Diamonds are forever...

After a really quick search on the internet, it appears that there are countless film awards handed out each year, around the globe. There are the critics' awards, the festival awards and the most popular ones, the industry awards. The Oscar's fall under the latter category and are also known as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards. There are also the Golden Globes, the Cannes International Film Festival awards, the BAFTAs, the Sundance Film Festival awards and a multitude of others that sadly no one has ever heard of. 

Yay me!!!!

Apparently, the US is the second largest producer of feature films in the world, right after India. And although India undoubtedly offers viewers a lot more bling than the States, Hollywood still remains the most glamorous movie industry of all and the Academy Awards the most anticipated film ceremony of the year. 

But to be honest, the Oscars can sometimes be unjust and misleading. There have been several occasions where truly exceptional performances lost out to other artists who, to be fair, were not always less deserving but they were by no means the best out of all the nominees. And when I say performances I do not solely mean acting. This includes directors, musicians, make-up artists and everyone who participates in the making of a film, as it is their performance that is being judged.

The most notable example is of course the exquisite Leonardo DiCaprio, who has yet to win an Oscar. As an actor, he has been nominated four times for an Academy Award and he has won nil. I don't mean to say that, for instance, Jammie Foxx did not deserve the Oscar for Ray, but Leo was admittedly exceptional in The Aviator.  It must have been a tough choice. Also, in 1993 he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Again, I'm not saying he should have won, but I am not entirely convinced that Tommy Lee Jones' win was just either. Personally, I thought that Pete Postlethwaite deserved that Oscar. Or maybe Ralph Fiennes for Schindler's List. Matthew McConaughey totally deserved it this year though.

Soon... Very Soon!!!!

Still, Leo is young. He has an amazing and award-ridden future ahead of him. But there are several other artists that the Academy has overlooked over the years, which makes it hard to not think that the entire process is completely biased and controlled. Peter O'Toole, received a "consoling"  Academy Honorary Award in 2003 after being nominated and overlooked a whopping eight times. And in spite of the fact that he was tottering into antiquity, as he so eloquently put it, he did attend the ceremony, receive the award and was a perfect gentleman, giving a wonderful speech to the very people who had consistently snubbed him for several decades. Sir Charles Chaplin has also won not one but two Honorary awards for his contribution to film and an Oscar for Best Score for the film Limelight in 1973, but his acting skills were apparently never recognised by his peers as award-worthy. And Sir Alfred Hitchcock. The legendary director was nominated five times but never got the golden statue for his directorial work, despite having made some of the most iconic films of all time. 

Legends

Surely, there are more examples I could give, but I reckon it is not necessary. Anyone who is into films will have an example of their own which can be subjectively or objectively argued. And they are probably right, from their own point of view. But the recognition of a good film is so much more than an award at the end of the year or box-office revenues and pop corn sales. Sure, being awarded as the best at what you do must be overwhelming but that is just an award for one film, one year, one time.

What makes film artists last forever in the public's mind is the love of the art and the need to excel at what they do. It's good acting, riveting directing, mind-numbing script-writing, unforgettable scoring, mesmerising cinematography, breathtaking visuals, the magic of movie-making and the way it makes people dream. The art of storytelling. 

And dream we did!!

What we as fan want from our favourite artists is for them to never sell-out for the glory of an award. To never burn out because to us they are stars. To be diamonds, which we all know, last forever. 

Why not try acting?

This is a fairly well-known story within the acting world and beyond. During the filming of Marathon Man, Dustin Hoffman, who was starring alongside Sir Laurence Olivier, in order to enhance his performance and being a true Method actor, stayed up for three nights, to make his character more believable. When, on the the day of the shooting, Mr. Olivier asked him why he looked so tired, Hoffman explained the theory behind his actions. And the ever-so-exquisite Mr. Olivier dryly replied "My dear boy, why not try acting?"

Dustn Hoffman being cheeky and Sir Laurence Olivier NOT entertained.

Acting is a fascinating art. One could say that acting is like a living organism. Ever evolving. It goes back thousands of years, all the way to ancient Greece, where the first plays were written and the first roles were born. Even the word "thespian", which is a term used to describe actors - sometimes the more serious ones - derives from that time, where a man named Thespis took the stage and for the first time in history spoke words in character instead of as himself. Since then, acting has evolved and changed and progressed and has seen dark days and glory days. But none more glorious than the past 120 years, give or take five, when the first movies were created. And hence, movie stars were born.

