Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Cloud Atlas


SF: I never got around to reading Cloud Atlas, so I had nothing to compare this to. The idea of such a long film was a bit daunting. Following the future and past lives of serveral different people isn't a new idea but this execution was, I'm pleased to say, very engaging. With so many threads it is an incredibly hard film to describe but while you are watching everything falls seamlessly together. Every story draws you in and the pace of film ensures that audience is never given the time to notice the length. Also the production value is amazing, the effects, costumes, music and set are all stunning, in particular New Seoul. Well worth a cinema trip. 8/10

50 Eggs: I read the book of this several years ago and didn't think much of it, so it's perplexing that I like the movie as much as I do. With 6 different and complex stories being told over 3 hours, this had no right to work as a film, and lots of critics don't think it does. But I do, wholeheartedly. That's down to the editing which is just fantastic, seamlessly chopping between characters, decades and genres to create an experience much greater than the sum of its parts. It's not for everyone, but it is for me. 9/10

DonkeyB: n/a

Overall: 8.5/10

Friday, February 22, 2013

Awards 2012


Welcome to the 2nd Annual 3-4-1 Awards

We still have nothing to offer the Winner except our sincere admiration

Here are our nomination and winners in order of preference

Awards 2012

Best film
SF: Argo, Angel's Share, Untouchable
50 Eggs: 
Life of Pi, Cabin in the Woods, Avengers Assemble
DonkeyB: Argo, Skyfall, Angel's Share
Winner: Argo

Best Director:
SF: Ben Affleck (Argo), Ang Lee (Life of Pi), Joss Wheadon (Avengers Assemble)
50 Eggs: Ang Lee (Life of Pi),Pete Travis (Dredd 3D), Joss Wheadon (Cabin & Avengers)
DonkeyB: Ben Affleck (Argo), Sam Mendes (Skyfall), Steven Sodaberg (Haywire)
Winner:  Ben Affleck (Argo)

Best Actor in a Leading Role:
SF: Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi), Omar Sy (Untouchable), Mads Mikklesen (A Royal Affair)
50 Eggs: Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi), Michael Fassbender (Prometheus), Martin Freeman (The Hobbit)
DonkeyB: Jean Dujardin (The Artist), George Clooney (The Descendants), Mark Ruffalo (Avengers Assemble)
Winner: Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
SF: Robert DeNiro (Sliver Linings Playbook), Ezra Miller (Perks of being a Wallflower) Tom Hiddleson (Avengers Assemble)
50 Eggs: Irrfan Khan (Life of Pi)
DonkeyB: Robert DeNiro (Sliver Linings Playbook), John Goodman (The Artist), John Henshaw (Angel's Share)
Winner: Robert DeNiro (Sliver Linnings Playbook)

Best Actress in a Leading Role:
SF: Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone), Noomi Rapce (Prometheus), Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
50 Eggs: Jennifer Lawrence (That girl who is in Hunger Games)
DonkeyB: Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone), Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Bernice Bijou (The Artist)
Winner: Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:
SF: Maggie Smith (Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Sigorney Weaver (Red Lights), Judy Dench (Skyfall)
50 Eggs: Emily Blunt (That girl who is in Looper )
DonkeyB: Anne Hathaway (Dark Knight Rises), Anna Kendrick (End of Watch), Judy Dench (Skyfall)
Winner: Judy Dench (Skyfall)

Best Animated Film:
SF: Brave, From up on Poppy Hill, Fullmetal Alchemist the star of Milos
50 Eggs: Brave
DonkeyB: Beauty and The Beast*, Brave, Pirates in an adventure with scientists
Winner: Brave
* But we all know Beauty and the Beast wins hands down but SF is refusing to nominate because of some silly new release nonsense

Best Cinematography:
SF: Skyfall, Dark Knight Rises, Jane Eyre
50 Eggs: Life of Pi, Prometheus, Skyfall
DonkeyB: Skyfall, Dark Knight Rises, The Artist
Winner:  Skyfall

Best Documentary Feature:*
SF: Search for Sugarman
50 Eggs: Nor me.
DonkeyB: Search for Sugarman
Winner: Search for Sugarman
* this award has been updated

Best Original Score:
SF: Patrick Doyle (Brave), Howard Shore (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey), Thomas Newman (Skyfall)
50 Eggs: I never pay much attention so: Thomas Newman (Skyfall), Patrick Doyle (Brave), Howard Shore (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)
DonkeyB: James Newton-Howard (Snow White), Thomas Newman (Skyfall), Ludovic Bource (The Artist)
Winner: Thomas Newman (Skyfall)

Best Visual Effects:
SF: Avengers Assemble, Life of Pi, The Dark Knight Rises
50 Eggs: Life of Pi, Cabin in the Woods, Prometheus
DonkeyB: Skyfall, Dark Knight Rises, Avengers Assemble
Winner: Life of Pi

Best Adapted Screenplay:
SF: Eric Roth (Extremely Loud, Incredibly close), Stephen Chbosky  (Perks of being a Wallflower), David Magee (Life of Pi)
50 Eggs: Life of Pi, The Women in Black, The Hunger Games
DonkeyB: David O Russell (silver Linings Playbook), Stephen Chbosky  (Perks of being a Wallflower), Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash (The Descendants)
Winner: Stephen Chbosky  (Perks of being a Wallflower)

Best Original Screenplay:
SF: Ken Loach (Angel's Share), Rian Johnson (Looper), Olivier Nakache & Eric Toledano (The Untouchables)
50 Eggs: I think we have too many categories.
DonkeyB: Ken Loach (Angel's Share), The Artist, Ted
Winner: Ken Loach (Angel's Share)

