Thursday, January 30, 2014

TV Series of the Month – Skins (Second Generation)

This month’s TV series: Skins – Second Generation (2009-2010).

The second generation of Skins begins in Series 3 of the show (and continues through Series 4). The show details the lives of nine high school students as the make their way into adulthood – be it preparing for college or facing life after school in the ‘real’ world. The show deals with love, happiness, depression, friendship, betrayal, and just about everything young people deal with (all set to a great soundtrack).

The series is created by Jamie Brittain and Bryan Elsley.

The second generation stars Kaya Scodelario (who is also in a few episodes of the first generation seasons, as she plays Tony’s younger sister Effy), Luke Pasqualino, Jack O’Connell, Ollie Barbieri, Kathryn Prescott, Megan Prescott, Lisa Backwell, Lily Loveless, and Merveille Lukeba. Giles Thomas, Klariza Clayton, John Bishop, and Chris Addison feature in support.

Overall, the second generation does not have the same star power as the first generation, and their stories do not seem to quite connect as strongly – but, all that said, the second generation still provides very entertaining and emotionally compelling material and stories. Kaya Scodelario in particular is fantastic in the show (as are Jack O’Connell and Lily Loveless, even if their characters can be annoying at times). While this generation is not as vital as the first, it is still must-see television for fans of teen dramas as again with these new characters Skins is top notch.


Trailer: Here
Available on: Series 3 DVD and Series 4 DVD

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Movie of the Week – A Matter of Life and Death

This week’s movie: A Matter of Life and Death (1946).

Peter Carter is a British pilot who has effectively been shot down during a bombing raid over Germany. In the last moments of his life as he crosses the English Channel alone (his plane on fire and he without a working parachute), Peter contacts a flight tower to say goodbye. On the other end of the radio is June, a young American woman. Though there have never met and never will meet, Peter and June have a moment. Peter decides to bail out rather than burn alive. Meanwhile in Heaven, another member of Peter’s crew awaits his arrival. But Peter never shows. Miraculously, Peter awakens on an English beach unharmed. Realizing where he is, Peter hurries to intercept June on her way home. Dumbfounded by his survival, they both fall into each other’s arms. However, there has been a mix-up in Heaven. Peter was supposed to die; only his angel lost him in the heavy fog. However, now Peter has a new reason to live. He is in love. Now, he must argue his case to stay on Earth, alive. If he wins, he can stay on Earth a bit longer. If he loses, he must pass on to Heaven where he rightfully belongs.

A Matter of Life and Death is one of the Archers’ (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressbuger) greatest films. They worked with frequent collaborators composer Allan Gray, cinematographer Jack Cardiff, and production designer Alfred Junge.

It stars David Niven and Kim Hunter (who got an audition at the suggestion of Alfred Hitchcock), with great supporting work from frequent Archers’ cast members Kathleen Byron, Roger Livesey, and Marius Goring, as well as supporting work from Raymond Massey.

The opening scene in A Matter of Life and Death, featuring David Niven (as Peter) telling Kim Hunter (as June) goodbye from his burning bomber, is one of the greatest in cinema history. That scene alone is enough to make this film a classic, but the Archers do so much more with the material. The film is shot in both Technicolor (for Earth) and Black & White (for Heaven), and features wonderful production design. It explores the power of love and the consequences of war (being released just after the end of WWII). In many ways it is an anti-war film. It is a must-see for fans of the Archers, as well as those interested in cinematography, production design, and great classic films from the 1940s.


Trailer: Here
Available on: DVD

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

LeapBackBlog 2013 Film Awards – Part 5: Films

Film in 2013 was fantastic. We saw tons of wonderful performances, powerfully emotional dramas, hysterical comedies, gripping thrillers, big and entertaining blockbusters, and grand technical achievements. This year was particularly difficult in narrowing down my choices for my favorite films, performances, directors, and technical accomplishments. For example, I loved Amy Acker in Much Ado About Nothing and Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis, but neither quite made the list, and the same can be said for David O. Russell’s wonderful directing in American Hustle or Hoyte Van Hoytema’s sublime cinematography in Her (both just missing out on the list, when they would have made it in most other years). And, there are a number of good films that did not make the list either (and a few I have not yet seen). As it stands, the LeapBackBlog Film Awards are made up, through difficult deliberation, of the films that entertained me and grabbed me as something special, the performances that engaged me, and the craftsmanship that delighted me. These are my favorites of 2013.


