 Baz Luhrmann sure knows how to bring the bombast to his take on The Great Gatsby, but in the end he’s just the latest filmmaker to fail in his attempt to bring the classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald to life. Luhrmann, along with co-writer Craig Pearce, relishes in trying to both bring the period setting to the screen in glorious 3D and giving it a vibrant modern feel. Visually, they’re certainly successful, and much of what you see and hear is suitably garish and loud, but the screenplay just can’t deliver. The plot of the novel is there, but it doesn’t express nearly the same thing. Luhrmann isn’t at all interested in the decline of this particular American period of excess and often seems to be celebrating it instead. Luckily for him, he’s got a real good performance from Leonardo DiCaprio in his back pocket. I’m not as indifferent to this latest adaptation as some will be, but a Best Picture contender, this is not. It’s far too artificial and without an emotional center to be anything more. Read more on The Great Gatsby (**½)…
Categories: Film Reviews Tags: 2013 releases, Amitabh Bachchan, Baz Luhrmann, Carey Mulligan, Craig Pearce, Elizabeth Debicki, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton, Leonardo DiCaprio, The Great Gatsby, tobey maguire
 CBS Films recently announced that the newest Coen Brothers film, Inside Llewyn Davis, would have a December 6 release date, right in the heart of awards season (after its debut at the Cannes Film Festival). This bodes well for those (including myself) who have the film in their Best Picture predictions, as well as the film’s overall Oscar chances (especially in the Original Screenplay field). The film – both written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen – is set in 1960s Greenwich Village at the height of the folk music era that brought us great music from legends like Bob Dylan and Neil Young. The cast includes Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, and F. Murray Abraham. Have a look at a few new images from the film after the jump. This is one I can’t be more excited about!
Read more on New Images from the Coen Brothers’ New Film ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’…
Directed By: Joel and Ethan Coen
Written By: Joel and Ethan Coen
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, and F. Murray Abraham
Synopsis: A singer-songwriter navigates New York’s folk music scene during the 1960s.
Read more on Awards Profile: Inside Llewyn Davis…
Get it while it’s hot! I don’t expect this to be online long before it is removed, but check out the trailer for the latest Coen Brothers film, Inside Llewyn Davis, which has dropped before schedule online. I am more than excited for this film loosely based on folk singer Dave Van Ronk (Oscar Isaac). Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, F. Murray Abraham, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, and Adam Driver also star, but stop reading and watch it right now, after the jump.
Read more on Trailer for Coen Brothers’ ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’ Leaks Online…
 After debuting a set of new posters, Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby. Opening in May 2013, Luhrmann’s film stars potential Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio along with Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, and Isla Fisher.
The film was originally scheduled to come out on Christmas and then was pushed back abruptly by Warner Bros. last summer. Could this be a potential Oscar player for next season?
Check out the full trailer after the jump.
Read more on New Trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s ‘The Great Gatsby’…
 Tomorrow morning, the Critics Choice Awards will bestow their nominees for the world to see. While it might sound biased, I very much respect the organization’s choices more times than not. While their known for predicting the outcome of the Academy Awards, they do reward powerful and eclectic cinema when everyone else seems to be ignoring.
Last year the ten Best Picture nominees were:
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse
As we all know, there were nine Best Picture nominees chosen by the Academy last year and ALL nine are represented. The group may be more telling then meets the eye, at least in Best Picture. The acting awards usually have their fair share of Academy picks but as you we see with nominations for Carey Mulligan for Shame, Ryan Gosling for Drive, Michael Fassbender for Shame, and Patton Oswalt for Young Adult, the group often chooses the “more” deserving and not the one’s with the “buzz.”
Below, find my predictions for the organization. The Critics Choice Movie Awards airs LIVE on January 10, 2013. Better yet, the BFCA is introducing several new categories including “Favorite Fan Franchise,” where The Awards Circuit will be one of the voting beacons for all fans to vote. Get ready!
