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Showing posts from February, 2015

BAFTA 2015 Winners Announced

The celebrities sparkled and the carpet was red. The BAFTA awards took place this evening in fabulous Royal Opera House in London and with many of the nominations echoing the upcoming Oscars so many people are wondering if there is an indication of who will take home a statuette alongside their BAFTA this year. Anyway, there are a few surprises but it's not a shock to see British movie The Theory of Everything having so much success, it's a shame the beautifully shot The Imitation Game didn't take home any gongs. The horror! Enjoy the list of winners while I head off for a celebratory drink or two. Best Film in 2015 Boyhood Dir: Richard Linklater Leading Actor Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything Leading Actress Julianne Moore - Still Alice Outstanding British Film The Theory of Everything Dir: James Marsh Best Supporting Actor J.K Simmons - Whiplash Best Supporting Actress Patricia Arquette - Boyhood Original Screenplay The Grand Budapest

The Imitation Game - Review - Spoiler Free - Oscars Countdown

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode Director: Morten Tyldum Genre: Drama Running time: 112 minutes Certificate: 12A UK Release Date: 14th November 2014 Ratings:                  Acting:      9/10              Directing:      9/10                       Plot:     7/10                 Overall:      9/10 This movie is spellbinding. I could leave it there but I guess you are looking for a little more, so we'll dive into the plot. It is based on a true story and tells of the life of Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch) famous for his work at Bletchley Park during World War II, as well as his contribution to artificial intelligence and computing. An unusual person, and bonafide genius, his personal and professional lives collide in 1950s Britain. On the surface this film doesn't look very exciting, in truth I approached it with a little trepidation as it looked very heavy in content, and as if it was made with 'Oscar' in mind. I couldn&#

American Sniper - Review - Spoiler Free - Oscars Countdown

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller Director: Clint Eastwood Genre: Drama Running time: 132 Certificate: 15 If you're interested in this movie then you've probably already heard about that baby, and if you haven't you are about to. Where to start with American Sniper ? My hopes were for a moving portrayal of the effects of conflict in a high pressure military role. I also thought that it might take an interesting look at the families of service men and the sacrifices made both at home and on tour. My hopes were not realised. This film is based on a true story, the source material is the autobiography by Chris Kyle. It follows the life of Kyle (Bradley Cooper) who grows up with a need to protect others. This combined with his environment leads him into a career as a sniper in the US Navy. As his career progresses his home life becomes slowly more fraught. Does it Hit the Mark? This was always going to be a difficult movie to review because it is based on auto

Gone Girl - Review

Credit aphrodite-in-nyc from new york city Starring: Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris Director: David Fincher Genre: Thriller, drama Running time: 149 minutes Certificate: 18 I have another confession - when I'm not watching movies I'm a bit of a bookworm. That's why when I watched Gone Girl I walked through the door with preconceptions from the novel. If you like reading then you probably didn't miss the uproar surrounding the book  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Prior to the movie announcement I had already read it (a fantastic page turner) and when I heard the movie was in production my anticipation was huge. I knew that if it was executed to reflect the quality of the source material it was going to be a gripping. Then David Fincher was set to direct and I just couldn't wait. My watching relationship with Fincher is complex at best because although he is an artistic director who deserves auteur status, his portrayal of female characters