THE ARTIST AND HUGO SHARE 5 WINS AT 84TH ACADEMY AWARDS!

 

And so ends another year of glitz and glamour and predictions and groans as the classical Hollywood dramedy The Artist secured five Oscar wins including the coveted Best Picture award though initially it looked as though Martin Scorsese's Hugo would be giving it a run for its money at the start. Both films which pay homage to the history of cinema shared the same number of awards though it was the black and white/silent one that triumphed in the major categories. As well as its Best Pic win, the film also scooped the prizes for Best Director (Michael Hazanavicius), Best Actor (Jean Dujardin), Best Costume Design and Best Original Score.

Before the ceremony started there was plenty of stars around with many ladies looking particularly stunning (no guesses as to which one I preferred) although the likes of Meryl Streep, Rooney Mara, Michelle Williams and Jennifer Lopez looked divine in their outfits. There was also the odd bit of controversy from none other than the dark-humoured Sacha Baron Cohen who attended the Red Carpet dressed as his latest un-PC character General Aladeen from the upcoming comedy The Dictator. While being interviewed by E! host Ryan Seacrest, 'Aladeen' dropped an urn containing 'Kim Jong Il's ashes over Seacrest which led to much talk from other stars afterwards.

The 84th Academy Awards began in style with the wacky Billy Crystal returning to host for the 9th time (the previous occasion being 2004) and once again he delivered with a hilarious opening monologue which poked fun at The Artist, George Clooney, Justin Bieber and The Adventures of Tin Tin followed by his singing rendition of the nine Best Picture nominees. The first award was a big enough shock as Hugo beat off The Tree of Life to take the Cinematography Oscar followed quickly by a more deserving win in Art Direction. But when it also won the two Sound categories AND Visual Effects (over Harry Potter and Rise of the Planet of the Apes), it looked like The Artist would have a big struggle. But once it took Director, it's surge towards glory was never in doubt.

Frenchman Dujardin managed to beat off competition from the Hollywood superstars of George Clooney and Brad Pitt while Meryl Streep managed to get enough votes to claim her third win for her phenomenal role as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady (which also won Best Makeup making it the 'second' most successful film of the night) over the likes of Viola Davis, Glenn Close, Rooney Mara and Michelle Williams. She appeared humble over the win having gained strong support from the Weinstein's who finally ended her barren run with losing out on awards having not won since 1983. Captain Von Trapp himself, Christopher Plummer became the oldest Oscar-winning actor of all time aged 82 winning the Supporting Actor award for Beginners beating off Kenneth Branagh and Nick Nolte amongst others while Octavia Spencer picked up Supporting Actress for The Help ahead of her co-star Jessica Chastain and Bridesmaid's Melissa McCarthy.

 

Other than the wins for The Artist and Hugo and the acting champs, there was individual wins for various other films including Woody Allen winning Original Screenplay for Midnight in Paris, The Descendents winning Adapted Screenplay and the likes of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (a shock win in Film Editing), The Muppets (Original Song) and Rango winning Animated Film (Tin Tin should have been nominated!). Disappointingly it was a bittersweet end for the Harry Potter films which will officially be the most successful franchise never win an Oscar as the final installment Deathly Hallows Part II failed from its three nominations. The big losers of the night though were Moneyball and War Horse who both failed to win from five nominations each.

Other than that, a thoroughly enjoyable event and poignant for me to not only see Billy Crystal host again but to see Meryl Streep pick up an Oscar after all these years made for great viewing. The Cirque Du Soleil act and the In Memorian segment also added to the spirit of the occasion on another wonderful night for Oscar. The official winners are below:

Best Picture: THE ARTIST 

Best Director: MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS - THE ARTIST

Best Actor: JEAN DUJARDIN - THE ARTIST

Best Actress: MERYL STREEP - THE IRON LADY

Best Supporting Actor: CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER - BEGINNERS

Best Supporting Actress: OCTAVIA SPENCER - THE HELP

Best Original Screenplay: MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

Best Adapted Screenplay: THE DESCENDANTS

Best Art Direction: HUGO

Best Cinematography: HUGO

Best Costume Design: THE ARTIST

Best Makeup: THE IRON LADY

Best Editing: THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

Best Sound Editing: HUGO

Best Sound Mixing: HUGO

Best Visual Effects: HUGO

Best Original Score: THE ARTIST

Best Original Song: 'MAN OR MUPPET' - THE MUPPETS

Best Animated Film: RANGO

Best Foreign Film: A SEPARATION 

Coming soon will be my preview of the next 12 months ahead with blockbusters and the next batch of award contenders set for my attention. It promises to be another fascinating year ahead, and after the marvelous experiences I've had with film recently (internship work and the BAFTAs), there's just no place like the movies!

EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE (2011) - 3 1/2 STARS

"If things were easy to find, they wouldn't be worth finding." 