2013 was filled with many great performances and films, leaving so many overlooked. American Hustle, however, is not one of the overlooked films and its highly entertaining and wonderful performances have run the table, garnering an Oscar nomination in every acting category (and four performances among my favorite 20), which is only fitting, as it is a film completely built upon its great and eccentric performances (as well as nostalgically festive costumes and production design). Yet, David O. Russell’s film does not get lost in all the big performances and showy aesthetics. At its core, it is still a character driven narrative with strong, well-developed characters that the audience invests in. American Hustle is a lot of fun, and is one of the better con man films in recent memory.

Fruitvale Station tells the true story of Oscar Grant, a young black man recently released from prison who is desperately trying to put his life back together and provide for his family (be a good husband to his soon-to-be wife and father to is young daughter). However, his life is tragically taken on New Year’s Eve 2008 when he is accidently gunned down by police during an incident on the BART train from San Francisco to Oakland. Making his feature debut, writer-director Ryan Coogler creates a very emotionally impactful film by showcasing the man that Grant was, his strengths and weaknesses. The audience can see themselves in the man through his hopes, dreams, and fears. Thus, when the climactic scene arrives, it is devastating, and maybe for a moment viewers feel (to some degree) the helplessness that those less fortunate (deemed inferior in society due to economic means, race, or often both) feel constantly (in a system designed to keep them forever marred in poverty and crime with no real viable escape). If nothing else, the film creates a connection between Grant and every viewer (regardless of their background), putting them in his place. It is a powerful experience – one that hopefully leads to people treating each other with a bit more kindness and respect. In a year of many strong indie character dramas, Fruitvale Station is one of the best and most involving.

3D is in most cases a worthless feature, tacked on after the fact to garner high ticket prices while actually making the film-watching experience worse (and yet people still pay for it in droves…it makes no sense). That is not the case at all with Gravity. Alfonso Cuaron (a harsh critic of 3D) uses the technology to create a completely immersive experience, capturing the imagination and to some extent giving viewers a taste of a ‘real’ Space adventure (when really none of us will ever get to go experience Space first hand). Gravity proves that 3D can be a fantastic cinematic tool (if used properly), while shaming its use in 99% of other films. There is no other film as deserving of the price of admission in 2013, as this is a film that demands it be seen on the largest screen possible (while the rest of these top ten films can be enjoyed equally at home). It is a thrilling spectacle that also happens to feature strong performances and resonates emotionally. In most years, it would be the clear cut film of the year. It is just an incredible cinematic achievement.

Love in the modern age turns out to be a lot like love in any other age; it is about connection. Spike Jonze’s film Her is about connection and also the lack of connection we face culturally at present (and possibly to a greater extent in the future). The film takes place in the near future and is about Theodore Twombly, a man struggling with melancholia in the wake of his wife splitting from him. He craves connection but fears being hurt again. Thus, a relationship with his new hyper intelligent self-aware OS Samantha seems safe. Yet, Theodore finds himself falling hard for Samantha, while at the same time frustrated by the limitations of the relationship now that it has become deeply emotional. Jonze creates a completely believable relationship between Theodore and Samantha that plays out in a manner that feels truthful to our own experiences. It is as such a film that is incredibly relatable, and also somewhat a warning. We are so dependent on technology that we seem to put it in the place of human activities that we need as people to create true connection. We are isolating ourselves in the name of being social through technology. Her is a touching and kind of sad romantic narrative that is not afraid to be optimistic about the future as well.

There are many kinds of musicals. Filmgoers seem to be most accustomed to the kind in which characters break into song to express the emotions they hold inside them without it feeling out of place in the world of the narrative (My Fair Lady, for example). Inside Llewyn Davis too is in a way this kind of musical, though most would not regard it as one at first. The Coen Brothers’ film is about Llewyn Davis, a struggling folk musician as he toils away trying to make a career out of his music (while being a bit of a bastard). Davis is very gruff on the outside, with a short temper and seemingly a cold heart. But, when he plays his music (and there are multiple musical performances in the film), the audience sees his true soul, which is filled with guarded emotional sadness (primarily from the loss of his musical partner and a bad relationship with his father). It is also through Davis’s music that we see that beauty exists in a word that is otherwise faded and cold. In this way, Inside Llewyn Davis is indeed a musical – a very, very good one.

