The 86th Academy Awards

Well, there we have it folks; Award's season is officially over for yet another year.

With the help of energy drink, snacks, and friends I managed to stay up until 5am to watch the live show unfold, and wow was it a good one!

Here are some of my thoughts on the night...

First of all, obviously, dresses. Everybody went crazy for Lupita Nyong'o's dress and rightly so - it was gorgeous. But I think that there were quite a few beautiful dresses that trumped her, such as Jennifer Garner and Angelina Jolie's:

Jennifer Garner

Angelina Jolie

But my Oscar for best dress of the night goes to... Cate Blanchett, look at it! It's beautiful:

Cate Blanchett

I really didn't want to do a 'worst dress' because it just seems so mean... However, upon seeing Elsa Pataky's dress I couldn't sit back and not say anything. She looks beautiful and radiant but that dress is unforgivable. On the other hand, Chris Hemsworth is rocking the purple and without a doubt gets the Best Dressed Male Oscar from me.

Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth 

Alongside Pataky, Kerry Washington and Olivia Wilde also had their bumps to think about at last night's ceremony, and my Oscar for Best Dressed Bump goes to Olivia Wilde, who kept it chic and simple as she somehow managed to trump her incredible emerald gown from the Golden Globes earlier this year.

Olivia Wilde at the Oscars

Wilde also won battle of the bumps at the Golden Globes

 Now onto the Awards.

Overall I managed to guess 17 out of 24 categories correctly. Four of the ones I got wrong were the ones where I hadn't seen a single nominee (Animation short, live action short, documentary, foreign film) and just randomly guessed by the sound of their names, so really we can say that I got 17 out of 20... Right? Also, I don't have a clue why I put Captain Phillips down for Best Film Editing because I didn't think for a second it would win a single award, I think I confused it with my 'Who I Want to Win' ballot...

Overall I am happy with the results, my absolute highlight of the night was Jared Leto winning Best Supporting Actor. Although I do love Barkhad Abdi and thought his performance was outstanding, Leto was in an entirely different league to his fellow nominees and it was his triumph that really made my night.

I did want Martin Scorsese to win Best Director and The Wolf of Wall Street to win Best Picture (I didn't think either of these would actually happen). I am also still dreaming of the day that Leonardo DiCaprio will win his well-deserved Oscar, but I did know that he wouldn't be getting this year... To be honest, I have kind of given up hope of him ever winning it, so that didn't really surprise me. The best thing about last night's ceremony was that American Hustle didn't win anything and considering it is one of the worst films I saw this year and it really shouldn't have even been nominated, that is more than enough for me.

Speech wise, I think Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong'o win that one. Jared emotionally recounted the story of his mother's plight in raising himself and his older brother, Shannon, on her own and as a teenager whilst his proud mother looked on and then Lupita moved Benedict Cumberbatch to tears as she thanked her character's real life counterpart Patsey. Other notable mentions go to Frozen's frankly bizarre thank you for best picture, 20 Feet From Stardom's Darlene Love bursting into song and Matthew McConaughey's confusing tale that I am sure made sense to him... Oh, and how Cate Blanchett didn't get played off while accepting her Best Actress award is beyond me, I'm sure that was the longest speech of the night!

However, the real talking point of the night didn't come from the speeches, the performances, or even the winners. No, the real star of the show was pizza.

Who knew that watching Brad Pitt dish out paper plates whilst stars such as Julia Roberts, Kevin Spacey and Meryl Streep tucked in to some greasy fast food would be so entertaining?  Perhaps it's just because it serves as a gentle reminder that they may be at the glitziest event of the year but actually, they're all kind of normal really.

Kevin Spacey tucks in

Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep get a slice

Brad Pitt gets a taste after helping serve the other guests

Finally, a new record was broken last night as host Ellen took one of the most star-studded selfies ever in a bid to get the most Twitter retweets, which she succeeded in doing before the show was even over and it is now hovering around the 2.5million mark. Bradley Cooper, Angelina Jolie, Julia Roberts, and Meryl Streep are among the famous faces in the picture, but a special shout out to Lupita Nyong'o's brother, who managed to sneak his way in and get himself a new Facebook profile picture for life!

Jared Leto, Jennifer Lawrence, Channing Tatum, Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ellen Degeneres, Kevin Spacey, Bradley Cooper, Brad Pit, Lupita Nyong'o, Angelina Jolie, and... Lupita's brother.

All in all, it was a fantastic show and I am already super excited for next year's event! 

