BAFTA Predictions 2014

Best Film

12 Years a Slave

American Hustle

Captain Philips

Gravity

Philomena

Who should win: 12 Years a Slave

Who will win: 12 Years a Slave

It’s basically one of the most important films ever made and if you haven’t seen it yet, then stop what you’re doing and watch it. It’s not just excellent acting, it Steve McQueen’s best film to date. And not only should it win, I have faith that it will. 

Snubs: Since the BAFTAs have a shorter list than the Oscars, there’s a lot of room for snubs. In my opinion any film, I don’t care which, could replace American Hustle which is an incredibly mediocre film compared to some of the greats released this year. 

Best Director

Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave

David O Russell – American Hustle

Paul Greengrass – Captain Philips 

Alfonso Cuaron – Gravity

Martin Scorsese – the Wolf of Wall Street

Who should win: Steve McQueen

Like I’ve already said, it’s not only his best work yet but it’s also the best work of the year. He’s one of the greatest and most important directors of this generation. That said, if he doesn’t win it (and I don’t think he will), he eventually will. 

Who will win: Alfonso Cuaron

He seems to be taking it at the moment, which is cool with me because Gravity, from a directorial point of view, is fantastic.

Snubs: Either Spike Jonze or the Coen Brothers could have easily taken David O Russell’s place.

Leading Actress

Amy Adams – American Hustle

Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine

Emma Thompson – Saving Mr Banks

Judi Dench – Philomena

Sandra Bullock – Gravity

Who should win: Cate Blanchett

Who will win: Cate Blanchett

Although the film in which she stars is created by a completely awful man, she is completely fantastic in it and she seems to be winning across the board. Since it’s the BAFTAs though, I could see a tiny chance of Judi Dench getting it. 

Leading Actor

Bruce Dern – Nebraska

Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave

Christian Bale – American Hustle

Tom Hanks – Captain Philips 

Leonardo DiCaprio – the Wolf of Wall Street

Who should win: Chiwetel Ejiofor 

Do I really have to write more about how incredible that film is?

Who will win: Chiwetel Ejiofor or Leonardo DiCaprio

Seeing as Matthew McConaughey isn’t nominated (which is weird as he seems to be first in line for the Oscar), I can see it going to Ejifor or DiCaprio.

Supporting Actor

Barkhad Abdi – Captain Philips 

Bradley Cooper – American Hustle

Daniel Bruhl – Rush

Matt Damon – Behind the Candelabra

Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave

Who should win: Michael Fassbender

DO I REALLY HAVE TO WRITE MORE ABOUT HOW INCREDIBLE THAT FILM IS?

Who will win: Probably Michael Fassbender

Snubs: It really seems like the BAFTAs aren’t big fans of Dallas Buyers Club, because where is Jared Leto’s nomination? Considering he is winning literally every award for his role it doesn’t make sense that he isn’t nominated here. Also, no Jonah Hill?

Supporting Actress

Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle

Julia Roberts – August: Osage County

Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave

Oprah Winfrey – the Butler

Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine

Who should win: Julia Roberts or Lupita Nyong’o

Look, I really want to make a case for Julia because she has done her career best work this year and her performance actually makes more sense in the Leading Actress category. Then again, Lupita is so so excellent.

Who will win: Lupita Nyong’o.

Seriously, just watch or rewatch 12 Years a Slave. 

Rising Star Award

Dane DeHaan

George MacKay

Lupita Nyong’o 

Will Poulter

Lea Seydoux

Who should win: Anyone

Who will win: Will Poulter 

Since it’s the British public that vote, I can see Will Poulter winning as most remember him from when he was in Son of Rambow back in 2007. Also, he was the best part of We Are the Millers. 

Snubs: To be fair, the five chosen have all done good, interesting work recently but nominations for Greta Gerwig, Miles Teller, Michael B Jordan and Brie Larson wouldn’t have gone amiss. 

