film reviews, interviews, features | BRWC

Author: Alton Williams

  • They Don’t Have One ??

    Happy Oscar Eve everyone ! As I can imagine you’re all talking about who will win, who should win and who doesn’t even deserve red carpet space. Well being the useless knowledge junkie that I am, I thought it would be interesting to browse some past nominee lists and was amazed by some of the people that DON’T have a little Golden guy. So here’s a few ”what the hell ??” moments.

    Kate Winslet- 5 nominations
    –Sense And Sensibility (1995), Titanic (1997), Iris (2001), Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004), Little Children (2006) ***6th Nomination for The Reader (2008)***

    Peter Sellers- 2 nominations.
    –Dr. Strangelove (1964), Being There (1979)

    Julianne Moore- 4 nominations.
    –Boogie Nights (1997), The End Of The Affair (1999) Far From Heaven and The Hours (2002)

    Leonardo DiCaprio -3 nominations.
    –What’s Eating Gilbert Grape ? (1993), The Aviator (2004), Blood Diamond (2006)

    Debra Winger- 3 nominations.
    –An Officer And A Gentleman (1982), Terms Of Endearment (1983), Shadowlands (1993)

    Julie Walters- 2 nominations.
    –Educating Rita (1983), Billy Elliot (2000)

    Bill Murray- 1 nomination.
    Lost In Translation (2003)

    Bette Midler- 2 nominations.
    –The Rose (1979), For The Boys (1991)

    And, in my opinion, the biggest injustice:
    Brenda Blethyn- 2 nominations.
    –Secrets And Lies (1996), Little Voice (1998)

    Who do you think should have an Oscar but doesn’t ? Let us know !!

    © BRWC 2010.

  • Old Bastards And New


    The Inglorious Bastards

    Inglorious Basterds

    © BRWC 2010.

  • Watchmen Les Gardiens

    A French Watchmen poster. I’m not a big fan. The poster, not the Watchmen.

    © BRWC 2010.

  • The Passenger By Michelangelo Antonioni

    The Passenger By Michelangelo Antonioni

    By Martyn Conterio.

    Last night I sat and watched Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1975 film The Passenger starring Jack Nicholson and Maria Schneider. Not only is the film incredibly directed – Jack Nicholson delivers his most subdued performance…he’s almost blank in the film…as if he’s in a Robert Bresson movie! Incredible!

    The film starts off in northern Africa as a British reporter named David Locke (Jack Nicholson) is collecting footage for a documentary on an unspecific political situation. Whilst back at his hotel, he discovers a felllow Brit, Robertson dead in his bed. In some wonderfully elaborate montages, the audience gets aural as well as visual flashbacks of their brief friendship. It is made quite clear that Locke hates his life and bizarrely decides to switch identities with Robertson.

    The film then meanders around London, Munich and Spain as Robertson constantly attempts to integrate himself into his new role…and yet is doomed to fail, as he quickly learns nothing changes at all. In Barcelona, he meets a mysterious architecture student played by Maria Schneider and they drive around Spain. The ending is very odd…and wonderful.

    This film is surely a lost masterpiece of 1970s cinema. The mise-en-scene is just wonderful…I need to see this film on a cinema screen to enjoy the widescreen photography and the spatial elements of figures and landscapes.

    Go and see The Passenger…they sure as shit don’t make films like this any more! Bruno Dumont’s 29 Palms must certainly be inspired by this film.

    I love discovering films that re-invigorate my interest in cinema. Wonderful cinematography by Luciano Tovoli too…he’s lensed some lovely stuff…Suspiria,Tenebrae, Titus…and seems to have been wasted on many a movie since.

  • Aborted Watchmen & Oscar Politics

    You know this. You’ll be watching the Watchmen in a couple of weeks.
    Can’t wait until then ?
    Would you like to read the script ?
    I know of three people who had a bash at the script.

    Sam Hamm (Batman and Batman Returns)
    David Hayter & Alex Tse (X Men)

    Those scripts are here.

    Also, I have been turned on to a nice little piece about the politics regarding this year’s Oscars. All the contenders for best picture have a specific message, apart from one.

    EDIT – Both David Hayter & Alex Tse are credited for X Men. Thank you Brendon.
    Mistake rectified.

    © BRWC 2010.