Les Misérables Review
The Plot:
The all singing story follows prisoner 24601 aka Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) ,imprisoned for stealing some bread for his sister, as he breaks parole and becomes a better man thanks to the compassion of a priest and a promise to young mother Fantine (Anne Hathaway) as she lays on her deathbed. The only problem being that persistent and law obsessive Javert is on a manhunt and nothing will stop him bringing this convict to justice.
The Good:
Les Misérables is the longest running musical in history and its success is a testament to the story and the incredible musical numbers that expertly guide the audience through this complex tale. Tom Hooper has embraced this and done a valiant job in making it more widely available through the silver screen. Although it’s difficult for some of the wonders of the theatre production to have the same impact on screen, it’s certainly interesting to see an ambitious an surprising translation.
By far the standout performance is from Anne Hathaway, in fact her portrayal as Fantine is Oscar worthy. She managed to reduce an audience to a quivering wreck throughout I Dreamed a Dream. The raw desperation in her performance will move even the biggest sceptic. Even dedicated fans of the stage show will never have seen a performance quite like this and we challenge anyone to not shed a tear throughout this song. The power that Hathaway possesses is also enhanced by intimate close up camera work.
Hugh Jackman is incredibly competent as Jean Valjean, he guides the audience with ease, and delivers some impressive vocals. Out of Hollywood’s hot pickings, there is none more suitable than Jackson who, we must not forget has his roots firmly planted in Musical Theatre.
Baby faced Eddie Redmayne is also a pleasant surprise, demonstrating that his choir boy days at Eton have served him well. He embodies Marius with ease and sends an exemplary chill down the spines of the audience throughout Empty Chairs at Empty Tables. West End star Samantha Barks also shines as Eponine. Who would have thought that a spot on BBC’s I’d Do Anything would have seen her just a few short years later be part of a major Hollywood film.
Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen delight as Monsieur and Madame Thenadier, and provide the light relief necessary throughout the film. Cohen is particularly standout with his ad-hoc one liners and surprisingly good singing voice. However the film’s biggest surprise has to be Russell Crowe. Huge skepticism surrounded his casting as Javert, however, although clunky at times, he delivers an impressive performance.
The Bad:
Overall this film rests, as it should, on the ability of its cast members, but Director Tom Hooper brings to life a convincing 19th Century France. Some of the settings, particularly the rounding up of revolutionaries (shot in Greenwich) is visually spectacular, and you feel the excitement building for the big barracade showdown. However, when this climatic spectacle finally arrives, it’s slightly underwhelming. The enclosed streets look to much like part of a set, detracting from the marvel of the scene. It’s is a shame, because fans who are very familiar with the stage production will be particularly observant in these key moments.
Hoopers’ camera angles at times are also interesting. He mixes some of the most simple shots with elaborate showboating. Ironically, it is the more simplistic work, which demonstrates his talent more effectively. It’s at least interesting to see what works better on stage and on screen. The magic of the theatre is about pushing peoples imagination, and scenes like the sewer are not as impactful in the film version. On the flipside, the visual portrayals in Master of the House really help elevate the song and the comedic element to the scene.
The Ugly Truth:
Overall this is a strong attempt at bringing the world’s most beloved musical theatre experience to a cinematic audience. The film does have faults, but they are in no way damning to this pleasing production. Nobody has brought this musical version of the Victor Hugo novel to the cinema successfully before, but Tom Hooper has done an excellent job aided by a gifted and well chosen cast. Although think there are many strong contenders for best picture at the Oscars this year, Les Misérables should be a regular fixture at next year’s awards ceremonies.
Golden Globes Nominations List 2013
The full official list of nominations for the 70th Annual Golden Globes Awards ceremony has been announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. As is customary the nominees mostly consist of obvious contenders such as Lincoln, The Master, Life of Pi, Django Unchained and Les Miserables. Although as in previous year’s there’s at least a few surprises, with low profile romantic comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen nominated for best musical/comedy award with both stars Ewan McGregor & Emily Blunt up for acting awards as well.
