First of all it doesn’t matter if you have zero knowledge or interest in American football. I knew very little about the sport when I started watching the show, and five seasons later I know not much more about the rules of the game. Take it like this; you don’t need to be an expert in drug distribution or police surveillance work to enjoy The Wire and the same goes for the American football backdrop in FNL. It is part of the fabric of the show but it isn’t necessarily the real focus; the community, the kids in the team and family life is what matters here.

Friday Night Lights began as a book that tells the story of a high school team in Odessa, Texas in 1988 that was then adapted for the big screen by Peter Berg in 2004. The film scored an impressive five stars from Empire Magazine but didn’t even make $1 million in the UK (it made $61 million in the US). This is likely through poor distribution thanks to the American sport centric theme and a similar pattern can be seen with the recent baseball movie Moneyball, which despite awards buzz and a big name star with Brad Pitt, only made just over $1 million in the UK (and $75 million in the US). Sports themed movies are a hard sell if the sport isn’t popular, and this is probably why it has taken so long for FNL to properly hit UK screens at primetime. The show struggled for ratings in the US even, despite being a critical darling. It was only in its fifth and final season that the award nominations finally starting coming in, with Kyle Chandler (Super 8, King Kong) winning Best Actor at the 2011 Emmys for his role as Coach Eric Taylor.



At the centre of it all is Coach Eric Taylor and his wife Tami Taylor (Connie Britton -Spin City, American Horror Story) who are one of the best representations of a married couple to grace the screen, big or small. They fight, they laugh, they talk like real people and they also care about their jobs and the kids that they work with. Connie Britton played the role of the coach’s wife in the film Friday Night Lights and didn’t want to initially take the TV role, as her part in the film had been cut to shreds. Creator and director Peter Berg assured her this wouldn’t happen again, and he was correct as Tami Taylor is one of the strongest female characters that TV has ever seen. Coach Taylor is often a man of very few words, but when it comes to inspirational speeches he is king, and they will possibly leave you a little misty eyed.

The show is shot in a somewhat documentarian style, with the first episode really evoking this method. It’s not all shaky cam though so don’t worry about that. It is just something that adds to the realism. Shot on location in Austin, Texas, you get the sense of what this community is like and several of the minor speaking roles are played by non-actors; including the pastor and a jewellery shop owner adding to the authentic Texan feeling.

As it is set in a high school, you would expect a roster of stereotypical characters; the lead quarterback douchebag, the head cheerleader bitch, the bad boy, the arrogant one, the arty one, the one who doesn’t care about football, the slut and the nerd. While elements of all these characters exist, they play on these stereotypical elements; turning them on their head rather than having it as a central characteristic. Certain high school experiences are featured such as first loves won and lost, as well as social issues such as racism, financial woes and abortion. Don’t worry, it’s not an after school special and doesn’t lean towards the preachy.

Will you be watching? Have you seen the show before and want to watch it all over again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Friday Night Lights begins on Sky Atlantic Tuesday, February 14 at 8pm and you can watch the trailer here.

“Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can’t Lose!”

I know. I’m standing on the border of cliché town but don’t worry, I’m not going to the gift shop and I certainly won’t be buying the T-shirt. Of course, as a disgruntled film studies grad and a multi-award winning film geek, there are going to be some awards that I disagree with and some I down right cannot understand. Having said all that, for the most part, I can at least see the reasoning behind most of the Academy’s choices. For those of you who came here before going to IMDB. Here’s my thoughts on last nights winners and losers. Most news shows today will be regurgitating their post-Golden Globe platitudes as once again, the dominant film of the night by some distance was of course, The Artist.

Walking away with no fewer than seven awards, the French/American co-creation enjoyed continued dominance on a night where so often it’s British films that are showered with statues. As with any great success story, the backlash begins now. As someone who enjoyed The Artist, but did not think it was the greatest, most incredible thing of all time, ever; I feel it’s my duty to offer up some perspective. Whilst I wouldn’t necessarily have voted for it in all of it’s triumphant categories, I wouldn’t go as far as to say it didn’t deserve its successes. To me, cinema is all about brave choices and it’s that which usually garners the trophies come award season. Yes, on occasion I think film makers can be too gutsy. The likes of Steve McQueen’s Shame and Paddy Considine’s Tyrannosaur have been criminally over overlooked this season I think, for that very reason. At a time when everyone is obsessed by surround-sound, true-colour, IMAX girth, you cannot tell me that the decision to release a silent film, in black and white, in Academy ratio, is not brave.

