reFRESHlite - Male News from around the world

Wassup Cody...

We were recently sent the review DVD of Bring It On: Fight to the Finish, the third sequel in the highly successful series of cheerleading movies. Although the plotline does not require much attention (team from wrong side of the tracks takes on the stuck-up rich team and wins) it has some cracking choreography and music soundtrack. Pop sensation Christina Milian (who sings the main title song on the soundtrack) heads up the cast and the male eye-candy comes in the form of hot stud Cody Longo (who can currently be seen in the film remake of Fame) who plays the popular high school jock whose heart is in the right place.

Bring It On: Fight to the Finish is released by Universal Pictures and is priced £15.99 (DVD) and £19.99 (Blu-Ray). All pictures are courtesy of Universal Pictures.

Love is for all: Bjorn Borg's campaign video features gay marriage

Björn Borg has embraced the idea of love being available to everybody in his new campaign video for the theme Love For All. What seems to be a marriage between a man and a woman turns out to be a marriage between two male priests, performed by a female priest.

"The video is about love in a manner worth considering. At Björn Borg, we are happy and proud to have created a platform which allows all kinds of expressions for interpreting love", says Rocky af Ekenstam Brennicke, PR and Event Manager at Björn Borg.

Björn Borg has previously launched a free dating site and will soon introduce Lucky Underwear. The name is a pun on a term meaning that a certain pair of underpants can bring you luck and consists of underwear adorned with lucky numbers and amulets.

The film has been created by advertising agencies Anjovis and Farfar and it is directed by multiple award-winning Oscar Bård has directed the Love for All video.

UK Jewish Film Festival 2008

Between Saturday 8th November and Thursday 20th November 2008, London hosts what Empire's film critic David Parkinson calls “One of the best specialist events in the British festival calendar.” 

At this year's UK Jewish Film Festival, you can expect heroes and heroines, artists, freedom fighters, love stories, Koran-reading Jews and Kosher-cooking Muslims. Award-winning documentaries, soap operas, dramas and world class feature films will explore memories and experiences of the Holocaust, the atrocities of war, relationships across the Jewish/Muslim divide and the solidarity of friendship.  These are just some of the themes that make up this year's fantastically diverse line-up. 

Now in its 12th year, the festival will launch its London Programme with a special Opening Night gala screening of Lemon Tree at the Swiss Cottage Odeon on Saturday November 8th.  The twelve-day festival then rolls out to eleven venues across the capital including the Everyman in Hampstead, the ICA, Richmond Filmhouse, the Tricycle, the Rio Cinema in Dalston and the British Museum. 

Of particular interest will be the movie Stefan Braun, pictured above, telling the fascinating and complex love story between tailor Eliezer Rath and furrier Stefan Braun in an era when homosexuality was outlawed in Israel.  The pair's successful fur salon in Tel Aviv became a hangout for the intelligentsia in 1950s Israel, and their romance is revisited via personal diaries and rare recordings of family and friends. 

The UK Jewish Film Festival 2008 runs from the 8th to 20th November.  For a programme, email info@ukjff.org.uk, call 020 3176 4800 or visit www.ukjewishfilmfestival.org.uk (from 23 September).  Advance booking is recommended.

Gfest brings LGBT arts to London

To promote the acceptance of ethnic and sexual identities, the arts organisation Wise Thoughts runs an annual festival.  Gfest – the gayWise LGBT Arts Festival - provides a platform for practitioners and artists to express themselves, and while helping culturally diverse identities in new and challenging ways.  As well as networking, seminars and social events, Gfest comprises three artistic strands: short film, performance and visual arts such as 'Redflowerbed', left, by Niranjan Kamatkar.

Running from mid- to late-November 2008, Gfest will hold short film screenings at Rich Mix in Bethnal Green on the 13th, 14th, 20th and 21st of November at 7.30pm.  Call the box office on 020 7613 7498. 

