Movie Review: Jurassic World (2015)

22 years after Jurassic Park (1993) stormed its way into theatres, Jurassic World, the fourth in this gigantic franchise, is well on its way to make movie history itself. A new generation is experiencing the dino-mania that gripped the 90s when Stephen Spielberg and the talent team of VFX and animatronic artists showed us the forgotten world of dinosaurs. This time around, the whole experience feels a tad commercialised as we head back to dinosaur land in Jurassic World.

It was the dearly departed John Hammond's (the late Richard Attenborough) wish that the park be up and running at its finest for the public. In Jurassic World, it's all running smoothly until the newest attraction decides she's had enough of waiting in the wings for her big debut. Young brothers Gray (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson) are our eyes and ears as we travel to Jurassic World for the first time. Their aunt Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) is the head of operations at the park and they've got an all-access pass to the park.

The introduction to the park via the brothers is breathtaking and very real. Gray's infectiousness at wanting to visit everything at the park is heady. It's Disney World meets Universal Studios with vicious prehistoric creatures. But everything here is treated as a commercial enterprise so there's a petting zoo with baby dinosaurs, a Sea World-esque splash zone where the mosasaurus eats a large shark like it's an appetizer (a not-so subtle ode to Spielberg's Jaws) and a gyrosphere which allows you to roam amongst the apatosaurus and the stegosaurus. I sorely missed Dr. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), from the first two films, who would have never allowed this to happen, he would have been the first to point out there's a looming disaster in the wings.

As a substitute, we have Owen Grady (Chris Pratt), the former Navy man turned Velociraptor wrangler, who believes that the dinosaurs aren't just park attractions but animals with a mind of their own. He leads the raptor pack (featuring Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo) who've established a bond with him. When Jurassic World's latest dinosaur, Indominus Rex, outsmarts her handlers and escapes her paddock, a exhaustive search and rescue is set upon the island.

Of course, everyone underestimates how smart the dinosaur is. The Indominus Rex is hellbent on a mission to be the last dinosaur standing and the humans are helpless to stop it. Throughout the film, there are flashes of nostalgia with nods to the original Jurassic Park, a destroyed banner on the ground, the old jeep, the scene with the gyrosphere echoing the first encounter with the T-rex and then there are the original dinosaurs who let the Indominus Rex know who's boss. Seeing T-Rex stomp through the park in the climax gave me a big thrill; she's the real lead of the film.

Before the film released, it received a lot of flak for not having a strong feminist character. Howard's Claire started out the film dressed in all white, ran around in heels and according to Grady "has control issues". I'd like to point out that not only does she save Grady's life when he's been attacked by a dimorphodon, she also bravely leads the T-rex to the fight with the Indominus Rex. I guess that's not strong enough for everyone!

The rest of the Jurassic World features some known faces. Jake Johnson from New Girl plays the long-suffering control room support guy Lowery, Vincent D'Onofrio as the InGen representative Hoskins who only sees the dinosaurs as weapons and finally Irrfan Khann as the park's down-to-earth charismatic owner, Simon Masrani; they all stand out in their scenes. Director Trevorrow, in only his second film, was given a mammoth task of reviving a franchise. I really enjoyed his debut film Safety Not Guaranteed and I thought he was a odd choice to helm this film. However, Jurassic World hit all the right points for me as it deeply echoed the first film in the franchise.

The special effects really bring home the whole idea of dinosaur adventure park. You end up wishing for a place where you could canoe down a river or ride a safari amongst the dinosaurs. The final dino-on-dino fight is something else altogether and it's all enhanced by Michael Giacchino's soaring score. Building on John Williams' instantly recognizable Jurassic Park theme, Giacchino gives the thrills and chills of exploring the long-long world. Williams' music still gives me goosebumps to this day.

Jurassic World became the first film to gross $1 billion worldwide in 13 days and edged out the debut record previously held by The Avengers back in 2012 and it's easy to see why. Many of us have a some of kind of fascination with dinosaurs over the years and to see them come to life onscreen is astounding. Jurassic World has replicated the Jurassic Park in spades and it's wonderful to see them on the big screen. Easily the film of the summer!