The acting awards were spread evenly over four films with Dujardin and Plummer winning the male categories (The Artist, Beginners) and Meryl Streep and Octavia Spencer picking up the Female gongs(The Iron Lady, The Help). With only one disparity between the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes it would seem that three out of the four acting categories are sown up with Best Actress being a straight up fist fight between Streep and Viola Davis (The Help). It’s probably in part due to my insatiable hatred of Thatcher, but I know who I want to win.

A few other pictures picked up multiple gongs. Senna picked up Best Editing and Best Documentary in a competitive category which, any other year, could have seen either Project Nim or Martin Scorsese’s George Harrison documentary take the prize. Scorsese did eventually get up on stage when Hugo emerged victorious in the Production Design and Sound categories. If you add Hugo’s two gongs to the plethora awarded to the The Artist you could argue that the night’s real winner was nostalgia for the silent era. Expect a remake of the 1957 Buster Keaton biopic to be winging its way to cinemas in the next year or so.

John Hurt collected a thoroughly deserved ‘Outstanding Contribution’ award having traversed TV and film in Hollywood and the UK for nigh on half a century. The multi-BAFTA winning, double Academy Award nominee has been at the pinnacle of British cinema for years and is ever-present in some of cinemas most iconic images.

As you’d expect there were a few surprises along the way (thankfully).Rango pipped Tin Tin to Best Animated feature despite the former’s British contingent (it was writen by golden boys Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish). Also, in probably the biggest shocker of the night, Adam Deacon won the coveted ‘Orange Wednesdays Rising Star Award’ despite being responsible for the abysmal Anuvahood. The fact that Deacon triumped over the likes of Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Redmayne and Chris O’Dowd is perhaps indicative of how difficult it is to get films made in this country now. The fact that Deacon even managed to get his film made is apparently an award winning feat.

Despite the fact that I crowned Submarine (Richard Ayoade) my personal favourite film of last year, I am neither surprised nor disappointed that Paddy Considine was commended, ahead of Ayoade, for his stunning debut Tyrannosaur. If ‘Oliver Tate’ is a lover, then Peter Mullan’s ‘Joseph’ is a fighter, and the two movies typify what British cinema does best. The fact that Tyrannosaur has been overlooked at almost every other award show is a bone of contention amidst many critics, but at least BAFTA had the smarts to recognise Considine’s burgeoning off camera talent.

In sum, I’m personally perturbed that there’s not been more love for both Hugo and The Descendents but then, there’s only so many awards to go round. The Artist is an inspired bit of movie making, and an incredible bit of marketing and thus is indisputably deserving of the plaudits being lavished upon it. Certainly silent cinema might not be to everyone’s tastes but then if we don’t applaud the extraordinary, all we’ll be left with is the ordinary.

I’m looking at you Adam Sandler.

It’s hard to fathom that Roman Polanski has been making films for 50 years now. His early output was a revelation, making a name for himself with a unique brand of taut claustrophobic thrillers (See Knife in the Water/Repulsion). Seething with a palpable sense of anxiety, Polanski pushed his subjects to psychological breaking point with the enclosed surroundings amplifying the tension to almost unbearable levels. In short, they were bad places to be, especially if you happened to advocate bourgeois values. Downton Abbey, had it been made in 1960′s Poland probably would have had the entire cast holed up, soiled knickers and all, in the study with wolves roaming the corridors. It was in its mockery of the Bourgeoisie that European cinema was in its element. While never overtly political, Polanski revelled in using them as fodder. Even through visions of the American dream in Rosemary’s Baby & Chinatown, widely considered all-time greats, many of the hallmarks of his previous work shine through.

However, since that 1960′s/1970′s golden period; whether making conspiracy movies with Harrison Ford, big budget pirate adventures or dodgy horror flicks, his output has ranged from the strange to the down right awful, picking up a best director Oscar for The Pianist along the way. He seemed out of sorts for such a long time. So it was a surprise to hear that Polanski was seemingly revisiting his roots with an ensemble character study in Carnage.

If walking into the experience blind, you could look at the ingredients; a Polanski film, based on a play called ‘God of Carnage’, with the single apartment setting playing host to an all-out bourgeois smack down. You would be forgiven for expecting a world of pain, and upon seeing the film you wouldn’t be far off, except that you’re going to laugh. A lot. In fact, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more satisfying comedy all year.