The performance strand takes place at Covent Garden's Cochrane Theatre on the 22nd and 23rd of the month at 7.30pm.  Call the box office on 020 7269 1606. 

A free exhibition of the visual arts takes place throughout the event, from the 10th to 28th November at the McKenzie Pavilion Gallery in Finsbury Park, N4 2NQ. 

Events and workshops at Gfest include Film Cafes at the Rich Mix cafe/bar on the 13th and 14th at 6.30 pm, arts workshops at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre, and a free debate on 'LGBT Arts & Social interaction' at the University of the Arts on the 18th Nov at 6.30pm. 

Matthew Rhys announces Iris Prize Festival Programme

The full programme for the Iris Prize Festival has been announced today by Iris Prize Patron and Brothers and Sisters star Matthew Rhys.  The Festival takes place from the 2nd through 4th October 2008 at Cineworld and Chapter Arts Centre in Cardiff, Wales.  Along with screenings of the 30 short-listed films for the Iris Prize, the programme also includes feature films (such as Clandestinos, pictured above), talks, parties and the closing night award ceremony where the International Jury will announce the winner of the Iris Prize, valued at around £25,000. 

"This year's programme includes some memorable titles with director Todd Stephens' Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild taking centre stage.  Having the European Premiere of the film in my home city of Cardiff is fantastic news for the festival.  I hope the audience go wild for the film and remember to introduce Todd and actor Johnah Blechman to the delights of Cardiff!

"I'm also pleased that the programme represents the diversity of films being produced for and by the gay and lesbian community, with new work from Israel, Germany and Spain all receiving their UK premiere screenings," added Matthew, who's currently making waves of his own in the hit US series Brothers and Sisters.

Confirmed guests attending the Iris Prize Festival to introduce their feature films include Yair Hochner, director of Antarctica, Casper Andreas, director of Between Love and Goodbye and Todd Stephens, director of Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild.  Actor Johnah Blechman will also be in attendance. 

Tickets can be purchased online through the Iris Prize website www.IrisPrize.org in person at Chapter Arts or by calling the Box Office on 02920 304400. 

Temposhark win music video award with Blame

London band Temposhark  have won the final for the SXSW 2008 Click Festival music video category 'Sound Checks' for their video for single Blame.  As a result the video will be screened at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival! 

The video was directed and produced by world-renowned Japanese animator Motomichi Nakamura, who has also worked with the likes of uber-cool Swedish band The Knife.  The video was also screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival last month, and will be screened at the VI Mus Festival in Portugal in September.  The song itself topped the Top 40 Pop Award for International Songwriters nominated by none other than Nelly Furtado and Robert Smith from The Cure.  Congratulations to Temposhark and Motomichi! 

Click here to view the winning video as well as the other festival winners.  Temposhark's sites are here and here. 

Ben X

Simon says...  Ben has Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism with symptoms manifested in extremely insular behaviour.  He is totally detached from the human experience, overwhelmed by behaviour he soaks up like a sponge but can never understand: touching, kissing, loving, feeling.  Childhood flashbacks give real depth to his illness, as repeated misdiagnoses drive his parents apart and isolate him from his peers.  In his contemporary technical school, he is cruelly and relentlessly bullied for his intellect and insularity.  Ben’s only escape is the fantasy computer game Archlord.  Here, he is an untouchable level 80 master, totally in control of his world: no doubt, no fear.  Here, he has Scarlite – another Archlord player who understands him, although they’ve never met.  Here, he is master not only of sword and shield, but also the romance and wit that desert his miserable days at school. 

