Patrick Wilson plays Buddy, her former beau and Patton Oswalt plays Matt, the nerd who’s locker was next to hers at high school. Twenty years after school finished, Mavis seems to have reverted back to the self-obsessed and selfish ways of teenagers. She can only think of herself, her happiness and nothing else matters. She is a traumatic character. She knows no love, and seems to be numb from the collapse of her former relationships.

Charlize Theron is as thrilling, dangerous and exciting as her character and does not shy away from embodying Mavis’ pure self loathing. Her character is an anomaly in mainstream independent cinema (which of course is where the film lives, much like Juno). Like Julia Roberts in My Best Friend’s Wedding, their respective man-hunting actions are initially off putting and awkward. Playing the villain instead of the heroine, they are the “morally corrupt” leading protagonists. Unlike Roberts however, Theron does not really polish up and redeem herself in the third act, which is both unconventional and somewhat refreshing.

Diablo Cody continues to delve deeper into characters, unashamedly revealing their darkness. Perhaps this will shock fans of the quirky and comparatively light-hearted Juno, which put Cody on the map. Cody’s Showtime television dramedy United States of Tara also displayed a tendency towards the darkness, with Young Adult taking the express line towards depression and inner disintegration.

With recent successes with Up in the Air, Jason Reitman lacks a certain slickness that comes with her former films. The most notable absence from the film is a lack of score. Understandably, this exclusion seems intentional to highlight that little that Mavis has going on in her life. Rolfe Kent of Dexter theme and Election, provides quirky moments that are unfortunately few and far between.

Young Adult is a dramedy with perhaps a stronger sense of drama than comedy, despite Theron’s Comedy or Musical nomination at the Golden Globes. The film is not a redeeming story of a wayward girl, and nor does it have the classic overcoming of personal odds climatic scene. It is a story of someone much more real than the typical Hollywood protagonists we are so used to seeing.

Young Adult opened theatrically on January 19 through Paramount Pictures.

3.5 blergs

No release date is set for the US yet, so Australia will be a tad far away. The film is being released through Sony Pictures Classics and Film Blerg cannot wait to see it!

On a prediction basis, Film Blerg didn’t do too bad this year, with an accuracy rate of 82%. Wasn’t it surprising to see Rooney Mara snatch a nom! Yikes! And a tad surprising to see Melissa McCarthy score a nom too. Less surprising was The Descendants and The Artist cementing its place in Oscar history.

Now the wait is on until the ceremony on February 26th at the Kodak Theatre.

The nominees are:

BEST PICTURE

• The Artist
• The Descendants
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
• The Help
• Hugo
• Midnight in Paris
• Moneyball
• The Tree of Life
• Warhorse

BEST DIRECTOR

• Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
• Alexander Payne, The Descendants
• Martin Scorsese, Hugo
• Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
• Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
• Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
• J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
• Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
• Asghar Farhadi, A Separation

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, The Descendants
• John Logan, Hugo
• George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimom, The Ides of March
• Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zallian, Stan Chervin, Moneyball
• Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

BEST ACTRESS

• Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis, The Help
• Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
• Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

BEST ACTOR

• Damian Bechir, A Better Life
• George Clooney, The Descendants
• Jean Dujardin, The Artist
• Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• Brad Pitt, Moneyball

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Berenice Bejo, The Artist
• Jessica Chastain, The Help
• Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
• Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
• Octavia Spencer, The Help

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
• Jonah Hill, Moneyball
• Nick Nolte, Warrior
• Christopher Plummer, Beginners
• Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

BEST FOREIGN FILM

• Bullhead – Belgium
• Footnote – Israel
• In Darkness – Poland
• Monsieur Lazhar – Canada
• A Separation – Iran

BEST ANIMATED FILM

• A Cat in Paris
• Choco and Rita
• Kung Fu Panda 2
• Puss in Boots
• Rango

BEST ART DIRECTION

• The Artist
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
• Hugo
• Midnight in Paris
• Warhorse

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

• The Artist
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• The Tree of Life
• War Horse

BEST SOUND MIXING

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• Moneyball
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon
• War Horse

