May Oscar Predictions

Some early Oscar predictions now that Cannes is coming to a close.This feels like the year of women with many of the fall releases featuring women in the lead. Joy, Suffragette and Carol all seem like huge contenders. The Oscars are all about narratives and I do see that narrative already beginning to form. Spielberg is lurking in the wings with Bridge of Spies, but so far I think David O. Russell will receive his fourth directing Oscar nomination for his fourth straight film and the Academy may find him overdue and this will carry him to a win. I also see a return to form for Pixar with  Inside Out, and a Best Picture nomination.

Best Picture:
1. Joy
2. Suffragette
3. Bridge of Spies
4. The Danish Girl
5. The Revenant
6. Carol
7. Inside Out
8. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
9. The Hateful Eight

Best Director:
1. David O. Russell, Joy
2. Steven Speilberg, Bridge of Spies
3. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, The Revenant
4. Todd Haynes, Carol
5. Sarah Gavron, Suffragette

Best Actor:
1. Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
2. Michael Caine, Youth
3. Bradley Cooper, Adam Jones
4. Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
5. Jake Gyllenhaal, Demolition

Best Actress:
1. Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
2. Cate Blanchett, Carol
3. Carey Mulligan, Suffragette
4. Julianne Moore, Freeheld
5. Meryl Streep, Ricki and the Flash

Best Supporting Actor:
1. Samuel L. Jackson, The Hateful Eight
2. Robert De Niro, Joy
3. Jude Law, Genius
4. Tom Hardy, The Revenant
5. Ben Whishaw, The Danish Girl

Best Supporting Actress:
1. Helena Bonham Carter, Suffragette
2. Ellen Page, Freeheld
3. Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
4. Rooney Mara, Carol
5. Virginia Madsen, Joy

The films of 2015 so far...

Starting the year off slow still need to see things like Ex Machina, but here is my quick blurbs of the 2015 releases I've seen so far. Star ratings are out of a possible four stars.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (***1/2) A highly entertaining spy film full of non-stop action and humor, a real treat at the movies.

Chappie (*1/2) This film is not good. When I left the theater I hated it, but time has made me appreciate it as the creatively original film it is. While I think it misses the boat completely, I do think it has value as a blockbuster for its creativity and for its camp value.

It Follows: (**1/2) A beautiful score and fantastic cinematography are the highlights of this horror film that takes a creative idea but isn't totally successful. Still a solid entry in the horror genre.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron (**) Marvel takes a step back after Guardians of the Galaxy and Winter Soldier. James Spader is great as Ultron, but the film's problematic treatment of Black Widow is disheartening and the film ultimately feels like filler until Captain America: Civil War.

Helicopter Mom: (**) This film was odd because it tried to be progressive while seeming to be stuck in old values. Jason Dolley and Nia Vardalos do well in the lead roles, but the film feels like it should have premiered on ABC Family.

Mad Max: Fury Road (****) A high octane blockbuster that keeps the audience on the edge of its seat and proves Charlize Theron is the biggest bad ass around.

Review: Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Director: George Miller

Written by: George Miller and Brendan McCarthy and Nico Lathouris

Starring: Charlize Theron, Tom Hardy and Nicholas Hoult

In May 2015, the desolate summer landscape was a complete wasteland for Hollywood. After years of being bombarded from Michael Bay films and endless sequels, reboots and re-imaginings, the blockbuster was on life-support. Spider-man is one of my favorite characters in fiction, but just how many times do we need to see Uncle Ben die? We get it Michael Bay, you really love explosions! Who knew that 70 year old George Miller would take the wasteland of Hollywood and make it his playground? After making Babe, Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two, he seemed an unlikely savior, but not only did he make a boundary-pushing film, but it was the fourth in the series while working simultaneously as a reboot!

The film centers on Max (Tom Hardy taking over for Mel Gibson) who begins the film as a captive, serving a purpose as a blood-bag for Nux (Nicholas Hoult.) We slowly learn that Nux lives in a post-apocalyptic society run by Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne.) Joe controls the water supply which means he controls all the thirsty people under his control. The film kicks into drive when he sends Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) to fetch gasoline. Furiosa decides instead to make an escape with some precious cargo and thus the chase begins for her capture. As soon as Furiosa's rig leaves the town, the film doesn't relinquish its hold on the audience. It's essentially a high-octane two hour chase film, but that is serving the film a mighty disservice.

This is easily the most colorful and beautiful post-apocalyptic film ever. The production design and cinematography are lush and constantly enticing. Each shot is like a skittle contributing to the colorful deliciousness when you eat them together.

The film is constantly upping the ante, and the accompanying score is so essential for building the tension and excitement. The film has minimal dialogue, Max may have 15 lines? So the score is bombastic and majestic as it needed to be. I would even say the film could have used title cards instead of dialogue and have been just as effective. 

Unlike most blockbusters where the character development is secondary to the action, Fury Road never fails to make us care for the characters. Nux goes through a complete arc, he begins as a nutcase trying to prove his worth and have a legacy and ends the film having proven his worth and achieving the iconic moment he so desired. Nicholas Hoult uses his charm that we've seen in Skins and the X-Men films, but is completely unhinged and his presence in the film adds a layer of uncertainty throughout the entire picture. You never quite know where he stands, and the picture is stronger because of it. Max is at points almost secondary in the film, but Tom Hardy is great at bringing the ferocity and passion of Max to the forefront. Hardy continues to be a bright spot in blockbusters following his strong work in Inception and The Dark Knight Rises. Immortan Joe is an interesting villain and visually is a very threatening presence. I'm not sure he added anything extra to the world of villainy but he was fun.  The film has many strong female characters, but ultimately the entire film belongs to Furiosa. Theron rips into the part, and crafts an iconic heroine that will stand alongside Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor as legendary action heroes. Furiosa drives the picture and takes control over everything. She is the light that leads the characters, and leads a small army directly into battle and makes for a great leader. In a time where recent films coming out of Hollywood serve women as nothing but vessels for babies, and labels them as monsters if they choose to contribute to the world in other ways, Fury Road shows that society needs women a lot more than women need society. Who needs the Hulk when you can drive a big rig instead? In a just world, Theron would be receiving an Oscar nomination this winter, but she'll just have to settle for iconic status instead. Eventually Hollywood will catch up and write strong female parts just as often as they do for the men, but until then Furiosa will be a landmark character for any writer to look upon. 

George Miller unleashes his brand of crazy among the film-going audience, and while the film is the fourth in the series it feels entirely fresh and exciting. The fact that 150 Million was spent on the picture means it may be hard for the film to make money, but it really deserves to make a bundle. If the fourth is this crazy good, then I have faith that the fifth would be great too. Miller proves that even after twenty years of talking pigs and tap-dancing penguins he still has the magic and proves that tent-pole releases can be original and balls-to-the-wall bonkers. Audiences have reacted well so far, and even if this ends up being the final entry in the Mad Max saga, at least Miller can know that it went out on top. 

Ultimately I give the film: **** 

Four Stars (Out of a possible Four)

This film will be a big contender for my year-end categories for: 

Best Picture, Best Director, Actress, Supporting Actor, Score, Cinematography, Production Design