The 84th Annual Academy Awards [PG]

It's a night when we take a moment to really appreciate the magic of cinema; the ingenuity, the creativenss, the skill, the power, the determination, the splendor, and everything in between... It's the 84th Annual Academy Awards!

Hosted this year by a plethora of adored stars and starletts including Billy Crystal (who's opening mini movie was a little so-so but who's jokes throughout the ceremony offered moments of comedy gold), Morgan Freeman, Tom Hanks, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Sandra Bullock, Christian Bale, Tina Fey, Bradley Cooper, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Robert Downey Jr., Gwenyth Paltrow, Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Emma Stone, Melissa Leo, Penelope Cruz, Owen Wilson, Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Angelina Jolie, Milla Jovovich, The Bridesmaids, Michael Douglas, Meryl Streep, Natalie Portman, Colin Firth, and Tom Cruise, and featuring a stunning performance from Cirque du Soleil to a hauntingly beautiful piece by Danny Elfman, The 84th Annual Academy Awards boasted and displayed some amazing talent and achievements in all departments that make up the magic of the movies. 

And I have to say that it was especially nice to see that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 received a couple of nominations. Generally, the more classier or dramatic movies are associated with the Academy Awards, but this year we saw Harry Potter, Transformers, and Bridesmaids steal the spotlight (if only for a minute). 

Best Achievement in Cinematography – Robert Richardson: Hugo

Best Achievement in Art Direction – Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo: Hugo

Best Achievement in Costume Design – Mark Bridges: The Artist

Best Achievement in Makeup – Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland: The Iron Lady

Best Foreign Language Film – Asghar Farhadi: A Separation

Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Octavia Spencer: The Help

Best Achievement in Film Editing – Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall: Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Best Achievement in Sound Editing – Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty: Hugo

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing – Tom Fleischman and John Midgley: Hugo

Best Documentary Feature – TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay, and Rich Middlemas: Undefeated

Best Animated Feature Film – Gore Verbinski: Rango

Best Achievement in Visual Effects – Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman, and Alex Henning: Hugo

Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Christopher Plummer: Beginners making him oldest actor ever to win an Oscar, winning his first, and delivering the best acceptance speech of the night.

Bets Original Score – Ludovic Bource: The Artist

Best Original Song – “Man or Muppet” by Bret McKenzie: The Muppets

Best Adapted Screenplay – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash: The Descendants

Best Original Screenplay – Woody Allen: Midnight In Paris

Best Live Action Short Film – Toby George and Oorlagh George: The Shore

Best Documentary Short – Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy: Saving Face

Best Animated Short Film – William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

Best Achievement in Directing – Michel Hazanavicius: The Artist

Best Actor in a Leading Role – Jean Dujardin: The Artist

Best Actress in a Leading Role – Meryl Streep: The Iron Lady

Best Motion Picture – Thomas Langmann: The Artist

It was a night of glamour, achievement, and most of all, celebration; celebration of the magic of the movies! 

The Three Musketeers (2011)

France in the 17^th century: after the assassination of the King his son, Louis the XIII has taken the throne. But the young and inexperienced King and his wife seem not to have a friend in the world and the wicked Cardinal Richelieu, who plans to spark a war between France and England, secretly challenges their rulership. There are only a handful of people who will serve their King and their country: the Musketeers. Athos, Porthos and Aramis are the last remaining Musketeers, but when the hot-headed young D’Artagnan joins their ranks, they are back in action after a mission gone wrong, and ready to deal out a good arse-kicking for their country. 

With the decadence and grandeur of Pirates of the Caribbean and the silliness and downright stupidness of A Knight’s Tale, The Three Musketeers is really a pointless and silly film, but one that cannot help but gain some pleasurable response from its audience. It really was like A Knight’s Tale as it was a fantastically stupid and an all-over-the-shop film, but one that was hugely entertaining. I really liked this movie for the simple reason that is a just a good, old-fashioned, decadent action romp. 

