2013 brought us many things. It told us that we need not fear the
third dimension, that it is not synonymous with gimmicky tricks and objects
flying out of the screen towards the outstretched hands of the gullible
viewers: through the poetic beauty of Life of Pi at the start, and the
mindboggling majesty of Gravity at the end, we saw a third dimension free from
blue skinned aliens and cartoonish CGI. It taught us to expect the unexpected,
from an outrageously audacious twist in the surprising Iron Man 3, the return
to form of low budget horror in You’re Next, or indeed the reinvention of the
‘Disney princess’ in the powerful and punchy Spring Breakers – mirrored perhaps
in the simultaneous transgression from innocent Hannah Montana to full badass
Miley Cyrus. And indeed it showed us the sheer brutality of the Hollywood box
office, claiming the otherwise fantastic The Fifth Estate, and alternatively
the not-so-fantastic The Lone Ranger, with shockingly low box office returns.
But, as one might say, its all in the past: while the wont might be to dwell on
the success of the preceding year, I select instead to throw up the best of
what, I believe, the new-fangled 2014 has to offer. From the looks of it, its
going to be a good one, but who knows…should we expect the unexpected?
1.
Inside Llewyn Davis
Combining the lyrical splendor of O Brother Where Art Thou? and the
stunning choreography of No Country for Old Men, the Coen Brothers are back on
fine form with this fascinating insight into the 60s music scene of Greenwich
Village. The trailer came fluttering in like a marvelous sepia toned angel from
heaven, sampling what seems to be a magnificent soundtrack, heavily featuring
the protagonist Oscar Isaac himself, and the sharp quick-fire screenplay for
which the Coens have become so lauded. To me, this looks like a fantastic
exposition in the siblings consistently strong filmography, and a much-welcomed
return after a distinct absence following their 2010 Western-homage True Grit.
The praise speaks for itself, winning the much coveted Grand Prix at Cannes,
and hotly tipped for success at the Oscars. Star Oscar Isaac, meanwhile, looks
to finally be rewarded with a main role following a handful of strong
supporting slots, while Carey Mulligan looks to hit it out of the park after
what might be called a less than impressive 2013. Needless to say, when this
hits the cinemas, I’ll be first in line.
2.
The Wolf of Wall Street
The uncompromising style of a Scorsese film is something unrivalled
in the history of cinema. Never one to shy away from exposing the full detail,
blood and all, of a matter is a common theme in the films of the man behind the
glasses: Travis Bickle’s revenge induced bloodbath in Taxi Driver shocked
millions, the stark contrast between comedy and extreme violence in his
masterpiece Goodfellas, and the shocking exposition of Howard Hughes’
debilitating obsessive compulsive disorder in biopic The Aviator, just to name
a few. Scorsese doesn’t buck the trend, neither, with his latest work The Wolf
of Wall Street, a pseudo-sequel, as proposed by Little White Lies, to his other
works Goodfellas and Casino. From the gripping trailer we see the director’s
trademark flourishes and cutting edge cinematography in this examination of the
extravagant lifestyle of the Wall Street banker, and the resultant destruction
it leaves in its wake. DiCaprio looks to put in a career best turn, following
several Oscar-based disappointment for his outstanding work in The Aviator and
the recent Django Unchained, as multimillionaire Jordan Belfort, a performance
which has been lauded as well as offended: a recent Academy screening resulted
in the hurling of abuse at the star and director. Regardless, like a greedy
investor drawn to stacks of money, the pair have drawn me in like a bee to
honey.
3.
Nymphomaniac Parts 1 and 2
Controversy is a word which has become synonymous with director Lars
von Trier. His career, one might say, resembles a massive two-finger salute
towards Hollywood, in an attempt to dismantle and discredit all of our
preconceptions about what a film should be. His Dogme 95 movement
revolutionized the way film could be made and viewed, his 2009 film Antichrist
shocked viewers with its graphic depiction of genital mutilation, and his
appearance at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival appalled the film community, after
a supposed joke resembled Nazi sympathizing and anti-semitism. So when he
announced he was embarking on the production of a 5 and a half hour long (now
divided, in order to be cinema friendly, into two parts), softcore porn epic,
needless to say no one was that surprised. Only upon the arrival of the fairly
graphic trailer, and the accompanying orgasmic poster campaign, were we really
hooked on what the Danish director had to offer. Reports that stars engaged in
full intercourse on camera, as well as the explicit content of the actual film,
added to this anticipation. This isn’t one I’ll be going to
see with the parents.
4.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Arguably a spot of easy viewing compared to the outrageous, graphic,
and depressing content of the aforementioned three, Wes Anderson’s newest
feature still looks like an absolute must-see among the perhaps more
heavy-going of films. Having assembled a team mightier than 2012’s Avengers and
2013’s X-Men Days of Future Past, Anderson’s The Great Budapest Hotel has a
cast of superheroically comic proportions. Offering up the main role to the
ever fantastic Ralph Fiennes, and welcoming back regulars Bill Murray, Owen
Wilson, and Jason Schwartzman, we see Anderson back on fine form with his
distinctive dead pan screenplay, and his almost caricatured personalities. All
this, of course, set against his trademark cinematography, sets looking like
they’ve been built with Playdough and spray painted with the boldest shades
from the Dulux paint range, it certainly looks beautiful if not anything else.
With his mesmerizing Moonrise Kingdom in 2011, Anderson has shown no signs of
deterioration, and that we can be sure of one thing: he’s not going away anytime
soon. Watch this.
5.
Interstellar
Given that Christopher Nolan’s work is now pretty much gospel, its
no surprise that his latest project has garnered a particular amount of buzz.
After scrambling minds in 2010 mindblower Inception, and practically
reinventing the superhero genre, Nolan has turned his Midas touch to the sci-fi
genre, the mysterious Interstellar. Retaining the expected amount of secrecy as
most of his projects do, all we know about the film is something to do with
space, wormholes, and energy. More exciting, however, is the extravagant cast,
starring former collaborators Anne Hathaway and Michael Caine, and at the
centre hot property Matthew McConaughey, currently midway through his
remarkable transition from rom-com bad boy to fully fledged, Oscar worthy
thesp. His recent turn in The Dallas Buyers Club has been unanimously praised,
and Nolan looks to channel this heat into Interstellar. A particularly teasy
Teaser introduced themes of regeneration and space exploration, while leaked
images of Hathaway in a space suit set the tone for what looks to be the most
exciting project of 2014. Be prepared, and expect great things.
OH BRICK.
ReplyDelete