The 2011 Knight Award Winners!

Traditionally the Knight Award Winners are announced the day before the Oscars.  Time simply got away from me this year.  But I was determined to get them posted by the following day.  To be honest, this was a tough year for me on deciding the ultimate winners.  Best Picture and Best Director gave me the most trouble, as did a couple of the acting categories.  What you will find below is as final of a decision as I can possibly make.  In a week I’ll probably have changed my mind, but for now this will do.  2011 was a very good year for movies, despite my constant groaning about the Academy’s decisions on what was “best”.  True, there were few, if any, “masterpieces”, but we can’t expect the likes of The Social Network, Inception, Black Swan and True Grit to grace the silver screen every year.  2012 is now upon us, so its time to look forward to the coming films and fondly remember the movies of old.  Without further ado, here are the 2011 Knight Award Winners.  Enjoy.

Best Visual Effects

Rise of the Planet of the Apes – WINNER

Tree of Life – Honorable Mention

Best Make-Up

Morag Ross, Anni Buchanan – Hugo – WINNER

Deborah La Mia Denaver - Super 8 – Honorable Mention

Best Sound Editing

Lon Bender, Victor Ray Ennis – Drive – WINNER

Christopher Scarabosio – Hanna – Honorable Mention

Best Sound Design

Erik Aadahl, Craig Berkey - The Tree of Life – WINNER

Gary Rydstrom - War Horse – Honorable Mention

Best Musical Score

John Williams – War Horse – WINNER

Alberto Iglesias – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Honorable Mention

Best Production Design

Maria Djurkovic, Tom Brown - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – WINNER

Dante Ferretti – Hugo – Honorable Mention

Best Costume Design

Sandy Powell – Hugo – WINNER

Jacqueline Durran – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Honorable Mention

Best Editing

Mathew Newman – Drive – WINNER

Dino Jansater - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Honorable Mention

Best Cinematography

Emmanuel Lubezki - The Tree of Life – WINNER

Hoyte Van Hoytema - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Honorable Mention

Best Original Screenplay

Andrew Haigh – Weekend – WINNER

Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris – Honorable Mention

Best Adapted Screenplay

Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – WINNER

Hossein Amini – Drive – Honorable Mention

Best Ensemble

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – WINNER

Super 8 – Honorable Mention

Best Animated, Motion Capture, Voice Over, or Mixed Media Performance

Andy Serkis – Rise of the Planet of the Apes – WINNER

Johnny Depp – Rango – Honorable Mention

Best Actress in a Limited Role

Kathy Burke – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – WINNER

Anjelica Huston – 50/50 – Honorable Mention

Best Actor in a Limited Role

Niels Arestrup – War Horse – WINNER

Philip Baker Hall – 50/50 – Honorable Mention

Best Supporting Actress

Carey Mulligan – Shame – WINNER

Jessica Chastain – The Help – Honorable Mention

Best Supporting Actor

Albert Brooks – Drive – WINNER

Brad Pitt – The Tree of Life – Honorable Mention

Best Actress

Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs – WINNER

Viola Davis – The Help – Honorable Mention

Best Actor

Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – WINNER

Michael Fassbender – Shame – Honorable Mention

Best Director

Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive – WINNER

Tomas Alfredson – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – Honorable Mention

Best Picture

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy – WINNER

Drive – Honorable Mention

 And thats all she wrote.  Until next year...

The 2011 Knight Award Nominations

By Sean Knight

Welcome to the 2011 Knight Award Nominations!  As many of you will know I have been doing this since about 2000 when I was a freshmen film student in High School.  It's a way for me to honor the films that I love in a given year and let my opinion be known to the world at large... or rather the few friends who indulge me and pretend to care about what I have to say.  A few things to note about the Awards - 1. There are six nominees per category because I like even numbers and its hard enough whittling down the nominee list as it is.  2. There are best limited performance categories for roles that are smaller than your average supporting role, essentially extended cameos.  3. I also have a best animated, voice over, motion capture, or mixed media award because contrary to the Academy's thinking this does count as real acting.  Instead of confusing matters by mixing them in with the regular acting nominees I have given them their own category.  Perhaps the Academy should consider something similar.  4.  I also don't nominate a traditional slate of  Best Pictures.  Instead I list my top 20 films of the year in Alphabetical Order.  Essentially, they are all competing for Best Picture.  The winners will be announced the day before the Oscars, so this year it will be February 25th.  Thank you for stopping by to read the nominees.  Feel free to comment, bitch, moan etc.  And now onward to the 2011 Knight Award Nominations!

