Revolutionary Road (2008)

Revolutionary Road

Released: 2008
Running Time:  119 mins
Genre: Drama
Estimated Budget: $35, 000,000
Estimated Gross (2009): $22, 877,808

Director: Sam Mendes
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Kathy Bates

Revolutionary Road was a project that would bring one of cinema's favorite couples back together. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet had shot to fame in James Cameron's blockbuster Titanic (1997). Their Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater the 3rd and 1st class passengers traveling to America on the doomed liner fall in love breaking down the rigid and most obvious class barrier between them. But this would not be any young lovers passionate romance and I think this disappointed a lot of audiences who went to the film expecting to see them in a similar plot.

Revolutionary Road is a marital drama with Winslet and DiCaprio as Frank and April Wheeler, a couple who have forgotten what it was they loved in each other when they first met. The film is set in the mid 1950's in America's suburbia, this has a very cliched look about it, everything is neat and perfect and wouldn't be amiss in The Stepford Wives (2004). But here is where the story really gets interesting; on the surface the Wheelers are the perfect young couple, lovely, polite bringing up two children and very popular in the neighborhood. But within the confines of their own home, things are falling apart and the act that they are both playing to outsiders is finally beginning to show cracks.

Winslet's character is feisty and determined and altogether out of place in 50's America, she is bored of the neighborhood and the people and the life that comes with the suburban home. She wants adventure, to see places and experience life, and when she first met Frank, he wanted the same things and that is what drew her to him, he excited her. They always talked about going to Paris but as it happens in life; things intervene, distractions, jobs and general life get in the way of far-fetched plans. This has been the case with the Wheelers'; Frank is in a mind-numbing office job and has turned into his father, something he was adamant he would never do. He is having an affair with his young secretary to try and add some excitement to his life, and it is hinted that there have been several more before this one. April suggests that they take the kids, and escape the mindless repetition that has become their lives and go to Paris. Frank takes some convincing but he agrees. Suddenly their lives and relationship with each other is rejuvenated, the thrill and anticipation of getting away from it all improves their lives and they see a glimpse of their former selves. But as inevitably happens with high-flying plans, something or many things go wrong that destroy all chances.

I think people underestimate this film, it is a fantastic inner look at marriage, relationships and life and it's disappointments. Sam Mendes is on a great high after 2012's action extravaganza Skyfall but he is also an expert at putting human relationships under the microscope that is film, just look at his Academy Award winning American Beauty (1999) if you need proof. Revolutionary Road is a very serious film and I think it took many people by surprise, it was not what was expected or wanted as a piece for Winslet and DiCaprio's reunion and I think this close-mindedness on behalf of audiences hurt the box office considerably. If viewers gave the film a chance they would see two stars at the peak of their careers in stunning performances, portraying characters who could be you, me or anyone for that matter, suffering through the indignities and disappointments of life and the realization as you start to get older that all the dreams of youth remain just that; dreams.

This film has a lot of depth not only in the screenplay but in the performances too, Winslet and DiCaprio both shout and scream and show utter loathing and frustration towards each other in this movie, but the best scenes are those in which the performances are subtle, the acting is done with the eyes (which I have always said is the mark of a spectacular artist). DiCaprio's Frank is a coaster - he settles with his lot in life because he is scared to take risks and fail at something, he doesn't like a difficult road. This trait nauseates his wife, she wants him to jump up and go. Winslet's April is a walking contradiction, she is a whirlwind of feelings and emotions, both are struggling with their lives and distancing themselves from the other but also grasping to save their marriage. They come across as quite a selfish couple, especially April which is surprising for a motherly role. She is so wrapped up in her own life and feelings and Frank is trying desperately to read her that they seem to forget that they have children at all, though saying that the children only feature as a tool in the story. This is a film about the parents and what goes on behind closed doors when children are asleep or out of the picture.

Revolutionary Road has a supporting cast to die for, Kathy Bates is the sickly sweet neighbor and real estate agent who sold the Wheelers their house. Michael Shannon is fantastic in the role of her son, a scholar who has had a nervous breakdown and has been in a mental institute. His performance is stunning and his character is used as a great mechanism for pointing out the hidden truths that are hinted at in the Wheelers characters but are never stated. David Harbour and Kathryn Hahn play a couple who live next to the Wheelers they are another pair playing to the cliched perfect life and relationship that the Donna Reed style 50's portrayed, when really they are suffering with problems as well behind the mask they wear for company.

Revolutionary Road may not be the next Titanic but that's been done. This is a fascinating family drama that stands solidly on its own merits.  7/10 from me, check it out.

Deborah Kerr - Star Profile

Deborah Kerr is considered an English rose of cinema. She contributed to many of the films that remain classic favorites to this day. With The Innocents; her own personal favorite performance re-released in cinemas late last year, I have the great pleasure of looking back over her amazing career.

Without Deborah Kerr we wouldn't have the likes of Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson and many more talented Brits.      

Deborah Kerr is in my list of top 3 favorite actresses and considering the amount of amazing talent out there that’s saying something. Kerr had that most special ability to be able to act completely through her eyes. She could say everything she needed to without opening her mouth, and I don’t care what anybody says that is the mark of the greatest performer. Kerr was born in Scotland on September 30^th 1921 she had a full and varied career beginning in 1940 and ending 46 years later. She died in England in 2007. Deborah received a star on the walk of fame in 1960 (1709 Vine Street), won a Golden Globe in 1957 for The King and I (1956) and was nominated for 6 Oscars, though she never won; looking at these performances I will never understand how; it is one of the major injustices of the Academy. She was awarded with an honorary Oscar in 1994 as a tribute to her extraordinary career in the film industry, in which she received one of the longest standing ovations recorded, for the recipients of this award.

Kerr had a very varied career she managed to find roles of all different genres, she is best known though as the English rose, the ultimate lady with an air of refinement, gentle and sophisticated. For any classic film fans, this will be a lesson in some of the best films in existence, as there are so many performances to choose from, I will be narrowing it down to my favourites and those in which she is best remembered and best portrayed.

Kerr was noticed in 1940 and made Major Barbara (1940) this war film lead to her being picked for another, three years later in which she played 3 different parts. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943) follows the life of General Clive Wynne-Candy through 40 years; his relationship with 3 different women and his controversial lifelong friendship with a German officer. Kerr plays Edith Hunter, the woman who first catches his eye but he loses to his German friend, she is the woman he always sees, her image is one he looks for his whole life. Barbara Wynne is the woman he marries, she bears a striking resemblance to Edith and they are madly in love despite the age difference. Johnny Cannon is a young woman doing her bit for the war by driving the army trucks through the blackouts. The general meets her when he is a very old man and takes a shine to her. This is a heart-warming film about love and life and though slightly dated is one of the best war films I have seen.

