'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' Stages An Amazing Cher Comeback

Ten years after Meryl Streep fell in love, sing and dance to the marvelous songs of Abba, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is here with the complete cast & more, and let me start with--I absolutely enjoyed this! This coming from someone who's not fond of the first one, and I'm almost sure that a revisit will change that.

The cast of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Photo by United International Pictures

Ol Parker's Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again begins with Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) preparing for the re-opening of their villa in Greece, as we learn that her mother Donna has passed away a year prior. Indeed, a huge event for Sophie as she lives the legacy of her mom. These events are juxtaposed with the young Donna (Lily James) after she graduates in Oxford with her best friends Tanya and Rosie--the Dynamos, as she live an adventurous life. Through her trips, she meets the young Harry, Sam and Bill which leads her to live in the island of Kalokairi where she eventually resided. It is a back and forth of lively and bittersweet moments for both young Donna and Sophie, and it is almost impossible not to sing along with them.

Lily James has never been this memorable, vivacious and lovely, as the young Donna Sheridan. To begin with, she has huge shoes to fill in but her exotic aura and charm, as different as Meryl Streep's Donna, is remarkably watchable. Highlights are her Andante, Andante as she wanders around an old abandoned house in the island, and gritty and cheeky Mamma Mia with the hilarious and cute Jessica Keenan Wynn and Alexa Davies as the young Rosie and Tanya. Amanda Seyfried, on the other hand, has matured so much--both as an actress and as her character that there were times where Cher looks more youthful. She doesn't have the Gimme Gimme Gimme material this time, as she's given a more mature developed storyline.

The rise in excitement, however, only started when 'big dick energy' role model Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard enter the picture. Baranski and Walters' comedic scenes are highly needed as they support the worrisome Sophie. This time, they were given much more material without being outshined by Meryl. Firth and Skarsgard are bonkers. The Dancing Queen sequence in particular where they mimic Jack and Rose's 'I'm Flying' scene in Titanic is flat out laugh-out-loud hilarious. It makes one think that they're either having the time of their lives, or they just want to get over with the silliness that they bring to the film.

Cher in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again; Photo: United International Pictures

There are so many silly numbers and sequences but the highlight, without exaggeration, is throughout Cher's epic arrival until her final number with the cast singing Super Trouper readily and goofily. Her arrival is reminiscent of Rey's first encounter with Luke Skywalker in The Force Awakens, or Meryl Streep coming out of the elevator in The Devil Wears Prada. But her grand entrance is just the start. As Sophie's grandmother who rarely showed up in their life events, she makes up for the missing time. Like Donna, she's also a wanderer. She even speaks Mexican, and in most definitely the best number and scene of the movie, she sings Fernando with her Andy Garcia, who was introduced in the beginning as the manager of Sophie and Donna's villa only to be revealed as Cher's long lost Mexican lover named Fernando. So cliche and wacky, but also exceptionally entertaining, especially when they started to dance together that the whole audience died of pleasure.

Cher steals the show without a doubt, and the film perfectly stages an amazing comeback for her, even when Meryl's Donna arrives as her spirit while singing a touching rendition of The Day Before You Came with Amanda Seyfried.

This whole movie is so special that it will surely put a smile on everyone's face after the end credits. Whether it may be out of cheesiness or just pure entertainment. It's that pleasant.

Top 10 Supporting Actress of 2014

Time to continue where I left off with Supporting Actresses!

1

Patricia Arquette as Olivia Evans

Boyhood

As much as I am a fan of flashy performances, I'm also a huge fan of subtle yet authentic ones and that's how I would describe Patricia Arquette's performance in Boyhood. It's a real character associated with natural acting and the result? Poignant and amazing.


2
Jessica Chastain as Anna Morales
A Most Violent Year

Jessica Chastain continues to surprise as years goes by. After watching A Most Violent Year, Celia Foote is definitely not the most fun Chastain character anymore. Her turn in this film is such a joy to watch from beginning to end. The wig works for her!


3
Tilda Swinton as Minister Mason
Snowpiercer

Speaking of fun, here's Tilda Swinton as my 3rd favorite performance by a an actress in a supporting role. Snowpiercer is Tilda and this is what I'm talking about in my Arquette writeup that I equally love flashy character performances. Swinton managed to make a despicable villain an adorable one.


