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Minggu, 26 Februari 2012

Black Sheep Reviews presents the 2011 Mouton d'Or Awards



Last year I welcomed you to the sixth annual Mouton d'Or Awards and announced that they would be the last time they would be brought to you by Black Sheep Reviews. The intent was to start a new site but life got awful busy, as it tends to do, and here we are. Still Black Sheep presenting and do you know what? I'm happy it worked out this way. It's not about the site; it's about the work. OK, it's a little bit about the site but it is primarily about the work and this last year led to a lot of work for me outside Black Sheep in the world of film criticism. And I get to bring all that work back here to Black Sheep week after week. I'm not sure where Black Sheep was supposed to end up at this point but wherever this is, is pretty great.

And with that Black Sheep Reviews welcomes you to the 2011 Mouton d'Or Awards! The little silent film that could, THE ARTIST, leads this year's nominations with a total of seven but will it take the top prize? Or will it go to the one where reclusive director, Terrence Malick, attempts to capture the meaning of life on film? Perhaps it will be the one where people barely speak and spend a lot of time in cars or the one about the hot sex addict in NYC or maybe even the one where George Clooney wears Hawaiian shirts and flip-flops. It could be any one of these films. I joke about them casually here but they are all incredible films and I have fond memories of discovering each one of them. They all find some way to be honoured here but only one can take the Mouton d'Or for Best Picture.

Without further a due, ladies and gentlemen, the 2011 Mouton d'Or Awards ...
(Scroll over any title to read the original Black Sheep review.)



Contrary to what some people think, film critics do like movies. They do enjoy being entertained. Sometimes, they even enjoy big Hollywood productions like these five nominees. I chose THE HELP in this category because I was completely swept up in it, like a great deal of people out there. I finished reading the book about 20 minutes before I saw the movie and watching it come to life, albeit flawed in a few spots, was great fun for me and furthermore, I am proud to see that this film has touched so many people around the world.



It seems strange to even to suggest that a movie about the end of the world is little on any level whatsoever but when you see how striking Lars von Trier's MELANCHOLIA is, you will marvel at how little it supposedly cost to make. It is one of the most concise and effective films I've seen all year and my personal favourite from this elusive artist.


FRENCH IMMERSION
GREEN LANTERN

I don't like to spend too much time on these nominees. They have already wasted enough of mine as it is. Just look at those photos! How ridiculous do they all look? You should avoid all five but that being said, you should avoid David Gordon Green's YOUR HIGHNESS more than any other. It is pure torture from start to finish and an embarrassment for all involved.



I have to say I am completely blown away by this choice. THE TREE OF LIFE is by far one of the most polarizing films I've ever seen. People who love it, LOVE it but people who hate it, well they're willing to throw down over it. Personally, I love it. So to see that my readers overwhelmingly chose to honour it over some of the more populist choices in this category is incredible to me. Great choice, guys, and thank you to all who participated and voted in for this prize.



It still saddens me to only see two nominees in this category. I admit to not having seen some of the bigger animated films this year but that is just because they did nothing to excite me. These two are both fantastic films but the scale tips towards RANGO for being just so darn different and delicately detailed.



No matter what you think of Malick's opus, THE TREE OF LIFE, you cannot deny its exquisite beauty. This can be credited to Malick himself of course but also to his brilliant cinematographer, Emmanuel Lubezki, his whip smart editor, Mark Yoshikawa, and special effects genius, Douglas Trumbull, who came out of retirement to help recreate the creation of the universe.



Electronic music artists taking stabs at film scores is becoming increasingly more and more popular but the  inventive and unexpectedly successful work of The Chemical Brothers on HANNA makes an already exciting film experience that much more memorable. It's also a lot of fun to listen to outside of the context of the film.


KENNETH BRANNAGH in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
ALBERT BROOKS in DRIVE
ARMIE HAMMER in J. EDGAR
BRAD PITT in THE TREE OF LIFE
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER in BEGINNERS

This category came down to two choices for me and one had to be made. There is something so infectious about Christopher Plummer's interpretation of a 75-year-old man who has just come out of the closet and been diagnosed with cancer in BEGINNERS. He has waited his whole life for this time to be himself and there is no way he is going to let a little thing like death stop him from experiencing every aspect gay life has to offer. It is truly inspiring and his performance is moving.