 DIRECTOR: Stephen DALDRY

STARRING: Thomas HORN, Tom HANKS, Sandra BULLOCK, Max VON SYDOW

With the 84th Academy Awards almost upon us, it's been another year where I have managed to get through most of the contenders nominated for Best Picture (except Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris) and have now been able to conclude the category with the viewing of Stephen Daldry's emotional family drama Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. A mix of groans and shocked cheers came from the critics and audiences when the film was the final one to be announced as a Best Picture nominee alongside more self-esteemed choices like The Artist and The Descendants. For director Daldry, he has once again succeeded in getting another of his films to score big at the Oscars, adapting a story which uses one of humanity's greatest tragedies to create a melodramatic but intriguing film that doesn't really deserve its tag as the worst film nominated for Best Picture....

 After his father Thomas (Hanks) dies on 9/11, autistic but intelligent child Oskar (Horn) is left devastated over the tragedy particularly because of the strong bond the pair shared prior to 'the worst day'. With his grief-stricken mother Linda (Bullock) also struggling to overcome the loss, Oskar seeks to overcome his troubles when he stumbles into his father's wardrobe to find a mysterious key inside an envelope with the word 'Black' written on it. Determined to find the person named Black (who may have the lock for the key), Oskar embarks on a lengthy quest around New York over the next few months to track down this person and find out whether his father was trying to deliver one final message to him. During his search, he encounters The Renter (Von Sydow), a humble mute who offers to help the youngster with finding this person but the more they look around, the more the frustration and anxiety creeps in with Oskar knowing that he'll never be able to move on from his father's death unless he finds the lock....

What positives we can take out of the film despite its controversial usage of 9/11 as a story backdrop is the journey for which our leading youngster goes through to hold on to his remaining memories of his father. As expected the big screen adaptation is more different to Jonathan Safran Foer's novel with cutting out filler scenes and this film did struggle with its original presentation when shown to test audiences but the final version here makes for a more sombre and touching film. Daldry restrains from being completely over-sentimental with his story knowing when to pull the emotional heartstrings when its comes to dealing with the themes of loss and tragedy even from facial expressions. Leading the film from the front is newcomer Thomas Horn whose performance as Oskar does have a marmite feel of loving or hating the character. On the plus side, we sympathise with the loss he has suffered and become as intrigued as him to find out the truth regarding the mysterious lock. However it is his representation as a boy with autism that becomes the key factor to his erratic behaviour and as a person with a similar disability, Horn managed to pull off the social awkwardness to deliver a touching performance. Hanks for once, doesn't command the screen like his young co-star but he still gives another gentle role while Bullock provides the devastation within her character as she struggles to deal with the loss of her husband and being isolated by her son during his search. But out of the supporting players who lend effective support including Viola Davis and Jeffrey Wright, it is veteran Von Sydow (Oscar-nodded in Supporting for this film) who gives the more affectionate role as a man silenced by his own shocking experience with humanity and being able to express his emotions and understandings without saying a single word. His scenes with Horn are delicate and unique when it comes to the connection between both characters and is made more powerful in one key scene where Oskar tries to show The Renter his answer machine with the final messages sent by his father.

What becomes the problem with Daldry's film which is evident from his last project The Reader is his attempt to use a devastating event (with a recent anniversary) to try and make the film emotionally appeal to audiences which the writer Foer himself received criticism for as well. Evidently you can tell like with the 2008 film, there has been a lot of work done to overcome the problems it received in post-production including the complete cut of James Gandolfini's character from the final film. While the story is more about Oskar's adventure, it tries to mould the tragedy of 9/11 as a core to the narrative and at times does go too deep with its focus especially with one particular shot of Oskar's father falling from the top of the World Trade Centre. For most people, it'll be considered too soon to use a recent national tragedy as part of a child's story. Oskar himself is not the most likeable child character in film history, and while Horn does well in his performance, many will see Oskar as irritating, rude and even at times horrible (one of his scenes with Bullock springs to mind) hence why his adventure won't be supported by many.

VERDICT: The backdrop is too soon for a family drama and at times it can be hollow but Daldry's latest awards contender isn't as poor as many have said (though not as brilliant as many anticipated), with youngster Horn standing out in one of 2011's biggest tearjerkers.

THE MUPPETS (2011) - 4 STARS

"I'm being held captive by these weirdos!"
"Now you know how we've felt for the last forty years."

 DIRECTOR: James BOBIN

STARRING: Jason SEGAL, Amy ADAMS, Chris COOPER

Since the late 1970s, the Muppets have charmed and entertained audiences with their wacky adventures which later spawned several films including the family 'Muppets Christmas Carol'. But after the disappointing Muppets in Space came out in 1999, the franchise was reduced to several straight-to-DVD releases which looked to have signalled the end of Kermit and friends forever. But along came comedy actor Jason Segal who has put aside his resume of recent films to co-write one of the surprise packages of 2011 as The Muppets marks a triumphant return to the big screen for the erratic puppets. Though not quite as memorable as Christmas Carol, it is just one of those films which will have you smiling all day (maybe even for a long time)....

