Elizabeth review

 Number 763 on the top 1000 films of all time is Shekhar Kapur's 1998 biographical period-drama 'Elizabeth.'

The year is 1558, and following the death of Mary I (Kathy Burke) Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett) becomes the queen of England. However, her early days are met with many obstacles, least of all, Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (Christopher Eccleston) plotting to overthrow her, as well as pressure from her advisors Francis Wolsingham (Geoffrey Rush) and William Cecil (Richard Attenborough) to marry.

For this film, Cate Blanchett was nominated for her first of eight acting Oscars. She ultimately lost out to Gwyneth Paltrow for Shakespeare in Love. Many people thought Blanchett should have won instead. I haven't seen the latter film, so I can't comment, but Blanchett was impressive in this film.

It was a nuanced performance showing the slow transformation from a weak-willed queen into a powerful force of nature. When Mary of Guise stations four thousand French troops in Scotland, Elizabeth allows Norfolk to bully her into sending a conscript army of peasants to stop the French. Of course, they are all massacred.

But by the film's conclusion, she is strong enough to execute all those plotting her downfall. That isn't a spoiler by the way. Like many historical dramas, Elizabeth plays fast and loose with history, but it sticks to the fact that Elizabeth was not overthrown.

Shekhar Kapur intended the final scene of Elizabeth's would-be assassins being put to death to mirror the end of the Godfather where Michael Corleone orders for his enemies to be killed. I would also argue that in some ways Elizabeth's transformation mirrors Michael Corleone's.

Furthermore, I think that Blanchett gave a great performance in an otherwise average film. I have never been a fan of period dramas, and Elizabeth did little to move the needle. I certainly didn't find it that engaging or easy to follow. It wasn't very interesting either.

While the supporting cast were good - it was fun seeing Vincent Cassel in a more comedic role - the narrative didn't match up.

But, as is often the case, with period dramas, Elizabeth just wasn't for me.

Notes on a Scandal review

 Number 842 on the top 1000 films of all time is the British psychological thriller 'Notes on a Scandal.'

Barbara Covett (Judi Dench) is an old, stern teacher who runs her classroom with an iron fist. But she is also unmarried, childless and deeply lonely. She then strikes up a friendship with her school's new art teacher Bathsheba 'Sheba' Hart (Cate Blanchett.) When Barbara discovers Sheba is having an affair with one of her pupils, she decides to use this to her own advantage. Bill Nighy co-stars as Sheba's husband - Richard.

In many ways, Notes on a Scandal reminded me of the the Talented Mr Ripley. Both of them are based on books. And both have similar themes of love, obsession and deceit, as well as homo-erotic undertones. They also feature stellar performances from their lead actors.

I thought Judi Dench was great as the formidable Barbara Covett. She also narrates the film with a world-worn cynicism that is all too relatable for many teachers. Her narration gave the film a brilliant immediacy and throttled the pace along. Despite her cynicism, she is still a sympathetic character. it is implied that she has remained unmarried due to some unrealised lesbianism. It is out of loneliness that she attaches herself to Sheba. It out of jealousy that she starts to act with malice and spite. Remove a "T" from her last name and you're left with "covet."

I was less convinced by Sheba's characterisation. Firstly, "Bathsheba" is a name that's incredibly on the nose. But I found the naivete frustrating. She saw herself as an unwilling victim who was seduced by a 15-year-old boy, and not as the aggressor. However, this would be common behaviour for people in denial of their crimes.

I also don't think Richard was well-characterised. One moment he's friendly towards Covett. The next, he is unduly horrible, the next he's her best mate again. it seems like his behaviour was dictated by whatever the plot needed it to be at that particular moment.

These criticisms are applied more to the writing rather than the acting. Blanchett and Nighy were very good. Although the characterisation was wonky, the plotting was good, as we see how a simple lie starts to unravel. And, all hell breaks loose, when the truth emerges.

Dench and Blanchett both receive Oscar nods for their work, so the acting was obviously great. Yes, the characterisations were off, but the writing was generally good. I just can't get over "Bathsheba" as a name. Why else would you name your character that if you didn't want them to be a married woman being lusted over by a younger man? Only leading to her cheating on her husband with this younger man. You might as well have just called her Jezebel.

