ACTING SCHOOL: Don Cheadle

This month's featured actor on "LAMB Acting School 101" is another one of my personal favs - Don Cheadle. I truly believe he's one of the best current actors, as he always brings an interesting interpretation of various characters. For my entry, I highlight my 3 favourite scenes from his films. Check 'em out below.

N.B. - Youtube wouldn't let me embed some of the links, so you'll just have to click on the links to direct you to the youtube page.

OLDIE GOLDIES: Auntie Mame (1958)

This week on Oldie Goldies I look at a surprisingly hilarious comedy - "Auntie Mame". This film is really a delight, with an infectious performance by Rosalind Russell in the title role and a great supporting cast (especially the females). The film picked up 6 Oscar nominations - Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Art Direction.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Martha Marcy May Marlene

Sean Durkin proves to be a skilful director in his chilling debut film “Martha Marcy May Marlene". The film features some really clever editing and cinematography, with some particularly brilliant long takes. The film is propelled by a fantastic breakthrough performance by Elizabeth Olsen, as she even had me feeling nervous at times. Her unnerving performance really had my heart racing in some scenes. At times, she even reminded me of Anne Hathaway in "Rachel Getting Married", a major compliment to her talent. Great work by all involved.

OSCAR WATCH: Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" is a commendable directorial effort by Tomas Alfredson, as he deals with the difficult source material of John Le Carré's novel. As with the exceptional "Let The Right One In", he excels at creating a grey, brooding atmosphere. The cinematography and music are well suited to the film and the ensemble cast is uniformly outstanding. I must admit, it can initially be hard to follow along as this is a dense script. It truly is a "slow burn". I think this may have hurt the film's Oscar hopes, as it may require multiple viewings to fully appreciate it. As I said before, the entire cast is equally great, so I don't think Gary Oldman stands out enough to gain any awards traction. He gives a solid performance, but it's too cold and restrained. My favourites were actually Tom Hardy and John Hurt. The biggest possibilities in my opinion are Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound Mixing. I think Alfredson has a slim chance of a Best Director nod as well. This film will likely get lost in the awards season, but I would definitely recommend it if you are looking for something challenging to watch during this holiday season.

OSCAR WATCH: The Songs

One of the most difficult Oscar categories to predict is Best Original Song. This is largely due to a nomination system that effectively allows you to vote against a song. In determining the nominees, the Academy members are shown clips of how the songs are used in the film. Alternatively, a lot of songs appear only in the closing credits, which would seem to put them at a disadvantage. Based on the Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations, there seem to be 7 prime contenders for that final Oscar shortlist:

"Hello Hello" by Elton John and Lady Gaga, Gnomeo and Juliet (check out the clip below)
"The Living Proof" by Mary J. Blige, The Help
"Life's A Happy Song" by Jason Segel, Amy Adams and Walter, The Muppets (check out the clip below)
"Man or Muppet" by Jason Segel and Walter, The Muppets
"Pictures In My Head" by the Muppets, The Muppets
"Lay Your Head Down" by Sinead O'Connor, Albert Nobbs
"The Keeper" by Chris Cornell, Machine Gun Preacher

OLDIE GOLDIES: The Grapes Of Wrath (1940)

After a week's hiatus, Oldie Goldies is back with a real American classic - "The Grapes Of Wrath". This bleak portrayal of the Depression era can be a tough sit, but there's no denying its brilliance. The acting, script and cinematography are all remarkable. The film was rewarded with 7 Oscar nominations, winning 2 of them (Best Director and Best Supporting Actress).

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: Submarine

Delightfully awkward. That’s how I would describe this debut feature by director Richard Ayoade. Up-and-comers Craig Roberts and Yasmin Page, along with veterans Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor, are all magnificent in their roles. Ayoade really has a promising career ahead of him.

OSCAR WATCH: Golden Globe Nominations

The Golden Globe nominations dropped this morning and they were actually a strong list (especially after the embarrassing Comedy lineup last year). The biggest surprise nominee was "The Ides of March" which evidently played very well with the voters. The film picked up a much needed boost with 4 big nominations (Picture, Director, Actor and Screenplay). I'm also really fascinated by the nomination of "In The Land Of Blood And Honey" in the foreign language category. Can't wait to see it. The full list of nominees:

Best Picture (Drama)
The Descendants
The Help
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse

Best Picture (Musical/Comedy)
50/50
The Artist
Bridesmaids
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn


Best Actor (Drama)
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J Edgar
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March
Brad Pitt, Moneyball


Best Actor (Musical/Comedy)
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon Levitt, 50/50
Ryan Gosling, Crazy Stupid Love
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