France in the 17^th century: after the assassination of the King his son, Louis the XIII, has taken the throne. But the young and inexperienced King and his wife seem not to have a friend in the world, at home or abroad, and the wicked Cardinal Richelieu, who plans to spark a war between France and England, secretly challenges their rulership and threatens to seize control of France. There are only a handful of people who will serve their King and their country: the Musketeers. Athos, Porthos, and Aramis are the last remaining Musketeers, but when young, hot-headed D’Artagnan joins their ranks, they are back in action, after a mission gone wrong, and ready to deal out a good arse-kicking for their country. 

Ultimately this film is nothing more than a 3D novelty: a real action-packed romp and a bit of good old-fashioned brain candy. I must admit that the costumes and special effects were exceptionally dazzling, really decadent and elegant but dangerous and not afraid to get their hands dirty at the same time. Well done to everyone involved in the special effects and costume design of this film! Fantastic work! 

Having said the praises of this film, it is now time to address the faults. The script was a bit all-over-the-place, very similar to A Knight’s Tale, the romantic story was loosely and haphazardly weaved into the film, and I found it highly amusing that everyone in the cast failed to put on a French accent given that the majority of the film is set in France. Although I have to admit that watching Orlando Bloom as one of the “villains” was hugely enjoyable. I have a real thing for Orlando Bloom; he was my first ever celebrity crush and no one ever forgets their first celebrity crush. I still find him hugely attractive. 

Starring Matthew MacFayden, Milla Jovovich, Luke Evans, Til Schweiger, Orlando Bloom, Logan Lerman, Mads Mikkelsen, Freddie Fox, Juno Temple, Gabrielle Wilde, James Corden and Christoph Waltz, The Three Musketeers is a fun romp that’s packed with action, decadent costumes, great special effects, brilliant sword fights, romance, comedy, political conspiracy, and more action. Not to mention a rather epic climactic battle sequence that takes place in an airship! We’ve had car chases, duels, and battles at sea, but an airship! Whoo, it’s pretty cool. 

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button [M]

As a daughter, Caroline, sits with her dying mother in a hospital, her mother has her read the remarkable and curious tale of a man that she loved: Benjamin Button. Born a shrivelled and old babe, Benjamin is abandoned by his father and taken in by the loving housekeeper of a nursing home. Surrounded by age, life, and death, Benjamin leads a curious life as everyone he loves grows older and he grows younger. 

Winner of 3 Academy Awards including Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects, and Best Makeup, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a painfully beautiful film about love, loss, time, and life. Based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it’s a stunning and deeply stirring film that simply must not be missed. 

As a daughter, Caroline, sits with her dying mother in a hospital, her mother has her read the remarkable and curious tale of a man that she loved: Benjamin Button. Born a shrivelled and old babe, Benjamin is abandon by his father and taken in by the loving housekeeper of a nursing home. Surrounded by age, life, and death, Benjamin leads a curious life as everyone he loves grows older and he grows younger. 

To begin honestly, I have never read The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald, so I cannot write much in the ways of personal opinion. But I do know that it was hailed as one of literature’s great “unfilmable” tales and director David Fincher who brought us such great works as Fight Club and Se7en, has proven that statement to be horrendously wrong. 

The tale is originally a simple and odd short story about a man who begins life old and grows younger. Screenwriters Eric Roth and Robin Swicord have done a remarkable job in using that odd and curious little story and turning it into a beautiful romantic drama that keeps audiences completely captivated for two and a half hours. Not since The Time Traveller’s Wife have I known such a powerful and moving love story. 

The real news about this film is the wondrous achievement in visual effects and makeup. Through subtle, yet defined, prosthetics and makeup, Brad Pitt begins life looking 80 and then subtly changes until his course skin is smooth and glowing with youth; the cheats of computers are neither desired nor required for this tale. The same is done for Cate Blanchett being the character that keeps up anchored in reality. And it must be said that both romantic leads delivered stunning and very stirring performances. 

