The Golden Stans 2008

It’s that time of year again: it’s the Golden Stans, 52 weeks and 53 films after The Fountain controversially took three awards (Best Film, Best Director and Best Original Score).

2007 was tough to judge, but 2008 was a little easier – unfortunately – due to the large number of event pictures that disappointed. Thankfully the great films were diverse: animated (fiction and documentary), crowd pleasers, horror, intense character pieces, etc.

So, on to the first category: Original Score. This was a contest between the two composers who fought out 2007’s award - Clint Mansell and Clint Eastwood, nominated this time for The Wrestler and Changeling respectively - and The Dark Knight tag team of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. Both Clints delivered appropriately haunting soundtracks, but the full scope of the Zimmer/Howard team's output and how they worked with the director swings the award their way.

The Best Cinematography Award features nominations for outstanding work from: Roger Deakins (In The Valley Of Elah); Robert Elswit (There Will Be Blood); Wally Pfister (The Dark Knight); Tom Stern (Changeling); and Anthony Dod Mantle’s huge leap from Dogme lenser of choice (and all that entails) to embracing colour for colour’s sake on Slumdog Millionaire. However, there can be only one winner: and it’s Wally Pfister for his magisterial command of the IMAX format – and indeed the non-IMAX sequences – in The Dark Knight. This was jaw-dropping stuff.

The Best Adapted Screenplay Award also wings its way towards The Dark Knight as well, the brothers Nolan and David S Goyer pulling the very essence of Batman, The Joker and Harvey Dent from the very best – and numerous – sources to winning effect. Honourable mentions should go to Peter Morgan for Frost/Nixon and JMS for Changeling – both bringing considerable authority to their work.

The Best Original Screenplay Award features a fight between ridiculously scary The Orphanage, the surprisingly funny In Bruges, and the sublime Wall*E. However, the winner, if only for the central conceit is Wall*E.

Now on to the big six categories, starting with Best Supporting Actress; the nominations are:
Amy Adams in Charlie Wilson’s War
Laura Linney in The Other Man
Evan Rachel Wood in The Wrestler
Amy Ryan in Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead and Changeling
Charlize Theron in In The Valley Of Elah
Marisa Tomei in Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead and The Wrestler
And the winner is… Marisa Tomei.

The nominations for Best Supporting Actor are:
Paul Dano in There Will Be Blood
Aaron Eckhart in The Dark Knight
Anil Kapoor in Slumdog Millionaire
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
John Malkovich in Burn After Reading and Changeling
Sam Neill in Dean Spanley
All five would be worthy winners: Dano holding his own against Daniel Day-Lewis; Eckhart’s descent from white knight to hideous villain; Kapoor’s duplicitous, media-hungry gameshow host; Ledger’s savage and absolute burial of the memory of Jack Nicholson’s comical turn as The Joker; and Neill’s, er, twitching. But the winner is… Heath Ledger. I desperately wanted to give Sam Neill the nod for playing something he most definitely is not [I’m trying to avoid plot spoilers here!], but Ledger's Joker is a modern screen classic.

The nominations for Best Actress are:
Martina Gedeck in The Baader Meinhof Complex
Angelina Jolie in The Changeling
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
Belen Rueda in The Orphanage
Johanna Wokalek in The Baader Meinhof Complex
There’s a theme here: they’re all mothers who are forced to question the world around them and who all ultimately go down entirely unexpected roads that lead them to question some fundamental beliefs. They are also all stronger than the men that surround them. Picking a winner is exceedingly difficult, but a winner there must be and it is… Belen Rueda.