Who knew that Ron Howard (a filmmaker I have dismissed often in the past and probably will again in the future) would make a film that would be among my ten favorite, especially in such a competitively deep year as 2013. But that speaks to the quality of Rush, Howard’s Formula-1 drama focusing on the great rivalry and friendship between James Hunt and Niki Lauda. Rush is a fantastic sports drama (probably one of the five best in cinema history), built upon the excitement and danger of car racing at its highest level. And yet, it is an even better character drama, as Howard explores both Hunt and Lauda: what motivates them to be the best. Suffice it to say, Rush is my favorite Ron Howard film – a film that is very well acted, wonderfully shot, and even directed with skill.

Character dramas that are utterly moving and completely engrossing are a rare breed, films that resonate so deeply that we as viewers find ourselves fully invested and connected to the characters. Short Term 12 is one such film. Built upon one of 2013’s most incredible performances by Brie Larson, this gravely overlooked film is about Grace, a supervisor at a facility for wayward youths while they await placement in a foster home. Grace devotes herself fully to helping these kids, while trying to contain her own demons. Writer-director Destin Cretton’s clearly personal narrative is rich with great character moments and honest emotion, but what is so refreshing about the film is that it has an unyielding optimism (something often lacking in modern pop culture, rife with cynicism) even though the narrative comes from a place of deep wounds and seemingly insurmountable pain. Grace is a real role model for young people. Short Term 12 is a film that needs to be seen, and I encourage anyone who has an opportunity to watch it to do so; it is without question among the five best films of the year.

While many popular young adult films focus on grand adventures or supernatural romances, The Spectacular Now tells a much smaller, more relatable, and dramatically engaging story. It is about Sutter, a high school senior who lives in the now with no regard for his future, content to just have fun in the moment. And then he meets Aimee, a nice girl who has plans for her future forcing Sutter to reconsider his world view. What makes James Pondsoldt’s film work so well is that these characters are beautifully played by Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley (each just missing out on making the acting lists) and resonate emotionally as real people with relatable problems. Namely, the film deals with alcoholism in young people, as well as growing up with deadbeat parents. How do we overcome the faults of our parents? This is a question many young people sadly must face. While The Spectacular Now is primarily a character drama, it also works as a charming romance. Recent YA films like The Hunger Games and The Twilight Saga are blowing up the box office, but films like this and The Perks of Being a Wallflower are really the great films leading the resurgence of good and meaningful films aimed at young adults.

Slavery in America continues to this day to shape public consciousness and popular culture, and yet until 12 Years a Slave no other piece of media has been able to so directly tackle it on a profoundly emotional level. What makes Solomon Northup’s story so compelling is that in a way it encapsulates the full experience of Slavery. Northup was a proud and prosperous freeman who was tricked and captured against him will, transported by boat to a new place and then sold into slavery. His first master was kind to him, but still his master. His second was a monster. Yet, Northup endured. Finally, after twelve year, he was again free, returning home to him family, filled with supreme happiness but also unspeakable sadness for those not as lucky as he and the unshakeable scares of what he witnessed and had done to him during his enslavement. Steve McQueen’s film is filled with brilliant performances, beautiful and haunting aesthetics, and deeply moving emotional resonance. It is my favorite film of 2013.

The Wolf of Wall Street is centered on the exploits of Jordan Belfort, a stock trader who starts out in penny stocks only to build an empire. However, Belfort’s business practices are not all legal leading to an FBI investigation and his eventual downfall. Martin Scorsese’s film is highly entertaining. Scorsese engrosses the audience in a world of wild drug use, sex, ego, and greed, which plays as very funny, possibly shocking, and maybe even secretly inviting (courting the darkness inside us all). The lifestyle of a high powered Wall Street trader is so excessive that it all feels exaggerated and kind of insane, but Scorsese uses it to explore what happens when capitalism is left to run amuck – the dark side of the American Dream – an issue that is still very relevant in the world today (especially in America). It is a masterfully made film, and one of the most powerful cinematic experiences of the year (be it the gleeful joy of laughing at all the antics or the abhorrence at the crude manner by which these characters live).

