Frances Ha

Frances Ha is a 2013 American comedy drama film directed by Noah Baumbach, about a dancer struggling to find her place in the world, and a job, and drifting from apartment to apartment as she doesn't have a place to live. Greta Gerwig stars as Frances Halliday, a young dancer working as an understudy for a dance company, flitting between the apartments of her friends Sophie, played by Mickey Summer, Lev played by Adam Driver and Benji played by Michael Zegen.

The film reminded me a huge amount of Woody Allen's Manhattan, like Manhattan, Frances Ha is shot in black and white, giving the film a beautiful timeless quality,the script is fun and playful, and the performances feel real and lived in, the film belongs to the mumblecore movement, and thus the dialogue has a realistic quality. Frances Ha benefits from fantastic performances from its, largely unknown cast, and Great Gerwig shines as the fun, yet complicated Frances Halliday.

Frances Ha is surprisingly joyful for a modern film, the whole film has a light quality, and the films ending has a huge emotional payoff. Frances Ha feels uncomplicated and simple, and doesn't try to be too clever, in some ways the film feels slightly nonchalant and unpretentious, and the whole film has a charm that feels missing from modern Hollywood. The film is entirely engrossing, and we get entirely caught up in Frances' story, this is due for the most part to Great Gerwig's performance, which should have been nominated for an Oscar this year, yet which sadly was snubbed.

Writing this review has been a little difficult, and i feel like i don't have enough to say, but what enchanted me about Frances Ha was the pure joy i felt from watching it, and the sheer amount of pleasure this film gave me, like it's spiritual predecessor Manhattan, Frances Ha looks to be a timeless film that will be enjoyed by many generations for years to come. Frances Ha, like the character is enchanting, effervescent and quirky. Rating: B+

Sophie: It's just this apartment is very... aware of itself.

Lena Dunham's TINY FURNITURE

Tiny Furniture is a 2010 independent comedy drama written by, directed by and starring Lena Dunham. The film also stars Dunham's mother and sister as her on screen mother and sibling. Also featured are Jemima Kirke and Alex Karpovsky, who would later become known through the series GIRLS, also written by Dunham.

The film is about Aura, a girl, who returns from college with a useless degree, and who struggles to find her place in the world she discovers upon returning home. She meets a series of old and new friends and she falls back into a life of despondency and discovers a hopeless lack of self definition. The film marks Dunham's screenwriting debut, and is surprisingly strong for a first film, the film is set and was filmed around manhattan, mostly in TriBeCa on digital cameras for a microbudget of 65 thousand dollars, and this film is a good example of the effectiveness of digital cameras in allowing no budget movies to be made.

The film is essentially a precursor to GIRLS, and features the same themes and in most cases characters as the HBO series, the character of Aura is essentially Hannah Horvath in another form, just as insecure and just as deluded. Kirke's character of Charlotte is almost a carbon copy of Jessa Johnsson, bohemian and spiritually free. Only Karpovsky's character is at all different to it's counterpart in GIRLS. The film is essentially Lena Dunham wrestling with the same ideas and concepts that are discussed in GIRLS, it's about someone struggling to define themselves and find their place in the world, and taking terrible advice from their friends and lovers. The film, like GIRLS is also about the offspring of affluent middle class parents feeling entitled, yet feeling like they aren't allowed to complain about the shittiness of their situation.

The film does have it's flaws, it can feel a little meandering and pedestrian, and the characters can feel a little underdeveloped, with many of the supporting characters feeling like little more than cardboard cutouts, and serving like little more than markers to carry the story along. Despite it's flaws, Tiny Furniture features some top notch performances from it's leads and as always shows Lena Dunham as a writer with a real point of view. Rating: B-

Aura: I just got off a plane from Ohio. I am in a post-graduate delirium.

Nothing Can Kill Ron Woodroof - Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club is a 2013 American biographical drama film directed by Jean Marc Vallée, about the AIDS epidemic during the eighties, and about a group of people who started up a buyers club, smuggling antiviral drugs into the united states from Mexico. The film stars Mathew McConaughey as Woodroof , a man diagnosed with AIDS who is given 30 days to live. Jared Leto stars as Rayon, a pre-op transsexual who joins up with Woodroof in the buyers club, also featured is Jennifer Garner, who plays a doctor treating AIDS patients at the Dallas Mercy Hospital.

The film uses an interesting narrative structure, the movie is divided into chapters based on the time elapsed since Woodroof's HIV diagnosis, there on the film uses titles to tell us how much time has elapsed since the diagnosis, which drives home the idea of Woodroof only having 30 days to live, and his fight for survival. The film tells an interesting side of the AIDS epidemic, and presents two facets of the community who were affected by the epidemic, yet whose stories are rarely told, straight people and transsexuals, their stories are just as important, and this is a film which gives them a voice without making it seem like they were the sole saviors of that era.