BEST SOUND EDITING

• Drive
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon
• War Horse

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

• John Williams, The Adventures of Tintin
• Ludovic Bource, The Artist
• Howard Shore, Hugo
• Alberto Iglesias, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• John Williams, War Horse

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

• “Man or Muppet”, The Muppets
• “Real in Rio”, Rio

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

• Anonymous
• The Artist
• Hugo
• Jane Eyre
• W.E.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

• Hell and Back Again
• If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
• Paradise Lost 3: Puragory
• Pina
• Undefeated

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

• The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
• God is the Bigger Elvis
• Incident in New Baghdad
• Saving Face
• The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

BEST FILM EDITING

• The Artist
• The Descendants
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
• Hugo
• Moneyball

BEST MAKEUP

• Albert Nobbs
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
• The Iron Lady

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

• Dimanche/Sunday
• The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
• La Luna
• A Morning Stroll
• Wild Life

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

• Pentecost
• Raju
• The Shore
• Time Freak
• Tuba Atlantic

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
• Hugo
• Real Steel
• Rise of the Planet of the Apes
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon

At approximately 12.30am AEST tomorrow (aka Wednesday 25th Jan), the nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards will be announced in Los Angeles.

This season, Film Blerg has not bought into too much Oscar focus. However, predictions will be made for this year’s nominees. It’s always fun predicting the nominees rather than the winners, and in past years 88% of predictions made were correct come announcement time. So here are the predicted nominees of the main categories, based on

• a) precusor attention from critics and guilds alike;
• b) expert opinions from dedicated Oscar followers; and
• c) the “expert” opinion of Mr. Madden himself.

BEST PICTURE

• The Artist
• Bridesmaids
• The Descendants
• Drive
• The Help
• Hugo
• Midnight in Paris
• Moneyball
• The Tree of Life
• Warhorse

It’s quite likely that only 6 or 7 films may be nominated due to Academy rule changes.

BEST DIRECTOR

• Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life
• Martin Scorsese, Hugo
• Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
• Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
• Alexander Payne, The Descendants

Alternate: David Fincher, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
• Asghar Farhadi, A Separation
• Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
• Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
• Will Reiser, 50/50

Alternate: Mike Mills, Beginners

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, The Descendants
• John Logan, Hugo
• Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
• Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zallian, Moneyball
• Tate Taylor, The Help

Alternate: Steven Zallian, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

BEST ACTRESS

• Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
• Viola Davis, The Help
• Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
• Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
• Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn

Alternate: Charlize Theron, Young Adult

BEST ACTOR

• George Clooney, The Descendants
• Jean Dujardin, The Artist
• Michael Fassbender, Shame
• Brad Pitt, Moneyball
• Michael Shannon, Take Shelter

Alternate: Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Berenice Bejo, The Artist
• Jessica Chastain, The Help
• Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
• Octavia Spencer, The Help
• Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

Alternate: Carey Mulligan, Shame

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

• Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
• Albert Brooks, Drive
• Jonah Hill, Moneyball
• Nick Nolte, Warrior
• Christopher Plummer, Beginners

Alternate: Corey Stoll, Midnight in Paris

The 2012 Festival includes the following selections:

A HAPPY EVENT (Un heureux événement)
Director: Rémi Bezançon  (Cast: Louise Bourgoin, Pio Marmaï & Josiane Balasko)
This stylish, contemporary drama with a comedic tone, takes an intimate look at a woman’s most joyful, painful, terrifying and life-changing experience: first-time motherhood.

ALL OUR DESIRES (Toutes nos envies)
Director:  Philippe Lioret  (Cast: Vincent Lindon & Marie Gillain)
Claire, a 30-year-old judge at Lyon magistrates’ court, becomes locked in a fight for justice, on behalf of citizens impacted by the unscrupulous practices of the financial services industry. Her plight piques the interest of disenchanted colleague Stéphane, who becomes drawn into the case. Something emerges between them: a mixture of rebellion, outrage, and above all an urgent need to live life to the fullest.

AND IF WE ALL LIVED TOGETHER (Et si on vivait tous ensemble)
Director:  Stéphane Robelin  (Cast: Guy Bedos, Daniel Brühl, Geraldine Chaplin & Jane Fonda)
Annie, Jean, Claude, and Jeanne have been friends for more than 40 years. So when the possibility of being consigned to an old-age home rears its ugly head, they rebel and decide to cohabit.