Ben X is the first feature film by Danish critic and fingers-in-pies media type Nic Balthazar.  His multi-media background is evident: the film mixes Ben’s real life with the computer graphics of how he would like it to be and a future documentary recalling some vague, dark day – all move towards the same grim end.  The movie is at its best when sliding between these different realities, the computer screens of Ben’s humiliation, his aching silences smashed by fantasy violence, the po-faced expert witnesses in the documentary, the madness leaping from billboards and mirrors, jarring flashbacks of childhood frustration.  Where two bullies guard the school gates, Ben sees obscene, hulking ogres.  Walking to school is the unfolding of a medieval map, marked by the patterns of his nervous behaviour.  When conjured from these dreams, Ben is stranded in his real life, unnerved and suddenly conscious, racking up his reasons for suicide as the bullying becomes utterly base.  Ben is on the edge of self-murder when he finally meets online partner Scarlite, who brings him to life, making him feel for the first time... and urging revenge. 

Playing Ben in his debut role, Greg Timmermans is simply astonishing, his performance verging from uncertain grins to outright terror, from snot-smeared misery to humiliated, howling rage, from the sad sincerity of his computer fantasy to his simple joy at a new email from Scarlite.  It could have verged on pantomime, but he convinces.  The first of my two gripes is the frequent close shots of text messages, reminiscent of Hollyoaks and other very lazy things - but Ben X is heavy on the technology.  And secondly, the movie comes across a little preachy in places, the unrelenting depths of Ben’s bullying simply too callous, his neglect too incredible.  It seems impossible for anyone so pathetic to inspire such cruelty.  That Ben X is inspired by a true story makes my gripe ridiculous and the movie all the more chilling. 

Ben X is released on July 11th 2008.  Check out the trailer right here.   

Queer Up North film festival

Both contemporary and classic queer cinema are being shown as part of the Queer Up North international festival, held in Manchester from 9th to 25th of May 2008.  Many of the movies are from the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.  Check the venues for details of screenings. 

XXY will be on at the excellent Cornerhouse from 9th – 22nd May.  Directed by Lucía Puenzo and starring Inés Efron, Ricardo Darín and Germán Palacios, this 2007 production was Argentina's nominee for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards 2008.  Lucía Puenzo's accomplished debut is bold and unadorned storytelling that sensitively explores the sexual awakening and confusion of one intersex teenager.

Without You I’m Nothing – The Movie will be screened on Saturday 10th May at the Cornerhouse.  Sandra Bernhard kicks off the 2008 festival with her live performance of Without You I’m Nothing on Friday 9th May - the next day you can see Sandra Bernhard chat to Tim Teeman from The Times about her career and her new show, followed by a Q&A session with the audience.  Afterwards there’ll be a special screening of the 1990 cult classic movie Without You I’m Nothing, directed by John Boskovich and based on the original 1988 off-Broadway version of the show.

Whatever Happened To Baby Jane? follows on Sunday 11th May at 2pm at the Odeon Manchester.  Starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, this classic melodrama will be introduced by leading Betteologist, Dr.Martin Shingler from Sunderland University.  The real-life enmity between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford fuels a tale of sibling rivalry in the ultimate camp horror thriller.

Shown in the Cornerhouse on Sunday 11th May, The Living End is the story of a movie critic and a drifter – both HIV-positive – who go on a road trip with the motto ‘Fuck everything’.  With echoes of Thelma and Louise, The Living End is a classic of New Queer Cinema and a great example of director Gregg Araki’s maverick talent.  This is the UK premiere of a new, remixed and re-mastered digital print, introduced by legendary Village Voice film critic, B Ruby Rich. 

A sure highlight of the festival programme will be B Ruby Rich & Richard Dyer in conversation on Monday 12th May at 6pm at the Cornerhouse.  Richard Dyer pioneered the study of queer film in the UK and authored the hugely influential Gays and Film in 1977.   B Ruby Rich coined the term New Queer Cinema, writes for the Village Voice and has curated for Sundance Film Festival.  Together, they will look back at key moments in queer cinema, and ahead to new queer work making waves internationally. This promises to be an evening of clips, conversation, insight, and perhaps, a little gossip. 