Honorable Mentions (11-25):

Monday, January 27, 2014

LeapBackBlog 2013 Film Awards – Part 4: Leading Performances

Film in 2013 was fantastic. We saw tons of wonderful performances, powerfully emotional dramas, hysterical comedies, gripping thrillers, big and entertaining blockbusters, and grand technical achievements. This year was particularly difficult in narrowing down my choices for my favorite films, performances, directors, and technical accomplishments. For example, I loved Amy Acker in Much Ado About Nothing and Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis, but neither quite made the list, and the same can be said for David O. Russell’s wonderful directing in American Hustle or Hoyte Van Hoytema’s sublime cinematography in Her (both just missing out on the list, when they would have made it in most other years). And, there are a number of good films that did not make the list either (and a few I have not yet seen). As it stands, the LeapBackBlog Film Awards are made up, through difficult deliberation, of the films that entertained me and grabbed me as something special, the performances that engaged me, and the craftsmanship that delighted me. These are my favorites of 2013.



American Hustle is a con film, and like every con there needs to be something or someone that draws your attention away and makes you believe an untrue truth. Amy Adams serves this role in the film playing Sydney Prosser, an American who poses as the elegant British aristocrat Lady Greensley. Adams is fantastic in the role, and even has the audience questioning what is real and which emotions are true, setting up a great reveal and thus making the con work. Adams also uses a very bombastic wardrobe to grab the audience’s (and her mark’s) attention, pulling them him with her smile and a bit of skin. But it is all for show, as it is Prosser’s wit that is her best attribute. Adams had a prolific 2013, which included standout work in not only American Hustle but also in Man of Steel and Her.


Christian Bale is an actor who just disappears into his characters (and has been a frequent name to pop up on my LeapBackBlog Film Awards), often physically transforming himself to fit the character, and Irving Rosenfeld is no different. American Hustle is a film of big performances, costumes, and hairstyles, but Bales keeps Rosenfeld grounded as the film’s emotional center. He is the character the audience can connect with and relate to – he is their in. Bale has genuine compassion in his performance, an emotional honestly that the audience can latch onto even when everything else seems to be living in the excesses that make the film what it is and a lot of fun. Without Bale’s great performance, to counterbalance the other bigger performances, the film may have collapsed in on itself, as something too remote and disengaged. His is the least flashy, but maybe the best of the performances in the film.


Oscar frontrunner (and likely eventual winner) Cate Blanchett is masterful in Blue Jasmine. Her character Jasmine is a woman who is in the midst of a psychological breakdown, and thus Blanchett in a sense needs to create two characters. The first is a prominent, sophisticated woman of means who gracefully and elegantly handles herself, while the other is a woman at the end of her tether a hair-pull away from being completely lost. Blanchett takes these two characters and smashes them together to create Jasmine, a woman who is in moments magnetic and commanding, completely radiant, and then in other moments a wreck, turning to alcohol and pills to forget/escape. It is fascinating yet uncomfortable and sort of tragic to watch. This is undoubtedly a deft and clever performance (one that could not have been played better by anyone else).


Sandra Bullock gives one of the year’s most physically challenging performances in Gravity. To create a realistic feeling zero-g environment, Bullock needed to work with puppeteers for what must have been very demanding days, mentally and physically. Her performance as Dr. Ryan Stone is the best of her career to date. She is just superb, having to convey everything with just her eyes, face, voice, and breathing for large portions of the film. She, like the film itself, is utterly enthralling. The audience lives and dies with her, holding onto every emotional moment – her journey becoming their own. Even though Gravity is a film built upon and largely succeeding on its amazing visuals, all of that splendor would have been lost without Bullocks stellar work.


Watching The Wolf of Wall Street, it is clear that Leonardo DiCaprio is having a blast with his character Jordan Belfort (regardless of whether or not he likes the man). DiCaprio has fully committed to the insane quality of the film and Belfort’s lifestyle, creating a performance that is maybe 2013’s most entertaining. His work is hilarious, but what makes it special is that DiCaprio still keeps the character grounded and creates a person who feels real to the audience despite the craziness that surrounds him (yes, Jordan Belfort is a real person, but it is doubtful that most audience members have heard of him, so in that way the film might as well be fiction). DiCaprio even gets the audience to get behind his character (a mostly despicable man) and root for him. How? Well, he is able to make the man resonate for the audience through emotional honesty in the performance. It is really fantastic work.