BELOVED (Les bien-aimés)
Director:  Christophe Honoré  (Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Chiara Mastroianni & Ludivine Sagnier)
Starring Catherine Deneuve and her real-life daughter Chiara Mastroianni, this sly and exquisitely romantic musical-drama spans four decades as it follows a mother and daughter’s twin misadventures in love.

POINT BLANK (A bout portant)
Director: Fred Cayavé  (Cast: Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Gérard Lanvin & Elena Anaya)
In this classic wrong-man scenario, an innocent nurse-in-training whose career is on the rise, finds himself entangled in a web of violent chaos when his wife is kidnapped, before his very eyes, from their apartment one evening.

PRESUMED GUILTY (Présumé coupable)
Director:  Vincent Garenq  (Cast: Philippe Torreton, Noémie Lvosky & Wladimir Yordanoff)
This chillingly raw account of one of France’s most famous miscarriages of justice, tells the true story of Alain Marécaux, an average family man from a small village in the north of France who, along with 17 other people, was wrongly accused and jailed for paedophilia in 2001.

OMAR KILLED ME (Omar m’a tuer)
Director:  Roschdy Zem  (Cast: Sami Bouajila, Denis Podalydès & Maurice Bénichou)
Based on a true story, this compelling drama revists a famous murder case in which a poorly educated Moroccan immigrant was imprisoned for a crime that he may not have committed.

ROMANTICS ANONYMOUS (Les émotifs anonymes)
Director: Jean-Pierre Améris  (Cast: Benoît Poelvoorde & Isabelle Carré)
Two shy chocolate makers find the perfect recipe for love in this moving comedy.

THE ART OF LOVE (L’art d’aimer)
Director: Emmanuel Mouret  (Cast: Emmanuel Mouret, Pascale Arbillot, Ariane Ascaride, François Cluzet, Julie Depardieu & Gaspard Ulliel)
In this charming comedy, we follow the romantic and sexual misadventures of four Parisian couples.

THE CONQUEST (La conquête)
Director: Xavier Durringer  (Cast: Denis Podalydès, Florence Pernel & Bernard Le Coq)
This part fictional, part factual biopic gives an account of the rise of President Nicolas Sarkozy to power. The film opens on the night of Mr Sarkozy’s election victory, 6 May 2007.

THE WELL-DIGGER’S DAUGHTER (La fille du puisatier)
Director: Daniel Auteuil  (Cast: Daniel Auteuil, Kad Merad, & Jean-Pierre Darroussin)
At the onset of WWII, a young and beautiful country girl has a chance encounter with a seductive and handsome pilot from a bourgeois family that leads to a fleeting romance and future heartbreak.

The ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL screens nationally in:

• SYDNEY: 6 – 25 March– Palace Verona, Palace Norton Street, Chauvel Cinema & Hayden Orpheum Cremorne
• MELBOURNE: 7 – 25 March– Palace Cinema Como, Palace Balwyn, Palace Westgarth, Palace Brighton Bay & Kino Cinemas
• BRISBANE: 14 March – 1 April– Palace Centro & Palace Barracks Cinema
• CANBERRA: 14 March – 1 April – Greater Union Manuka & Arc Cinema, National Film & Sound Archive
• ADELAIDE: 20 March – 8 April– Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas
• PERTH: 21 March – 9 April– Cinema Paradiso, Luna on SX & Windsor Cinema

For more details, head over to: http://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org/default.aspx

After spending a drunken night together, Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Chris New) notice that an initial flirtation leads to something more substantial. The only problem sees that Glen is departing indefinitely to America in a couple of days. Deciding to forgo most of their scheduled commitments, the two spend the remaining time together and their relationship rapidly develops. Their difference in personal lifestyle choices create necessary narrative conflict, but also seems irrelevant as the relationship is working at its own accelerated speed.

Establishing the strong chemistry between the two main characters is extremely difficult and one not without challenges. Both risky and ambitious in his aspirations, Haigh manages to create a connection of sorts, but does not pull it off flawlessly. There is an awkwardness and tension between the two which works in some moments but not consistently so. While it is hard to believe that such an unstoppable force exists between the two relative strangers, both actors work well with what they are given. Particular credit should be given to relative newcomer Tom Cullen who gives an impressive and effective performance as Russell.