Special Citations

Lifetime Achievement Award

Christopher Plummer

Breakthrough Filmmaker

Andrew Haigh - Weekend

Special Cinematic Achievement Award

Terrence Malick for The Tree of Life

Breakthrough Actor

Joel Courtney – Super 8

Breakthrough Actress

Felecity Jones – Like Crazy

Most Disappointing Film of the Year

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Most Overrated Film of the Year

Moneyball

Most Underrated Film of the Year

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Worst Film of the Year

The Green Lantern

Most Mediocre Film of the Year

Carnage

Worst Actor of the Year

Ezra Miller – We Need to Talk About Kevin

Worst Actress of the Year

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley – Transformers Dark of the Moon

Top 20 Films of the Year in Alphabetical Order

50/50

The Adventures of Tintin

The Artist

Attack the Block

Contagion

Drive

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hanna

Hugo

Martha Marcy May Marlene

Midnight in Paris

Rango

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Shame

Super 8

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

The Tree of Life

War Horse

Weekend

Win Win

2011 Knight Award Nominations

Best Director

Tomas Alfredson – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris

Steve McQueen – Shame

Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive

Martin Scorsese – Hugo

Steven Spielberg – War Horse

Best Actor

Tom Cullen – Weekend

Michael Fassbender – Shame

Paul Giamati – Win Win

Ryan Gosling – Drive

Joseph Gordon Levitt – 50/50

Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Actress

Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis – The Help

Roony Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Elizabeth Olson – Martha Marcy May Marlene

Soarise Ronan - Hanna

Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn

Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn

Albert Brooks – Drive

Benedict Cumberbatch – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Ben Kingsley – Hugo

Chris New – Weekend

Brad Pitt – The Tree of Life

Best Supporting Actress

Jessica Chastain – The Help

Elle Fanning – Super 8

Anna Kendrick – 50/50

Janet McTier – Albert Nobbs

Carey Mulligan - Shame

Shailene Woodley – The Descendants

Best Actor in a Limited Role

Niels Arestrup – War Horse

Adrian Brody – Midnight in Paris

Robert Forster – The Descendants

Philip Baker Hall – 50/50

John Hurt – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Alan Rickman – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Best Actress in a Limited Role

Nicole Beharie – Shame

Kathy Burke – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Judy Dench – My Week with Marilyn

Judy Greer – The Descendants

Anjelica Huston – 50/50

Emily Watson – War Horse

Best Animated, Motion Capture, Voice Over, or Mixed Media Performance

Ned Beatty – Rango

Daniel Craig – The Adventures of Tintin

Johnny Depp – Rango

Peter Linz – The Muppets

Andy Serkis – The Adventures of Tintin

Andy Serkis – Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Best Ensemble

Attack the Block

Contagion

The Ides of March

Midnight in Paris

Super 8

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Adapted Screenplay

Hossein Amini - Drive

Steven Zaillian - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon - The Ides of March

Moira Buffini - Jane Eyre

Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin - Moneyball

Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Original Screenplay

Will Reiser - 50/50

Joe Cornish - Attack the Block

Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris

John Logan - Rango

Abi Morgan, Steve McQueen - Shame

Andrew Haigh - Weekend

Best Cinematography

Newton Thomas Sigel - Drive

Robert Richardson - Hugo

Adriano Goldman - Jane Eyre

Emmanuel Lubezki - The Tree of Life

Hoyte Van Hoytema - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Janusz Kaminski - War Horse

Best Editing

Michael Kahn - The Adventures of Tintin

Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

Mathew Newman - Drive

Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Stephen Mirrione - The Ides of March

Dino Jansater - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Costume Design

Mark Bridges - The Artist

Anna B. Sheppard - Captain America: The First Avenger

Sandy Powell - Hugo

Sonia Grande - Midnight in Paris

Jill Taylor - My Week with Marilyn

Jacqueline Durran - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Production Design

Andrew L Jones, Jeff Wisniewski - The Adventures of Tintin

Rick Heinrichs - Captain America: The First Avenger

Dante Ferretti - Hugo

Mark McCreery, John Bell - Rango

Maria Djurkovic, Tom Brown - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Jack Fisk, David Crank - The Tree of Life

Best Musical Score

The Chemical Brothers - Hanna

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hans Zimmer - Rango

Michael Giacchino - Super 8

Alberto Iglesias - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

John Williams - War Horse

Best Sound Design

Dave Whitehead - The Adventures of Tintin

Ren Klyce - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Chuck Michael - Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Peter J. Devlin - Transformers Dark of the Moon

Erik Aadahl, Craig Berkey - The Tree of Life

Gary Rydstrom - War Horse

Best Sound Editing

Lon Bender, Victor Ray Ennis - Drive

Ren Klyce - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Christopher Scarabosio - Hanna

Philip Stockton, Eugene Gearty - Hugo

Addison Teague - Rango

Ben Burtt - Super 8

Best Make-Up

Clarisse Domine, Zoey Hay - The Artist

Lisa Westcott - Captain America

Mark Coulier, Nick Dudman, - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Morag Ross, Anni Buchanan - Hugo

Daniel Phillips - Jane Eyre

Deborah La Mia Denaver - Super 8

Best Visual Effects

The Adventures of Tintin

Hugo

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Super 8

Transformers Dark of the Moon

The Tree of Life

Stop back on February 25th for the announcement of the 2011 Knight Award Winners!

