The nominations for the 78th Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning by Academy President Sid Ganis and Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) is comprised of members from the film industry who vote for the year’s strongest contributions to cinema in 24 different categories. All members vote only in the category of their own profession (e.g. actors vote in the acting category, directors in directing, sound artists in sound etc.), with the exception of the category of Best Picture, which everyone can vote in.

Leading this year’s list is Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain with 8 nominations, trailed closely by Crash and Good Night, and Good Luck both with 6. These three films are also up for the ‘Best Film’ award, along with Munich and Capote, while Ang Lee, Bennett Miller, Paul Haggis, George Clooney or Steven Speilberg can hope for the Best Director Award. One of either Philip Seymour Hoffman, Terrence Howard, Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix or David Strathairn will be Best Actor, while Judi Dench, Felicity Huffman, Keira Knightley, Charlize Theron and Reese Witherspoon are nominated as best lead females.

Most of these nominations mirror those of the previous awards such as the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards or The Directors Guild Awards. Big exception are Munich and Crash, which were mostly ignored at other prize-givings, but are now both vying for the main award. The Academy Award winners will be announced at the 78th Annual Academy Awards ceremony in the Kodak Theater in Hollywood on Sunday, March 5, at 5pm PST. The show will be hosted by Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) and broadcast live on television (ABC in the United States).

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Best Motion Picture
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
CAPOTE
CRASH
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
MUNICH

Best Director
Ang Lee / BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Bennett Miller / CAPOTE
Paul Haggis / CRASH
George Clooney / GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
Steven Speilberg / MUNICH

Best Actor
Philip Seymour Hoffman / CAPOTE
Terrence Howard / HUSTLE & FLOW
Heath Ledger / BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Joaquin Phoenix / WALK THE LINE
David Strathairn / GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK

Best Actress
Judi Dench / MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
Felicity Huffman / TRANSAMERICA
Keira Knightley / PRIDE & PREJUDICE
Charlize Theron / NORTH COUNTRY
Reese Witherspoon / WALK THE LINE

Best Supporting Actor
George Clooney / SYRIANA
Matt Dillon / CRASH
Paul Giamatti / CINDERELLA MAN
Jake Gyllenhaal / BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
William Hurt / A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams /JUNEBUG
Catherine Keener / CAPOTE
Frances McDormand / NORTH COUNTRY
Rachel Weisz /THE CONSTANT GARDENER
Michelle Williams / BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN

Best Original Screenplay
CRASH
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
MATCH POINT
THE SQUID AND THE WHALE
SYRIANA

Best Adapted Screenplay
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
CAPOTE
THE CONSTANT GARDENER
A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
MUNICH

Best Art Direction
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
PRIDE & PREJUDICE

Best Cinematography
BATMAN BEGINS
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
THE NEW WORLD

Best Editing
CINDERELLA MAN
THE CONSTANT GARDENER
CRASH
MUNICH
WALK THE LINE

Best Costume Design
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
MRS. HENDERSON PRESENTS
PRIDE & PREJUDICE
WALK THE LINE

Best Make-Up
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
CINDERELLA MAN
STAR WARS: EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH

Best Sound Editing
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
WAR OF THE WORLDS

Best Sound Mixing
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
KING KONG
MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
WALK THE LINE
WAR OF THE WORLDS

Best Visual Effects
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
KING KONG
WAR OF THE WORLDS

Best Original Score
Gustavo Santaolalla / BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
Alberto Iglesias / THE CONSTANT GARDENER
John Williams /MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA
John Williams / MUNICH
Dario Marianelli /PRIDE & PREJUDICE

Best Original Song
“In the Deep” from CRASH
“It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from HUSTLE & FLOW
“Travelin’ Thru” from TRANSAMERICA

Best Animated Film
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE
TIM BURTON’S CORPSE BRIDE
WALLACE & GROMIT IN THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT

Best Foreign Language Film
DON’T TELL
JOYEUX NOEL
PARADISE NOW
SOPHIE SCHOLL - THE FINAL
TSOTSI

Best Documentary Feature
DARWIN’S NIGHTMARE
ENRON: THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOM
MARCH OF THE PENGUINS
MURDERBALL
STREET FIGHT

Best Documentary Short Subject
THE DEATH OF KEVIN CARTER: CASUALTY OF THE BANG BANG CLUB
GOD SLEEPS IN RWANDA
THE MUSHROOM CLUB
A NOTE OF TRIUMPH: THE GOLDEN AGE OF NORMAN CORWIN

Best Animated Short Film
BADGERED
THE MOON AND THE SON: AN IMAGINED CONVERSATION
THE MYSTERIOUS GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORATIONS OF JASPER MORELLO
9
ONE MAN BAND

Best Live Action Short Film
AUSREISSER (THE RUNAWAY)
CASHBACK
THE LAST FARM
OUR TIME IS UP
SIX SHOOTER

Discuss the nominees in our movies forum.