Set over the course of a single afternoon, in the aftermath of a playground scuffle between two 11 year-old school boys, the Cowans (Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz) visit the Longstreets (Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly) to discuss the problem between their respective sons. What begins as a straightforward social courtesy develops into polite finger pointing and before long, prejudices slip out, the veneer of civilized discussion fritters away, and that’s when things well and truly kick off. A barking dog, a bottle of whiskey, a ringing cell phone, some not-so tasty left overs; all at some point seem to conspire, almost supernaturally to pour gas onto the fire.

Not unlike Luis Bunuel’s 1962 masterpiece The Exterminating Angel the Cowans find that they’re bound to the apartment, except this time not by a mysterious unspoken force, but by invitation of the Longstreets. Neither able to let it drop. This is something Polanski could have possibly made 30 years ago. Like Repulsion, the downtown Brooklyn apartment is a black hole. The irresistible pull of psychosis replaced with one of egocentric stupidity. Even the opening scene, in the context of a Polanski film (a static shot from behind the trees), showing a peripheral conflict in the scope of a wide shot encompassing both the playground and the Hudson river could be viewed with a more sinister connotation if it weren’t for the Alexandre Desplat score which appears straight out of a feel-good 80’s comedy.

Despite the films origins as a stage-play being entrenched in its DNA, this is a dynamic film that is unflinching in its moments of tension whilst allowing for larger than life, eccentric performances from its cast. Huge credit of course has to go to the screenplay which reduces the concerns of adults in modern society to schoolyard triviality. Considering the setting is restricted mostly to one room, the pacing is perfect. With a simple symmetry to the composure of the shots, movement between rooms is expressed with a roaming handheld camera style familiar within Polanski’s early work.

Waltz and Reilly are in their anarchic element as the sneering egotistical attorney and the blue collar blunt tool. It is Foster though, as the anthropological writer; the sanctimonious, emotional ticking-time bomb, and Winslet as the elitist, emotionally sterile investment broker who, playing against type, really let everything hang out and provide the film’s funniest moments. Their group breakdown is a gleeful crescendo of farce and political incorrectness. And as none of the characters have much in the way of redeemable personality traits, all four collectively make up the ultimate toss-pot. You enjoy their descent into hysteria like watching animals on a wildlife documentary or ironically small children in a playground.

I have to admit my first thought as the credits rolled, ‘I can think of a handful of situations in my adult life, which I would look back on with a much greater fondness if they went a little more like that’. One interpretation is that Carnage is a comedy for anyone who has had to bite their tongue. It is also Roman Polanski in his element; society eating itself under the stress of its own vanity.

A very funny film, with excellent performances all round.

First up this week is Nicholas Winding Refn’s 70’s throwback Drive.


For a man whose name sounds very much like a font, Winding Refn is fast grinding out a rep as one of the most promising directors of the moment. Drive, which sees man of the moment Ryan Gosling channelling the likes of McQueen and Eastwood, is unlikely to derail the Dane’s upward trajectory. Despite a top notch cast which also boasts Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston and Albert Brooks, it’s the style of the film which sets it apart from similar pictures. Set in the seedy, neon, Hollywood underbelly, ‘Driver’ as he is simply known is a man out of time; figuratively speaking only. A stoic protagonist with an unyielding moral compass, Gosling traverses between heartfelt tenderness and unspeakable brutality. Both are filmed bravely; Winding Refn knowing exactly when to cut away and when to linger. Though not one of the most prolific award season nominees, Drive is picking up the odd nomination here and there and everyone of them is deserved.

In contrast Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is arguably one of the most over hyped films of last year. That’s not to say it’s without merit. On the contrary, it was an expertly crafted film in almost every way. Gary Oldman is certainly an outsider for a Best Actor Oscar and there is some great support work from hot properties like Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch. Like Drive, Tinker Tailor comes to us courtesy of another Scandinavian director, Tomas Alfredson. Like his contemporaries, Alfredson is a master craftsman when it comes to ‘show, don’t tell’. There’s certainly no unnecessary monologuing in the film which affords you the opportunity to really take in the expertly recreated cold war setting. The film’s weakness however, lies in it’s complicated, in places convoluted story. As is often the case with adaptations, the density of the original novel is simply not transferrable to the screen. Often at times, key plot points are sacrificed in favour of a more palatable running time and unfortunately in this case, it felt like key elements of John Le Carre’s seminal story were lost on the cutting room floor. With that in mind, home entertainment may in fact be the film’s saving grace. Repeat viewings coupled with the supporting features may just be enough to clear the fog.

