Predictions for the 86th Academy Awards

Well now we come to a post that i have been meaning to write for quite a while, my predictions for the Academy Awards, due to be held on the second of march this sunday. It pains me to say that i won't be watching the ceremony live, as i need my beauty sleep, so i will have to wait for the following evening to binge out on the telecast! I will not be predicting all the categories, as there are many that either interest me little or of which i don't have enough knowledge of the nominees. So in reverse order of importance here we go.

Best Visual Effects:  This one seems easy to predict, Gravity was the kind of groundbreaking film that revolutionized the use of visual effects and the use of CGI on film, and deserves to be recognized partially for this film and partly for the technology created that will become broadly used in the years to come.

Best Costume Design:  Whilst i undersztand that i am more than a little biased here, Catherine Martin's costumes for The Great Gatsby were stunning, and her win at the BAFTA's almost guarantees her a statuette.

Best Cinematography: Normally i wouldn't comment on this category, but Emmanuel Lubezki's work on Gravity was hugely praised, he won the BAFTA, and he surely deserves a statuette.

Best Original Song: Well my choice may seem a little bizarre, as this song has yet to win any major awards, but Let It Go from Frozen is an incredible song, and it's the emotional tour de force that the Academy seems to love.

Best Animated Feature Film: I really can't see any film other than Frozen taking this category, my second favorite film of last year is an emotional roller coaster featuring spectacular animation, and i am sure that it will give Disney their first win in this category.

Best Foreign Language Feature Film: Well, this award seems to be taken as well, whilst i am very proud that Belgium has a horse in this race, it seems to me that La Grande Bellezza which has won most foreign language awards this season is poised for the win.

Best Writing - Original Screenplay: Well as much as i though Blue Jasmine was a fantastically written film and that Woody Allen deserves another win in this category, it seems to me that Spike Jonze's  Her is one of this season's most original films.

Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay: This is a tough one and it seems like a tight race between Philomena and 12 Years A Slave, and as much as i would like beloved brit Steve Coogan to win, 12 Years A Slave written by John Ridley is the historically charged racially driven script that the Academy seems to adore.

Best Supporting Actress: This is the easiest and most difficult category to predict, right now it is an absolute dead heat between Lupita Nyong'o and Jennifer Lawrence. While Nyong'o did win the SAG award and the Critic's Choice, the Golden Globe and the BAFTA have always been better barometers of Oscar success, and thus i predict that Jennifer Lawrence is perhaps the most likely to win on Sunday night.

Best Supporting Actor: Well i know I'd be an idiot to predict otherwise, but Jared Leto is perhaps the only person on this list who could conceivably be called to the stage on sunday night, anything else would be unthinkable.

Best Actress: Again this is easy to predict, and i can't see anyone other than Cate Blanchett taking home the statuette, her performance in Blue Jasmine was incredible and she rightly deserves her first win in this category (after having the award stolen by Gwyneth last time!)

Best Actor: Again here we have a dead heat between Chiwetel Ejiofor and Matthew McConaughey, and it is tough to predict this one, however i believe that Matthew McConaughey will take home the gold on Sunday.

Best Director: This one is easy, and i believe that Alfonso Cuaron will win for his work on groundbreaking epic Gravity. This film is a cinematic and technological breakthrough for which Cuaron has won the Golden Globe and the BAFTA, and a win at the Oscar's seems now inevitable.

Best Picture: This is the big one, and it seems to me that we would need a Crash-like upset in order for 12 Years A Slave not to take home the win on Oscar night.

So there we have it, my predictions for this sunday, what saddens me, is that award season is coming to a close, and thus i will have to wait a full year for it to start again, but all good things must come to an end i suppose.

