The Hundred-Word Review: SAVING MR. BANKS (2013)

Director:
John Lee Hancock

Screenplay:
Kelly Marcel
Sue Smith

Main Cast:
Emma Thompson
Tom Hanks
Colin Farrell
Paul Giamatti
Jason Schwartzman
Ruth Wilson
Bradley Whitford
B.J. Novak
Rachel Griffiths
Annie Rose Buckley

While this film may start out as your run-of-the-mill Disney fairytale, it moves to darker nuances quite early in the story thanks to a well-constructed narrative structure. As the Sherman brothers belt out the immortal lyrics that made "Mary Poppins'" a timeless classic, P.L. Travers, embodied by the sublime Emma Thompson, recollects her heartbreaking childhood and we, the viewers, go from disliking her uptight demeanour to feeling elated at her newfound serenity in the space of a couple of hours. Tom Hanks is perfectly at ease as larger-than-life Walt Disney and Colin Farrell is harrowingly memorable as Travers's unfortunate father.

LINK to an article about P.L. Travers's life that appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald's website (SPOILER ALERT!!!):
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/the-truth-behind-mary-poppins-creator-pl-travers-20140104-30akz.html

The Hundred-Word Review: JACK RYAN: SHADOW RECRUIT (2014)

Director:
Kenneth Branagh

Screenplay:
Adam Cozad
David Koepp
based on the characters invented by Tom Clancy

Main Cast:
Chris Pine
Kenneth Branagh
Kevin Costner
Keira Knightley

The main problem with this film is that it is a spy story that does not feel like one because of its lacking cinematography. Each frame is languid, there is no sense of urgency and no sense of discomfort to rattle the viewer. The film's unremarkable score follows suit. As for the script, the characters are not clearly outlined, which makes it hard to empathize with Jack Ryan's struggles, despite a good effort from Chris Pine. Kenneth Branagh's direction feels too laid back, even disinterested at times, but he excels as the film's villain, complete with a spot-on Russian accent.

LINK to a very recent article about Chris Pine's regrets concering the film:
http://variety.com/2014/film/news/chris-pine-deeply-regrets-not-getting-jack-ryan-right-1201388184/

20th Critics' Choice Movie Awards: Nominees

"Birdman"

BEST PICTURE
Birdman
Boyhood
Gone Girl
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Nightcrawler
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Unbroken
Whiplash

BEST ACTOR
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton – Birdman
David Oyelowo – Selma
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything

BEST ACTRESS
Jennifer Aniston – Cake
Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin – Inherent Vice
Robert Duvall – The Judge
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Jessica Chastain – A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Meryl Streep – Into the Woods
Tilda Swinton – Snowpiercer

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Ellar Coltrane – Boyhood
Ansel Elgort – The Fault in Our Stars
Mackenzie Foy – Interstellar
Jaeden Lieberher – St. Vincent
Tony Revolori – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Quvenzhane Wallis – Annie
Noah Wiseman – The Babadook

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Into the Woods
Selma

BEST DIRECTOR
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay – Selma
David Fincher – Gone Girl
Alejandro G. Inarritu – Birdman
Angelina Jolie – Unbroken
Richard Linklater – Boyhood

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Birdman – Alejandro G. Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo
Boyhood – Richard Linklater
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness
Nightcrawler – Dan Gilroy
Whiplash – Damien Chazelle

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Gone Girl – Gillian Flynn
The Imitation Game – Graham Moore
Inherent Vice – Paul Thomas Anderson
The Theory of Everything – Anthony McCarten
Unbroken – Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, Richard LaGravenese, William Nicholson
Wild – Nick Hornby

BEST CINEMATOGRAPY 
Birdman – Emmanuel Lubezki
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Robert Yeoman
Interstellar – Hoyte Van Hoytema
Mr. Turner – Dick Pope
Unbroken – Roger Deakins