Black Narcissus (1947)

With Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity (1953)

Black Narcissus (1947) was another Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger film proving a successful partnership between the three. Powell and Pressburger had perfect taste when they cast each and every film they made and they knew a good actor when they saw one. Kerr plays a nun, Sister Clodagh, promoted to lead a convent in the Himalayas where she and four colleagues encounter tension and dispute between the village and each other as they struggle to grow accustomed to their new remote surroundings.  Kerr shows her unique subtlety in this movie, she requires very little to portray a meaningful performance. This is an incredibly shot film; great direction, plot and acting, an all-round gem from the Archers.

After getting stuck in many historical roles such as King Solomon’s Mines (1950), Quo Vadis (1951) and The Prisoner of Zenda (1952) and typically English women, Edward My Son (1950) for which she received her first Oscar nomination. Kerr auditioned for the role of the cheating wife in the now classic war movie From Here to Eternity (1953). Kerr was not even considered for the part as she struggled to rid herself of her ladylike image. But she tested and was cast as Karen Holmes having an explicit affair with Burt Lancaster; she received her second Oscar nomination for the role. She was one of many great characters in this film, but she stands out because it is so vastly different from anything she had done, and really ever did again. Though she did have a more versatile and sexier image after this film was released.   

With Yul Brynner in The King and I (1956)

Probably her best known film and one of my all-time favourites is The King and I (1956), where she plays an English woman who travels to Siam to be the school teacher in the royal palace. Yes she was dubbed by Marni Nixon for the singing but who cares; this is a surprisingly deep and emotional performance despite it being a Hollywood musical. The Academy seemed to agree for she was nominated a third time for an Academy Award. She played opposite Yul Brynner as the King of Siam, they have unbelievable chemistry in the film and remained great friends for the rest of their lives, they even made another film together 3 years later (The Journey 1959). Even if you are not a fan of musicals you should see this picture for these two powerhouse performers acting opposite each other, it’s enough to raise the hair on the back of your neck.

Kerr successfully played another nun, (much more likeable) in 1957 in Heaven Knows Mr. Allison. She stars opposite Robert Mitchum who plays a marine who washes up on an island in the pacific during the war to find it completely uninhabited apart from Sister Angela an Irish nun (Kerr was a master of accents) who he develops a deep connection with. Mitchum and Kerr were another pair who had great chemistry, made more than one movie together and were great friends off-screen. This film is a showcase of their talent as they are basically the only people in the film for the majority of the running time. Kerr received her fourth academy award nomination for her performance.

In the same year as Mr Allison Kerr worked with another friend Cary Grant in the ultimate romance movie An Affair to Remember, itself a remake of the Irene Dunne film Love Affair in (1939) both strangely are directed by Leo McCarey.  It would go on to feature in the Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan favourite Sleepless in Seattle (1993). An Affair to Remember is a superior film to both; Kerr plays Terry McKay who meets Grant’s Nickie Ferrante on a cruise ship. They fall in love and promise to meet at the top of the Empire State building in 6 months so they can be together, but all does not go to plan. This has a wonderful script the dialogue is sharp and fresh, a lot of the scenes were improvised between the two actors and their chemistry is palpable.

In 1959 and 1961 Kerr received two more Oscar nominations; for Separate Tables in which she stars opposite David Niven, Rita Hayworth and Burt Lancaster again as a shy girl on holiday with her overbearing mother, and The Sundowners again with Robert Mitchum as a couple from the Australian outback. In 1961 she was cast in The Innocents, a genuinely creepy horror picture which many new generations can discover for themselves with its recent re-release. Kerr regarded it as her best performance, and it’s clear to see that she is doing some of her best work in the film.

Deborah Kerr slowed down in the 1960’s, Hollywood was changing dramatically and she didn’t approve of the scripts that were being sent to her. She bowed out and took a 13 year break, she returned to some fine TV movies in the 1980’s her last performance was in Hold the Dream in 1986. She developed Parkinson’s disease in later life and her speech at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1994 on receiving her Honorary Oscar was her goodbye to the industry, it was her last public appearance. Kerr is a prime example of one of the finest actors of the classic Hollywood era. She had a successful career both here and in America and proved that you can make it in the cut-throat world in movies with your head held high and a touch of class.

I would highly recommend any of the above titles, if you want to see a master class in performing then this lady will show you a thing or two. If you have seen some of her films, let me know what you think, I'd love to hear from other Deborah Kerr fans out there.

The Munsters (1964-1966)

After watching a documentary about the show, I was inspired to re-watch The Munsters. This was a successful American television show that aired for 2 seasons from 1964-1966 on CBS.

In the early 1960's Universal sold the rights to their monsters; Dracula, Frankenstein and the rest became loved by all new generations of people. CBS wanted a new program about monsters that would rival the ABC's new show in production The Addams Family.

What they came up with was a tweaked version of the bugs bunny creator Robert Clampett's original idea for a cartoon which had been turned down years before; a comedy series about an all American family living at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. The only difference being that the patriarch of the residence is Frankenstein's creature, his wife is a vampire as is her father Grandpa; the Count, the family is rounded out with their son a wolf-boy and their unfortunate niece Marilyn the ugly duckling of the family who is a normal looking human (with an uncanny resemblance to Marilyn Monroe).

The casting of the show was just perfect; the 6 foot 5 Fred Gwynne played the kindhearted and simpleminded Herman Munster, the emotion compass of the show Yvonne De Carlo as his wife Lily, Al Lewis the straight man (yet ridiculously funny) Grandpa, Butch Patrick as the son Eddie who is a werewolf and Marilyn played originally by Beverly Owen who left after 15 episodes due to homesickness. She was replaced by Pat Priest who won the part due to her resemblance to Owen and also the fact that she fit into her costumes. Gwynne and Lewis has worked together before and already had a tried and tested comedy relationship, they were often resembled to great comedy teams like Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello. Each actor fit perfectly into their part, the chemistry was great and they were loved by children and adults alike.