Full list of Golden Globe Awards Nominations Below:
BEST MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty
BEST MOTION PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Les Misérables
Moonrise Kingdom
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Silver Linings Playbook
BEST DIRECTOR
Ben Affleck, Argo
Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
Richard Gere, Arbitrage
John Hawkes, The Sessions
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master
Denzel Washington, Flight
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE, DRAMA
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard, Rust and Bone
Helen Mirren, Hitchcock
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Rachel Weisz, The Deep Blue Sea
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Jack Black, Bernie
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Hugh Jackman, Les Misérables
Ewan McGregor, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Bill Murray, Hyde Park on Hudson
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Emily Blunt, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Judi Dench, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Maggie Smith, Quartet
Meryl Streep, Hope Springs
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Alan Arkin, Argo
Leonardo DiCaprio, Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Amy Adams, The Master
Sally Field, Lincoln
Anne Hathaway, Les Misérables
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Nicole Kidman, The Paperboy
BEST SCREENPLAY
Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty
Tony Kushner, Lincoln
David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained
Chris Terrio, Argo
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Brave
Frankenweenie
Hotel Transvylvania
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Amour
A Royal Affair
The Untouchables
Kon Tiki
Rust and Bone
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Mychael Danna, Life of Pi
Alexandre Desplat, Argo
Dario Marianelli, Anna Karenina
Tom Tywker, Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek, Cloud Atlas
John Williams, Lincoln
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“For You” Act of Valor
Music by Monty Powell, Keith Urban; lyrics by Monty Powell, Keith Urban
“Not Running Anymore” Stand Up Guys
Music by: Jon Bon Jovi; lyrics by Jon Bon Jovi
“Safe and Sound” The Hunger Games
Music by Taylor Swift, John Paul White, Joy Williams, T Bone Burnett; lyrics by Taylor Swift, John Paul
“Skyfall” Skyfall
Music by Adele, Paul Epworth; lyrics by Adele, Paul Epworth
“Suddenly” Les Misérables
Music by Claude-Michel Schonberg; lyrics by Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg
The Hobbit Royal Premiere Interviews
Check out our interview below with Director Peter Jackson, Sir Ian McKellem, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis and the new band of Dwarves including James Nesbitt & Richard Armitage:
Jack Reacher World Premiere Pictures
Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike and Robert Duvall walked the red carpet in London’s Leicester Square tonight for the Jack Reacher World Premiere. Jack Reacher see’s Tom Cruise playing a former military police officer turned vigilante in the new action thriller based on Lee Child’s bestselling books.
As usual Tom Cruise spent hours meeting and greeting delighted fans. Rewarding them for their long wait in the cold by signing endless autographs and posing for photographs. Check out the gallery of pictures below capturing all the night’s action. Video coverage to follow soon:
British Independent Film Awards Winners 2012
The Moët British Independent Film Awards took place last Night at Old Billingsgate in central London. Now in its 15th year, the Awards were created in 1998 by Raindance and set out to celebrate merit and achievement in independently funded British filmmaking, to honour new talent, and to promote British films and filmmaking to a wider public.
This year’s star studded event was hosted by actor James Nesbitt, soon to be seen as Bofur the Dwarf in The Hobbit An Unexpected Journey. The audience was packed with familiar faces and stellar talent including Tom Hiddleston, Jarred Harris, Sir Michael Gambon, Jude Law, Elle Fanning, Vanessa Redgrave, Terry Gilliam, Tom Felton and Noomi Rapace.
Below is a full list of this year’s well deserved winners:
Best Director
Director - Peter Strickland for Berberian Sound Studio
The Douglas Hickox Award (Directorial Debut)
Director - Bart Layton for The Imposter
Best Screenplay
Screenwriter - Alice Lowe / Steve Oram / Amy Jump for Sightseers
Best Actress
Actress - Andrea Riseborough for Shadow Dancer
Best Actor
Actor - Toby Jones for Berberian Sound Studio
Best Supporting Actress
Supporting Actress - Olivia Colman for Hyde Park on Hudson
Best Supporting Actor
Actor - Rory Kinnear for Broken
Most Promising Newcomer
Actor - James Floyd for My Brother the Devil
Best Technical Achievement
Sound Design - Joakim Sundström / Stevie Haywood AMPS IPS for Berberian Sound Studio
The Richard Harris Award
The Variety Award
The Special Jury Prize
Best Documentary
Best Achievement In Production
Best Short
The Raindance Award
Best International Independent Film
Best British Independent Film