I think I may have mentioned that, being a member of the Academy and BAFTA, I get to vote during the Awards season. This is a an honour and a privilege that I covet, as I love watching movies. Well here’s two more to add to the current list…I watched Fruitvale Station, which is a powerful and terrific film, based on true events, with excellent acting and direction. The film was written and directed by first time Director Ryan Coogler and the film won the Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It is well deserved and I am sure that he and the film’s leading actor, Michael B. Jordan will go on to exciting careers, if the film industry can make up its mind where it is going. The random bad luck of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, in the story, really strikes home and is heartbreaking. There are many many films out now on so many different platforms, some good and some really quite bad and one does not want this sort of film to get lost in the crowd. The public deserves to see it. It is a year for excellent black film making and the time is here, we have few this year, with THE BUTLER, TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE ..plus others. I think that the excellent CAPTAIN PHILLIPS should be included in the mix. Although the Somalis are the ‘bad guys’ in the film, the pirates, the actors are outstanding and completely believable, making their story credible and tragic, however much we deplore their activities.
Also saw PHILOMENA, which I enjoyed very much. It is funny and sad and the chemistry between Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, really works. Judi Dench goes on from strength to strength and she is lovely in this. I remember seeing her at the Old Vic Theatre (starting out as the National Theatre) in “Romeo and Juliet”, when I was a drama student. She has grown and grown as an actress and despite her tiny stature, largely dominates everything she’s in now. Judging from the huge crowd in the movie theatre, where I saw her latest film, she has a substantial following as I am sure that most American fans do not know Steve Coogan, good though he is!