The Could've Been Contenders 2011

By Sean Knight

Another year another Oscar season is upon us. Another year another Knight Awards.  Many have claimed that 2011 has been a weak year for film, but I have to disagree.  Perhaps the Oscar baiting studio fair was disappointing, but some of the bigger budget Hollywood projects, smaller personal films, and gritty indies pushed through to provide some great moments at the cinema this year.  The variety of projects that touched me, in one way or another, in 2011 was rather striking.  It began way back in April with Duncan Jones’s unique sci-fi tale Source Code, and pushed all the way through till December with Steven Spielberg’s unabashedly sentimental and gorgeously old fashioned War Horse.  In fact, there were so many films that I really liked in 2011 that it was rather difficult to limit my top films of the year to twenty.  I easily could have gone up to thirty, possibly even forty.  My Knight Award nominations will be announced in a few hours, but I wanted to take the opportunity to throw a shout out to a few films and performances that I just didn’t have room for in my top twenty or top awards.  These are the almost could’ve been contenders and you should seek them out if you haven’t seen them.

Source Code

Dir. Duncan Jones

A couple years ago Duncan Jones burst onto the scene with the tense character driven science fiction low budget indie, Moon.  It signaled the arrival of a major new talent and he even managed to snag my breakthrough filmmaker of year Knight Award.  His follow up project, Source Code, arrived in April of 2011.  Source Code is a big budget science fiction thriller about a man who is sent back in time to relive eight minutes aboard a explosion bound commuter train over and over again until he can find the bomber.  It’s logic is completely wonky, and it’s ending may leave something to be desired, but the picture shows a wild amount of creativity and skill from director Jones.  It also boasts some solid performances from the usually wooden Jake Gyllenhaal, the subtly sexy Michelle Monaghan, and from musical theater star Michael Arden.  The film never did catch on at the box office, but this high concept thriller had bigger cojones than 99% of the Hollywood output in the early part of the year.  I hope Jones is able to move on to bigger and better things.  Hollywood is in need of a unique and risk taking talent such as his.

Beginners

Dir. Mike Mills

Beginners is a deeply personal film for Director Mike Mills who based much of the story off of his own life.  Beginners follows the story of a young man struggling to come to terms with his fathers coming out of the closet and recent death as he meets and falls in love with a young actress.  Ewan McGregor plays the young protagonist and Melanie Laurent plays the young actress and they are sweet and affectionately portrayed by the pair.  But the film belongs to Christopher Plummer who plays the recently out and deceased father.  Plummer has never been more genuine and sympathetic as he is here. And watching a man in his 80’s discover his true self for the first time is a joyous experience.  Plummer is the frontrunner to win the Oscar for Supporting Actor next month and for very good reason.  He doesn’t fall into stereotype or cliché, but instead works hard to make us understand how a man could live with a lie for so long.   It’s a liberating performance.  He barely missed making it into my supporting actor nominations as this was a very good year and competition was stiff.  A Part of me wishes that I could still plug him in, but that would come at the expense of several other good actors. 

Jane Eyre

Dir. Cary Fukunaga

This latest adaptation of the literary classic Jane Eyre plays up the gothic elements of the story.  It is gorgeously shot and carefully crafted in all areas.  The performances from Michael Fassbender and Mia Wasikowska are fiery and downright sexy, with the latter just missing for my best actress nominations.  The films pacing is it’s weakness with a somewhat meandering sensibility, but the story remains fascinating.  By playing up the darker elements, director Fukunaga elevates the material to new realms never before explored in previous adaptations.  A worthy effort and in a weaker year it might very well be a front-runner for many an award.

The Ides of March

Dir. George Clooney

It’s almost a little unfair listing this as an almost contender considering how many nominations this film did end up getting from me.  The Ides of March is impeccable filmmaking from start to finish with sharp writing, great performances, and meticulous direction.  The problem with Ides of March is that it has nothing new to say about the political system and it’s twist ending is almost unbelievable in the context of who the candidate is supposed to be based off of.  Clooney wanted to show the dirty side of politics and the dangers of idealism, and he does so winningly, but in the end I was left thinking – so what?  Still, it’s a film that deserves to be seen and many of its performances were on the bubble of a nomination from me.  Who knows, maybe it could surprise with a couple major Oscar nominations come tomorrow morning?

Warrior

Dir. Gavin O’Connor

I’m not a sports guy and I have little interest in boxing or mixed martial arts, but that isn’t to say that great movies can’t be made about them.  Warrior is on the cusp of being a great film. It certainly is great entertainment.  The story focuses on two brothers who are competing for SPARTA and their alcoholic trainer father who wants to reunite with them.  The plot is a bit contrived and doesn’t offer anything new to the table, but it’s got a lot of heart and it’s characters are real flesh and blood people that you come to care about a great deal.  Tom Hardy continues his rise as one of the great young up and coming actors as the more introverted and damaged of the two brothers.  But, it is Nick Nolte who truly shines here as the alcoholic father trying to win back his two boys.  It’s a heartbreaking performance that hits very close to Nolte’s own personal life and he slips into the character with great ease.  There is never a false moment from him.  The film is directed with a lot of skill and it is the kind of rousing entertainment that simply makes you feel good when you leave the theater.  In many ways Warrior was a great palette cleanser after last years uneven, clichéd, and downright ugly sports awards movie juggernaut The Fighter.