Posted in Awards, Commentary, Movies •

After its first week of release, Arctic Monkey’s “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” has sold over 360,000 copies in the UK, emerging as the country’s fastest-ever selling debut album. The record was scheduled to be released January 30, but the date was moved up a week following the album’s leak onto the internet in the beginning of January. It’s online availability doesn’t seem to have had any impact on the amount of record sales, an enormous number that can be seen as the direct result of the massive hype that has been surrounding this band ever since they’re first single “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” proved a smash hit and went straight to number one in late 2005.

It seems only fair to ask then if there really is anything behind the smoke, or if the Arctic Monkeys will fade from people’s memories as a product of a short-lived phenomenon within the year. Do the record sales reflect the album’s quality? I’d say no. Is the debut any good at all? Yes it is. Beyond the record-shattering numbers and the shiny photographs on the cover of Britian’s most infamous Rock magazine, the New Musical Express (or NME, as it is most commonly referred to), I feel it is time to strip “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” from what it’s not, and have a look at it for what it is, exactly as the album title suggests itself (which, in turn, implies the band’s self-ironic way of observing their surroundings).

The album is comprised of thirteen tracks, clocking in at just under 41 minutes. Upon the first listen-through, it becomes immediately apparent that there is no second track quite like “I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor” to be found; no other track can measure up to the single’s uncompromising build-up, energetic chorus, scintillating guitar riffs and melodious progression. The band has refused to reapply the single’s successful formula on their other songs, which is commendable and makes for more diversity on the album. It is also the cause, however, for a sense of anti-climax; the first couple of listenings had me thinking I had already heard the band’s best when I purchased their single in December.

Indeed, it took a great deal of perseverance on my behalf until I could appreciate the other tracks (which may hint at how much of an impression the debut single had previously made on me), and while I still maintain that none can match the quality of the hit single, I can concede that the album has its fair share of very likeable tracks, such as “When The Sun Goes Down” (the subsequent single, also a chart topping success) with its exciting pace-changing build-up (very reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand’s “Jacqueline“), the ruckus-promising album opener “The View From The Afternoon“, the rhythmically-sublime “Still Take You Home” and “Mardy Bum” or the calm and narratively-brilliant “Riot Van“.

A bit surprisingly, and maybe a reason why this record took more of an effort from me to click, is the fact that the album’s greatest plus is the band’s lyrical prowess. The album is rich with unpretentious lyrics that belie the band’s young age and reveal their eye for stories off the streets. “Riot Van“, for instance, tells of a group of Police-baiting kids (Have you been drinking son, you don’t look old enough to me / I’m sorry officer is there a certain age you’re supposed to be?… nobody told me) who end up in a messy beating in the back of the station wagon. “When The Sun Goes Down” features an equally interesting tale about pimps, prostitutes and their clientèle (Look here comes a Ford Mondeo / Isn’t he Mister Inconspicuous? / And he don’t have to say ‘owt / She’s in the stance ready to get picked up // They said it changes when the sun goes down), told with much more forté than, say, the likes of Nelly or 50 Cent.

I realize now that expecting the flashiness and excitement “I Bet You Look On The Dancefloor” promised was my mistake. The band’s maturity, unveiled in their songwriting, seems to prohibit them from giving in to the easy and spectacular. Tracks like “Fake Tales Of San Francisco“, “Dancing Shoes” or “Red Light Indicates Doors Are Secured” are far more subtle in nature and hence required more of my time to work. The album is thus definitely a grower, and after three weeks of sometimes casual and sometimes intense listening, the detail and effort the band has put into this recording (especially where it concerns their lyrics, but also very much their rhythmic work) has started to unfold for me.

The Arctic Monkeys, taken under inspection aside from the media buzz and excitement, are not rock and roll’s new heroes, but a very promising band, mature beyond their years. Regardless of the hype-infected verdict of the likes of the NME (who’ve put the album at the fifth spot of their all-time greatest rock records, which is nothing but ridiculous considering it’s only just been released), “Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not” is by far no masterpiece, let alone a revolutionary album, but hints at a lot of potential that I hope the band will continue to delve into with follow-up records, when they could prove worthy of the praise they’ve been prematurely bestowed with.