Sex scenes compliment the bold and uncompromising dialogue as well as exhibiting a particular tenderness at the same time. Much of Weekend is explicit in its dialogue, which is interestingly contradicted alongside the silence and stillness of its storytelling. A lack of sound often envelops the film, leaving the two leading men as the primary source of attention.

Themes of sexuality and public perceptions feature as part of Weekend’s storytelling, but do not dominate it, thankfully leaving the strong bond as the main focus. Discussions surrounding publicly gay versus closeted see an awkward moment in the film’s storytelling, and an awkward moment in the developing relationship, which is of course overshadowed by the overwhelming love story. Connections and how we go about avoiding and confronting our reticence toward them are where Weekend‘s strengths lie. Seemingly located in a gay sphere, Weekend is not necessarily specific to gay audiences, although it is imaginable that it may be slated as so. Occupying the personal, Weekend is emotionally deep and moving despite not reaching its desired heights.

Weekend opens in Australia on January 26 through Rialto Distribution.

3 blergs

This may sound rather dramatic and even polemic, but Australian films just are not what they used to be. Despite this criticism, A Few Best Men is a fine, playful film. Caught in a recent string of big budget pre-wedding films with the likes of Bridesmaids and The Hangover, Australia seems to offer its own version.

David (Xavier Samuel) meets Mia (Laura Brent) while on holiday on a tropical island. They quickly decide to marry and David flies down from England with his three best mates (Kris Marshall, Kevin Bishop and Tim Draxl). Mayhem naturally ensues as the three best mates are bumbling imbeciles and Mia’s father is a politician.

Dean Craig, screenwriter of Death at a Funeral, sees the usual set of uncouth and inappropriate narrative conflicts that allow the protagonist and his sidekicks into crass and crude situations. Stephan Elliott, director of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, also follows the standard, generic codes with ample aptitude.

Xavier Samuel is affable but rather bland, cast as the tolerable straight man. The female cast lacks in discernable character too, with another one dimensional sassy weirdo character for Rebel Wilson to play and a bride character that has nothing interesting to say or do, but to be a vision of David’s desires. The three groomsmen get the best/only laughs, with the standout being Tim Draxl.

The usually squeaky clean Olivia Newton-John appears as Mia’s mother in a partial Grease “final-scene-drastic-character-change” recreation. This time the catalyst for change is not buoyant adolescent friskyness but a chemical addiction. Unlike Grease however, the results while initially comical, soon get old.

Despite being no revelation in its comedy, performances or storytelling, the film is enjoyable for what its worth. The beautiful Blue Mountains of New South Wales give perhaps the best performance in the film, existing as images akin to tourism material found in Oprah’s down under tour.

A Few Best Men opens theatrically on January 26, 2012 through Icon Films.

3 blergs

As the Golden Globes momentum dies down, the nominees for the 2012 Orange British Academy Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) are announced. The film nominees are:

Best Film

• THE ARTIST – Thomas Langmann
• THE DESCENDANTS – Jim Burke, Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor
• DRIVE – Marc Platt, Adam Siegel
• THE HELP – Brunson Green, Chris Columbus, Michael Barnathan
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robyn Slovo

Outstanding British Film

• MY WEEK WITH MARILYN
• SENNA
• SHAME
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
• WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer

• ATTACK THE BLOCK – Joe Cornish (Director/Writer)
• BLACK POND – Will Sharpe (Director/Writer), Tom Kingsley (Director), Sarah Brocklehurst (Producer)
• CORIOLANUS – Ralph Fiennes (Director)
• SUBMARINE – Richard Ayoade (Director/Writer)
• TYRANNOSAUR – Paddy Considine (Director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (Producer)

Director

• THE ARTIST – Michel Hazanavicius
• DRIVE – Nicolas – Winding Refn
• HUGO – Martin Scorsese
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Tomas Alfredson
• WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN – Lynne Ramsay

Documentary

• GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD – Martin Scorsese
• PROJECT NIM – James Marsh, Simon Chinn
• SENNA – Asif Kapadia

