As awards season continues - leading up to the Oscars in early March - I finally managed to watch Inside Llewyn Davis.
Directed by Oscar winners Joel and Ethan Coen, whose previous films have been memorable, hilarious experiences, their latest effort received huge critical acclaim but was glaringly snubbed by the Academy. Nothing for Best Picture, Best Actor or Best Director. Not even a mention for Best Original Song?!
But you know me - I don't always agree with the panel ( or the list of winners, for that matter ) - so I watched it anyway, and found it pretty good. Though to be honest, its lack of Oscar nominations wasn't entirely unexpected.
The Coens have never been known for conformity - Fargo was probably their most accessible / mainstream work ( little wonder it won for Best Picture ) - and nothing declares this more loudly than their choice of protagonist: a super-mopey, down-on-his-luck and rather unpleasant folk singer. He knocks up his friend's gal, borrows money from the same friend to pay for the gal's abortion, says nasty things to those who help him, and writes TERRIBLE songs ( e.g. one about Anne Boleyn's execution, and another titled Hang Me, Oh Hang Me ).
This is all deliberate, of course. The Coens are practically OCD in their manipulation of movie content, from writing to filming to editing. Everything is calculated, and anyone who doesn't appreciate their analogies can go to hell.
I don't consider myself one of those artsy-fartsy types. It either connects with me or goes right over my head. Llewyn Davis sits somewhere in between - I can identify with the poor guy's troubles and absolutely love the soundtrack, but the ending ( "abrupt" is a nice way of describing it ) really pissed me off.
But like I said, it was all planned.
Oscar Isaac, who plays the tragic lead character, is hypnotic. He drifts from scene to scene appearing to do very little, but never bores. He speaks in a monotonous drone and appraises everything with disinterest, yet I desperately want to see what happens next. And those verbal barbs he flings when you least expect them are like snowballs wrapped around rocks - seemingly harmless on the outside, but boy do they pack a huge wallop!
I especially enjoy the cat subplot - a little bizarre but sticks in your head way after the movie ends.
However, it's Isaac's musical virtuosity that glues it all together. The Coens have said in interviews how they struck gold when the actor auditioned for the role. Already an accomplished musician with a beautiful voice, he embodies Davis perfectly, giving an otherwise odd story its heart and soul. Those are the moments that turn the film into something truly magical. And no matter what the Academy voters think, you should give Inside Llewyn Davis a chance to cast its spell.
I'd been anticipating BBC's TV adaptation of P.D. James' Death Comes To Pemberly for months, but somehow missed its late December premiere by a few weeks.
Based on a novel which wasn't a very nice read ( though I still managed to plough through it ), I'm happy to report that the small screen version is far superior. Lengthy descriptions from the book have been omitted in favour of better character development, plus a few dramatic scenes which I believe were added by the scriptwriters.
My main reason for watching this mini-series is none other than Matthew Rhys. I've seen him in American shows like Brothers & Sisters and The Americans, in which he plays American characters with perfect American accents. But he's actually Welsh, and was cast as Darcy - the object of affection of every female Jane Austen fan in the whole universe, myself included. :)
My mother, who also watched DCTP with me, didn't like Rhys as Darcy at all, because he "doesn't look the part". I, on the other hand, think he's wonderful. Rhys exudes an intensity which suits the role extremely well, from dagger stares to purposeful strides and ferociously whispered admonishments.
I do wonder how viewers responded to the bedroom scene though, complete with bare chest and exposed stockings. Doesn't it violate a sacred rule? Not that I mind, of course. :)
Next on the list is Lone Survivor - also sorely overlooked in the Oscar race. But I don't think anyone cares because it's making loads of money in the U.S.
Directed by Peter Berg ( whose early career was spent playing a hot-headed surgeon on ER ), this is based on a true story about a group of Navy SEALS who were ambushed by the Taliban during a covert mission to assassinate a high-ranking al Qaeda figure.