Read more on Critics’ Choice Movie Awards Preview…
Categories: Article, Editor Tags: Artist, Best Acting Ensemble, BFCA, Carey Mulligan, Cinema of the United States, Director, Editor, emma stone, Entertainment/Culture, Films, Human Interest, Jesse Forever, John Hawkes, Kelly Reilly, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Freeman, Michael Fassbender, naomi watts, Paris, Patton Oswalt, Paul Thomas Anderson, Pierce Gagnon, PT Huntsman Indonesia, Rashida Jones, Ryan Gosling, Shame, The Academy Awards, The Amazing Spider-Man, the critics choice awards, the Critics Choice Movie Awards, Tree of Life, Wuthering Heights, Young Actor/Actress, Young Adult
With the upcoming DVD/Blu-ray release of Sarah Polley’s second directorial feature, Take This Waltz, the Canadian-born writer/director builds upon the promising foundation of her filmmaking career.
Polley follows up her acclaimed and Oscar-nominated debut, Away from Her (2006), with a simply honest portrayal of a woman’s struggle to fill the gaps in her seemingly happy marriage. Boasting crisp cinematography, good writing, and believable character depictions, the effort mostly succeeds in coming across as composed and genuine. While Michelle Williams predictably delivers a solid performance, it’s difficult at times to understand or empathize with her predicament and decisions, due to their impulsive and somewhat erratic nature. Seth Rogen as the naively loving, slightly disconnected husband and Sarah Silverman as the strangely wise alcoholic sister-in-law both fill their supporting roles effectively. It’s worth a look if you’re curious.
Read more on Ten Films by Ten Women Directors…
Categories: Article, Women in Cinema Tags: Andrea Arnold, Anna Paquin, Away from, bank requesting, banker, Bill Murray, Bob Harris, Brenda Chapman, Bruce Wayne, Canada, Carey Mulligan, Charlotte, Christian Bale, Cinema of the United States, Coppola family, Debra Granik, Entertainment/Culture, Evan Rachael Wood, Holly Hunter, Jane Campion, Jim Sturgess, Jodie Foster, Jonathan Dayton, Julia Child, Julie & Julia, Julie Taymor, Katheryn Bigelow, Kimberly Peirce, Lisa Cholodenko, Lorene Scafaria, Lynne Ramsey, Mary Harron, Mel Gibson, Meryl Streep, Michael Arndt, Michelle Williams, Nora Ephron, Oscar, Patrick Bateman, Patty Jenkins, Paul Dano, Penny Marshall, Peter Sarsgaard, Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Polley, Sarah Silverman, Scarlett Johansson, Seth Rogen, Sofia Coppola, Steve Carrell, the Oscar, the Oscars, Tokyo, tom hanks, Valerie Faris, Waltz
Our frontrunner?
Trying to sand down the rough slate that is the Actress categories is an intimidating task. The past few years, the category has produced the likes of Natalie Portman in her career-topping performance in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan and Marion Cotillard’s transformation like no other in the Foreign Language film, La Vie en Rose.
It’s August. Summer’s coming to an end. Eight months have passed and we have one, count, one, Best Actress contender on the chart. Quvenzhané Wallis is more and more looking like the little engine that could for her heartbreaking turn in Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild. While many are shouting from the rooftops that she could be the one to hold the Oscar, barely reaching the microphone, and being a Cinderella story for the millennium, there’s no one to challenge her as of now.
In the past week, Carey Mulligan has dropped off due to the “sudden” push of The Great Gatsby to summer 2013. Was that telling of something? We’ll discuss on this week’s episode of Power Hour if it was. With Mulligan out, we are struggling to find spots filled from performances coming down the pike.