The Beaver

Dir. Jodie Foster

Foster’s film was met with open hostility for both its outlandish concept and for the fact that it starred the now much hated Mel Gibson.  It’s a shame really, because while The Beaver is a bit silly in its execution it features a unique script and a truly outstanding performance from Gibson.  It’s the kind of performance that if it weren’t for all the trouble surrounding his personal life, we would be looking at a bona fide Oscar contender.  I have long said that people need to separate the art from the person, but it is understandably difficult to do when someone’s personal life is so troubled and, often times, downright disgusting.  But, it is precisely because of Gibson’s troubles that he is able to look deep into his soul and pull out such a nuanced and unsettling performance.  Gibson’s slip into madness through the use of a Beaver puppet is both hilarious and frightening, but, most importantly, believable in its every turn.  The rest of the film may not have the polish of his performance, but he is worth the price of a rental alone. 

And that is that.  Tomorrow morning brings about the announcement of the Oscar Nominations.  I will be up bright and early eagerly awaiting a surprise or two.  Will You?  Stay tuned later in the day for the announcement of the 2011 Knight Award Nominations.

The Steven Spielberg Retrospective Part 3: The 1990's - Jurassic Park (1993)

Jurassic Park

Release Date: June 11, 1993

Runtime: 127 Mins

Winner of all three Academy Awards for which it was nominated including Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects

Read our thoughts after the jump...

Review: We Need to Talk about Kevin

By Sean Knight
1 and a half out of 4 stars *1/2

            Director Lynne Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin is a grim and ugly piece of work.  It’s a film with a botched understanding of the human psyche.  It is so one sided and relentless in its depiction of a troubled child (i.e. sociopath), that it leaves the audience feeling exhausted and nauseous.  It uses blatantly obvious visual metaphors to get its points across and has no room for nuance or subtlety.  We Need to Talk About Kevin is a sensationalistic and exploitive picture with no soul.  It is one of the most disappointing films of the year.

            Tilda Swinton stars as Eva Khatchadourian, the mother of a trouble child, named Kevin, who will grow up to do unspeakable things.  Much of the picture involves her interactions with her disturbed son and her growing paranoia that he may be evil.  If this sounds like the plot of a satanic horror film to you than you’re not far off.  We Need to Talk about Kevin has more in common with The Omen than it does with a domestic drama.  Swinton does give a fully realized performance as Eva, and her work should be commended as she gives depth to a character who isn’t much more likeable than her devilish son.  She has moments of despair that are palpable.  The problem is that everyone around her thinks that she is crazy for thinking that there is something wrong with her darling boy.  But, from the first glance at this kid anyone can see that he has gone off the deep end.  And that is the major problem of the film – Ramsay doesn’t see any need to explore Kevin’s psyche or show any side to him other than that he is disturbed.  It’s too easy to show Kevin as a monster.  What would have been far more compelling would have been to see the different shades of Kevin.  Even monsters have feelings and moments of clarity.  But Ramsay doesn’t have time for that sort of nonsense.  She wants us to know just how horrible Kevin is right from the start.

            The visual metaphors start right at the beginning and are bashed over our head again and again right to the very end.  Eva’s house is damaged by someone throwing a large bucket of red paint on it.  She spends much of the film trying to clean it up while having flashbacks.  We see shots over and over again of the red paint on her hands obviously symbolizing her washing away the blood of the victims of her son. There is also a ham-fisted sequence in which Eva drives home on Halloween and sees children dressed as monster parading throughout the streets.  This, of course, torments her because her son is the real monster!  The obvious symbolism is tedious and childish.  Ramsay doesn’t have the ability to trust her subject matter or her actors to convey the proper emotions.

It should be mentioned that John C. Reilly has a supporting role as Eva’s husband who is completely clueless about his son.  He spends much of the picture trying to convince Eva that she is crazy.  There is no love between them and as such there relationship is null and void.  It’s a waste of screen time.  Ezra Miller does the best he can with the adult Kevin, but his constant sneering grows tiresome within the first few minutes.  There is a coda at the end meant to bring us some kind of closure with the violent events that have unfolded, but it comes off as cold and hallow.  We Need to Talk about Kevin exhausted me with it banality and trivial treatment of a serious issue.  A huge disappointment. 

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Directed by Lynne Ramsay

Release Date: December 9, 2011

Runtime: 112 Mins

Review: Shame

By Sean Knight
4 out of 4 Stars ****

Director Steven McQueen’s Shame is a deeply unsettling work.  Its tale of sexual addiction has shades of Requiem for a Dream, but it is far less manic.  There is an overriding sense of ambiguity to the picture that will be maddening for some and provocative for others.  It features a fearless raw lead performance from Michael Fassbender, as Brandon, and a fraught emotionally naked supporting turn from Carey Mulligan as his sister, Sissy.  Shame exposes a sickness that many would like to ignore with a frank, methodical, and bleak sensibility.  McQueen dazzles technically while using his techniques to draw the audience into a sexual character study rarely depicted on film.  As such, Shame wears it’s rating of NC-17 as a badge of honor and does not shy away from its provocative subject matter.  It is one of the best films of the year.