A human named Gary (Segal) and his brother Walter who is a Muppet have spent all their life doing things together despite their different appearances. But Walter finds a new devotion to life in the shape of watching old footage of the Muppets Show and dreams of being like one of them. His opportunity comes when Gary and his long-term girlfriend Mary (Adams) bring him along to Los Angeles where they are hoping to celebrate their ten year anniversary. But upon arriving at the old Muppets Studio, Walter realises that the Muppets aren't as popular as they once were and uncovers a sinister plot from maniacal businessman Tex Richman (Cooper) who seeks to uncover oil underneath the building. Determined to stop him, the Muppet looks to track down his idols and bring them all back together in order to figure a way of raising a million dollars before the deadline. With the help of Gary and Mary, he succeeds in convincing Kermit the Frog to gather up his old friends including Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy and many more to put on one last show to try and raise the cash before it is too late....

It's been a long time since The Muppets made their bow on the big screen and to see them back together again brings all that nostalgia back. It's a real crowd-pleaser which introduces itself to the latest generation of young viewers keen on experiencing what the older fans enjoyed back in the day and those especially who embraced the classic TV series will find delight in seeing their puppet heroes back again. We still have Kermit trying to pull it all together, we still have Fozzie and his bad jokes and we still have Animal attacking those drums. It's just how we remember them and we still have the occasional gags, over-the-top humour and poignancy that made the characters particularly memorable and it's satisfying to know that they've still got it. When it comes to the acting side of things, the lead human characters of Segal and Adams make a lovely couple but ultimately they take a step back to let the film's real stars take centre stage. It's even more refreshing to see Adams back in singing mode after his glowing turn in another Disney homage Enchanted (2007) but not even her talent can completely overshadow her female 'rival' Miss Piggy. Cooper has a lot of fun in his boo-hiss role as the cunning businessman Richman even getting his own rap which is awkward but then again The Muppets has always been about cheesiness. But we also get a newcomer to The Muppets characters in Walter who becomes easily likeable to me as someone devoted to trying to reunite his heroes to save them from fading into obscurity. And of course we have the list of cameo appearances which appeal more to American fans ranging from Mickey Rooney and Emily Blunt to Zach Galifianakis and Whoopi Goldberg . We don't quite get a huge cameo but those who do pop up provide their own brief turn with Jack Black having the most memorable one when he gets kidnapped for the show. However aside from laughs, the Muppets have always been celebrated for its witty and catchy musical numbers and once again they don't fail here. 'Life's A Happy Song' is a pure feel-good tune to get things going while the likes of 'Pictures in my Head', 'Man or Muppet' and the duet of Adams and Miss Piggy singing 'Me Party' provide more heart and soul to the story depicting the characters in these renditions. But it's the post-credits song which will leave you walking out of the cinema singing it to yourself for a long time.

What did disappoint me about The Muppets is that the Jim Henson touch is a little lacking here especially with the absence of Frank Oz impersonating Fozzie whose voice is distinctly different to his more loveable, quirky speech from past projects. The story itself clearly bases most of itself on The Blues Brothers in trying to replicate a familiar themed narrative that doesn't quite work as well as it did in the original Muppets film. Various characters are also underused with Kermit and Fozzie amongst those who get the most screen-time whereas the likes of Gonzo (who at least gets a back-story), the Swedish chef and the non-speaking Rizo are reduced to the background. Finally the ending does let itself down particularly during the credits, as it completely changes the outlook of the Studio's fate and feels awkwardly rushed to try over-satisfy people.

VERDICT: Though lacking in the Henson magic, the Muppets are back with a bang as this heart-warming and fascinating outing gives modern audiences a reminder that they are far from finished while also indulging their old fans with a great on-screen comeback. One word. Phenomenon. Do doo do do doo...

MY BAFTA EXPERIENCE PART TWO - A DAY TO REMEMBER

THE TIMELINE
6:15 am: On Sunday morning, we both awoke though the nerves had really kicked in for me as I barely slept, worrying that those camping fans queuing for the wristbands would multiply rapidly so it was clear we had to be up and ready for what would be a very long day. We stood at the bus stop waiting for the 6:39 bus to arrive, surprised at the cars going past us. You wouldn't think it was Sunday morning, but that's how mad London is, no matter what day or time it is. Once we got on the bus, we cruised through traffic without much trouble. 