Read more on “Best” Actress Award or “Whatever We Have Left Over”…
Categories: Article, Editor, Oscar Circuit Tags: Amy Adams, Anna Karenina, Anne Hathaway, Carey Mulligan, Darren Aronofsky, david cronenberg, emily watson, Emmanuelle Riva, Greta Gerwig, Halle Berry, Helen Hunt, Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Joe Wright, Julianne Moore, Keira Knightley, La Vie En Rose, Laura Linney, Lost in Translation, Maggie Smith, Marion Cotillard, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Michael Haneke, naomi watts, nicole kidman, olivia colman, Olivia Williams, Oscar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Pride & Prejudice, Rob Marshall, Robert Lorenz, Rose Byrne, Scarlett Johansson, The Great Gatsby, The Weinstein Company Holdings LLC, To the Wonder
 Big news has dropped today folks. Early on in the year ‘The Great Gatsby’ was thought by just about everyone to be gunning for a whole lot of Oscar love, and it still might, but it’ll have to wait a year. Yes, The Hollywood Reporter writes here that Warner Brothers has moved the 3D film to the summer of 2013 and out of a coveted Christmas Day slot. I don’t think any of us saw this coming, and it definitely shakes up the race a great deal, as you can take the film, Baz Luhrmann’s direction (plus the adapted screenplay he co-wrote), and the performances of Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, and Isla Fisher out of the equation, not to mention the below the line possibilities. Perhaps this is a sign that Warner is extra confident in the likes of ‘Argo’, ‘Cloud Atlas’, and ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’? After the jump I’ll share with you WB’s reasoning, but it’s time to update those Oscar predictions and take Gatsby off of them. Read on for more below about this very surprising development…
Read more on Warner Brothers pushes ‘The Great Gatsby’ to 2013!…
 The second half of the year is upon us. The race is about to heat up with big Oscar hopefuls coming down the pike. Our John Foote will be in attendance at the Toronto International Film Festival and many films will be unveiling themselves to critics alike. There is a very unclear yet still feasible shape to the race looking from ten thousand feet.
There are internet jitters building for Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master starring Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman. With the trailers released and now the film being pushed up to September, it looks as though we may be in store for a master class in filmmaking. Phoenix also looks to be a lead contender for his first Oscar after delivering in his previous nominated works, Gladiator (2000) and Walk the Line (2005). Phoenix does have tough competition ahead of him including what looks to be a critical darling-type performance coming from John Hawkes in Ben Lewin’s The Sessions. Early word is very positive for the film and the turns by Hawkes along with co-stars Helen Hunt and William H. Macy. Since Hawkes’ initial nomination two years ago for Winter’s Bone, he hasn’t shown any signs of letting up. He was arguably left off last year in Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene and will be seen later this year in Julia Dyer’s The Playroom and Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. There seems to be a tremendous following and support for him in his current state. Speaking of Spielberg, we’re still awaiting some type of marketing material for his upcoming Lincoln biopic. No poster or trailer has been released with very few stills leaked online. One starts to think if it will even be ready in time.
Taking a look at the next couple of months, the circuit will begin to reveal itself.
Read more on Oscar Circuit: “It’s the time of the season”…
Categories: Article, Editor, Oscar Circuit, Oscar Predictions Tags: Amour, Amy Adams, ang lee, Anna Karenina, Anne Hathaway, Arbitrage, Argo, Ava DuVarney, Ben Affleck, Bill Murray, Bradley Cooper, Brave, bryan cranston, Carey Mulligan, Chris Pine, Christoph Waltz, Christopher Walken, Clint Eastwood, Cloud Atlas, Colin Farrell, Daniel Barnz, Daniel Day-Lewis, David O. Russell, Django Unchained, Editor, Elizabeth Olsen, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Flight, Fun-Size, Great Expectations, Halle Berry, Helen Hunt, Hyde Park on Hudson, jamie foxx, Joaquin Phoenix, Joe Wright, John Goodman, John Hawkes, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, judd apatow, Justin Timberlake, kathryn bigelow, Killing Them Softly, Laura Linney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Les Miserables, Liam Neeson, Liberal Arts, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Logan Lerman, Looper, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Martin McDonagh, Michael Haneke, Middle of Nowhere, Moonrise Kingdom, nicole kidman, Not Fade Away, olivia colman, Olivia Williams, Oscar Circuit, oscar predictions, Paul Thomas Anderson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Quentin Tarantino, Rian Johnson, Richard Gere, Rise of the Guardians, Roger Michell, Russell Crowe, Rust and Bone, Sam Rockwell, Seth Rogen, seven psychopaths, Silver Linings Playbook, Skyfall, Steven Spielberg, the dark knight rises, The Grandmasters, The Guilt Trip, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Impossible, The Man with the Iron Fists, The Master, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Sessions, tom hanks, Trouble with the Curve, Viola Davis, Woody Harrelson, Wreck-It Ralph, Zero Dark Thirty