Directed by Colin Trevorrow; Screenplay by Amanda Silver, Rick Jaffa, Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly; Edited by Kevin Stitt; Cinematography by John Schwartzman; Music by Michael Giacchino

Running Time: 124 minutes

Rating:

Awards Season Trailers: Suffragette, Bridge of Spies, The Martian and more!

It’s June, you know what that means. It's time to roll out trailers for films releasing in the latter half of the year that could potentially have an awards presence. Hence, you’ll find Hollywood’s A-list Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and Matt Damon all featured in the trailers for Suffragette, Bridge of Spies and The Martian respectively. The films below all come with good pedigree with award-winning and nominated directors, screenwriters, and actors showcasing their latest work.

The early struggle of the British women’s suffrage moment and their fight for equality is the focus of director Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane) and screenwriter Abi Morgan (The Hour). The mostly British cast, minus Meryl Streep, of Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Whishaw and Romola Garai show how dangerous and brutal a fight the feminist movement had to have an equal voice. Streep, who plays British activist Emmeline Pankhurst, can be counted as an honorary Brit, after all, she did win her third Oscar for portraying the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. Come awards season, Suffragette could land potential nominations for best film and lead and supporting nominations for its actresses. The film releases in theatres on October 23, 2015.

James Marsh’s 2008 documentary Man on Wire on Phillippe Petit’s daring walk between the World Trade Towers already won the Best Documentary Oscar. Now, director Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Back to the Future) is retelling Petit’s story from his book, To Reach the Clouds. With Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Petit and Oscar winner Ben Kingsley, The Walk recreates his famous 1974 walk in breathtaking 3D and will be showcased on the large screen IMAX format. Best of all, the film gives Gordon-Levitt the chance to show off his French accent. The self-confessed Francophile has been a fluent French speaker for years. Take that, Bradley Cooper! The Walk, with Zemeckis’s previous Oscar and Golden Globe wins, might gain best film, director and lead actor nominations for Gordon-Levitt. It releases in theatres on October 2 and will have its premiere as it opens the New York Film Festival on September 25, 2015.

Based on writer Jon Krakauer’s (Into the Wild) book Into Thin Air, Everest details the 1996 fatal climb to Mount Everest. A strong ensemble cast of Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal take us throw the harrowing expedition which takes a turn for the worse once a severe snow storm hits. Directed by Baltasar Kormakur (2 Guns) and co-written by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) and William Nicholson, Everest also features a score by Oscar-winning composer Dario Marianelli (Atonement). Lately, most true life stories get recognized for their screenplay and direction, Everest too could like be nominated for the same. I have a feeling it could also squeeze through the technical categories, especially for VFX, if all the superhero films don’t crowd it out. Everest releases in theatres on September 18, 2015.

This is collaboration number 124578 between director Steven Spielberg and actor Tom Hanks. No, not really, but the Spielberg-Hanks partnership goes way back to 1990 when they first worked together a little film called Joe Versus the Volcano. (Sidebar: This ‘little’ film is a gem, do watch it if you can.) Based on the true life story of the 1960 incident when an US spy plane was shot down in Soviet airspace, Bridge of Spies is also adapted from the book of the same name by Giles Whittell. Co-starring Mark Rylance, Amy Adams and Alan Alda, this Spielberg-directed cold war thriller could land plenty of nominations during awards season. The prolific Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel, have contributed to the screenplay and composer Thomas Newman could earn his 13th Oscar nomination for the score. Could the 13th time be the charm? Bridge of Spies releases in theaters on October 16, 2015.

We just saw Matt Damon play a stranded astronaut in Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar. He’s back to repeat the experience, this time on the red planet, Mars, closer to home. Directed by Ridley Scott (Gladiator) and featuring a screenplay by Drew Godard (World War Z), The Martian is based on the popular novel by Andy Weir. The film costars Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Kate Mara and Chiwetel Ejiofor in this intense story of a man surviving and trying to find his way back to Earth. Damon could find himself once again competing for lead actor and this film, like Everest, will feature prominently in the technical categories like sound and VFX as well. The Martian releases in theaters on October 2, 2015.

These are just five of the many award hopefuls releasing in the second half of the year. What film are you most looking forward to?