The production was a slow one, the performers spent 2 or more hours in hair and make up, what probably simplified the process was the black and white format. There was a sixteen minute presentation commissioned in colour to show the executives what was in mind for the show. But it would have cost $10, 000 more each episode to shoot in colour and it was decided against. I think this was a great decision, the black and white format added to the spookiness that the amazing sets created. All the stars of The Munsters did a lot of advertising for the show in their downtime and it has got to be one of the most mass marketed shows in existence, especially for the time. Long before Star Wars (1977) the marketing team at CBS produced a range of merchandise designed around the show playing on its huge popularity. Model cars, figures, lunchboxes, masks, model kits and jewelry there was even a rock album with the band wearing Munster masks.

One of the reasons the show worked so well as a comedy was the perspective the family took; they could not understand the strange reactions people had to them. In their eyes everyone else is strange, they are a perfectly normal family. This makes ordinary interactions with other characters so funny to watch and the gags are so well written. The Munsters holds up today; despite its black and white format and it's 60's setting it has not dated. The dialogue was so fine tuned that it still works today as do the physical slapstick gags. The jokes are so funny because they contradict normal everyday sayings and feelings; "Oh, Marilyn, the circles under your eyes....how lovely you look today" "For every Silver cloud there is a dark lining" It was lines like these that made both young and old tune into the show. And who can forget the car, I can't do an article without mentioning the car, fashioned between a hot-rod and a hearse, it had to be one of the coolest cars on television. 

The Munsters was an innocent, fun programme but in its second season (1966) Batman was released; big, loud and in colour The Munsters with its all American values in black and white could not keep up and it was cancelled after 72 episodes. But the amazing thing about The Munsters is that it has never really gone away; There was a film Munsters, Go Home! (1966). There were many attempts to bring back the show, a relaunch of the show as a cartoon was a flop and with 2 shows in the 1980's which failed the first had the original cast but it was on the same night as The Wizard of Oz (1939). The second was with all fresh faces and a make-over The Munsters today. But it was just not the same without the original cast, they made the show what it was, it was their characters and their chemistry that did it, you could not reinvent something that had worked so well, it was magic. The show has been in constant syndication since not long after it finished its run on CBS. Children of all ages for the past 45 years plus have tuned in to watch the original Munsters show on weekend mornings all over the world. I remember being a huge fan when I was young, anything kooky and monster-ish always caught my attention. When I mentioned rediscovering it again to a friend recently they grinned and remembered watching it themselves as a child and loving it.

Gwynne, Lewis and De Carlo have now passed but their characters of Herman, Grandpa and Lily Munster still live on 48 years after its cancellation. There are some corny moments of course, the 60's was a very different time, but there is just something so pure about The Munsters; pure innocence and comedy at its purest. If your a fan of the classic horror era then you will enjoy this, and if you liked The Addams Family you will see the same kookiness embedded here. Give it a watch you won't be sorry.

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Night of the Living Dead 

Released: 1968
Running Time: 93 mins
Genre: Horror
Estimated Budget: $114,000
Estimated Gross (2000): $30 million

Director: George A. Romero
Stars: Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea

I've just seen Night of the Living Dead for the first time. This is a black and white, fairly old horror film from 1968, and I thought it was a great movie.

Night is a significantly special movie for many reasons, most importantly it introduced the world to proper zombies (although they are never called zombies at all in the movie) it is also credited for putting classic horror director George A. Romero on the map. Without this we might not have Dawn of the Dead (1978), Knightriders (1981), or Creepshow (1982) not to mention the countless films that have been influenced by him over the years. Would we have the likes of 28 Days Later (2002), The Resident Evil Franchise (2002 - Present) or the most recent box office success World War Z (2013), the answer is; probably not. Night was also one of the films that put the Horror genre back on track after a slump of about 7 years.

Night of the Living Dead basically is what it says on the tin, we follow a group of survivors during one night of hell as they struggle to escape the living dead. Simple, that is the key word here, and cheap. This film has been emulated so many times, like Halloween (1978) and others like them because it was very simple but effective, and very cheap but it made a lot of money. If Hollywood can find a pattern like that they'll use it over and over until they run dry. This is a cast of unknowns which makes the plot far scarier, you can believe these are real people fighting to survive, this feeling is helped along by the radio and television updates that give explanation and small comfort to the survivors.

The film begins with a brother and sister travelling to a graveyard, the dialogue here is rather stiff, it is when the action begins that the quality and pace improve. The brother Johnny is teasing his sister about being afraid when they see a man in the distance, 'he's coming to get you Barbara' he says then runs away, as Barbara goes to walk away from the gentleman he grabs her, and it is now we realize something is not quite right, this is not an ordinary man, he does seem as they say in the film 'in a sort of trance' he moves very slow but his eyes are wide. Johnny comes to his sisters aid when she screams but after a tussle he loses the fight after hitting his head on a grave. Barbara runs from the man but he follows, after a tense scene where she traps herself in the car she escapes to an abandoned farm house.

It is here that our story plays out, a young African American man called Ben comes to the house looking for gas and helps the terrified Barbara. She is at this point a minor character as she has been shocked into a kind of madness rendering her useless to Ben and no help in his attempt to fortify the house. After some clever examples of how to scare off zombies using fire it is revealed that there are more survivors in the basement led by the angry, bullying, coward Harry Cooper. Here the plot steps up a notch as there are two leaders fighting for what they believe is the right way to go on. It is surreal because even though there is a fight for survival going on the two cannot put their differences aside and fight together. Harry has a lot of character flaws and these are made blatantly obviously in the relationship he has with his wife and all those around him.

This film is very simple, but the screenplay has been cleverly written so you never realize just how simple the story is. There are enough moments of genuine fear and tension that you are on the edge of your seat waiting to see who will make it through, and that is another thing that was at the time unusual. Romero has no qualms whatsoever about introducing a character, even spending a lot of time with them and then handing them to the frenzy that is the zombies waiting to eat them alive outside the door. This was a new concept at the time in the horror genre, you generally knew that the good guys won, they would make it, but here that didn't matter. This makes for a much more interesting film as you just don't know what is going to happen, there is no pattern to follow.

Romero has created a film with many stand out moments, the zombies themselves are completely believable because nothing is overplayed. The scene where they are eating human body parts is sickeningly realistic, and having the film in black and white works well, creating an artful look to many of the shots, which obviously had a lot of thought go into them.

