‘The Artist’, ‘A Separation’ wow London critics

Posted on January 20, 2012 by admin

Michael Fassbender was named British actor of the year for 'Shame' and 'A Dangerous Method'

By Ray Bennett

Entertainment’s “The Artist” and Artificial Eye’s “A Separation” were the big winners with three prizes apiece at the 32nd annual London Film Critics Circle Awards presented on Thursday.

French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius was on hand to collect the awards for best film and best director joined by star Jean Dujardin, who was named actor of the year.

“A Separation” won as best foreign language film and the film’s director Asghar Farhadi won for best screenplay. The film’s Sereh Bayat was named best supporting actress. The two could not attend and producer Negar Eskandarfar accepted the awards on their behalf. Continue reading →

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‘The Artist’, ‘Tinker Tailor’ lead in Bafta film nominations

Posted on January 17, 2012 by admin

Gary Oldman as George Smiley in Tomas Alfredson's film of John Le Carré's 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'

By Ray Bennett

StudioCanal’s “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” and other UK films joined many of the movies that were celebrated at the Golden Globes in nominations announced today for the British Academy Film Awards.

Presented on Feb. 17 by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, sponsored by Orange, and set to be telecast live on BBC1, the awards pit “Tinker Tailor” against Globes winners “The Artist” (Entertainment) and “The Descendants” (20th Century Fox) plus Icon’s “Drive” and Disney’s “The Help” in the competition for best film. Continue reading →

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‘The Artist’ top in Golden Globes

Posted on January 16, 2012 by admin

Golden Globe winner Jean Dujardin with Bérénice Bejo in best comedy 'The Artist'

By Ray Bennett

Entertainment’s “The Artist” and 20th Century Fox’s “The Descendants” were the big winners at the Golden Globes last night. “The Artist” took three awards including best comedy or musical, while “The Descendants” won two including best drama.

The awards presented on Sunday in Los Angeles saw “The Artist” star Jean Dujardin pick up the prize for best actor in a comedy and musical, and the film’s composer Ludovic Bource win for best score.

George Clooney was named best actor in a drama for “The Descendants”, which 20th Century Fox will release in UK cinemas on Jan. 27. Continue reading →

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Film Review: The Iron Lady

Posted on January 6, 2012 by admin

Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Iron Lady’

By Ray Bennett – Like lawyers for the defence with their clients, actors do not ask if the characters they play are guilty or not, they seek only to give a good account of them.

Meryl Streep cannot be blamed for her wish to find humanity in the character of Margaret Thatcher and it’s not really her fault that it goes missing in “The Iron Lady”.

Streep’s gift for mimicry is equal to the task along with the right makeup, prosthetics and lighting, but it’s not a gripping performance. The film is a dull and undistinguished attempt at iconography that reveals little of a politician who became adored and reviled in equal measure. Continue reading →

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Best Film in 2011: The Artist, plus more of the year’s best

Posted on December 31, 2011 by admin

Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo in Michael Hazanavicius' 'The Artist'

By Ray Bennett

Here are my choices for the best in film in 2011. Some of these films will be released in the UK over the next couple of months but they are all eligible for the major awards.  Continue reading →

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‘Drive’, ‘Tinker Tailor’ top London critics’ nominations

Posted on December 20, 2011 by admin

By Ray Bennett

US crime thriller “Drive” and UK espionage mystery “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ claimed six spots to top the nominations for the 32nd London Film Critics’ Circle Awards.

Nominations for “Drive”, released in the UK by Icon, included best film and best director for Denmark’s Nicolas Winding Refn plus best actor for star Ryan Gosling (pictured), best supporting actor for Albert Brooks, technical achievement for composer Cliff Martinez, and best British actress for Carey Mulligan, who also was cited for “Shame”.

Nominations for “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”, released here by StudioCanal, were for film, British film, actor and British actor for Gary Oldman, screenwriter for Peter Staughan and the late Bridget O’Connor, and technical achievement for production designer Maria Djurkovic. Continue reading →

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PREVIEW: George Clooney in ‘The Descendants’

Posted on November 2, 2011 by admin

George Clooney and Shailene Woodley as his daughter in Alexander Payne's 'The Descendants'

By Ray Bennett

When Kaui Hart Hemmings’ novel “The Descendants”, about a family in Hawaii troubled by modern anguish and ancient concerns, was published in the UK, the Daily Mail’s response was typical. Her assured touch and fine grasp of the absurd “ensures that this novel steers a deliciously scenic route between heartbreak and hilarity,” the paper said. Continue reading →

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The Toronto International Film Festival shows the way for Q1

Posted on November 1, 2011 by admin

TIFF Bell Lightbox custom built film centre in Toronto with Canteen restaurant at street level

As the cost of publicity and promotion has become ever more expensive, big studios and indies know that the hoopla that surrounds major events such as the Toronto International Film Festival can have a huge payoff. Ray Bennett reports. Continue reading →

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STAGE REVIEW: Raymond Chandler’s ‘The Big Sleep’

Posted on October 28, 2011 by admin

Simon Merrells as Philip Marlowe with Anna Doolan at the Mill at Sonning

By Ray Bennett

LONDON – As Alvin Rakoff’s production of Adam Rolston’s A Sentimental Journey, about the life of Doris Day, opens in Los Angeles, the British-based filmmaker and stage director takes on another Hollywood icon with the World Premiere in England of a play based on Raymond Chandler’s noir classic The Big Sleep. Continue reading →

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Q&A: Norman Jewison

Posted on October 23, 2011 by admin

Norman Jewison receives the Joseph Plateau Award at the Ghent Film Festival

By Ray Bennett

GHENT, BELGIUM: Canadian filmmaker Norman Jewison has had an outstanding career as director and producer of major Hollywood films such as “The Cincinnati Kid”, “In The Heat Of The Night”, “The Thomas Crown Affair”, “Fiddler On The Roof” and “Jesus Christ Superstar”. On Oct. 22, he was presented with the Joseph Plateau Award for lifetime achievement at the 38th Ghent Film Festival in Belgium. In the spacious lobby of festival headquarters at the Ghent Marriott Hotel we chatted over some Jameson and soda as Jewison touched on film music and the inspiration for “Windmills Of Your Mind”, making “Rollerball” and his hatred of violence, why he left America in the 1970s, his wish to make another picture, and the state of modern filmmaking. Continue reading →

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