The Great Lego Adventure

The Lego Movie is the kind of incongruous phrase that sounds a little like a hoax, but fortunately it's not. The Lego Movie is a 3D computer animated movie based around the franchises formed of Lego construction toys. I was a huge fan of Lego as a kid, as i suspect so were most people of my generation. Lego has the kind of all round appeal that only Adele and Harry Potter can also hold claim. I find it rather saddening that young people today don't play with Lego, and i hope that this film will reignite interest in the historic danish brand, if the box office receipts are anything to go by, it already has.
The film is about a construction worker named Emmett who lives in Bricksburg, and who is mistaken for the "special". The film then details Emmet and a girl he meets, called Wildestyle with whom he escapes Bricksburg, finds a god like figure called Vitruvius and Wildestyle's boyfriend; Batman. They, with a group of outlaws, hatch a plan to defeat the evil lord business and disable the kragle, a mysterious substance that Lord Business is going to use to glue all the bricks together. The film's plot is essentially a loose parody of The Matrix, with Emmet being The One, Wyldestyle being Trinity and Vitruvius being Morpheus. The film is fantastic fun, and the plot allows for many fun cameos from other Lego franchises and characters. The film starts in Bricksburg, which is essentially a generic colorful representation of corporate america, then it moves to The Old West and on to Cloud Cuckoo Land, based on cute and colorful Lego franchises. Then into the ocean, and under the sea. In addition to cameos from Middle Earth, Star Wars and DC Comics.

The movie looks fantastic, and the whole world featured looks exactly like it was made out of Lego, the sets look huge, and although the film was not made using stop motion, the film is deliberately given that feel, and everything in the film looks as if it is real and tactile. The film is so faithful to looking absolutely real that even water is made using Lego beads, laser bolts using lightsaber rods, and jet's using plastic flame pieces. Explosions are made using grey small Lego bricks and waves using blue and white Lego pieces. Dust trailing the batmobile is made of beige bricks and puffs of smoke are ice cream pieces, this separates the film from other direct to video Lego movies which are much lower budget and which generally do not look as if they are made entirely out of Lego.

The film also feels like it has something interesting to say about capitalism and about modern western life. The film depicts a world not unlike america today, where all the people look alike, they all listen to the same music, they all dress the same, they live in identical apartments and they are essentially indistinguishable, in appearance and in personality. Their lives are dominated by capitalism and business. The film is essentially about how capitalism leaves us devoid of any personality, and how we are essentially being corrupted by our ability to all buy and own the same things. The film is smart, the dialogue is witty and the plot is streamlined and unexpected. This is a film with heart, a quality sadly missing from a lot of modern animation (looking at you Dreamworks and Toonstudios) and a film that makes you think. The use of 3D is also superb, i have often proclaimed that animated films work best in 3D, and here is a prime example, the 3D was never used in an obnoxious way, but i was glad of the extra depth!

Overall i have nothing negative to say about this film, it's damn well near perfect, looks beautiful and has a great story and a good heart. A witty script and some funny gags make The Lego Movie supremely entertaining. It goes above and beyond what one would expect, and the Lego movie is far better than a two hour toy commercial has any right to be. Rating: A+

President Business: Hi, I'm President Business, president of the Octan corporation and the world. Let's take extra care to follow the instructions or you'll be put to sleep, and don't forget Taco Tuesday's coming next week.

Anita Daaahhling!

Well, please excuse the unfortunately low concentration of posts on this website for the past few weeks, i've been busy! The Disney animated canon features a fantastic range of villains, and with the release of Maleficent impending, disney have announced the development of Cruella, a live action adaptation featuring Cruella De Vil. In this post i will be listing some of my favorite villains, why they too deserve a live action adaptation. Disney live action films have been troubled for the last few years, with The Lone Ranger and John Carter standing out as monumental failures, so disney turned to adaptations, adapting some of their most beloved animated classics to celluloid, such as Cinderella and Alice In Wonderland.

