film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: BRWC

  • How To Win Best Picture In 7 Steps

    How To Win Best Picture In 7 Steps

    By Tessa Boyce.

    The 88th Academy Awards are coming to ABC this February, and the media is buzzing with opinions about the academy’s nomination choices. But what does it take to receive a best picture nomination and win?

    PrettyFamous researched historical trends in best picture wins to see which attributes these films have in common. Using data from Gracenote, PrettyFamous researched seven components that illustrate the typical best picture.

    Pay attention aspiring directors — if you want to increase your chances of winning best picture at the Academy Awards, follow this blueprint to success.

    1. Genre

    Piece of advice No. 1? Film a drama. The academy almost always chooses some type of drama for best picture. While other genres may make it into the nomination stage, such as the action-packed thriller “Mad Max: Fury Road,” it is doubtful that “Mad Max” will beat serious, dramatic films like “Spotlight” or “The Big Short” at this year’s ceremony.

    2. Plot

    One key plot point the academy often rewards is a heterosexual love story.

    Some films have also been successful integrating numerous subjects. Take “Forrest Gump” or “The Sound of Music” for example, films that intertwine love, friendship, family and death, along with horrors of war. However, not all WWII love stories make it to the Oscars — Michael Bay’s “Pearl Harbor” has a meager 25 percent rating by critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

    3. Lead Actor

    The chances of winning best picture go way up if the lead actor is male. Less than one in five best pictures feature a female as the lead character. And it’s not enough for the lead to just be male — white male leads are the winningest combination for best pictures.

    The exception representing the single “Southeast Asian/Indian” lead above is Indian actor Dev Patel for the film “Slumdog Millionaire,” which won best picture in 2008.

    4. Director

    Directors Alejandro González Iñárritu and Kathryn Bigelow stand out among the long list of white male directors whose films have won best picture. The 2016 Oscar nominations stuck with the status quo: all eight films nominated for best picture were directed by white males between the ages of 46 and 78.

    5. Location

    Where to film? A family home or household in New York City or England. Films like “The Godfather” and “West Side Story” or “The King’s Speech” use these settings to help make the story come alive.

    6. Length

    Most films that win best picture are over two hours. The longest film to ever win? “Gone With the Wind,” which features a whopping run time of three hours and 58 minutes.

    7. Release Month

    Studios know to release Avengers-style blockbusters in the summer, and intense dramas in the fall and winter.

    Recent exceptions? “Gladiator,” “Crash” and “The Hurt Locker” each came out in May or June. Still, it’s best to release a best picture hopeful closer to when the academy votes, so it’s fresh in their minds. Of the 87 films that have won best picture, 49 were released between October and December.

    Research Thousands of Movies on PrettyFamous

  • Roger Deakins Retrospective

    Roger Deakins Retrospective

    Sicario cinematographer Roger Deakins is one of cinema’s most decorated technical professionals, having racked up an absolutely incredible body of work in a career spanning decades. With a career total of 123 awards nominations and an incredible 74 wins, no-one doubts the Brit’s genius, but he has, incredibly, never won an Oscar, despite being nominated 12 times. However, career-best work in SICARIO, Denis Villeneuve’s latest, available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital platforms from February 1st, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment, could well change all that…

    Sicario (2015)

    Twelfth time’s the charm? With breathtaking cinematography (reportedly inspired by the photography of Alex Webb) making Mexico a living, breathing character in Denis Villeneuve’s brilliant drugs thriller, the smart money is on the Academy making up for its past mistakes and giving Deakins his moment in the LA sun.

    Blade Runner Reboot (TBC)

    With shooting now due to start this summer, we simply cannot wait to see what Deakins brings to the table in this long-awaited sequel known as much for its bleak futurescapes as for its story of replicant-hunting gumshoes.

    Skyfall (2012)

    Bond movies are often thrilling, escapist and brilliantly bombastic but they’re rarely considered beautiful. Deakins’ tenure on Skyfall changed all that, however, with everything from Silva’s evacuated city through to the Highlands of Scotland rendered stunning thanks to his artful eye.