6.52am: We got off at Piccadilly Circus and with still a further few minutes to walk, my dad was able to nab us a taxi to drop us off for the remaining mile. We raced around to the corner where the Theatre Royal was with the queue looking lengthy and as we crept past various people, I was becoming more anxious about whether we'd be near the very back given that the wristbands were numbered meaning that the later we'd arrive, the more far back we'd be from the barriers. Us Wirral people weren't going to come all that way just to have the local cockneys taking our spots, they only have to walk off their doorstep for goodness sake. As we went around another corner (with me coughing my guts out), it turned out we were somewhere out of the 250-300 crowd, a great sign for both of us as getting up early had proved a shrewd move. 

7.00am: So the long wait began. It was cold, but not as bad as we thought it would be. We stood behind a couple of Scandinavian girls which already indicated that traveling from the Wirral didn't matter especially when you had people from all corners of the Earth all waiting in one place to see the stars. Behind us however, we had a group of smirking lads, who practically spent their time in the queue either sounding paranoid about getting a wristband or laughing loudly. Irritating was a good word to describe them especially when you're a first time attendee of a major awards event. 

8.00 am: During that hour it amazed me while queuing that the Theatre Royal was showing Shrek: The Musical. Who would have thought that Barry from Four Lions, Kimberly Walsh from Girls Aloud and Dennis from Eastenders would appear in the same production. Madness. In the meantime, I was feeling more optimistic about the wristbands given that the queue was getting longer behind us but we were also trying to avoid being approached by a couple of pushers wanting to sneak into the line. No chance! The queue itself started getting smaller and we started surging towards our target position though it was still a case of patience. 

8.50 am: Having spent almost two hours waiting, we finally got our wristbands placed on us though my dad got one before me, he was originally reluctant to watch the red carpet but after all that queuing, you couldn't really miss out after all that. However another stumbling block came when the miserable looking security guard revealed that after all that waiting, we would have to come back to the same queue again in a couple of hours time and do more standing around. The reason being that we had to let people out of the Royal who'd been working on Shrek, and so we'd end up being placed at the barrier pens, three hours earlier than we anticipated. Patience has never been a strong suit in my family....

11.30 am: During the next couple of hours, we had less time to do our own thing instead opting to travel back to the hotel and have a nice breakfast (but my nerves came back about where we would be placed in the barriers). My Oyster card was being used a lot during all these journeys using the London transport system and eventually we were back at Piccadilly with more layers on. We strolled around the city before heading into Covent Garden where we wasted time watching some prat trying to start his performance by shouting loudly for people to come to him while parading his giant suitcase. No thanks. Eventually we were back in almost the same spot as we were four and a half hours earlier though we were at least armed with some newspapers....

12.30pm: Me and Dad continued to stand firm though I was getting a little bored and wanted to at least mingle with a couple of fellow film-fanatics. Those lads who stood behind me in the earlier queue were now in front of me but while we continued to wait, I eventually managed to chat to a trio of girls about the award contenders for ten minutes. During our discussions, people near to the front were shouting out the wristband numbers in their order, with me and Dad being in the 290-300 section. Once we ourselves were called, we skedaddled to the security men who guided us to our barrier where we would be in the second row from the front....

13.00pm: If I thought those lads behind us in the earlier queue were irritating, you can't imagine how distracting the lads in front of us were like in the barriers. More on them in a moment. Originally I was stood behind a very dandruffy middle-aged woman who was shorter than me but for some reason, I felt it easier to stand next to my dad who was a couple of bodies away from me. He himself, was stood just next to a barrier fence overlooking the disabled section but facing the wrong way when the stars would come down. We watched on as the BAFTA crew worked on getting the red carpet laid out before the star's arrivals....

14.00pm: Not much to report apart from feeling like one small move could see me lose my spot. I was glad my dad was able to stand tall without being uncomfortable with all these people around us. My irritation got to the point where a young lady stood next to me wouldn't put her big bag down which led to being push against Dad and getting me stressed out big time. The cause wasn't helped any further by these lads in front of us spending those two hours telling us of their encounters with Steven Spielberg, George Clooney and the Harry Potter cast having queued since half 4 in the afternoon on Saturday. It sounded great for them, but when you live up north, you know you'll never have that opportunity to see those big names in Birkenhead or Liverpool! One of them even had a replica Thor hammer for when the actors from that film would arrive, but it's clear these lads were mad when it came to celebrity stalking.

15.00pm: With everything all set up, our first sighting was a British chap who it turned out was the new voice actor of Miss Piggy (my sister's idol), Eric Jacobsen, who those lads in front of us recognised, would never had known in a million years. Through the half-hour mark, we finally spot two of TV's biggest names. The purring Fearne Cotton sped past more than once but I was too slow messing around with the camera quality to get a decent snap of her. Not even my official camera. I knew that blurriness would play a big part in the way I would get my photos though fortunately my dad was able to use my I-phone to try get some. Dermot O'Leary was also there as part of the E! Red Carpet coverage and eventually I claimed a first celeb pic although he was in the middle of the carpet, which would prove another awkward situation for getting good photos. Soon more film-established people arrived as Empire's Mark Hewitt and the controversial Mark Kermode made their entrances. After a long and tiring day, and with the flames finally being set up, so it begins....

