This entire scene relies on cheap-feeling film clichés – Gandalf is awesome and Sauron is super evil, let’s make them fight in the ultimate showdown of light vs. dark. How unsubtle. Here’s a fantastic representation of the troll scene. Here’s Radagast playing with a hedgehog.

There were some additions that worked though. In the scene where Bilbo attacks the baby spider, then realises he did it because of the Ring, he is mortified. It is a perfectly-wordless moment where it shows more of the character. The interrogation scene between Tranduil and Thorin was another great moment. This was extended from the same scene in the book, however it gives the character of Thranduil more exposure and this sets up a very important character for the next film.

So, Peter. Yes I love The Lord of the Rings. Yes I love both of your Hobbit film, and yes I will love the next. But Tolkien kept the story of Sauron out of The Hobbit because it belongs in a different book. And yes it is a prelude to The Lord of the Rings, but it is very much its own story, its own entity, and it deserves that treatment.

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Blue Jasmine wins at the Costume Design Guild Awards.

Cate Blanchett on the red carpet.
An image of Cate Blanchett star of Blue Jasmine.

Star of Blue Jasmine, Cate Blanchett.

The 16th Annual Costume Designers Guild (CDG) Awards were announced last night and saw films such as Blue Jasmine, 12 Years a Slave and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, walk away with awards.

The Guild which hands out competitive awards in seven categories honoured the five-time Oscar nominee, Amy Adams, with the Lacoste Spotlight Awards.

Suzy Benzinger, costume designer for Blue Jasmine, walked home with the Excellence in Contemporary Film. Relatively new to the business, Suzy has only worked on a few low-budget films.

When she was hired to work on the Woody Allen film, that sees Cate Blanchett grace the screen as the leading actress, Suzy could not believe the budget she had for the film.

She said, “When you do a Woody Allen film you have a very limited budget. How limited? The entire budget for this film was $35,000. Panic set in.”

Suzy explained that once she started name dropping ‘Woody Allen’ and ‘Cate Blanchett’ doors soon began to open.

Often undervalued, the CDG awards are one of the lesser known awards that takes place all over Hollywood in the run up to The Oscars.

Other winners of the night included 12 Years A Slave for Excellence in Period Film and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire for Excellence in Fantasy Film.

Surprisingly, only one of the winners of the night are nominated for an Academy Award on Sunday evening. Patricia Norris for 12 Years a Slave will go up for Best Costume Design against films such as American Hustle, The Great Gatsby and The Invisible Woman.

if you haven’t already, please check out our post-BAFTAs podcast.

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Events, offers and releases 10/2/14

An image of the lego movie characters.
An image of the lego movie characters.

The Lego Movie Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Releases – In Cinemas Friday 14th February

Her– Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams and Scarlett Johansson. Her sees a lonely writer (Phoenix) develop an unlikely relationship with a newly purchased operating system that’s designed to meet his every need. Check out the trailer by clicking here.

Monuments Men – George Clooney stars in, directs, produces and writes this World War II drama that sees an unlikely team given the task to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners. Based on a true story the movie co-stars Matt Damon, John Goodman and Cate Blanchett. See the platoon get to work in the trailer here.

The Lego Movie –  for the child that lives in all of us, The Lego Movie will add some laughs to your valentines day. An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together. Featuring the voices of Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson, this film will entertain everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. See the trailer here.

To book tickets visit the Odeon website.

Offers

See The Book Thief for Free!

Before the general release of the film on Friday 26th February you have the chance to see World War II drama, The Book Thief, before anyone else on Tuesday 11th February.

Narrated by ‘Death’ the story is set in World War II Germany and describes a young girl’s relationship with her foster parents, other residents of her neighbourhood, and a young man who hides in her home during the escalation of World War II. The film is directed by Brian Percival and is an adaptation of the New York Times bestseller written by Markus Zusak and published in 2005.

All you need to do is head over the ShowFilmFirst website and enter this code: 482715. But be quick as these kind of offers don’t last long and once the tickets are gone, they’re gone.

Events

A golden bear statue which is the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival.

The Golden Bear, the top prize and the Berlin International Film Festival.

 

Berlin International Film Festival – 6th-16th February 2014.

With around 300,000 tickets sold, the Berlin International Film Festival is often seen as the largest publicly attended film festival in the world based on actual attendance rates. Up to 400 films will be shown throughout the event across various venues in the capital.

Films to look out for are Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, Lars Von Trier’s Nymphomaniac and Calvary, a black comedy starring Chris O’Dowd and Brendan Gleeson.

For a full list of screenings and up-to-date news click here to visit the Berlin International Film Festival website.

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Philip Seymour Hoffman, life of the actor.

Philip Seymour Hoffman talking into a microphone
Philip Seymour Hoffman at a press conference holding a microphone

Philip Seymour Hoffman

Update: Post-mortem results released on February 28th have stated that the actor died of an accidental overdose caused by a “mixed drug intoxication” including heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and benzodiazepine. The original story is as follows.

Actor, director, father. Phillip Seymour Hoffman passed away on February 4th 2014 in New York from a suspected drug overdose.

The celebrity was found dead in his New York apartment by friend and playwright David Bar Katz. While there has been no confirmed cause of death, investigators searching the apartment found bags of heroin and prescription medication.

Born in New York in 1967 Hoffman grew up in the New York suburb of Rochester with his mother, father and two sisters, Emily and Jill.

His love of acting came after he was forced to give up wrestling following a neck injury. When he was 17 he was selected to attend the 1984 Theatre School at the New York State Summer School of Arts.

There he met future collaborators, Dan Futterman and Bennet Miller, the screenwriter and director who Hoffman worked with on the 2005 film, Capote. A film for which he is most famous for after going on to win the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 78th Academy Awards.

Since then, Hoffman has enjoyed critical and commercial success following his Oscar nomination for his role in Doubt opposite Meryl Streep, Moneyball and The Master, for the latter he gained another Academy Award nomination.

in 2010, Hoffman had his directorial debut with the film Jack Goes Boating, where a limo driver’s blind date sparks a tale of love, betrayal, friendship, and grace centered around two working-class New York City couples. He also appeared in the film as the main character opposite Amy Ryan.

Most recently Hoffman appeared opposite Jennifer Lawrence in the worldwide blockbuster The Hunger Games: Catching Fire as head gamesmaker Pultarch Heavensbee. A role which he is scheduled to reprise in November 2014 in the sequel The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.

Hoffman had already completed the filming for Part 1 of the film, but had seven more days of filming left at the time of his death for the second instalment.

Filmmakers, Lionsgate, have announced that there will be no change or delay to the release of the movies and that they will employ the use of CGI technology to replace Hoffman’s final moments in the film.

In recent years it has become public knowledge the Hoffman had suffered from substance abuse.

In 2006 he admitted in an interview that he had suffered from drug and alcohol abuse after graduating from college at the age of 22, for which he went into rehab at the time.

He relapsed more than 20 years later with heroin and addiction to prescription medications. In May 2013 he checked himself into drug rehab for 10 days.

Hoffman is survived by his partner of 15 years Mimi O’Donnell, with whom he had a son and two daughters.