If you are a fan of classic horror films, or if you are a newcomer to the genre this is one for you. It hits the spot; not too scary but effective enough to keep the cushions close by. Check it out.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2014)

The Wolf of Wall Street is without a doubt the best film Leonardo DiCaprio has ever been in, it is also the best work Martin Scorsese has done in some time. When you look at the careers of these two men, that is indeed saying something. This film makes you laugh, exclaim in shock at the antics displayed onscreen and you come out of the cinema shaking your head at what you have just witnessed.

This film is about excess, extreme excess, in every part of life, sex, drugs, money you name it they got it. It is making quite a name for itself as having the most swear words in a film on record (506). It has also won Leonardo DiCaprio a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy and a Critics Choice Award for Best Actor in a Comedy. The film has been nominated for four Academy Awards: Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor, Jonah Hill for Best Supporting Actor, Martin Scorsese for Best Director and Best Picture. Therefore not only are audiences loving it, the critics are loving it but the Academy voters are loving it too.

The Wolf of Wall Street is based on a book of the same name written by the real Jordan Belfort revealing everything he got up to in the stocks industry in the 90's. He founded a brokerage firm and began swindling clients out of their money. Due to the unbelievable amounts of money he was making he began a life of luxury, partying and general excess. But he was being watched very closely by the F.B.I and they eventually did catch him, he was sentenced to four years in prison but served only 22 months. He has reportedly remained sober since 1998 and is now a motivational speaker and wrote a second book; Catching the Wolf of Wall Street. Both books have been incredibly successful and it was in reading the first book that Leonardo DiCaprio decided that he had to tell this story. He was a producer on the movie and knew he wanted Scorsese to be the one to direct it, he took it to him before they made Shutter Island (2008) but due to his schedule it didn't look like Scorsese would be able to make it. For years DiCaprio looked at other directors but kept circling back to Scorsese due to his desire for him to make it, he decided to wait for him and the waiting has paid off. Together DiCaprio and Scorsese have created a film that is thoroughly enjoyable but with a strong moral message; quit while you ahead being one of them.

DiCaprio's Jordan Belfort is extremely likable and it is this trait that makes the film work for many reasons, firstly without being a man who people felt they liked and could trust, Jordan Belfort would never have been able to get away with everything he did and for as long as he did. For the film, this likability was important because DiCaprio is on screen for almost every scene, that is a lot of screen time, especially when the running time is not far off 3 hours. You needed to like this character, to want to follow him on his journey. One of the best tools for this in the movie is the narration, DiCaprio as Belfort narrates the film, he even breaks the fourth wall at times, this adds a very personal touch and adds a rare connection between a character and the audience, we are not just anonymous spectators we are involved on an emotional level.

Despite everything that happens in this film, and there are a lot of things that are so ridiculous you can hardly imagine it being true, the audience are laughing. When you actually step back and reflect, this is a strange concept, in normal circumstances we would be furious; this man is stealing money from hard working people and using it for drugs, hookers and other pleasures that will only benefit him. Yet again it is Belfort's insane likability and the ludicrousness of some of the situations that makes you laugh out loud. You know you shouldn't, you know its wrong but you do it anyway.

The supporting players in this film are some of the best I have seen in a long time, Jonah Hill is at a career best, proving that he has a cemented place in the drama genre if he wants it. His Donnie Azoff is the right hand man to DiCaprio's Belfort and the chemistry is immediately evident. Another fantastic performance is the relative newcomer; Australian beauty Margot Robbie as Belfort's second wife Naomi. There is something instantly likable about Robbie and she gives off a very down to earth vibe, even in this role which shows she has no fear and gives it everything she's got. It doesn't hurt that she is the most beautiful woman to have walked into Hollywood in years but it is her acting ability that is going to take her far. She is absolutely a rising star and I have no doubt we will continue to hear big things from her. In the best yet smallest part I have ever seen is Matthew McConaughey continuing his run of brilliant acting roles. He plays Belfort's boss at his first job on Wall Street and it is his personality but more importantly the corrupted advice that he gives the young Belfort that leads him on his long downward spiral and fall from grace.

There are many great scenes in the film but one of my favourites was not one of excess or comedy but for me it was a key scene. The audience do not want Leo's Belfort to get caught, we are along for the ride and enjoying his indulgences so we root for him rather than the F.B.I agent played brilliantly by Kyle Chandler;  sarcastic and determined to drag him down, watch him fall and he is going to enjoy it. But in a brilliant sequence playing to the narration and then a modern take on the song Mrs Robinson, there is a shot of Chandler sitting on a train reading the headline that he helped produce 'Stratton Oakmont's Belfort Sentenced'. He puts the newspaper down and looks around at the people on the train, all everyday working class people, and the lyrics 'every way you look at it you lose' play. This is perhaps accidental but I doubt it, it seems that the agent who has spent years trying to bring down Belfort has not got the satisfaction he thought he would get, at the end of it all he is still sat on public transport making his way home after a long day with rubbish pay . In fact given the change of circumstances would he have done any different with the options Belfort had? There is a hint of jealousy and a lust for Belfort's lifestyle earlier in the movie and in a brilliant move Scorsese has not only Chandler's agent but the audience reflecting on whether or not we would  have done any different in those circumstances would we want to have that lifestyle ourselves despite what would have to be done to get it?

This is perhaps that greatest thing about Scorsese's movie, you will come out laughing but you will take a long hard look at yourself and wonder how you would handle yourself in those shoes. If you haven't seen the movie, I really don't know what you're waiting for, a front runner for best movie of the year no doubts about it 10/10.

Top 10 Leonardo DiCaprio Films

Leonardo DiCaprio is one of the most underrated actors of all time. He is a superstar in Hollywood and has been since his leading role in James Cameron's Titanic in 1997. This was the highest grossing film of all time for 12 years and made mega stars out of Kate Winslet and DiCaprio (the latter bombarded by screaming girls ever since) however this may not have helped DiCaprio's career, especially with the direction and choices that he wanted to make.
From the very beginning of his career DiCaprio has been extremely deliberate and selective. His first film This Boys Life (1993) was a prime example of this, he did stunning work opposite Robert De Niro and has only got better since then. This is my list of my favorite Leonardo Dicaprio films. Let me know what you think.


10 - Django Unchained (2012)
Quentin Tarantino's violent western stars Jamie Foxx as Django a slave rescued and freed by a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz). In return for helping him kill the men on his list Waltz promises to assist Django in rescuing his wife from a malicious plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio).  Extremely violent but the usual artful Tarantino shots.