Georges Mellies: the father of VFX.

Movie stars are fascinating creatures. I mean, there you have Dustin Hoffman, one of the truly great actors, being told off by the even greater Sir Laurence Olivier, probably the greatest stage actor ever. And there are so many greats. Character actors, method actors, stage actors. Marlon Brando, Katherine Hepburn, Sean Penn, Judi Dench, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchet. Generation after generation producing acting prodigies that leave audiences in awe. People who live several lives in one lifetime and yet, most of them cannot enjoy the one life that has been given to them. Always under the limelight. Always under scrutiny. Stalked, envied, adored, idolised, carrying a burden many of them never asked for. Living the life most of us dream of. And what we always tend to forget as fans is that it's just a job. A beautiful, creative, cutthroat, cruel yet awarding line of work that has these people constantly worrying if and when they will ever work again. Worrying if they are still good looking enough. Young enough. Fit enough. If their next movie will flop or succeed. If what they said in an interview will be misunderstood or not. When all they should really be worried about is whether they performed well. Because, after all, that is what they are. Actors.

Cate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburn

Who is the best actor ever? Who is better, Robert De Niro or Al Pacino? Is Daniel Day Lewis the male equivalent of Meryl Streep? Why hasn't Leo won an Oscar still? (Hopefully, this last one will soon be rectified.) Which acting method is best? Are British actors better than Americans? Has Shia Labeouf lost his mind? Is the star system destroying actors? Are the Oscars fair? One quick search on the internet, will leave you even more confused and dumbfounded than before.

We fans, tend to take the art out of acting just by posing all these questions. I could even say, it is really unfair to do so. But, I reckon it is the nature of the art that does it. After all, we are the judges of their work. Fair or not fair. For now, the only thing I am going to say is that between him and Pacino, Bobby De Niro is by far the better actor.

You're killing me, man...

Phillip Seymour Hoffman... What an utter shame... I am such a huge fan!! I was just about to write "was" but the fact that he passed does not make me not like him anymore. I have loved him ever since I first saw him in The Talented Mr.Ripley. Obviously, not his first film. But that is the first time I saw him. An awkward-looking blond guy, who dies so unceremoniously. So like life, it turned out...

Then came Flawless. And I was hooked. How could I not be? Doubt. Captivating, mesmerising, unforgettable. Capote.  The winner. Because he deserved nothing less. And it was not just the dramatic roles. In Along Came Polly he was hilarious. And my personal favourite, Mary & Max. A clay-animated film, where he lent his voice to Max, delivering such a touching and heartwarming performance that made your eyes well-up. The list is long. Many films, many parts and all worth watching just because he was that good.

He was not about the appearance. The machismo. The action-packed roles. The picture-perfect looks... He was simple and natural. Your every day Joe. He was OTT and extravagant. He was disturbing and menacing. Sad. Happy. And oh so tormented... But above all, he was all about the acting. The performance. And what a performance it was. And how soon did the credits roll.

His talent was immense. His work beautiful. His future, in our eyes, was bright. And the legacy he leaves behind should be untainted. He was one of the greats and one of my favourites. And he will be sorely missed....

The Reality Games

I am a huge fan of massive, explosive, super-hero, robot, elf, dragon, battle and magic laden blockbuster films. I am... People, who consider themselves cinephiles frown upon that and think of me as being shallow and immature. Or something... I don't really care. But the truth is that these films take me away, to different dimensions, universes and realities, far from my own everyday, mundane life. They are so over the top that you have to watch them with a childlike disposition or else you miss the entire point... Pure, unashamed entertainment.

These films should not be made to resemble reality. Or at least, they sure not be compared to reality. Sure, many of them carry meanings and messages that oppose oppression, racism, violence awkwardly enough but if you seriously try and watch Man of Steel with the notion that Superman is a surrogate for JC, then you will definitely miss out on all the fun. 

You, or I to be more precise, don't want the down-to-earth element in my fantasy film. I watched Thor: The Dark World the other day. You have characters like Heimdall, who can see tens of trillions of souls just by standing on the Bifrost. Loki, my favourite, god of mischief and upper-lip stiffness. Thor, the flying lightning manipulator and all around panty dropper. And then you have the mortal but very bright physicist Jane Foster and the not-so-all-there brilliant scientist Erik Selvig. And the big climax arrives. (MAJOR SPOILER ALERT AHEAD)

Loki has given his life to avenge his mother's death and Thor is once again sacrificing himself to save humanity and the nine realms, like a true king. And who saves the day? The earthlings. BANG. Anticlimax. And a stupid one-liner. Utter disappointment. 