MALEFICENT: A film adaptation is already in post production, and Angelina Jolie seems perfect to play the iconic role. Maleficent truly embodies what it means to be a disney villain, she is driven, focused, iconic and menacing. Voiced by Eleanor Audley in the 1959 film she remains one of Disney's most visually inspired and daring characters. With pallid green skin and a long thin neck, like many disney villains she carries a staff and has a bird on her shoulder. The only thing that would make this character better would be if she breathed fire...oh wait.

CRUELLA DE VIL: Here is one of my favorites, a film adaptation is in development, with Glenn Close set to produce but not star in the film, as far as casting goes i personally would love to see Emma Thompson in the title role, she is a great actress and has the guts to committ to such a heavyweight role. Cruella DeVil is a fabulous villain, she has a great dress sense, and of course, like all iconic villains, a great catchphrase, she's also british which only sweetens the pot, and has a pretty awesome car. Giving Cruella a live action adaptation allows us to see further into her history and background, and gives us the opportunity to see some pretty great costumes
HADES: There is nothing actively in development for this character, but there should be, Hades is not only menacing and iconic, but also highly funny. Whats really stopping this character from coming to the big screen is the visuals, a grey man with a flaming head might not work on screen, but we'll see.

JAFAR: Here is a really underrated disney villain, visually iconic, and with an animal sidekick on his shoulder, Jafar uses a wry wit and sardonic humor that make him highly entertaining. He also manages to be physically menacing, like many disney villains he's tall and thin, and he holds a staff shaped like a snake, he even turns into a giant viper at one point and traps Jasmine in a giant hourglass. We know almost nothing about Jafar's backstory, and an adaptation would allow us to get to know him a little better.

CLAUDE FROLLO: Here is one of the only characters who actually makes any kind of political statement, the character of Frollo, whilst not explictly a judge, dresses rather like a priest, is based on a character who is an archdeacon and who seems to spend rather a long time at the cathedral. Frollo sees himself as effectively above the law, Frollo is a critique of religion and the role it plays in society, the way it makes us fear strangers and outcasts. Frollo is a truly compelling character and an adaptation of this character would really help us to understand his motives and his past.

Everyone Hustles to Survive

American Hustle is a 2013 film, directed and written by David O. Russell starring a large ensemble cast including Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner. The film is loosely adapted from the ABSCAM sting operation which the FBI undertook during the late seventies. The film is highly fictionalized, and the characters are essentially charicatures of their real life counterparts.

The performances in the film are astounding, and it is worth seeing simply for these alone. Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper have great chemistry, and Amy Adams does a fantastic job of playing a woman who has played so many different people in order to survive, that she has forgotten who she is, plus her british accent is fantastic. But this films real star is Jennifer Lawrence, i have perhaps been a little zealous in my praise of Lawrence in the past, but in this film she really is great. Playing above her years, Lawrence plays a role far too old for her, yet she slips seamlessly into the role, playing a woman who is unstable and manipulative.

The film is fantastic fun, although not as funny as i expected it to be, this is perhaps an example of why you should not read other reviews before seeing a film, but all the reviews said that this film was hilarious, and although it does have occasional moments of hilarity, it falls short of being side splittingly funny. The film is however fantastic fun, featuring great music, lots of dancing, fantastic costumes and wigs that would make a drag queen jealous. For anyone that loves the BeeGees or who likes a perm, American Hustle is sure to delight.

The film also features a fantastic script, and the dialogue feels natural. It comes as no surprise to me that a majority of the film was improvised, and that character is often more important than plot or story. The film gives us detailed three dimensional characters that we are able to root for, despite their flaws or manipulative behaviour.

Overall, i enjoyed American Hustle, although not as much as i expected, David O. Russell's direction is sublime and the chemistry and characterization feel detailed. Despite being perhaps not as funny as it deserves to be, American Hustle is fun, oddly educational and exquisitely performed, a film that is masterfully crafted. Rating: B

Everybody hustles to survive

Tom Ford's A Single Man Reviewed.