Starring Tilda Swinton, Jason Flemying, Taraji P. Henson, Julia Ormand, Mahershalalhashbaz Ali, and Jared Harris, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a stunning film filled with drama, romance, oddity, life, death, and time. One of the most moving and undeniably deeply stirring films to grace our screens, it is a film that simply CANNOT be missed! 

WALL-E [G]

Hundreds of years ago humankind polluted Earth to such an extent that they were forced to leave and live in Space until the planet could be made habitable again. Left all alone to clean up the mess is a little robot named WALL-E who has spent years and years cleaning up and making curious memories with his only friend: a cockroach. But WALL-E’s humdrum life is turned upside down when a sleek search robot named EVE is sent to find signs of plant life on Earth. WALL-E falls hopelessly in love with her and follows her all over the planet and then later into space, embarking on a big adventure to save humankind in the process. 

Without a doubt, Pixar’s most visually stunning and simply all-around most amazing cinematic achievement is WALL-E; a futuristic love story that sends out strong messages of environmental protection and a fantastic criticism of consumerism and the threats it poses. WALL-E is Pixar’s most memorable and stunning feature film that harbours something for absolutely everyone. IT’S ABSOLUTEY BREATHTAKING! 

Hundreds of years ago humankind polluted Earth to such an extent that they were forced to leave and live in Space until the planet could be made habitable again. Left behind to clean up the mess were a series of robots, or WALL-E units. After several hundred years there is one solitary WALL-E left, cleaning up the mess and making curious memories with his only friend: a cockroach. But WALL-E’s humdrum life is turned upside down when a sleek search robot named EVE is sent to find signs of plant life on Earth. WALL-E falls hopelessly in love with her and follows her all over planet and then later into space, embarking upon a great big adventure to save humankind in the process. 

There are so many wonderful aspects of WALL-E to draw attention to; I have no idea where to start. Let’s begin with the breathtaking, absolutely breathtaking animation and sound effects. With minimal dialogue used, Ben Burtt’s sound design for WALL-E is truly something to be marvelled at. Over 2,500 sounds were recorded for the film and it was simply amazing to hear these robots communicate with one another in a dialect completely their own, but with very human intonations. 

The visual animation is crisp and simply astounding; a true cinematic achievement and one that proved that animated films don’t need to be preachy or overtly moral, and that the genre of science fiction doesn’t have to always be predictable, silly, violent, or scary. It’s just beautiful. 

There are so many wondrous layers that make up the story of WALL-E, each one as critical and memorable as the next. On the surface, it is a love story between two robots: man-made creations that are so unique they have individually acquired a sense of human. The character of WALL-E is absolutely adorable and completely loveable, rivalling that of Number 5 in Short Circuit. With his acute sense of curiosity, adventure, innocence, and love, you need only spend two minutes with him and your heart will melt. 

But underneath the non-mushy love story, there is a more alarming and (what is more, concerning) plausible look at what humankind will evolve into: pampered and morbidly obese couch potatoes who have lost practically all skills: social, political, emotional, and physical. It is a bleak look at the future to be sure, but one that could very well happen. From this central drama, stems the flow of powerful messages about the protection of the environment, the threats posed by consumerism, and the general level of apathy and ignorance that modern societies currently hold. 

For a child, this is a film of funny and loveable characters with a bit of a love story and an adventure thrown in. But for an adult, WALL-E is a film that raises awareness and opens people’s eyes to the dangers that we, as a society and as a species, are creating. It’s all food for thought set against a romantic love story filled with loveable and memorable characters. 

Featuring the voice talents of Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard, John Ratzenberger, Kathy Najimy, and Sigourney Weaver, the winner of the 2008 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, and nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Screenplay, Best Sound Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Music Score, and Best Original Song, WALL-E is an absolutely enchanting movie that’s filled with adventure, romance, comedy, drama, home truths, strong messages, and memorable characters. Earning its place in The Book, IT’S AN ABSOLUTELY STUNNING FILM! I just adore it! 

