Summer Wrap Up: Part II. Anne Hathaway

Part II.
Anne Hathaway
Birthdate: April 12, 1982
Nationality: American
Won 1 Oscar for Best Supporting Actress Les Miserables (2012)

From pretty in pink and elegant in between castle walls, Anne Hathaway made her first major career move by acting alongside family favorite actress Julie Andrews, Marry Poppins (1964) and Sound of Music (1965) a young, spontaneous, charming, Anne took the world by surprise in Princess Diaries (2001) and Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement (2004), the two Disney films are considerable modern family classics, with a clumsy princess taking the reign in a fairy tale kingdom, Ella Enchanted (2004) was the story of a more mature princess roaming between two worlds in search of her prince charming. 

The Sound of Music (1965)
Won 5 Oscars
8/10

MarryPoppins (1964)
Won 5 Oscars
8/10
  

The Princess Diaries (2001)
7/10

The Princess Diaries 2:
Royal Engagement (2004)
8/10

Ella Enchanted (2004)
6/10

With all the charm running out so fast in all directions, Anne refused to become the Disney model her career was pushing her towards, so her next projects turned the princess into a sexually aware drug teasing teenager in Havoc (2005), a film that is considered an indie production and dramatizes the relationship between teens and peer pressure with gang bangs, rape and drug abuse. Other brilliant indie movies on the topic would be Brick (2005), Spun (2002) and Mysterious Skin (2004).

Havoc (2005)
8/10

Brick (2005)
7.5/10

Mysterious Skin (2004)
7.5/10

Spun (2002)
6.5/10

The follow up to Havoc came with genius director Ang Lee on his controversial movie that stirred the world up for having Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as two cowboys secretly in love with one another in Brokeback Mountain (2005) Anne delivered a stunning presence in the movie and it was clear that she was no longer the princess Disney needed, and her ascension got her to work alongside the queen of actors in The Devil Wears Prada (2006) as Andy Sachs a new graduate she starts an internship for Meryl Streep, a combination that proved very effective with Meryl’s bossy devilish character and Anne’s purity and fearsomeness the two raised the boundaries of comical films in this gem of a movie. After playing an intern who can barely make it through the day in the office Anne travels back in time, to London to portray the most renowned female writer of our generation and she transforms herself into Becoming Jane (2007) as Jane Austen she is more aware of herself and more confident with a cup of tea in hand. 

Borkeback Mountain (2005)
Won 3 Oscars
8.5/10

The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
8/10

Becoming Jane (2007)
7/10

Through the worlds of books Anne ends up in Tim Burton’s adaptation of Alice in Wonderland (2010) alongside Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter the film saw Anne back in Disney studios but the film wasn’t able to click with the non-Burton fans, so along with her roles in between 2008 – 2010 Alice might have been late for her cup of tea and better left in a mad hatters hat… with screen time alongside Steve Carell in spy comedy Get Smart (2008), Patrick Wilson in psychological thriller Passengers (2008), Kate Hudson in romantic comedy Bride Wars (2009), Anne only had one brilliant role as a depressed young lady who can’t seem to have inner peace with herself or peace with her family after the death of her sister in the drama Rachel Getting Married (2008)

Alice in Wondreland (2010)
Won 2 Oscars
6.5/10

Get Smart (2008)
7/10

Bride Wars (2009)
5.5/10

Passengers (2008)
5/10

Rachel Getting Married (2008)
7.8/10

By the turn of the decade Anne teamed up with Jake Gellynhaal once again and this time in a semi erotic film with loads of turmoil while dealing with a very psychological character in Love & Other Drugs (2010) the follow up films had her on Christopher Nolan’s sets as Catwoman/ Selina Kyle in The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and as an astronaut/ physicist in Interstellar (2014) both roles were magnificently portrayed in two major blockbusters… However, the voice of Anne and the most dazzling performance of hers came on the set of Les Miserables (2012) as she transformed into Fantine singing on set while letting go into her characters shoes Anne earned herself her first Academy Award and made the world ponder at the glory of a most versatile actress of her age. 

Love and Other Drugs (2010)
7.8/10

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
9/10

Interstellar (2014)
Won 1 Oscar
8.8/10

Les Miserables (2012)
Won 3 Oscars
9/10

After graduating from underneath bad ass boss Meryl Streep, Anne becomes the broken devil in her most recent achievement alongside the lord of all actors Robert (Bobby) DeNiro… in The Intern (2015) this softly pleasant comedy about two different generations shows the royalty of these two sensational actors in a most innocent and humane way possible. 

The Intern (2015)
7.9/10

Summer Wrap Up: Part I. TOM HARDY

Part I.
TOM HARDY
Birthdate: September 15, 1977
Nationality: British

British films have always been one of the best encounters over the years, and this summer all the way through spring an array of films were released. Top of the list and the most popular title is the show runner, double trouble, and master-class performance by Tom Hardy in LEGEND (2015). 