Here's the thing: I don't usually enjoy films about the military, especially if there's a lot of shooting / blowing things up / male bonding. Notable exceptions include The Hurt Locker, Saving Private Ryan and Jarhead, mostly because of the terrific casts.
That's what happens here as well. The 4 leads: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch, Emile Hirsch and Ben Foster are incredible.
I'm most familiar with Wahlberg's work - all the way back to his Marky Mark Calvin Klein underwear modelling days. One of his early movies - The Big Hit - showcased his immense likability factor and effortless ease with the camera. After that, his career took off and he never looked back.
Kitsch, however, has been a source of annoyance for me these past few years. I never found him particularly good-looking ( even Aaron Johnson looked 10 times better with weird hair and scruff when they acted together in Savages ), and it's quite amazing how his career managed to survive after John Carter and Battleship, which sucked big time.
Hirsch, IMHO, is an immensely gifted actor who just needs to make better choices. After a heart-wrenching performance in Into The Wild, my respect for this young man has not diminished despite his various missteps.
As for Foster, I think he was in one of the X-Men films?
Anyway, background aside, all 4 guys are terrific here, especially Foster, who stands out a little more than the rest.
Kitsch fails to irritate me for the first time, and Hirsch is back in his element.
Wahlberg, being the top-billed cast member, gets more screen time and the juiciest storyline. I don't want to spoil it for you, but look out for a scene involving a dramatic evacuation and a tearful farewell to his rescuers. I did NOT expect to shed tears, but it happened.
I didn't cry at all during 12 Years A Slave. Is there something wrong with me?!
On to my choice for actor of the month: Matthew McConaughey.
I've seen many of his movies, starting from 20 years ago when he burst onto the Hollywood scene as Jake Brigance in John Grisham's A Time To Kill. After that, he specialized in romantic comedies ( The Wedding Planner, EdTV, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days ) before venturing into darker territory in recent years, most notably Dallas Buyers Club, for which he's picked up his first Oscar nomination.
With HBO's original series, True Detective, he continues his winning streak, playing a tormented small town detective on the trail of a serial killer. Co-starring Woody Harrelson ( another underrated talent ) and bearing some resemblance to TV crime dramas like The Killing, The Fall and Hannibal, True Detective's main advantage is its star power.
McConaughey is mesmerizing, utilizing his Texan drawl and mellow voice to full effect, spewing philosophical musings which annoy his partner severely. Like The Killing's Sarah Linden and Hannibal's Will Graham, Rust Cohle is a deep thinker with an uncanny ability to get inside a murderer's twisted mind. 2 episodes in, I'm hopelessly hooked, not so much by the script or body count ( nothing beats Hannibal's gory creativity ), but by McConaughey's restrained yet brilliant portrayal.
But even this doesn't come close to his jaw-dropping turn in Killer Joe, released in 2012 but which I only caught 2 nights ago. The synopsis gives very little away so I won't say too much, but trust me when I say it is SUPERB. Just make sure you have a strong enough stomach for a few spine-chilling scenes.
Also stars Emile Hirsch, who does a great job here. And Gina Gershon gives quite possibly the best performance of her life during the explosive finale.
McConaughey steals the show playing a character who's equal parts evil / violent and charming / gentle. There's a kitchen scene which any normal person should find revolting, but ends up being erotic instead.
While credit goes to the cast and director William Friedkin ( The Excorcist, believe it or not ), I'm especially awed by Tracy Letts, who wrote the original play and also the screenplay. How does a man who looks so benign write such a toe-curling tale? ( By the way, he also wrote August: Osage County, which has earned Meryl Streep her umpteenth Oscar nomination. )
All I can say is, Letts is now one of my writing heroes, and I can't wait to see him on Broadway in April, when he stars with Dexter's Michael C. Hall in The Realistic Joneses.
That's all for today. Here's wishing all my Chinese readers a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year!
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