 Cannes is over. We have a possible Best Picture contender in Michael Haneke’s Amour, which you can see added to the Oscar Tracker. In the past month, trailers for big Oscar contenders have dropped like Roger Michell’s Hyde Park on Hudson, Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, and even as late as yesterday with Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables. Any talk circling around the notion of an Oscar nomination possibility is mere beguilement and an attempt to satisfy our obsessions during this first half of the fiscal year. But that’s why we read the Awards Circuit, isn’t? Read more on Oscar Circuit: “Right Category, Right Time”…
Categories: Editor, Oscar Circuit, Oscar Predictions Tags: Anne Hathaway, best picture, Carey Mulligan, Director, Hyde Park on Hudson, Laura Linney, Lead Actor, Lead Actress, Les Miserables, Oscar Circuit, oscar predictions, Oscars, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, The Great Gatsby
Here is the first trailer from Baz Luhrmann’s (Moulin Rouge!) The Great Gatsby, an adaptation of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel that stars Leonardo DiCaprio (in the titular role), Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, and Joel Edgerton.
Read more on First Trailer for ‘The Great Gatsby’…
 Directed By: Ethan and Joel Coen
Written By: Ethan and Joel Coen
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake, Garret Hedlund, John Goodman, F. Murray Abraham, Adam Driver
Synopsis (From IMDB): “A singer-songwriter navigates New York’s folk music scene during the 1960s.”
Read more on Awards Profile: Inside Llewyn Davis…
 Via Sasha Stone at Awards Daily, Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” got a poster showcasing Oscar Nominee Carey Mulligan displayed prominently in the forefront. I believe in her potential for Oscar but not convinced on a category placement. My gut says they’ll push her Lead. Also after the jump is character posters for Tim Burton’s “Dark Shadows” with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. If you listened to last week’s Power Hour, the staff and I remain skeptical about its prospects. Check it out. Read more on New Posters Hit including The Great Gatsby!…
Categories: Poster Tags: Baz Luhrmann, Carey Mulligan, chloe grace moretz, Dark Shadows, Helena Bonham Carter, Images, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar hopeful, poster, The Great Gatsby, Tim Burton
Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Written by: Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher, Amitabh Bachchan, Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth Debicki, Jason Clarke, Brendan Maclean, Callan McAuliffe
Synopsis: Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby’s circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy. (Provided by IMDB.com)
F. Scott Fitzgerald had his novel “The Great Gatsby” published in 1925. He began writing it two years earlier and in his wildest dreams could not imagine, the effect the book would have not only on the literary world but its many attempts at translating it to the world of cinema.
Read more on Awards Profile: The Great Gatsby…
Categories: Award Profile, Editor Tags: Awards Profile, Baz Luhrmann, Carey Mulligan, Isla Fisher, Joel Edgerton, Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar hopeful, The Great Gatsby, tobey maguire, warner bros
 Every year the Supporting Categories are the hardest to predict. And it makes me so damn frustrated. Grr. This year I am 100% positive two actresses will receive nominations; Octavia Spencer and Berenice Bejo.
Read more on Women in Cinema- The “Oscarettes”: Who Will be nominated for Best Supporting Actress?…
Categories: Article, Women in Cinema Tags: Berenice Bejo, Carey Mulligan, janet mcteer, Jessica Chastain, Melissa McCarthy, Octavia Spencer, oscarettes, Shailene Woodley, vanessa redgrave, women in cinema
 The general Oscar prognostication consensus about ‘Drive’ has been for most of the season that it’s going to be one of the sadder snubs of the year at the Oscars, save for Albert Brooks in Best Supporting Actor. Ryan Gosling has a chance because of the year he’s having, but Picture, Director, and Adapted Screenplay has always seemed like wishful thinking, with the techs a question mark. I’m here to say that we might be underestimating this flick, and I’m pleased to write that it’s still in the race. Scott Feinberg recently tweeted his similar thoughts, writing “This may yet change, but I am now of the opinion that DRIVE will score a best picture Oscar nomination. I think it has 250 1st place votes.” This is something I’ve been saying for a bit, but always with a bit of hesitance, knowing the film was a longer shot than many others currently in the race. Passionately loved films like this could very well get the necessary 1st place votes to score a nomination, but if it doesn’t show up on any other ballots in the 2nd or 3rd slots, then it doesn’t have the widespread support it needs (more on this later). Despite not receiving a nomination from the Producer’s Guild, I see some Oscar love in this flick’s future.