9 - Gangs of New York (2002)
Leo's first venture with Martin Scorsese, he plays Amsterdam Vallon an Irish immigrant in America. In 1863 he returns to the Five points area of New York to seek revenge on Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis) the most aggressive and notorious gang leader in the area who murdered his father (Liam Neeson in a minuscule but memorable part). Vallon must infiltrate the gang and get close to Bill, he does this with the help of Cameron Diaz' petty thief Jenny Everdeane. A unique period gangster film and the start of a beautiful friendship for DiCaprio and Scorsese.



8 - J. Edgar (2011)
Leo plays the infamous J. Edgar Hoover, the most powerful and influential head of the F.B.I America has ever had in Clint Eastwood's  biopic. The film takes a look back at his rise to power and also a look into his little known private life. A strange film, but with a great performance from Leo, as the sexually confused Hoover with a mother complex.





7 - Inception (2010)
Leo starred in Chris Nolan's head scratcher about dreams and extracting them from the mind. In a stunning visual film DiCaprio's performance still stands out, he plays the extractor Cobb who is hired by clients to delve into dreams. However he has another agenda involving a past life, he is desperate to get back to.






6 - Catch Me if you Can (2002)
In Steven Spielberg's crime caper Leo plays real life con and fraud artist Frank Abagnale Jr. who forged millions of dollars worth of checks whilst impersonating a Pan Am Pilot, a Doctor and a Lawyer. He is pursued by the F.B.I agent Carl Hanratty played by Tom Hanks.







5 - What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993)
An early film in his career but one of his best performances, a prime example of his ability to inhabit a character. Johnny Depp is the title character Gilbert Grape who is charged with looking after his 18 year old brother Arnie who is autistic. DiCaprio is stunning as the mentally challenged younger brother getting in the way of Gilbert living his life. Leo was nominated for his first Oscar for this performance in the Best Supporting Actor Category.

4 - Shutter Island (2010)
Another DiCaprio - Scorsese collaboration, Leo plays US Marshal Teddy Daniels who travels to the titular Shutter Island which houses the criminally insane. He and his new partner are called to the island when a prisoner escapes. But all is not what it seems, there is something suspicious about the staff and Daniels has another agenda in visiting the island. An excellent performance from DiCaprio with many levels and emotional range.




3 - The Aviator (2004)
In one of his best pairings with Scorsese, DiCaprio plays the film director come aviator Howard Hawks. This film won him another Academy Award nomination which was well deserved. It placed DiCaprio's Hawks alongside many famous faces, like Cate Blanchett's award winning performance as Katherine Hepburn. Howard Hawks is well known for his problems, ocd in the most severe form and drug use to combat pain caused by multiple serious air crashes.




2 - Titanic (1997)
James Cameron's take on the real life maritime disaster stars Leo as Jack Dawson opposite Kate Winslet as two lovers fighting the class system and the sinking of the most famous ship of the day. This film was the highest grossing film of all time for 12 years until Cameron broke his own record with Avatar (2009). It made DiCaprio the biggest star in the world.




1 - The Wolf of Wall Street (2014)
This is a film I have recently seen for the first time, Leo is in almost every scene of the movie. This is a film about excess, excess in the most extreme degree, this performance has Leo on a knifes edge for the majority of the running time. He can switch from fun and playful to aggressive and insulting in no time at all, due mostly to the impossible amount of drugs he was taking daily. He plays the real life stock broker Jordan Belfort who was illegally taking money from his clients, and eventually his millions caught up with him and he was jailed. This is the performance of a life time and definitely the greatest he has ever given.


Well that's my list, there are many other great films he has been in and there will no doubt be many more. He is obviously very driven and very career minded, he picks films for a purpose and puts a lot of research into his roles. I'm convinced that he will win an Academy Award one day, maybe even for The Wolf of Wall Street in March, if he doesn't there is a major injustice in the world.

Let me know what you think of DiCaprio's work, do you agree with the list?
Please comment below. Until next time.

Alfred Hitchcock Top 10

 This is my first top 10 list and I decided to start with a master, the Master of Suspense to be exact. Alfred Hitchcock is still considered one of the greatest directors of all time and for very good reason. He was born in England and started his film career there, he made some excellent films like Blackmail (1929) and The Man who Knew Too Much (1934) but it was his move to America with the help of David O. Selznick which really planted him on the road to infamy.

The List below is not a definitive list and it would probably cause debate in any film circles. It is simply my top 10 list of Hitchcock films, not because they have the greatest cinematography or actors. They just happen to be the ones I feel are the most enjoyable and moved me, it is a personal list.

 10 - Vertigo (1958)
Considered a classic and one of the greatest movies of all time by many it is the story of a retired detective (James Stewart) who investigates the moves of a friends wife only to become besotted with her to a dangerous level.

9 - Strangers on a Train (1951)
A tennis player gets more than he bargains for when he sits next to a psychotic man on a train who begins to tell him how 2 complete strangers could get away with a murder. Disturbing as this is, the situation worsens when the stranger intends to carry out the murder.

        8 - Lifeboat (1944)
            A war film of sorts involving the survivors of a sunken ship                 torpedoed by the Germans. The whole film takes place on the lifeboat, with the survivors fighting to stay alive and against their better judgement when they discover the captain of the ship that sank them is on their boat.

7 - North by Northwest (1959)

Cary Grant is a man on his way to lunch when he is kidnapped and mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies led by James Mason. Grant flees across the country trying to clear his name and escape being killed.

6 - Rope (1948)

Shot in long 10 minute takes in one apartment rather like a stage play, Rope follows 2 men who murder a friend for the thrill of it and then
immediately have a dinner party with the body of the victim in a chest on which the food is served. All is going fine until the arrival of their old teacher (James Stewart) who suspects something.

5 - Dial M for Murder (1954)
An ex tennis player (Ray Milland) struggling for money decides to kill his wife (Grace Kelly) for her insurance policy. When this plan fails he executes an intricate plan B.

4 - Rebecca (1940)
Joan Fontaine meets and falls in love with a mysterious gentleman called Maxim de Winter. They marry and he takes her home to Manderley his large estate. The house and Maxim are still under the shadow of the former Mrs de Winter; Rebecca. Fontaine must find a way of helping her husband and ridding the house of the memories of Rebecca.
3 - The Birds (1963)
Hitchcock's new muse Tippi Hedren is a socialite from San Francisco who follows a crush to his small home town. Only for the whole place to be attacked by hundreds and thousands of birds.

2 - Rear Window (1954)
James Stewart is a photographer confined to his apartment due to a broken leg in a full cast. In his boredom he watches the neighbors in the opposite apartments. Things become more interesting when he thinks his neighbor has committed a murder.