4
Keira Knightley as Joan Clark
The Imitation Game

Never a fan of Keira until last year when I watched Begin Again.A few months later I watched The Imitation Game and I think it sealed my love for her. Her accent is so likable, and she made what could be a boring character an enjoyable one.


5
Uma Thurman as Mrs. H
Nymphomaniac

Just watch Nymphomaniac and see for yourself. I mean look at that pic! It's such a crime that she was snubbed by almost every awards guild. I mean...

6
Naomi Watts as Lesley
Birdman

Birdman has a lot of great performances and as for the supporting actresses, in my opinion, Naomi Watts should have been nominated instead of Emma Stone.


7
Rene Russo as Nina Romina
Nightcrawler

Jake Gyllenhaal's performance wouldn't be as fun and effective if not for Rene Russo's character. Her character, even if she's supposed to be strong, was juxtaposed by her ignorance and Russo captured all of it. Her chemistry with Gyllenhaal is amazing to watch.


8
Meryl Streep as The Witch
Into the Woods

I thought Meryl did a great job as the witch in the movie. It's far from being her best but greatness is always expected and she delivered.


9
Adriana Barraza as Silvana
Cake

Isn't it funny that her name is Silvana in a movie called Cake? alol. Anyway, I thought she was nothing special in most of her appearance in the film until that one scene happened, and voila, she's in this list.

10

Jessica Chastain as Murphy

Interstellar

Jessica Chastain's 2nd sighting in this ranking. She's got a great year but none of her performances got nods in the Oscars. I thought she's one of the best things in Interstellar, both her character and her acting. 

The Homesman

Director: Tommy Lee Jones
With: Hilary Swank, Tommy Lee Jones, Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter, Hailee Steinfeld, William Fichtner, Meryl Streep

Set during the American frontier, a religious woman Mary Bee Cuddie made a deal with a claim jumper on the brink of his death, to help her transport three insane women from Nebraska to Iowa.

Hilary Swank hasn't been in the awards circuit ever since what? 2010 for Conviction? And that was a surprising SAG nod for that matter. This year, there might be an improvement or should I say a comeback, in her career as her work in The Homesman as Mary Bee Cuddie is terrific, portraying a bossy and independent woman whose longingness for love and settlement is one of a kind. She brought epicness to this character that despite being unappealing and a little comical, she shifted the audience's gear from detached to sympathetic. Tommy Lee Jones' George Briggs is similarly endearing. Both characters are not the most congenial character you'll see, but it's impossible not to be touched by them at the end of the movie.

It's not only their character that's compelling, but it's their relationship that struck me the most. We've seen contrasting characters before that end up being nice together but this one's pretty different as the Western era factors in their condition and relationship. Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto and Sonja Richter played the 'three insane women' and despite not having dialogues, they effectively depicted their roles with such poignancy.

Feminism is a huge theme in The Homesman. The characters of Mary Bee, the three insane women, and Tabitha played by Hailee Steinfeld each showed the differences of women during the Western era. Mary Bee could not find a husband, the three crazy women became insane because of the wrongdoings of the men in their lives, and Tabitha showed how she values herself in choosing her husband. Tommy Lee Jones also showcased Briggs' personality and his relationship with Cuddie as an instrument to define how men treated women during their era, and how women should behave in order to find a man. It's a very obvious theme but the story is what matters to me because it's strikingly touching. And rarely do Western dramas interest me which leads me to ponder that I probably have seen 5 Western themed films maximum.

What I adore more about The Homesman is its cinematography and score. Marco Beltrami provided a very pleasant score for Cuddie and George's journey, that it's so far my favorite score of the year. He's on a roll as I also like his score for Snowpiercer and The Giver. I think The Homesman's only fault is its inconsistency in tone, but it's pretty much easy to ignore because it's really beautiful and affecting.

As one of the films I anticipated early this year, The Homesman didn't disappoint. For a Western Drama, it's certainly likable but it's seldom for me to love films from a foreign period or era, so I'm not really wow'd by the film. The story however, added with Swank and Tommy Lee Jones's craft, made this film good, shocking and sentimental overall.