JESSICA CHASTAIN in THE TREE OF LIFE
MELISSA MCCARTHY in BRIDESMAIDS
JANET MCTEER in ALBERT NOBBS
CAREY MULLIGAN in SHAME
OCTAVIA SPENCER in THE HELP
SHAILENE WOODLEY in THE DESCENDANTS

Much of the awards season attention for Jessica Chastain has been for THE HELP but I fell completely in love with her in THE TREE OF LIFE. She has done plenty since then but nothing will compare to the first time for me. She deserves this all the more though for being amazing in everything she's put out this year but her work in THE TREE OF LIFE is almost angelic. She is simply luminous.



Mike Mills wrote BEGINNERS about his very own parents' relationship. By fearlessly sharing such a personal aspect of his life and weaving in such specific and vulnerable details, he created a piece that is surprisingly universal. It is quirky and insightful and just embodies for me everything than an original screenplay should. Perhaps most importantly, it is brave and honest.



THE DESCENDANTS tells a complex story and it does so sparingly and without playing to sentimentality when it so easily could considering its sensitive subject matter. Written by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, this family drama is delightfully unique, oscillating between moments of light hearted humour, awkward bewilderment and real heart. It exudes a warmth that heals without even trying.


BEAUTIFUL BOY
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
PARIAH
SUBMARINE
TYRANNOSAUR

This is a new category this year. The reason it is here is because I am always blown away every year by what first time filmmakers can accomplish. All five of these films are bold, daring and stylistically fascinating works but Sean Durkin's MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE has haunted me ever since I first saw it. And despite its dark and disturbing nature, it is constantly drawing me back to it. I cannot wait to see what Durkin does next.


GEORGE CLOONEY in THE DESCENDANTS
JEAN DUJARDIN in THE ARTIST
MICHAEL FASSBENDER in SHAME
BRAD PITT in MONEYBALL
MICHAEL SHANNON in TAKE SHELTER

I would hate to be an Academy member right now. I'm not sure how I would choose between Clooney and Dujardin for the win in this category. Fortunately for me, I don't have to. I have Michael Fassbender to reward for his unforgettable turn as Brandon, a sex addict living in New York City, who is coming undone. It is too easy to say in this case but Fassbender does literally put it all out there for this character. His nakedness in SHAME, as impressive as it is, is still nothing in comparison to how naked his soul is.


GLENN CLOSE in ALBERT NOBBS
VIOLA DAVIS in THE HELP
ELIZABETH OLSEN in MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
MERYL STREEP in THE IRON LADY
TILDA SWINTON in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
MICHELLE WILLIAMS in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

What an incredible year for women in film. In fact, it was this category specifically that forced me to expand the acting nominees to six in each category. There is no way I could not honour one of these fine ladies. That said, there can only be one winner and I found it too difficult to choose between Davis and Streep so I went with Tilda Swinton instead. Her work in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN may not have gotten the notice it deserved but it is stellar. Her horror is unbearable and, fortunately for us or not, she is sure to share that horror with us at all times.



This is another new category this year. You cannot possibly single out every performance in every film you like. There are some times though that it is hard to overlook just how smoothly the entire cast works with each other. All five of these nominees boast impressive performances across the board and chemistry that is unmatched but the cast of 50/50 is a total dream. Joseph Gordon-Levitt leads, and strongly I might add, a sensitive Seth Rogen, a charming Anna Kendrick, a disturbing Bryce Dallas Howard and a heartbreaking Anjelica Huston. Together, they tow an incredibly difficult line between drama and comedy, making for a much more real look at dealing with cancer than any would have expected.


 MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS for THE ARTIST
STEVE MCQUEEN for SHAME
ALEXANDER PAYNE for THE DESCENDANTS
NICOLAS WINDING REFN for DRIVE
LARS VON TRIER for MELANCHOLIA

All five of these directors knew what they wanted and got exactly that out of their pictures but one of them did so with an insane idea. Michel Hazanavicius has wanted to make a silent film for years now and he never gave up. He kept pushing until he finally found someone to back him and once he had the support, he didn't squander a single bit of it. His choices are all deliberate, all respect the rules of the era he is trying to capture and they subsequently allow for an enchanting film experience unlike any other I've had this year. I commend the man and his bravery for making a silent movie at a time when there is so much noise to distract us from the simpler things. Hazanavicius is THE ARTIST.