Posted in Reviews •

The former British tennis professional Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) takes up a job as a tennis instructor, giving private lessons to London’s upperclass. On the training ground he makes the acquaintance of Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode), the son of a corporate mogul, who’s family lives on an expansive estate and has nothing but money. Upon discovering their similar taste in music, Tom invites Chris to the opera with his family, where Tom’s sister Chloe (Emily Mortimer) is quickly enchanted by Chris’ charms. While a love between Chris and Chloe blossoms, Chris feels strongly attracted to Tom’s American fiancée Nola (Scarlett Johansson). And this secret desire might shatter the new happiness and stability Chris finds marrying Chloe and being provided with a high-paying job at his father-in-law’s (Brian Cox) firm.

Match Point may well be director Woody Allen’s most unusual film to date, and that’s saying something. Incidentally, it’s the film’s seemingly conventional storyline that makes the film so different from Allen’s previous work (the average Allen film, according to the cliché, is a funny piece of social-critique set in New York): Match Point is a thriller, none the more so after one of the film’s characters decides to take drastic measures (involving a gun, police and a criminal investigation) to resolve the entanglements the movie’s first half meticulously spun up. Two factors prevent the movie from being the everyday detective story the premise sounds like: the fact that Allen still goes about painting an analysis of social classes and the way the film’s themes - calmly established in the beginning - provide a brilliant pay-off when all the parts suddenly fit together in the end like in a jigsaw puzzle.

It’s the motif of ‘luck’ that opens the film, with Rhys-Meyer’s character Chris explaining his philosophy on how much in life happens by chance, illustrating his point with the analogy of a tennis ball that hits the top of the net and, for a split second, could go either way, either winning you the point by falling on your opponent’s half, or dropping back to your side and losing it for you. And it is indeed a series of almost random chances that enables Chris’ social ascension from a working class boy who is used to climbing the ladder of life with nothing but his hands to a rich family’s darling (loved by wife and father-in-law almost equally) who gets readily pulled up the rest of the way.

Chris’ life mirrors that of a fairy-tale. He weds a woman who genuinely loves and admires him, his father-in-law opens door after door for him, providing him with a small spot in the company at first, then paying for business courses and forming him into the head of the department in what seems like no time at all. But in spite of having gained all this happiness (and amassed quite a bit of wealth), there’s always that little bit of ‘more’ that Chris wants, that bit of danger and suspense now eradicated from his new life with the Hewetts. This comes in form of Nola, Chris’ brother-in-law’s sensual American girlfriend - and who better to portray the Siren these days than Scarlett Johansson?

Although some of their dialogue comes across as stilted as if it came straight out of George Lucas’ Attack of the Clones (”we can’t do this”, “this doesn’t lead to anywhere”), the two youngsters Rhys-Meyers and Johansson play off eachother to great effect. Every scene they share is full of a tension that either results in lust or anger, and Nola in particular can get very vivid at times. It’s clear from the first encounter between Nola and Chris that the character disposition cannot function in this constellation, and watching how the criss-crossing relationships are set up and then resolved is like observing a train wreck in slow motion. Everything gets gradually worse, but you’re too shocked to look away.

You cannot for the life you imagine how the characters will ever get out of this mess. It’s a tribute to Woody Allen’s vast writing experience and good eye for structuring how one or two twists at the end (at which point you’ll notice just how much chance does factor in) can smoothly bring the plot to a satisfactory end point, without a forced cop-out. It is important to note that Allen’s approach is an unmoralizing one: there are no black and white characters, no heroes or villains, no virtues unbalanced by vices, no morality, no justice. Instead, there is symmetry, and a great deal of integrity from the director towards his own writing.

Match Point is funny at times, suspenseful at others (you can’t help but marvel at how brilliantly Allen deconstructs various thriller clichés), but always engrossing. It may be Woody Allen’s most accessible movie to date, but that circumstance in no way detracts from the film’s quality and might just be working in its favor, attracting a broader audience (which can well do with some intelligent cinema these days) and putting it in the spotlight for this film season’s awards. Plaudits well deserved, Match Point is a success, and I for one am glad to have seen it.

Posted in Reviews •

Munich, West Germany, 1972: The image of the “cheerful” Olympic Games is broken after the Palestinian terror organization known as Black September infiltrates the Israeli camp in the Olympic Village, killing two and taking a further nine athletes hostage. A failed rescue attempt results in the deaths of all hostages and most of the kidnappers. With the games not being called off despite the tragic incident, the Israeli government takes matter into their own hands and assembles a secret hit squad to eliminate the people behind the Munich massacre. The team - Steve (Daniel Craig), Carl (Ciarán Hinds), Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz), Hans (Hanns Zischler) and their leader Avner (Eric Bana) - travel to Europe and the States, but their sense of righteousness and pride over their initial achievements is gradually replaced by doubts about the morality and effictiveness of their undertaking.