Original screenplay

• THE ARTIST – Michel Hazanavicius
• BRIDESMAIDS – Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
• THE GUARD – John Michael McDonagh
• THE IRON LADY – Abi Morgan
• MIDNIGHT IN PARIS – Woody Allen

Adapted screenplay

• THE DESCENDANTS – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
• THE HELP – Tate Taylor
• THE IDES OF MARCH – George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
• MONEYBALL – Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan

Film not in the English language

• INCENDIES – Denis Villeneuve, Luc Déry, Kim McGraw
• PINA – Wim Wenders, Gian-Piero Ringel
• POTICHE – François Ozon, Eric Altmayer, Nicolas Altmayer
• A SEPARATION – Asghar Farhadi
• THE SKIN I LIVE IN – Pedro Almodóvar, Agustin Almodóvar

Animated Film

• THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN – Steven Spielberg
• ARTHUR CHRISTMAS – Sarah Smith
• RANGO – Gore Verbinski

Leading Actor

• BRAD PITT – Moneyball
• GARY OLDMAN – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
• GEORGE CLOONEY – The Descendants
• JEAN DUJARDIN – The Artist
• MICHAEL FASSBENDER – Shame

Leading Actress

• BÉRÉNICE BEJO The Artist – Film
• MERYL STREEP – The Iron Lady
• MICHELLE WILLIAMS – My Week with Marilyn
• TILDA SWINTON – We Need to Talk About Kevin
• VIOLA DAVIS – The Help

Supporting actor

• CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER – Beginners
• JIM BROADBENT – The Iron Lady
• JONAH HILL – Moneyball
• KENNETH BRANAGH – My Week with Marilyn
• PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – The Ides of March

Supporting actress

• CAREY MULLIGAN – Drive
• JESSICA CHASTAIN – The Help
• JUDI DENCH – My Week with Marilyn
• MELISSA MCCARTHY – Bridesmaids
• OCTAVIA SPENCER – The Help

Original music

• THE ARTIST – Ludovic Bource
• THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
• HUGO Howard – Shore
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Alberto Iglesias
• WAR HORSE – John Williams

Cinematography

• THE ARTIST – Guillaume Schiffman
• THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO – Jeff Cronenweth
• HUGO – Robert Richardson
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Hoyte van Hoytema
• WAR HORSE – Janusz Kaminsk

Editing

• THE ARTIST – Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
• DRIVE – Mat Newman
• HUGO – Thelma Schoonmaker
• SENNA – Gregers Sall, Chris King
• TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER – SPY Dino Jonsater

Production design

• THE ARTIST – Laurence Bennett, Robert Gould
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
• HUGO – Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana MacDonald
• WAR HORSE – Rick Carter, Lee Sandales

Costume Design

• THE ARTIST – Mark Bridges
• HUGO – Sandy Powell
• JANE EYRE – Michael O’Connor
• MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Jill Taylor
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – Jacqueline Durran

Sound

• THE ARTIST – Nadine Muse, Gérard Lamps, Michael Krikorian
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – James Mather, Stuart Wilson, Stuart Hilliker, Mike Dowson, Adam Scrivener
• HUGO – Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty, Tom Fleischman, John Midgley
• TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY – John Casali, Howard Bargroff, Doug Cooper, Stephen Griffiths, Andy Shelley
• WAR HORSE – Stuart Wilson, Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson, Richard Hymns

Special visual effects

• THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN: THE SECRET OF THE UNICORN – Joe Letteri
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Tim Burke, John Richardson, Greg Butler, David Vickery
• HUGO – Rob Legato, Ben Grossman, Joss Williams
• RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES – Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White
• WAR HORSE – Ben Morris, Neil Corbould

Makeup and hair

• THE ARTIST – Julie Hewett, Cydney Cornell
• HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS – PART 2 – Amanda Knight, Lisa Tomblin
• HUGO Morag – Ross, Jan Archibald
• THE IRON LADY – Marese Langan
• MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – Jenny Shircore

Short animation

• ABUELAS – Afarin Eghbal, Kasia Malipan, Francesca Gardiner
• BOBBY YEAH – Robert Morgan
• A MORNING STROLL – Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe

Short film

• CHALK – Martina Amati, Gavin Emerson, James Bolton, Ilaria Bernardini
• MWANSA THE GREAT – Rungano Nyoni, Gabriel Gauchet
• ONLY SOUND REMAINS – Arash Ashtiani, Anshu Poddar
• PITCH BLACK HEIST – John Maclean, Gerardine O’Flynn
• TWO AND TWO – Babak Anvari, Kit Fraser, Gavin Cullen

Orange Wednesday Rising Star Award

• ADAM DEACON
• CHRIS HEMSWORTH
• TOM HIDDLESTON
• CHRIS O’DOWD
• EDDIE REDMAYNE

Amidst the hustle and bustle of privilege affluence, Matt and his youngest daughter Scottie (Amara Miller) decided to pull wayward older rebel daughter Alex (Shailene Woodley) from her boarding school on the Hawaiian mainland to come home. Taking an awkward turn into the second act, Alex reveals an infidelity of comatose Liz and all hell effectively breaks loose.

Trouble seems to envelop the first act of The Descendants. In fact, everything about it is troubling: the comatose wife, the rebellious daughters, the impending land transaction, the infidelity and most importantly, the painful, over excessive expository narration. Completely unnecessary, the narration distracts and detracts. Payne has been known to use voice overs, most interestingly in Election, where three character’s thoughts use the technique to express internal thoughts. This is not the case with The Descendants, and instead uses the technique as an audio book function. This is not an audio book.

Clooney’s performance is fine, but is overshadowed by the strong performance of Shailene Woodley, of television’s Secret Life of An American Teenager fame.  Complex and multi-layered, Woodley is uncompromising in her performance. Thankfully the second act picks up a much needed momentum and has some poignant moments. Clooney’s character does redeem himself, but not enough to combat against the hurling abuse he deals to his dying wife.

The nature that infidelity takes as a theme is the troubling aspect of the film, which harps back to the source material, written by Kaui Hart Hemmings and adapted by Payne, Jim Rash and Nat Faxon. Trumping imminent death, the betrayal seems to take centre stage for the majority of the film. Perhaps it is just the form of grief that Matt is taking, but it does feel disproportionate (especially when he ushers an emotional Julie (Judy Greer) out of the hospital room.) Thankfully, death remerges as the main event and the film benefits.

Difficult and trying in both subject matter and execution, The Descendants does gain weight as it progresses and surpasses expectations.

The Descendants opened theatrically in Australia on 12 January, 2012 through 20^th Century Fox.

3.5 blergs

And the first major award ceremony has announced its winners. Some surprises: Streep over Davis, no Chastain love, and oozing amounts of HFPA love for Payne’s THE DESCENDANTS.

Here is a list of the winners.

FILM

• Picture, Drama: “The Descendants.”

• Picture, Musical or Comedy: “The Artist.”

• Actor, Drama: George Clooney, “The Descendants.”

• Actress, Drama: Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady.”

• Director: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo.”

• Actor, Musical or Comedy: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist.”

• Actress, Musical or Comedy: Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn.”

• Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners.”

• Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, “The Help.”

• Foreign Language: “A Separation.”

• Animated Film: “The Adventures of Tintin.”

• Screenplay: Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris.”

• Original Score: Ludovic Bource, “The Artist.”

• Original Song: “Masterpiece” (music and lyrics by Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry), “W.E.”

TELEVISION

• Series, Drama: “Homeland,” Showtime.

• Series, Musical or Comedy: “Modern Family,” ABC.

• Actor, Drama: Kelsey Grammer, “Boss.”

• Actress, Drama: Claire Danes, “Homeland.”

• Actress, Musical or Comedy: Laura Dern, “Enlightened.”

• Actor, Musical or Comedy: Matt LeBlanc, “Episodes.”

• Miniseries or Movie: “Downton Abbey (Masterpiece),” PBS.

• Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Kate Winslet, “Mildred Pierce.”

• Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Idris Elba, “Luther.”

• Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jessica Lange, “American Horror Story.”

• Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones.”

___

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED

Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award: Morgan Freeman.

Breakout star "Uggie" from THE ARTIST