News Update: Cannes Film Festival jury, Divergent and Shaun the Sheep!

(Photo: Oscars)

The jury for the Cannes feature film competition was announced this past Tuesday. The members are directors Ang Lee, Cristian Mungiu, Lynne Ramsay, Naomi Kawase and actors Nicole Kidman, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Auteuil and Vidya Balan. I’m totally floating my theory again that Spielberg and Lee are actually besties. A couple of months ago, they were both competing for the DGA (which they both lost to Ben Affleck) and the Oscar (which went to Lee) and now they’re on the same jury at the Cannes International Film Festival this May with Spielberg as jury president. Hopefully we might see a collaborative project from the both of them (like with Spielberg and JJ Abrams or Peter Jackson) someday. Hey, I can always hope.

First still of Shailene Woodley as Tris in Divergent as she is initiated into Dauntless.  Based on the Veronica Roth novel and directed by Neil Burger (Limitless, The Illusionist), the film also stars Kate Winslet, Aaron Eckhart, Theo James and Maggie Q and is due for release next March 2014.  Bodes well for the next The Hunger Games!

And finally, one of my favorite animated characters, the mostly silent yet lovable Shaun the Sheep is headed to the big screen. I've followed the little guy ever since he first appeared in Wallace and Gromit's A Close Shave and then graduated to his own TV series. Getting a starring role in his very own film was the obvious choice.  Here's to more adventures on the farm, Shaun looks very ready for his closeup!

Movie Review: Jurassic Park 3D

It has been 20 years since the first Jurassic Park film released in theaters to become a gigantic summer blockbuster and launched a dino-franchise that still holds steam today (Jurassic Park 4 is already in the works).  This week, the original Jurassic Park is back in theaters in a 3D avatar and while the 3D may seem unnecessary (I think that has to do more with the theater I watched it in. It will look awesome in IMAX), one can’t deny that even after all these years, the film still has the power to awe you. 

We’ve all caught the film plenty of times either on DVD or TV but seeing on the big screen again is a different kind of pleasure altogether.  From the first glimpse of Isla Nublar where the theme park is located, to the sight of the first dinosaur, to everyone’s reactions to the dinosaurs, everyone is just amazed that dinosaurs can be brought back to life. Paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill), a paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler and mathematician Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum who pretty much looks the same even today) have been brought in to assess the stability and viability of the park before the park opens to the public.  The park’s creator and financier John Hammond also invites along his two young grandchildren Lex and Time (Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello) to round out the weekend excursion but of course as we all know, things aren’t going to go as planned in Jurassic Park.

Based on the best-selling novel by Michael Crichton, the book and film both explain the re-existence of dinosaurs back on planet as just a matter of time.  All it takes it some blood derived from mosquitoes embalmed perfectly all these years in amber.  Back then, I totally bought the explanation. But the scene where we first see the dinosaurs is still awe-inspiring and a personal favorite.

While watching the film, I had forgotten so many scenes in the film.  The eerie entrance (and first glimpse) of the T. Rex, Dennis Nedry aka Newman getting his comeuppance from a truly scary Dilophosaurus, that amazing shot of T Rex bellowing in the Visitor’s center as the sign ‘When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth’ flutters down to Dr. Sattler getting the fright of her life in the main control room.  They still have the same impact and the film is classic Spielberg. 

I love, love, love the T. Rex chase scene where the dinosaur advancing on the car as glimpsed in the side mirror that says ‘Objects in mirror are closer than they appear’ has gone down in film history.  That and the water ripple in the glass in the career.  Simply iconic!  And earlier in the year, Spielberg also released Schindler’s List which one him his first Best Director Oscar.  To have two films as diverse as Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List is truly amazing and mind-blowing.  

The main reason why the T. Rex and velociraptors still look menacing in 2013, the mastery of Stan Winston’s realistic models that hold up even today mixed in with just the right amount of CGI to even things out.  The film was a game changer for 1993 and as Spielberg himself admitted, “It changed special effects forever and for better or for worse, it really did introduce the digital era.”  