1 - Psycho (1960)
Probably his most famous film Psycho follows Janet Leigh as a secretary who steals $40,000 from her employer. She goes on the run but changes her mind, she stays in a motel for the night, run by a strange solitary young man with an unhealthy relationship with his mother. Things do not go the way she planned.

Well thats my list, it wasn't too difficult but there could have been quite a few others included. Hitchcock is an absolute master at his craft and if there is even one film on this list you haven't seen I would make sure it goes on your list of films to watch.

What do you think of the list, do you agree?
Would you put something else at number 1?
Would you even put some of Hitchcock's other great films in this list instead?

Let me know your thoughts, I'd love to hear what your list would be.

Hugo (2011)

I watched Martin Scorsese's Hugo for the first time today. I remember seeing the trailer for the movie at the time of release and thinking what a great spectacle it looked but quite a strange film. I never got the chance to see it on the big screen but a fair sized TV was satisfactory. Well Hugo is a very strange film, and it is a great spectacle but its delightful and for a cinephile like myself its a real treat. From about halfway through I was in my element.

Hugo Cabret played by Asa Butterfield in his first big leading role, is a young orphan who unknown to the staff runs the clocks of a Paris train station in the 1930's. He literally lives in the walls of the building. The station is full of interesting people to watch and here Scorsese has poured every ounce of talent he can muster up. Christopher Lee can be seen in a book shop, Emily Mortimer sells flowers, Richard Griffiths and Frances De La Tour are attempting a romance intercepted by her vicious dog, Sacha Baron Cohen is the comical Station Inspector. Then there is Ben Kingsley who is an old beaten down old gentleman who runs a toy shop and has a run in with Hugo as he tries to steal a mechanical toy.

Hugo is trying to find a key in the shape of a heart that will fix an automaton (a mechanical man) which writes when wound up. It is the only thing he has left of his father and he is desperately trying to fix it. The start of this film is a little bit like the famous five, solve the mystery of the key, but it soon becomes much more than that as it is revealed that the old man and the automaton are connected. We discover this through his god daughter played sweetly by Chloe Grace Moretz on her steady rise to fame. What we learn is that this is not just some mean old man, he is Georges Melies, for anyone who does not know, he was a very important man in the construction of the movies as we know them today. He followed in the footsteps of the Lumiere brothers in France and created hundreds of short films, the most famous of which Le Voyage Dans La Lune (The Trip to the Moon) released in 1902 is featured in Hugo. But in the 1930's he had sadly been forgotten as after World War One the movies moved on without him, and was living in steady poverty staying afloat with his small station toy shop.

The film then changes track, it is no longer about solving a mystery and the adventurous element slides back to reveal a warmth and heart to the picture as the children are intent on teaching Melies that he is not a forgotten man but a true artist and genius who is still largely respected by many. This second half of the movie is obviously very close to Scorsese's heart as he is an authority on the history of cinema. It is clear that a lot of feeling has gone into this section and a great respect. Hugo features other trips back to the truly classic era of cinema, the children in one scene sneak into a cinema and watch the famous clock scene from Safety Last (1923) with Harold Lloyd. Scorsese also recreates many scenes from Melies' movies and it really stands as a tribute to the man and the art form itself.

Hugo was Scorsese's first venture into 3D, so he was learning on the job for this movie, but you wouldn't know it. Hugo is one of those rare films where every shot is obviously meticulously thought out and made to look absolutely beautiful (it reminds me of the detail in Meet Me In St Louis (1944) where director Vincente Minnelli labored over every detail to make it perfect) it is for this reason that though it is set in the past I think the movie will stand the test of time. It is not going to be a great classic, but for any great lover of movies this is a must see and it will always be a beautifully crafted film.

8/10 for me purely for the cinema history lesson you are treated to within a great period family film.

Shutter Island (2010)

Last night I had the impulse to watch Shutter Island (2008) psyching myself up to see The Wolf of Wall Street I guess.

I have not watched the film in a long time but I remember loving it when it came out. I was sat in the cinema and what struck me was how beautiful the film is. I know what your thinking, it's not exactly sunshine and rainbows so what is she talking about?

If you had the privilege of seeing the movie on the big screen you'll have noticed that it is a stunning film not simply because of the writing, directing and performances but also and importantly the cinematography. The scene that springs to mind is one where Teddy Daniels is exploring ward C, it is dark, confined, you can see wall to wall and a mid-shot of Leo. It is a great shot and just one that signifies the quality of the camerawork.

Shutter Island was directed by Martin Scorsese and was the fourth collaboration between him and Leonardo DiCaprio. In reflection they have made some amazing films together, The Aviator (2004) is possibly the best Biography film I have seen, but there is something about Shutter Island that sets it apart from the others ( Gangs of New York (2002) and The Departed (2006) ) it plays like a great Hitchcock film and everyone knows Hitchcock's title was the master of suspense. The story is one of confusion, and tension, it is a very underrated Mystery/Thriller.

Leonardo DiCaprio is Teddy Daniels a US Marshal in 1954 who when the film opens is traveling by ferry with his new partner Chuck (Mark Ruffalo) to Shutter Island where the criminally insane are kept. A patient is missing from a room with barred windows that was locked from the outside and the Marshals have been called in to solve this mystery. They are introduced to the head physician Dr Cawley (played superbly by Sir Ben Kingsley) who seems very polite (maybe too polite) and not as co-operative as the Marshals would like.

From the start it is obvious this is not going to be an open and shut case, we not only begin to be suspicious of the staff on Shutter Island but also of Teddy Daniels himself. Clearly all is not right with the Marshal he has another agenda and has suffered from many past traumas in his life, we see very disturbing images of a death camp during the holocaust. Daniels is also seeing visions of his wife Dolores (Michelle Williams) this would not be normal in any situation but what makes it worse is that we know Dolores is dead, she was killed in a house fire. Such trauma is starting to affect Teddy and DiCaprio gives a brilliant performance with many layers, which are revealed one by one as the film progresses.

The score for the film reminds me of another Scorsese film, Cape Fear (1991) I will say again as I do every time, the music is one of the most important elements and it is used so successfully in this movie. Especially when the Marshals arrive on the island, as they drive towards the main compound the music builds and builds until it is so loud and menacing you can barely stand it, it is almost like the island itself is giving off this terrifying feeling of foreboding and making any guests feel unwelcome.