Well my favorite author is Christopher Isherwood, i read Goodbye To Berlin one summer many years ago and got hooked, reading one new one a year since then, i was recently given My Guru and His Disciple for christmas, I will read it when schedule permits! A single Man is an american drama film released in 2009 directed by fashion designer Tom Ford. The film is an adaptation of Isherwood's 1962 novel of the same name and stars Colin Firth and Julianne Moore.

The film depicts a day in the life of an english professor, struggling to come to terms with the death of his lover, eight months earlier. In the film, George decides to commit suicide, and thus the events of his day and the people he meets are peppered with a special importance. The film was directed by Tom Ford, and thus it is no surprise that the film is supremely beautiful. What is perhaps more surprising than the visuals is the script, which is also fantastic, written by Ford himself with David Scearce, the script gives us real insight into the character of George, what makes him tick, the relationship he had with Jim and that he has with Charlie. The film uses voice over sparingly, allowing us to see inside Georges head, without the film becoming a hokey copy and paste from page to screen.

The films leading performances are fantastic, Colin Firth is utterly compelling in the leading role, and we believe in his resounding heartbreak. Also fantastic is Julianne Moore, who plays George's friend Charlie, a former party-girl and divorcee who is coming to terms with her fading beauty and now pointless existence. The character could easily become camp or two dimensional, but Moore is extraordinary as the slightly wild and rather unpredictable Charlie, a character we all think we know.

The story, like much of Isherwood's work is quite heavily autobiographical, A Single Man is one of Isherwood's later works, and the relationship between George and Jim is heavily inspired by his relationship with Don Bachardy. Isherwood was thirty years Bachardy's senior, and he surely knew that Bachardy was going to outlive him, the book is essentially Isherwood's exploration of heartbreak and loneliness. The visuals of the film are explained by the fact that George has decided to kill himself, and thus he sees the world with a special eye, and he sees the beauty in things previously thought of as dull or bland. Also present in the film is the threat of nuclear annihilation, George gives little thought to the idea of destruction, and feels that the desolation nuclear warfare would bring could perhaps not be such a bad thing. The film is visceral in the sense that, at certain moments, mostly when there is no dialogue, the audience is able to feel George's pain, and completely understand the emotional despair that he is feeling.

The music of the film is also fantastic, and Abel Korzeniowski's score is subtly but elegantly used. A Single Man is thought provoking, elegant and beautiful, featuring a top notch performance by Colin Firth and impeccable direction from Tom Ford. Rating: A-

George: the silence drowns out the noise, and I can feel rather than think,

The Oscar Wildcard

It seems to me that at the Oscars, in every category there is always a fifth nominee that is always slightly unexpected and surprising, last year for example, Naomi Watts was nominated for best actress and Denzel Washington for best actor, both of these were slightly unexpected and rather surprising, I'm attempting to see out of this years nominees which nominees were surprises, and which slightly missed the mark, i will only be talking about major categories here, and i will be skipping best picture entirely, because this category is too open to discuss properly, seeing as we now have nine nominees.

BEST ACTOR: Well, the fabled fifth nominee here seems to be Bruce Dern, nominated for his performance in Nebraska, it is nice for an older actor to be recognized, particularly after such a fine career, however i will say that Bruce Dern does seem to be a fitting nominee, and is not too much a surprise.

BEST ACTRESS: The fifth nominee here is Meryl Streep, this is really the only nominee that annoys me, Streep, whilst perhaps being one of the greatest actors of her generation, her performance in August Osage County wasn't without its detractors, and it would have been nice for someone more surprising or younger to be nominated, Greta Gerwig was fantastic in Frances Ha and Julia Louis Dreyfus was also great in Enough Said, both of these films are comedies not directed by Woody Allen, and thus can't expect to have much success at the Oscars, however it would have been nice to see them nominated. Also a possible nominee was Julie Delpy in Before Midnight who was also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: I couldn't be more happy about this categories wildcard, Jonah Hill, now a two time academy award nominee received a nomination for his work on The Wolf Of Wall Street, he was undeniably fantastic in this film, and despite him being a mostly comic actor, he is a fine one at that, and in this film Hill walks a high wire act between comedy and drama, seemingly never faltering.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Again, here i am thrilled by this categories fifth nominee, Sally Hawkins was nominated for her work in Blue Jasmine. Her performance risks being overshadowed by Cate Blanchett's powerhouse performance, but Hawkins manages to leave her mark on this film nonetheless, and Ginger's chemistry with Blanchett's Jasmine is magical.