Rightfully so, the film won 3 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effect, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing.  The sound of the T. Rex roaring at the kids in the jeep and the creepy sound of the velociraptors preying on Lex and Tim in the kitchen still sends a chill down my spine and more so watching it again in the theater in proper surround sound.  

And last but not least, let’s talk about the iconic score for the film by the always underrated John Williams.  The man is a living legend and when he gets together with Spielberg, he produces magical stuff. The quiet reflectiveness of the theme of Jurassic Park, the wonderment of seeing the dinosaurs for the first time to the final attempts from everyone to escape the park that heightens the suspense.  This music simply stands the test of time.

It was absolutely wonderful walking down memory lane with Jurassic Park all over again.  Watch it again and step into the world of dinosaurs one more time. 

Top Moments to Remind You It’s Still 1993

• B.D. Wong was using a pen and clipboard.  For kids today who only use iPads, I’ll bet they were wondering what is that ancient contraption?
• The classic Mac OS 9 in those clunky and gigantic machines.  My first iMac was in OS 9 way back when.  Ah, memories!
• The kids marvelling at the CD-Rom in the car.

Top Lines from the Film

• Lex: He left us! He left us!
• Dr. Ian Malcolm: If The Pirates of the Caribbean breaks down, the pirates don't eat the tourists.
• Dr. Ian Malcolm: God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs.
•  Dr. Ellie Sattler: Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth.
• Ray Arnold (Samuel L. Jackson): Hold on to your butts.

 Directed by Steven Spielberg; Screenplay by Michael Crichton and David Koepp; Based on the novel Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton; Cinematography by Dean Cundey; Edited by Michael Kahn; Music by John Williams

Rating:

Recommended Reading: On Martin Short and Sundance

(Photo: New York Times)

The above picture has to be the most adorable thing I've seen in this past awards season.  Young Quvenzhane Wallis is serenely holding court as Steven Spielberg acts like an awestruck fan.  Just. Too. Cute. For. Words. 

• One of my favorite comedians gets some great ink in Vanity Fair's comedy issue.  Read on for why Martin Short is so beloved in Hollywood. A great longread! 
• Entertainment Weekly has a nice list of 13 Must-See Films coming out of this year's Sundance Festival.  I've already scribbled down Austenland, Breathe In, The Spectacular Now, Before Midnight and Don Jon's Addiction on my films to watch for 2013.
• The Guardian asks: Is Quentin Tarantino the world's most influential director? Do you agree?
• The Large Association of Movie Blogs (aka LAMB) is blogging about each category in the Academy Awards.  Do check it out and see what everyone has to say about the films nominated for Oscars this year.  And a bit of self-promotion here, I've blogged about the Best Visual Effects!

Directors Guild Nominations!

The Directors Guild of America announced their five top directors on Tuesday for their 65th annual awards.  I'm surprised to see Tom Hooper on the list, I thought either David O. Russell or Michael Haneke would be take the fifth spot.  The winners will be announced on February 2, 2013.  The rest of the nominee are listed below.

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film

BEN AFFLECK

Argo
(Warner Bros. Pictures) 

This is Mr. Affleck’s first DGA Feature Film Award nomination.

 KATHRYN BIGELOW

Zero Dark Thirty
(Columbia Pictures)

This is Ms. Bigelow’s second DGA Feature Film Award nomination. She won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for The Hurt Locker in 2009.





TOM HOOPER

Les Misérables
(Universal Pictures)

This is Mr. Hooper's second DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for The King's Speech (2010) and was previously nominated for the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television/Mini-Series for John Adams in 2008.




ANG LEE

Life of Pi
(Twentieth Century Fox)

This is Mr. Lee’s fourth DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for Brokeback Mountain (2005) and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and was nominated for Sense and Sensibility in 1995.

STEVEN SPIELBERG

Lincoln
(Dreamworks Pictures/Twentieth Century Fox)

This is Mr. Spielberg’s eleventh DGA Feature Film Award nomination. He won the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film three times for Saving Private Ryan (1998), Schindler’s List (1993) and The Color Purple (1985). He was also nominated in this category for Munich (2005), Amistad (1997), Empire of the Sun (1987), E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial (1982), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) and Jaws (1975). Mr. Spielberg was honored with the DGA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000.