Beth Johnston

A Cynic's Guide to Romantic Films

I am not one for romance, nor do I particularly care for Valentine's Day. But despite my cynicism towards romance in general, I will confess that I do have a soft spot for a good romantic film. Valentine's Day is of course tomorrow, and I'm sure you're all digging out your Notebook DVDs to watch with your other half on V Day while you cry into each others arms and stuff your faces with heart shaped chocolates. (Please do not do this.) Always eager to make people stop watching The Notebook, here are my suggestions for films that are romantic enough to watch either with your other half or alone whilst downing a bottle of wine on this approaching Friday - and films that have managed to warm even my own cynical heart.

Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight

I wasn't planning on making this list ordered so it's funny that the Before trilogy ended up at the spot, because they are undeniably (in my humble opinion at least) the most - and equally least - romantic films ever made. For those not in the know - Celine and Jesse meet on a train headed for Vienna in 1995. They get talking and end up getting off the train together, spending a night walking around Vienna, getting to know each other, and falling in love. Nine years go by, and they have yet another chance encounter in Paris. Another nine years, and they holiday in Greece. What's wonderful about these films is that while we're only seeing three days of it over 18 years, we immediately get a sense of the couple's relationship. We fall in love with them at the same time as they fall in love with each other. Oh god, I'm having a little pretend cry just thinking about these films. They are the perfect mixture of cute, heartbreaking, funny and serious. Plus, Ethan Hawke is oddly tolerable throughout. 

It's Complicated

Reasons 1 through 10 of why I like this film so much are MERYL STREEP. But suspend disbelief, because this film is actually so much better than it looks. Streep plays a divorced bakery owner who begins an affair with her ex-husband, all the while stringing along her hapless landscape gardener, played by Steve Martin. Cheesy prospect, I admit, but the main reason why this film is on this list is because it's FUN! There's a scene where Meryl Streep and Steve Martin get high together. There's dancing. There are parts that are so cliched you can see them coming from a mile away, but in a nice way! There is a punchline that involves Alec Balwin skyping naked because, obviously. And, despite being a film about adultery, It's Complicated is surprisingly sweet and gentle. 

Lost in Translation

Let me just get this out of the way - I am one of the few people in the world that does not see a romantic connection between Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson's characters in Lost in Translation. I do believe that the two fall in love with each other, but in the most platonic "two lost souls trying to find a connection in this crazy city" kinda way. But if I did see the spark between them, then I'd probably find Lost in Translation one of the most romantic films ever made. All Sofia Coppola films - ignoring perhaps The Bling Ring - have a touch of love about them. From the dreamy visuals of Virgin Suicides to the absolutely touching ice skating scene in Somewhere, and of course, the ending of LIT. Similarly to Before Sunrise, Coppola creates these two troubled characters, and then simply allows us to watch their relationship slowly unfold over a few short days, only to have them part. As I mentioned, the mystery shrouded whispering scene is absolutely wonderful, something that for true believers unlike myself can only cement Lost in Translation's romantic side.

Moonrise Kingdom

Who knew Bill Murray made so many romantic films, am I right? Romance usually serves as a side plot in Wes Anderson films so it's refreshing to see it take centre stage in this joyous sepia-toned Badlands influenced 60s romp. Sam and Suzy's relationship is one of my favourites on the list because it is simultaneously awkward, adorable and innocent - he makes her cry within a day of them being together, they dance on an abandoned beach to Francoise Hardy, and they send each other adorable letters. Plus, they end up getting married by a short shorts-wearing Jason Schwartzman - pretty much a dream relationship in my book.

When Harry Met Sally

It may be a cliche to include When Harry Met Sally on this list as it is THE Rom-Com but there's a clear reason for this inclusion - it's just really really great. It's an obvious homage to Annie Hall, (which fails to appear on this list for numerous obvious reasons) and in return it has gone on to influence hundreds of other films, like an infinite circle of Rom-Coms. It's funny because the scenes that are now iconic scenes - the diner scene featured above and the Pecan Pie scene which chooses to haunt my mind at odd moments - aren't romantic in the least. It's due to Nora Ephron's wonderful, simple script that the pair's change from friends into more is believable.