In the barrage of mindless, plotless ensemble rom-com flicks that seem to be the trend of the moment, everyone was glad to see a date movie that might avoid the same trappings. Crazy Stupid Love was off to a flyer even before it was released with one of the most likeable cast lists ever put together. With Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling all starring, it’s no wonder that the movie went down well with both genders, and although not exactly a classic, it does have a lot going for it. At the centre of the story is a Hitch type story where Gosling’s suave womaniser coaches a post-separation Steve Carell in the art of seduction. Carell and Stone are as good as ever, but the real revelation is Gosling as a comedian. If we didn’t already hate him enough the triple threat proves that he’s got the comedy chops to rival the best of them, even picking up a Golden Globe nomination in the Comedy/Musical acting category. Releasing two weeks before Valentine’s Day is no doubt a savy move by Warner Bros. who are no doubt banking on its ‘snuggle up on the sofa’ factor to shift shed loads of copies.

In terms of re-releases, it’s a good week with three classics getting the Blu-ray treatment. First up is the multi-Oscar winning Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Whilst personally I’m sceptical as to how much difference Blu-ray makes to a nigh on fifty year old movie, the epic scale of a Joseph Mankiewicz movie might just warrant the upgrade.

Also released is James Cameron’s Aliens.

With Prometheus looming ominously on the horizon like an abandoned interstellar transporter of mysterious origin, chances are that interest in the original quadrilogy is likely to peak over the next few months. There’s every likelihood the four movies will be all over TV as well, but probably not in the quality of a nice, crisp Blu-ray. This will prove a decent investment, especially if there’s that annoying guy in your office who won’t shut up about how Avatar is the greatest science fiction movie ever made. You can lend him Aliens and prove to him that Avatar isn’t even the greatest science fiction movie James Cameron has ever made.

It’s a quieter week for TV releases this week. The only real release is the first batch of Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes. Rather than housing an entire series the Blu-ray contains the pilot episode along with two other classic episodes so not really one for the casual Trekkies (or Trekkers, as they prefer to be called).

Special mention must go to the release of season asix of The Office (US). Although to the best of my knowledge the series is not getting a Blu-ray release (makes sense when you think about it), season six is arguably where the series peaked.

With a cast most movie producers would kill for (Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, Ed Helms, Ellie Kemper and Kathy Bates) the sixth series brings with it closure to one of the love stories of the decade, and en route Steve Carell falls into a Koi Pond. If you’re yet to discover the wonders of The Office, then go back to the beginning (by which I mean season 2, episode 1). For those of you Dunder Mifflin devotees, this might just prove to be the last Office box set you choose to take home.

In conclusion, my recommendation for the week is clearly Drive. Having gotten up early on pay day to pre-order the very reasonably priced Blu-ray, it’d be hypocritical of me to suggest anything else. Yes, there’s no denying the ‘classic’ status of James Cameron’s Aliens however, the savvy consumers should know that you can find the complete quadrilogy online for less than a fiver more than the stand alone release.

Of course, fifty percent of that last paragraph was bull shit but I promise that what follows will be a combination of facts and personal opinions that will hopefully allow you to optomise your spending in this period of economic crisis. As you might expect, the weeks directly following the festive period tend to be a little thin on the ground regarding big releases but there is at least, this coming week, a vast cocktail of titles coming your way.


The two biggest releases this week are two comedies that enjoyed mixed receptions at last year’s box office. First up is 30 Minutes or Less. Ruben Fleischer’s follow up to Zombieland should have been a smash. Danny McBride is fast becoming a household name, and Jesse Eisenberg was the geek of choice following his Academy Award nomination for The Social Network last year. Unfortunately, the film failed to live up to expectations and lukewarm early reviews killed it off in well under thirty minutes. Second, we have The Change Up; the body swap comedy which sees Jason Bateman’s family man swap lives with womaniser Ryan Reynolds. Despite its strong cast (Olivia Wilde and Alan Arkin also star) the ‘writers of The Hangover’ failed to sprinkle their box office magic over this one. The film itself is bland and formulaic and if it were not for two leads would have very little going for it.

Of course, it’s not just comedies that are trying to replicate the success of The Hangover. Hostel 3, which was spared the embarrassment of a comprehensive theatrical release follows an almost identical set up as the 2009 comedy but finds its four hapless protagonists at the mercy of some nefarious Las Vegan’s even more sadistic than Ken Jeong. If you’re interested in that, you might also be interested in the release of schlock horror, Shark Night 3D. I’d probably excuse you purchasing this if you are the proud owner of a 3D TV but failing that, there’s really no excuse for wasting your hard earned dollar on a film where cartoon sharks terrorise a group of bikini clad, inexplicably deficient University students.