The Giver

Director: Phillip Noyce
With: Brenton Thwaites, Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, Odeya Rush, Katie Holmes, Alexander Skarsgård, Cameron Monaghan, Taylor Swift

What's up with the number of Dystopian/Utopian films this year? We just had Divergent, and earlier this year we had Snowpiercer, then in the last quarter we'll have the third installment of The Hunger Games trilogy, Mockingjay. But I'm not here to complain, if these films continue to entertain then I wouldn't mind watching more of them. Like The Giver, it's thoroughly entertaining. I didn't regret watching it at all even though I was planning on skipping it and just wait for HBO or Star Movies to show it.

Based on the children's novel by Lois Lowry, The Giver follows a boy named Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) living in a Utopian society where pain, hunger, poverty and even love were eliminated. A society wherein every member has an assignment or a job for the community. It's basically like other futuristic films wherein there are factions, or districts, or people are separated into class but in no way it's repetitive or too familiar.

It's probably best that I didn't read the book as I've learned from some friends that the film adaptation didn't give justice to its origin. I guess it's better this way because I'm highly satisfied by the film. Yes, it's notably far from being perfect but the things I like about it are wonderful. The line between utopia and dystopia in The Giver is very interesting and fun to follow. I enjoyed the absurdity of their community. How the words 'family', 'terrified' and 'love' are offensive and how kisses, colors and music are taboo. Weirdly enough, I also enjoyed the repetition of the phrases -- 'Thank you for your childhood', 'precision of language' and 'I accept your apology'. The characters are also eminently engaging may it be the heroes, the villains and the innocents. Everything is amusing. Another highlight is Marco Beltrami's mesmerizing score that multiplies the beauty and intensity of the scenes. His music is a standout that I really waited for the credits to roll to take note of his name. He gave Taylor Swift something to sing and play with the piano.

What the film really struggled on is how to execute the requirements of the story. Like Life of Pi, The Giver is considered as one of the hardest books to adapt into a film. But unlike the former, Noyce's The Giver wasn't backed up by stunning visual effects. Bad, bad effects. I also didn't appreciate that it used some visuals/scenes from other resources. Although the visuals that they borrowed are magnificent, it would probably been much better if they made their own 'realities'. Then again I doubt they would be successful in creating their own ones because it was obvious the visuals is not the film's strongest suit.

I also have to commend on how good Brenton Thwaites is as a lead. He's not the Jonas that I've envisioned when I read the novel's synopsis but it's easy to overlook the miscasting when the actor is good. It doesn't hurt that he's got great chemistry with the ridiculously beautiful Odeya Rush. Love both Jeff Bridges and Meryl Streep here too. I thought they only have a few scenes here and that the film would focus more on Thwaites but they actually have a bunch. Often juicy too. Streep here proved yet again that she's an effective villain. A calm one for that matter. In fact, she sort of reminded me of her Miranda Priestly, except less glamorous and less epic. Still, the distracting Anjelica Huston hair didn't wipe out her undeniable talent. Also, the amazing baby! ;_;

What's a futuristic film without its share of philosophy? After all, the book it was adapted on is known for it. Well, The Giver is rich in thought provoking philosophical concepts. It clearly captivated the importance of knowledge, feelings and other aspects that form an imperfect community that somehow, this imperfection makes us all human beings. Again, I wouldn't know if the film dug deep enough into the thoughts of its origin. It's Lois Lowry for cryinoutloud but I must say, The Giver, despite its imperfection will probably end up as one of my favorites by the end of the year.

Top 10 Movies I Look Forward To this 2014

CLICK THE IMAGE FOR THE FULL RANKING

List of To-Watch Films for Post Oscar blues

That Maya feeling after Usama Bin Laden was finally captured and killed in Zero Dark Thirty. That's what I feel about the end of this Oscars season. LOLJK but it's close ;_; and now that we're starting over again for 2014 films, most of the films to look forward to are not going to be released anytime soon.

