Friday, October 2, 2009


As noted by Julie,

it has been quite awhile.

Maybe my subconscious was forcing me to stay away from the blog for a bit, because I will be longing to vent about movies from now until December.  

It's Oscar push time.  You know what that means. The Jane Campions will be battling studio giants of Biblical proportions for a chance to get on the Academy Awards stage.  TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival) ended a few weeks ago, and this means the buzz has begun.  Here are some highlights.

"Bright Star"



I was skeptical, and, let's face it,...a jealous little bitch.  I have kept pretty mum about this because A.) I used to pontificate about how someone should cinematically tell the John Keats love story (and therefore somehow thought this meant I owned the idea) and B.) I hadn't seen it.

Well. Tuesday I did see it.  And loved every laborious, tear inducing minute of its 2 hr run time. Ben Whishaw is my new boyfriend, Jane Campion my new hero, and Abby Cornish my first prediction for a Best Actress nomination.  So. So. Good.  Find this film. Drive the next town over if you have to. It's that beautiful. 



For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Keats began writing poetry at around 20. His mother and his brother both died of tuberculosis and at 23, Keats began to see that he was probably doomed to the same fate.  Then, he met Fanny Brawne, the girl who lived literally next door.  They fell in love. He wrote his best poetry during they're two year courtship. But Keats was also aware that he was too poor to marry.  And more importantly, he knew he had contracted TB. At 25, he died. The story is riveting and the film does it complete justice. It's moving without being melodramatic and over the top. Beautiful without being cliched.  Honestly, anymore of my tripe-filled words would only diminish it's extravagance, so I will close by telling you to watch the trailer below.



Next: "Up in the Air"



George Clooney seems like a nice guy.  Probably great to have a beer with. I've never been a huge, huge devotee. He's a decent actor who's gotten better with time and opportunity.  But "Up in the Air" is supposed to be incredible, largely due to Clooney's performance.  And Anna Kendrick, who, until now has been ridiculously under used is just as good. She was amazing in the indie "Rocket Science" and then settled for the Twilight fuckery.  "Up in the Air" will be the one that puts her on the map.  It's directed by Jason Reitman ("Juno," "Thank You For Smoking"). It's about a road warrior (Clooney) whose job it is to fly across the country handling corporate downsizing.  A life of constant travel and laying people off results in exactly what you think it would-a life devoid of feeling. Let the nominations begin.



"Where the Wild Things Are"



It's probably not going to get a nod for best picture, but it'll get some art direction awards, etc. But let's face it, for this movie, awards buzz is irrelevant.  The hype for this thing has been inherent since day one. Add an indie director, a cute kid (I mean...really, how cute is he? And I am not particularly susceptible to-shudder-'children'), and a good soundtrack, and the screen adaptation of WTWTA is celluloid gold. Get ready.



More awards predicts to come.

Love.


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