In contrast it’s a strong week for British TV releases. Both Misfits and Merlin release their latest series (three and four respectively) this week but both are usurped in terms of anticipation by the release of the impressive second series of BBC’s Sherlock.

With audio commentaries for all three episodes and a featurette entitled ‘Sherlock Uncovered’ the likelihood is that this may well be the biggest seller of the week.

The previous releases getting the Blu-ray treatment this week are certainly also worth a look. The film that saw Denzel Washington pick up his third Oscar nomination, Malcolm X , is released this week, whilst the lesser known Roger Dodger also gets an upgrade. Another title looking to capitalise on Jesse Eisenberg’s newly earned celebrity, Roger Dodger stars The Social Network star as a young teenager sent to stay with his ad exec uncle Roger (Think a late-Nineties Don Draper). With the grossly underrated Campbell Scott (soon to be seen in The Amazing Spiderman) Roger Dodger is not necessarily going to test the limits of your HD TV but as a performance driven film, it’s certainly a cut above most of the other fodder churned out this week.

Although I have only a limited selection of concert DVDs (I don’t really see the point in most of them), I’d no doubt get in serious trouble if I fail to mention this week’s releases. As well as Doors: Mr Mojo Risin’, a documentary about the making of The Doors final album Monday also sees the release of Radiohead: Live from the Basement. A straight up live performance of album The King of Limbs, this particular music Blu-ray is probably only a must have item for those unnaturally obsessed with the Thom Yorke as it’s pretty much vanilla.

With all these factors taken into consideration I have reached a split conclusion. My recommendation for this week would be two fold. Firstly, go and rent Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia.

Let’s face it, you may not find it in your local Blockbuster so you might be better off checking in out of your local library. The film is visually and aurally stunning and whilst it may not burn into you a desire for many repeat viewings it’s worth checking out at least once in the highest definition. Once you’ve watched Melancholia in all its glory go out and buy Rodger Dodger. It may not have the scope and scale of Von Trier’s film but it also doesn’t have Kirsten Dunst in it.

The summer big noises speak for themselves;
Early glimpses of The Dark Knight Rises and Ridley Scott’s return to the Alien universe with Prometheus in IMAX & 3D respectively, look certain to be the years most complete cinematic experiences.
Elsewhere, you have a bumper fix of Marvel comic book action as the superhero equivalent of The Breakfast Club finally arrives in the form of The Avengers ,as well as a reboot of the oh so profitable Spider-Man franchise. Autumn/Winter will bring us Sam Mendes’ contribution to the Bond series in Skyfall, Peter Jackson’s return to Middle Earth in The Hobbit, ‘Tarantino does a western’ in Django Unchained and Baz Luhrmann’s intriguing 3D take on The Great Gatsby. There is plenty more to be excited about in 2012, but here are my ones to watch in the coming year:

5. Mama

Andres Muschietti’s 2008 short film Mama, was a nerve shredding 3 minute crescendo of gilt edged tension. In the tradition of the great recent Spanish-language horror hits (The Orphanage, Devils Backbone, Julia’s Eyes), two young sisters, home alone, decide to leave when they hear something making a noise downstairs. A masterful exercise in suspense, it must have impressed someone as it is currently being expanded into a full length feature, with Muschietti again directing from a script he co-wrote with Luther creator Neil Cross, under the guidance of Guillermo Del Toro. The very in-demand Jessica Chastain & Game of Thrones’ Nikolaj Coster-Waldu will play the couple who take in their two young nieces who after years of being missing, are discovered living alone in a forest…assuming they were actually alone. Likely to be 2012’s scariest …

4. Gravity

I have to admit, when I heard the premise for Alfonso Cuaron’s long awaited follow-up to Children of Men, the idea of Sandra Bullock being sent up into orbit with nothing but the Hubble space telescope to hold on to, seems a fair & proportionate punishment for that 2 year period of cinematic gastroenteritis that incorporated Premonition, The Proposal, All About Steve & The Blind Side…but not such an easy sell for a film, with its entire success resting on Bullock’s one woman show (a la Silent Running/Moon).