Shame doesn’t have much in the way of a typical plot.  Instead, it is a slow burn of two desperate and damaged souls slipping into utter despair.  The film starts by following Brandon through his daily routine of masturbation, picking up women on subways, sleeping with prostitutes, and loads of Internet porn.  This is Brandon’s world, which is turned upside down when his lounge singer sister shows up on his doorstep asking for a place to stay.  It seems she is on her way out of some kind of relationship, which is not explained.  Her relationship with her brother borders on incestuous and it is implied that there was some sort of abuse during their childhood.  Sissy loves Brandon and is looking for a soul to take care of so she can heal her own.  Brandon doesn’t have time to save Sissy and this struggle between them is at the heart of Shame. 

The New York backdrop becomes integral into the thematic structure of the film, as both Brandon and Sissy are not native New Yorkers.  They have come to New York to escape their past.  Many people come to New York chasing their dreams and with the thought of changing their lives.  Shame makes the argument that location cannot help damaged people.  In the case of Brandon, it actually makes his addiction worse, as New York is filled with opportunities for casual and, sometimes, dangerous sex.  There is a striking scene early in the film where Brandon and his boss go to see Sissie sing at a club.  The camera lingers in close-ups of both Sissy and Brandon as she sings “New York, New York” and has a semi inner breakdown. .  If you can make it there, than you can make it anywhere, so the song says. It becomes a poignant statement of lost souls desperately clinging to their last ounce of humanity in a city that has consumed them.

Though Shame is uncompromising in it’s vision of human sexuality and addiction, it is never gratuitous.  Yes, there is plenty of nudity to be found throughout the film, but the camera often keeps its distance offering the viewpoint of an outside observer.  It is not until late in the picture that camera gets in close to the sex and offers a graphic depiction of the torment Brandon is feeling during it.  This sex montage is essential into understanding Brandon and sympathizing with a character that is distant and border-line unlikable for much of the film’s running time.  The full frame close-up of Brandon’s face during orgasm is filled with hate, pain and despair.  It’s an astonishing feat of acting and one of the most difficult scenes in the film.

         Shame does not spell out its intentions for its audience and it offers far many more questions than answers.  You may never get to know Brandon and Sissie fully as human beings, but you do come to understand their torment.  Shame is a difficult sit and it will be a polarizing film for many.  For me, its ambiguity was an asset and its relentless bleakness was as disturbing as it was compelling.  Fassbender and Mulligan should be commended for giving such brave and dedicated performances.  And, with Shame, director Steve McQueen should be elevated into the category of filmmaker whose future projects should be awaited with great anticipation.  I applaud Fox Searchlight for sticking by McQueen and releasing Shame with the NC-17 rating.  It is time that we stop ghettoizing and compromising films and artists that push boundaries and challenge their audience.  Perhaps the release of the brilliant and haunting Shame will be a major step forward in accomplishing this.


Shame
Directed By Steven McQueen
Release Date: December 2, 2011
Runtime: 101 Mins

Review: Weekend

By Sean Knight
4 out of 4 stars ****

         Gay cinema is often times trashy and far too campy for my tastes.  They consist mostly of comedies and spoofs, or angsty gay teen populated sex films.  Yes, there are the Brokeback Mountains, Milks, and A Single Mans of the cinema world, but they are few and far between and have significant amounts of money poured into them from auteur artists.  It is very seldom that a gay themed indie film can truly break out and offer some insights into the lives of real gay people. Weekend is such a film, and it is a truly staggering achievement.  It’s the kind of film that anyone could have made, but no one had.  It took sophomore film director and screenwriter Andrew Haigh, stage actors Tom Cullen and Chris New, and a shoestring budget of about $120,000 dollars to make a simple, honest, and devastating look at modern gay life.  Weekend succeeds because of its sharp screenplay, no nonsense directing, and it’s affectionate portrayal of two young men trying to find their way in the world.

The plot of Weekend is fairly straightforward.  Russell (Tom Cullen) picks up Glen (Chris New) at a gay bar one night after a party and what looks to be a one-night stand ends up turning into much more. The scenario is not what’s important here, but rather it is the truths that are discovered along the way.  Weekend brings up various issues such as the hardships of coming out, people’s hidden fears of all things gay (especially sex), and simply trying to figure out who it is you are supposed to be in this world.  All of this is done through beautifully written dialogue that is not self important or preachy.  Cullen and New have such a natural chemistry on screen together that all of their conversations feel organic and very much in the moment.  What’s so wonderful about the film is that is so accurately portrays two people discovering each other and potentially falling in love in a short amount of time.  The film's title comes from the fact that Glen is moving away and all he and Russell will share together is this one weekend.  There is a wonderful moment in the film, which perfectly describes the events unfolding before us, when Glen states that the best part of meeting someone for the first time is that they are a blank canvas and you can project who you want to be on them.  That is essentially what Weekend is from the beginning and by the end it’s a rich landscape of emotional truths.

