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Top 10 Movies of 2011
1. The Artist
2. Super 8
3. Like Crazy
4. Jane Eyre
5. Drive
6. The Descendants
7. Harry Potter and the Dealthy Hallows Pt. 2
8. Bridesmaids
9. Hugo
10. 50/50
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SAG Awards Best Dressed.
Not many Wows at this event, but I LOVED Emma Stones. Naturally.
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Roundtable 2011 : The Producers
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The Hollywood Roundtable: The Actresses
Carey Mulligan ( Shame) Glenn Close ( Albert Nobbs) Octavia Spencer ( The Help) Viola Davis ( The Help) Michelle Williams ( My Week with Marilyn) and Charlize Theron ( Young Adult)
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The Hunger Games trailer
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Fall Movie Update
September
October
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Like Crazy Reviews
“More than anything else, “Like Crazy” is a masterful feat of narrative compression — a quickly moving film that feels relaxed. Full of jump cuts, lightning-fast montages and decontextualized bits of dialogue, the pic contains nary an extraneous detail, while still managing to luxuriate in the tender and awkward silences of young love.”
—— Variety
”Like Crazy drives complexity, and it does so stylishly and cleverly. This is the film that lends lovely visuals to the feeling that won’t go away, in the middle of the night or out at a bar, when you just want to be near the one you love.”
—— Film.com
“This low-key, and at times downbeat, relationship movie isn’t for those who like meet-cutes and neat resolutions. Doremus isn’t a “peak moments” kind of filmmaker, a purveyor of ecstatic exchanges such as first kisses and hot sex. He’s more the sidelong-glances type, a filmmaker who conveys microclimates of mood without characters declaring their feelings.”
———Philly.com
“Felicity Jones continues to show why she’s one of our most exciting rising stars with yet another wonderful performance as Anna – warm-hearted and vulnerable, it’s a stunningly naturalistic performance that seems completely real and believable. Yelchin is equally good and the pair generate genuine chemistry together, while there’s strong support from both Jennifer Lawrence (who works wonders with a disappointingly underwritten part) and from Alex Kingston* and Oliver Muirhead as Anna’s parents.”——— View.co.uk
*River Song!!
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After volunteering at the Chicago International Film Festival I got to take an empty seat during the screening of the Grand Jury Prize winning “Like Crazy” which included a Q&A with Felicity Jones, Anton Yelchin and the director Drake Doremus.
Which was sweet.
I loved this movie while watching it and couldn’t stop thinking about it afterwards. I loved it even more after learning more about it. I’ve read that there was no script, but rather a 50 page outline with scene beats which means that much of the actual dialogue was improvised and came about as a result of the collaboration between the actors and the director/writer(s). It was also shot in one month. Also it was shot on a Canon 7D. I dunno why but I love when features are shot on a camera that any layperson ( with some disposable income) can get. It had beautiful, simply yet suspenseful shots throughout which added even more to the voyeuristic feel. The acting was superb in every scene and felt very natural. Though it was shot in a month, the characters are meant to age about 6 years which was shown clearly through changes in manner, attitude, set design, costumes etc. There is one quick montage showing Jacob and Anna in bed together and shows the span of a summer. I’d love to be able to see each one so to absorb the thoughtful set design and body placement which tells its own mini story.
The director had a film at Sundance the year before and made a few tiny looking things but I didn’t recognize anything on his imdb page. Which is an incredible story! To go from directing basically nothing to winning the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance! Too cool. I last saw Felicity Jones in Northanger Abbey with Carey Mulligan where she had alot of fun and did a good job. I’m excited to see her in more.
Anyway, it is a great film, fun yet sad, realistic and , I believe, relatable.
Go watch it when it comes out on 10/28 and be on the lookout for some nominations come award season.
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Michele Williams as Marilyn Monroe by Annie Lebowitz in Vogue.
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Designs for Living: Apartment Genre
Film and Lecture series at the Gene Siskel Film Center this fall. I think I’ll attend the “Wait Until Dark” one in October. I’ve never seen it and am a big Audrey Hepburn fan.
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Fall films!