But this has long been a labour of love for its director, with Cuaron also writing, editing and producing the picture with Harry Potter mastermind David Heyman and with the help of superlative cinematographer Emmanuel Lubeski, who did some great work on the scarily-near dystopian Britain of Children of Men. If they get this right and Bullock gives the performance of her career, it will no doubt be one of the year’s best.

3. Cogan’s Trade

It feels like its been far too long since we were treated to the breathtaking Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford but fear not… director Andrew Dominik and star Brad Pitt are back again with this Boston gangster thriller following Pitt’s titular mob enforcer who is given a license to kill after a gunpoint heist on a mafia protected high stakes poker game. Amongst those with whom Cogan will be having a ‘quiet word’ are Richard Jenkins, James Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, Monsters star Scoot Mcnairy and Ben Mendelsohn who stole the show as the dangerous Uncle Pope in Animal Kingdom. Expect a dialogue heavy gritty urban noir, like The Departed …but without the good guys.

2. Wettest County

…most exciting reunion of the year? Anyone who saw John Hillcoat & Nick Cave’s work on The Proposition will know what to expect. A gritty, poetic examination of the brutal morality that exists in the harsh pre-colonial Australia, it was a strikingly fresh take on the Western, with a brilliant original screenplay by Nick Cave.
This prohibition era crime-epic is based on Matt Bondurant’s semi-biographical novel of his family’s operations in 1920’s Virginia. The story follows the three Bondurant brothers (Tom Hardy, Shia LeBeof & Jason Clarke) as they navigate an illegal alcohol bootlegging operation through the great depression as well as trying to avoid the unwanted attention of police deputy Charley Rakes (Guy Pearce). An excellent supporting cast comes in the form of Gary Oldman, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain & Noah Taylor. Along with most of the original creative team behind The Proposition, another Nick Cave/Warren Ellis score and master editor Dylan Tichenor (Magnolia, Assassination of Jesse James and There Will Be Blood) putting the whole thing together, this has all the hallmarks of a big contender for the upcoming festival season & can hopefully be Hillcoat’s Godfather.
Imagine John Ford’s The Grapes of Wrath…but heavy on the wrath…

1. Seven Psychopaths

To pick a most anticipated film above all others in a year this strong is surely impossible, you would say? But then you think back to any number of instantly quotable moments from 2008’s In Bruges and naturally get rather giddy at the thought of a follow up.
Seven Psychopaths is playwright Martin Mcdonagh’s second full length feature and reunites him with In Bruges star Colin Farrell, who plays a screenwriter, struggling to finish his latest project ‘Seven Psychopaths’ when he is unwittingly roped into an ill-advised dog napping venture by low life buddies Sam Rockwell & Christopher Walken. Unfortunately they find themselves in hot water when they abduct the prize pooch of local gangster Woody Harrelson. Abbie Cornish, Olga Kurylenko & the one and only Tom Waits fill out the cast. Expect laughs, violence & misfortune in abundance

Many of you will be aware that this February sees the 84th Academy Awards, and the French star of The Artist could be the 30th nominee from international waters. Let me clarify, we all know how much the Academy love a good old bit of Brit costume drama so for the purpose of this article I have focused strictly on those performers born outside of the English speaking community.

Interestingly enough the first man to receive the award for ‘Best Actor in a Leading Role’ was a German named Emil Jannings. Given the award in 1927 Jannings won for his performance in two pictures, The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh. Unfortunately Jannings went on to star in numerous Nazi Propaganda films and became buddy buddy with some of the higher ranking Nazis.

Since Jannings’ inaugural victory only six other International actors have won in the Lead category, the most recent being nearly fifteen years ago. The 1930s was a good decade for the Europeans in particular, Paul Muni who picked up a total of five nominations (29, 32, 35, 36 and 37). Winning at the third attempt, Muni became the second International actor to win the gold. Despite being of Austro-Hungarian origin Muni won for his portrayal of French Microbiologist Louis Pasteur. Here’s some trivia for all you geeks out there; Both Muni and Al Pacino have played Tony in Scarface and both have been nominated for five Lead Actor Oscars but only emerged victorious on one occasion.

Like the thirties, there was only one International winner in the forties with Hungarian, Paul Lucas taking home the award in 1943 for Watch On the Rhine for which he also won the first ever Golden Globe.

Things picked up a little in the fifties with José Ferrer, better known to George Clooney as Uncle Jose, picking up the award in 1950. He went on to receive another nomination the following year before Yul Brynner famously won in 1956 for The King and I.