So for now, I made a to-see list of films from the past years while waiting for the next awards season. This list is heavily influenced by the things I've learned, read, heard and everything from the recently wrapped up 86th Acadamy Awards. Here they are:

What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

I've read a lot of articles and comments about this film since the beginning of Leo's buzz for Wolf. This film garnered him his first Oscar nomination and some even say that his performance in this is his best ever and worthy of a win. I'll never know how true is that but if it is indeed a robbed performance then poor Leo. When will he win an Oscar? Oh well, if it happens in the near future (or in the far future), I just know that it'll be sweeter for him, and for his loyal fans as well.

Capote

I know! I know! It's such a shame that I haven't seen this yet. Truth is, I never bothered reading anything about Capote before because... :/ I didn't care. I had no intentions of seeing this even if I know that it's critically acclaimed. I was never highly impressed by anything I've seen from him anyway. Thought he's just okay. But after seeing Phillip Seymour Hoffman's name for his performance in this in many best performance lists, it made me curious.  So I searched this on Youtube and WOW! He's AMAZING!!! Also, he just recently passed away so I consider this a viewing tribute for him.:3

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

This film has been in my hard drive for several years now but I keep on ignoring it because it looks too serious. The title piques my curiosity though. Is it about Virginia Woolf or what? So after seeing August: Osage County, which is also based on a play like Woolf, I realized that I might enjoy this like how I enjoyed August. The fact that Woolf has better reviews and has a great legacy makes me think more positive about the film.

Happy-Go-Lucky

I've read this years ago in forums and even planned of watching it but completely forgotten about it because I guess it's not that memorable. Sally Hawkins recent awards recognitions just reminded me again that I should see it. Unlike many, I find Hawkins' performance in Blue Jasmine as just okay so I hope Happy-Go-Lucky will change my opinion of her and I'm sort of positive it will especially she's the lead in it.

Manhattan

Woody Allen is the latest recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award in Golden Globes and during that segment, they showed a montage of Woody Allen films. Manhattan quickly captured my attention. The fact that Meryl Streep is in this is just a bonus. Meryl + Woody = what more could I ask for? I have all the reasons to watch this and the fact that I haven't yet, I will never understand.

Groundhog Day

This film is dubbed as one of the best comedies of all time, and one of the best films of 1993. And that says a lot because 1993 brought us films like Schindler's List, Philadelphia and Jurassic Park, to name a few. It's also directed by Harold Ramis who just recently perished, someone I didn't know before he died. :( But anyway, the premise sounds interesting and the lead is Bill Murray, one of my favorite actors so it just makes sense for me to see this film.

Citizen Ruth

I realized that I've seen all Alexander Payne's films except for this. And when I researched for this, it looks like it's light and fun that it wouldn't be a chore to sit down through this film. I say, why not?

Skyfall

I actually should have seen this last year since it's nominated in 2 or more Oscar categories. But I haven't seen any James Bond film yet so I was kind of hesitant. A year has passed and I'm still procrastibating. This year, hopefully I'll be able to watch it since a friend also recommended me to see it. His reason? cinematographer Roger Deakins who's nominated for this film and for Prisoners as well.

Grave of the Fireflies

I become interested in seeing Japanese animated films because of The Wind Rises and aside from it, I heard LOTS of good things about them. I haven't seen Wind yet but I watched its 5 minute-trailer. It made me search for other Japanese animated film trailers and from watching clips and reading viewers' comments, one of the most popular suggestion is this, Grave of the Fireflies. This seems deep, and not in the usual Pixar animated films deep, but 'seriously deep' and that got me curious because it's an animated film and I think it's hard to achieve that quality through animation. We'll see.

Cape Fear

Juliette Lewis impressed me in August: Osage County but I gotta admit that I've never heard of her before :/, the fact that she's been nominated when she was younger made me want to see that performance and voila! it's Cape Fear directed by Scorsese. If I watch this, I realized that I'll gain more insights about Scorsese's filmography and that would be a treat as I find almost all of his films with great quality. It also has Jessica Lange who I've never seen in a film before.

Tootsie

Speaking of Jessica Lange, I'm not an avid viewer of American Horror Story but I trust the TV series fans when they say that she's one of the best actress there is. I've seen a number of episodes of it and she's really good. I even read an article saying that she's the counter actress to Meryl Streep. :/ This film gave Lange her first ever Oscar so that urged me to see it. Then, I also saw Chile's Oscar submission Gloria and I read some articles that indicate Gloria's eyeglasses being reminiscent of Tootsie's. Made me curious so I'll watch this.