7/10

Legend tells the true story of two twin brothers one with wit and charms the other with schizophrenia and lots of brotherly love, a film that delivers on many levels, emotionally binding, gory at times and brutally explicit at others. Director Brian Helgeland follows up his triumph in baseball based movie 42 (2013), with something way more aggressive, with Emily Browning narrating and guiding us through Legend, it is poetic at times and grindhouse madness at others. This film sort of strikes memory to Guy Ritchie films such as Rock N Rolla (2008) and Snatch (2000).  

Rock N Rolla (2008)Guy Ritchie 
8/10

Snatch (2000)Guy Ritchie
9/10

42 (2013)Brian Helgeland
7/10

However, Legend might feel a bit blasted out of proportion in its portrayal of the two brothers. Therefore, if you have the time and enjoy low key films you rather get your hands on the other film about the same subject titled The RISE of the KRAYS (2015), works as a prequel to Legend and the actual rise of Ron and Reggie, this film is not very highly rated and also has a planned sequel The Fall of the Krays (2015). While the two brothers spar with one another and go head to head with other gangs around London in both films, they stay slightly below the hype and glamour of Legend.

7/10

This might be Tom Hardy’s finest moment since his rise in BRONSON (2008) and back breaking role in Dark Knight Rises (2012) all the way to his amazing thrill ride in LOCKE (2013).  
The Drop (2014) was yet another momentum film experience with Tom Hardy at the helm of it alongside Noomi Rapace, the magnitude of the drop is the thin line between friendship and neighborly trust and the impact of crime life on the apparently calm society, this film could easily have been titled about a dog. If cold sights are intriguing enough for you as a spectator, Hardy finds himself once again entangled underneath the snow but this time in a time piece based on the book of the same title Child 44 (2015) in this World War film Tom teams up with Noomi Rapace once again while he plays a disgraced Soviet Soldier in the Stalin era investigating a series of child murders. This film plays like a slow paced piece of classical music with a crescendo worth waiting for.

9/10

10/10

Child 44 (2015)
8/10

8/10

8/10

Here's Johnny!! Black Mass pre-review

Johnny Depp

After a very long career Johnny Depp is back, the real talent of the man behind the many faces that mesmerized us on the silver screen is back.

At the age of 52 Johnny is considered one of the most prolific actors of his generation, with characters verging from the Frankenstein-esque Edward Scissor hands (1990) all the way to the mediocre Mortedcai (2014)

While the general audience loves Depp’s more popular roles, from Captain Jack Sparrow (2003, 2006, 2007 & 2011), and a few classics such as Donnie Brasco (1997) alongside Al Pacino, Ninth Gate (1999), and the dark eerie thriller Secret Window (2004). Johnny Depp is an actor whose glorious performances are beyond these few characters and the Burton Collaborations.

Here is a list of the less known Johnny Depp master performances:

Benny & Joon (1993)

Johnny is not the lead actor in this romantic movie, but he manages to steal away the show, with an awkward character that is believable and in search of someone to care for him, in this performance Johnny shows a talent for making use of everything at hand to trigger the laughs the audiences need. It is a performance that reminds us how good Depp is even without the use of make-up.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)

Johnny is Gilbert in this masterpiece of a movie by director Lasse Hallstrom, who manages to push the boundaries with Gilbert and his brother played by a young Leonardo DiCaprio a match up that works magically and drives tears of joy and compassion out of the soul, for these are two perfect talents tangoing together in a dream like life.

Arizona Dream (1993)

In this auteur film by Emir Kusturica Johnny plays Axel a young man lost in an unrealistic and dazzling love triangle. If dreams were wished upon this is one flaming love story that throws of the bounds of reality and itches between the nightmarish fantasies and the dreamy realities.

Dead Man (1995)

Depp is William Blake in Jim Jarmusch’s western poem, a native American journey between the land of the living and the life of the dead, a brutal insight into the world of spirituality along with dashing cinematography and yes Johnny has make up and he does recite a line or two of poetry, and delivers them with utter magic.

The Libertine (2006)

Considered to be one of the lesser films of Johnny Depp, but this dark shameless comedy, is a political and artistic slap in the face for the whole of Europe precisely and the world in general, for speech focused audiences, no, Depp doesn’t have the best accent for this role, but he sure delivers some of the best lines ever uttered in cinematic history.

The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus (2009)

After the death of fellow actor Heath Ledger, Johnny put on the face make up and got on set to help finish an unfinished Terry Gilliam project, Depp is one section of the film a memorable section that is filled with Johnny moments in a very Alice in Wonderland like setting, only darker and more mature than the Tim Burton adaptation.