In Tom Kalin's latest film Savage Grace, Julianne Moore plays American socialite Barbara Daly Baekeland in an exploration of an infamous true crime. After her rich husband leaves her, she concentrates her smothering affections on her son; but when both are attracted to the same man, trouble follows. A welcome return with a bold drama from Tom Kalin whose movie Swoon was a key New Queer Cinema title. Shown in the Cornerhouse on Friday 16th May.

Otto; or Up with Dead People comes to the Odeon in a special midnight presentation on Friday 16th May.  Directed by Bruce LaBruce, join a zombie called Otto as he hitches a ride to Berlin.  Once there, he encounters a young filmmaker who is trying to finish Up With Dead People, her epic political-porno-zombie movie; slowly, Otto begins to remember details about his life before he was dead.  He arranges to meet his ex-boyfriend Rudolf – with devastating results.  Written and directed by the legendary Bruce LaBruce, Otto receives its first Manchester screening...

Directed by Jochen Hick, East/West is another screening on Friday 16th May.  This matinee at the Cornerhouse is a fascinating insight into attempts to mount a Gay Pride march in Moscow, taking us into the lives of the organisers and uncovering a surprising range of gay life.

Spider Lillies, directed by Zero Chou, is a 2008 Taiwanese movie.  Shifting between past and present, the imagined and the real, Spider Lilies sets traditional themes of family obligation and fate in a candy-coloured world of internet chatrooms and tattoo parlours. 'Webgirl' Jade literally creates fantasy in a soft-core chatroom. Her interest in a particular tattoo, designed by gentle artist Takeko, is the catalyst for change in both women's lives, unearthing past secrets and awakening hidden desires.

Television Ate My Family: The Story Of Lance Loud is screened on Sunday 18th May at the Cornerhouse.  Conceived by Stuart Comer, the Curator for Film at the Tate Modern, this sequence of clips and the following documentary tells the story of An American Family, the world’s first reality TV show; its depictions of the complexities of family life caused huge controversy and influenced everything from Roseanne to The Simpsons.  Most controversial of all was the family’s eldest son, Lance Loud: flamboyantly witty and the first openly gay person on US television, he went on to form Mumps, one of the most popular bands on the CBGBs circuit, and became one of America’s sharpest social commentators.  Today, the unique story of Lance Loud is told through clips from An American Family and the follow-up documentary A Death in An American Family, which revisited Lance nearly three decades later as HIV and a 20-year addiction to crystal meth finally took its toll.  Sponsored by Positive Nation. 

Monday 19th May brings Angel to the Cornerhouse.  Taking his cues from vintage Hollywood melodrama, director Francois Ozon has created a sumptuous feast of period camp in his tale of the rise and fall of a romantic novelist in the early 20th Century. Angel Deverell shot to fame as the hottest young talent around. But with fortune, of course, comes heartache, and it is not long before the dream starts to crumble.

On Tuesday 20th May, check out Triple X  Selects: The Best Of Lezsploitation.  Culled from over 20 Lezsploitation films shot in Europe, North and South America by cult-film expert Michelle Johnson, and accented with music and 'scientific' commentary from the era, TRIPLE X SELECTS features sexy Swedish wildcats, Italian lesbionic nuns, frisky South American prison inmates, Euro vampires, and other Sapphic sirens of sinema guaranteed to make you howl with laughter. The screening is introduced by Jackie Stacey, Professor of Cultural Studies, Manchester University.  Cornerhouse.

My Beautiful Laundrette: the classic 1985 Stephen Frears movie, starring Gordon Warnecke, Daniel Day Lewis and Saeed Jaffrey; written by Hanif Kureishi, this is a classic of 1980s British cinema. A young Asian man (Warnecke) takes over his uncle’s decrepit launderette. Enlisting the aid of former schoolmate and National Front thug Johnny (Day Lewis) to glamourise their underpants-cleaning empire, the pair enter into a passionate affair. A cheeky portrait of being Asian, British and gay in Thatcher’s London, enhanced in this spanking new digital copy.  Cornerhouse.