The nominations for Best Actor do not include Robert Downey Jnr’s immensely charismatic turn as Iron Man, nor Philip Seymour Hoffman’s diverse work in Charlie Wilson’s War, Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead and Synecdoche, New York, nor Andy Lau and Jet Li in Warlords, nor the scary but theatrical ham of Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood. Instead the best six are:
Josh Brolin in W.
Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon
Tommy Lee Jones in In The Valley Of Elah
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler
Michael Sheen in Frost/Nixon
Benicio del Toro in Che
Ultimately this is a three-way fight between Langella’s impersonation of tricky Dicky, Rourke’s spotlight-hugging, tour de force comeback and Jones’ career-best turn.
A while back I described the winner’s performance thus: “[His] journey from stout, proud Vietnam veteran to painful realisation that he has failed as a father, and indirectly as a husband, is one of the great performances of American cinema. Hank Deerfield might well be the most finely drawn and observed character to emerge in American film for generations: his history is revealed in every gesture, every thought, every word.” Thus, the winner is… Tommy Lee Jones.

Best Director is another hard-fought category. Missing are the likes of Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon), Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler), Andrew Stanton (Wall*E) and Uli Edel (The Baader Meinhof Complex), but making the list are:
Juan Antonio Bayona for The Orphanage
Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
Clint Eastwood for Changeling
Paul Haggis for In The Valley Of Elah
Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight
Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood
It's so very difficult to split Nolan and Haggis; I don't want to see either go unrewarded for their full realisations of their ambitions, and therefore I'm going to cheat: they can share the award!

And so finally, Best Film. There follow the 15 nominees in alphabetical order:
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
The Baader Meinhof Complex
Changeling
Dean Spanley
Frost/Nixon
In Bruges
In The Valley Of Elah
Iron Man
Religulous
Slumdog Millionaire
The Dark Knight
The Orphanage
The Wrestler
There Will Be Blood
Wall*E
Many on the list deal directly, indirectly or subliminally about America and its corrupt heart (Baader Meinhof, Changeling, Frost/Nixon, Elah, Iron Man, Religulous, Dark Knight and Blood). Thankfully there are also some truly uplifting humanist stories (Anvil, Dean Spanley and Wall*E) in there too.
Picking a winner was of course difficult. However, the films I reacted to the most during the year were Anvil, Changeling, Dean Spanley, Frost/Nixon, Elah, Religulous, Dark Knight, Orphanage, Wrestler and Wall*E, which at least makes it a 10-way battle!
There’s a lot of raw emotion and righteous anger in that list, which doesn’t help me come to any kind of rational decision. Ultimately, it’s a fight between Anvil, Frost/Nixon, Elah, Dark Knight and Wall*E.
So, for better or worse, the winner of the Golden Stan 2008 for Best Film is… The Dark Knight.

Roll on 2009!

2009 preview

2009 is about to begin so it’s time to see what’s in store. The year starts heavy with Oscar-bating product before moving into the box office heavy hitters as the year winds on. May, in particular, is the month of the geek: Wolverine, Star Trek, Coraline and Drag Me To Hell!

Che Part One 1 January
Benicio del Toro is successful revolutionary Che…

The Reader 2 January
Already nominated for a fistful of Globes, this concerns a young man who falls a woman who works in a Nazi prison camp. That woman is current Oscar fave Kate Winslet. Stephen Daldry directs.

The Spirit 2 January
Frank Miller’s adaptation of Will Eisner’s comic strip hero in the 300/Sin City-style. Expect no lightness of touch… Already flopped in America.

Defiance 9 January
With a cast including Daniel Craig and Liev Schrieber, and with Ed Zwick at the helm this WWII film carries WEIGHT. Early reviews have not been kind.

Frost/Nixon 9 January
A must-see!

Slumdog Millionaire 9 January
Danny Boyle’s Indian Who Wants To Be A Millionaire crowd pleaser.

Seven Pounds 16 January
The new Will Smith is mentioned here simply because somes critics have praised the originality of the script – and the twist that can’t be mentioned.

The Wrestler 16 January
The Darren Aronofsky/Mickey Rourke comeback special.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 23 January
David Fincher delivers an Oscar-friendly picture about the man who ages backwards. Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett star.