Out of the 130+ movies I saw last year, these five left the biggest mark on my soul. And while it was incredibly difficult to pick just one, I only had to think back to what it was like to experience these movies for the first time to make that choice. THE ARTIST was a delight. THE DESCENDANTS was cathartic. SHAME was gut wrenching. And THE TREE OF LIFE was monumental. But Nicolas Winding Refn's DRIVE was different. I hadn't seen anything quite like it before. It was quiet one moment and then uproarious the next. It was romantic and simple but then violent and disturbingly so. Everything about it exuded style, from the car chases to the soundtrack to mounting tension between leads, Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. I remember feeling like DRIVE had practically driven right over me by the time it was done. And all I knew was I wanted to take that drive all over again the moment it finished. No other movie got my motor running like this one and that is why the 2011 Mouton d'Or Award for Best Picture goes to



Thank you kindly for reading.
Here's to another great year at the movies!
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Senin, 30 Januari 2012

Best of Black Sheep: BLACK SHEEP INTERVIEWS RYAN GOSLING


THE DRIVER
An interview with DRIVE star, Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling has a dream but its not what you would expect. It isn’t riches or success or notoriety; he has already achieved those lofty goals. No, Gosling has something much more specific in mind. “My dream is to create a character that people go out as on Halloween,” Gosling tells me when we meet at the Toronto International Film Festival. He says this with full sincerity and not a single trace of sarcasm on his beautiful face.

Gosling may have found that character in his new film, DRIVE. Known only as The Driver, his character sports a shiny bomber jacket with a giant scorpion on the back, is constantly fiddling with a toothpick in his mouth and he barely speaks a word most of the time. Aside from his inherent coolness, he is also one of the biggest badasses I’ve seen on screen all year. “He’s got issues,” Gosling quips of The Driver. “He’s a psychopath. He’s gotta get control of that, I guess.”

It was Gosling who pushed for DRIVE to be made and also for Danish director, Nicolas Winding Refn to helm. And once those two got started, there was no stopping them. “Nicolas and I creatively copulated and this movie baby was born and then we had to raise it,” explains Gosling. When he says things like this, he looks straight at you and doesn’t even flinch. It’s impressive.

The buzz behind DRIVE is as loud as the film itself and if it connects with audiences, which I assure you, it most certainly should, Gosling has the chance to continue solidifying his status as one of the most intriguing and marketable stars working today. Not too bad for a boy from London, Ontario. His work in this summer’s CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE was the best of the bunch and he also stars in next month’s THE IDES OF MARCH, directed by none other than George Clooney. Oscar is abuzz.

People are calling Gosling the next De Niro but he’s having none of it. “There is no difference between me and anyone else,” Gosling says both firmly and humbly, clearly somewhat irked by the notion itself. “I hate when that stuff happens,” he says of comparisons. “There’s no where to go after. It just sets you up to fail.”

Comparisons aside, the kind of intensity Gosling gives in DRIVE could not as easily be achieved by too many other young actors today. He is extremely intimidating and all he has to do is stand there and stare at you to accomplish this. When I ask him where he has to go in his head to be that menacing, he answers with three words, “Not too far.”

Gosling would simply prefer that his work speak for itself and his work in DRIVE is some of the best I’ve seen from him. This is likely, at least in part, due to his strong understanding of the material itself, which is based on a James Sallis novel. “Driving can be something of an existential experience,” he explains. “You aren’t being watched; you are just the watcher. It’s similar to watching a movie.”

And if that movie happens to have Gosling in the driver’s seat, all the better.


RYAN AND NICOLAS: A LOVE STORY


If it weren’t for REO Speedwagon’s most memorable hit, “Can’t Fight This Feeling”, Nicolas Winding Refn’s DRIVE may not exist today. The film’s star, Ryan Gosling, brought the idea of a stunt car driver who moonlights as a getaway car driver to Refn as his first pick to direct. The only problem was that Refn was sick with the flu at the time and hopped up on meds so he couldn’t quite get his head around it. When the Speedwagon song came on the radio on their drive home though, suddenly Refn got it and he just started to cry.

Gosling and Winding Refn on set
Ever since then, Gosling and Refn have been almost inseparable. “Ryan and I have become one person,” Refn tells me when we meet at the Toronto International Film Festival. In fact, Refn, a Danish filmmaker who has never worked in Hollywood, only agreed to make the picture because he knew Gosling would protect him from the studio system. “He was the star. He had the power to make this movie happen or not.”

Gosling and Winding Refn locking lips on the festival circuit
The love and admiration is certainly mutual. “There is nobody like him,” Gosling shares with me shortly after I speak with Refn. “For him, filmmaking is a fetish. He only shoots what he wants to see.” The twosome are already scheduled to shoot two more movies together and they even shared living quarters while shooting this one, staying up late pitching around ideas for the next day. Says Gosling, “We were always chasing that moment in the car when the movie was born.”
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Best of Black Sheep: DRIVE


DRIVE
Written by Hossein Amini
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks and Albert Brooks


Irene: What do you do?
Driver: I drive.

