Tag: Academy Awards
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If Beale Street Could Talk.
In early 2017, I saw and reviewed Moonlight – Barry Jenkins’ remarkable coming of age story about sexuality, poverty and masculinity. Almost two years later, to the day, I am sitting down to review the directors’ next film, If Beale Street Could Talk. American movie romance doesn’t come much more sublime than this. Director Barry Jenkins…
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A Fantastic Woman.
Winner of this year’s Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, A Fantastic Woman tells the story of one woman’s frustrating fight for recognition and respect in the wake of a sudden death. Leading the way is actor Daniela Vega in a tender performance as a transwoman abandoned, isolated and pushed aside. Marina is a waitress…
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I, Tonya.
Arguably the Britney Spears of competitive ice-skating, Tonya Harding was the controversial American world champion whose life and career were filled with controversy and conflict in the mid-nineties. Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya is proving an award season favourite, with both Margot Robbie and Allison Janney nominated for their performances as monstrous mother and deviant daughter. This is…
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Lady Bird.
The hunger for Lady Bird was evident in the vast appetite of the London audiences queueing at the British Film Institute on its opening weekend. I’m rarely in London, so I relished the opportunity to see the film at one of my favourite venues in the capital. I got myself a ticket forty-five minutes before the screening,…
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Phantom Thread.
In his final performance, Daniel Day-Lewis is Reynold Woodcock, dressmaker to the elite in 1950s London, drenched in the excessive wealth of the upper classes. Reynold is the visionary behind The House of Woodcock, run hand in hand with his sister Cyril. Reynold moves from woman to woman, muse to muse. When he grows tiresome,…
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An Alternative Academy Awards 2018.
Despite how swept up I get during Award Season, it’s very important to always remember that The Oscars are, at their heart, utterly ridiculous. Part of the joy of this time of year is scoffing at the final selection of nominees and discussing with other cinephiles who and what have been royally snubbed. Here are…
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The Post.
Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep – the creator and cast alone make The Post an obvious award season favourite. However, with the triumph of Berry Jenkins’ Moonlight at last year’s Academy Awards it seems that the days of conventional Hollywood storytelling ruling the ceremony are now over. Tomorrow, the 2018 Academy Award nominations will be announced and…
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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.
Martin McDonagh’s latest is a hot favourite to take home this year’s ‘Best Film’ Academy Award. Seven months after the horrifying murder of a teenage girl in Ebbing, Missouri the local police department are yet to identify any suspects or make any arrests. In a whirlwind of grief, the mother of the murdered rents three…
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The Cinematically Vulnerable: Giulietta Masina.
La Strada and Nights of Cabiria; two astounding films from Federico Fellini, two ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ Academy Award winners and two heartfelt protagonists brought to life by the captivating Giulietta Masina. With actor and director also entwined as husband and wife, the results of the couple’s cinematic collaboration are staggering. Masina and Fellini marries 11…
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Elle.
From Starship Troopers to Showgirls, Paul Verhoeven has always been a provocative boundary pusher. He’s a Director who’s used satirical cinema to challenge his audience and has always provoked a reaction. His back-catalogue is a chaotic and versatile bag of contradictions and in many ways Elle is no different. When Michelle, the successful co-founder of…
Hannah McHaffie 