16:30pm: In hectic fashion, the first major player to grace the carpet was The Help's Viola Davis who did autographs at the start just near us. Unfortunately once she was back in the middle, she sped up the carpet like Usain Bolt, and disappointingly the only picture I got was of her back (blurred as well!). Also arriving was Downton Abbey's Elizabeth McGovern but I didn't get a good angle for her though we got a better shot of a young lady signing autographs in the disabled pen. Hadn't a clue who it was until I later learnt it was the desirable Hayley Atwell from Captain America. However with the Davis disappointment I started to feel as if the whole day was going to end disastrously with me being squashed against all these people while battling to get a decent snap though fortunately my dad had my I-phone to get some pics just in case I failed. But soon my determination sky-rocketed when Davis's co-stars Octavia Spencer and the yummy Jessica Chastain arrived. I HAD to get one of Jessica especially up-close but she was originally on the other side. Octavia then arrived near to our side and I managed to get one of her close. Once her co-star left, Jessica finally walked to us and my heart pounded. She came across the front barrier signing for the people at the front but luckily for me I got great snaps of her (my dad did too). Success! Feeling all giddy as she came to me, I said "I love you Jessica", and to my delight she gave her trademark smile and a wave appreciating my kind gesture. It made my day even before Clooney, Pitt and Radcliffe were due to arrive.

 

Soon my picture-taking orgy came into focus as I got another good pic this time of British actor Tom Hiddleston, though for the first time on the night, our 'mates' in front of us were to be left bitterly disappointed as Tom ignored their Thor posters to get to the other people. They were pissed! But they weren't pissed for long as a bigger and more successful British star was to soon make his entrance in the shape of Thor's director Kenneth Branagh, a true Shakespearean actor although I did refer to him as Kenny. He seemed a charming man and again I managed to get some great pics of him too which I benefitted from the pushing behind us as I was wrisked straight into the front row and finally I was able to get more condensed pics. Another Brit arrived in Richard E. Grant, who was also near us plus Gillian Anderson was out and about too. So far so good, but the best was still to come....

  

17:15 pm: With the first surge of film stars going past us, we could hear the loud screams a few yards down from us. Someone big had arrived. It was George Clooney himself. Seeing his hair from a distance was enough to leave me ecstatic at the thought of being within feet of a Hollywood superstar. And what a display he performed as he showed friendliness and humbleness towards those wanting pics with him. He came over to us and was just as enthusiastic in signing autographs and saying hello to people in that American accent. A true star full stop. Poor Film 2012 host Claudia Winkleman only had her nose and hair to appear on my photo album, completely overshadowed by this cinematic icon. 

Following on from George were two big lads from different sides of the Atlantic, Jonah Hill who was looking much slimmer than his Superbad days and the constantly appearing James Corden, who for once didn't steal the limelight from these Hollywood people. Another duo of young and old then came by as War Horse's Jeremy Irvine turned up followed by an much older man of undeniable experience in the film industry as John Hurt of The Elephant Man showed courtesy with his gravel voice as he glad-fully signed people's autographs as well. The British storm of acting talent continued to appear as Irish actor Chris O'Dowd from Bridesmaids strolled past us soon followed by Lord Voldemort himself; Ralph Fiennes. For the first time in the pen, a swarm of fans behind us pushed through to try get his signature, leaving me fearing I would be hanging over the barrier but luckily security were able to stop the surge from getting any further. It has to be said that those guys did a terrific job of stopping over-the-top fans from getting too physical when things weren't going their own way.

  

The Bridesmaids representatives continued to show as Jon Hamm from Mad Men popped up but when I saw Kristen Wiig gliding across the middle of the carpet, I called out to her. Sadly she couldn't stop to let me take a photo but acknowledged my call to her by waving to me. That was a nice consolation anyway. New Bond girl Naomie Harris looked ravishing in her yellow dress as she came by while her future co-star Dame Judi Dench flew across the red carpet looking to get a seat but another mid-shot was decent enough. The flock of admirable actresses eventually concluded when the charming and beautiful Berenice Bejo from The Artist also showed friendliness when greeted by the crowd. So many big names yet we still had Harry Potter and Brad Pitt to come....

    
18:00pm: All I can say was the final half hour was busy. The loud screams firstly came for the boy wizard himself, Daniel Radcliffe, who again flowed to people across the carpet, but like Ralph Fiennes, he attracted a lot of pushers behind us and even our mates in front cried out for him to sign for them, and things even got heated when one of the lads ridiculed a couple of security organisers about a cameraman blocking their view. Given that they'd already had pics with these celebrities before, you'd think it was the first time they had seen celebrities in front of them before after all that moaning.