There is a real strength to Chiwetel Ejiofor’s performances as Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave. He is a man who refuses to be beaten down, to submit to a life that is not his own. This determination both makes his life harder, as just cannot keep his head down constantly calling attention to himself, and ultimately is his saving grace, as he just will not give up until he is reunited with his family. It is impossible to imagine the struggle Northup was forced to undertake (I cannot even begin to create it on any level for myself – it is just too devastating, and I think I would not survive it), and yet Ejiofor’s brilliance brings the audience in and gives them a conduit by which they can take on the experience, and envision themselves in Northup’s place: taking on his pain, feeling his loss, and finally fighting too with his determination so that they too can feel the wave of alleviation wash over them, knowing that they are finally free again. Northup’s circumstances are heartbreaking, and through Ejiofor’s compelling work the audience experiences everything fully, but he was one of the lucky ones. What makes 12 Years a Slave all the more agonizing is that though Northup does eventually get is freedom again so many are left to toil away in dire chains of forced servitude.


Greta Gerwig is so very charming in Frances Ha, giving a performances that is utterly fun and joyful, yet still emotionally complex. Frances is a girl living in New York trying to find her way, and thus the film serves as a coming-of-age story (even though Frances is mostly an adult already). Gerwig has a fantastic nervous energy throughout. She wants so desperately to embrace life fully, but is at the same time guarded expecting failure and disappointment. This energy creates a very funny vibe to the character that is both entertaining and endearing for the audience. While there are good supporting performances in the film, Frances Ha almost exists as a one-woman show with Gerwig delivering dramatically and certainly comically at the center.


Recreating a real person is always a little tricky. Michael B. Jordan breathes life into and pays tribute to Oscar Grant (whose life was tragically taken too soon). Fruitvale Station is one of the year’s most emotionally powerful films, and Jordan’s performance is at its center, its driving force. For the film to work, Jordan needed to convey the duality of Grant’s life – a man who was a loving father and good person and a man who still found himself pulled back into the street life (no matter how hard he tried to escape) and all that comes with it (including an attitude). The film speaks to racism still being a constant issue in America, but to escape clichés and to garner a true emotional connection with its audience the film also needed to work on a human level and not just spout lofty ideals. Jordan’s performance does connect deeply with the audience, as he presents a fully fleshed out character. His performance is so good that the film incites action in the audience, as seeing Grant’s death (a man the audience has come to care about) at the hands of overwhelmed transit police officers is just too unthinkably tragic and completely avoidable.


Brie Larson is magnificent in Short Term 12 playing Grace, a caretaker at the facility for at-risk youths. It is not only a glowing breakthrough for Larson (reaffirming for those who already know her work and announcing for those who do not that she is a very talented young actress with a bright future), but also possibly 2013’s best performance (right there with Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine and Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave). Larson gives a very brave performance as Grace, completely committing emotionally (which must have been very taxing) to a character that is very guarded with deep emotional wounds. Larson pulls the audience in so entirely that her emotional journey is felt fully by each viewer as well, giving the film its power. It is wonderful work that has shamefully been overlooked by many (yes, I am looking at all of you Oscar voters). Larson was also very good in supporting roles in The Spectacular Now and Don Jon in 2013.


Theodore Twombly is a character that easily could have been over simplified as being just a sad mope or a weird quirky guy. Joaquin Phoenix brings so much to the character, giving a beautifully complex performance in Her. Theodore is in some respects an everyman – someone the audience can relate to – as he is just like all of us: he is social, has hopes and fears, but is melancholy due to his somewhat recent breakup with his wife. Phoenix is able to emote so fully that the audience finds themselves right there with him emotionally (which all you can really ask from a performance): they laugh when he laughs; they feel pain when he hurts; and they feel hopefully when his future looks a little brighter. It is a subtle performance (that many seem to have overlooked) but nonetheless extraordinary.

Friday, January 24, 2014

LeapBackBlog 2013 Film Awards – Part 3: Directors

Film in 2013 was fantastic. We saw tons of wonderful performances, powerfully emotional dramas, hysterical comedies, gripping thrillers, big and entertaining blockbusters, and grand technical achievements. This year was particularly difficult in narrowing down my choices for my favorite films, performances, directors, and technical accomplishments. For example, I loved Amy Acker in Much Ado About Nothing and Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis, but neither quite made the list, and the same can be said for David O. Russell’s wonderful directing in American Hustle or Hoyte Van Hoytema’s sublime cinematography in Her (both just missing out on the list, when they would have made it in most other years). And, there are a number of good films that did not make the list either (and a few I have not yet seen). As it stands, the LeapBackBlog Film Awards are made up, through difficult deliberation, of the films that entertained me and grabbed me as something special, the performances that engaged me, and the craftsmanship that delighted me. These are my favorites of 2013.