Ode to Steven Spielberg in Photos!

The new issue of Harper's Bazaar has a great pictorial ode to some iconic Steven Spielberg films from the 70s, 80s and 90s with some familiar faces recreating famous scenes. Take a look!

Dakota Fanning in a scene from Close Encounters from the Third Kind

Kiernan Shipka in a scene from E.T.:The Extra-Terrestrial

Malin Akerman in a scene from Jaws

Evan Rachel Wood in a scene from Jurassic Park

My personal favorite is the re-creation of E.T.  I always did like Gertie and E.T.'s friendship just as much as him and Elliott's.  And who can forget Jaws, a movie which single-handedly made people afraid to swim in the oceans and the astonishingly real dinosaurs from Jurassic Park?  These are the movies that made people's childhoods and some of them defined the term 'summer film'.

New Lincoln Trailer and Photographs

There's a lovely line in the trailer where Daniel Day-Lewis playing Abraham Lincoln asks, "Do we choose to be born or are we fitted to the times we're born into?" He gets a reply back, "I don't know about myself.  You maybe." Lincoln is Steven Spielberg's long-delayed biopic on the famed American president Abraham Lincoln.  After seeing Lincoln slay vampires in the earlier part of the year, it just feels normal and right to see Day-Lewis' transformation into the 16th President of the United States to erase the memories.  You'd hardly know it's him underneath all that makeup.  Definitely getting an Oscar nomination there.  

The trailer is typical Spielberg with sweeping music by John Williams and glimpses of an amazing cast.  Sally Field plays Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, Joseph Gordon-Levitt his eldest son Robert while  Tommy Lee Jones is the abolitionist leader, Thaddeus Stevens.  Other actor like David Strathairn, Lee Pace, Jackie Earle Haley, Gloria Reuben and David Oyelowo also make appearances in the trailer.  The film is partly based on Doris Kearns Goodwin's biography of Lincoln that dealt with the last 4 months of his life.  This one's bound to give you goosebumps.  Lincoln releases in the US on November 16, 2012.

More stills from the film after the jump.

Favorite Sequences: Welcome to Jurassic Park!

Usually when one thinks of Jurassic Park, you think of the amazingly realistic T-Rex chasing the car or even the vicious raptors chasing the kids in the kitchen, but my favorite sequence from Jurassic Park is when we first lay eyes on the majestic creatures. I mentioned this before in the Hugo review, I love this scene because when I first read the book, this is exactly how I had pictured it . The reaction on the faces of Sam Neill and Laura Dern's characters Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler respectively, both paleontologists, who have studied dinosaurs their whole lives could be similar to the audiences as well.  Jurassic Park raised the bar on the visual effects making the dinosaurs come alive onscreen as if they really did inhabit that world.  Even today, nearly 20 years later, those effects still hold up.  That is some accomplishment.  Even today, when I see that clip, I remember how I felt in the theater that summer in 1993, forgetting I was actually in a movie theater and thinking I entered into the forgotten world of dinosaurs. 

Movie Review: War Horse

War Horse tells the story Joey the horse and Albert (Jeremy Irvine), a young lad who is his fiercest champion.  The movie is also about their strong friendship, one which withstands even the most direst of situations, war.

If you think about it, the movie is mostly presented from the point of view of Joey, who becomes a silent spectator as various men in power decide his fate.  At a young age, he is taken away from his mother, but thankfully he is bought by Albert's father.  He is not the kind of horse needed for hard labor at a farm but Albert sees more in him.  He sees the real potential in him.  As Albert and Joey learn about each other's ways, they become firm friends.  But the world is fast changing and war forces England to send its young men to fight to protect its freedom. 

In these tough times, Joey becomes a solution to the Narracott family's financial woes.  Here it is that Joey and Albert must separate as Joey is sold towards the war effort to a captain but it is not without a promise from Albert that they will find each other again one day.  From there onwards, Joey goes over to the frontline passing along from master to master and even a little French girl who renames him Francois for a young boy she liked.  Cruelly, he is separated from the ones who see how special he is, who are in awe that a horse has survived this long when all other horses have given up or been killed.  But he is a miracle horse and I am pleased to say that he gets and deserves his happy ending without revealing much of the actual plot.