Finally fall films are almost here! The return of talent, of quality, of indie films filled with actual plots, dialogue, characters and story lines! ( hopefully)
September
October
November
The Twilight Sage: Breaking Dawn Pt. 1 ( Disclaimer: I realize this is horrendous but its a tradition with a few friends of mine. The gems of hilarity that are contained within these “films” are not to be underestimated)
December
-Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows?
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
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Jane Eyre
I’ve loved the Charlotte Bronte’s novel “Jane Eyre” ever since I read it in high school. I loved it even more when I read Jasper Fforde’s hilariously ridiculous work, ” The Eyre Affair” which stars Thursday Next who “ruins” the novel forever. The Masterpiece Theater version , starring Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson, is very well done. I loved that I didn’t know the actors beforehand and so could be drawn more into the characters rather then being distracted by past work etc. I remember being sad there were only 4 episodes in this miniseries. Toby Stephens is my favorite Rochester so far, but I’m looking forward to seeing how Mr. Fassbender does.
With every new adaptation and re-reading of “Jane Eyre” I enjoy it more. It really is like revisiting friends after a long absence when I read favorite scenes and cannot help but smile to myself. The gypsy scenario is one that always gets me. I love the character of Jane Eyre. I usually like to compare myself to literary heroines (who doesn’t?) but I’m not as much like Jane Eyre as I’d like, which is unfortunate. She is an extremely strong, intelligent and wonderful literary heroine. She is independent, loyal, smart, moral, dedicated, romantic, caring and selfless. She also possesses a good balance of realist and dreamer. I don’t mean to make it sounds as if she is perfect, as she is conflicted and definitely a complex hero. I just enjoy seeing heroines in classic literature who embody a character which we as readers can seek to emulate. Rochester is also a formidable character and changes so much throughout the novel. I love reading and imagining his evolution as the story progresses.
This is making me want to read it again right away! I’m excited to see this new adaptation. I remember, early in its pre-production, Ellen Page was signed up to star. She was eventually replaced by Wasikowska. I think she is a wonderful choice, but I’m would have been curious to see how Page would have done in a film like this. I cannot see the film this weekend as its only limited release* as of yet. Perhaps next weekend. It’s been getting great reviews so I’m excited.
“This “Jane Eyre,” energetically directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (“Sin Nombre”) from a smart, trim script by Moira Buffini (“Tamara Drewe”), is a splendid example of how to tackle the daunting duty of turning a beloved work of classic literature into a movie. Neither a radical updating nor a stiff exercise in middlebrow cultural respectability, Mr. Fukunaga’s film tells its venerable talewith lively vigor and an astute sense of emotional detail.”
AMC
River East 21
322 East Illinois StreetChicagoIL60611 3/18/2011Landmark
Century Centre Cinema 7
2828 North Clarke StreetChicagoIL60657 3/18/2011* The bane of my existence.
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Oscars
For some reason, though I dominated at predicting the Golden Globes, I only got 11/24 right for the Oscars. Can’t figure it out. My first impression of the awards was disappointment and confusion that The Social Network didn’t get much love. I am happy that Inception won most, if not all the tech awards, since Nolan did not get a director’s nod.
Below: Awards I agree with
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
Colin Firth - The King’s SpeechACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Christian Bale - The FighterACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
Melissa Leo - The Fighter
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
The Social NetworkANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Toy Story 3CINEMATOGRAPHY:SOUND MIXING:SOUND EDITING:VISUAL EFFECTS: Inception
Below: Awards I Do not agree with:
BEST PICTURE:
The King’s SpeechI would have predicted and much rather The Social Network won Best Picture. I loved The King’s Speech but I thought Social Network deserved it.
DIRECTING:
Tom Hooper - The King’s SpeechAgain, I think David Fincher earned this award more than Hooper. Hooper did a phenomenal job, but Fincher is Fincher. Se7en, Benjamin Button, Fight Club, Social Network. All HIS films. He is an incredible director.
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
The King’s SpeechAgain, I think Inception should have won. It was a very original yet relatable story that has spurned so much speculation, theorizing and discussion. Also I just thought of this but in his acceptance speech, Hooper mentioned his mother saw this as a play and that she advised him to make it his next film… How can it be Original screenplay then? Wouldn’t it be adapted?
FILM EDITING:
The Social NetworkObviously great editing to bring the nonlinear story to life and make it easy to follow, but I thought Black Swan deserved this one.