The Mummy Returns [M]

Centuries ago, the power-hungry Scorpion King was on the verge of death when he offered his soul to the dark God Anubis to spare his life and give him his undead army so that he could conquer his enemies. Now, years and years after his demise, the Scorpion King has been awakened and threatens to rule the world. What is more, the corpse of Imhotep has been found and the priest resurrected, so that he might defeat the Scorpion King and fulfil his quest for immortality and life-long rule. It falls to Rick and Evelyn O’Connell and their son Alex to once again, save the world before it gets plunged into a ruinous nightmare. 

You know I only just realised that, not since these Mummy films, have there been a film about mummies. At the moment the film industry has vampires and zombies running out of its ears, but not since 2001 (because the third instalment in The Mummy trilogy was complete tripe) have we had a good, old-fashioned, rollicking mummy movie. That alone makes these films special and playing a game of their own. Just as rollicking, if not more so, that its predecessor, The Mummy Returns is a great action-packed, Indiana Jones-esque romp that keeps me contentedly glued to the screen every time. 

Centuries ago, the power-hungry Scorpion King was on the verge of death when he offered his soul to the dark god Anubis to spare his life and give him his undead army so that he might conquer his enemies. Now, years and years after his demise, the Scorpion King is reawakened and threatens to rule the world. What is more, the corpse of Imhotep has been recovered and the priest resurrected so that he might slay the Scorpion King and fulfil his quest for immortality, eternal love, and life-long rule. It falls to Rick and Evelyn O’Connell and their son Alex to, once again, save the world before it gets plunged into a ruinous nightmare of darkness and death. 

All our favourite characters, as well as a few new ones, are back for another dose of mummified madness and action. Even though man has done much cleverer things as far as special effects are concerned, this movie still boasts the same adrenaline and adventurous vibe that makes it so rollicking and entertaining. 

My one, slight, beef with this film is that there seem to be a few holes in the story and then there were one too many stories going on at any one time. We have the story of the Scorpion King; fine, I got the gist of that no problem. Then we have the resurrection of Imhotep, the mummy from the first film; all right, I get that story fine. But then on top of that we have this story of Rick and Evelyn’s past lives and them embracing some ancient destiny, which I understood, but found a bit tacked on. The foundation for that story was just a bit too shaky for my liking, with most of it casually being dropped into the film with meaningless dialogue. It just didn’t flow as smoothly as the other stories featured in the film’s plot and I found that to be a bit of a downer. 

Aside from that, the script and screenplay still harbours a healthy balance of drama and comedy, and there is plenty of action and romance to satisfy both genders in the audience. 

Starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Oded Fehr, Freddie Boath, Patricia Velasquez, and Dwayne Johnson, The Mummy Returns is a great rollicking movie that’s packed with action, adventure, romance, gore, violence, the undead, and comedy. At the end of the day, these are just fun action movies with a good story and likeable characters. You don’t have to watch them over and over, and they make for a good night in like Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars, or Indiana Jones.  

Hook [PG]

It was once said that all children grow up…except one. But the fairytale ended when Peter Pan left Neverland, grew up, got married, and became a lawyer and a father. Now, Peter has lost his way, and what’s worse, he cannot find time to play with his own children. But that changes when Peter and his family visit Grandmother Wendy, and none other than Captain Hook, out for revenge, kidnaps the children, Maggie and Jack. With the help of Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys, Peter makes his way back to Neverland and rises to the challenge of remembering his own story in order to save his children. 

Usually, I’m not one for being entertained by these “return-to” films. To me, that whole revisiting a story and place that harboured so much joy and magic should not be attempted; after all, lightning never strikes in the same place twice. But Tim Burton managed to do it with Alice In Wonderland and before him, Steven Spielberg achieved it with Hook: a fun-filled family adventure that features all our favourite characters as well as loads of new ones. The fractured, modern take on the classic fairytale of the boy who never grew up worked nicely in this movie, bringing a whole new meaning and warmth to the tale that was never there before. 