This film is typical Spielberg at his best, through and through.  It has the gritty battle scenes showing us the harsh realities and grimness of war.  And it contains the emotional bond forged between a young boy and his horse which sustains us throughout the whole film.  It's their journey to make but we are swept alongside them.  World War I changed the continent of Europe and Spielberg shows the effect it had on the soldiers from both sides, for a captain in the English army, to a young German medic soldier, to brave Privates (on both sides of the trenches) who risked their lives for a horse.  All these types of people were part of Joey's journey as he just tried to survive in a war environment, a real war horse.

But this is not all Spielberg.  Yes, this film is his vision but all the departments have done such a wonderful job of making the film look like a masterpiece.  John Williams' soaring score, the costumes, the sets, the sound, the editing and mainly Janusz Kaminski's (Spielberg's long-time DP) gorgeous cinematography all came together for some outstanding work.  Some of the scenes especially of the Devon countryside and the sunset look like spectacular paintings.  A special mention, too, of the vast cast involved in film.  The young lead, Jeremy Irvine, is very earnest and appealing and the large British cast of Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch all play their parts well and leave an impact.  Also extremely touching are Niels Arestup and Celine Buckens as the Grandfather and Granddaughter who briefly become Joey's owners.  But the real star of the film is Joey who is the real reason we watch the film.

This coming Sunday, War Horse is nominated for Best Picture alongside a few other categories too.  And while it may not win the big prize, it is certainly deserving of the nomination.  

Directed by Steven Spielberg; Screenplay by Lee Hall and Richard Curtis; Based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo; Cinematography by Janusz Kaminski; Editing by Michael Kahn and Music by John Williams.  

Additional cast: Toby Kebbell, David Kross, Matt Milne, Robert Emms, Eddie Marsan, Liam Cunningham.

Rating: 

What I'm Thankful for this year: Movies Edition

So last year, when I first started my blog, I wrote about what I was thankful for in movies that released that year.  This year, I'd like to continue the tradition; here are a few of the things I'm thankful for this cinematic year!

1) Harry Potter series ending: You'd think I'd be sad about this and while it's true, I am.  I am also thankful that the series saw it through to completion.  There have been many series that didn't see it through to completion (i.e. The Golden Compass) and still others that almost didn't see the end (the Narnia series).  Hats off to Warner Bros. who saw through the series through a whole decade while keeping most of its cast and crew intact.  It is hard to imagine anyone else in the same shoes that the very talented cast of Harry Potter inhabited and even harder to retain the same child cast and watch them grow into adulthood.  Most satisfying though was having JK Rowling's wondrous world and her amazing story of Harry Potter brought to life and being a part of those magical adventures.  It was one goodbye that was hard to say.

2) Christian Bale finally winning an Oscar: If you've read my blog before, you'd know I love the Oscars, the show, the tradition, everything.  What do I like more than anything else is seeing the actors I admire and like winning those same Oscars.  However, it does happen that many of the finest actors haven't yet won Oscar gold.  One such actor overlooked has been Christian Bale.  He has been acting since he was a child, in his debut film, he gave a fearless performance in The Empire of the Sun as young boy left behind in war torn Japan.  This was only the beginning.  Roles such as Patrick Bateman in American Psycho and Bruce Wayne in the Batman series directed by Christopher Nolan have shown us his range.  His extreme weight loss for The Machinist contrasted with the buffed up body for John Connor in Terminator Salvation proves the dedication to any role he is assigned to.  Finally, it was his complete transformation into the character Dicky Eklund in The Fighter was hard to ignore, finally gaining Bale the elusive statuette.  Long overdue, but richly deserved.

3) The Hunger Games trilogy being made into films: As one series ends this year, another one looms over the horizon.  The next big book-to-screen adaptation after Harry Potter and Twilight is The Hunger Games.  It's not as well known in the media as yet but I think that will change once the movie hits theaters next March.  The series is gripping, set in a dystopian world where children fight to the death in a reality show seen by everyone.  The series is off to a great start by picking a good director in Gary Ross (Pleasantville, Seabiscuit) and very talented and appealing young cast featuring Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson.  I became a fan of the series just last year and the books were definitely hard to put down to.  Having watched the first trailer, I'm thankful that the books are being made into films.  I have no doubt they will be amazing.

