My new swedish blog (though I will still write in this one)

http://filmnordsliv2009.blogspot.com

Reviews in 10 words

Beauty and the Beast (1946)
When Cinema turns into art, a masterpiece without any doubts
A+

A Christmas Tale (2008)
French Cinema at It's Best, Catherine Deneuve Steals the Show
B+/A-

Lola Montes (1955)
Breathtaking cinematography and costumes, and the circus scenes are great.
A/A-

The Turning Point (1977)
70s-Style Dramatic soap-opera with two great actresses, Maclaine and Bancroft.
B

The Top 10 Films of All Time (According to Me)

Sunrise (27)
Gone With the Wind (39)
Day of Wrath (43)
The Earrings of Madame De... (53)
Lola Montes (55)
Smile of a Summer Night (55)
West Side Story (61)
Bonnie and Clyde (67)
Cries and Whispers (73)
The Last Metro (80)

Well this is my top 5, of course it's not temporary cause tomorrow I may be thinking some other movies is the top 10. But the absolute favorite is highlighted

Best of Katharine Hepburn

Best Performance
1. Long Day's Journey Into Night
2. Bringing Up Baby
3. Summertime
4. The Philadelphia Story
5. Little Women

The Incredible Katharine part 2

During the 40s she had 4 great roles, but only two oscar nominations. Those happened for The Philadelphia Story and Woman of the Year, while State of the Union and Adam's Rib (eligible 1950) was also deserving for some award especially the underrated State of the Union. But well Katharines 1940s is like Meryls 1990s, they did good roles but nothing comparable to their roles in the decade before or after.

So to the much happier 50s. This decade Hepburn landed some of her best roles and movies. The African Queen, Summertime and Suddenly Last Summer all three stands as great movies, but only Summertime is a real masterpiece. But on the other hand the Hepburn manner became more and more prominent, which you could notice very well in The African Queen and Suddenly Last Summer. Summertime on the other hand Hepburn gave a fine emotional and natural performance as the old spinster who finds love in Venice.

The 60s she only did 4 movies roles, but they were chosen carefully. Long Day's Journey Into Night IS an essential from stage to screen performance and Hepburn is just brilliant. Guess Who's coming to dinner isn't maybe anything groundbreaking but still a fine and relaxing performance. In The Lion in Winter she heated the performance up to such a degree that it sometimes becomes quite Over-the-top, but you never get annoyed of this.

In the 70s-80s her career seemed to decline with her age and the best performance from the decades was The Trojan Woman, an exciting performance from an all-time great actress.

Now It's Official:

vs.

Who's the best?

Godmorgon!

Nu tänkte jag tips er om en komedi!

The proposal
& den handlar om..
Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock)som är en tuff chef som ingen rår på. Eftersom hon är från Kanada kommer myndigheterna henne på spåren, och hon måste deporteras tillbaka till sitt hemland. Enda lösningen på problemet är att hon gifter sig, och eftersom hennes assistent Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) finns nära till hands, råkar det bli honom. Det nyblivna paret utsätts för många prövningar, bland annat ett besök hos Andrews familj i Alaska...
mer säger jag inte, än att ni bör kolla in den =D
vi hörs!

Bright Star

I REALLY want to see it! This seems like one of these movies critics will revalue in 50 years and then call it a masterpiece.

Highly Recommended

If you feel that this weeks releases was quite uninspiring or not just good enough. Then I recommend you this french piece of gem. Summer Hours. It evokes the exactly right emotions. Edith Scob and Juliette Binoche is splendid in their roles and fully deserving of award attention, though the won't get any... :(

Natt bloggning!

Inte länge sen sist ju :)

Tänkte tipsa er om en film jag såg för drygt 3 veckor sen.
Nämligen Paranormal activity, som får en riktigt rädd.

Den handlar om...
Katie och Mica, som tycker att dom upplever underligga saker i huset.
Så som knarrande dörrar, fot steg i trappan, och andra ljud.
Till en början tror Mica att det är barnen i huset brevid som håller på och skrämmer Katie..
Så en dag beslöt han sig för att köpa en videokamera fast besluten om att dokumentera spöket, demonen, inbillningarna eller vad det nu kan vara. Så dom sätter upp kameran i sovrummet.
Mica resonerar att ''I videokameran kommer verkligheten att synas och det är först när man har koll på den som man kan göra något åt saken''

Värt att ge filmen en chans, iaf för dom som kan sova sen efter ;)

Hej!

hej, jag är en svensk skribent och tänkte ''hjälpa'' Jesper med tipsen!
eftersom vi har olika smak, blir det bra för alla =D
HOPE YOU ENJOY! ;)

Best Actresses of the Decade part 1 (2000-2004)

2000 (Contenders I Haven't Seen = Laura Linney, Michelle Yeoh, Renée Zellweger)

2001 (Contenders I Haven't Seen = Kirsten Dunst, Cate Blanchett, Charlotte Rampling)
2002 (Contenders I Haven't Seen = Maggie Gyllenhaal, Isabelle Huppert, Kirsten Dunst)
2003 (Contenders I Haven't Seen = Charlotte Rampling, Gwyneth Paltrow, Uma Thurman)
2004 (Contenders I Haven't Seen = Nicole Kidman "Birth", Julie Delpy, Imelda Staunton, Laura Dern, Isabella Rossellini, Anne Reid, Tilda Swinton)

Please comment which others actresses is awardworthy, I really want to know foreign or indie stuff, I found them more interesting!