Something that took me by surprise with Weekend is that it is very frank about sex and is not afraid to depict gay sex on screen.  This may seem rather minor, but if you think back to many gay sex scenes in even the most acclaimed films they are rather shy about it all.  Weekend depicts what really happens when two men have sex, but it is never in a pornographic way.  It really isn’t anymore graphic than what you might see in a regular Hollywood film with two heterosexuals.  But it reminded me how reserved most gay films have to be when confronting their own subjects. Not here.  Something else that took me by surprise was the films blatant and abundant use of alcohol and drugs.  The film isn’t passing a judgment on it's characters, but actually being honest about its use and some of its effects. Weekend comes off as a bit of a documentary in both the way it is shot and the realistic way in which is treats its ideas.

Even through it’s portrayal of the facts and hardships of gay life it would be wrong to label Weekend as a purely gay film.  There are many facts and subjects tackled within the film that are germane to human beings no matter what your sexuality.  Weekend may be many things, but it is, most importantly of all, a beautiful love story about two people coming together and discovering who they are.  The ending of the film left me awash in tears because it does not placate it’s audience or subscribes to the Hollywood fantasy ending of a romance.  You know exactly where Weekend is heading as soon as Glen tells Russell that he will be leaving, but that doesn’t make the journey traveled any less rewarding.  Weekend is one of the best films of the year and one that any lover of independent cinema should seek out.  It deserves the highest accolades and should be in serious awards contention.  Unfortunately, films like this often don’t find artistic homes and are put away on shelves in video store ghettos.  With this film we are witnessing the emergence of a new voice in cinema through Andrew Haigh.  Don’t let it go to waste. See Weekend, it will be well worth your time.

Weekend

Directed by Andrew Haigh

Release Date: September 23, 2011

Runtime: 97 mins

Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2011

By Sean Knight


Normally I write up this list to go along with my Knight Awards every year.  This year I decided to do a full blown post for the blog.  Read on after the jump to discover my top 10 most anticipated films of 2011 with commentary.

First Review of 2011: Rango

By Sean Knight

For me the start of the 2011 Film Season usually kicks off around March.  March is the earliest time that anything even remotely resembling a good movie will come out (with a few exceptions here and there - most recently Shutter Island last year) and Oscar Season is usually over by at least the end of the month.  The first film I chose to see this year was Gore Verbinski's Rango.  I must confess that the early trailers for the film did very little for me though I did recognize that at the very least it would be an interesting looking film.  I went into the theater a little hesitant because the thought that wouldn't escape my mind was - how many talking animal animated films do we really need?  And worse yet, how many of them are actually any good?  Rango itself starts out a little hesitant.  The jokes land flat, Johnny Depp seems completely out of place in his lizard body, and the pace seems very off.  After these first ten minutes though I began to realize that this was all part of the point of our hero's journey.  Rango quickly becomes an artistic triumph and loving ode to the western genre and the art of filmmaking itself.  Full Review after the jump.

It's Finally Over: A Post Oscar Reaction

By Sean Knight

The King's Speech Winners: Colin Firth, Tom Hooper

We can all breathe a sigh of relief.  It's finally fucking over.  No more campaigning, no more speeches, no more debates, no more hypothesis, and no more being stuck perpetually in the 2010 Awards Season.  The Academy had their say last night and, as predicted, it went to The King's Speech.  We all knew this was going to happen, but when the Academy started spreading the wealth last night I really thought that The Social Network had a shot, but it was not to be.  My opinion is known on this matter.  I can't change history and now The King's Speech will forever be known as the Best Picture Oscar Winner of 2010.  And that distinction is important because though it is the Oscar winner it is not my best picture.  It may not be your best picture.  It may be.  Greatness is in the eye of the beholder.  People tell me I'm a snob and I take this stuff way too seriously.  I admit I take the Oscars more seriously than any person I know.  They mean a lot to me and they always have.  The Oscars are important.  They are the shining light in a dark and continuously depressing world of filmmaking.  The Oscars celebrate the achievements of the industry and the possibilities of film can be.  The Academy nominated quite a few daring pieces of filmmaking this year.  They ultimately chose a safe familiar picture to them.  That's okay.  The Academy is never going to be what we want them to be.  In the end it's all bullshit anyway.  Awards have no worth except what we place upon them.  But I'm sure it's damn nice to get one.  Steven Spielberg put it best last night when he began naming classic films that have both won and lost the Oscar for Best Picture.  In the end he concluded "either way you are in very good company".  Some think this was a tacky and snide remark against The King's Speech.  I don't think so at all.  He was simply pointing out that in the end we all have a horse in this race and many of them go on to become classics of their genre.  Winning or losing doesn't necessarily matter.  It's all about getting there.  It was also a comment on the Awards Season as whole and how ridiculous it has become with each passing year.  He's probably right.  But I eat this shit up. I live and breathe Oscar season and for me it starts all over again today.  I begin looking ahead at the films that I am anticipating this year and begin predicting which ones may ultimately make a trip to the Oscar podium.  The movies are arguably our most majestic art form.  Cinema has the power to change lives.  It is an emotional and visceral visual experience like none other in life.  I may be a stage actor, but my passion has always been film and will always continue to be.  I may not be an active participant anymore, but I can still cheer the advancement of the medium on from the sidelines.  I could go on in this post and talk about how much I hated the telecast, what winners I thought were bullshit, what I loved etc.  But this awards season has been exhausting and ultimately what's the point?  It's over.  It's time to look ahead to the gifts that the movies will bring us this year.  Because in the end that's what its all about - The movies themselves and our love for them.  No awards voting body can ever change that.  

