BAFTAs 2014 - The Winners

Sadly BAFTA is over for another year; and what a show it was. Every year this commemoration of film serves to reignite my passion and appreciation for this great art form and reminds me of the importance of stories, imagination, creation. We need individuals to be inspired to pursue their fantastical visions, to become the actors, directors and writers of tomorrow. Actors who reflect and project others as believably as if it were actually them. Directors who envisage a concept and pin it down for the world to view. Writers who speak to us with words that generate compassion, that educate and entertain. I love every aspect of this industry, from the initial thought, all the way through to celebrations like last night. Here's hoping to another incredible year of film...

Best Film 12 Years A Slave

Leading Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave

Supporting Actor Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips

Leading Actress Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine 

Supporting Actress Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

Outstanding British Film Gravity


Director  Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity


Original Screenplay American Hustle

Original Music Gravity

Cinematography Gravity

Outstanding Debut by a British WriterDirector or Producer Kieran Evans (Writer/Director), Kelly + Victor

Special Visual Effects  Gravity 

Film Not in the English Language The Great Beauty

EE Rising Star Award Will Poulter 

Adapted Screenplay Philomena

Editing Rush

The Fellowship award went to Dame Helen Mirren who ended the evening on a fitting verse from Shakespeare's The Tempest:

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd tow'rs, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on; and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep.










Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2561138/Lupita-Nyongo-makes-bag-main-accessory-stars-pose-fun-snaps-BAFTA-selfie-booth.html#ixzz2tbAVXFqd 

BAFTA 2014 - Red Carpet

The show is yet to begin but here are a few snaps from the red carpet to get us in the award show spirit. 

Brangelina looking dapper and classy

Lupita Nyong'o injecting some colour to the carpet

American Hustle's Amy Adams

The Wolf of Wall Street - Mr Leonardo DiCaprio

Be still my beating heart - Michael Fassbender and Bradley Cooper

Eddie Redmayne and his girlfriend Hannah

The great Christoph Waltz

Favourite Soundtracks Part III

I would like to apologise for my half year hiatus from this very blog! My absence can be explained by the fact I have just started studying at university so have been busy settling in, meeting new people and finding time to bury my nose in Law books on occasion... But fear not and rest assured that I am back and ready to reignite my passion for film. 

Actually, it's rather presumptuous to assume anyone has actually missed activity on Amateur Reviews but I have certainly missed writing it...

FAVOURITE SOUNDTRACKS PART III

1. Les Miserables I Dreamed A Dream - Anne Hathaway I love this musical but the stand out track as cliché as expected is Anne Hathaway's portrayal of the musical theatre great. Ideally my favourite song from the musical is One Day More, however something about the movie version did not quite gel for me as much as some of the stage versions.


2. Great Gatsby Back To Black Beyonce and Andre 3000 This was one of my most listened to CDs of the summer so I was torn between a great many of the tracks. The hip hop edge of the sound track is to our ears what jazz was to Gatsby and co. in the 1920's. Genius from Baz. And as a side note, my second favourite would be Together by The XX.


3. The Vow England The National Yet another track by The National makes it onto one of my favourite lists (About Today from Warrior being the other). This is the instrumental version which ends the movie, however the original with lyrics is beautiful also.


4. Flight Gimme Shelter Rolling Stones Now I know that this song features in so many films other than Flight, but this is the most recent use of it that I am aware of therefore I decided to pick Flight as the soundtrack from which it's from. The intro of this song is summer personified in a song.


5. Social Network In Motion Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Incredible Oscar worthy soundtrack, the movie would not be what it is without it. I also particularly enjoyed the choral cover of Creep by Radiohead which accompanied the trailer too though is not part of the score.


6. Inglourious Basterds Cat People David Bowie Great song to accompany an even greater tracking shot by Quentin Tarantino.


7. Romeo + Juliet Talk Show Host Radiohead Another inspired Baz Luhrman soundtrack. The modern music in the modern take of Romeo and Juliet keeps the movie feeling fresh and relevant nearly 20 years on. Impressive film making.


8. Requiem For A Dream Lux Aeterna This song is used in so many other contexts nowadays that I sometimes forget that it is from this movie by Darren Aronofsky. I believe it was used for a Lord of The Rings Trailer? Either way it is a cracking piece of soundtrack to a cracking movie.


9. There Will Be Blood Convergence Johnny Greenwood I actually struggle to listen to this. It is not something that you'd put on for a bit of easy listening, or at a party for that matter. But I included it in the post just for the sheer fact that it encapsulates the urgency and unease of the movie ridiculously well. There Will Be Blood is truly brilliant but an undeniably hard watch; this soundtrack contributes to quality. 


10. Silver Linings Play Book Buffalo Alt-J Feat. Mountain Man And finally to round off the list... Alt-J is one of my favourite bands so when I heard their distinctive sound on the Silver Linings OST I was very happy indeed.


So that rounds off Part III. There will probably be a Part IV as I have always got my ears trained on the songs that come from some of my favourite films. Until then you can by all means check out Part I and Part II via the links below if it takes your fancy (or perhaps not if you hate my music/film taste!) 

Part I
Part II