Christina Ricci was a tough one to get though her dress was nice enough but another big name I wanted to get a pic of was of 'Sir' Gary Oldman who it seemed was in a rush. I did get a good mid-shot of him though we did get to see a nice moment between him and Radcliffe, hugging each other as they reunited for the first time since their Harry Potter collaborations.But it was another Potter star who I was lucky to take snaps of as Jim Broadbent was another one with a gentlemanly personality when greeting fans. He was soon followed by his director of The Damned United, Tom Hooper who of course directed last year's Oscar (and BAFTA) winning The King's Speech. How different it must have felt for him compared to the previous year? It seemed that the Best Actor contenders were to be the hardest men to get great snaps of. After the disappointment of missing a good one of Oldman, the French actor Jean Dujardin didn't stick around long (though he seemed too charming to moan about) and then Shame star (and Liverpool FC fan) Michael Fassbender raced across the carpet like Kenny Dalglish trying to avoid a difficult question about Luis Suarez. They're all the same those reds haha.

But grace and classiness would soon arrive in the shape of Tilda Swinton whose cropped blonde hair was easy to spot from a distant and she too seemed a laugh especially when she asked someone if they had a pen to sign a picture. As solid an actress she is, she was soon to be overshadowed by the remaining icons who made their red carpet bow. The third time an audience was screaming loudly came from the arrival of Brad Pitt whose long, wavy hair was a distraction for a man who'd been recognised as one of the sexiest in the world but he wasn't easy to get a shot of, as he went to different places across the carpet, not really going too near us. One particular gang of lads shouted "Brad, Brad, Brad!" repeatedly to catch his attention but he stood tall even without Angelina to support him.

 

Probably the most fed-up looking star of the night was legendary singer Tom Jones who looked knackered though that didn't seem the case later that evening when he bellowed out 'Thunderball' during the opening Bond tribute montage. Then one of the greatest actresses of all time made her entrance as Meryl Streep eased her way through the carpet, not really signing autographs but instead raising her hand in gratitude to her fans. Seemed like she was still playing Thatcher....One of her Best Actress rivals Michelle Williams, looking miles apart from her glamorous role as Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn with her short hair greeted fans in the disabled pen near us but our mates in front of us finally took their frustration out by letting out brief boos when she failed to come near them. They were a trio of miserable buggers who at least have the fortunate pleasure of living in London and seeing most of these big names. The King's Speech's two leading actors were the last to appear (for me and my dad anyway) as Colin Firth's gentlemanly manner, as he approached various fans was satisfying to see, with some great snaps of him to boot. His on-screen wife Helena Bonham Carter turned up with her real-life husband Tim Burton, perhaps the maddest couple in the industry (certainly the most bizarre dress sense anyway). Burton didn't seem too interested in writing proper signatures instead choosing to write lines but Helena was the last to stand right near us as she signed auto's, again she came across as nice and not too energetic when it came to meeting people.

18:44pm: Twelve and a half hours after waking up feeling nervous as hell, me and my dad called it a day after an experience I would never forget. It had certainly had one HELL of a day with the many stars we got to see from 3pm onwards. Nothing could disappoint me about all the photos we had taken during that time, some of them would turn out blurry, but to see those artists standing before you in the flesh, is something you can never forget and that is exactly how I felt as a monumental moment in my life. Sure we didn't see the likes of Martin Scorsese or Penelope Cruz or Russell Crowe or Hugh Jackman but that would have been a bit to greedy for us to savour. We had already seen George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Daniel Radcliffe right in front of us.... 

One day I hope to find myself within the company of these great professionals whether it be as a film writer, crew member or even actor (that is too ambitious for my standards haha). It's a long and difficult process but after this experience, it has given me the urge to work extra hard to go the full distance and allow my dreams to come true. Thank you for reading this special (and very detailed) post. It took a long time to write and I appreciate your continued reading of this blog which is just as important to me now as ever. Not sounding too cliched, but it certainly was a day I would never forget in so many ways. 

"If you've ever wondered where your dreams come from, you look around... this is where they're made."

MY BAFTA EXPERIENCE PART ONE (THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM)

Throughout my growing love for the film industry, one of my main ambitions was to one day travel over to Los Angeles to watch the Oscars. However I knew that wouldn't happen (unless I had the pleasure of working on a top-notch film production in London), and so I decided it would be easier for me to pop down to London to watch the British equivalent to the Oscars; the BAFTAs. In recent years, I had watched the BAFTAs on my TV with great fondness for the awards and the stars attending (as well as being jealous over those screaming spectators getting their opportunity to see their movie heroes), especially the Hollywood heavyweights who normally wouldn't want to make the effort to come in the cold, dreary weather. But this year would be special when it came to Hollywood star power and it had to be a good enough reason for me to make the journey and stand within feet of these artists. Times had been hard for anyone but in my case, it was still an ongoing thing as I write this post and I knew that doing this would give me something to cheer (and boast a bit haha) so my pipe-dream suggestion was about to become a reality.