Director Steven Spielberg chose a very difficult subject matter for his latest film. The 1972 tragedy in Munich is widely considered to be one of last century’s most significant terrorist attacks in that it dislocated the Middle-East conflict to a place the entire world was observing and thrust the Palestinian cause into the spotlight. Spielberg’s approach is inspired by the true events and based on the book ‘Vengeance’ by George Jonas and ultimately amounts to an analysis of how violence met with violence can only result in more violence. Spielberg preferred to opt against any marketing for the film at all, preferring Munich to talk for itself. And ever since its first screenings, the film has been attested with a lot of controversy - but how can a film about controversial events not be controversial itself?

A lot of this stigma stems from the fact that Munich is morally ambigious. Editing in flashbacks of the Munich attack and the massacre, Spielberg shows that the team is clinging on to these memories as the force that drives them to kill the people on their hit list. But characters and their cause aren’t glorified, at times they genuinely question if what they are doing is right. Anyone they kill seems to be immediately replaced by someone new and worse. For every hit they execute, innocent Isrealis fall prey to terrorist retaliations elsewhere. And soon the team members find themselves intertwined in a net of global terrorism, becoming targets themselves. This is poignantly illustrated through the character of ‘Papa’ who leads an autonomous group that can track down anyone for whomever pays well enough. Avner, the team leader, soon realizes that his source is not providing locations exclusively to him, and there may be other bidders in the equation.

Australian actor Eric Bana gives a haunting performance, showing us various facettes of Avner’s rich nature. Avner seems to go through every major emotional state within the film. Killing his targets first hesitatingly and nervously then in cold-blood (including a brutal private payback jointly executed by the team during a detour from their mission) or firing himself up with the memory of the massacre first then tearing apart his room in oblivious paranoia. The unconditional love for his wife and his newborn daughter are put in perspective by his devotion to Isreal, his home and true mother since his birth mother abandoned him when he was but an infant. Avner’s character is rather brilliantly in his mind.

‘Home’ is indeed a prominent theme in the film. Avner and his team cross paths with a group of Palestinian extremists (who don’t know that they are Jewish). And even though he refutes the other group leader’s claims for a Palestine nation, a home and identity for their people, they are very similar to his own convictions. Is your nation your home, family and identity? Or is your family your home, your identity? Avner is faced with these questions throughout the film, and it’s his decision on this that concludes his character’s arc in the end. The rest of the team all have their own little stories. Daniel Craig’s character Steve, who has quite a lot a screentime and dialogue, is the toughest and most uncompromising of the lot, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t anxious in the build-up to and aftermath of a hit. Ciarán Hinds’ Carl is the one who goes in after a hit and cleans up the tracks, but he’s also the more contemplative of the team, Mathieu Kassovitz’s Robert is the bomb builder who’s weapon’s blasts are either too little or too strong or don’t go off at all. Each of the characters is beset with his own individual strengths and flaws.

The weakness of Munich lies in the way it isn’t overly dramatized. The film runs for 169 minutes, and you feel it. Spielberg, in what was most likely a conscious decision, refuses to intensify scenes more than they need to be, which makes sense considering the subject, but in terms of plot progression this makes for a really slow pace without any real climaxes. As paradox as this may sound, the underdramatizing is also Munich’s greatest strength. The film is far from being black and white and offers no real answers. It doesn’t condemn individual characters (even the Black September agents are depicted as shaky youths driven by fear and adrenaline), but takes a stand against the concept of revenge as a whole. But just because the film spends two and a half hours analysing a process that it declares pointless in the end, the film itself couldn’t be anything less than that. Ultimately, the message that Munich carries with it is stronger and more important than the film itself, and it is entirely timely in a world that still believes that there’s only the muscle way to set aside differences.

Posted in Reviews •

The upcoming movie adaptation of Dan Brown’s bestselling thriller The Da Vinci Code is set to open this year’s Cannes film festival on May 17th, two days prior to the movie’s worldwide release in theaters. Director Ron Howard (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind) shot the film at various locations in France, England and Scotland from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman (A Beautiful Mind, Cinderella Man). The Da Vinci Code stars Tom Hanks, Audrey Tatou, Ian McKellan, Alfred Molina, Paul Bettany, Jean Reno among others in the tale of a murder in the Louvre that leads to the discovery of a religious mystery that could shake the foundations of Christianity.

Sony Pictures has today released a batch of new high-quality stills from the movie which can be viewed in our movie gallery or by clicking on the preview pictures below:

Visit our movie gallery to view the newest images of upcoming movies.