Best Actress (Drama)
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

Best Actress (Musical/Comedy)
Jodie Foster, Carnage
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain , The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Director
Woody Allen, Midnight In Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo

OSCAR WATCH: SAG Nominations

Following on from yesterday's Critics Choice nominations, the SAG nominees were announced today. The most interesting inclusion was Demian Bichir in Best Actor for "A Better Life". Melissa McCarthy's campaign seems to really be gaining steam, with "Bridesmaids" also picking up a nod for Best Ensemble! Could a Best Picture nomination be in the works? The biggest snub was Hugo, which was completely shut out of the list (though that film wasn't heralded for its acting). Another surprise was the snub of Albert Brooks, who has been winning quite a few critics awards. Next up, the always amusing Golden Globe nominations! The full list of SAG nominees:

Ensemble (equivalent to the Best Picture Award)
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
Midnight in Paris

Actor
Demian Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Actress
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need To Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Armie Hammer, J. Edgar
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Supporting Actress
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help

OSCAR WATCH: Critics Choice Nominations

The first group has announced and it seems like "Hugo" and "The Artist" are really gathering momentum. I find it amazing how much inside knowledge the Oscar bloggers really do have! All the nominees were mostly expected. Even the seemingly unrealistic hopes of Melissa McCarthy and Andy Serkis came to fruition.

Best Picture
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Best Actor
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Best Actress
Viola Davis, The Help
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Supporting Actor
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Andrew Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Best Supporting Actress
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Carey Mulligan, Shame
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Best Director
Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Steven Spielberg, War Horse

AWARDS SEASON: The Frontrunners

With the first televised awards groups announcing their nominees from Tuesday onwards (Critics Choice, SAG, Golden Globes) it's time to take stock of the Best Picture race. This is definitely one of the strangest Oscar seasons in recent years. Firstly, we don't know how large the field will be (anywhere between 5-10 nominees). Also, it doesn't seem like there are that many "slam dunk" hits (critically and box-office) like last year (The Social Network, The King's Speech, True Grit, The Fighter, Toy Story 3, Black Swan, Inception). At this point last year we already knew 9 of the nominees, with Winter's Bone and The Town fighting for the 10th slot. Right know, it seems like the following 10 films have the strongest chances for Oscar glory, according to the experts...

1. The Artist

2. Hugo

3. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

4. The Descendants

5. Moneyball

6. Midnight In Paris

7. The Help

8. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

9. War Horse

10. The Ides of March

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to catch that many of the potential nominees. At the moment, it seems like "The Artist" and "Hugo" will emerge as the consensus favourites. "The Artist" is expected to score well through virtually all the categories, while "Hugo" will certainly earn respect with Scorsese as director and also for its dazzling visuals (Costume Design, Visual Effects, Art Direction). At the end of this week we'll have a much better idea of which films will keep showing up on the awards circuit.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK/OSCAR WATCH: The Ides Of March

This post is coming slightly early this week as I'm off on holiday in Botswana. "The Ides Of March" is a gripping political thriller by the great talent that is George Clooney. The film succeeds in all aspects. The tight script and editing keeps your eyes glued to the screen. I absolutely loved the dialogue. The casting was perfect and the music give the film a very suspenseful atmosphere. Special mention must be made of Ryan Gosling, who has really transformed himself into a movie star this year with his various roles. He commands the screen, even when he is paired with Clooney. He really grabs you and takes on a journey with this character. I agree that the film doesn’t expose any new truths about the dirty nature of politics, but there is no denying that this is smart, riveting entertainment. The Oscar prospects are difficult to gauge on this one, as it got off to such a shaky start at its Venice premiere (which it never really recovered from). I think the best bets are for Best Actor (Ryan Gosling), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score. If the film makes a strong comeback in the precursor awards, I think it could slip in for Best Picture and Best Editing as well.

OLDIE GOLDIES: Rebecca (1940)

This week's selection for Oldie Goldies is Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca". What a creepy film! He really knows how to create tension. The film was an Oscar success, taking home the trophies for Best Picture and Best Cinematography. It was also nominated for Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Director, Best Visual Effects, Best Editing, Best Original Score and Best Screenplay.

A ROTTEN TOMATO: Another Earth

It was a promising concept, but the actual film didn’t really work for me. I never really believed the characters. Also, the shaky, out-of-focus camera drove me crazy. Can someone please explain that “wtf” ending to me?!

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: After The Wedding

"After The Wedding" is a memorable film by Susanne Bier that touches on issues surrounding family and ideals. The mood and tone created by the cinematography, music and acting are all perfectly suited to this deeply touching story. The film’s main triumph is its incredibly fascinating characters, as I found myself intrigued by even the smallest supporting roles. I don’t know how you can’t be moved by this film.