Animated Short - Partly Cloudy

Now I watched another animated short film. This isn't so interesting as "The Cat Piano", but it's neverthless very sweet animation. The plot on the other hand I think is a little thin.

Early NBR Predictions

Best Picture:
1. Precious
2. A Single Man
3. Invictus
4. Nine
5. Brothers
6. Up in the Air
7. The Last Station
8. Bright Star
9. The Hurt Locker
10. Public Enemies

YES! I'm leaving out "An Education"

Best Director - Jane Campion - Bright Star
(Alternate: Michael Hoffman - The Last Station or Clint Eastwood - Invictus)
Best Actor - Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart
(Alternate: Morgan Freeman - Invictus)
Best Actress - Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia
(Alternate: Helen Mirren - The Last Station or Michelle Pfeiffer - Chéri)
Best Supporting Actor - Jude Law - Sherlock Holmes
(Alternate: Christopher Plummer - The Last Station or Stanley Tucci - Julie & Julia)
Best Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique - Precious
(Alternate: Penélope Cruz - Nine or Natalie Portman - Brothers)
Best Animated Feature - Up
(Alternate: Ponyo)
Breakthrough Male - Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker
(Alternate: Joseph Gordon-Levitt - (500) Days of Summer
Breakthrough Female - Gabourey Sibide - Precious
(Alternate: Carey Mulligan - An Education or Rose McIver - The Lovely Bones*)
* She had very much time in the trailer, will it be a sign?
Best Cast - Nine
(Alternate: An Education or Brothers)
Best Directorial Debut - Tom Ford - A Single Man
Best Original Screenplay - A Serious Man
Best Adapted Screenplay - The Last Station

Top Foreign Films:
Broken Embraces
Everlasting Moments
A Prophet (Release Date?)
Summer Hours
The White Ribbon

I Really don't know the eligibilty for this category

Top Five Documentaries
Anvil
The Beach of Agnes Varda
The Cove
This Is It
Tyson

I Have no idea really....

Top Independet Films
????

This is just guesses.

Some favorite shots from this decade

Animated Short - The Cat Piano

Since the shortlist for Best Animated Short was revealed I decided to watch on of the listed "The Cat Piano", you can all watch it at Youtube.

It's an incredible piece of work that would work greatly as an animated motion picture. The animation was also splendid.

Many extra points for the voiceover... loved it.

Nine

Nine, Nine, Nine.

What more can I say.

During the last couple of days i've been listening to the songs and watching the clips from Nine. With the clips i've seen it all looks like I'm going to be more than satisfy with Cruz, Kidman, Cotillard and Day-Lewis who all four belongs to this decades best actors and actresses.

The Auteurs

A Great site EVERYONE shall join.

here's mine account with ratings of movies from 2009 and my favorite movies and directors.
http://www.theauteurs.com/users/71939

Coming this season...

... More Best Actress Editions
... and the Bests of the Decade (but this may come during the early part of 2010 since there are still som movies I need to catch up with)

But be prepared with this movie too be listed...

3 Women

I just finished watching and... well... I need to think about it a little more. But What I Can say is that it's a really great movie!

The Sparkling Diamond...

... and she still sparkles

News New News

Today it was announced that Winona Ryder and Barbara Hershey will star together in "Black Swan". The Film where Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis is portraying ballerinas. The Film is directed by Darren Aronofsky.

Cannot Wait! :D

Then to a sad new, that was announced around last week as that Joe Wright (Atonement) WILL NOT direct "My Fair Lady" it was just a rumour :(. It also makes me worry if Knightley also is a rumour (Hope Not!)

Then to another good new. The Role Charlize Theron (Monster) dropped out of in "The Danish Girl" is now taking over by Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love). Cannot wait for this picture neither both Kidman (Moulin Rouge!) AND Paltrow will be juicy.

Family Portrait

Everlasting Moments

To everyone, it's only 2 months til all yours end-year list will be made and finished. Please watch Everlasting Moments before you do it, it's a wonderful film deserving of everyones recognition.

Julie & Julia

Yesterday I watched Julie & Julia. It was a very enjoyable movie, maybe not a masterpiece but still a wholesome and fun movie. Meryl Streep truly was Julia Child and gave probably one of the best female leading performance of the year (still haven't decided if she's better than Gainsbourg). Stanley Tucci had his own while playing against Streep and was a lot better than he was in "The Devil Wears Prada". Amy Adams gave a pretty safe and charming turn, but nothing we haven't seen from her before. Also the score was superb!