The Coen Brothers have essentially been making films for three decades, amassing a fervent cult following and a firm place among the top American (if not among all filmmakers in cinema history) auteurs. With Inside Llewyn Davis they again show off their talent for making films that center around antiheroes, as Llewyn Davis is not a nice person and probably not a good man. Yet, the audience is asked to and does feel sympathy for him. They are drawn in by his art, excusing the man. This simple exercise speaks profoundly to how art is treated by people across time and culture. Man is deeply flawed and often very ugly (not physically, but morally or spiritually or whatever you want to call it – people often seem to deviate to the darkside when left to their own devices or put in a position of power or control); and yet art is strikingly beautiful and moving. It is humanity’s light in the darkness, our legacy of achievement amidst the devastation and cruelty. The Brothers take this theme and weave it into a circular story about a man who is just trying to make a career out of his music, but is having a real tough time. Plus, as is typical of all their films, the Coen Brothers again showcase their impeccable skill and eye for genuinely stunning aesthetics.


Gravity is in many ways 2013’s most impressive film – certainly from a cinematic spectacle perspective. It is a momentously thrilling and involving experience that grabs the audience and never lets them go until its conclusion. It is riveting. However, the film turning out as fantastically brilliant as it has was completely dependent on the work of auteur Alfonso Cuaron, who worked for three-plus years to get everything right. Famously, Cuaron is not a fan of 3D (similarly to most top directors); and thus for him to make a film to be primarily seen in 3D, it had to look perfect. Cuaron creates the best 3D audiences have ever seen, in terms of both the overall cinematic experience and technical quality. And that is just the 3D! Cuaron also needed to create a realistic feeling zero-g environment, which he achieved working with master puppeteers (along with a fabulous performance from Sandra Bullock). Gravity is in some ways an even bigger technical achievement than it is a piece of great narrative cinema (though, it is that too). This was unquestionably the most difficult film to make for a director, and the result of all Cuaron’s work is so very satisfying. There was no better cinema-going experience in 2013 than Gravity.


Based on the premise of Her alone, the film could have turned out many ways, seemingly all of which end up in a film that is laughable, silly, and probably cheesy. This could have been a generic horror film in which Samantha, jilted by Theodore, becomes like Skynet and tries to destroy him, realizing humans are inferior beings. Or, this could have been a kooky romantic comedy that somehow ends with Samantha’s consciousness transported into a cyborg or even a brain-dead human woman, thereby giving Theodore the complete package. But in Spike Jonze’s hands, Her is a narrative about love and relationships in the modern world. It is a film about connection or lack of connection. It is a film about how in a way technology has created a culture of self-inflicted isolation and loneliness. But chiefly, Jonze makes a film that is almost universally relatable, as it hits on all the emotional moments of new relationships – how they are amazing and beautiful in the beginning and how they can fall apart simply through the organic growth of the people in them. The film resonates deeply because it is very honest in its approach to its handling of emotions. There is no manipulation or falling back on clichés to convey information. Jonze has simply created a beautiful, funny, and kind of sad film about modern love (and in this way, the film is a bit like the Before Sunrise series, which culminated in this year’s Before Midnight).


It is safe to call Steve McQueen an auteur filmmaker. Starting with the brilliant films Hunger and Shame, McQueen has promoted himself as one of cinema’s great new talents through his work, whose style is specific and powerful. 12 Years a Slave is his most commercially accessible film, even though it is emotional intense and draining. It is a work that gets right at the heart of slavery when so many other films and TV miniseries have merely nipped around it. It is immense and cathartic. It is deeply sad and yet uplifting. McQueen is a director who is unafraid in his approach, lingering when many others would flinch and cut away – there is a haunting shot in the film of Solomon Northrup hung from a tree by the neck, his feet barely touching the ground allowing him to just grasp to life. McQueen holds on this shot for a long time, as life carries on around Solomon as if this is nothing out of the ordinary, all the while Solomon struggles to stay alive. This one, long uncomfortable shot in a way is a summary of slavery – an entire people subjected to inhumane torture while the world goes about its business unconcerned and unhelping, and even worse accustom to this sort of treatment of a supposed ‘lessor’ people. McQueen has made a film transcends slavery to become about not just one person’s struggle or one people’s struggle, but about all peoples’ struggle in a world that is still dominated by those that would oppress. It is an important and meaningful work, and a masterfully made piece of cinema.