I'm Not There

Bob Dylan, Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale. I've read about this before and watched its trailer even but I didn't plan on watching it. It didn't have enough rave for me to see it but one time, I was bored after reading Oscar related articles that I happen upon some clips I've never seen before of I'm Not There. It looked way interesting than its trailer. Perhaps, this is the time to see it since Cate Blanchett was also praised for her work in this. I mean, she acted as Bob Dylan for cryin out loud. I want to compare which Blanchett performance is the best so this is a must-see.

Children of Men

I've already watched this before. In fact, I'm midway through finishing the film but I fell asleep. I find it interesting but I was just so tired when I watched it so I think this year, alongside celebrating Cuaron's Gravity success, it's about time I finish his other critically acclaimed film. Oh, and it's quite a fun fact that Chiwetel is in this. ;)

Junebug

Like Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Adams has been nominated several times but has never won. She seems like she's stuck being a runner up and some people even say that she's cemented in 5th place lol. She's becoming the new Julianne Moore. No worries though because she's the lead in the upcoming Oscar baity film of Tim Burton, Big Eyes. I don't wanna jinx it so let's just hope that it will not end up being a flop since.. you know, Tim Burton.. lately. But anyway, a lot of people say that her first Oscar nomination which is for this film is the only deserving one, even deserving of a win they say. I've seen all of her Academy Award performances except for Junebug so maybe 2014 is the year for me to see this.

Spanking the Monkey

I don't know which of the first three feature films of David O. Russell should I watch first. Spanking the Monkey? Flirting with Disaster? or Three Kings? I've never heard of these films before DOR became one of the most known directors of our generation so I just randomly chose Spanking the Monkey. As some people know, I'm not the biggest O. Russell fan. My love for JLaw decreased because of him. The fact that he was nominated for Best Director three times in four years and managed to get all of his actors nominated in the 4 acting categories for 2 consecutive years, I don't know. It's unbelievable and undeserved. But since American Hustle painfully lost all its 10 nominations after having the most nomination count in the last Oscars, and Lupita beat JLaw, and Spike Jonze beat O Russell, everything is now forgiven. :3 I don't hate him anymore. In fact, I gotta admit that I really like The Fighter but I really dislike Huckabees and SLP & Hustle are just okay films for me. So there.. cheers to new start.

This list also includes United 93, Elizabeth, Pretty Woman, My Neighbor Totoro, Howard's End, Sense and Sensibility (which I can't find the energy to finish), Steel Magnolias and probably more. No one knows if I'll be able to see all of these but I'm really curious and excited to see most of them.

There you have it! Do you have other films to recommend? What old films are you planning to see this year?

Top 10 LEAD ACTRESSES of 2013

 

10. Brie Larson as Grace - Short Term 12

She's proven to be a versatile actress with the variety of roles she took last year. Truth be told, she's no different from Jennifer Lawrence in terms of acting. Both have the youthfulness factor to portray a young lady while both can also portray mature roles. The latter is just more popular. Her versatility as an actress is shown in her performance as Grace in Short Term 12, a young brave lady who showed both maturity and youthfulness, vulnerability and braveness. For some reason, she also reminds me of Evan Rachel Wood but I hope she becomes more successful.

9. Greta Gerwig as Frances - Frances Ha

 It's hard not to associate Greta Gerwig with Frances Ha that it makes it harder for me not to refer her as Frances. That is how she greatly embodied an original character, a character from her vision as one of the writers of the film. She just became Frances. But she deserves to be recognized with her real name because she's a gem that needs more spotlight. Frances Ha is what it is because of Greta Gerwig's antics. She singlehandedly carried the film with her endearing self and she magically made a black and white picture become colorful. Thank you Greta, Frances Ha is unforgettable.