Posted in Commentary, Movies •

On the US side of the border between West Texas and Northern Chihuahua, Mexico, the illegal Mexican cowboy Melquiades Estrada (Julio Cedillo) is accidentally shot and killed. His body is found in a hastily assembled desert grave by the local police, who bury Estrada’s corpse in the town’s cemetery. Upon learning of his close friend’s demise, Pete Perkins (Tommy Lee Jones) vows to bring the body back to Estrada’s family in the village of Jiménez, Mexico. After forcing Melquiades’ accidental murderer, the Border Patrolman Mike Norton (Barry Pepper), to unearth the corpse, Pete and his captive set out on a dangerous journey into Mexico, closely trailed by the police.

Tommy Lee Jones’ directorial debut is a calm and assured examination of how the Texan-Mexican border binds and separates two cultures, and it’s a strong tale of loyalty and redemption. It’s been quite a while since Jones has been in anything worthwhile (The Fugitive and Natural Born Killers are over ten years back, since then Jones has starred in shortlived movies such as Volcano, Men In Black I and II, US Marshalls, Rules of Engagement and Space Cowboys), and with The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada he finds back to his old form as an actor, and showcases Eastwood-like facettes as a director. Jones has a way of uncovering a peculiar charm in what is really a barren and sordid place, the loneliness and boredom is visually contrasted by a sense of freedom the vast expanses seem to offer.

It’s a joy to behold Jones’ acting performance. Pete Perkins is essentially a lonely man and borderline crazy (he never actually crosses the line, but he’s permanently close, and you can feel it), but he’s also a deeply loyal and committed friend. In this case, crazy and committed go hand-in-hand: Perkins has no more than a photograph and Meldquiades’ sketchy description of where Jiménez is located to find his deceased friend’s home on the back of a mule. Jones’ brings these characteristics across astonishingly, going back and forth between semi-detached and resolute and determined. The film’s other lead, Barry Pepper, delivers probably his best performance to date. The actor absolutely looks the part of the callous and egocentric Border Patrolman, and the way he handles his character’s incredible arc is credence to Pepper’s talent. The film spends quite an amount of time setting his character up as an asshole, only to have him completely brake down under the influence of Jones’ Pete Perkins and win over our sympathies in the end.

Despite never growing overly complex, the film offers enough room for its side characters and their individual quirks. Each of them has their own story arc, like the self-important Sherriff (Dwight Yoakam) who can never quite deliver and knows it, or the long-married waitress Rachel (Melissa Leo) who’s always up for flirts (and quite a bit more) with other men, but has ultimately accepted her role in the town and her life, or the blind American rancher (Levon Helm) living in Mexico who can’t understand any Spanish but loves listening to Mexican radio shows because of how nice the language sounds, or Norton’s once popular but still pretty wife Lou Ann (January Jones) who spends most of her day smoking in Rachel’s diner, contemplating if she’ll one day end up like the fat Texan lady living in the trailer across the street.

The first half of the film presented in a non-linear fashion, the main plot line is intertwined with flashbacks of Pete and Melquiades and side plots setting up the Norton’s and the other side characters. Important scenes like Meldquiades’ death are showed repeatedly but from different perspectives and with more context as more and more events that led up to the situation are uncovered. As soon as Pete and Mike’s journey opens the movie’s second half, the story masterfully focuses on them, mimicking Pete’s dedication in bringing his friend’s body to his wife. The film nears its end with a surprising plot twist that would crush or at least deterr others less determined, but Pete just keeps going and finds his own personal way to fullfill his promise and recover his happiness in a beautifully melancholic ending.

The Three Burials of Meldquiades Estrada is too low-profile and offbeat to rake in any big awards this film season, but thanks to Jones’ contemplative direction and a screenplay that will involuntarily make you laugh at absurd realities and cheer for its anti-heroes, it’s no less than a small jewel or a rough diamond glimmering somewhere in the desert sand, a warm and charming film.

Posted in Reviews •

A few years prior to the outbreak of World War II, a nine year old Japanese child is sold to a geisha house by her father. Chiyo (Suzuka Ohgo) spends her first six years serving the house’s venerable mother as a maid, while being frequently tormented by the house’s most prestigous geisha Hatsumomo (Gong Li), who is envious of Chiyo’s radiant water-blue eyes and afraid of what the girl could one day grow up to be. At the age of fifteen, Chiyo is taken under the tutelage of the experienced and graceful geisha Mameha (Michelle Yeoh) who renames her “Sayuri” and helps her blossom into the most sought after geisha in Japan. With this, the old rivalry between Sayuri and Hatsumomo increases, and Sayuri soon learns that being a geisha leaves no room for one’s own desires.

