Someone asked me recently if I'll be staying up to watch the Oscar's. Er, no. Awards ceremonies are generally dull and lack any surprise because they are invariably tied up with political voting. And, quite simply, I'm not a late night person.
The King's Speech will no doubt do well although there is bound to be one category which upsets the apple cart. It would be far more interesting if they chose the top three and revealed them in reverse order, particulary as the best film category now has 10 on the shortlist.
I confess: I was going to go and see Howl but having had a run of seeing more serious films owing to it being Oscar season, I decided at the last minute I just wanted some chewing gum for the eyes.
I'd seen a trailer for I Am Number Four which pretty much gives you the story and it is an interesting concept so plumped for that.
A small group of fugitive aliens are hiding out on earth from the Mogadorian's who took over their planet.
The Mogadorian's are hunting them down one by one, in order and Alex Pettyfer plays, John, or Number Four. He feels the death of his counterparts and so knows he is next on the hit list. He lives a semi nomadic lifestyle with his protector (Timothy Oliphant) moving from place to place and never setting down roots or getting too close to anyone in order to 'stay off the grid'.
When they arrive in Paradise, Ohio, John quickly falls for local girl Sarah (Dianna Agron) and starts drawing attention to himself as his true alien powers begin to show.
It takes its time setting up the story, establishing that John feel alone, isolated and frustrated with his lot and the action doesn't really kick in until about two thirds of the way through when John is forced into a confrontation with the local jocks and the Mogadorian's start to close in. Which is fine as some action flicks can rely a little too heavily on the action.
Pettyfer isn't the best actor but he pulls off hansom and troubled well enough. And it all skips along in a mildly entertaining way, spoiled only by the occasional Hollywood cliche moment (our protagonist and co-alien's silhouette's walking out of the burning embers of the final battle) and the extreme 'alieness' of said battle which seems strangely at odds with the more subtle teen angst/romance of the rest of the film.
I Am Number Four is the first in a planned six book series and I'd give the next film a go if it gets taken up.
It gets 55% from me, on UK Rotten Tomatoes it gets a thumbs down with 31% based on 130 reviews but visitor to the site seemed to like it giving it 70%. Meanwhile Metacritic has a similar imbalance with critics giving it 30% and the average site user giving it 6.1 out of 10.
Can True Grit knock The King's Speech off the top perch of the films short-listed for this year's best film gong?
Well there is a slim chance the Academy might still decide 'yes' but in my humble opinion the answer is, sadly, 'no'.
Its trailer pretty much gives you the story: 14-year old Mattie hires a grizzly, whiskey drinking Marshall to help her track down her father's murderer.
And the main problem is that it feels slow to get going. It takes a long time for Mattie played very well by newcomer Hailee Steinfield and Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to hit the trail of the murderer Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin).
There is an indulgently long court room scene to establish that Rooster is indeed a grizzly, whiskey-drinking Marshall who has no qualms about shooting those he pursues. Then a long time for Mattie, albeit with a skill beyond her years, to negotiate a deal firstly to sell back some horses her father had bought and then to secure the services of Rooster having rejected those of the more clean-living, by-the-book Marshall LaBeouf (Matt Damon).
And all this isn't helped by the fact that Bridges as Rooster speaks with a gravelly, southern American drawl - the sort of delivery that is achieved by barely opening the mouth - and is therefore only partially intelligable.
Man Booker winning author (Never Let Me Go was shortlisted) Kizuo Ishiguro said the marketing material of both the book and the film on which is based caused many headaches. The reason? How much to give away.
One of the things I loved about the book which starts off in an English boarding school is that there is a slow growing sense that there is something not quite right about the school, it's staff and pupils. The reveal comes half to three quarters of the way through.
The trailer to the film, I felt, gave too much away although I do concede that knowing the story may make me read more into it than someone coming at it blind. I've always felt that these sort of stories should be presented in the order and at the speed that the author intended and I worried that much of the impact of the reveal would be lost if the film plunged in to quickly.
However, what I didn't reckon on how much that prior knowledge of the book would have on how intently I would engage with the film.
Nearly didn't go and see The Fighter because I really don't like boxing. In fact I'll go as far as admitting that it was the best film Oscar nod that swung it, that and the fact it has two great leads in Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale.
It's based on a true story about two brother boxers who come from a large, tight-knit Irish-American family who live in a poor community in small town Massachusetts. Older brother Dicky (Bale) is the local hero having knocked down Sugar Ray Leonard in a fight ten years earlier (or did he trip?). He's made a career or certainly a life of notoriety based on this one famous fight but has subsequently succumbed to crack addiction and petty crime.