The film succedes in large part due to it's interesting narrative structure, strong direction and filming, and its diverse and talented cast. Both Leto and McConaughey give phenomenal performances, with both being frontrunners for the Oscars. McConaughey's performance is visceral and powerful, and he successfully plays a man who is conflicted and ignorant, and who is desperately struggling for survival in a world which has become unaccepting of him. I have to credit Matthew McConaughey (and my friend Orla for pointing this out) for successfully shedding his romantic comedy persona of the mid 2000's, and managing to become seen as a serious actor these past few years, descending into Rom-Com territory is usually a one way journey, yet McConaughey has successfully managed to rise from the ashes. Jared Leto also gives a simply stunning performance as Rayon, a transsexual woman who is trying to find her place in the world, as well as her place within herself, and who joins with Woodroof in an attempt to stay alive, no matter how loathsome she finds his personality, Leto manages to be perfectly convincing in his character, and it is impossible to imagine Rayon any other way, such is the power of his performance.

Dallas Buyers Club is a film about trying to survive, about fighting for life in any way possible. Dallas Buyers Club tells a story about a side of the AIDS epidemic that we haven't seen before, and succeeds due to it's strong direction and powerful performances from Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey. Dallas Buyers Club is a powerful story about a fight for life, no matter what obstacles come in your way. Rating:A-

Ron Woodroof: Welcome to the Dallas Buyers Club!

12 YEARS A SLAVE - Review by Philip Josse

12 Years a Slave is a 2013 film adapted by Steve McQueen from the memoir of the same name by Solomon Northup. The film stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as Northup, with the supporting cast being filled out by Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Sarah Paulson and Brad Pitt. The film is a fairly faithful adaptation of Northup's novel, and was largely filmed in Louisiana, the film was mainly produced independently, by Brad Pitt's production company Plan B Entertainment.

The film succeeds in large part due to it's performances, the main cast presents some pretty fantastic performances, and thus the film is heartfelt, powerful and strong. Ejiofor's performance as Solomon Northup is particularly strong, and he manages to successfully play a man who is strong, but beaten down, who has morals but who feels conflicted, and who is desperately mourning the loss of his children and wife, despite not being able to show it.

The other star of this film is Lupita Nyong'o, whoose performance as Patsey is particularly strong. Patsey is a woman who is very childlike in the way she behaves, yet in the hand of Nyong'o she becomes three dimensional and real, and becomes a character we truly care about. Also fantastic is Sarah Paulson, who is menacing and vicious as the plantation owners wife, and who brings a gravitas to the role.

The other main success of this film is that it provides characters who are complex and detailed, but who we really manage to care about, this provides an immense emotional weight to the piece, and allows us to attach to the piece emotionally, this provides a true gravitas to the film, the storytelling of the film is fantastic, and there is a refreshing lack of voice over, a sadly overused concept in most modern films. Despite all these positives, i felt a little underwhelmed by 12 Years A Slave, this film was so hyped and was apparently so good that i left feeling a bit off, and i couldn't help feeling that despite being technically strong, the film was never engrossing, and i didn't leave wondering anything more about the characters. The problem is that McQueen keeps us a little bit distant from the characters in the film, and despite being emotionally invested, our investment ends at the conclusion of the film.

Overall, 12 Years A Slave, despite not being a perfect film, is a strong piece of work and succeeds largely due to its highly talented cast, its great script and beautiful photography, it's only failures are in it's distant quality and the underwhelming nature of the film. I was impressed by the film on an isolated level, but it is unfortunate that it was so over-hyped, this is the film version of a Lady Gaga album. However 12 Years A Slave remains an important film highlighting the west's sickening history with slavery. Rating: A-

Solomon Northup: I will not fall into despair till freedom is opportune!

LOOKING - A New Comedy

Often described as the gay comedy for the new generation, LOOKING is the new series on HBO, which debuted on sunday. I know that it may seem like i'm writing a lot of TV reviews at the moment, but what can i say, i'm feeling inspired. LOOKING is a show about three gay friends living in San Francisco, each at a crossroads in their lives, and looking for something new. The series stars Jonathon Groff as Patrick a man with a successful career as a video game developer looking for love.

This show is perhaps best describes as being to Queer As Folk what Girls is to Sex And The City, the show in a sense shares much with its older, maturer, camper predecessor. The show feels fresh, and modern, and speaks to a younger audience than Queer As Folk. I think that the younger parts of the gay community are much less overt than the older parts, they are less segregated and tend to blend in more easily, the show reflects this. Looking is essentially a show like any other, its about dating and life, the only quirk is that the characters are gay, but it doesn't speak only to that group, it speaks to anyone of this age.

The show feels well written and well plotted, the characters seem well rounded and don't often fall back on stereotypes, the characters interactions seem realistic and there is little of the 'meeting up for cocktails' that so often featured on Sex And The City, instead this show is more likely to feature smoking a joint in the park or going cruising on the subway, which perhaps speaks to our generation.