The decision of Rob Marshall (who’s previous film Chicago won six Academy Awards including that for Best Picture) to direct the screen adaptation of Arthur Golden’s international bestseller Memoirs of a Geisha yielded quite a few controversies. For one, the film was going to be spoken entirely in english, and on top of that, the Japanese characters were to be played by an assembly of China’s most prominent actors. Zhang Ziyi portrays the adult version of Chiyo, Sayuri. She is accompanied by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon counterpart Michelle Yeoh as her instructor Mameha, while Gong Li (The Emperor and the Assassin, Raise the Red Lantern) and Ken Watanabe (the only Japanese amongst the main cast, previously seen in Batman Begins and The Last Samurai) interpret the roles of Hatsumomo and the Chairman (Sayuri’s love interest) respectively.

The acting performances are strong throughout, with two actresses standing out in particular. Zhang Ziyi, who seems to have appeared in nearly every Asian or Asia-set film released in Western cinemas since Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, is finally finding recognition for her acting talent. The twenty-six year old actress deservedly made the cut on several of this season’s Best Actress lists, including nominations at the Golden Globes and BAFTAs. Ziyi’s forté is her ability to pull of adorable grace followed by insecure naivity in the space of a few seconds, and her performance might well land Ziyi her first Oscar nomination. Equally stunning is Gong Li, in some ways Ziyi’s predecessor in defining modern Chinese cinema outside of Asia. Li thrives on Hatsumomo’s false pride, manipulative mind and deceitful intentions, and her character’s story arc is, at times, far more riveting than that of Sayuri.

Unfortunately, the film’s plot development fails to hold up with the quality of the cast’s performances. Marshall’s directing approach nearly degrades the material to a conventional epic romance - Sayuri’s story is that of the underdog going through pain and coming out on top, and you can’t help but wish he might have explored the ugly side of the geisha world more deeply aswell. The highest creed of geishadom is that they sell their companionship, their artfulness (the film makes it clear that geishas sought to be regarded as walking artworks), but not their flesh. In truth, geisha’s are also part of the sex trade, they’re most coveted possession, their “mizuyage” (virginity) is quite literally put up for auction. The amount paid by the highest bidder goes on to define the status of the geisha, and needless to say Sayuri sets a new record. The filthiness and hypocrisy behind this concept is almost forcefully ignored in the film, though how much of that problem stems from Golden’s book I do not know, having not read it myself.

Marshall’s inexperience as a high-profile director further manifests itself in the film’s agonizing pacing, Marshall’s approach lacks the intensity that could sustain the movie’s length. This is made even worse through some very choppy editing, which in turn is responsible for a generally unbalanced character exposition and development: some scenes are lingered on for far too long, while important characters such as the Chairman and Mameha remain sketchy throughout the film. Another misgiving factor that cannot be ignored is how much the film’s credibility suffers from the english accents. I’d like to say that why the studios didn’t have an Asian director doing an authentic Japanese version of the film is beyond me, but I strongly suspect it has more than a little to do with the film’s investors wanting to bank on as much cash as possible.

In spite of the previous two paragraphs, Memoirs of a Geisha does have considerable strengths. The camera work is impressive, capturing beautiful shots of the amazing sets or subtly playing with light flickers and shadows in interior surroundings. The intricate geisha kimonos by costume designer Colleen Atwood (a lady who seems to win the costume design Oscar every other year) and the make-up work perfectly complement the movie’s lush visuals. Together with John Williams’ superb score (Yo Yo Ma’s breathtaking cello arrangements deserve much credit here), and the astonishing acting performances, these are the main reasons why, despite its pacing flaws, Memoirs of a Geisha is well worth seeing, especially on the big screen.

Posted in Reviews •

In 1958, a time when no one - especially not the media - dared question Senator McCarthy’s witch-hunting tactics for fear of being labelled a communist or communist sympathizer themselves, CBS broadcaster Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) ignites a feud with the Senator on national television. Driven by his desire to enlighten the audience, Murrow, together with his loyal CBS colleagues Fred Friendly (George Clooney) and Joe Wershba (Robert Downey Jr.) defies corporate interests and openly questions the Senator’s scaremongering methods within his news show “See it now”. When the Senator retorts by accusing Murrow of having communist ties himself, Murrow’s superiors at CBS start withdrawing their confidence in him. But even when faced with the prospect of “See it now” being cancelled, Murrow stays true to his ideals.

George Clooney showcases once more that he is far more than the irresistable lady’s attraction he is often reduced to. Not only does he regularly star or co-star in films of a wide array of interesting subject matter, he also actively helps getting promising indie-film prospects out there through his venture ‘Studio 8′ (a collaboration with the equally gifted Steven Soderbergh, amongst others), and he’s successfully made the transfer from in front of the camera to behind it. Clooney has chosen a historical moment in modern journalism by recreating the real-life feud between Edward R. Murrow and Senator McCarthy in his second directorial effort (the first film he shot being Confessions of a Dangerous Mind).