The Sixties brought only another three nominations although Maximilian Schell did win in 1961 for his performance in Judgement in Nuremberg.
Like his fellow sixties nominee Marcelo Mastroianni (nominated in 1962), Schell collected another nomination in the 1970s. In 1971 Chaim Topol was nominated for Fiddler on the Roof followed by Schell in ’75, Giancarlo Giannini in 76 (Seven Beauties) and Mastroianni again in ’77. Despite the nominations the decade was entirely dominated by Americans with legends like Hoffman, Nicholson and Brando all emerging victorious.

The Eighties continued to be barren for the Internationals only picking up another two nominations. In 1987 Mastroianni picked up a third nomination, in a third decade but was once again beaten by an American. (He was beaten by Gregory Peck, Richard Dreyfus and Michael Douglas respectively). The following year Legendary Sweed, Max Von Sydow picked up his only Oscar nomination but was pipped to the post by Dustin Hoffman’s second win in under ten years.

Things picked up slightly in the Nineties with three nominations. Unlike José Ferrer 34 years earlier Gérard Depardieu failed to take home the gong for the title role in Cyrano de Bergerac and it wasn’t until 1998 when the thirty seven year wait for another international winner ended. Writer/director/actor Roberto Benigni pulled off one of the biggest shocks in Oscar history when he defeated Academy favourite Tom Hanks, British Thesp Sir Ian McKellen and bright young thing Ed Norton to the statue for his heart grinding role in La Vita é Bella.

Since Benigni’s historic win, only Javier Bardem has picked up any nominations. Despite nominations in the lead category in both 2001 and 2010 Bardem has only tasted success in the Best Supporting category where he took home the gold for his terrifying role in No Country For Old Men. 

It’s undoubtedly going to be tough for Jean Dujardin to break this years ‘A-list’ strangle hold however, if come February, the Frenchman is in the mix it would bode well for his chances. To find himself amongst such esteemed company is achievement enough but should he be nominated would imply some weighty support amongst Academy voters. Though it would be thoroughly deserved should he win, it’ll still be a shock to rival Benigni’s thirteen years ago. Unfortunately, as nice as it would be to see another international victor, my money’s on Clooney.

Lincoln
Director: Steven Spielberg
Release Date: December
You know what they say, you wait ages for an independant movie about the effects of an encroaching planetary body and then two come along at once (Melancholia/Another Earth). It’s the same story in 2012, as four months after Vampire Hunter, The Great Emancipator gets another big screen outing. This time however, there’ll be fewer vampires and more award nominations I’d imagine. With Spielberg returning to live action it’s no wonder the film has attracted a cast to shit yourself over. If early set photos are anything to go by Daniel Day Lewis looks to be an uncanny fit for the lead and he’s backed up by an ensemble boasting Tommy Lee Jones, Joseph Gordon Levitt, John Hawkes, Sally Field and Walton Goggins. With a December release date you can bet your sweet ass that this will be on everyone’s ballot slips come the 2013 Academy Awards (to be hosted by Cat Deeley).

Expect – An intense theatre set climax.

The Cabin in the Woods
Director: Drew Goddard
Release Date: April
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the Cabin in the Woods is just another film about a cabin in some woods (I fell into that trap myself). However, the bat shit crazy trailer suggests that Joss Whedon is up to his old ‘subverting established genre conventions’ tricks again. With Whedon busy assembling The Avengers the reigns lie in the hands of writer turned director Drew Goddard.
Instead of the typical cast of teen-soap knife fodder, the pair have assembled a surprising cast boasting the likes of Chris Hemsworth, Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford. Despite having two lengthy delays (one as result of 3D conversion, one due to financial issues) the film is set for an April release and whilst it might possibly have benefited from a Halloween release 3D horror seems to pull people in so this may well live or die by its word of mouth.

Expect – The unexpected.

Gangster Squad
Director: Ruben Fliescher
Release Date: November
Zombieland, hit. 30 Seconds or Less, miss. If the cast of Gangster squad isn’t enough to guarantee Ruben Fleischer a return to form I don’t know what is. Man of the moment Ryan Gosling is reunited with co-star Emma Stone (as is Fleischer). They’re backed up by the likes of Josh Brolin, Sean Penn and Nick Nolte in a tail of the LAPD and the Mob. Although it’s pitched as a ‘Crime Drama’ don’t expect Public Enemies. Gosling has proven this year that his dramatic chops transfer more than adequately to the realm of comedy and in The Help Emma Stone proved she’s not just pretty eyes and pratfalls.