4) Steven Spielberg still making and inspiring great films: Martin Scorsese may be the greatest living American director but Steven Spielberg is not far behind.  He continues to produce, direct and in the case of Super 8, inspire great cinema with a touch that is uniquely his.  Super 8 is like an open fan letter to the Spielberg films of the 80s which have all been a part of a childhoods and nostalgia.  After a long gap in movies, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was in 2008, he comes out this year with two films, The Adventures of Tintin and War Horse.  Two more including the Lincoln biopic are on the way.  I love how like fine wine, these group of directors, Scorsese, Spielberg and Clint Eastwood are just getting better with age.  We cannot wait.

5) Funny ladies of Bridesmaids: Kirsten Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Melissa McCarthy showed us this year that women can bring the funny.  Yes, women can be funny even while poking fun at their own expense.  The group of women from Bridesmaids put bare to the audience their feelings and insecurities all to comic effect.  I can't remember another film where there were so many laugh out moments.  One good thing that has emerged out of the success of the film has been the promise of more comedy gold from these women.  Maya Rudolph is my favorite character on the new show Up All Night while Kirsten Wiig and Melissa McCarthy have lined up more movie roles that will showcase their talent.  So finally this year, I'm thankful to see a comedy, a supposedly chick flick because it has all women in the lead roles, that appealed to both women and men as funny.

Movie Review: The Adventures of Tintin

To say that The Adventures of Tintin is a much anticipated movie for the fans of the comic books and Steven Spielberg is an understatement.  The comics are beloved around most of the world except America.  People might be slightly aware of who Tintin is but it doesn't go beyond that.  Therefore, America is one of the last destinations in the worldwide release schedule for the movie.

I, myself, read the comics and watched the TV show when I was a kid and was immediately drawn into the world of adventure and mystery in Tintin and his friends.  They include his faithful and loyal dog, Snowy, Captain Haddock whose Kryptonite is alcohol and the bumbling detective duo of Thompson and Thompson.  It really was a pleasure to see these characters onscreen from a comic book but some people are upset with Spielberg filming the movie in CG environment saying it's not faithful to the comic book.  What is the point then of making a movie adaptation if not to be a bit daring? This film uses both CGI (for example, Snowy) and motion capture using actors (for example, Jamie Bell as Tintin) to introduce us to world of Tintin.

I must say I was quite pleased with what I saw.  The film had echoes of Spielberg's previous Indiana Jones series with the swashbuckling adventures ahead and all but it also gives us a glimpse of what Spielberg is now open to with the technology that is available to him.  There are some shots that are unbelievably framed visually and artistically and there is one particular long chase sequence that wouldn't be possible in a live action world but is made so dramatic and thrilling in the CG world.  And to think this is only the first of the proposed trilogy.

The movies opens with a familiar looking title sequence.  It's very reminiscent of Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can with the characters in silhouette but here serves a segue from comic to big screen.  There's even a sly nod to the comic with an artist doing a caricature of what Tintin would like in comic form.  There is no real country named but it seems like the story takes place in Europe, perhaps even Belgium.  Tintin and his dog Snowy are at a market fair where Tintin spots a marvelous replica of ship, The Golden Unicorn.  He buys it and immediately after two separate people want to buy it off him and hint at the danger ahead for him.  Our young boy reporter's curiosity is aroused and he finds out the history behind the ship and the family of Francis Drake, the ship's captain.  For once, it was so refreshing to see a character in a movie actually go to a library to research.  This being set in a non-technological world, characters actually have to work hard to solve a mystery and not get instant updates and help all through their computer.

It turns out that there is a shady man, Sakharine (Daniel Craig), after a scroll hidden in the ship, which promises to lead to treasure that only a true Haddock would recognize.  As this is a origin story movie, we are shown how Tintin meets his friend, Captain Haddock. Tintin assists his new friend Haddock in trying to find the clues hidden in the ships to the treasure promised by Francis Drake.  This takes them across seas and deserts to find what has been hidden for so long.  As mentioned before, this is the first of the Tintin movies and the movie hints of more adventures to come and I couldn't be happier.  I couldn't remember the last time I was enthralled in a movie from start to finish this year. 