Read more on Are there enough #1 votes for ‘Drive’ to make Best Picture?…
The Year-In-Review continues with some non-traditional citations on certain films and performances that did or did not make head way in 2011. What are your choices for “Limited Performance” of the year? or Most Underrated Film? or share what you thought about the Year-in-TV as I dish out my favorites in Television Drama and Comedies. Read more after jump. Read more on Year-In-Review: Editor’s Specialty Awards…
Categories: Article, Community, Editor Tags: Alexander Payne, American Horror Story, american idol, Andy Serkis, arthur christmas, Bennett Miller, Berenice Bejo, Best Animated Feature, Best of the year, bill hader, Boardwalk Empire, Brad Pitt, Bridesmaids, Bryce Dallas Howard, Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks, Christine Baranski, dancing with the stars, Dexter, Drive, Eric Stonestreet, George Clooney, glee, Harry Escott, Hugo, it;s always sunny in philadelphia, jane lynch, Jason Segel, jean dujardin, Jessica Chastain, Jessica Lange, John C. Reilly, Jonah Hill, Julie Bowen, Kelly MacDonald, Kristen Wiig, mad men, Martin Scorsese, Max Greenfield, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Michael Fassbender, Michel Hazanavicius, modern family, Moneyball, New Girl, Nicolas Winding Refn, pariah, Paul Feig, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Ryan Gosling, saturday night live, Score, Sean Penn, Shame, sofia vergara, Steve McQueen, Super 8, Survivor, Terrence Malick, the artist, The Descendants, The Help, The Muppets, the office, The Tree of Life, The Walking Dead, the x factor, Tilda Swinton, True Blood, tv, Ty Burrell, Up All Night, We Need To Talk About Kevin
 For Your Consideration – Best Original Score – Harry Escott
Film: “Shame”
Director: Steve McQueen
Screenplay: Steve McQueen & Abi Morgan
Realistic Nominations: Best Actor (Michael Fassbender)
Oscar Scene: Opening Sequence on the Train
Reviews for Steve McQueen’s “Shame” have been mostly positive citing the powerful performances of Michael Fassbender and Academy Award Nominee Carey Mulligan with many jumping for the screenplay by Writer/Director Steve McQueen and Abi Morgan. A forgotten and overlooked aspect of this dark yet hauntingly beautiful picture is the score set in place by Harry Escott. Escott has delivered unique, lingering scores on films like “Hard Candy” and “A Mighty Heart.”