Every now and again, a movie comes along and takes you for a ride you don’t soon forget. It straps you in with its fresh cinematic voice and doesn’t let you go until it has raced through your mind, taken some crazy turns and pulled back into the garage again.  When you step out, your legs might even feel a little weak from the constant barrage of thrills and brilliance. DRIVE is that movie. This year’s breakout director, and the winner of the Best Director prize at Cannes, Nicolas Winding Refn, delivers a smooth ride that will catch you off guard at almost every turn and announces the arrival of a new force to be reckoned with on the road.

While Refn may be the man behind the wheel off-screen, the man in the driver’s seat on screen is none other than Ryan Gosling. Known only throughout the film as the driver, Gosling exudes an eerie calm no matter how fast his life is moving. There are cars everywhere he turns. He works for a mechanic (Bryan Cranston) and drives stunt cars for the movies. He even moonlights as a getaway car driver for petty robberies and might soon start actually racing his own ride on an actual track. Gosling’s driver needs to be in that seat and subsequently in control of his own destiny. He lives a modest life and never gives anything away on his face, that is until he meets his neighbour, Irene (the always understated, Carey Mulligan). Once their hands touch, on the stick shift of his car no less, his engine starts making noises he’s never heard before.


DRIVE is an intense trip and once Refn kicks it into high gear, you can practically feel the rev of the engine emanating from the screen and reverberating through your entire core. It embodies a modern sense of extreme cool, from its pounding soundtrack to its excellent cast (including a deliciously funny, Albert Brooks and a just plain delicious, Christina Hendricks). DRIVE is a rebellious film, a night creature, a total badass of a movie. When it gets rough, it goes places I’ve never even imagined, let alone seen on film. And even though Refn pushes the movie into skids of reckless abandon, he is always clearly and confidently in control of the vehicle. By the time DRIVE screeches to a complete halt, you will instantly want to take it for another spin.

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Minggu, 22 Januari 2012

Black Sheep Reviews presents the 2011 Mouton d'Or Awards


It is with great pleasure that I announce to you today the nominees for the 2011 Mouton d'Or Awards. This year marks the seventh year the awards have been held and this year's bunch of contenders is a strong bunch indeed. In fact, there were so many memorable performances and films this year, that the acting categories have been expanded to six nominations each. There are also two brand new categories this year. One is for Best Ensemble, which is just one more way to honour the incredible casts that collectively came together to impress right across the board in 2011. The other is for Best First Feature because I am always shocked by people who knock it out hard on their first shot behind the camera. To qualify in this category, you need not to have directed a theatrical feature prior to the nominated film. In fact, the only negative factor with this year's nominations comes from the Animated Feature category, where only two films have been nominated because of the lack of decent selections.

Leading this year's Mouton d'Or Awards is THE ARTIST, with a total of seven nominations, including one for Best Picture and Best Director. The little silent film that could is followed closely in the tally by two of the year's more sumptuously cinematic endeavours, DRIVE and THE TREE OF LIFE, both of which have earned six nods a piece, including Best Picture. The remaining two Best Picture slots go to THE DESCENDANTS and SHAME, both of which follow in third place for most nominations, totalling five each. I have seen all five of these films twice now and it will be a pleasure soaking them each in one last time before making my final decision.


It was incredibly difficult to narrow down the Best Picture nominees to only five choices, but as I ask my readers to narrow to just five, I too had to suck it up and deal. As always, I am very pleased with the selections that rose to the top of the Black Sheep Readers Choice nominees. Like last year, the five films represent a great mix of crowd pleasing offerings and the more obscure. My sincere thanks go out to all who participated by sending me their lists. It is always a great joy to see what other people appreciate and to hear why, so again, thank you for sharing with me.

You can now vote for your favourite in the poll at the top of the right sidebar. Voting will open and close weekly until the day before the Mouton d'Or Award winners are announced. This year, that day will be Saturday, February 25, 2012. Vote as many times as you like but just vote!

And so, without any further delay, ladies and gentleman, I present to you, the 2011 Mouton d'Or Award nominations ...

(Scroll over any film title for the full Black Sheep Review.)