The Aviator review

 Number 835 on the top 1000 films of all time is Martin Scorsesee's biographical drama film 'The Aviator.'

'The Aviator' tells the true story of film and aviation titan Howard Hughes (Leonardo Dicaprio) from his childhood to his rise to a successful film producer and pioneer of the aviation industry, all while documenting his later struggles with severe OCD and germaphobia. 'The Aviator' also explores his relationships with famed actresses Katherine Hepburn (Cate Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Kate Beckinsale.) Rounding out the cast are notable heavyweights like Ian Holm, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Gwen Stefani and Willem Dafoe.

I've never been a fan of period-dramas. I find them overly-long, boring and lacking in drama and tension. This also extends to biopics and historical dramas. The Aviator was no exception. Objectively, I can understand why this would be fascinating subject-matter to some audiences. It is effectively about one of the early cinema pioneers. He produced some of the biggest films of the twenties and thirties including Scarface, the Racket and Hell's Angels. In fact, Hell's Angels and its the ground-breaking practices feature heavily within the Aviator.

Leonardo Dicaprio was Leonardo Dicaprio. He was charismatic enough, as the maverick and eccentric film mogul. He did earn the second of six Oscar nods for his portrayal, ultimately losing to Jamie Foxx who played Ray Charles. Honestly, I did think Jamie Foxx gave a better performance. However, where Leo didn't win an Oscar, Cate Blanchett did. She won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Katherine Hepburn. Again, she was good as far as the role went, but I'm not sure whether it was really Oscar-worthy. The portrayal felt very surface-level. Katherine Hepburn features heavily earlier on, before disappearing for much of the second-act to appear at the end as a Deux-ex-machina figure.

I also didn't think much of Kate Beckinsale who was pretty insipid as Ava Gardner or perhaps that's because she didn't have the best material. She didn't have that much to do throughout the film except be the target of Hughes' paranoid delusions.

Don't get me wrong, there were some great sequences in this film: Hughes catastrophically crashing his plane was heart-pounding, edge-of-the-seat stuff, while the portrayal of his declining mental health was well-directed and acted out. Dicaprio and Scorsesee worked extensively with UCLA's Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz aiming to portray OCD and germaphobia as accurately as possible ... although I may argue that Hughes recovered from this nadir a little too easily. Surely, it would take more than just a pep-talk from your old flames. But I guess that's just Hollywood.

The Aviator was entertaining enough, but, personally I don't much care for biopics or period-dramas. And that's more to do with me than any criticism of Scoresee or the Aviator itself.

Babel review

 Number 833 on the top 1000 films of all time is the Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu's psychological drama Babel.

Babel spans four separate yet inter-locking narratives across the US, Mexico, Morocco and Japan. Chieko Wataya (Rinko Kikuchi) is a deaf-and-dumb Japanese teenage girl who has a strained relationship with her father Yasujiro (Koji Yakusho.) Yasujiro, while hunting in Morocco bequeaths his rifle to his guide who in turn sells it to goatherder Abdullah, whose goats are being attacked by jackals. He sends his two sons Yusuf (Boubker Ait El Caid) and Ahemd (Said Tarchani) to tend to the herd with the new rifle.

Tragedy strikes when the two boys fire at a tour bus containing married couple Richard (Brad Pitt) and Susan (Cate Blanchett.) Having marital problems, they travel to Morocco leaving their children in the care of their Mexican nanny Amelia (Adriana Barraza.) When the two are unable to return in time for Amelia to attend her nephew's wedding in Mexico, she goes anyway, taking the children with her.

This is definitely one of the more depressing films I've seen on this list. It was a downbeat, bittersweet, yet powerful tale about the consequences of us not communicating with each other. The title 'Babel' is an obvious reference to the Tower of Babel. Angry at humans for trying to construct a tower to reach heaven, God made it that so none of them could no longer speak the same language.

But poor Chieko could not speak at all. Rendered deaf and dumb from the trauma of discovering her mother's dead body, she struggles in relating to the outside world. Rinko Kikachi was very good at portraying a young lady trying and failing to find any type of connection. She was a relatable character. At one point or another, I'm sure we've all felt like we haven't fit in somewhere. Although her narrative is the least-connected to the rest of the plot it was one of the most powerful.