Be Italian!

Best Actress 1964

My Nominees:
Anne Bancroft - The Pumpkin Eater
When I first watched this movie I was mesmerized how great Bancroft was in this. Before this movie I only knew her as the mother in The Graduate. But now i'm a complete fan. The breakdown is just scaring because it seems so real!

Catherine Deneuve - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
This is the breakthrough of Deneuve, and a good one too. Her charisma just sparkles and she really seems like a star here.

Olivia de Havilland - Lady in a Cage
This was a terrific performance in a terryifing film. The whole movie is a psychological suspense movie, and De Havilland is at the top of her game in this.

Audrey Hepburn - My Fair Lady
A classic performance certifing Hepburns status as a cultural icon.

Kim Stanley - Séance on a Wet Afternoon
Haunting.... and great.

and the Winner Is!

FYC: Jane Krakowski for Oscar Host!

I'm falling more and more for Krakowski. The Nine soundtrack, 30 rock AND the fantastic TV ad where she plays Scarlett O'Hara. SO ALL I CAN SAY IS KRAKOWSKI FOR OSCAR HOST!

Penélope Cruz

Remember for some years ago when nobody likes Cruz, now it all suddenly changed. EVERYONE loves Cruz. Her year in 2008 was great, and so will the rest of 2009 also be. She was very good in "Broken Embraces", not "Vicky Cristina" great but still very good.

Well she's currently the front-runner for almost everyones sexpot of the year award :P

Best Actress 1961

This my take on the Best Actress category 1961 (quite random I know!)

I'm going to do as Andrew did over Encore's World of Film & TV blog (which you could visit if you look at my favourite blogs :). He did semi-finalist and finalist list, which I thought was a very good idea :)

Semifinalist:

Audrey Hepburn - Breakfast at Tiffany's
I know this is probably one of the most well known performances of Hepburn, but it wasn't really the WOW factor I thought it would be. She looks beautiful and does her job well. She is marvellous in some scenes, but more less than often. Also we can say she was miscast. BUT this is though one of the most iconic performances of 1961 and the moment she sings "Moon River" is pure magic.

Audrey Hepburn - The Children's Hours
While "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was a miscasting, this was the complete opposite. Hepburn is used to do this kind of role as the sweet woman. While it was a beautiful performance, it turned out quite boring.

Shirley MacLaine - The Children's Hours
MacLaine makes surprisingly little with this juicy role, even if she's better than Hepburn we all know she could do LOT more. Also one thing regarding this movie is that the supporting players stole this show.

Finalists:
Sophia Loren - Two Women
One of these performances where the actress gives up everything and just makes the role come alive. Loren is marvelous!

Clauda McNeill - A Raisin' in the Sun
This is a wonderful and splendid performance by McNeill as the mother. She lights up the screen every minute on screen.

Natalie Wood - Splendor in the Grass
Many people calls this performance dull and uninspired, but I disagree. Wood was charming and heartbreaking here. This really showed how good an actress Wood was. I can't decide Loren and Wood who was the best of the nominees, but Wood gets the title right now.

The Nominees:
Anouke Aimée - Lola
She gives the most sensual performance this year, but also the most joyful. She's really on par with the original Lola.

Harriet Andersson - Through a Glass Darkly
The scene when she's sleepwalking is just breathtaking! Harriet truly gives the character a great performance.

Deborah Kerr - The Innocents
This is a career defining role for Kerr. She's never been better. Her performance is a haunting one, and you sure notice the similarity between her role and the great Nicole Kidman in "The Others", but Kerr was better.

Delphine Seyrig - Last Year at Marienbad
Her performance is maybe not as flashy as everyone else, but she works it out great and you notice her in a moment!

Lucyna Winnicka - Mother Joan of the Angels
WOW! This is what I call a performance. She gives the role a three-dimensonial performance, Wonderful I only say!

and the winner is...

The Women - The 2008 Version

Last year "The Women" was released. It was critically loathed and earned 1 razzie nomination for Worst Actress.

Friday I saw it for the first time, I've wanted to seen it since it was released but was scared off by all the negative critics (except Roger Ebert's one). Slowly into the movie I began to realize this wasn't that awful. Of course it wasn't anywhere near the 1939 version, but still not bad. The script was pretty dull though, but it was all helped up by the actresses in this movie. Bening, Ryan, Messing and Leachman are all great comedienne and didn't deserve mention by the Razzie, but Messing and Smith surely did. But it's during the last parts of the movie it begins to crash, not completely but almost. It turns out to be another one of these Hollywood comedies with the same predictable which is ofcourse really boring.

Overall this is a entertaining and sophisticated comedy, but with many flaws that the actresses even couldn't overcome.

Rate: C