Overall i was fairly impressed by LOOKING, the show feels fresh and modern, and adds to HBO's already impressive comedy roster. The show is unpretentious and realistic, and the shows leads seem competent, so despite not being flabbergasted by this show, i feel that there is promise for the rest of the season, and it is finally nice to have a show in TV that speaks to people like me, a demographic that feels poorly represented. Rating: B-

The Lost Child of Philomena Lee

Philomena Lee was a woman who became pregnant during the 1950's, who was sent to a nunnery in Ireland to have her baby, and whose baby was subsequently given up for adoption, in 2004 she met a journalist who helped her uncover the story, who subsequently wrote a book about their travels, and in 2013, the book was adapted to film by Stephen Frears and Steve Coogan as Philomena, a films starring Coogan and Dame Judi Dench, as Martin Sixsmith and Philomena Lee.

From the 1920's up until the 1970's nunneries all across europe ran what were known as Magdalene Laundries, where pregnant girls, known as 'fallen women' were taken in, made to sign documents relinquishing rights to their unborn children and forced to work like slaves in laundries for many years until they had paid off their debts to the convent. Philomena was taken to one of these institutions as a young girl, and after she had her baby, it was sold to an American couple. She subsequently became haunted by thoughts of the child, and this film documents her 50 year search for her son. Their search takes them from England to Ireland,all the way to the United States and back.

The film can be classed as a serio-comedy, although the film is fairly dark in tone and serious in atmosphere, the dialogue is light, and the film has some funny moments, and the comedic chemistry between Dench and Coogan is fantastic. Overall the film has a great script, the characters feel real and developed, and the dialogue is real and honest, without becoming hammy and melodramatic. One thing i really liked about this film is the fact that it was essentially a series of short linked together scene, there is a real trend for long, takes and long scenes, and it is refreshing to see a film which manages to contain just as much development and depth using shorter scenes and takes.

The performances in this film are also great, Dench was nominated for best actress at both the Golden Globes and The Oscars, and her performance in this film is deft and strong as we have come to expect from her, Dench manages to successfully master the irish accent whilst managing to act through it, and manages to portray a deeply complex woman struggling with a secret that has haunted for 50 years, whilst also trying to maintain a grip on her faith. Dench lights up the screen with her radiance and presence, bravo!

This film is a strong indictment on the catholic church and the practice of Magdalene Laundries and how they ruined lives, the film criticizes the practices of secrecy and hiding away problems rather than resolving them. The film also critiques the catholic faith, and it's foul reliance on penance, guilt and punishment, and the idea that having sex is something that should automatically be punished. Philomena is a powerful indictment of a cruel and powerfully corrupt organization.

I was highly impressed by Philomena, this film is an important story, well written about an important story and one that needs to be seen. Philomena is a well acted, powerful drama which lifts the lid on a truly foul practice. Rating: B+

"Philomena Lee: I did not abandon my child, he was taken away from me."

Analyzing the 86th Academy Award Nominations at the Laundrette

Well, i know that it may seem like i am putting rather a lot of emphasis on awards season at the moment, as i recently said to some mocking members of my family (you know who you are) it’s like my superbowl, and is now my favorite holiday of the year (yes, it’s even better than Christmas). Yesterday, the Oscar nominations were released, and for the first time ever, I watched them being unveiled live, yes, it was pretty exciting. This year the Oscars will be celebrating heroes, superheroes, action heroes and film heroes, and the ceremony will be hosted by Ellen DeGeneres for the second time. Just to be clear in this post I will not be giving my predictions for the results themselves, just commenting on various snubs and surprises, it seems like an appropriate time.

It seems like a good idea to start with the supporting acting categories, the only real surprise in the Best Supporting Actor category was the inclusion of Jonah Hill for The Wolf of Wall Street, his performance in the film is not typical academy fare, and it’s nice for the academy to be finally recognizing comedy. His performance in the film is fantastic, and in some ways is instrumental to DiCaprio’s performance. His inclusion comes of course at the cost of Danel Bruhl’s performance in Rush, in a sense it is a shame that the academy still refuses to properly represent foreign actors, and this year Barkhad Abdi is the only vaguely foreign nominee in any of the acting categories (he was born in Somalia but was raised in Yemen).

There are no surprises this year in the Best Supporting Actress category, and the nominees are the same as they were for the globes, the only snub is the omission of Oprah Winfrey for The Butler, her performance was visceral, painful and touching, and it is a shame that neither the HFPA nor the Academy saw fit to recognize her work. 

In the Best Actor category there were rather a few surprises, as with last year, this is an incredibly stuffed category, and there were many fantastic performances by men this year, the caliber of the actors who were snubbed is testament to this. Christian Bale’s performance is American Hustle was nominated, he truly is a fantastic actor and it was great to see his work on this film nominated. Bruce Dern’s performance in Nebraska also got a nomination, and it’s always nice to se an older actor get recognition, especially after so fine a career.