2010 Knight Awards Winners: The End is Nigh

Another year another Oscar Ceremony upon us.  Another year another Knight Award Winners announcement.  My enthusiasm has waned considerably in the past few weeks when it comes to the 2010 film year.  This Awards season has been exhausting in many ways, but mostly for its predictability.  I've also grown tired because my horse in this race has almost zero chance of finishing first even though it has the entire critical community behind it.  You think I would be used to this by now.  The Academy and I seldom agree with what should even be nominated let alone what should actually win.  I'm looking forward to Sunday night where I can get drunk, yell at the TV screen during the ceremony, and pass out and forget all about it the next day.  It is two months into 2011 after all and I really need to start obsessing about the films coming out this year. It will be a nice palette cleanser. I'm not even having an Oscar party this year due to rehearsal situations.  2010 will never be remembered as a great film year, but I must admit there are at least five films that had a profound effect on me that I may well never forget.  They are, in no particular order, The Social Network, Inception, Black Swan, True Grit, and Shutter Island.  Each one is an amazing vision from accomplished directors working at the top of their form.  It was worth wadding through all the trash just to get to those five beautiful pieces of work. In the next couple of days expect a reaction post to the Oscar Ceremony as well as a post on my most anticipated films of 2011.  Without further ado here are the 2010 Knight Award Winners. Read after the jump.

I'm back! Goodbye Willows

Well that was an emotional weekend.  The Wind in the Willows has closed so I can begin to put my focus back on the blog.  I'm sad that it's over though.  Doing that show was such a wonderful experience and that cast will always have a special place in my heart.  The amount of red wine drank at the closing night cast party yesterday was quite astounding and needless to say tears did flow.  This week is Golden Globes week.  I will have a few reviews to post over the coming days and Jeanette and I will have various posts about the nominees throughout the week.  And you may even be getting a video or two from us as well!  Stay tuned.  I'm glad to be back!

I miss these guys already...

Back to Work

Sean here. I'm going to be absent from the blog for a couple days because this weekend I will be doing the final four performances of The Wind in the Willows at City Lit. It's been a great run, but now it's time to move on to the next show. I'm going to be auditioning like crazy in the coming weeks. But not to worry, I've got plenty of posts coming up and next weekend is the BFCA and the Golden Globe ceremony. I'm sure Jeanette will have plenty to talk about to keep you entertained for the next few days. There is a lot to cover, so stay tuned. And as a little treat here is a clip from the 1987 Rankin and Bass animated version of The Wind in the Willows featuring the unintentionally hilarious song "Messing About in Boats". Enjoy!

Cheers to the Blog!

It's time to celebrate!

Cheers to all of our future readers and most importantly to Jeanette, without whom this blog would not be possible.  Time to get crunk! And watch a movie!

WELCOME TO TWO OPINIONATED BITCHES ON FILM!

Welcome to the launch of our new blog.  This is a blog dedicated to me and my partner in crime's observations, thoughts, philosophies, rants, insinuations, and (most of all) our completely bitchy ass opinions on the art of filmmaking and the films themselves.  This will be a no bullshit blog.  In other words - anything goes.  We have been known to be two of the most vulgar and offensive people in a room and that isn't going to change with this blog.  If you are easily offended we may not be for you.  And as the title of the blog suggests we firmly believe that we are always right even when we both don't agree (which is frequent).  I'm sure this will cause many a wonderful and funny fight on the blog between us, but just know there is always love behind every swear word, insult, and fist fight (though those will be avoided since we are in separate states for the moment...). We plan to cover many a topic on this blog including (but not limited to) awards coverage, especially the Oscar race, actor profiles, movie reviews, great movie articles, and whatever projects we come up with.  The blog will expand and grow in the months to come and we hope you enjoy the journey with us.  We will also have frequent guest contributors that are personal friends of ours that share a similar obsession with filmmaking.

Now let us introduce ourselves as I am sure you are dying to know who the hell is writing this damn blog.