Milk 23 January
Sean Penn goes for Oscar number two in Gus Van Sant’s biopic of San Fran’s first openly gay elected official.

Franklyn 30 January
British sci-fi/fantasy ensemble piece. The visuals alone make this a must-see.

Revolutionary Road 30 January
Sam Mendes directs Leo and Kate. More Oscars?

Valkyrie 30 January
Bryan Singer directs the plot to kill Hitler, led by Tom Cruise.

Doubt 6 February
Oscar-bating performances from Philip Seymour Hoffman and Meryl Streep in the adaptation of the stageplay in which a vicar is accused of abusing a child.

Push 6 February
Another post-Heroes, this-isn’t-a-super-hero-movie-it’s-a-movie-about-people-with-special-powers film.

Che Part Two 20 February
Benicio del Toro is the not-so successful revolutionary Che…

Gran Torino 20 February
Clint’s final performance in front of the camera may be his greatest – and Oscar may reward him for it.

Outlander 20 February
Vikings v aliens: what’s not to like?

Watchmen 6 March
Fox have won the court case against Warners, so this might yet be delayed. Can this get anywhere close to the source graphic novel?

State of Play 17 April
Kevin ‘Last King of Scotland’ Macdonald directs the adaptation of the hit BBC series. Casting is off the charts: Rachel McAdams, Ben Affleck, Russell Crowe, Jason Bateman, and Helen Mirren to name a few.

Wolverine 1 May
Hugh Jackman brings us the origin of Logan. Snikt!

Star Trek 8 May
JJ Abrams brings us the origin of Trek.

Coraline 15 May
Henry Selick brings his stop-motion magic to Neil Gaiman’s story.

Drag Me To Hell 29 May
Sam Raimi returns to horror.


Terminator Salvation 5 June
Not content with saving Gotham, Christian Bale also wants to fight for our future against the machines as John Connor.

Public Enemies 3 July
Michael Mann directs the Dilinger movie. Johnny Depp is the gangster, while Christian Bale (does the man ever stop?) is the cop trying to capture him.

2012 10 July
Roland ‘Independence Day’ Emmerich does another planet in peril flick.

Harry Potter 17 July
Pretty much does what it says on the tin.

The Wolf Man 6 November
Che, sorry Benicio del Toro is the wolf man. Directed by Joe Johnston.

Avatar 18 December
James Cameron does sci-fi. Could be monumental or an utter flop…

Also without dates allocated yet:
Kick-Ass
Matthew ‘Layer Cake/Stardust’ Vaughan directs the adaptation of Mark ‘Wanted’ Millar’s violent comic about a kid who decides to police the streets as a costumed hero.

The Soloist
Joe ‘Atonement’ Wright directs Robert Downey Jnr as the journalist trying to help mad but musical genius Jamie Foxx get back on his feet.

Dorian Gray
Oliver Parker directs a rather classy British cast in this remake.

Review: Changeling

Changeling is yet another great movie from Clint Eastwood that benefits from a superb performance from Angelina Jolie in the central role and a meticulously researched script by JMS.

Indeed, the 95% factual script and Eastwood’s delicate, unfussy direction have led the film to be docked points by some critics since its sensational opening at Cannes. Some have accused it lacking nuance or warmth, that it’s too removed. Well, poppycock, I say. JMS’s script simply tells the story largely in chronological (look, no jumpcuts and fractured story!), the author believing that a story this fantastic needs no bells and whistles – the drama is inherent in the story.

Angelina Jolie is almost a revelation as the mother whose son disappears, who must then fight the corrupt LAPD when they return ‘a’ child to her and claim it to be hers before the massed ranks of the press. The trailer may make the film look too ‘female’, however, the only scenes of hysteria are in the trailer – and, within the context of the story and the film structure, they do not grate.