What the next 12 months hold for the world of film is to be anticipated, and I can only wonder which ones we will be championing for a prestigious Oscar this time next year. One thing is for sure though, I can't wait to find out!!!

Love,

Just me and some pals hanging out at the Oscars....

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB

I'll admit, pre-award season I hadn't paid much attention to Dallas Buyers Club. The fact that it isn't released in the UK until February, a whopping three months after it's stateside debut, meant that trailers have only just started to air and before the Golden Globe nominations had been announced I don't think I had even heard of the film.

As a result, this film almost flew right over my head, and I am unable to decipher whether it was the trailer or the hype that became the main reason for my delayed excitement and desire to see the film. Although, one thing that I can say with absolute certainty is that the fact Jared Leto is surprisingly receiving the long-awaited attention that his acting capability deserves was definitely a factor.

Despite the fact that Leto is a fantastic actor, his performance in Requiem for a Dream fourteen years ago is more than enough evidence to show that, I didn't think that we would ever see the day that the front man of a popular rock band will be nominated for an Oscar, let alone be favourite to win. After his Golden Globe triumph I was hellbent on seeing what all the fuss is about for myself - he is a great actor, but could his performance really be any better than that of the drug-addicted Harry Goldfarb in Requiem for a Dream? That masterpiece didn't warrant him any Academy attention, so what is so special about his Dallas Buyers Club performance? Well, I can safely say that now that I have seen the film, I completely understand the fuss.

Matthew McConaughey gives a career-defining performance

Set in 1985, Dallas Buyers Club tells the true life story of Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey), a homophobic rodeo cowboy from Dallas Texas who is diagnosed with HIV and given just thirty days to live. After the medication Ron receives in US hospitals makes him even more ill, he travels to Mexico where he meets with a doctor who gives him medication that isn't approved in the US, despite the positive effect that it has on HIV sufferers. It soon occurs to Ron that he can make money from this miracle drug, so he smuggles it into America and with the help of a HIV+ transgender woman (Jared Leto) he opens up a Buyers Club, where those suffering with HIV and AIDs can buy a membership in order to receive the medication.

Everything about Dallas Buyers Club is strong, but nothing more so than the incredible talent. McConaughey and Leto both give career-defining performances with McConaughey creating somewhat of a charming anti-hero in the form of Ron Woodroof. Initially, the Southern hick is quite an unlikable character; he drinks, he does drugs and he has dirty casual sex, all on top of his unforgivably homophobic intolerance of the fellow HIV patients that he encounters once he has been diagnosed. However, Ron's response to his diagnosis is nothing short of heartrending and admirable in equal measures as upon hearing his short life expectancy he utters 'There ain't nothing out there that can kill Ron Woodroof in 30 days' before he goes out there, reads up on the disease and then does everything he can in order to get the treatment that he needs whilst also hustling up some money by making an illegal business out of it.

The themes throughout are quite positive despite the film's difficult subject matters of the trauma of HIV and AIDS alongside the injustice of the American healthcare system at the time. Although the tone of Dallas Buyers Club teeters slightly more on the upbeat and heartwarming side of cinema, it certainly isn't without it's fair share of heartache and tragedy and director Jean-Marc Vallee ensures that whilst watching you do not forget for a second the gravity of the subject matter and it is by no means 'easy-viewing'.

Ron Woodroof's character development is perhaps the most insightful and endearing aspect of the film, and a testament to Matthew McConaughey's heartfelt performance. It is satisfying as a viewer to watch how this rodeo, cowboy hustler grows as his illness develops. From the way he copes with being ostracized by his so-called friends and finds solace and friendship in a queer person whom he mocked and insulted when they first met in neighboring hospital beds, to the change in his attitudes towards gay people and societal injustices in general; it is clear throughout that Ron Woodroof is becoming a better person but without losing any of his mischievous charm or lust for life. A character that is initially quite difficult to watch quickly becomes a character that you can't help but love and can't help but root for throughout the film.

Despite McConaughey's incredible performance and the heart he gives Ron Woodroof, the undeniable

Jared Leto steals the show as Rayon

scene-stealer of Dallas Buyers Club is Jared Leto as transgender woman Rayon. Rayon is a complex and intriguing character that is simply mesmerizing to watch, and I found that I couldn't take my eyes of Leto no matter what else was going on in the scene. I was pleased to see that Rayon was given depth and layers and although she starts out being the fun and sparkle that eases Ron into understanding the LGBTQ community a little better, she also gets the chance to display her vulnerability and raw emotion as the film goes on - taking full advantage of Leto's astounding range as he is pushed to the limits but doesn't even come close to breaking. Instead, he gives a consistently strong and heartbreaking performance, giving Dallas Buyers Club the edge that it needed in order to take it to the next level of cinema.