BEST DIRECTOR: Here there are some fantastic nominees, however the most unexpected is Martin Scorsese, who, in my humble opinion, is a legend and an icon, and that's really all there is to say.

Cold Mountain Review

Well now we come to one of my least favorite films in recent memory, Cold Mountain is a 2003 American drama film directed by Anthony Mingella, adapted from the acclaimed novel of the same name by Charles Frazier. The film stars Nicole Kidman, Jude Law in leading roles, with Renée Zellwiger and Donald Sutherland in supporting roles. The film is about a love affair between the daughter of a pastor in North Carolina and a confederate soldier fighting in the civil war. Kidman plays Ada, afragile young woman struggling to adapt to life in a new environment, and Donald Sutherand plays her father, the reverend Monroe. Jude Law plays W P Inman, a deserter, and Renée Zellweger, a farmhand who comes to help Ada.

I will confess, i have read this book, well, i tried, in an adaptation of the original novel, the film succedes, it is trite, melodramatic and soppy, much like the book, however i found the whole thing to be very silly, and of little consequence. The film was directed by the late Anthony Minghella, who was perhaps one of the most erratic directors, it was he who directed the much reviled The English Patient, but who also directed The Talented Mr Ripley and Truly Madly Deeply, both fantastic movies.

Cold Mountain suffers from what i will refer to as vignette syndrome, a great number of films featuring long journeys and/or multiple storylines tend to be reduced to being simply a series of cartoonish episodes rather than a long story arc. It is important to note that Cold Mountain is a picture that features not only a long journey but also two storylines, and Minghella reduces the story to a series of cartoonish vignettes, and by the end of the movie, he goes too far trying to outdo himself to show us how horrible the war was.

The film also suffers from a lack of chemistry between it's leads, Nicole Kidman does an admirable job but there is a total lack of chemistry between her and Jude Law. The films only saving grace is Renée Zellweger, who gives a fully fleshed out performance as Ada's farmhand. The film overall just feels cold, lifeless and boring, much like the mountain itself. Rating: D-

 

Ada: What we have lost will never be returned to us. The land will not heal - too much blood. All we can do is learn from the past and make peace with it.

Spring Breakers Vs The Bling Ring

Well i recently watched Spring Breakers, and i am happy to report that i was pleasantly surprised, i found the film to be surprisingly beautiful and well directed, if being perhaps a little pretentious. Earlier this year, just before the summer break i wandered through the murky sun drenched streets to see The Bling Ring, Sofia Coppola's latest directorial effort. Spring Breakers is about a group of college age girls, who rob a fast food restaurant to have enough money to go on spring break, and who descend into a violent subculture of guns, sex and gang warfare.

What differentiates these films most of all is their narrative structure, The Bling Ring is based upon an article by Nancy Jo Sales that first appeared in Vanity Fair, and the film uses the researching of this article to tell the story. The film uses interviews with the films protagonists in order to tell the story, and the film has a tight chronological narrative structure. Spring Breakers on the other hand is more of a collection of images, and the film uses repetitive narration and imagery to tell the story, and the story is much less tightly structured, and narration from scenes at the beginning of the film will be reused at the end.

What also differentiates these films is the motivations of the protagonists, the protagonists of Spring Breakers are motivated not by greed or materialism, but by a culture that has conditioned them to believe that spring break has to be a kind of agressive fun. When the girls get to florida they engage in activities that are repetitive and boring, yet they tell everyone that they are having a fantastic time and that Florida is somehow spiritual. The motivations of The Bling Ring are somewhat different, their crimes are motivated by materialism and by a worship of celebrity culture, their crimes aren't actually committed in the pursuit of things or objects themselves, but by wanting to feel like celebrities themselves, and by wanting to belong to this world.