    The Coen Brothers (ongoing)

    Deakins has been bringing his talent to the Coens’ output for years now, having delivered the goods not only to the forthcoming Hail, Caesar!, but also The Ladykillers, Intolerable Cruelty, True Grit, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Big Lebowski, Fargo, The Hudsucker Proxy and Barton Fink to give you the highlights.

    No Country For Old Men (2007)

    If Sicario is Deakins’ Touch Of Evil then No Country For Old Men is his High Noon. Both are taut thrillers with drugs providing the sting in the tail and stylistically both are incredible, but Deakins doesn’t present the same canvas twice, despite the border town grime and punishment that links the two.

    The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

    It’s strange to think that comparatively few people saw Deakins’ work in Frank Darabont’s peerless classic the first time around but, in a salute to the power of home entertainment, The Shawshank Redemption has gone on to become a bona fide classic, regularly topping Best Film Ever lists and adored across the globe.

    Air America (1990)

    When not forging a career-long partnership with the Coens, Deakins was cutting his teeth elsewhere and Air America is an early example of why the gigs just keep coming. Sure, the film itself might not have gone down in the annals of movie history but, consistent with every film in this list, the cinematography is top notch.

    Personal Services (1987)

    Julie Walters as a suburban brothel madam might not sound like the sort of thing where you walk away praising the technical aspects of the film but this stands up to this day as an early sign that Deakins knows what he’s doing.

    Sid & Nancy (1986) 

    A visceral, tragic love story, this early Gary Oldman starrer tells the story of Sex Pistol Sid Vicious and his doomed affair with Nancy Spungen. In so doing it also gave Deakins plenty to work with as punk Britain – snot, sweat and all – veritably pops from the screen.

    Nineteen Eighty Four (1984) 

    As he preps for the Blade Runner sequel, it’s interesting to note that one of Deakin’s earlier outings was with another dystopian thriller, namely the seminal adaptation of George Orwell’s classic. John Hurt and Richard Burton bring the thesping, Deakin brings his impressive touch.

    Sicario is available on Blu-ray, DVD and digital platforms from February 1st, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment

  • The Big Short: Review

    The Big Short: Review

    By Chris Worthington.

    For director Adam MacKay The Big Short is more serious take on contemporary America than his previous films such as Anchorman and The Other Guys but it is also very funny. The Big Short is based on the unfolding of 2008 financial crisis as told through the eyes of three small investment companies. They have one thing in common – a growing realisation that the sub – prime mortgages  handed out by the million before the crash were worthless in themselves but bundled together as bonds known as collateral debt obligations (CDOs) they could be AAA rated and generate huge profits for the merchant banks.

    Investment company number one is Scion Capital where tee shirt and flip flop wearing analyst Michael Burry (Christian Bale) investigates late payments on sub- prime mortgages and decides to short the sub – prime bond market; that is to take a position in the market where he will make a profit if the value of the bonds falls. The smug merchant bankers who  trouser  a large monthly fee for his gamble can hardly believe their luck.  Investment company number two is Frontpoint Partners headed up by caffeine fuelled Mark Baum (Steve Carrell) who has come to the same unlikely conclusion about the sub – prime bond market and is desperately trying to work out how to be fair and ethical towards his investors.   Investment company number three is a garage start up with only a laptop to their name who are cut out of the action until they go for lunch with Ben Rickert (Brad Pitt) a former banker who has dropped out to grow urine fed organic vegetables. Fortunately his investment advice is better than the lunch.

    Meanwhile the partying on Wall Street never stops aided and abetted by former banking staff turned financial regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission turning a blind eye and the ratings agencies who make sure that their clients do not take their hefty fees to one of the competitor rating agencies by giving  the junk  sub – prime bonds a AAA rating. All in it together? Absolutely, up to their necks.

    Scarcely able to believe that they are right and that all the big players have missed the signs of the impending disaster they decide to take a look a real world. First a visit to a building site in Florida where construction has stalled and the owners are collecting the rent without paying off the mortgage. Next stop is a lap dance club where one of the dancers owns five apartments and condominium. Party on dude! They round off the tour by meeting a ghastly pair of mortgage brokers who boast about fleecing their low wage, no wage, immigrant clients but simply do not give a toss. And the bankers? Yes they knew alright, but if you make enough money before the crash who cares?