It was once said that all children grow up… except one. But the fairytale ended when Peter Pan left Neverland, grew up, got married, and became and lawyer and a father. Now, Peter has lost his way and, what’s worse, he cannot find time to play with his own children. But that changes when Peter and his family visit Grandmother Wendy and none other than Captain Hook, out for revenge, kidnaps the children, Jack and Maggie. Now, with the help of Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys, Peter Pan finds his way back to Neverland and rises to the challenge of remembering his own story, learning to fly, fight, and crow in order to save his children. 

I suppose the real appeal in these sorts of “revisiting” movies is the references to the original tale. In Hook, most of these come in the form of the characters, obviously, and the script. The story is very clever how it subtly integrates the fairytale of Peter Pan into the reality part of the movie and I particularly loved the subtle ironies that came into play: my favourite being grown-up Peter Pan’s fear of heights and flying. The film has delightful little treats like that scattered all throughout and it’s those little treats, combined with the memorable action sequences and performances that keep the audience, both junior and senior alike, captivated. 

Admittedly, some of the lines could get a little cheesy and a few of the special effects were a bit haphazard and outdated, but ultimately, I found Hook to be a heart warming and enjoyable film about finding one’s inner child. It really is rather lovely. 

Starring Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, Caroline Goodall, Charlie Korsmo, Amber Scott, Laurel Cronin, Arthur Malet, and Maggie Smith, Hook is a great family film packed with action, adventure, fantasy, kidnapping, pirates, mermaids, fairies, fun, and love. It really is a lovely little film, not one that I could watch over and over, but one that I am happy to come back to once in a while and am proud to have in my collection. 

The Castle [M]

The Kerrigans are a simple and happy family living right next to an airport at 3 Highview Crescent, Cooloroo; living in complete obscurity and being contented to be so. But that all changes when the airport decides to expand and the family is compulsively required to move. But to Darryl, number 3 was never a house, it is a home and, after all, a man’s home is his castle. So the tow-truck driving, greyhound racing father of the Kerrigan household stands up and becomes something he was never meant to be: a hero. 

Like Muriel’s Wedding and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Castle is an iconic Australian film that just brings brutal truth to that old saying “less is more”. It’s a classic story and a character’s movie by nature, and it’s absolutely wonderful: funny, relatable, heart-warming, and memorable. You can’t go wrong with The Castle. 

The Kerrigans are a simple and happy family living right next to an airport at 3 Highview Crescent, Cooloroo; living in complete obscurity and being very contented to be so. But that all changes when the airport decides to expand and the family is compulsively required to move. Although they are offered compensation, Darryl Kerrigan refuses to move because, to him, it’s not a house, it’s a home and a man’s home is his castle. So, the tow-truck driving, greyhound racing father of the Kerrigan household stands up and becomes something that he was never meant to be: a hero. 

The magic of this film comes in the forms of its simplicity. The story is one that’s a classic example of good vs. evil, moral principals vs. constitutional law: as simple as black and white. The story of the everyman standing up and blatantly saying “no” is something that everyone can relate to, which makes this film one that’s very down-to-earth and hits close to home. 

What seals the film’s appeal, for me, is the fact that it is a character’s movie. The Castle is about an average Aussie family living in the further reaches of civilisation, and it’s wonderful to see these simple and natural characters that lead blissful lives of hard-earned comfort and find peace and joy in the simplicities of life: things like saying certain words, staring at man’s creations, and most importantly, having an effect of every person that they meet in their lives. The Kerrigan family is just a beautiful one that feels very natural and genuinely like a unit, and it’s bloody beautiful; “a little ripper” as Darryl would say. 

Starring Michal Caton, Anne Tenney, Stephen Curry, Anthony Simcoe, Sophie Lee, Wayne Hope, Tiriel Mora, Tony Martin, Costas Kilias, Charles Tingwell, and Eric Bana, The Castle is a wonderful Aussie comedy that just proves that the simplest things in life are the most joyous. Filled with drama, the law, memorable characters, comedy, romance, defiance, and a heart-warming story, it’s a film that I absolutely adore and can easily come back to time and time again.