With The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese has made a film that works in a very interesting manner. Primarily, it is an insanely fun and wild exposé, detailing the sheer and unbridled greed and moral ambiguity of the typical high-powered Wall Street broker. Scorsese invites his viewers to both feel distain for these characters and secretly (or not so secretly) a jealous admiration. This is a film that asks the viewers to look at their own morals. Do we as viewers find these people deplorable or are we envious – probably somewhere in-between. Scorsese shows us the American Dream fully realized, only warped and corrupted from what we hold as the ideal. The Wolf of Wall Street is a wondrous achievement, and in my opinion Scorsese’s best since Goodfellas. It is also worth noting that Scorsese shows his flair for getting fantastic performances from his actors (something we all knew) and his surprising talent for comedy (something we did not know).

Thursday, January 23, 2014

LeapBackBlog 2013 Film Awards – Part 2: Supporting Performances

Film in 2013 was fantastic. We saw tons of wonderful performances, powerfully emotional dramas, hysterical comedies, gripping thrillers, big and entertaining blockbusters, and grand technical achievements. This year was particularly difficult in narrowing down my choices for my favorite films, performances, directors, and technical accomplishments. For example, I loved Amy Acker in Much Ado About Nothing and Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis, but neither quite made the list, and the same can be said for David O. Russell’s wonderful directing in American Hustle or Hoyte Van Hoytema’s sublime cinematography in Her (both just missing out on the list, when they would have made it in most other years). And, there are a number of good films that did not make the list either (and a few I have not yet seen). As it stands, the LeapBackBlog Film Awards are made up, through difficult deliberation, of the films that entertained me and grabbed me as something special, the performances that engaged me, and the craftsmanship that delighted me. These are my favorites of 2013.



While Rush is a great sports drama, it is a narrative that is dependent on its characters and their performances. Daniel Bruhl is exceptional as Niki Lauda, a cerebral driver who wins his races by understanding what makes his car superior (and what he can do to it to make it superior) and how to approach each race and track. Bruhl completely loses himself in the performance and role. Lauda is not necessarily a likable character, but Bruhl brings a great charisma to the character, which allows the audience to get behind him. They can see his talent and the confidence he has in himself, and that is infectious. With Rush and the character of Lauda, Bruhl finally has a performance that will serve as a breakthrough for him (which is very deserving for such a talented actor).


American Hustle has a lot of fun with its actors, allowing them to play dress up in a sense, and Bradley Cooper goes all in (with a perm and Saturday Night Fever-like wardrobe choices). But what makes his performance as FBI agent Richie DiMaso so compelling is the intense nervous energy that he exudes. Cooper’s DiMaso has grand plans and wide eyes. He thinks he is the smartest guy in the room, making all the right moves, when really he is in way over his head. Getting back to his intense energy in the role, what makes it so gripping is that the viewer never really knows where it is going to lead. Cooper is a complete wildcard, much like Jennifer Lawrence’s brilliant performance. That kind of work is just so dynamic because it is never boring.


Michael Fassbender gives what I think is 2013’s best supporting performances by an actor in 12 Years a Slave as the ruthless slave master Epps. Fassbender carries such an intense and intimidating presence in the film that the viewer cannot help but feel small, weak, and scared. He is utterly evil and vile. And yet, Fassbender brings so much depth and humanity to the character. The audience can see that there is weakness in his character and that he struggles with his vices, striving to be a better man, only to be pulled down over and over by a deplorable cruelty that he cannot shake. He is a man who is ashamed and afraid, lashing out to try to hide these truths. It would be easy to just dismiss Epps as an evil man if not for the clear inner-pain that rules his life. He may even be sympathetic (if we even dare think that) – though his actions are unforgivable, making for a complex and compelling performance. Fassbender is also very good in The Counselor (what is probably 2013’s most overlooked and misunderstood film).


