Hi Friends,
Howdy? Hope you had a lovely start to the New Year! Incidentally, have you been following the on-going awards season? Golden Globes? Screen Actors Guild? And of course, the results of the BAFTAs and the Academy Awards are awaited!
I look at this whole awards season as the best time of the year from the film fraternities point of view as their years of hard-work towards their art is just about to pay off! And yes, I have the greatest of respect even for those who don't win, because in my eyes they are winners right from the moment they put forward their film for judgment before the jury with complete faith and conviction about their product.
And for viewers like me and the rest of us, it is time to feast on some of the best films that Hollywood produces all through the year, raise a toast to some fine performances and of course get my watch-list of films updated once again! :)
This year, here's my five!
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| Behind the scenes: Actor Keanu Reeves turns director!! |
1) Whoa! Actor Keanu Reeves marks his debut as a director with Man of Tai Chi! Last year in his documentary Side by Side, through a series of interviews with prolific film-maker's, Keanu addressed the digital revolution that was all set to take Hollywood by storm and how directors were already experimenting with digital technology (like 3D etc) while many others were foraying into filming their movies in digital.
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| First look: 47 Ronin |
He also spoke of how digital technology had made life so much easier for budding film-makers to showcase their works to the world. In one of his interviews he beautifully articulated the fact that -"Film, if not dead, is now on life support."
And with Man of Tai Chi he takes this idea a step further as he implements digital technology to film, Man of Tai Chi using ARRI Alexa cameras. Check out this concept video on how it works!
Psst...this year it's not just Keanu saying 'Action' behind the camera...it's gonna be twice the action set to explode on-screen with two of his films - Samurai- warrior based, 47 Ronin and Kung-Fu action thriller, Man of Tai Chi up for release!
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| Naomi Watts is Princess Diana |
2) 2013 is the year of royalty! Nicole Kidman and good friend Naomi Watts are all set to reprise the life and times of Princess Grace of Monaco and Princess Diana! The generations of today may well know who Princess Diana was and her story was no less than a rosy fairy-tale to begin with at least - a commoner who went on to marry into the royal family of England but was short-lived with the unfortunate divorce followed by her untimely demise in an paparazzi-chase accident that shook the world when the princess who captured our hearts with her warm smile and charming personality was suddenly no more! Another facet of Princess Diana was that she was a humanitarian, an icon, role model and a fashionista too! So...I'm looking forward to watching the life of Princess Diana unfold on-screen!
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| Nicole Kidman is Princess Grace |
Curiously, as much as is known of Grace Kelly, the diva and actress of the 50's, however little is known of her life as princess of Monaco... except the semblance that she and Diana shared in death! Interestingly, movie-goers will have to wait for sometime before they get to know what aspect of Grace Kelly's life the director has chosen to delve into.
Performance wise...it's raining awards for sure! Just one look at these pics, both Naomi and Nicole just fit the part and being fine actresses which they are and having proved their mettle with challenging roles in the past, I have this feeling that if Oscar nominee Naomi Watts is not getting the statuette this year for The Impossible (which of course Jessica Chastain or Jennifer Lawrence are tipped to win for their performances) next year might just be Naomi's day at the Oscars! Of course, there's no discounting the fact that Nicole Kidman might just get twice lucky too!
Psst...I just read that Grace of Monaco is scheduled for a release in 2014...though no official date is out and we are already buzzing in 2013! ;)
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| Recognize him? Anyone? |
3) Did you just see Matthew Mcconaughey looking gaunt, aged and sickly? He sure seemed unrecognizable to me until I learned that he had lost oodles of pounds to prepare for his role in Dallas Buyers Club based on the true-life story of drug addict, women loving, homophobic, Ron Woodroof diagnosed with AIDS in 1986. With his drastic weight-loss he certainly reminded me of Christian Bale who looked way too lean and lanky (and miserable too!) in The Fighter. And when you talk of films that tackled the subject of AIDS, you are instantly reminded of Tom Hanks performance in Philadelphia. Dallas Buyers Club might just be Matthew Mcconaughey's Philadelphia and if his performance cuts ice with the critics and the masses, it could take his career to the next level! Of course, not to mention, it might possibly even earn him some nominations and awards too (just as what Les Misérables did to Hugh Jackman)!
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| Ashton Kutcher is Steve Jobs |
4) I was just talking of actors preparing for their roles and getting into the skin of their characters quite literally, but here's one actor who effortlessly resembles the man he is all set to play -IT entrepreneur and Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs! But now what's left to be seen is whether Ashton Kutcher will pull it through and come up with a path-breaking performance (just as Jesse Eisenberg's fine portrayal of Facebook founder,Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network did!) And once again, just as in the case of Matthew Mcconaughey, jOBS (yep, that's how it's written!) could well be the turning point in Ashton Kutcher's career as well! Till then wait and watch!
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| First look: Russell Crowe as Noah |
5) Finally, though I'm a year early but I eagerly looking forward to watching Russell Crowe as Noah in 2014... even though I was under the impression that it'd release this year considering that we haven't seen Darren Aronofsky's film in a while. For long we have read about Noah's ark, the animals that he took into it, the fury of the flood and the promise of the rainbow...now I look forward to embarking on a Biblical journey once again (last film that left me in tears was Passion of the Christ and much before that it was The Ten Commandments). It'd be interesting to watch Darren Aronofsky's interpretation and treatment of one of my favorite stories from the Bible that I've loved reading and listening to as a child till date - Noah
Of course, my list gets updated periodically when friends recommend me a film or two and in turn through my blog-posts, I'll keep you abreast of the latest on Sonyaa's Watch-List! :)
Hope you enjoyed reading this month's blog post? And if you did...then I look forward to reading your comments and emails! :)
Love,
Sonyaa
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