Derek shows on  Wednesday 21st May.  Directed by Isaac Julien, this contemporary British movie uses "...a treasure trove of interviews, archival footage and Tilda Swinton's pointed meditations to conjure its subject, the late, great Derek Jarman. Julien's shrewd strategy of permitting only Jarman himself to be the expert intensifies his presence, so much so that it seemed as if Julien and Swinton had rubbed the proverbial lamp and released the genie, bringing Jarman's radical cinema back to life.”  Or so says B. Ruby Rich, writing in The Guardian; the documentary will be introduced by Dr.Andrew Moor, Programme Co-Director of the MA in English Studies: Contemporary Literature and Film, Manchester Metropolitan University. Cornerhouse.

In a documentary double bill, The Beirut Apartment and 7 Years come to the Cornerhouse on Wednesday 21st May.  Directed by Daniele Salaris, The Beirut Apartment portrays the way that Lebanese law criminalises LGBT people, making them vulnerable to blackmail and attack - sometimes by state police - and preventing the report of hate crime. With safety a concern an apartment was hired where interviewees could speak freely. What emerges is a snapshot of the amazing spectrum of queer life in urban Lebanon.  7 Years details the situation in Kenya, where national law punishes homosexuality with imprisonment. Made before the recent atrocities, this film brings to light gay life in a country seldom represented on screen.

Viva shows on Thu 22nd May.  Directed by Anna Biller, this 2006 US movie tells the story of precocious negligee-clad housewife Barbi; bored with her workaholic husband and suburban lifestyle, she goes in search of adventure in a predatory 1970s Los Angeles.  Stumbling through the sexual revolution, Barbi encounters nudist colonies, swingers, sadists, bisexuals, drugs, orgies, and prostitution in her search for liberation.  She quickly discovers life can be rough for a girl out for kicks.  Cornerhouse.

Another sure highlightw ill be the Queer Up North Shorts.  SHort film allows for the most inventive cinema on the screens, so keep your eyes peeled these mini-movies at a variety of venues throughout the festival.  Check out Queer Up North for more information. 

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

National Treasure:Book of Secrets bounds back to the screens, with treasure hunter Ben Gates out to clear his family’s name, the family in question consisting of Nicholas Cage, John Voigt and Helen Mirren After some long lost evidence resurfaces, the modern day Gates leads to the search for Ser, the City of Gold. This rollicking adventure hops from Washington DC, Paris, London and then back to the States for a few more clues and the grand finale.

The adventure takes our cast to the upper echelons of US politics. More style than substance with the oval room and President both playing key roles with in the film. Grandiose locations are a theme, with one clue located in the heart of Buckingham Palace- don’t worry Daily Mail readers I am sure getting in is not as easy as it seems here.

A lot of luck along with the team of professional problem solvers manage to get them to the legendary the team to .The cute sidekick Riley provides some much needed and eye candy as Nicholas Cage is certainly not looking his best. Helen Mirren joins the family as mom.  An initially restrained cold persona soon melts as she is thrown into the middle of the action. It also sees Ben reignite his relationship with his ex, who comes in handy with access to the ancient diary and Whitehouse staff, what luck!

Rather than treasure, except on Riley’s behalf who has lost his newly earned Ferrari to the taxman, the rest of those searching the treasure are doing it for their family, Ben to clear his families name and his parents for him. Then there is the strange villain character of Mitch Wilkinson adequately played by Ed Harris. He is a villain with a heart, but this makes his motives for victory ultimately unconvincing and the character a bit washy. Which is quite ironic as he is actually washed away to his demise.

The film, with importance placed on the father/son relationship and the last temple scenes (within in yet another US political landmark) has airs of Indiana Jones. With the much-anticipated 4th instalment out later this year, here's hoping that this lacking adventure will prove to be a starter to Indy’s main course.