Now for the snubs, and I’m afraid there were many, perhaps the most obvious omission is Tom Hanks, who was lauded for his work on Captain Philips, and who was nominated for a globe for his performance. I feel that although Hanks didn’t get a nomination, his castmate did, and it is nice to see the academy supporting new and exciting talent. Also snubbed was Robert Redford, whose performance in All is Lost failed to get a nod, this is a shame, particularly as Redford has yet to win an Oscar, but, this category was awfully full this year. Also snubbed were Oscar Isaac and Idris Elba, I was particularly upset by Isaac’s lack of a nomination, as his performance in Inside LLewyn Davis is truly a powerhouse, and his performance is emotional and at times heartbreaking. The only other real snub was Joaquin Phoenix, for Her, this is even more surprising given that he has nominated multiple times for the Oscars and has never won, and that he is clearly not on the Academy’s ‘Hit List’.

In the Best Actress category there were only a few surprises, Meryl Streep’s nomination for August Osage County, although a surprise, is not really a shock, the academy has favored Meryl for years, and although she is a superb actress, her performance in this film is far from special. Of the snubs the most surprising is the omission of Emma Thompson for her work on Saving Mr Banks, her performance in this film was acclaimed by critics, and Hollywood has long favored self-referential films about the making of movies (think ‘The Artist’). Among other snubs was the omission of either of the stars of Blue Is The Warmest Color, although I didn’t really expect this film to get a nomination, I feel that it is essentially a continuum of the Academy’s refusal to grant nominations for worthy foreign language performances.

In the Best Director category, I was delighted for Martin Scorsese to get a nomination for The Wolf of Wall Street, otherwise there were very few snubs, perhaps the only surprisingly omission is Paul Greengrass, director of Captain Phillips. This category, although surprisingly in cases is not the momental flop it was last year, and the nominations seem at least fairly logical.

The Best Screenplay categories also seem fairly logical, the only startling omissions are the snubs of Inside LLewyn Davis and Saving Mr Banks. Perhaps Meryl Streeps smear campaign against Walt Disney worked better than anyone expected. The addition of The Broken Circle Breakdown in the Best Foreign Language Film category is a bit of a surprise,  and it certainly makes me a little proud to be from Belgium! I would describe Blue Is the Warmest Color as a snub, despite the fact that it wasn’t selected as France’s official selection for this category, it is disappointing that this film wasn’t given more recognition.

There were no real snubs in the Best Animated Feature category, the omission of Monsters University will perhaps come as a surprise to some, but overall this film simply didn’t match up to the quality of the other films in competition this year. The surprises are the additions of The Wind Rises and Ernest and Celestine. It is nice to see Hayao Miyazaki nominated seeing as this is it’s last feature film, and it’s great for a couple of foreign animated movies to be nominated this year.

The Best Documentary Feature featured some of the biggest snubs this year, Blackfish failed to receive a nomination despite being acclaimed at Sundance and being a powerful portrayal of a complex subject. Also missing from this category was Stories We Tell, the autobiographical film by Sarah Polley that was largely seen as being a favorite for this category, and of all the categories this year, this category seems to be the most disappointing and illogical.

Now we come to Best Picture, again this was a hugely competitive year, and there were many fantastic films that weren’t nominated here or at the golden globes, the biggest surprises are the Coen Brothers’ Inside LLewyn Davis, Saving Mr Banks, Capitan Phillips and Blue Is the Warmest Color, and it would have been nice to see the latter receive some recognition, in lieu of it being this years’ recipient of the Palme D’Or at Cannes, this again perhaps proves Cannes ineffectiveness at providing a barometer for what will happen during awards season (runner up was Inside LLewyn Davis which also failed to receive a nomination). Also snubbed was Lee Daniels’ The Butler, which although attempting to be Oscar bait, failed to pick up a single major nomination this awards season, (retrospectively this can perhaps be seen as a sign of the Academy’s integrity, I must explore this sometime).

Overall this years’ list seems to be a fairly logical (if a little safe) series of nominees, there are no categories which the academy really screwed up (unlike last year), and the academy even tentatively branched out, nominating more unexperienced actors, and supporting a lot of young talent including the feature film debuts of Lupita Nyong’o and Barkhad Abdi. It is also worth noting that Jennifer Lawrence’s third nomination makes her the youngest person ever to receive three nominations. Overall the biggest snubs are of course Inside LLewyn Davis which failed to pick up a single major nomination despite being a fantastic film, and Saving Mr Banks, which was long thought to be a favorite to win best picture. Lee Daniels’ The Bulter was also snubbed and failed to pick up a single nomination. Finally rounding out this group therapy session is Blue Is The Warmest Color, which wasn’t nominated for a single Oscar. The fact that Jackass was nominated for Best Makeup and Hairstyling will surely amuse some, but American Hustle’s snub from this category is a mystery (perhaps explosion at the wig factory would have been a better title).

Overall this is a fine list of categories, and the Acadely showed their artistic integrity somewhat by picking some unexpected nominees, and not rising to the bait of some films, I look forward to the Oscars telecast on the second of march, and I am sure that Ellen DeGeneres will make just as fantastic a host as she did last time, and will certainly do a better job than Seth McFarlane.