Sean Knight

I first became obsessed with movies when I was around five years old.  It was when I saw E.T. The Extraterrestrial. As a child that movie captivated my imagination.  It told a story I could connect to on both an emotional and imaginative level.  When I was young my father was in the military and as a result the family moved around quite a bit.  I spent much of my youth overseas and though I would never want to lose or forget that experience I cannot deny that at times it was quite lonely.  I would make friends and then quickly lose them when we moved on to our next destination.  E.T. was a movie about friendship and it made me long for a friend from another world that I could have a deep personal connection with.  E.T. also sparked my imagination like no other film before or after.  I began to wonder what existed outside of my small world and the idea of space and other beings was fascinating to me and still is to this day.  But the thing E.T. really did for me was that it opened my eyes to the possibilities of filmmaking and the limitless imagination that could exist within the medium with the right man (or woman)  behind the camera.  As a result I wanted to become a filmmaker for most of my life.  In high school I attended The North East School of the Arts in San Antonio TX.  I studied college level film for four years of my life.  Many of my student films competed and were shown in film festivals all over the United States including the youth forum at the Sundance Film Festival.  I won a best directing award for the short film "Marian" at the Locomotion Film Festival.  But two thing happened my senior year of high school that changed everything.  The first was that I auditioned for the shows in the musical theater department.  I was encouraged by my partner in crime on this site to audition and as a result I was cast as Cinderella's Prince in Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods".  I had always admired theater as my parents had taken me to see quite a few Broadway touring shows in my lifetime and most of my friend had always been theater kids.  But now something clicked in me and I discovered that I actually really loved being on stage.  But more than that I connected with the music of Stephen Sondheim and I began to see the artistic possibilities that existed within the musical theater.  It was no longer about spectacle and chandeliers dropping.  It was about character, emotions, and story.  I was hooked, but I still wanted to make movies. But then something else happened that senior year that changed my life forever.  Right before graduation my brother Max died.  He had a rare heart defect and it took his life when he was only 30 years old.  It was a major blow to my family and it has taken us many years to heal from it.  I went off to the College of Santa Fe a few short months after his death to study film and found myself unable to cope.  I wasn't ready for the stress of college at the time and worst of all I had lost my passion for studying and making movies.  It wasn't a creative outlet for me anymore.  My heart wasn't in it.  I went home for a year and gave myself time to mourn and begin the healing process.  But that year I also made a decision. I was going to become an actor.  My brother himself had acted when he was young and he was apparently quite good.  It was both a way for me to move on and find myself again as well as a way to honor my brother.  I went to Columbia College Chicago and graduated with a BA in Musical Theater Acting in 2009.  For the past two years I have been a working actor in Chicago and have loved every moment.  But I'm still very passionate about film.  I have spent years reviewing films and spouting off my opinions to any friend or family member who would listen.  I'm sure I've driven quite a few of them insane and on more than once occasion I have been told that I should do it as a profession.  And while this blog is not quite a professional film reviewing site, it is a way for me to get my views out there.  But I do owe it to Jeanette (or Jamie as many others know her) as it was her idea to start this blog.  I have known her for over 10 years now and she is one of the great loves of my life, even if I don't find her sexually appealing (I happen to swing for the other team :) )  But I will let her introduce herself.  Enjoy the blog and thanks for reading!

Jamie (Jeanette) Link

Happy Feet is the scariest movie ever made. End of discussion. Robin Williams. Dancing Penguins. Couldn't do it. The first movie I ever saw in a movie theater was The Little Mermaid. I remember standing in front of my chair and Ariel was pressed free willy style on the rock. You know what scene I'm talking about. It's the reprise to Part of Your World and the wave is crashing up behind her. That one scene in that movie is what keeps me coming back. Movies make me feel like I'm on an adventure. It's a rush for me. Because of that I have very high expectations. Yes, silly movies are fun. I love stupid movies (just look at my movie collection). It's only in the last couple years that I have started to really nitpick. Sean, who you just met, is what I like to call a snob. His expectations are so high and he is so passionate about it. I love that about him. He's also really fucking headstrong. It took me a couple years to have the confidence to discuss a movie with him. Now? I could fucking care less if he disagrees with me. That's what makes for fun conversation! He has taught me a lot of film and the art of filmmaking. I value his opinion, I respect him, and I love him with all my heart. We may some pretty mean things to each other (and many that may offend people) but know that we don't mean a word of it. We've been best friends for 10 years now and it's been a fun journey.

 Now that I've gotten that out of my system, let me introduce myself! My name is Jamie (Jeanette) Link. I hail from the great state of Texas, but don't get it twisted, I don't do republican. I started acting when I was 7 years old. I started out working at San Pedro Playhouse in San Antonio, Texas. I was a member of the kid's acting troupe. I worked at that theater from the time I was 7 to when I turned 17. Through acting I was able to channel all my creative emotions into something. Creating characters became a fun adventure for me. It was through meeting other kids who were  involved with SPP that discovered my Alma Mater. I attended North East School of the Arts where I majored in Musical Theater. Attending an Arts High School was the best decision I have ever made. I was surrounded by other artists who were so comfortable with themselves. Individuality was encouraged and that is very rare in high school. I changed my name to Jeanette right before my freshman year. I figured I would spice things up a bit! I thought my middle name was so hot. HAHAHAHA. I met Sean on the bus one day my freshman year. I randomly asked him for his number and he looked at me like I was crazy. But, I still got those digits. I called him that night and asked some random question. That was 10 years ago and we've been best friends ever since. We balance each other out and that is one of my favorite things about our relationship.  We're two of the most offensive people when we get together. We're very blunt and are not afraid to challenge each other. Because of Sean, I have grown to become a HUGE movie buff. I mean, being best friends with a crazed movie fanatic will bring anyone to the dark side. We don't see a movie without consulting with each other. I really hope you find this blog entertaining. Please take everything we say with a grain of salt and know that we mean no offense. We're just two passionate movie people. Oh, and I'm a HUGE basketball fan. GO SPURS GO.

I'm also obsessed with Ryan Gosling.

....and Kate Winslet.