Rango (2011)

Apart from True Grit by the Coen Brothers, Rango might easily be the best Western movie of the past few years a film so well done with homages verging from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas all the way to The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, and throughout the musical course of the film, the exciting adventures of Lizard Rango are bound to entertain and the punch lines are sure to put a smile on your face for years to come… just keep an eye for the slithering snakes. 

  

Black Mass is in Theatres around Lebanon as of the 1^st of October, and it is Johnny Depps best performance since Public Enemies in (2009) 

MUSIC FILMS (not musicals) 2000-2015

1.       Almost Famous ***** 

USA (2000)

Directed by: Cameron Crowe

Starring: Billy Crudup – Kate Hudson – Frances McDormand 

Won 1 Oscar Best Writing for film Original Screenplay Cameron Crowe

2.       De-Lovely ***

USA (2004)

Directed by: Irwin Winkler

Starring: Kevin Kline – Ashley Judd – Jonathon Pryce

3.       Beyond the Sea ****

USA (2004)

Directed by: Kevin Spacey

Starring: Kevin Spacey – Kate Bosworth – John Goodman
     

4.       It’s All Gone Pete Tong ****

England – Canada (2004)

Directed by: Michael Dowse

Starring: Paul Kaye – Beatriz Batrada – Kate Magowan 

5.       Ray ****

USA (2004)

Directed by: Taylor Hackford

Starring: Jamie Foxx – Regina King – Kerry Washington 

Won 2 Oscars Best Actor in a Leading Role Jamie Foxx – Best Achievement in sound mixing 

6.       Walk the Line *****

USA (2005)

Directed by: James Mangold

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix – Reese Witherspoon – Tyler Hilton 

Won 1 Oscar Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role Reese Witherspoon

7.       Once  ****

Ireland (2006)

Directed by: John Carney

Starring: Glen Hansard – Marketa Irglova  

Won 1 Oscar Best Original Song Written for Film (Falling Slowly)

8.       August Rush ****

USA  (2007)

Directed by: Kirsten Sheridan

Starring: Freddie Highmore – Keri Russel – Jonathon Rhys Meyers – Robin Williams

1 Oscar Nomination, Best Original Song Written for film (Raise it up)

9.       I’m Not There ****

USA (2007)

Directed by: Todd Haynes

Starring: Christian Bale – Cate Blanchette – Heath Ledger 

1  Oscar Nomination Best Performance by Actress in a Supporting Role Cate Blanchette 

10.   Control ****

England – USA – Australia (2007)

Directed by: Anton Corbijin

Starring: Sam Riley – Samantha Morton – Craig Parkinson 

11.   Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist ****

USA (2008)

 Directed by: Peter Sollett

Starring: Michael Sera – Kat Dennings 

12.   Crazy Heart *****

USA (2009)

Directed by: Scott Cooper 

Starring: Jeff Bridges – Maggie Gyllenhaal – Collin Farrell  

Won 2 Oscars  Best Actor in a Leading Role Jeff Bridges – Best Original Song Written for Film (The Weary Kind) 

13.   Nowhere Boy ****

England (2009) 

Directed by: Sam Taylor – Johnson 

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson –Kristin Scott Thomas – Anne-Marie Duff 

14.   Pirate Radio – The Boat that Rocked ****

England (2009)

Directed by: Richard Curtis

Starring: Phillip Seymour Hoffman – Bill Nighy – Nick Frost

15.   Taking Woodstock ****

USA (2009)

Directed by: Ang Lee

Starring: Demetri Martin – Henry Goodman – Edward Hibbert 

16.   The Soloist ****

USA (2009) 

Directed by: Joe Wright

Starring: Jamie Foxx – Robert Downey Jr.

17.   Country Strong **

USA (2010)

Directed by: Shana Feste

Starring: Garrett Hedlund – Leighton Meester – Gwyneth Paltrow 

    

18.   Bloodworth  ***

USA (2010)

Directed by: Shane Dax Taylor

Val Kilmer – Kris Kristofferson – Hillary Duff 

19.   Inside Llewyn Davis ***** 

USA (2013)

Directed by: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen 

Starring: Oscar Isaac – Carrey Mulligan – Justin Timberlake – John Goodman

2 Oscar Nominations, Best Achievement in Cinematography – Best Achievement is Sound Mixing

20.   Begin Again ***

USA (2013)

Directed by: John Carney 

Starring: Keira Knightley – Mark Ruffalo – Adam Levine 

1 Oscar Nomination Best Original Song Written for Film (Lost Stars)

21.   Frank ****

Ireland – Engalnd (2014)

Directed by: Lenny Abrahamson

Starring: Michael Fassbender – Domhnall  Gleeson – Maggie Gyllenhaal 

Song One **

USA (2014)

Directed by: Kate Barker- Froyland 

Starring: Anne Hathaway – Johnny Flynn – Mary Steenburgen