From here, we go to Morocco. The young and immature boys Ahmed and Yussuf being eager to try the range of the rifle, nonchalantly fire at a tour bus. When they realise they may have killed somebody, the two orchestrate a web of lies, which only leads to more tragedy.

Enter Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Blanchett plays Susan who was subsequently shot by Yussuf. She was good in what little she had to do, but she was largely under-used. Brad Pitt impressed me though. Instead of being the suave action hero, he was a grieving husband trying to fix his marriage. It was the most mature I have ever seen him.

Finally, we've come to poor Amelia who makes one innocent mistake with disastrous consequences. Adriana Barraza was great in the role rightly earning an Oscar nod. It clear that Amelia is a loving, empathetic woman who never wanted any harm to come to her words, yet that's exactly what happened. I do find it strange that neither Adriana Barraza or Rinko Kikachi didn't receive star billing yet their male co-stars did. These two were just as integral to the plot as Brad Pitt or Koji Yashuko.

Multi-narratives with ensemble casts can often be difficult to follow, but Inarritu did a good job in navigating the various complexities. It was a good idea to pick four different countries with four different cultures and languages. That certainly gave each section a distinctive look.

Along with Amores Perros and 21 Grams, Babel is part of Initarru's death trilogy. Although all three films make use of the hyperlink narrative structure, I do think Babel does it the best. I would also argue it's the best of the three. With the film's central theme being communication, I will end on a pertinent quotation by Stephen Hawking:

"For millions of years, mankind lived just like the animals, but then something happened that unleashed the power of our imaginations: we learned to talk....It doesn't have to be like this. All we need to do is make sure we keep talking."

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button review

 Number 459 on the top 1000 films of all time is David Fincher's 2008 fantasy romantic drama 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.'

Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) is a man who ages in reverse. Abandoned at birth due to his seemingly elderly appearance, he is adopted by the kindly Queenie (Taraji P.Henson) and Tizzy Weathers (Mahershala Ali.) As he ages chronologically, he appears to look younger and younger. Cate Blanchett stars as his love interest Daisy Fuller.

I would argue this film marked a maturation for both Brad Pitt and David Fincher. Fincher is primarily known for his thrillers like Fight Club, Se7en  and the Game. Yet this film marked a coming-of-age for him. A thriller is completely different game to a romantic drama - there's a whole new set of rules and Fincher played it well. I think you can argue that Fincher isn't a subtle director. His thrillers like Se7en take an unflinching look into the darker aspects of the human mind. However, here, he was far more nuanced and understated. None of the characters ever come across as two-dimensional or cliched. Thomas Button (Jason Fleyming) could have easily been the archetypal, neglectful father who abandoned his son, but you can see how guilty he feels about his actions and how he tries to make things right. 

Daisy Fuller could have been little more than a scorned woman. Her affections for Benjamin are initially rebuffed. Later on, he leaves her after they have a child together as he doesn't want to become a burden. However, Daisy later reconnects with Benjamin after he has regressed into a teenager and takes care of him as a baby. It is her diaries. detailing the nature of her and Benjamin's relationship, that fuel the narrative along. 

Fincher also balanced the drama and the comedy well. I certainly enjoyed the running joke of the man who was struck by lightning seven times.

And Brad Pitt is great in the leading role well-deserving of his Oscar nomination. Having starred in Fincher's Se7en and Fight Club and better known as an action movie star, he might not be your first choice for dramatic roles. But he plays Benjamin Button well. Benjamin could have been a caricature - a freak that everybody points and laughs at or he could have been a self-pitying victim. But he was neither of those things. Rather than being self-pitying, Benjamin Button takes pride in his appearance. He doesn't see it as a disability and refuses to let it get in his way of living his life. And he lives a great life from fighting in WW2 to travelling to India and Southeast Asia. He is an inspiring character to watch and a lot of that is down to Brad Pitt's great portrayal.

This film did surprise me. Based on their reputations, I certainly didn't expect David Fincher or Brad Pitt to be able to pull it off, but, boy, oh boy, did they prove me wrong.