Read more on Circuit Consideration: Harry Escott for “Shame”…
 ‘Shame’ is not just a portrait of sex addiction. It’s also a movie about damaged siblings, the struggle against one’s own nature, and also the absolute loneliness that living in New York can entail. In fact, this is one of the best movies in years about New York, with the city functioning as its own character. Filmmaker Steve McQueen brings his artistic sensibilities to a tough story and makes something beautiful and haunting out of it. It certainly doesn’t hurt that he has Oscar worthy performances from Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan in the film. In fact, Fassbender’s work is the best I’ve seen by an actor all year, and Mulligan is easily in the top 10. I was blown away by this flick…it’s never easy to watch, but you can’t look away. From the impeccably precise direction to the magnificent acting to piercing score and wonderful cinematography, everything about this film is just about perfect. It’s easily one of the top 3 films of 2011 for me (it’s fighting for that number 1 spot with ‘The Descendants’ and ‘Drive’, so stay tuned to see which work emerges victorious at the end of the year, or if something swoops in at the last minute for the top honor) and has stayed with me in the time after seeing it in a way few movies can. It may be a masterpiece by McQueen, who directs and co-writes this film pretty much flawlessly. A quick note about the NC-17 rating…Fox Searchlight made the absolute right decision putting it out with the rating. There’s no satisfying version of this story that could have been done with cuts to make it an R. They’re right in saying the rating is a badge of honor. If any NC-17 film can change the stigma of the rating, this is the one to do it…
Read more on Shame (****)…
Hope y’all enjoyed your Turkey Day last week, folks. Now that your hangover is hopefully recovered, let’s take a look at what’s opening this weekend:
Well…um, that’s interesting. No wide releases this weekend. Oh well, that’s not so bad; the limited circuit has had two very sexually daring movies making their theatrical foreplay. The more anticipated of the two is Steve McQueen’s Shame, about a sex addict whose life spins out of control when his troubled sister moves in with him. The film has been acclaimed by critics – including our own John and Clayton – as a powerful, beautifully-directed cinematic gem with a tour de force performance by Volpi Cup-winner Michael Fassbender. Such widespread kudos would be a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination were it not for one little problem: NC-17. Yep, that dreaded MPAA rating usually spells doom for films trying to reach an audience, as it not only bars the film from being shown in most theaters but the label is often perceived as “pornographic” to mainstream audiences and conservative organizations like the Academy. Then again, it appears as though this film could single-handedly bring back legitimacy to the sexually explicit drama, and AMPAS could reward that with a Best Actor nomination for the ubiquitous thespian. Keep an eye out also for a Supporting Actress nod for Carey Mulligan if that happens. Read more on Weekend Openings (December 2-4)…
 It’s interesting how a lot of people are coming around to the NC-17 rating this year. Last year it was going to be the kiss of death for ‘Blue Valentine’ and this year it was going to spoil any of the hopes and dreams that ‘Shame’ had. In the last month or two though, things have changed. You’re hearing a lot about bucking the NC-17 trend of failure at the box office and Oscars. You’re hearing about legitimizing the rating, and how this could maybe be a good thing for film in general. I’ve been saying it for a long time, but I’m glad it’s finally getting some mainstream traction. Here’s what The Hollywood Reporter recently had to say:
Read more on Will “Shame” Change the Outlook on the NC-17 Rating?…
 Directed by Steve McQueen
One of the most sexually explicit films since Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris (1973), Steve McQueen’s Shame parallels that masterpiece in many ways, the most obvious being the stunning performance from Michael Fassbender. Both films explore escape through intense sexual activity, but Brando’s Paul in Last Tango in Paris (1973) was a on a flight from grief following the recent suicide of his Parisian wife, leaving him with far too many questions, wrapped up in so much guilt, forever blaming himself. In Shame, Brandon is not feeling guilt from the death of a spouse, but is being torn apart emotionally by issues from his past that he has not dealt properly with. Much of Last Tango in Paris (1973), if not all, was improvised, with Brando clearly in his element being permitted to create his character as he moved through the film, while Shame was clearly a scripted work, matched to startling images from its filmmaker.
Read more on Shame (****)…
"Shame" is one of the most daring works of the year…
What Director Steve McQueen and co-writer Abi Morgan achieve in the raw and powerful Shame starring breakout star of 2011 Michael Fassbender and Academy Award nominated actress Carey Mulligan is some of the most daring and provocative work seen this year. Telling the story of Brandon (Fassbender), a mid-30s successful businessman who balances his work life and his unflinching addiction to sex on a daily basis. When his free spirited and often times irresponsible sister Sissy (Mulligan) drops by unexpectedly, Brandon is faced with having his dark secret unravel in his day-to-day operations.
Headlined by tour-de-force performances by Fassbender and Mulligan, Shame wraps you from moment one, never easing its unyielding grip on us and showing the darkest parts of nature in a fresh and venturesome manner. McQueen and Morgan shape their narrative in a classic storytelling procedure that entices the viewer without ever feeling forced. They build two authentic characters that surprisingly you can relate to and find solace in. This archetype could be considered one of the best written works of 2011.
Read more on Shame (***½)…
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