The Life and Times of Hugo Cabret

Hugo is a 2011 American fantasy adventure film directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Asa Butterfield and Chloe Grace Moretz, based on the children's book, The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Hugo is about a boy, named Hugo Cabret, who lives in the Gare Monparnasse railway station, mending and winding the station clocks, orphaned by his parents and abandoned by his uncle. Hugo attempts to repair an automaton left by his father, believing it holds a message from him, and is drawn into a world of cinema and fantasy.

Hugo is perhaps the most beautiful film to be released in recent memory, the film is like a fairy tale, fantastical and vivid, and despite containing much computer generated material, there is a concrete reality to the film. The station is a real place, where one can feel the heat of the steam and the smell of the coal, the whole thing feels tangible and tactile. Scorsese paints a vivid picture full of depth only enhanced by 3D.

Hugo is Scorsese's love letter to cinema, this film is Scorsese saying thank you to the films that inspired him, silent films feature heavily in the films plot and visuals, George Meliès is a character in this film, played by the iconic Ben Kingsley. Despite perhaps not being traditional Scorsese film, in some ways it is a deeply personal work, Scorsese bought the rights to this film after being presented with the book by his daughter, so as well as being a love letter to the world and history of cinema, Hugo is also a film he made for his daughter.

The fact that Hugo was directed, produced and projected in 3D has 2 consequences, firstly it is Scorsese showing that whatever he puts his hands on, he is successful, and the use of 3D in this film was acclaimed even by James Cameron, and is seen as being some of the best 3D cinematography of all time. It also adds a fabulous fantasy quality to the entire movie, and creates a sense of heightened reality.

This film also features some pretty fantastic direction and acting, the films leads give some of the best performances by child actors seen since Kramer Vs Kramer or Paper Moon, and particularly Asa Butterfield as Hugo has presence and subtlety, and manages to carry much of the weight of the film on his shoulders. The supporting cast is also superb, with Ben Kingsley and Christopher Lee's performances standing out. Sacha Baron Cohen also proves that he is perfectly capable of slipping seamlessly into an ensemble cast, without his performance becoming overbearing or overly comical.

Hugo is a movie about movies, a film which tells a delightfully old-fashioned traditional story in a new and innovative way, melding traditional and magical storytelling with modern techniques. If the script is, admittedly a little meandering, and perhaps a bit long for a children's movie (although admittedly restrained for a Martin Scorsese film), the emotional payoff once we reach the end truly packs a punch. Hugo is magical, enchanting and extravagant, a true love letter to the magic of the movies, and a magical movie in itself. Rating: A-

 Georges Méliès: "My friends, I address you all tonight as you truly are; wizards, mermaids, travelers, adventurers, magicians... Come and dream with me."             

The 71st Golden Globe Awards

The Golden Globes telecast took place on the 12th of January, and despite the telecast for the most part going off without a hitch, there are a few issues that i would like to address, overall the biggest problem is NOT it's hosts, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are slick, smart and funny, and manage to tread a fine line between offensive and acceptable, for the most part, the people they are making fun of, seem to be in on the joke. Overall our hosts, like last year, did a fantastic job, and seemed to be present, only when it was appropriate, however, despite their effectiveness, this years telecast seemed a little fraught, and i have just a few comments about the ceremony in general:

• First of all, the thing that really irked me was the music that played people off, it came in way too soon, i understand that NBC and the HFPA need to keep to a schedule, but if anything needs cutting it is either the introductions, of the president of the HFPA's speech, not the winners, no one actually made it through their speech entirely without being cutoff, and to tell the truth it was a little awkward. 

• Secondly, they need to do something to reduce the time it takes people to get to the stage, Jacqueline Bisset took a few hours to reach the stage and Robin Wright had to flat out run in order to make it, the amount of time it takes someone to reach the stage has become a sort of barometer of how famous a person is, and this has to be rectified, whether that means moving nominees closer to the front or allowing more space for people to move freely between the tables, something needs to be don, because in some cases it took more time for people to get to their table than their actual speech lasted

• Next, i was fed up by people standing up in front of the camera man, and the shot being ruined, this happened multiple times, when someone won a globe, and there was a shot of their reaction, like clockwork someone stands up and all i can see is black suit jacket. This is very frustrating, and can simply be solved by moving the tables slightly further apart, so that people don't have to stand up, it sounds like i'm being picky, but this was really really irritating after a while.

Well the Golden Globes have always been a little more relaxed than other award shows, they've always been a little more of a party atmosphere, however this show just felt sloppy, and overall the whole show just needs tightening up, and too much time was spent with not enough happening. The shows producers saved on time by attempting to shorten the speeches, which just made the entire show feel a little rushed, overall a well hosted show, but with only mediocre production values.Rating: C+

"To the Rayons of the world, thank you for the inspiration"

 

GIRLS - Season 3

Well, the other night the first two episodes of the third season of one of my favorite shows GIRLS premiered on HBO. The first two episodes are shown back to back, and feature a continuous storyline. At the end of season two, Hannah was suffering from debilitating OCD, Marnie had just got back together with Charlie and Shoshanna was discovering her sexual inner being. Jessa however was totally absent, having disappeared in a previous episode. Adam was also in a bad place, having broken up with Hannah he rediscovers a dark sexual side to his relationships.