Blue Valentine

If this film doesn't simultaneously warm and break your heart, then you must be some kind of robot. Out of all of the films on the list, Blue Valentine is undoubtedly the saddest, because while the others show couples falling in love, this one shows them falling apart. And then, for an added kicker, it shows them falling in love as well. Gosling and Williams performances in this film are absolutely amazing, and in fact it still blows my mind that they didn't both win awards for this film. (Ryan Gosling wasn't even nominated for an Oscar for this?) Another nice touch is that the "young" half of the film is filmed on 35mm, while the "old" half is filmed on digital, making watching the couple fall in love all the more beautiful and offering a wonderfully stark contrast. There are just SO many things I could say about this film but when it comes down to it there is really one thing that makes this film so romantic and special - the moment when Gosling whips out a ukulele and sings while Williams dances along.

Trust

Trust is described as an "asexual romance", which is a pretty accurate description of it. The film's couple, played by Hal Hartley regulars Adrienne Shelley and Martin Donovan aren't even a couple. They never have sex, or say I love you. It's this innocence that makes them so endearing and compelling to watch. It's a typical Hartley story (and if you've never seen any of his films, I definitely recommend that you start here) of outsiders in a small town, struggling to get by and asking a lot of existential questions. Shelley's Maria flees home after accidentally giving her dad a heart attack when she reveals that she's pregnant. She meets up with Donovan's nihilistic IT man, and it's all go from here - or not. Typical of indie films, not much exactly happens, but you find yourself so drawn into the characters and their anti-romance that by the end of it you'll wish you could carry on glimpsing into their weird little world.

Harold and Maude

Ah, speaking of weird... potentially the weirdest romance of them all. So a teenage boy obsessed who spends his time crashing other people's funerals and finding ways to "fake" his own death meets a 79 year old woman who is the complete opposite of him - loud, extroverted, opinionated. And then, to a soundtrack of Cat Stevens songs, they fall in love. And it's really really really sweet? What makes the film so sweet - and initially horrifying - is that it's no afraid to show weirdos in love. Maude is old, and not in a "hot older woman" Mrs Robinson kind of way. Their relationship, like this film is short and sweet, and quite frankly, mainly due to its subject matter, Harold and Maude is one of a kind.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

Here's where I go all film student on you and throw a silent film into the mix JUST BECAUSE I CAN. But in all seriousness, Sunrise is a really beautiful film about losing and rediscovering love in your marriage. The Man is enchanted by the seductive Woman from the City who encourages him to drown his innocent wife and run away with her. (Um yeah so the Virgin and Whore stereotypes in this film kinda such but let's just ignore that for now...) But when he attempts to go through with it, he realises that he loves his wife, and they reconcile and a spend a day in the city falling in love with both it and each other. It's a simple story, but bear in mind that it was made about a million years ago, and it was considering fairly complex. It's worth noting that the film is called "A Song of Two Humans" and the film's soundtrack is like a third main character here, perfectly complimenting this wonderful little film.

Hitch

I was gonna apologise for Hitch being on this list but then I remembered that it's actually amazing and now I regret NOTHING. It may be a little cheesy, and it may even be a little sleezy, but it's a modern-ish (It came out nearly ten years ago?! God I feel old.) Rom-Com that doesn't suck, plus it's a Hollywood film with two non-white main characters so yay for that! Also it has a really good soundtrack! The film's main romance, that of Will Smith and Eva Mendes is the one that comes closest to cheese, but the film's other budding coupleship of Kevin James and Amber Valletta is very charming. Also yet another film with a really good song and dance number in it - the wedding scene at the end is pure gold.

Punch Drunk Love

This Paul Thomas Anderson directed, Adam Sandler starring Rom-Com is potentially one of the oddest films I've seen, purely for how it pushes both the director and the star out of their comfort zones and yet still manages to make a perfect, funny and sincere little film. The film's plot is Coen Brothers-esque - a lonely man who has seven sisters and works for a company that sells novelty toilet plungers has to battle being blackmailed by a phone sex line as he simultaneously falls madly in love, oh and decides to learn to play a harmonium he discovers after a freak accident outside his work. NONE of this should work and yet on screen it does perfectly. The romance between Sandler's character and his beau played by Emily Watson is so unexpectedly touching - in particular the above scene where the couple unite in Hawaii. On paper, this film sounds like nonsense, but when you watch, you too with inevitably become drawn in.