Juno

Simon says…  I actually went to see this by accident.  My friend Christoph works at the Ritzy, and he gets his movies for free.  We were going to watch Cloverfield but there were two refunded tickets for Juno kicking around – so we took those instead, bought a couple of beers and headed for Screen 2.  And it was the right thing to do, because Juno is the sweetest, most satisfying film I’ve seen since Amelie. 

Consistently entrancing support performances orbit Ellen Page’s anchor role as the pregnant sixteen-year old: Jennifer Garner almost atones for Electra with her performance as Vanessa, the highly-strung adoptive mum-to-be with dozens of books on parenting but unable to choose which of two shades of yellow to paint the new nursery.  Husband Mark’s reluctance to grow up is palpably awkward, while dad Mac and stepmother Brenda paint a perfect portrait of mildly dysfunctional – and thereby utterly normal – family life. 

It all centres on Ellen Page.  She is remarkable, her Gen Y? Juno caustic without being vindictive, treating the pregnancy with unsettlingly detached pragmatism.  “How do you see yourself?” asks Mark, as the two talk punk records and dance to Mott The Hoople.  “I am just a piece of furniture in your weird life,” she says.  That’s all Juno wants to be, perhaps; but her helplessness and the frustration with her ballooning body increasingly rub through the bluster of her sarcasm and wilful independence.  It is both raw and delicate - tender - and, at times, extremely funny. 

The soundtrack deserves special mention.  It is wonderfully matched with the film, and will hopefully do for ex-Moldy Peaches songwriter Kimya Dawson what Garden State did for The Shins.  This is a simple movie brought to life by the tiny things.  There are no great changes and no revelations; just a beautiful, bewitching balancing of the scales.  Juno is perfect in its completion. 

Juno is out now, and you should go and see it. 

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane

Michael Says... Not Another Teenage Horror Movie would have been a far more apt title. Such an original concept, I think not, as 6 hormonious teenagers head for an abandoned range -who wrote this script! One by one a killer picks them off in a rather uninspired fashion. The twist - rather than waiting until the film's climax the killer's identity is revealed half way through, clever eh? Alas no, as anyone with a shred of intelligence will know their identity long before that. I was initially taken with the overexposed grainy look and soundtrack, but this just can't disguise a film that lacks direction and ultimately descends into a bloody mess, if you'™ll excuse the pun. When everyone finished laughing it was another member of the audience who managed to sum it up perfectly - "all the boys might love Mandy Lane - discerning horror fans, however, will not."

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane is released next Friday, 15th Feb.

2008 Oscar Nominations Announced

The Golden Globes lost out on a red carpet ceremony, but listening to the organisers of this year's Oscars, nothing is going to stop Hollywood's ultimate awards night taking place. Time will tell how realistic this assessment is, but in the meantime, set up your own office sweepstake on who you think will go home with that coveted statuette.

So in no particular order, the 2008 Nominations for the main acting & picture Academy Awards are as follows:-

Best Picture
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best Actor
George Clooney  - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises

Best Supporting Actor
Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
Tom Wilkinson - Michael Clayton

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away from Her
Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney - The Savages
Ellen Page - Juno

Best Supporting Actress
Cate Blanchett - I'm Not There
Ruby Dee - American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan - Atonement
Amy Ryan - Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton - Michael Clayton