The first two episodes deal mainly with Hannah and Adam's relationship, they are back together, and everything seems to be going great, however we soon realize that all is not as it seems, they barely talk, Adam still uses Hannah as a sexual object and he won't meet or talk to her friends, his behavior is erratic and uncompromising and he still won't discuss his feelings. Hannah presents her life as being so much better since season 2, but the truth is that she is still as fucked up as she always was, her life hasn't really gone anywhere, and although her book is progressing, and her publisher is no longer threatening to sue her, she still hasn't finished her novel.

Jessa is really at the center of these episodes, after the events with her parents in season 2, Jessa is in rehab, paid for by her grandmother, but she isn't opening up at all, and still treats her addiction like a joke, and antagonizes the other patients. Eventually Shoshanna, Hannah and Adam come to find her, renting a car and driving through the woods. Shoshanna too has progressed since the previous season, having discovered her sexuality, she is on a crusade to live a life of sexual freedom, a quest which leaves her exhausted and hungover. Shoshanna discovers that despite sleeping with lots of men, that she is really lonely and tired, and she longs for the kind of relationship that Adam and Hannah think they have.

One of the techniques that this series uses often is making moments which aren't actually funny, comedic, we start laughing at gloriously unfunny moments, such as someone sharing a ridiculous story in a group therapy session before realizing that Jessa is laughing too, we laugh at Adams ex-girlfriend confronting him about the way he treated her despite his having done some truly awful things. This is perhaps one of the defining features of GIRLS, it's funny without the characters actually knowing that it's funny, and this is certainly a good thing. There's nothing worse than watching a comedy film (probably starring Vince Vaughn or Adam Sandler) where the characters continually laugh at their own jokes, in fact probably laughing more than the audience.

The beginning of the third season of GIRLS shows promise, season 2 ended on an unbelievable high, and season 3 shows a fierce attempt by Lena Dunham to not simply continue the formula of seasons 1 and 2, but to move forward with a different style of storytelling, whilst retaining the signature style of the beloved show. Overall, a success. Rating: B+

Jessa: “I figured my shit out already when I was 5 years old. Heroin is really fun, but it can also kill you.”

Sex Drugs and Debauchery - The Wolf Of Wall Street

The Wolf of Wall Street was the nickname of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker, trader and convicted criminal who worked in Manhattan during the 1980's as the founder of Straton Oakmont, a brokerage house. The Wolf of Wall Street is also an autobiography written by Belfort in 1999 recounting his escapades during the 80's. Finally The Wolf of Wall Street is also a 2013 film directed by legend Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio. The screenplay of The Wolf of Wall Street was penned by Terrence Winter, writer of The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire.

The film is essentially a satire of the hedonism of the eighties, while the events portrayed here are apparently accurate and mirror the events spoken of in the source materiel, events which are allegedly real, they are evidently exaggerations. I have no doubt that there really were raucous parties, sex and drugs in the office, and wild continuous drug use, the events shown here outshine anything humanly possible, events from throwing a dwarf at a target, to workers having sex in the office bathroom outside of the cubicle and Belfort pouring an entire vial of cocaine down his nose. Everything in this movie is larger than life, the parties are bigger the people are larger, the sex is wilder and the women are hotter. The Wolf of Wall Street uses satire to intensely criticize the debauchery of this era. Instead of Belmont's ship simply running into turbulent waters, the boat is seen as being flooded, hitting 20 foot waves and the helicopter and jet-skis falling into the water, with the ship finally sinking. Although some may see this film as simply a good ride, and many have criticized it for glamorizing the insane acts portrayed, the film uses hyperbole to show us how ridiculous and destructive this kind of behavior can be.

This is certainly not the kind of film you would want to watch with your parents. The first scene manages to accurately set the tone for the rest of the movie with Jordan Belfort seen snorting coke of a hookers buttocks. The drug use during this film is extensive, most of the main characters are seen relying heavily on drugs particularly quaaludes and cocaine.Characters are also seen drinking and smoking almost constantly and sex plays a huge role in this movie, sex is always being bought, sold or exchanged. In a sense the length of the film and sheer amount of graphic content is needed firstly to portray true events accurately, but also so that towards the end of the film, when we have finally become desensitized to all this, do we truly see how reprehensible and despicable these characters are. One must always remember that at it's heart, this film is still essentially a parody, and one wonders if perhaps we have become so alienated by films such as Scary Movie, that we no longer recognize an intelligent parody when we see one.