I don't want physics to save the day. I want fantasy to save the day. It's a comic, for crying out loud. I want fake. I want Batman to save the day. And I want to marry Peeta Mellark. I want to be Arwen. But then again, that's just me... 

I am Sherlocked.

In Love Actually, which is one of the very few soppy films I adore, Hugh Grant said "We may be a small country, but we are a great one. A country of Shakespeare, Churchill, The Beatles, Sean Connery, Harry Potter, David Beckham's right foot, David Beckham's left foot come to that..." And it's all true. So, I suppose, being labelled "the fastest growing British national treasure" by most of the country's media is something.

And I have to be honest. I AM Sherlocked.

How can I not be? The mutant eyes. The razor sharp cheekbones. The voice... Oh the voice... The offspring of James Earl Jones and Alan Rickman. Their only worthy heir. And the impeccable acting. I mean, I do love a good looking man (actually, in his case he's quite odd looking, but hopelessly charming). But if the acting is not solid, then the image eventually fades from memory. Anyway, everyone is talking about him these days. Benedict Cumberbatch. Why not me??

OK. I admit it. It takes me a while to catch on to new things sometimes. I'm skeptical about new stuff. I hadn't seen Sherlock. But he is the kind of face that stays with you. I knew I had seen  him somewhere but I could not place him. Then I saw Star Trek Into Darkness. That monologue. The precision in which he uttered every word. The tone of his voice. The composure. The look on his face after he speaks the words "My name is Khan". I never thought that such theatricality could be injected into a Hollywood blockbuster. After that, I was captivated.

Later I realised I had previously seen him in War Horse. He had a small part, like all of the other wonderful but (in this film) "dispensable" actors. At the time, I was fixated on Loki (the lovely Tom Hiddleston). Then came Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. A brilliant film based on the spy novel by John le Carré. What a cast. Two generations of excellent British talent. And my... Did he deliver... He so held his own next to the giant that is Gary Oldman.

So eventually, I got to where I should have been three years before. I watched Sherlock. And I was awe struck. Mind, one has to always give credit where credit is due. Had it not been for Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat for creating the concept, the ever so brilliant Martin Freeman offering great support to both Sherlock and Benedict Cumberbatch (apparently the two are close friends) and the quality that is presupposed whenever the BBC is involved in a production, the success of the series may have not been as gargantuan. Still, I have no doubt that Ben (can I call you Ben?) would have nonetheless been nothing less than perfect.

He has been at this acting thing since the early 2000's and has only now started to prove that he is in fact an asset to his country and to his art. I have immense respect for him and his work and so many things I still want to write. Maybe in a later blog. I am hoping to see him bring to life one of his dream roles this autumn. He is scheduled to play Hamlet. A dream for him and a dream for me.

An education...

A blog. I never thought I would ever start my own blog. Because who will want to read what I have to say anyway? Plenty of people, hopefully.

I don't have many talents. My dad was a talented man. He could speak seven languages and would have been fairly fluent in Ancient Greek and Latin had he someone to converse with. He could draw and paint, he could play anything on the piano just by listening to it. He was a mean cook and he was the most educated man I ever knew. And he was a good man. And my dad. And I miss him... Anyway, as you might have guessed, I didn't get any of my dad's talents. But I have passions... I am passionate about animals. Dancing. I love dancing. and, as it turns out, pop culture. Especially movies.

I am not going to claim that I am one of those cinephiles that has watched all of Akira Korosawa's films, which I no doubt should. Or that I can give you a semiological analysis of Hitchcock's "Rear Window". I'm more of a contemporary sort of film lover. I love big explosions, axes and bows, crime solving and above all, I love good acting. And actors.

I know a lot about actors. I know their names. I know their ages. I know the films they have starred in. Where they come from... their stories. And if I don't know, I make damn sure I learn. I watch films while scrolling through IMDb and Wikipedia. And I learn. And it stays with me. Forever. I never forget.
And this is what this blog is going to be about. My passion. Actors. Films... I am going to share all of that with everyone who cares to read about it. In a very "everyday" manner. Obviously, I do not know everything. But I learn. I learn fast. And if anyone ever cares to share an opinion, I am more than willing to read about it. So I can learn some more.

So, here it goes... Let the games begin. And may the odds be ever in my favour!!!!