A big part of why this movie works is because of the three main characters in this film: Tintin, Haddock and Snowy.  Jamie Bell as Tintin and Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock absolutely inhabit their roles.  The motion capture is so realistic and effortless, it puts ALL previous mo-cap movies to shame.  Yes, I'm talking to you, Polar Express and A Christmas Carol.  After awhile, I forgot that Tintin was animated character, it was like I was watching Tintin come to life.  And as for Snowy, I loved his little antics.  Absolutely wonderful animation for Snowy and it was great to see all the little tidbits of how attuned Snowy is to what his master and friend Tintin wants and needs.  I think it's about time that Andy Serkis won himself an Oscar because what he brings alive in certain characters is astounding.  Motion capture may start to be a force at award shows in the coming years. 

After all this gushing, I do have one major peeve in the movie.  For all the wonder characters in the film and there are no strong female characters in the film at all.  Thinking back, only two women in the film have speaking roles and it may even look as if our characters inhabit an all male world.  This oversight can be fixed in the films and I hope they do.  Despite this quibble, I heartily recommend this film as the must-see film for you and your family.

Directed by Steven Spielberg; Written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish; Comic series by Herge; Produced by Peter Jackson; Cinematography by Janusz Kaminski; Music by John Williams; Edited by Michael Kahn.

Additional Voice Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Toby Jones, Cary Elwes, Gad Elmaleh, Mackenzie Crook

Rating:

Weekly News Roundup: Tarsem Singh's Snow White, Brad Bird on his live-action debut and Tobey Maguire in Life of Pi.

I go away for a week and suddenly there's movie news and trailers all over the place.  Don't worry, I'm going to try to play catch up now.  Let's get to it then.

Snow White and her Prince Charming

• Out of all the projects currently in production on Snow White, I'd bet my money on Tarsem Singh's Untitled Snow White Project that has picked up quite a cast.  Julia Roberts is the Evil Queen, Armie Hammer (The Social Network) is Prince Charming and Lily Collins (The Blind Side), daughter of Phil Collins, has been named as Snow White.  Trust me, it's not going to be boring.  Comingsoon.net has a great video interview with the director here where he talks about his plans for the movie.  
• Steven Spielberg is back to serious filmmaking, the kind that's going to get him back on the award podiums.  The long neglected Abraham Lincoln biopic, Lincoln, is back on, this time casting Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln.  Here's a fun fact, Field has never worked with Spielberg before, while Daniel Day-Lewis will be Lincoln.
• James Cameron and Peter Jackson talk about speeding up 3D by using 48 frames per second in their next 3D projects The Hobbit and the Avatar sequels.
• Brad Bird discusses with EW his first live-action film, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and how live-action differs from animated filmmaking.
• Tobey Maguire joins the cast of Life of Pi as the interviewer who learns the story about Pi's journey across the seas.

First Look: Steven Spielberg's War Horse

Empire Magazine has the first look and photographs to Steven Spielberg year-end war film, War Horse.  And from the looks of it, this is what I gather, Steven Spielberg + war saga = It's going to make me cry.  It's been awhile since his last film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, all the way back in 2008 and so let the anticipation begin.

A boy and his horse, Albert (Jeremy Levine) and Joey

Albert with his mother (Emily Watson) while Joey peeks through the window

Joey with Emilie (Celine Buckens)

Albert and Joey

(Pics: Empire Online)

The film is due for release this Christmas.  

What to Watch - List of Upcoming Films in 2011.

2011, already! Confused about what films are releasing this year? Never fear! I'm putting together a list of movies that I want to watch in this new year and I'm sure some of the titles will match what you would like to see as well.  Let's get started, shall we?

JANUARY

Country Strong

Directed by: Shana Feste

Starring: Gwyneth Paltrow, Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund, Leighton Meester

The Way Back

Directed by: Peter Weir

Starring: Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, Mark Strong, Saoirse Ronan

The Company Men

Directed by: John Wells

Starring: Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Kevin Costner, Maria Bello

Read on for the rest of months here...