When one intends to watch a major film awards ceremony, not many people would want to bring their dad along but I am thankful that I did for the reason that the entire trip could have been a complete disaster had it been a companion who hadn't stayed in the English capitol before. My dad had experience of going to London a few times, although I myself hadn't been properly for about 3 years (with the exception of watching my beloved Everton beat Manchester United on penalties at Wembley in the F.A Cup Semi-Final of 2009!). We knew that we'd have to overcome lots of journeys on the tube, get up VERY early on a Sunday morning, battle it out with the locals for wristbands and finally trying to get the best snaps possible. But after much sorting out, our trip was confirmed a few weeks before and the anticipation couldn't have been any higher!

On the Saturday, me and my dad left our affluent area of Meols around 2ish though we both missed seeing Wayne Rooney's two goals against the kopites which was disappointing though hearing the final result at the station made us feel jolly indeed. Even better was the mighty blues defeating the not-so mighty blues of Chelsea 2-0 as our Virgin train raced from Liverpool to Euston Station within a couple of hours to get us to Landan' town for 5pm. After overcoming the tube and getting to our hotel (the Ramada overlooking Hyde Park), we spent our evening looking for the best transport times to head down to the Theatre Royal in the morning but knew that the tube wouldn't be an option as the earliest was 7am which was too risky as we had to queue for our BAFTA wristbands for 8. We did a practise run that evening using the bus service from Queensway to Piccadilly Circus and eventually learnt that 6:39 was the best time to use that service. Having discovered a few weeks earlier that some nutters would queue for the wristbands from the day before, that fear was confirmed when we saw at least 15 people armed with sleeping bags already sat there waiting. It was to be a nervous night for me as the morning beckoned....

THE ARTIST SWEEPS BAFTAS WITH 7 WINS

Classical Hollywood hit The Artist has continued its excellent awards streak in the run-up to the Oscars by cruising to seven wins at this year's star-filled BAFTA awards. The film claimed crucial wins in Best Film, Best Director for Michel Hazanavicus and a significant win for leading actor Jean Dujardin in Best Actor as well as wins in Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Costume Design and Original Score.

Dujardin beat off Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney and Brad Pitt plus British duo Gary Oldman and Michael Fassbender to win his award with plenty of charm in his speech.

Iconic actress Meryl Streep secured Best Actress for her towering performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, losing a shoe in the process as she went up to accept her award. Missing out included her Oscar rival Viola Davis, Michelle Williams and Tilda Swinton.

Christopher Plummer (Beginners) and Octavia Spencer (The Help) won the respected Supporting acting gongs for their performances with the exquisite Jessica Chastain once again missing out (boo!).

The snooze-fest that was Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy won Outstanding British Film beating off the likes of Shame and We Need to Talk About Kevin in the process and Adapted Screenplay. The Formula One documentary Senna won for its Editing and the prestigious Documentary prize.

A welcoming win was Paddy Considine (a fellow Aspie) for his writing/directing debut for the ferocious Tyrannosaur while the hardworking Harry Potter franchise finished with the meager total of one BAFTA win altogether as Deathly Hallows Part Two won Best Visual Effects.

A shock result in the Rising Star award saw underdog Anuvahood actor Adam Deacon beat off the likes of Thor duo Chris Hemsworth and Bridesmaids's Chris O'Dowd win in the category whose previous winners included James McAvoy, Kristen Stewart and Tom Hardy.

Veteran British actor John Hurt was awarded the BAFTA contribution to cinema award for a career spanning five decades with films such as Alien, Midnight Express, and his finest hour The Elephant Man. A similar type of award (the final of the night) was the Fellowship which went to Hollywood legend Martin Scorsese for his outstanding direction over the past forty years for masterpieces like Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas and The Departed.

Opening with a solid musical number from Tom Jones and hosted with extreme wit throughout by the returning Stephen Fry, the ceremony and show proved another major success and a day which I would never forget as my blog post tomorrow will tell. Here is the official winners list:

BEST FILM: THE ARTIST
BEST BRITISH FILM: TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

BEST DIRECTOR: MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS - THE ARTIST

BEST ACTOR: JEAN DUJARDIN - THE ARTIST

BEST ACTRESS: MERYL STREEP - THE IRON LADY

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER - BEGINNERS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: OCTAVIA SPENCER - THE HELP

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: THE ARTIST
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: HUGO
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: THE ARTIST
BEST COSTUME DESIGN: THE ARTIST
BEST MAKEUP: THE IRON LADY
BEST EDITING: SENNA
BEST SOUND: HUGO
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART TWO

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: THE ARTIST

BEST ANIMATED FILM: RANGO

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: THE SKIN I LIVE IN (SPAIN)

BEST DOCUMENTARY: SENNA

BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR/WRITER: PADDY CONSIDINE - TYRANNOSAUR

RISING STAR: ADAM DEACON

BAFTA CONTRIBUTION: JOHN HURT

BAFTA FELLOWSHIP: MARTIN SCORSESE

 

THE DESCENDANTS (2011) - 3 1/2 STARS

"What is it that makes the women in my life destroy themselves?" 