Clooney also reserved one of the larger supporting roles in the film for himself, playing Murrow’s closest ally Fred Friendly. Next to himself and Strathairn, Clooney has managed to employ an impressive cast that includes Robert Downey Jr. as the charismatic but wavering Joe Wershba, Patricia Clarkson as Wershba’s wife and CBS secretary Shirley, Jeff Daniels as the news executive Sig Mickelson, Frank Langella as CBS’s CEO William Paley and Ron Wise as Don Hollenbeck, a fellow news commentator. The cast perfectly bring across the tension and anxiety prior to the dissident broadcasts being aired, as well as the post-show pride and ecstasy, and the friendship and loyalty that was the basis for their extraordinary display of civil courage. But it is Strathairn who stands out with his very determined and responsible portrayal of Murrow, one that has seen him included in just about every Best Actor list of the current award season.

What really makes this film not only a strong, but also an important cinematic achievent is the subjects it touches upon, and the manner in which it does so. As a student of media studies, I could only marvel at the points Clooney’s film raises, fundamental questions about the conflicts in objective versus subjective reporting (the X-Realms staff will attest that this subject strikes a particular note with me), corporate interests versus moral responsibilities, politics and policies versus ethics, entertainment value versus news and education, and the problem of institutionalized and sponsored media. Are there always two balanced sides to a story? Where is the line drawn between commentary and propaganda? Is it in your right to speak out against a legislation that is simultaneously also responsible for putting you on the air in the first place? Are audiences more interested in the homes of celebrities than in being educated about happenings influencing them now and in the future? Do we form our own opinions, or are the formed for us?

Where Edward R. Murrow makes a stand and takes sides, Clooney as a director, interestingly enough, doesn’t. Strathairn’s character isn’t exactly played up to be the person we root for; we’ll grant him our sympathy, yes, but Murrow isn’t sentimentalized, we’re not privy to his background and his struggles apart from what relates to his work. Clooney interweaves his film with real footage of Senator McCarthy’s television appearances, and the entire movie is presented in black and white, further underlining the director’s objective, almost documentary approach. Clooney refrains from moralizing storytelling or condescending the audience, which is quite appropriate, as the pictures and words speak quite for themselves. You won’t find any answers in the film, because none can be given within it. But Clooney reminds us that these questions still need to be asked today.

Good Night, And Good Luck isn’t a spectacular film by any means, nor should it be. There is no intricate plot-twist, no real climax, but nor need there be. Instead, it is an engaging, reflective and intelligent addition to the very important media discourse, which is timely today still. It is also an important echo of Edward R. Murrow’s warnings about the dangerous sides of media, warnings too few of us have acknowledged, complex problems relating to the very nature of our societies that we may not have even been aware of. And in light of this all, Good Night, And Good Luck deserves to be applauded.

Posted in Reviews •

Eldest is the second book in the Inheritance trilogy and the follow-up to the successful Eragon, which has previously been discussed at X-Realms (book review, movie adaptation preview). As an introduction to the review of its sequel, I will briefly outline the events that unfolded in Eragon, without giving too much away, I hope, but enough for you to be able to follow this discussion.

The story is set in the mystical land of Alagaësia, which is governed by the harsh rule of King Galbatorix. While there exists a rebel movement (the Varden), they have yet to engage in open confrontation with the king’s forces, prefering small raids, while remaining secluded in secrecy. In the midst of this turmoil, the title character Eragon, a teenage orphan living with his Uncle Garrow and cousin Roran on their farm, finds a dragon egg. When it hatches for him, Eragon is confronted with the legacy of the Dragon Riders (the former protectors of Alagaësia, long destroyed by Galbatorix’ Empire) and thrust right into the heart of the conflict. A hunt for revenge turns into a run for his life, until Eragon is united with the Varden, at which point the book climaxes in massive battle between Empire and Varden.

That was Eragon; Eldest picks up virtually moments after its predecessor’s ending. The battle-scarred Eragon must travel to Ellesméra, the stronghold of the Elves hidden deep in the expansive forest of Du Weldenvarden, where he is to be aptly trained in the ways of the Dragon Rider. Meanwhile, his cousin Roran is forced into his own adventure, when his home village is attacked by imperial forces seeking clues to the whereabouts of Eragon, now the number one enemy-of-the-state. And in a third storyline, the leader of the Varden must move the rebels into safety from Galbatorix’ impending retribution.