No Country for Old Men

Coen Brother enthusiasts may feel I should be accused of sacrilege since my only previous experience of their work has been Brother Where Art Thou? and The LadyKillers, what you haven't even seen Fargo or The Big Lebowski I can hear them cry. Watching the original The LadyKillers afterwards, a classic, gave me even less appreciation. Nor had I read Cormac McCarthy's book of the same name which this film is said to be a close adaptation of. While some may see this as giving me a certain ignorance I instead felt I could enter this film with a clear perception without expectation of the Coen Brothers or the translation of yet another Novel. First and foremost their long time collaborator Roger Deakin, whose cinematographic abilities shine throughout, from the very first shot crafts one of the most beautiful films of recent times that on the big screen truly creates a presence. This film is far more than just being visually stunning though, it posses an intricate tapestry that is stitched together by a cast whose performances further the depth of the films contextual impact. Though its biggest names Tommy Lee Jones and Woody Harrelson actually take on roles that support the structure of the stories two protagonists a local hunter Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) and psychopathic killer Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) whose paths as a result of an indirect event become intertwined. The story is also neatly bookended by Tommy Lee Jones' character narration, but instead of providing us with a definitive start and absolute resolution they create an entry and exit point for the audience to this world. While under different circumstances the incredibly slow pace of No Country for Old Men could have proved frustrating and even the films undoing, it is the level of exploration that becomes captivating as a story of very graphic nature is humanely told. -Michael

No Country for Old Men is on general release this Friday (18th January).

 

BAFTA Nominations announced

ATONEMENT leads the field at this year's BAFTAs, receiving 14 nominations.  No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood have each received 9 nominations and La Vie en Rose has received 7. 

The Bourne Ultimatum has 6 nominations, with American Gangster, The Lives of Others and Michael Clayton receiving 5 nominations each. 

The Acting Nominations are as follows:

LEADING ACTOR
GEORGE CLOONEY – Michael Clayton
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – There Will Be Blood
JAMES McAVOY – Atonement
VIGGO MORTENSEN – Eastern Promises
ULRICH MÜHE – The Lives of Others

LEADING ACTRESS
CATE BLANCHETT – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
JULIE CHRISTIE – Away From Her
MARION COTILLARD – La Vie en Rose
KEIRA KNIGHTLEY – Atonement
ELLEN PAGE – Juno

SUPPORTING ACTOR
JAVIER BARDEM – No Country for Old Men
PAUL DANO – There Will Be Blood
TOMMY LEE JONES – No Country for Old Men
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – Charlie Wilson’s War
TOM WILKINSON – Michael Clayton

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
CATE BLANCHETT – I’m Not There
KELLY MACDONALD – No Country for Old Men
SAMANTHA MORTON – Control
SAOIRSE RONAN – Atonement
TILDA SWINTON – Michael Clayton

The nominees for the Orange Rising Star Award, announced earlier this month, are Shia LaBeouf, Sienna Miller, Ellen Page, Sam Riley and Tang Wei.   This audience award is voted for by the British public and presented to a young actor or actress who has demonstrated exceptional talent and ambition. 

The Orange British Academy Film Awards take place on Sunday 10 February at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London.  They will be hosted by Jonathan Ross for the second year running. 

I am Legend

When I first saw the trailer for this film I am sure that I wasn't the only one to be simply amazed. We were presented with a New York that had succumbed to wildness, but unlike comparable titles such as 28 Days Later which had a few shots of London's landmark, OK I am sure budget would be a contributing factor in this, I am Legend gives us an entire city. Will Smith plays Virologist Robert Neville a man who is immune to a virus that has spawned from a cure of cancer and has spread across Manhattan resulting in a complete evacuation. The population who have been infected are quarantined to the island as they transform into something very inhuman which leaves Smith's character as technically the last man standing. Comparable to Tom Hank's performance in Castaway praise should go to Will Smith's portrayal of man whose only companionship for the last three years has been his dog Sam and a set of mannequins. It is a scene between Smiths character and his canine companion, who he treats as if it were his child, that also produces one of the most heart felt moments of the film. But whilst a series of flashbacks throughout the film help to fill in the blanks of how we have arrived at this moment more than a few niggling points are left unexplained none bigger than how Smith's character is immune. It is when the balance of the film shifts into less intelligent Hollywood actions scenes, which become more predomination towards the films climax, where things really feel wrong and I am not just referring to the questionable CGI. Yet because of the way it has been handled it is hard to envision the film executed without them, what we are left with is an interesting concept that ultimately plays it safe and in doing so lacks true imagination.
-Michael

I am Legend is Out Now