These films do share similarities in that they both feature spectacular performances in supporting roles. In Spring Breakers, James Franco has a star turn as Alien, a rapper and gangster who pulls these girls into his world of guns, sex and drugs. In The Bling Ring, Emma Watson plays Nicki, a young, glass eyed woman entirely devoid of any personality, Watson is fantastically manipulative in this role, and she proves that it is possible to play a person devoid of personality, who is not a boring or two dimensional.

The films also look different, The Bling Ring is shot in a vaguely cinema verité style, using handheld techniques and digital cameras. Spring Breakers on the other hand uses a more indie feeling, with day glo colors and slow, smooth camera movements. Both films are interesting as showing aspects of youth culture and trash culture, however both films fail to show us inside the heads of their main characters, particularly Spring Breakers, and we never know why they commit these acts. However i enjoyed both films, and i commend their daring and spunk.

Remembering Philip Seymour Hoffman

Yesterday was a sad day for anyone passionate about cinema and about acting, Philip Seymour Hoffman, was found dead in his apartment of an apparent drug overdose. He was 46. Philip Seymour Hoffman was extraordinary, an actor, producer and director both on stage and on the screen, he captivated audiences for over two decades with his versatile and deft performances in entertaining movies ranging from indie dramas to popcorn movies, starring in films at each end of the spectrum such as 'Synecdoche, New York' and 'Magnolia' to 'The Hunger Games', and 'Mission Impossible III'.

Philip Seymour Hoffman will be remembered as one of the greatest actors of a generation, a man unafraid to take risks, and play characters so incredibly different. From rebel Plutarch Heavensbee in Catching Fire to Scotty J. In Boogie Nights. Philip Seymour Hoffman was nominated for four Oscars and three Tony Awards, never afraid to take risks, Hoffman discussed risqué topics in films like Doubt, where he played a pedophile, and in Flawless, in which he played a drag queen. Philip Seymour Hoffman's career in retrospect will be defined by risk taking and versatility, and a fearless ability to take on even the lightest of roles with a surprising amount of dedication.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is perhaps best known for his Oscar winning performance in the 2005 film Capote, which he also produced. In this film Hoffman plays novelist Truman Capote, as he attempts to write 'In Cold Blood', perhaps his most defining novel. Hoffman truly becomes Capote, taking on his voice, poise and mannerisms. Capote was a flamboyant and lavish homosexual, a fact that would have daunted most actors, but Hoffman seems unfazed by this, and slips so seamlessly into this figure that we soon forget which actor we are watching on screen. Hoffman gives one of the best performances of the decade in this historical drama.

Hoffman is also known for his roles in The Master, in which he played a charismatic leader attempting to recruit an ex navy soldier into scientology, Charlie Wilsons War, in which he played a soldier in the afgan-soviet war and in Doubt, in which he played a pedophillic priest attempting to convince a nun of his innocence. Younger readers will perhaps recognise Hoffman from The Hunger Games Franchise, in which he plays Plutarch Heavensbee, a role he will reprise in Mockingjay, given that he had completed most of his scenes before his death.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is an actor who will be defined by his daring, risk taking roles, a genius who refused to be typecast and who played the most diverse roles of any actor on stage and on screen, who illuminated the screen with his merest presence, and who managed to be simply mesmerizing with the smallest of gestures, a legend who lives on in the films and stories that we all love.