All in all, Dallas Buyers Club is a must-see film that showcases two incredible actors in their prime. A lot of the time I find myself questioning whether the films that get masses of attention from the big awards shows are really worth their acclaim, but in this instance I am thrilled to say that Dallas Buyers Club is not only worthy of every nomination it has received but every inevitable win too. A film that remains entertaining whilst dealing with a delicate subject matter is hard to come by, especially one as thought-provoking as this, yet the incredible combination of Vallee, Leto and McConaughey ensures that Dallas Buyers Club is nothing less than flawless in execution as together they strike a perfect balance of entertainment, sensitivity and heartache. 

★★★★★

Dallas Buyers Club is out nationwide from February 7th!

 Stay tuned for more reviews and follow me on twitter if you fancy it :)

Love,

ARGO

 

Over this awards season i have really grown to love Ben Affleck and his scraggly beard. Sure, before i had always kind of liked the guy - after all we do have him and Matt Damon to thank for one of the greatest film's of all time: Good Will Hunting - and he seemed decent enough as a person but not many of his films really struck me as anything special so i never had a real passion for him. However, seeing his reaction to winning the prestigious Best Director BAFTA combined with his beautiful wife Jennifer Garner's reaction as she practically burst with pride as her hubby took to the stage with his acceptance speech...It made it hard not to fall in love with them as a couple and want him to succeed even more so that we could be treated to some more adorable displays of pride and affection. 

Jennifer Garner after husband Ben Affleck is announced as the Best Director winner

So when the Oscar's came around i had everything crossed that Ben Affleck and Argo would win big and was probably almost as proud as Jen was when Argo was announced as 2013's Best Picture.

(Oh, to be clear as a sidenote i hadn't actually seen Argo by this point, this is a minor factor.)

I've never really held the Oscar's decisions in high regard. After the monstrosity of 1999 where Shakespeare in Love beat Life is Beautiful to the Best Picture Oscar whilst American History X wasn't even nominated... I kind of just gave up on the award nonsense then. I already knew that the 2013 Oscar's weren't doing much better than 1999 with awarding the most deserving nominee after Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook over the absolutely incredible, out of this World performance from six-year-old Quvenzhane Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild. I get angry about this particular injustice every day and with such examples i ironically didn't have heightened expectations of Argo, despite it's Oscar win.

I finally got round to watching Argo last week and even though i wasn't expecting anything terrific i was still slightly disappointed. Ben's scraggly beard had let me down and i really wasn't prepared for that! Don't get me wrong, the most frustrating thing about Argo is that it isn't bad... It just isn't... good. As the true life story of how America rescued a group of hostages from Iran by pretending they are filming a Hollywood movie, Argo,... I kind of expected a bit more action? As i said in my last post, i am not the kind of person who needs big explosions and drama to enjoy a film but not a lot really seemed to happen in Argo. A basic plot summary would be:

1. The hostages are captured
2. The CIA wonder how they can free them
3. Ben Affleck suggests the fake movie
4. They get to work on the fake movie
5. Ben Affleck goes to Iran 
6. Ben Affleck frees the hostages
7. A bit of drama at the airport
8. The hostages arrive home and are safe

I don't know about you but i just expected a little more action inbetween points 5 and 6, it all seemed way too easy. The scenes towards the end of the film where they are in the airport trying to get through security without being identified as the hostages were great, i will hand Affleck that. They were really high tension, even if they weren't high drama and the tension is more than satisfactory for a film of this stance but twenty minutes of tension from a two hour film is most definitely not satisfactory for the film as a whole and nowhere near enough to carry the rest of the boring film.

I know this was based on a true story and for all i know maybe they did get the hostages that easily, with that little drama or confrontation. But since when has Hollywood been wary of dramatizing and exaggerating true stories?! Argo has already faced criticism from Canada and Iran for it's distortion of the truth so it isn't as though they were desperate to maintain complete accuracy... There just could have been something more.

It was well directed though. The story was boring but the direction can't be faulted i guess.

I award Argo  ★★★☆☆  because, as i said, it wasn't bad. It just wasn't good.

Stay tuned for more things film and follow me on Twitter if you fancy it :)

Love,