Submarine

I'm not a pyromanic (dreadful way to begin a sentence) but Oliver and Jordanna's firework and flare based date looks like an absolute dream to me. Like 90% of this film seems made for teenagers to post on their Tumblrs, but despite this it does have real heart and soul. There are so many memorable scenes that make up Oliver and Jordanna's relationship - as my friend listed frantically to me via a Facebook conversation when I desperately asked her WHY Submarine was a good Romantic Film - the moment as pictured above when Oliver tries and fails to seduce Jordanna, a brief moment when they sit in a bathtub, the cassette that Oliver's dad makes for him, and of course the ending. It may be unconventional and it may at times be twee for the sake of it, but it's an oddly timeless romantic film for the modern age.

Grace Barber-Plentie

Top 5 Films to Watch on Galentine's Day

“Galentine’s Day” created by the great and wise Leslie Knope in Parks & Recreation is celebrated before Valentine’s Day on February 13th. It is a celebration of female friendship and in honour of that, here are five Galentine’s Day themed films to watch on the day (or to watch alone on Valentine’s Day, we’re not here to judge).

Bridesmaids (2011)

What’s it about?

Annie (Kristen Wiig) and Lillian (Maya Rudolph) have been best friends since they were kids. Now that Lillian is getting married, Annie clashes with her best friend’s new friend Helen over the role of maid of honour. Literal shit jokes and drunken plane flights ensue

What makes it a Galentine’s Day film?

The main focus of the film is on Annie and Lillian’s friendship and how Annie struggles with her best friend’s life changing. The main six cast members are also all women and very funny women. And Wilson Philips are in it!!!

Legally Blonde (2001)

What’s it about?

After being dumped by her boyfriend, Warner, for not being smart enough, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), follows him to Harvard Law School and slowly realises she doesn’t need him and is actually a brilliant lawyer. 

What makes it a Galentine’s Day film?

Although Elle goes to law school to get her boyfriend back, she ends up realising she doesn’t need him and instead ends up winning her first case and becomes valedictorian! She also becomes best friends with Warner’s new girlfriend Vivian. 

Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)

What’s it about?

Romy (Mira Sorvino) and Michele (Lisa Kudrow) go to their high school reunion and lie about having wildly successful lives as the inventors of Post-It Notes to impress their ex-classmates who tortured them in high school. And of course, things don’t go smoothly.

What makes it a Galentine’s Day film?

It’s all about friendship and being yourself which, as we all know, are both very good things. There’s also an interpretative dance number to Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Time After Time’ between Romy, Michele and Michele’s love interest, Sandy (shown above)

She’s the Man (2006)

What’s it about?

After Viola’s (Amanda Bynes) girls football team gets suspended, she disguises herself as her brother to sneak into elite boarding school and join the boy’s football team. From this description, it should be fairly obvious that the script was based on Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night’. Also Tobias Funke is in it. 

What makes it a Galentine’s Day film?

Although Viola ends up with Channing Tatum as her boyfriend it isn’t the reason she goes through everything. The reason she disguises herself as a boy is to prove that she is equal to a man. Yay a funny feminist teen film!

Frances Ha (2013)

What’s it about?

Frances (Greta Gerwig) is a dancer who spends most of the film couch surfing after her best friend Sophie (Mickey Sumner) moves out. Frances struggles with the growing distance between her and her bestie. These struggles include sharing an apartment with Adam Driver and going to Paris – how awful. 

What makes it a Galentine’s Day film? 

A realistic portrayal of female friendship AND no romantic plot? What more could you ask for in a film? That’s right, nothing else.

Beth Johnston

Film and Feminism: January Edition

There are two things that I am able to get well and truly passionate about, and have the ability to rant about for hours - film and feminism. Because of this, I've decided to bring the two together to provide a round-up of each month's key film releases, providing a handy summary for those people who are interested in how women are portrayed in cinema in 2014. Does it pass the Bechdel Test? Is it out and out feminist? Find out here.