    The Big Short is a true story. Major banks failed, some, including Lehman Brothers went bankrupt, the rest got bailed out by the taxpayer. There is a lot of enjoyable dark comedy in the film and the likeable good guys who shorted the market come out on top in the end. And guess what, they also made a lot of money.

  • Female First

    Female First

    Emily Blunt’s astonishing turn in Sicario is just one of the many incredible female lead roles that have helped make the last year a record-breaking one at the box office. With the conversation around the gender gap in Hollywood only becoming more and more urgent, the evidence is rapidly stacking up that female leads sell films. It’s impossible to ignore the fact that a huge majority of the past year’s biggest hits have been female-driven – and to celebrate the release of Sicario, we’re taking a look at some other brilliant, female-driven features which recently smashed the box office…

    SICARIO

    Despite originally being pressured to change the gender of the lead role to a male, the Sicario filmmakers dug their heels in… And thank goodness they did. Emily Blunt’s performance as an FBI agent forced to navigate a deadly drug cartel won her rave reviews and showcased a completely different side to her abilities- as well as managing brilliant box office takings despite a relatively limited initial release. Her extraordinary lead turn was ably supported by Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro in the searing, unflinching journey into the morally murky world of Mexican drug cartels from visionary director Denis Villeneuve.

    MAD MAX: FURY ROAD

    Starring Charlize Theron as the terrifying, brilliant, brutal Furiosa, the release of George Miller’s Mad Max reboot ruffled plenty of feathers on its release – with plenty of online spats occurring between feminist bloggers and “men’s rights” activists.  One thing was clear though- calls to boycott the film due to its female protagonist fell on deaf ears, as the film picked up hugely positive reviews and dominated the UK box office- only losing out on the top spot due to the release of yet another female-driven feature- Pitch Perfect 2…

    PITCH PERFECT 2

    The original Pitch Perfect was a surprise hit on release in 2012, showcasing the unexpectedly universal appeal of acapella groups. The classic tale of the underdog given a decidedly wayward modern twist, the smash hit musical comedy stars Rebel Wilson and Anna Kendrick as members of college acapella group, the Barden Bellas. In the sequel, the Bellas are back, fresh from their victory at the national competition- but after being humiliated in front of the President of the United States the Bellas are expelled from the Aca-Circuit. Determined to clear their name and regain their status, the Bellas take on a seemingly impossible task: winning an International competition no American team has ever won.

    FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

    Love it or loathe it, EL James monster bestseller was impossible to get away from on release, and introduced a whole legion of fans to the “very singular” tastes of Christian Grey. The big screen adaptation smashed the global box office mark of $500m, despite not showing in conservative countries such as China and India. Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan took the lead roles, with Sam Taylor-Wood selected as the (surprisingly left-field) choice for director – a choice which paid huge dividends- the film opened in the UK with £13.55m, the highest debut ever for an 18-certificate film.

    THE HUNGER GAMES SERIES

    This hit franchise based on Suzanne Collin’s bestselling YA novels was Jennifer Lawrence’s original ticket to the A-list, as she took on the mammoth task of portraying protagonist Katniss Everdeen, alongside Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson. Taking place in a horrific dystopian universe, Katniss is tasked with stirring up the rebellion against the evil and all-powerful Capitol – and as the box office for the final instalment Mockingjay Part 2 showed, there really was no match for Miss Everdeen – she even managed to topple James Bond himself off the top of the UK box office.

    TRAINWRECK

    Amy Schumer’s self-penned and utterly hysterical comedy absolutely smashed its budget on release, beating initial projections by a mile and providing a welcome respite from the sugary-sweet romcoms that preceded it. Directed by Judd Apatow, it stars Schumer as a magazine writer and commitment-phobe, who finally meets her match in charming doctor, Aaron, played by Bill Hader.

    STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS

    No introduction necessary – the long-awaited reboot , helmed by the ever-secretive JJ Abrams smashed all the UK box office on release- its three-day weekend gross of £24.33m set a new record at UK and Ireland cinemas, edging out the £23.75m achieved by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 in July 2011.  And along with the return of original cast members Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill, it also introduced legions of fans to a new young Padawan to champion – the irrepressible Rey, played by Daisy Ridley.