Jolie’s Christine Collins is an immensely capable woman, but not necessarily worldly wise. She wins instant empathy from the audience, and while her suffering is great, it is not too harrowing – although there clearly are a number of heart-breaking scenes, especially with her ‘non-son’.

The story takes a turn for the entirely unexpected deep into the second act, and briefly the focus shifts to another boy in the hands of the one good cop. What follows beggars belief – but is documented fact and only makes you wonder how Jolie’s Collins could be born so unlucky.

Support is exceptional from: Jeffrey Donovan as the shister cop Jolie crosses; John Malkovich as the preacher who backs her case; the ever-excellent Amy Ryan as Jolie’s only friend in the asylum; Michael Kelly as the only cop who believes her; and Geoff Pierson as the attorney who fights her corner in court.

The sense of period (20s/30s Hollywood) is effortlessly evoked, and shot with love (but not rose-tinted spectacles) by Tom Stern. The opening and closing crane shots, in which the stock transforms from B&W to colour and vice versa, are stunning. Oh and a final word should go to Eastwood for another beautiful score.

This is mature, affecting, thoughtful cinema and quite why it’s being overlooked in awards season I simply don’t understand. Perhaps once again, it’s because it ends on a hopeful note.
Score: 9

Golden Globe nominations

So the Golden Globes have been announced with only a few shock omissions. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, and Doubt lead the race with five noms each.

The main news points are: two noms for both Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet; an astonishing four noms for Woody Allen’s awful VCB; and deserved three noms for In Bruges.

In terms of omissions none of the following have been recignised for their outstanding performances: Robert Downey Jnr in Iron Man; Michael Sheen in Frost/Nixon; Josh Brolin in W; and Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino.

At this stage, there’s only one sure-fire winner: Wall*E in the animated category.

1. BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

FROST/NIXON

THE READER

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE


2. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
ANNE HATHAWAY – RACHEL GETTING MARRIED

ANGELINA JOLIE – CHANGELING

MERYL STREEP – DOUBT

KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS – I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG
KATE WINSLET – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

3. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
LEONARDO DICAPRIO – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

FRANK LANGELLA – FROST/NIXON

SEAN PENN – MILK

BRAD PITT – THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

MICKEY ROURKE – THE WRESTLER

4. BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
BURN AFTER READING
HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

IN BRUGES

MAMMA MIA!

VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

5.BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
REBECCA HALL – VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA

SALLY HAWKINS – HAPPY-GO-LUCKY

FRANCES MCDORMAND – BURN AFTER READING

MERYL STREEP – MAMMA MIA!

EMMA THOMPSON – LAST CHANCE HARVEY

6. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
JAVIER BARDEM – VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
COLIN FARRELL – IN BRUGES

JAMES FRANCO – PINEAPPLE EXPRESS

BRENDAN GLEESON – IN BRUGES

DUSTIN HOFFMAN – LAST CHANCE HARVEY

7. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
BOLT

KUNG FU PANDA

WALL-E

8. BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX
EVERLASTING MOMENTS
GOMORRAH
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG
WALTZ WITH BASHIR

9. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
AMY ADAMS – DOUBT
PENELOPE CRUZ – VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
VIOLA DAVIS –DOUBT
MARISA TOMEI – THE WRESTLER
KATE WINSLET – THE READER

10. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
TOM CRUISE – TROPIC THUNDER

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. –TROPIC THUNDER

RALPH FIENNES – THE DUCHESS

PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – DOUBT

HEATH LEDGER – THE DARK KNIGHT

11. BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
DANNY BOYLE – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

STEPHEN DALDRY – THE READER

DAVID FINCHER – THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

RON HOWARD – FROST/NIXON
SAM MENDES – REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

12. BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
SIMON BEAUFOY – SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

DAVID HARE – THE READER

PETER MORGAN – FROST/NIXON

ERIC ROTH – THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN

JOHN PATRICK SHANLEY – DOUBT

13. BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

CHANGELING

DEFIANCE

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

FROST/NIXON