His younger, half-brother Micky is trained by Dicky and managed by his mother and it quickly becomes apparent that his lack of success as a boxer is more to do with these factors rather than his lack of skill in the ring.
Micky falls for college drop-out and bar maid Charlene (Amy Adams) who sees the damage his family is doing to his career. When Dicky goes to jail for impersonated a police officer, Micky is persuaded to take a chance with a new trainer and a manager and his career starts to flourish. When Dicky is released from jail family loyalty clashes head on with Micky's aspirations.
Big name stars aside the grittyness of The Fighter reminded me a little of another Oscar best film contender - Winter's Bone. It's a different setting but there is a raw authenticity about it which makes for compelling viewing.
There isn't too much boxing which was a relief. I don't think it would be an Oscar contender if there was, after all the outcome of the final fight is a foregone conclusion even if you never followed boxing; it wouldn't be film-fodder otherwise.
There's a series of these, I'll post the others as I've watched them. This is the full hour-plus version (there are snippets on YouTube) and it's really interesting to hear the actors talking so candidly but most of all, to be all sat around the same table. A sort of compare and contrast.
Some highlights include Colin Firth saying that being an actor is basically like not growing up and spending your time play acting. But you have to remember that those around you are grown ups doing real grown up things. He also readily admits that he's acted in some stinkers. Hmmm wonder which films he could mean...
Jesse Eisenberg comes across as really nervy and twitchy and admits to being so hard on himself that during one film he made a note of every take and which of the one or two he was actually happy with.
James Franco is quiet and serious and recounts his 127 Hours audition in which he didn't think Danny Boyle was interested in using him and therefore he didn't fight for the role but that this was a misunderstanding and Boyle actually thought he was stoned.
And Ryan Gosling talks about Blue Valentine director Derek Cianfrance's approach to film making which is very organic. There were no rehearsals just the director following the actors around with a camera, just one take on every shot and then he'd pick out the gems for inclusion. The complete opposite to David Fincher who's approach on Social Network (and no wonder Eisenberg is so nervy) is to do each scene in around 50 different takes.
This story has just popped up announcing that Robert Pattinson will once again be tinkling the ivories in a Twilight movie.
Now Mr Pattinson has yet to convince me that his acting talent stretches much beyond just looking pretty and/or troubled and running his hand through his hair but his music is a different matter.
I loved the two tracks of his that were used for Twilight and think this is where his talent truly lies - albeit with some lessons to overcome his tendency to mumble. He really does have some skill as a musician and songwriter and a beautiful voice that seems to come from a different person entirely which I find intriguing.
Now at the moment it looks like he'll only be playing piano but we can keep our fingers crossed.
I nearly didn't go to see this Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart & Dianne Wiest vehicle thinking that an hour and half watching a couple grieving the loss of their four-year old son wasn't a cheery way to spend a Saturday afternoon. But I'm glad I did.
The film is based on the Broadway play by David Lyndsey-Abair for which Cynthia Nixon won Tony for her performance as mother Becka, the role Kidman takes in the film. You can see how it would work on stage but it does also translate well to the big screen too.
The linnear narrative examines how Becca and Howie (Eckhart) are processing their grief differently and the impact it has on those around them and on their own relationship. With such a subject matter it would be easy to drift into cliche and the temptations are there like bear traps but deftly side-stepped.
It being on the cusp of Oscar month, January is equivalent of a supermarket sweep - too much choice and too little time.
Fortunately my handful of trips to the London film festival last October has helped narrow the field but there was still far more celluloid being projected onto the silverscreen than I could possibly get my bottom in front of. From what I have manage to see the cinematic year has got off to such a roaring start I fear the next 11 months will be slightly underwhelming.
This year I've turned all nerdy and in addition to my reviews I've set up a spread sheet so I can put the film scores through the number cruncher. My lowest scoring film for January (I only saw a modest five) still came in at 65% but the top slot is going to be hard to beat:
My top three films:
The King's Speech 95%
Biutiful 90%
127 Hours 75%
Top three films I've seen by average Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic score (UK box office takings)
The King's Speech 91% (£5.1m)
127 Hours 88% (£6.6m)
Biutiful* 83.5% (-)
Not much disparity there, not convinced that will continue though.
Coming up in February I'm looking forward to: True Grit, Rabbit Hole, Brighton Rock (if I decide to see it again), Never Let Me Go, I am Number Four and Howl.
If you want to see what is coming up and where it will be showing I've just found this great site called www.launchingfilms.com
* Biutiful was only released on 28 Jan so box office figures not yet available
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