    ***

    SICARIO is out on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital platforms from February 1st, 2016, courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment

  • In The Shadows

    Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario is an immensely tense and gripping picture about the war on drugs. Lead by an impressive cast including Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio Del Toro, this thrilling narrative combines proficient action, intense suspense, and beautiful imagery that will hook you from start to finish.

    In celebration of Sicario being released on Blue-ray, DVD, and digital platforms from February 1st, 2016 courtesy of Lionsgate Home Entertainment we honour Benicio Del Toro’s performance as the ethically questionable Alejandro by examining other characters that fall into the realm of moral ambiguity…

    Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro)  – Sicario (2015)

    Benicio Del Toro’s BAFTA nominated performance as the mysterious hit man, Alejandro, steals the show in Denis Villeneuve’s incredibly tense drama about a task force searching to bring an end to a drug cartel kingpin. We aren’t given much information about Alejandro from the get go but it’s easy to see something isn’t quite right with the character. As the story progresses his motives and intentions become entirely clear, flipping what was originally perceived on its head and leaving you to wonder whether what he is doing is right or wrong.

    Robert Miller (Richard Gere)  – Arbitrage (2012)

    Nicholas Jarecki’s dramatic thriller, Arbitrage, tells the story of Robert Miller, a distressed hedge fund mogul who makes a number of morally questionable decisions in order to finalise the sale of his firm.  Ultimately Miller is a liar and a fraud that uses those closest to him at his expense. However, despite all his wrongdoings (and there are many) it is clear he is a man who deep down loves his family and strives to right all financial wrongs committed whilst handling his business. Richard Gere’s character becomes so enthralling that you can’t help but sympathise with him in spite of his callous nature.

    Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) – The Social Network (2010)

    The combination of David Fincher’s direction, Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay, and Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of the social media magnate, Mark Zuckerberg, left most people questioning the Facebook creator’s principles. The story is told through flashbacks from the deposition hearings of two simultaneous lawsuits; one from two brothers claiming he stole their idea and one from his former best friend/co-creator of the site, who Zuckerberg essentially cut out of the company. Throughout the film we see Zuckerberg’s rise to notoriety with excessive hubris and blatant disregard for those around him. Yet it is still easy to see something likeable in the character, whether it is hunger to succeed, his inconceivable genius, or that despite being sued, Zuckerberg refuses to tarnish his ex-best friend’s image (the chicken incident).

    Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) – Inglorious Basterds (2009)

    A number of Quentin Tarantino’s characters can fall into that moral grey space where you are not quite sure if what they are doing is ethically correct or not. One that particularly stands out is Brad Pitt’s Lt. Aldo Raine from Inglorious Basterds. Raine and his team are tasked with taking down the leaders of the Third Reich and, while the actions of the Nazi party were undeniably horrific and deserved to be stopped, it is the manner in which the lieutenant handles them which begs moral ambiguity. Facial mutilations, scalping, and baseball bat beatings are just a few of the ways Raine and the Basterds handle Nazis who cross their paths, always smiling and seemingly enjoying themselves whilst doing so.

    Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) – Catch Me If You Can (2002) 

    Spielberg’s take on the incredible true story of Frank Abagnale Jr. provides another good character for moral examination. Frank was a young man who deeply cared for his parents and it wasn’t until his family life started to fall apart that he began engaging in fraudulent behaviour. Despite all of his lies and crimes, it is still apparent that at the root of Frank Abagnale Jr. is a boy who genuinely feels sorry for his actions, loves his family, and desperately wants them back. This is evidenced throughout the film from when he buys his father a car, visits his mother’s house before being arrested, and most notably, agrees to work for the FBI to catch other frauds.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4WJ45woEbM

    Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) – Deadpool (2016)

    The highly anticipated Deadpool will be out in cinemas soon and focuses on a character that is untypical of most recent Marvel endeavours. Ryan Reynolds takes the helm as the merc with the mouth (one that isn’t sewn together this time around) and promises an ultra-violent, ultra-offensive, and ultra-funny take on the superhero.  The footage that has been released suggests Reynolds lived up to his promise and has given audiences a film with an unconventional protagonist whose intentions are good but shows signs of immorality throughout.