BEST BIG MOVIE

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
BRIDESMAIDS
HANNA
THE HELP
THE MUPPETS

BEST little MOVIE

50/50
BEGINNERS
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
MELANCHOLIA
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

THE WORST MOVIE I SAW ALL YEAR

FRENCH IMMERSION
GREEN LANTERN
LARRY CROWNE
TRESPASS
YOUR HIGHNESS

THE BLACK SHEEP READERS CHOICE AWARD

THE ARTIST
BRIDESMAIDS
DRIVE
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
THE TREE OF LIFE

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
RANGO

BEST LOOKING MOVIE

THE ARTIST
HUGO
MELANCHOLIA
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
THE TREE OF LIFE

BEST MUSIC

THE ARTIST
DRIVE
HANNA
THE SKIN I LIVE IN
THE TREE OF LIFE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

KENNETH BRANNAGH in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
ALBERT BROOKS in DRIVE
ARMIE HAMMER in J. EDGAR
BRAD PITT in THE TREE OF LIFE
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER in BEGINNERS
MAX VON SYDOW in EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

JESSICA CHASTAIN in THE TREE OF LIFE
MELISSA MCCARTHY in BRIDESMAIDS
JANET MCCTEER in ALBERT NOBBS
CAREY MULLIGAN in SHAME
OCTAVIA SPENCER in THE HELP
SHAILENE WOODLEY in THE DESCENDANTS


BEST ACTOR

GEORGE CLOONEY in THE DESCENDANTS
JEAN DUJARDIN in THE ARTIST
MICHAEL FASSBENDER in SHAME
GARY OLDMAN in TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
BRAD PITT in MONEYBALL
MICHAEL SHANNON in TAKE SHELTER

BEST ACTRESS

GLENN CLOSE in ALBERT NOBBS
VIOLA DAVIS in THE HELP
ELIZABETH OLSEN in MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
MERYL STREEP in THE IRON LADY
TILDA SWINTON in WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
MICHELLE WILLIAMS in MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

BEST ENSEMBLE

50/50
BRIDESMAIDS
THE HELP
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

50/50 written by Will Reiser
THE ARTIST written by Michel Hazanavicius
BEGINNERS written by Mike Mills
SHAME written by Abi Morgan and Steve McQueen
TAKE SHELTER written by Jeff Nichols

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

THE DESCENDANTS written by Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
DRIVE written by Hossein Amini
MONEYBALL written by Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin
TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY written by Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN written by Lynne Ramsay and Rory Kinnear

BEST FIRST FEATURE

BEAUTIFUL BOY
MARTHA MARCY MAY MARLENE
PARIAH
SUBMARINE
TYRANNOSAUR

BEST DIRECTOR

MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS for THE ARTIST
STEVE MCQUEEN for SHAME
ALEXANDER PAYNE for THE DESCENDANTS
NICOLAS WINDING REFN for DRIVE
LARS VON TRIER for MELANCHOLIA

BEST PICTURE

THE ARTIST
THE DESCENDANTS
DRIVE
SHAME
THE TREE OF LIFE

Thanks so much for taking the time to read through. Now, comes the hard part ... Choosing the winners!


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Rabu, 04 Januari 2012

2011 CAST Awards


Awards season is one of my favourite times of the year but this current season has just been unbelievably busy for me. As a result, I have not been able to dedicate really any time to covering it, thus far. I will certainly be covering the Oscars when they're announced later this month and I will certainly be presenting my own Mouton d'Or awards shortly before that. In the meantime though, I participated again this year in the Cinema Appreciation Society of Toronto year end awards. This essentially involves mostly film bloggers submitting their favourite films from the last year and having those results tabulated by the originator of the idea, Mr. James McNally, from Toronto Screen Shots. Over 40 bloggers participated in the survey and these are the official results ... (Click any highlighted title for the Black Sheep Review.)




FILM TITLE


POINTS


MENTIONS


SEEN
1. Drive5483136
2.The Artist4792629
3. The Tree of Life4602427
4. Attack the Block3862536
5. Take Shelter3762021
6. Midnight in Paris3302431
7. Melancholia3061926
8. Shame2841928
9. Beginners2811924
10. Martha Marcy May Marlene2792024
11. Hanna2351828
12. Café de Flore207913
13.The Raid2051215
14. Blue Valentine1921130
15. Bridesmaids1851831
16.The Muppets1791425
17. The Illusionist1741122
18. The Descendants1721116
19. Super 81671631
20. Contagion1671422
21. The Interrupters1671012
22. Tabloid1651220
23. Hugo1621023
24. The Trip1591424
25. Meek’s Cutoff1591018


I have to say that I'm very happy with the final results and not the least bit surprised to see DRIVE in first place. Seven out of the Top 10 films are also on my Top 10 so I can relate to the list. In fact the only title I think has no business anywhere near this list is ATTACK THE BLOCK really. Again though, bloggers thend to be of the geekier variety, or at least the one's in this group anyway, so it isn't a surprise to see it there. The geek factor is also why DRIVE as the best film of the year makes sense to me. All that underground, cult cinema style was bound to win out over everything else.

I was fortunate enough to participate in a podcast discussing the results of the CAST awards and you can link to that podcast here. (The CAST Awards Podcast 2011)
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