Expect – Cinema screens packed with swooning ladies

Cloud Atlas
Director: The Wachowski Brothers
Release Date: October
It’s been three years since Speed Racer stalled at the box office (see what I did there). In that time Andy and Lana, better known as the Wachowski Brothers, have been working their butts off to get an adaptation of British author David Mitchell’s (not that one) novel Cloud Atlas. Though the production is shrouded in mystery the book itself was part of Richard and Judy’s infamous book club so you’d be forgiven for thinking this an unlikely adaptation for the Wachowskis. However, when you consider that the novel consists of six segments, all of which jump around both temporally and geographically, you start to see what attracted them to the project. Luminaries Tom Hanks and Susan Sarandon lead a cast which also features none other than Agent Smith himself, Hugo Weaving. It’s hard to predict what audience this will be targeting but there’s no doubt that if nothing else, the film will be visually groundbreaking.

Expect – Two inferior sequels that nobody asks for.

To make the task arbitrarily easier I have also discounted those movies decorated by the Academy earlier on in the year. Using my dog eared collection of ticket stubs I whittled the list down to fifteen movies then to ten, then to three, then finally to one.  The ticket that remained read simply ‘Submarine’.

Released way back in March, Richard Ayoade’s directorial debut seamlessly transported La Nouvelle Vague to Swansea via Wes Anderson’s middle America. A refreshing ‘Indie’ jaunt in a Brit-flick market saturated by shanks, shivs and all round rich person porn, Ayoade’s picture is hipster almost to a fault. Making extensive use of colour filters and lengthy ‘Super 8’ instrumental inserts Submarine is the light to the shade of the equally impressive Tyrannosaur.

Whilst Ayoade deservedly reaped plaudits for his impressive transition behind the camera, the real value here comes from the characterisation. The wonderfully realised characters crafted in Joe Dunthorne’s original novel thankfully survive the transition to 1986, a land of top loaders and Polaroid cameras. In Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) Submarine has a precocious leading man to rival anything Hollywood has spewed out in recent years. Tate is a pubescent philosopher, shackled to the Earth by the mundanity of teenage life. The flames of his self indulgent ponderings are fuelled by a burgeoning romance with bullying enthusiast Jordana (The excellent Yasmin Paige) and the arrival of new age, ninja guru Graham (Paddy Considine). More often than not, a ‘flagitious’ character who plots the assassination of his girlfriends dog my not translate well from page to screen however, Tate’s inter-textual narration harbours a redemptive quality which might otherwise have been lacking. The resultant product is a narrator of wit and whimsy, his internal struggle played out through external action.   

N.B. It’s at this point that I’ve reminded myself just how much I love this film and have had to get up and put on the special edition Blu-Ray (complete with art cards).

Ayoades decision to transport the narrative back to the eighties pays off with the national nostalgia for the time period held up by the personal nostalgia we all harbor, for those long forgotten first loves. The romance between Oliver and Jordana might be fleeting but in Oliver’s mind it’s as epic as any cinematic romance of old. For that reason alone Ayoade’s visual stylings are just as aplicable at a Swansea bus stop as they might be at the top of the Empire State Building.

If I’m honest, there wasn’t a lot to choose between this film and a couple of others, however, I wanted to write about Submarine for four reasons.

 1) It contains the line of the year; “Thanks for living up a fuckin’ hill”.

2) Paddy Considine sports a mullet like you’ve never seen.

3) Alex Turner’s soundtrack is both hip and heartfelt in equal measure.

4) More people need to watch this film.

And quite frankly we couldn’t be back for a better year. 2012 may not provide the culmination of all human history but if it did, and as long as the big movies of the year live up to expectation, it wouldn’t be a bad way to go. Prometheus, The Amazing Spider-man, The Hobbit, The Avengers, The Dark Knight and that’s just the multiplex nomming blockbusters.

Elsewhere we’ll have new Coens (Gambit), new Pixar (Brave), Cameron Crowe’s latest (We Bought A Zoo), hopefully some more Charlie Kaufman and a film based on an internet meme about a time-travelling nutjob. If that’s a success then it won’t be long before Missing Missy makes the bigscreen. To start the year you also get The Muppets. Which I’ve seen and can confirm is as heart-tuggingly lovely as a furry, felt aorta massage.

But right now, It’s all about one thing…Batman! Enjoy the latest trailer below. Just don’t think about the half a year you have to survive before you get to see the damn thing.