 8. Julie Delpy as Celine - Before Midnight

She's charming as ever in Before Midnight but the darkness, or should I say the reality of the film showed other layers of Julie Delpy's talent. The usual youthful bloom on her face has been washed out by her age but it helped in conveying Celine's message across. We are used to seeing Delpy's smile and lightness in the Before series but in Midnight, she shifted to a more sophisticated persona while still displaying her charm. Anyway, ignore all of these. Just watch the film and let her breasts do the talking.

7. Paulina Garcia as Gloria - Gloria

Wow, I've never seen a performance as brave as Paulina Garcia's in Gloria. Well, 2013 has a lot of 'brave' performances but Paulina Garcia stands out because well, Gloria really pushed her to be one. She's my senior version of Adèle Exarchopoulos basically because of the massive amount of nudity that they went through. LOL. But seriously, the nudity that Garcia endured in Gloria just showed how committed she was in her character especially considering that she doesn't have that fresh body anymore (but still slamming for her age, I guess :/). Aside from that, the character study of a middle-aged woman pushed her boundaries as an actress and probably as a person. With her age, she showed a lot of energy and passion and they're all perfect to portray a character facing a midlife crisis like Gloria.

6. Meryl Streep as Violet Weston - August: Osage County

I'm pretty sure that even if I included her in this ranking that I'm still underrating her. The fact that she is consistently giving us pure brilliant performances tend us to underrate her a bit because she can easily be number one in any year. I'm guilty of that. If Meryl Streep didn't have her precursors of great acting for let's say, 10 years or even 5, her performance as the pill popping filthy mouthed matriarch Violet Weston would win Best Actress awards. But unfortunately, she's been in the spotlight for the past many years that she's being taken for granted. Let's just leave it at that. Bottom line is, she's amazing and is the greatest actress of our generation.

5. Sandra Bullock as Ryan Stone - Gravity

Wooff Wooff Awooooo and floating tears, this scene is not even the reason why I think she's one of the best actresses last year even if it's the baitiest. But the fact that she's almost 50 and she threw herself in the outer space rotating nonstop is unbelievable. And then she had to work with harnesses, zero gravity sets, that's impressive as fuck and plain badass. Let's face it, Sandra would easily win this year's Best Actress race if she didn't win for her much inferior The Blindside performance. Ryan Stone could have been a great addition to badass lead characters like Clarice Starling. But like what I wrote about Meryl, past wins, losses and credentials matter in giving actors their rightful appreciation.

4. Gaby Hoffmann as Crystal Fairy - Crystal Fairy

I've read a lot of comments about the current look of Gaby and they're almost all negative. That she didn't grow up as pretty as she was when she was young. But hey, she's making the most of her look by accepting roles that fit it -- Caroline in Girls and Crystal Fairy in Crystal Fairy. I have a soft spot for her in Crystal Fairy because I love quirky characters in films, books, TV and even in real life. Crystal Fairy is probably the weirdest of them all and Gaby Hoffmann made it sure that her weirdness will make people either uncomfortable or entertained. She definitely made me feel both of those. But it didn't stop with that, because Crystal Fairy has a lot of secrets behind her bushy hairs and Gaby channeled her poignance and it makes for a great impact after all her silly shenanigans. Her Crystal Fairy will be forever cherished.

3. Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers - Saving Mr. Banks

One day I'll make a Most Robbed rankings and Emma Thompson will surely be in that list. It's almost a crime that she was snubbed. I understand the Gerwig, Delpy and Larson shuns, and even Adèle because they didn't fare that well anyway in other award giving bodies but Emma Thompson has been in the running ever since the beginning of the awards season so her missing the main event was truly a bummer. This is her comeback in the game after so many years of being MIA and they missed the opportunity to bring her back in the mix. I say it's their loss. Emma Thompson's P.L. Travers is without a doubt one of the best performances of 2013 films. And people can say that she tackled it in a very cartoonish way but for me, it's just right with the theme of Saving Mr. Banks. Plus, she did it consistently throughout the film and that's commendable. Anyway, what's done is done but I'm kind of skeptical that she'll have a hard time finding another perfect role for her in the future. Oh well, maybe she'd do better in Screenplay. :)

2. Adèle Exarchopoulos as Adèle - Blue is the Warmest Color

Brave, natural, distinct, iconic, committed. That's basically Adèle in Blue is the Warmest Color. It's the bravest of all the brave performances of 2013. Sex, homosexuality, adolescence and life crisis, these are difficult components to portray accurately in a film but she owned all of these with such authenticity that for me, it's already beyond acting. Everything that she did in the film is just mind blowingly real.