"Actors are responsible to the people we play." - Philip Seymour Hoffman

NYMPH()MANIAC - Vol II

NYMPH()MANIAC Volume II is the conclusion to Lars Von Triers Depression Trilogy and the final part of his two part opus, NYMPH()MANIAC. The film stars Charlotte Gainsborough as Joe, a self diagnosed nymphomaniac who recounts her erotic history. The film also stars Stellan Skarsgard as Seligman, Shia LaBeouf as Jerome, Jamie Bell as K and Willem Dafoe as L. The film also introduces Mia Goth as P and Stacy Martin as the young Joe.

NYMPH()MANIAC is an opus which deserves to be seen in its entirety, and i found that it was only upon viewing the entire piece that i was truly able to understand it's themes and concepts, it is perhaps worth noting that the film was written and directed in one part, and was later edited and censored to its current length and form. Thus the film was never intended to be in two parts, and despite being split for commercial reasons, the film must be analyzed as a whole. I find that i am now able to understand Lars Von Triers intentions, and his ideas on female sexuality.

The film starts exactly where the previous volume left off, Joe is now in a relationship with Jerome, after meeting him in the park, and they now have a child, Joe finds herself with a voracious sexual appetite which Jerome is unable to keep up with, so he tells her to have sex with other++ men, and then becomes supremely jealous. Joe finds herself visiting K, a doctor like man who whips and punishes women at their request. Finally Joe becomes a debt collector, using her sexuality to torture and extort men.

The performances in this film are strong, and Charlotte Gainsborough is fantastic in this film, she shines as the fragile yet defiant Joe, a woman who takes charge of her own sexuality and who is unafraid to be judged. for the choices she has made. The film also features strong performances by Jamie Bell and Shia LaBeouf, each of whom manage to be neither overtly menacing nor entirely comforting, and who manage to act out well rounded character who seem to have neither pasts nor futures, and who don't even have names.

The film is significantly darker than volume one, the film deals with themes of depression, violence, pedophilia and sadomasochism. The theme of violence and sadomasochism is perhaps the most intriguing and well explored theme in the entire opus, Joes interest in punishment and torture often seems without payoff, and her motives are often bizarre for the audience to understand, the acts in which she partakes, suck as being slapped across the face with a glove full of coins, being whipped with a cat whip and being fisted, giving name to the subtitle, The Silent Duck. These actions often seem highly unsexual in nature, and K resists all advantages Joe makes, yet it is this relationship that brings Joe's sexuality back to life.

The film also addresses the hypocrisy between male and female sexuality, Seligman says to Joe that if she was a man, her actions would be seen as acceptable, even admirable, yet because she is a woman, she is despised and looked down on as a slut or a whore. Joe is a woman who loves her sexuality and loves who she it, although she is a nymphomaniac, and has had to deal with the outcome that her lifestyle has had on her body, she loves herself for it, and she has no apologies. Joe has started to believe what society says about her, and the way society has rejected her, and Seligman helps her to see past this external vision she has.

The other theme explored is choice. Throughout her past Joe has made choices, she wasn't abused, she wasn't raped, she made the choice to have sex and she made the choice to stop. At the end of the movie, Seligman attempts to rape Joe, assuming that she wouldn't mide, saying to her that she has been with hundreds of men, and can be with one more, Joe reacts badly to this. The film explores the idea that Joe's actions are excusable, because she made choices, and also didn't make a choice. Let me explain, when Joe is talking to Seligman about the pedophile she says that it must be impossible to live with a forbidden sexual desire, and that her nymphomania is something she was born with, and that she cannot control, it also says that she made a choice to sleep with the men, and that acting upon her sexuality was a choice she made, that society shouldn't judge her for.

I found Nymphomaniac in its entirety to be a deeply moving and powerful drama, which has some interesting things to say about female sexuality, and the relationship we have with our own sexuality. Nymphomaniac is perhaps Lars Von Trier's most intriguing and well formed film, in addition to having an original structure and format, and being a visually stunning, well acted opus. Volume II of this is perhaps significantly less thrilling and full than volume I, but nonetheless, it remains one of the most intriguing films i have seen for a very long time. Rating: B+

K: That's not how this goes. Most people don't scream until I hit them.