**** Now some fun awards****

Most divisive film:
SkyFall
Ruby Sparks
Life of Pi
Winner : Ruby Sparks

Worst Film:
SF: Total Recall, Beasts of the Southern Wild, This Means War
50 Eggs: The Amazing Spider-man, War Horse, John Carter
DonkeyB: This Means War, Total Recall, Battleship
Winner: Total Recall - We still don't understand how they messed this up

Worst actor:
SF: Sam Worthington (Wrath of the Titans), Ryhs Iffans (The Amazing Spider-man), Nicholas Cage (Ghost Rider the Spirit of Vengeance) - honourable mention the whole cast in battleship.
50 Eggs: Sam Worthington (Wrath of the Titans), Ryhs Iffans (the Amazing spider-man)
DonkeyB: Colin Farrell (Total Recall), Tom Hanks (Extremley Loud, Incredibly Close), Ryhs Iffans (The Amazing Spider-man)
Winner: Sam Worthing (Wrath of the Titans)

Worst actress:
SF:Kate Beckinsale (Total Recall & Underworld Awakening), Reese Witherspoon (This Means War), Kristen Stewart (Snow White and the Huntsman)
50 Eggs: Nope, cant think of any.
DonkeyB: Kate Beckinsale (Total Recall), Reese Witherspoon (This Means War), Cameron Diaz (Gambit)
Winner: Kate Beckinsale (Total Recall & Underworld Awakening)

Most awful contribution to cinema in 2012:
SF: is it wrong to give it to 3D again?
50 Eggs: Nothing wrong with 3D but I’m going to say rebooting Spiderman with the same story but less good a few years after the last one.
DonkeyB: The audience we watched Gambit with- they laughed at the production studio cards!, 3D, The titles in The Raven completely out of character with the rest of the film.
Winner: 3D stoppit already, blurry, dark and pointless

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Searching for Sugarman

SF: I had no idea what this was about before I saw it, which I think made it all the more enjoyable. The film makers do an excellent job drawing you into the same mystery they tried to unravel. Becuase of that I don't want to say too much more about the film, it needs to be seen. The editing was good, well composed and kept the pace. I ended the film wanted to listen to the albumn featured throughout the film, so I'll be getting the Soundtrack. Go and see this with no prefixed ideas 8.5/10

50Eggs: n/a

DonkeyB: Like SF I fear the film could be spoiled by excessive spoilers which probably means I should stop telling everyone I talk to about it. It is like one of those really good BBC4 music documentaries, and its a similar length; only just over an hour. At least 75% of the audience we were in stayed all the way to the end of the credits which is always a good sign. I only have one more thing to say about the film and it relates to the controversy generated by a number of Oscar films this year: Django, 0D30, Argo etc. Part way through the film they are trying to establish what happened to the royalties earned by the artist who is the subject of the film. The white South African distributor claimed he paid all the due royalties to the original record label and is taken at his word, the black American chairmen of the record label who claims he never saw any royalties and had no idea the artist was successful is presented as a shifty liar. If that's not rascist I don't know what is! I am only slightly joking. Its terrific, get it on DVD and buy the soundtrack- I did. 9/10

Overall: 8.75/10

Because it seems unlikely that Mr eggs will get to see the film this week we bring you a special guest review from the Lovefilm page (and a link so you can go rent it)


Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Wreck it Ralph


SF: I really enjoyed this movie. It is another in a long line of fun animation that pleases both adults and children. There were many in jokes that were great and the Oreo bit was so funny! It felt almost Pixar good and that is a mighty compliment from me. Go and see if you want light hearted fun. 7/10

50 Eggs: I have been waiting for this film ever since 'Reboot' first aired on CITV back in the day. Video game culture is a largely untapped source in movies, and Wreck it Ralph had a real chance to get in there first and become a cult classic. It's partially successful. There are lots of in-jokes, winks and nods, all laid over a fairly strong plot. But for me it didnt go far enough, and half way through it seemed to become confused as to its target audience....is it the 30 somethings who grew up with these games, or the 8 year olds who are tagging along with them? For me this fell between the two stools and is poorer for it. Still pretty darn good though. 7.5/10

DonkeyB: I have trouble believing that anyone younger than 30 is going to get as much enjoyment from this film as we did, it relies quite heavily on an appreciation of 80s computer games for laughs. I also have vivid memories of being a 9 year old in class 7 at primary school, and writing a story in creative writing about a kid who gets sucked into a computer game and being amazed that another kid had written a story about exactly the same thing completely independently. As a story it just isn't very original. As ever these days the short before the main feature outshone the main attraction. 6/10

Overall: 7/10

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Flight

SF: There is one word I need to describe this film - boring. Anything else is superfluous. I cannot describe how much I wished this would get better or be remotely interesting but alas no. It is shockingly long and tedious. Despite having some very good actors and a seemingly intriguing story this doesn't deliver at all. If this was a made for TV movie (which it felt like) it would have liked it more because I could change the channel. 3/10

50Eggs:

DonkeyB:TV movie of the week. Also it has the most literal soundtrack in history. You know exactly where the film is going from the moment the plane clips the church steeple and before that if you saw the trailer. John Goodman deserves a mention however, as the scene stealing, ponytailed drug dealer, as ever he walks on screen and you think- "ok well at least this scene will be entertaining". 4/10

Overall: 3.5/10