1. Cate Blanchett as Jasmine - Blue Jasmine

Even I find it boring that all my favorite performances from the 4 acting categories are almost locks at this point (Lupita is still debatable) but it is what it is. When I watched Blue Jasmine, Cate Blanchett entertained me greatly. Thanks to Woody Allen's screenplay of course but Blanchett made Allen's character for her even better. The character suits her so well. Physically, Blanchett has the glamour of Jasmine. And in terms of personality, Jasmine is a woman of extreme delicacy. Therefore, Blanchett won't be able to do her usual outrageous and exaggerated acting. The result is just the right amount of Blanchett goodness and it makes for an outstanding performance. Jasmine has polarizing characteristics and Cate Blanchett took advantage of that. I seriously think that the whole premise of Blue Jasmine would work as a TV series and Cate Blanchett will be a household name for it. Blanchett has been amazing this whole awards season and now that it's about to end, I can't wait to see her walk on the Oscars stage finally accepting her Best Actress trophy. I hope she acknowledges her loss to Gwyneth Paltrow because I'm pretty sure her impending win for Blue Jasmine is much sweeter with her current age and stature in her career.

Other Rankings:

Top 5 Original Scores of 2013

Top 10 Cinematography of 2013

Top 5 Original & Adapted Screenplays of 2013 

Top 10 Supporting Actors of 2013 

Top 10 Supporting Actress of 2013

Top 10 Lead Actors of 2013 

MOVIE WRITEUPS: Rush, Her and August: Osage County

Rush

Director: Ron Howard
With: Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara

Not gonna lie, I thought Rush would be trash that's why I didn't watch it in the cinema when it came out. I had all the chance but thought that it's going to be irrelevant and didn't believe that it would excel even if I heard and read a lot of good things about it. I didn't suppose that a film about F1 racers would earn so much support from the critics and other award giving bodies so I ignored it. Ha! I've mentioned so many reasons but the primary reason is that I really just dislike Chris Hemsworth.

Chris Hemsworth proved to be a decent actor though, and his haters, if there are any aside from me, should give him a second chance. I thought he's adequate in capturing the happy-go-lucky playboy persona of James Hunt. He can be awkward at times but the change of accent and dramatic attempts are laudable. He doesn't irk me anymore. Howbeit, the reason why I loved the movie so much is the character, Niki Lauda and how committed Daniel Brühl was in portraying this not so likable yet disciplined German racer. Brühl achieved something that not many actors can do and that is by making an unlikable character lovable. Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson come to mind when I think of that quality and  he is a nice addition to this line of actors :)). I can't believe that I almost didn't see it because watching Brühl act is such a treat and Niki Lauda the character is just equally captivating.

The first half of the film may seem like a generic biopic but the second half is not only exhilirating with the action and racing scenes but it's also striking because of the twist in the story and relationship of the main characters. It's receptive even to viewers who had no idea about Formula1 racing. Love the touch of computer game text effects during their races as it adds up to its entertainment value. The editing, the score, all commendable and if there's a Hans Zimmer score for 2013 that deserves recognition, it's his work here and not for 12 Years a Slave. Seriously. I'm not crazy about it but it's miles better than the latter. Some of its visual effects are kind of lousy though.

Rush should have gotten more recognition. It's a shame that it didn't have any nominations in the Oscars, especially Brühl's performance as it's not only competent and deserving to be nominated, it's really one of the best performances for films in 2013. And the fact that he's categorized as supporting is a travesty as Rush is probably more about Niki Lauda's story than James Hunt.

Her

Director: Spike Jonze
With: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Chris Pratt

"We're only here briefly. And while I'm here, I wanna allow myself joy. So fuck it."

"I think anybody who falls in love is a freak. It's a crazy thing to do. It's kind of like a form of socially acceptable insanity."

Spike Jonze gave Amy Adams a weird hairdo and weird fashion style but man, he also gave her some of the memorable film quotes there is.