BEST ART DIRECTION
Birdman – Kevin Thompson/Production Designer, George DeTitta Jr./Set Decorator
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Adam Stockhausen/Production Designer, Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator
Inherent Vice – David Crank/Production Designer, Amy Wells/Set Decorator
Interstellar – Nathan Crowley/Production Designer, Gary Fettis/Set Decorator
Into the Woods – Dennis Gassner/Production Designer, Anna Pinnock/Set Decorator
Snowpiercer – Ondrej Nekvasil/Production Designer, Beatrice Brentnerova/Set Decorator

BEST EDITING
Birdman – Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione
Boyhood – Sandra Adair
Gone Girl – Kirk Baxter
Interstellar – Lee Smith
Whiplash – Tom Cross

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Grand Budapest Hotel – Milena Canonero
Inherent Vice – Mark Bridges
Into the Woods – Colleen Atwood
Maleficent – Anna B. Sheppard
Mr. Turner – Jacqueline Durran

BEST HAIR & MAKEUP
Foxcatcher
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Into the Woods
Maleficent

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Edge of Tomorrow
Guardians of the Galaxy
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Lego Movie

BEST ACTION MOVIE
American Sniper
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Edge of Tomorrow
Fury
Guardians of the Galaxy

BEST ACTOR IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Bradley Cooper – American Sniper
Tom Cruise – Edge of Tomorrow
Chris Evans – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Brad Pitt – Fury
Chris Pratt – Guardians of the Galaxy

BEST ACTRESS IN AN ACTION MOVIE
Emily Blunt – Edge of Tomorrow
Scarlett Johansson – Lucy
Jennifer Lawrence – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
Zoe Saldana – Guardians of the Galaxy
Shailene Woodley – Divergent

BEST COMEDY
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
St. Vincent
Top Five
22 Jump Street

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Jon Favreau – Chef
Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Bill Murray – St. Vincent
Chris Rock – Top Five
Channing Tatum – 22 Jump Street

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Rose Byrne – Neighbors
Rosario Dawson – Top Five
Melissa McCarthy – St. Vincent
Jenny Slate – Obvious Child
Kristen Wiig – The Skeleton Twins

BEST SCI-FI/HORROR MOVIE
The Babadook
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Interstellar
Snowpiercer
Under the Skin

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Force Majeure
Ida
Leviathan
Two Days, One Night
Wild Tales

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Citizenfour
Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Last Days in Vietnam
Life Itself
The Overnighters

BEST SONG
Big Eyes – Lana Del Rey – Big Eyes
Everything Is Awesome – Jo Li and the Lonely Island – The Lego Movie
Glory – Common/John Legend – Selma
Lost Stars – Keira Knightley – Begin Again
Yellow Flicker Beat – Lorde – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

BEST SCORE
Alexandre Desplat – The Imitation Game
Johann Johannsson – The Theory of Everything
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Gone Girl
Antonio Sanchez – Birdman
Hans Zimmer – Interstellar

27th European Film Awards: Winners

"L'arte della felicità"

Due premi all'Italia, Miglior commedia e Miglior film d'animazione.

EUROPEAN FILM 2014
IDA Directed by: Paweł Pawlikowski Written by: Paweł Pawlikowski & Rebecca Lenkiewicz Produced by: Eric Abraham, Piotr Dzięcioł & Ewa Puszczyńska

EUROPEAN COMEDY 2014
THE MAFIA ONLY KILLS IN SUMMER (La mafia uccide solo d'estate) by Pierfrancesco Diliberto 

EUROPEAN DISCOVERY 2014 – Prix FIPRESCI
THE TRIBE (Plemya) by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy

EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY 2014
MASTER OF THE UNIVERSE by Marc Bauder

EUROPEAN ANIMATED FEATURE FILM 2014
THE ART OF HAPPINESS (L’arte della felicitá) by Alessandro Rak

EUROPEAN SHORT FILM 2014
THE CHICKEN by Una Gunjak

EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2014
Paweł Pawlikowski for IDA

EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2014
Marion Cotillard in TWO DAYS, ONE NIGHT (Deux jours, une nuit)

EUROPEAN ACTOR 2014
Timothy Spall in MR. TURNER

EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2014
Paweł Pawlikowski & Rebecca Lenkiewicz for IDA

EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER 2014 – Prix CARLO DI PALMA
Łukasz Żal & Ryszard Lenczewski for IDA

EUROPEAN EDITOR 2014
Justine Wright for LOCKE

EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER 2014
Claus-Rudolf Amler for THE DARK VALLEY (Das Finstere Tal)

EUROPEAN COSTUME DESIGNER 2014
Natascha Curtius-Noss for THE DARK VALLEY (Das Finstere Tal)

EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2014 Mica Levi for UNDER THE SKIN

EUROPEAN SOUND DESIGNER 2014
Joakim Sundström for STARRED UP

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2014
Agnès Varda 

EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA 2014
Steve McQueen 

EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD 2014 – Prix EURIMAGES
Ed Guiney

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD 2014 for Best European Film
IDA by Paweł Pawlikowski

72nd Golden Globe Awards: Nominees (Film)

"Gone Girl"

Here are your 2015 Golden Globe nominees! 


Best Motion Picture - Drama 
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything


Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy 
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Into the Woods
Pride
St Vincent

Best Director 
Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Ava DuVernay (Selma)
David Fincher (Gone Girl)
Alejandro González Iñárritu (Birdman)
Richard Linklater (Boyhood)


Best Actress - Drama
Jennifer Aniston (Cake)
Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything)
Julianne Moore (Still Alice)
Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl)
Reese Witherspoon (Wild)


Best Actor - Drama 
Steve Carrell (Foxcatcher)
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game)
Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler)
David Oyelowo (Selma)
Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)


Best Actress - Musical or Comedy 
Amy Adams (Big Eyes)
Emily Blunt (Into The Woods)
Helen Mirren (The Hundred-Foot Journey)
Julianne Moore (Maps to the Stars)
Quvenzhané Wallis (Annie)


Best Actor - Musical or Comedy 
Ralph Fiennes (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Michael Keaton (Birdman)
Bill Murray (St. Vincent)
Joaquin Phoenix (Inherent Vice)
Christoph Waltz (Big Eyes)


Best Supporting Actress 
Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)
Jessica Chastain (A Most Violent Year)
Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game)
Emma Stone (Birdman)
Meryl Streep (Into The Woods)


Best Supporting Actor 
Robert Duvall (The Judge)
Ethan Hawke (Boyhood)
Edward Norton (Birdman)
Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher)
JK Simmons (Whiplash)


Best Screenplay 
Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel)
Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl)
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo (Birdman) Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
Graham Moore (The Imitation Game)


Best Foreign Language Film
Force Majeure (Sweden)
Gett: The Trial of Vivian Amsalem (Israel)
Ida (Poland/Denmark)
Leviathan (Russia)
Tangerines (Estonia)


Best Animated Feature 
Big Hero Six
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
The Lego Movie


Best Original Score
Alexandre Desplat (The Imitation Game)
Jóhann Jóhannsson (Theory of Everything)
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross (Gone Girl)
Antonio Sanchez (Birdman)
Hans Zimmer (Interstellar)


Best Original Song 
Big Eyes (Big Eyes)
Glory (Selma)
Mercy Is (Noah)
Opportunity (Annie)
Yellow Flicker Beat (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1)

Screen Actors Guild Awards 2015: Nominees (motion picture)

Steve Carell in "Foxcatcher"

The "Oscar Games" have officially begun... Behold the nominees!

Performance by a cast in a motion picture
"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Imitation Game"
"The Theory of Everything"

Performance by a male actor in a leading role
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"
Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler"
Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"

Performance by a female actor in a leading role
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"
Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
Jennifer Aniston, "Cake"

Performance by a female actor in a supporting role
Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into The Woods"
Naomi Watts, "St. Vincent"

Performance by a male actor in a supporting role
Robert Duvall, "The Judge"
Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
Edward Norton, "Birdman"
Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Action performance by a stunt ensemble in a motion picture
“Fury”
“Get On Up”
“The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies”
“Unbroken”
“X-men: Days Of Future Past”