Martin Scorsese always hires the most amazing casts all the way up from the lead down to the extras and this film is just another film that supports this fact. Max Von Sydow, Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson and Jackie Earle Haley all have very small but memorable roles. They embody their characters and you won't forget their performances easily. Even so the film rests comfortably and squarely on DiCaprio's shoulders, and once again he delivers a performance which makes it all the more unbelievable that he has not won an Academy Award.

The film is rather like another DiCaprio film Inception (2010) which requires your utmost concentration until the end. It is the final 10 minutes of Shutter Island which are the best, I have always loved the big reveal in a movie and this has a corker. It is a film that when you see the end you realize how many clues you were given during the movie, but it is so cleverly constructed that you would not imagine what the ending could actually be.

This is an underrated masterpiece in the art of storytelling and mystery. Brilliantly directed and shot with stand out performances from everyone involved. I give this a 9/10, give it a go.

I hope you enjoyed the article please leave me a comment and tell me what you thought, and if you've seen the movie, what are your views ?

Comments

Just realized, the great technical genius that I am, I did not have the settings on my blog right.

If you have tried to comment on any of the articles (which is great thank you so much) and you have not been able to..... well now you can.

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So if you read something you like, disagree with, would like to discuss, please leave me a comment.

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Some Like it Hot (1959)

"Now you've done it" - "What" - "You've tore off one of my chests"

"I'm engaged" - "Congratulations whose the lucky girl?" - "I am."

"But you're not a girl! You're a guy and why would a guy wanna marry a guy?" - "Security"

"Water Polo, isn't that dangerous?" - "It sure is. I had two ponies drowned under me."

"You can't make an omelette without breaking an egg"

"Joe something tells me the omelette is about to hit the fan"

"I'm a boy, I'm a boy, I wish I were dead, I'm a boy oh boy am I a boy"

What's the movie? Some Like it Hot of course. The genius that was Billy Wilder wrote and directed this classic in between Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and possibly his biggest hit  also starring Jack Lemmon; The Apartment (1960). Some Like it Hot remains one of cinemas classic movies and was named the funniest movie of all time. Though in black and white it looks better for it and has not dated at all.

The film stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon as two financially struggling musicians who witness a gang related murder and have to go on the run. They do this by accepting the only job they can, playing the saxophone and bass fiddle for a girls band travelling to Florida. Hang on a minute I can hear your confusion how can they join a girls band? To escape the gangsters Curtis' Joe and Lemmons' Jerry become Josephine and Daphne and hilarity ensues. They are joined in this band by Marilyn Monroe at her finest and in one of her most memorable roles as Sugar 'Kane' Kowalczyk. Anyone who doesn't know what Marilyn Monroe looked like has obviously been living under a rock, she was the definition of sex appeal in 1959 when the movie was made, she was at the height of her celebrity status. So therefore it is no surprise that both men are vying for her affection, this would be rather difficult as women. So adding to an already excellent plot Curtis becomes a young millionaire with Glasses, blazer and a suave Cary Grant accent who owns Shell oil, in the hopes of snaring Sugar who is determined to marry a rich man with a yacht. While Curtis is playing/wooing Sugar Jerry/Daphne is being wooed/harassed by an old millionaire played brilliantly by Joe E. Brown. Everything is going great, though bizarrely until the gangsters arrive in town, with a chaotic zinger of an ending Billy Wilder ties everything up and delivers the best last line of any comedy movie ever made;

 "You don't understand Osgood I'm a man", - "Well, nobody's perfect" That might be so, but what is perfect is this film, it hits all the right beats, the performances are spot on, the writing could not be better; there are so many quotable lines in this movie, as Tony Curtis stated in an interview; there was no need for improvisation it was all in the script. And Billy Wilder proves he really was one of the best Directors in Hollywood and I believe he remains so to this day.
This year Some Like it Hot is 55 years old, Tony Curtis the last surviving cast member died in 2010, all that we have left is the movie itself but boy what a legacy to film and comedy it is.

If you haven't seen this film, I strongly recommend when you finish reading this, you get yourself a copy and watch it straight away, you won't be disappointed. 10/10 every time this is Hollywood at its best.

12 Years a Slave (2014)

Today I witnessed 12 Years a Slave. What an extraordinary piece of film-making, Steve McQueen has undoubtedly created the go to movie on slavery, this film should be studied not only in film classes but history classes throughout the world.

12 Years a Slave stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup a free man in 1841 who is tricked, sent to the south and forced into slavery for, you guessed it, 12 years. What is so unbelievable about this movie is that it is actually based on a true story. Solomon Northup was a real man and this movie is the tale of all the hardships he went through which he put into a book published in 1853 after his release.

12 Years a Slave is a very difficult film to sit through, and its not the usual reasons - bored with the story, uncomfortable in your seat due to the length of the film, cringe-worthy performances. No 12 Years is difficult because it is such a harrowing movie. Some scenes are so shocking that it simply takes your breath away, you cannot believe what you are seeing, and knowing that they actually happened makes it even harder to accept. The fact that any human being can be treated in the way Solomon and his fellow slaves are treated is unacceptable and inconceivable, and McQueen does not shy away from showing the physical cruelty inflicted on those men and women.

Steve McQueen has once again enlisted the numerous talents of Michael Fassbender to bring his movie to life and once again Fassbender delivers the goods. He is unspeakably evil as the cotton plantation owner Edwin Epps who has been brainwashed into thinking he is entitled to treat his 'property' the way he does. It is a terrifying performance which has been duly rewarded, Fassbender was nominated for a Golden Globe which he lost out on to Jared Leto, and on Thursday he received an Academy Award nomination for his terrific performance.

This film is full of amazing performances by some of the greatest talent from around the world. American Horror Story's Sarah Paulson is memorable as Epps vicious wife, Paul Giamatti in a small but significant role as a money loving slave trader. Benedict Cumberbatch is brilliant as Solomon's first master who in maybe the cruelest move shows him compassion and kindness only to give him hope and rip it away when he reluctantly sells him to Edwin Epps. Brad Pitt who's production company Plan B made the film when many others turned it down plays a small part as a white man who fights for the equality of all people. His is a very small part probably no longer than five minutes but it is one of the most important and memorable. He is the sanity and warmth among the harsh cruelty and insanity of those in the south.