DIRECTOR: Alexander PAYNE

STARRING: George CLOONEY, Shailene WOODLEY

Several years after his Oscar-winning success with the indie-comedy SIDEWAYS (2004), writer/director Alexander Payne returns to the big screen with another decisive though slightly predictable effort which has unsurprisingly garnered awards attention with its recent Golden Globe-winning success and multiple Oscar nominations that continue to show Payne's consistency as an all-round filmmaker. Some of the film's acclaim is down to Payne's thoughtful and heart-rendering script, sharply adapted from Kaui Hart Hemmings's novel while it is also down to a heartfelt lead performance from Hollywood superstar George Clooney who is supported well by a complex, lesser known cast who all contribute to its unique story looking at family responsibility and life's disappointments in the beautiful Hawaiian surroundings....

In Hawaii, land baron Matt King (Clooney) is left distraught when his wife Elizabeth ends up in a coma following a boating accident which leaves him to look after his two rebellious daughters; youngster Scottie (Amara Miller) and teenager Alexandra (Woodley). But while dealing with his wife's predicament and caring for his girls, Matt also faces responsibility with having to sell part of his family's treasured land which faces being turned into a luxury tourist attraction though it is clear that his other problems make him unsure of what he wants. However his family situation takes a nasty turn when following the news that Elizabeth faces certain death, his eldest daughter Alex reveals a terrible truth about her mother cheating on him with another man which leads to Matt deciding to confront this man. Accompanied by Scottie, Alex and her male companion Sid (Nick Krause), the group travel to the island of Kauai where the man is currently staying and as Matt seeks the truth about the infidelity, he also starts bonding with his girls which allows him to reflect on his duty as a parent and as a loyal family member with his ancestor's heritage to stay dedicated to....

What Payne manages to put across with The Descendants is his faithfulness to familiar territory with some of his characters and stories. Themes of infidelity and loss which were seen with his earlier films like Election and Sideways add to the complicated emotions delivered on screen particularly for our leading character and those around him. Payne also excels in his writing when it comes to drama and comedy as most of his characters are given the humane focus of being initially dislikeable but proceeding to re-evaluate themselves and be redemptive by the end e.g. Alex who starts off as rebellious and bitter yet over the course of the film matures as a daughter supporting her father. But the core of the story apart from its writing is the acting and most of that is down to Clooney's terrific performance in which he conveys various emotions depicting his role as a man struggling to overcome the problems in his life whether he be vulnerable, strong, anguished or angry. It is all expressed in great detail by Clooney as Matt deals with all these conflicted feelings through careful precision and should make this year's Best Actor Oscar race more tough to call. Newcomer Woodley (disappointingly snubbed in Supporting Actress) is just as good in the role of Alex, capturing the anger and hurt of a teenager betrayed by her mother and abandoned by her father though their relationship does develop into a more reliable and supportive bond as the film progresses. The other child star Miller links up the solid family unit with naivety and innocence as Scottie working well with Clooney and Woodley throughout their scenes which make them stand out as a believable on-screen family whether they be trading insults at each other or sharing emotional moments together. The collection of small and effective performances lend extra baggage to the story with Matthew Lillard looking a far-cry from his early, goofier roles as the unfaithful married man who sleeps with Elizabeth while others like Robert Forster, Judy Greer and the underrated Krause bring more to the complexity of the film's characters. Finally deserving of some mention is the setting of Hawaii which presents itself on screen with such rich, tropical nostalgia accompanied by a flowing musical score but as Matt points out in the opening monologue, the film shows an opposite view of the way many people associate the island as being a natural paradise when in fact it is just like anywhere else.

Though this is an endearing film with a lot of brilliant characters and dramedy, the narrative does become a little predicable from the outset and the word 'cliche' continues to appear here. Firstly It is best to warn people who watched the trailer that it isn't a comedy despite some of its wacky one-liners, it mostly plays like a soap opera at times with a lot of drama and some light-hearted moments. Secondly the film's title doesn't really have much influence on the whole story in which Matt's ancestry is only mentioned in parts during his land sub-plot and that particular storyline didn't captivate me as much while the search for the cheating man has enough build-up to make it confrontational yet instead it all ends up a little flat with what you'd want to see happen which doesn't. And finally like most films I've seen in the past year, the film just ends too quickly, too many times this year has that happened.

VERDICT: A pleasant though predictablish film which is handled admirably by Payne with Clooney (and the rest of the impressive ensemble) on top of their game, it works well for its characters thanks to the witty script and places itself in beautiful surroundings.