Choosing Tom Hiddleston in Thor: The Dark World is very unconventional, especially in such a strong year for performances and films, I know, but the man is just so joyously wonderful as Loki. Hiddleston especially gets to have fun with the character in The Dark World, playing a whole range of emotions. He is tortured with envy over the place his brother holds and full of scorn for his adopted father, and yet also has almost unconditional love for his adoptive mother. All this is kept tightly inside, while he just takes a gleeful joy in being a villain and trickster. He revels in it. And so too does the viewer. Hiddleston has created Marvel’s greatest cinematic villain and one of the best in film history (a history that has seen a couple of brilliant and game changing performances in recent years), and his work as Loki in this is his best so far.


The Wolf of Wall Street is an insane exercise in excess, moral corruption, and greed. But, it sure is fun. The actors are given license to go big with their performances, and the whole narrative and world in which these characters exist is so over the top that they all feel firmly rooted in the reality of the narrative. Jonah Hill is clearly having a blast with his character Donnie, a man with seemingly no morals or boundaries. He is just so antagonistic and a complete asshole, and yet completely compelling and entertaining. It is maybe Hill’s best work to date. Margot Robbie is also fantastic in support in the film. Hill had a good 2013, starring in This Is the End as well, playing a very douchy version of himself.


Scarlett Johansson has one of 2013’s most difficult roles, playing the voice of Samantha in Her – an operating system who is self-aware and wants to experience all that is life, including love. What makes the role so difficult is that Samantha is essentially an inanimate object, shown only as an iPod-like device or computer screen. Johansson has to do everything solely with her voice. And to this, she is excellent.  As far as anyone is concerned, watching the film, she is alive. She feels just as vital and real as any of the other characters (which includes wonderful supporting work from Amy Adams and Rooney Mara as well; on a side note, Mara had a great 2013 with phenomenal work in Her, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, and Side Effects). Johansson is also very good in the 2013 romantic comedy Don Jon.


Jennifer Lawrence is a whirlwind in American Hustle. She plays Rosalyn Rosenfeld (the wife of con man Irving). Lawrence mines her scenes for every bit of fun with her charismatic and attention seeking performance. She absolutely commands the screen whenever she is in a scene, playing against other wonderful actors giving great performances. It is not subtle at all, but neither is the film. She walks a very interesting line between all-consuming and done right frightening. It may be the best performance of the film, and is certainly among the year’s best. The scene in which she sings Live and Let Die is one of 2013’s most entertaining cinematic moments. Lawrence is also very good as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.


Carey Mulligan does not have a lot of screen time in Inside Llewyn Davis, but her character Jean sure leaves an impact. Her chemistry with Oscar Isaac (who is also brilliant in the film, and barely missed making the Leading Performance list this year, which is overcrowded with great work) is electric. Their shared scenes jump off the screen. Mulligan does a fantastic job channeling all her pent up rage towards Isaac’s Llewyn Davis. Yet she does something more, something that makes the performance special, she does not just show hatred and rage, but there is a playfulness and maybe even a secret glee to her attitude towards Davis. Yes she is incredibly frustrated with him, but it seems to come from a very caring place (something that is kept hidden away). Mulligan is very good at layering her performances, and this is one of her best.


Without question Lupita Nyong’o’s tragic and heart-wrenching performance as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave is 2013’s greatest breakthrough acting achievement. She plays Patsey so delicately, yet with some defiance in her. However, her mental anguish is so severe that she only wishes for death. She is a flower desperately reaching for the sun, the thing that seems the most natural and right to her, but is constantly stymied through the terror of a dark cloud that hovers above her. In a film that features many of this year’s strongest performances, Nyong’o is able to distinguish herself and standout as a star (and in a film that marks her feature debut). She delivers profound work; it certainly seems like her future is very bright.


Nebraska is a film that succeeds on its great performances, notably from Bruce Dern, Will Forte, and June Squibb. She plays Woody Grant’s wife Kate, a strong-willed lady who is a bit fed up with Grant’s shenanigans. Squibb’s lively performance completely holds its own against the other great work in the film, and in many ways even might steal the film. She is a delight whenever she is onscreen. It is surprising that a woman of eighty-four would give one of 2013’s best breakthrough performances, but that is exactly what Squibb has done.