January was a simply brilliant month of cinema, leading to an even better year if we're lucky. We've seen new releases from some of the true giants and geniuses of cinema, such as Scorsese and the Coen Brothers, and new kids on the block like Steve Mcqueen. There were a lot of films covering race and masculinity out last month, but how have the females fared? 

American Hustle - 1st January

What's it about?

A Scorsese-esque tale of a group of con artists trying to survive by hustling both their hapless victims and each other. Check out our review here.

Decent Female Characters?

Yep. Thought it's easy for them both to have been broad stereotypes - the mad wife and the sultry mistress - both Adams and Lawrence's characters have moments of humour, sadness, and downright awfulness. Just like the men in the film, they're never just "good" or "bad", making them interesting, well-rounded characters. 

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

Yes. Lawrence and Adams's characters talk to each other, (and um, have a quick kiss) though this is mainly about a man, and Lawrence has a conversation with a politician's wife about nail varnish and weird smelling perfume.  

Worth seeing?

Depends if you want to see Scorsese-lite or the real thing - if it's the latter, see Wolf of Wall Street instead. The female characters here are good, just be prepared to see about as many leery shots of their breasts and bums are you do their faces.  However the film looks amazing - even if everything good about it is style over substance.

12 Years a Slave - 10th January

What's it about?

Yet another true story of horrifying discrimination based on race. Freed man Solomon Northup is tricked and sold into slavery for 12 years. 

Decent Female Characters?

Absolutely. While all the male characters in the film are interesting and brilliantly acted, one name and character stands out from the rest - Lupita Nyong'o's Patsey. Played with such force and passion that the film's director Steve McQueen thanked her for being born and Michael Fassbender described her as his "peer", Patsey is one of the most sympathetic and interesting characters of the year. And though their roles are smaller, Adepero Oduye and Sarah Paulson also deliver wonderful performances as a slave whose children are taken away from her and a hardened wife of Fassbender's sadistic slave-owner.

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

Yes. There are various conversations between slaves and their mistresses, none of them particularly pleasant, mind you.

Worth seeing?

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees. 12 Years is one, if not the most important films of the year, depending on how awards season goes. While the film's focus is of course on the main character of Solomon, as previously mentioned, the female characters in this film are rich, interesting and heartbreaking. And even if you're not fussed about the plight of the women in this film, it's still a must-see, a wonderful horrible and most importantly much needed film about race and slavery.

The Wolf of Wall Street - 17th January

What's it about?

The rise and fall of real-life Wall Street stockbroker Jordan Belfort, as he goes from a nobody in Queens to a life of excess, only to find it all coming crashing down.

Decent Female Characters?

This is one of two films seen solely through the eyes of its protagonist, (see Inside Llewyn Davis, below) so the way that we see women is the way that Jordan sees them. Therefore, all the female characters in this film are rubbish. There's potential with both of Jordan's wives, his secretary and another woman at his work, but all of these women just turn into rushed caricatures. And let's not even get started on how every female character is presented in the film - if you thought the way Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence were filmed in American Hustle was gratuitous, you'll have a heart attack watching this.

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

Surprisingly yes. Jordan's trophy wife, Naomi has conversations with her friend Hildy about her aunt's death, and with the maid to make sure her child is okay.

Worth seeing?

I personally was VERY disappointed with the film, which I had been looking forward to for months, but I know a lot of people disagree with me. If you're a Scorsese or DiCaprio fan, you're definitely going to want to see it. It's the sort of film that, regardless of whether you actually want to see it, you'll end up going to just to see what all the hype was about. 

August: Osage County - 24th January

What's it about?

After the patriarch of the Weston family disappears, his daughters gather from across the country to look after their sick, chain-smoking, foul-mouthed mother. Needless to say, things do not go well. 

Decent Female Characters?