The film, in-keeping with its categorization as a black comedy, features numerous instances of faux commercials, and characters breaking the fourth wall, this is a clever way of using the first person, as it subtly reminds the audience that this is based on a memoir, and that it is a first person account, without using any heavy handed narration, there are also moments of Belfort correcting various facts, these feel like a nice touch, and add to the ambiance of the entire piece. The film features a fantastic cast, and DiCaprio shines in what is possibly his best performance yet, funny, charismatic and energetic. Leonardo DiCaprio cements his place as one of the most diverse, daring actors working in Hollywood today.

The supporting cast is also very strong, newcomer Margot Robbie shines in a breakout performance and the always electrifying Jonah Hill gives a fun performance as a truly reprehensible character. This film proves Scorsese's skill at directing actors, and the acting in this film is of a high standard. The direction is superb and the film is beautifully shot, i thank god that Scorsese didn't stoop to the lows of shaky-cam, and the film has a gorgeous smooth feel and look. I will admit that i don't really understand all of the criticisms of The Wolf of Wall Street, the film, although portraying some truly despicable behavior, the film satirizes this behaviour, and attempts to show us how ridiculous and desperate it is, just to be clear, this film is not a how to guide as some have misconstrued.

To be honest, i have very little bad things to say, it is energetic, fun and hedonistic. This satirical comedy is well acted, surely directed and features a strong screenplay. This film featuring one of the best performances seen by Leonardo DiCaprio in a motion picture, and a strong performance by newcomer Margot Robbie is a rambunctious infectious romp. But most of all, it's just really really good fun. Rating: A

"My name is Jordan Belfort. The year I turned 26, I made 49 million dollars, which really pissed me off because it was three shy of a million a week."

71st Annual Golden Globes Predictions

Well, the Golden Globes will be held tonight, hosted by my favorite comics, Amy Poehler and Tina Fey and i thought that i would attempt to predict the outcome of each of the film categories during tonight's ceremony here goes!

Best Motion Picture Drama: Well, i feel that the most deserving film nominated is Gravity, however the most likely winner appears to be 12 Years A Slave, which has been getting a large amount of pre-award season buzz.

Best Motion Picture Musical Or Comedy: Well, although i would like The Wolf Of Wall Street to win this award, the most likely candidate to win is either American Hustle or Her, with American Hustle perhaps being the favorite.

Best Actor In A Motion Picture Drama: This one is again a toss up between Chiwetel Ejiofor for 12 Years A Slave and Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club, Chiwetel Ejiofor has been getting more buzz for his performance, and so is perhaps a more likely winner.

Best Actress In A Motion Picture Drama: This as well is a sure fire toss up between Cate Blanchett and Sandra Bullock, before the release of Gravity, Blanchett was the favorite, however now Sandra Bullock is a sure bet in my humble opinion.

Best Actor In A Motion Picture Musical Or Comedy: My pick for this category is Leonardo DiCaprio, whose performance is visceral, funny and energetic, it is time for Leonardo DiCaprio's talent to be recognized by the HFPA.

Best Actress In A Motion Picture Musical Of Comedy: It would be nice for Julia Louis Dreyfus to win this award, however Amy Adams has been receiving much acclaim for her performance in American Hustle, and deserves the win.

Best Supporting Actor In A Motion Picture: It is notoriously difficult to predict supporting categories, however here the most likely candidate is Jared Leto, whose performance in Dallas Buyers Club has received much acclaim.

Best Supporting Actress In A Motion Picture: Again, bizarrely, here we also have a likely candidate, Jennifer Lawrence seems poised for another awards scoop this year for her performance in American Hustle.

Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron's direction in Gravity has been overwhelmingly acclaimed, and thus he deserves to win the Golden Globe tonight.

Best Screenplay: This year, Her seems to represent the most original, heartfelt and insighful material that Hollywood has to offer, the fact that it is not an adaptation seems to cement it's place as this years best screenplay and thus the most logical recipient of the Golden Globe

Best Original Score: Well, this is hard for me to judge, however i will say that Gravity has received much acclaim for it's score, and thus seems a likely winner tonight.

Best Original Song: Well this one is easy to judge, Let It Go from Frozen is a fantastic song, beautifully sung, and has received much acclaim, therefore this is my prediction for the Best Original Song Globe tonight.

Best Animated Feature Film: This again is a no-brainer, Frozen knocks the other contenders out of the water, and is set to become Disneys first win in this category.

Best Foreign Language Film: Although it is perhaps not the best film in this category, Blue Is The Warmest Color is the most well known abroad, and is thus the favorite for the Golden Globe

Will The Next Walt Disney Please Stand Up?

I was re-watching “Waking Sleeping Beauty” the other day, the 2009 documentary about the Disney renaissance, and heard Peter Schneider proclaim: ‘ever since Walt’s death, the country has demanded “who is the next Walt Disney, the country demands a central charismatic figure”’ The answer is a bit of an enigma really, for despite their being plenty of candidates, there is really no one who embodies completely what Walt represented, but the good news is that there are plenty of plausible men who embody, at least part of what Walt Disney stood for.