But if you're looking for a standout performance it has got to be newcomer Lupita Nyong'o. The fact that this is her first role is absolutely incredible, she just lives the character. She plays Patsey the best cotton picker on Epps plantation. She has the unfortunate disadvantage of being a favorite of Epps who has a strained relationship with his wife due to his blatantly obvious feelings towards Patsey. This favoritism does her no favors as his deep sense of self-loathing because of these feelings often lead to him lashing out and physically beating her. She also receives nothing but venom from Paulson as the jealous unforgiving wife who blames her rather than her drunkard straying husband. Nyong'o is terrific in the role and the industry obviously agrees she lost out to Jennifer Lawrence for Best supporting actress at the Golden Globes but has won the Critics Choice Awards and the SAG award for her portrayal. Not bad for a girl not long out of Yale.

This is only British director Steve McQueen's 3rd film, which is astounding, both Hunger and Shame share not only Fassbender but a dramatic punch which floors audiences. You cannot come out of one of his films without something to say, they are excellent pieces of cinema that will linger long in your memory. One of the most noticeable effects I noticed in this film were the long takes, you are willing him to cut, but they go on and on, it is very effective and adds a real emotional weight to the scenes. What makes 12 Years so believable are the costumes, hair, make-up and locations of the movie. People forget that these are such important parts of the pre-production process. You are transported back to the 19th century with these characters and go through the servitude with them. Everything was as authentic as possible, with the costume department actually sprinkling dirt from the actual plantation Northup was kept on the bottom of the dresses worn by the actresses. This could do nothing but help feel the importance of telling a story with so much meaning and moral lessons.

12 Years a Slave shows us just how far our species has come but I think also it shows how far we still have to go. Yes in modern society a man will no longer be hanged until nearly dead while people go about their business but there are other cruelties that we see every day in news headlines that are a constant reminder that we are not there yet.

I would be a blind fool if i gave this anything less than a 9/10, this is such an important film to see, not just for cinematic enjoyment but to teach us about our past. An absolute must see, if you see nothing else this awards season see this, it will move you beyond words I assure you.

Awards Season - Critics Choice Awards - Winners

The Critics Choice Awards are not considered a main awards show by many. You can view them in one of two ways, they can be very meaningful as film critics are supposedly the experts in the field as they watch an incredible amount of movies every year (god I want their job) or they are considered picky moaning journalists who really don't know any better, I think I sit on the fence with that one.

Whichever you think is true the critics choice awards are always fun and interesting as they don't always pick the standard awards friendly performances.

This year like the nominations in other awards ceremonies the categories are full to bursting with the most incredible acting talent. The winners of this years awards show will be of no surprise to those like me who are following the awards season:

Matthew McConaughey won Best Actor for Dallas Buyers Club
Cate Blanchett won Best Actress for Blue Jasmine
Jared Leto won Best Supporting Actor for Dallas Buyers Club
Lupita Nyong'o won Best Supporting Actress for 12 Years a Slave

American Hustle won Best Acting Ensemble

Alfonso Cuaron won Best Director for Gravity

12 Years a Slave won Best Picture

It was lovely to see the amazingly humble and grateful Lupita Nyong'o acknowledged for her performance in 12 Years a Slave which was utterly heartbreaking.12 Years a Slave has not won many of the awards but it has picked up the most important that of Best Picture proving that overall many consider it to be a powerful film.

One of the most touching moments was Oprah Winfrey awarding Forest Whitaker with the Joel Siegel Award for his humanitarian efforts. Whitaker took to the stage with a very moving speech after a video showing his work to bring peace and not hatred to the world.

For a full list of winners click on the link below;
Critics Choice Awards - Winners

Awards Season - The SAG Award nominations

So the 20th annual SAG awards are on tonight (thats the Screen Actors Guild Awards to those who don't know).
Whats different and special about the SAG awards is that it is an awards ceremony that specifically honors the performers. Actors from both film and television are nominated. One thing that many who attend prefer about these awards is that they are chosen by their peers and this usually means a lot to those who are nominated and ultimately win the award. The SAG awards are not televised in the UK but they are known to have a friendly, warm air to them, which some of the more prestigious ceremonies lack.

This year as with many previous years the nominees are very similar if not the same as those nominated for the Golden Globes, Oscars and Bafta's there are very rarely any big surprises. The nominees for film performers are as follows:

Male Actor in a Leading Role
Bruce Dern - Nebraska
Chiwetel Ejiofor - 12 Years a Slave
Tom Hanks - Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club
Forest Whitaker - Lee Daniels' The Butler

Female Actor in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock - Gravity
Judi Dench - Philomena
Meryl Streep - August: Osage County
Emma Thompson - Saving Mr. Banks

Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Barkhad Abdi - Captain Phillips
Daniel Bruhl - Rush
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years a Slave
James Gandolfini - Enough Said
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club

Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts - August: Osage County
June Squibb - Nebraska
Oprah Winfrey - Lee Daniels' The Butler

Cast in a Motion Picture
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
August: Osage County
Dallas Buyers Club
Lee Daniels' The Butler

There were a few surprises; Judi Dench nominated for Female Actor in a Leading Role, not at all expected as it puts Amy Adams out of the list. Another, Oprah Winfrey's supporting actress nomination for Lee Daniels' The Butler over Sally Hawkins. This is perhaps more accepted as many were surprised that Oprah was snubbed at many of the other awards shows. Leonardo Dicaprio or Christian Bale have missed out in the Male Actor in a Leading Role category in favor of Forest Whitaker for Lee Daniels' The Butler, the film is also nominated in the Ensemble cast category, showing that the Screen Actors Guild obviously saw something in the film that the other awards ceremonies did not. Another unexpected move was James Gandolfini receiving the supporting actor nomination for Enough Said rather than Bradley Cooper for American Hustle, meaning that only Jennifer Lawrence has been nominated for the film. The Wolf of Wall Street has not been nominated for any awards which will be a disappointment to many.

The obvious front runners for the awards are those who have won the Golden Globe, the likes of Cate Blanchett for Female Actor in a Leading Role for her performance in Blue Jasmine. Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey for Supporting Actor and Leading Actor for Dallas Buyers Club and Jennifer Lawrence for supporting actress for American Hustle. There may be some shocks, the guild may favor Sandra Bullock's performance in Gravity as both actresses are both superb and Chiwetel Ejiofor for Leading Actor in 12 Years a Slave. We shall see.

The SAG awards are on in less than 20 minutes, airing on American Television. I'll have a full list of the winners in an article tomorrow. Check it out.

For the full list of Nominees (the television categories) click on the link below;
Screen Actors Guild Awards Nominations