It totally depends on your definition of "decent".  Strong, noble female characters? Nope. Shrieking, sad, messed-up, pill popping opinionated women of all ages? You bet. This is a rare film where female characters are allowed to just as flawed and messed up as their male counterparts - more so in fact in this film, as the men of this film are relatively more together than the women - and it's a joy to behold.

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

100 percent. The Weston women do talk about men and relationships a lot, but they also talk about a variety of others topics too.

Worth seeing?

The film as a whole is average, one of those that feels very static and long, which is understandable considering that it has been adapted from a play. But as I've said before, it is wonderful to see such a variety of female characters, and in all honesty, anything with Meryl Streep in is always going to be at least a little bit watchable.

Inside Llewyn Davis - 24th January

What's it about?

The film follows musician and general sad-sack Llewyn Davis through New York and beyond as he attempts to make a name for himself, return his friends cat to them, and find a couch to sleep on. 

Decent Female Characters?

Tough one. Coen Brothers films, Fargo aside, tend to have male main characters with supporting female characters who range from very good (see Raising Arizona, True Grit, The Hudsucker Proxy, Intolerable Cruelty) to a bit stereotypical or whiny. (see O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Big Lebowski) This is the case here. As the title suggests, the film is all about the inner world of Llewyn Davis, and therefore we see women the way he sees them - shrewd, mean, and trying to stop him achieving his goals. Carey Mulligan's Jean is kind of a one-note character, but the way that she's played suggests there's something more going on within her.

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

No. Though Llewyn interacts with several women, this is always through one to one conversations or in the presence of other men.

Worth seeing?

For a cinema-goer? Yes, absolutely. The Coens almost always get it right, particularly their period dramas, and Llewyn Davis really is up there in their best films. If you're looking for a piece of cinema with female characters? It's still worth it just for Carey Mulligan's rants, but you may be a little disappointed.

Grace Barber-Plentie

Review: That Awkward Moment

There’s a scene about a third of the way through That Awkward Moment where Michael B. Jordan’s character punches Zac Efron’s character, Jason, in the face and it’s probably the most enjoyable moment in the entire film. The film revolves around three best friends Jason (Zac Efron), Daniel (Miles Teller) and Mikey (Michael B. Jordan) who make a pact to stay single and Mikey’s wife tells him she wants a divorce. But of course the big twist is that none of them keep the pact. Jason meets Ellie (A QUIRKY GIRL!!!! played Imogen Poots) who he falls for but won’t let himself fall for; Daniel starts banging his wing-woman and Mikey is sleeping with his soon-to-be ex-wife. 

That Awkward Moment is not just an awful title for a film, it’s also an awful film and for so many reasons. The biggest reason being that Zac Efron is a horrible actor. The writing is bad but my God, he is worse. To say that the film would have benefitted from a different leading man in an understatement. He’s unbelievably stiff and his lack of emotion makes his character almost seem like a sociopath. His scenes are embarrassing to watch as he struggles to keep up with the obviously much more talented Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan. Out of the three leads, Miles Teller has the most charisma and the best comic timing. Even when he’s just in the background of a scene, he’s the funniest part. Michael B. Jordan does his best with a boring storyline that goes nowhere. For two actors who are being heralded as The Next Big Thing and both having won awards at Sundance Film Festival, it’s a shame they’re both in such a mediocre film. 

As for the female characters, let’s just say the film doesn’t quite pass the Bechdel Test. Imogen Poots plays Ellie, Jason’s standard manic pixie dream girl. Her hair is messy, her eye liner is smudged and her gloves are fingerless. Chelsea, Daniel’s love interest (played by MacKenzie Davis), only really exists to be his wing-woman turned girlfriend who also, inexplicably, plays piano and sings in one scene. 

On top of that, the music in the film doesn’t fit and is distracting. It’s either overly sentimental to tell the audience “this is sad moment” or seems ominous, as if one of the characters are about to horribly die. But the worst thing about That Awkward Moment is that it thinks that it’s being original by making a romantic comedy where the guys are the main characters when really it falls back on all the romantic comedy tropes and jokes you’ve seen before. Basically, do yourself a favour and give this one a miss.

Beth Johnston