Eldest was released in August 2005, three months prior to Christopher Paolini’s twenty-second birthday. The author’s young age has always surrounded the success of Eragon, resonating both positively (”what an amazing feat for a writer so young!”) and negatively (”considering his age, the book is bound to be rubbish!”), but always adding to the myth, and ultimately the number of books sold. Eldest suffers from some of the same points Eragon did: Alagaësia reads like Middle Earth (the setting of master Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings) and Eragon’s story arc parallels that of Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy.

The love Paolini shows for his favorite stories detracts from his originality as an author. On the other hand, the familiar surroundings make for an easy introduction and a fast orientation within the story, which gets progressively intricate with Eldest. The book is not uniquely focused on Eragon anymore, but jumps back and forth between three independent storylines which obviously, but also quite assuredly, converse in Eldest’s final chapters. Eragon’s storyline is determined by learning: on his journey to Ellesméra he gets acquainted with the Dwarf culture, in Ellesméra he discovers much about the Elves’ way of living, and during his training he gets insight into what it means to be a Dragon Rider.

The detailed way in which Paolini elaborates the non-human cultures, the way what makes the Elves and Dwarves tick is put on par and showcased as much as the Human antics is something that sets his work apart from that of Tolkien’s rather secretive treatment of the ‘fair folk’ and the ‘bearded diminutives’. Plot-wise, this makes for almost no immediate action for Eragon, but this is perfectly balanced out through the storyline of Roran, who rises up to the villager’s leader in their struggle against the Ra’zac (hideous special agents of Galbatorix) and an imperial legion. Roran’s fight is as much physical as it is mental: the battle for survival and the loss of someone very close to him push Roran to the edge of sanity and any moral values he used to harbour.

If Eragon’s story is that of learning, and Roran’s that of survival, the third (and briefest) plot thread, the one focusing on the Varden and their leader, deals with politics. The Varden, it must be understood, are not a homogenic enterprise. Paolini displays an uncanny understanding of political subtleties when he describes the schemings amongst the various factions within the Varden. The Varden aren’t just the ‘good guys’ (whereas the Empire pretty much is evil incarnate), many of the members are implied to have joined the cause simply to get their own grasp on power after the Empire is overthrown. It is interesting to follow how various Varden attempt to puppeteer their leader to benefit their own interests, and how the leader (who’s name, for the sake of suspense, shall not be revealed here) holds up against these manipulations.

Paolini further deceives his age in the way he handles the romantic part of the story. Eragon has had a weakness for Arya since he rescued her in the first book, but (quite ironically) the Elf is far more mature and experienced than her looks would have you guess. Paolini’s writing of this never succumbs to teenage-love-story-syndrome, but instead has much to say on the theme of unrequited love. It is also evident that Paolini has grown as a writer, his majestic and lush descriptions of new places flowing much easier than in Eragon, feeling a lot less forced. It is also intriguing to learn how minor events in Eragon that happened only in passing (like Eragon and his dragon blessing a Varden child in the ancient, magical language) are revealed to carry major consequences.

The strongest improvement, and what ultimately makes Eldest superior to Eragon, was Paolini’s choice to let the story be told from more perspectives. Splitting up the story’s focus between three characters rather than laying it on Eragon alone allows for a much better pacing and a more dynamic unfolding of the plot. And the moment when all three storylines are tied together is hugely satisfying. All of this is, of course, set to the backdrop of another epic battle, but what really makes the event special is a significant plot twist involving Eragon’s past. The secrecy behind Eragon’s parents is revealed, and the appearance of the person who tells him combined with that person’s (new) role in the scheme of things lays the path for the events in book three, which Paolini is currently writing (no confirmed release date set) and carries the rumoured title Empire.

It should be evident from this brief glimpse into Eldest that I believe Christopher Paolini, despite his tale’s likeness to The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, can stand his own in fantasy literature and brings something fresh to it. The Inheritance books are a captivating read and might very well reach an even wider audience by the end of the year, when Stephen Fangmeier’s movie adaptation of Eragon (starring newcomer Ed Speleers as Eragon, and John Malkovich as King Galbatorix) is released in cinemas worldwide.

Posted in Books & Comics, Reviews •

Warner Home Video has officially announced the DVD release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for 7 March 2006. The Mike Newell directed highest grossing film of 2005 (worldwide) will be available in three different formats: a single-disc version, a double-disc special edition, and as part of a collector’s set of the first four Harry Potter movies. Recommended retail prices are set at $19.95 for the single disc edition, $22.95 for the double disc version and $73.92 for the collector’s set. A PSP version is also slated for release, priced at $22.95. A high-definition version will hit shelves about a month later, April 11. It will require a HD-DVD player and HD television set to play.

The list of bonus features includes:

Posted in Harry Potter, Movies •