Walt Disney

Michael Eisner seems like a good place to start, seeing as he was chairman of the company, like Walt was, and was CEO during Peter Schneider’s tenure, Eisner, despite being a fantastic businessman, isn’t the visionary that Walt Disney was. During the nineties the Walt Disney Company experienced a period of unprecedented growth, animation experienced a renaissance, theme parks were built in Tokyo, Paris, Florida and California, and Disney acquired ESPN and ABC. Eisner transformed the company from a film studio making movies for children into a multi-national corporation selling movies, music, merchandise and amusement parks, Eisner coined the Disney Decade, ten years of unprecedented growth for the company. Eisner is often unfairly criticized for the way he ran the company by fans, however I feel we need to start recognizing his achievements, without Michael Eisner having helmed the company for 15 years the Walt Disney company wouldn’t be what it is today. Despite Eisner making a huge success of the company, and the animation department especially, Eisner wasn’t the visionary that Walt Disney was, he’s a businessman, always watching the purse strings, and never attempting the unreachable, in this sense he is the opposite of what Walt was, for Walt often made financial gambles, most of which fortunately paid off. So Eisner, despite being fantastic for the Walt Disney Company and a charismatic leader, isn’t the visionary risk taker that Walt Disney was, and thus is simply not “the next Walt Disney”.

Michael Eisner

The other possible candidate, from the same era is Jeffrey Katzenberg, despite Katzenberg being very out-front on the films of the renaissance era, just isn’t a visionary. While yes, the animation department at Disney was very successful during his tenure there, it is debatable how much if this is due to him, Jeffrey Katzenberg subsequently left Disney, and is now running Dreamworks, helping to turn that animation studio into a true financial success. Despite Dreamworks Animation Studio being a success financially, they have yet to produce a real critical, and few of their films have endured the test of time. Only Shrek, which won the first Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, and which was subsequently ruined by its numerous disappointing sequels, showed any promise, and it was downhill from there. Dreamworks mostly produces films that are okay, without being original or intelligent, and without having any kind of beauty. What separates Walt Disney from Jeffrey Katzenberg is that Disney took huge risks, and made films that might not have huge commercial potential, if they were great art. The most obvious example of this is Fantasia which was a commercial failure, but a huge critical success, and which has gone on to be one of the most beloved Disney films. Fantasia is the kind of film which would never have been green-lit under Jeffrey Katzenberg, as it was too much of a gamble, Dreamworks have never made an experimental animated movie, and is highly reliant on sequels to bring in the money. The one way in which Jeffrey Katzenberg is highly similar to Walt Disney is in behavior and showmanship, like Walt Disney, Jeffrey Katzenberg was incredibly strong in promoting Disney movies (and himself), and eh was often found to be taking credit for the most successful Disney films, even claiming to have come up with the idea for The Lion King (only after the movie was successful of course, before the films release he told all the animators that the most successful film of that period would be Pocahontas, which went on to be the renaissance’s only real flop). Overall despite being hugely charismatic and incredibly out-front, Jeffrey Katzenberg isn’t the risk taking, visionary artist that Walt Disney was.

Jeffrey Katzenberg

Current Disney CEO Robert Iger is a bit of a disappointment really, he’s a bean counter and a caretaker at best. The Disney company’s animation department is currently experiencing a revival, but it really isn’t due to Iger at all, it’s due to the people he hired and the acquisitions he made, Iger oversaw the buying of PIXAR, Marvel and Star Wars which despite costing the company each in excess of 7 billion dollars, paid off over time. But Iger, like Eisner, is a businessman, and like all businessmen, Iger refuses to take risks, and will only give if assured of a solid rate of return

Bob Iger

This is not a post without an answer, and I do have an idea, of who embodies Walt Disney the most completely. John Lasseter started, during the nineties, a small computer graphics firm which was then hired by Disney to produce CAPS, a system for coloring animated films using computer software which was subsequently used on the film “Rescuers Down Under”. The firm was called “PIXAR”. After Disney’s acquisition of PIXAR in 2007, John Lasseter was hired as the head of the animation department of The Walt Disney Studios, and is largely responsible for the revival Disney animation is experiencing. John Lasseter is nothing short of a genius, he transformed PIXAR from a small company to an animation powerhouse producing a string of unprecedented critical and commercial original hits, he then transformed Walt Disney animation. John Lasseter, despite not being the charismatic showman that Walt Disney was, transformed animation with the production of Toy Story. Lasseter took risks at PIXAR, and most of their films are original stories, similarly at Disney, Lasseter took risks, producing a mixture of hand drawn and computer animated films, most of which were critical and commercial successes. John Lasseter, despite not being the showman that Walt Disney was, is nonetheless the new messiah of animation, a man who seems to turn to gold all that he touches, and who has revitalized Disney animation a second time.

John Lasseter

I know that this post might seem like a bit of an indulgence, and I don’t pretend that any of this is anything other than opinion and waffle, but I honestly do believe that John Lasseter is the only person who can possibly carry on the flame left behind by Walt Disney, a true genius, who revolutionized the field of animation once again.

  

“All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.” Walt Disney