As mushy as those quotes sound, Her centers around a lonely guy named Theodore Twombly who's just recently gone through divorce so that's already an indication why the film is sentimental. Sounds so basic, right? But Spike Jonze is everything but basic. See Jonze's past films - Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Where The Wild Things Are. So to make things interesting, (as we all know already) he injected an OS with a female voice and personality to Theodore's life and eventually, Theodore developed a relationship with 'Her'. Her name is Samantha.

Cool? Sure. I loved this idea and Her became one of my most anticipated films of 2013 because of that super interesting plot but as I was finally watching it and seeing things unfold, I felt like I need to be rescued because it's kind of starting to feel ridiculous, opposite from what I've expected. I realized, what's going on with Theodore is actually kind of creepy. Am I the only one who feels that way? Probably. I just can't fathom the idea of a human emotion being invested to an artificial one. And this is from someone who thought that it's an interesting concept. It just so happen that after seeing the execution that I realized it's cweepy.

Nothing against out of this world ideas. Heck I love About Time, a film that involves time travel. Plus, I don't necessarily hate or at least dislike the film. I'm conflicted about it. On one hand, it's awesome visually and technically. The color palettes are pretty, great cinematography, one of the best scores for 2013 films. Spike Jonze is a genius for creating a future world with sophisticated technology that makes his viewers yearn to live in that time. On the other hand, I fail to see the achievement in his story. Its aim is to grasp his audience emotionally but that's hard when the emotions are robotic and absurd. Perhaps, this is when the 'insanity' enters the equation. Insane indeed. But I'm really having a hard time devoting any deep or serious emotion towards the film. It's not a good sign when I'm laughing in some of its most intense parts - OS sex, OS saying 'fuck you', OS surrogate, OS falling in love with 600 plus other OS. :/ I gotta give Spike Jonze credit though because this is what people are interested to see and Spike Jonze gave it to them.

Then again, I appreciate a lot of its aspects. It actually reminds me of Jonze's ex-girlfriend, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation - the ethereal vibe, the city lights, emphasis in loneliness and silence, the dimness of colors. Exquisite! And I would rather see more films like this wherein the director is not afraid to take risks, to take his viewers to a different world. I'd rather be surprised or have a commotion to the story than witness a predictable one where there's nothing to talk about. I should just be thankful that Spike Jonze didn't go beyond what's already beyond and that is by making Samantha turn into a real human being ala Pinnochio. :)) I may have some problems with what occurred in the film but overall, Her is gratifying.

August: Osage County

Director: John Wells
With: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Juliette Lewis, Julianne Nicholson, Chris Cooper, Ewan McGregor,
Margo Martindale, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin, Misty Upham, Sam Shepard

The film tells the story of the women of the Weston family whose lives have strayed until a family crisis reunited them back to the house they grew up in and all their hardships, secrets, imperfections and things they have left behind have been awakened. Meryl Streep plays Violet Weston, the filthy-mouthed, pill-popping mother of Barbara, Karen and Ivy played by Julia Roberts, Juliette Lewis and Julianne Nicholson respectively. It is these actresses that brought life and chaos to this conflict-filled play turned into film by Tracy Letts.

Overwhelming. With the star-studded cast and numerous clusterfuck plots that filled the film, it surely makes for an entertaining flick. But as promising and fun as it sounds, it's also immensely negative. There's been a lot of feel bad movies I've watched before, like Young Adult, Amour, Oslo: August 31st, Blue Valentine, the list goes on but this film might be one of the most horrible of them all. It all depends in your background. You either see your own family in the Westons or you're just thankful that you have a different family compared to them. Either way, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It's enough that we hear or witness family arguments in real life, but August: Osage County provokes us to recall these bad memories. In this film, you'll hear several words like ingrate, hypocrite, idiot and more. And now, just by thinking about it, makes me want to STOP them from fighting and saying these hurtful words :333. Trufax.

It probably got me too much but I've been in a lot of family gatherings when I saw this film and I just can't help but see some of our own shambles to it. Thinking about it, I'm pretty sure most of us, if not all, could relate to a few things 'bout the film and it's just harrowing to know how hardships can damage our lives, especially when it comes from our family. But enough about me, let's talk about their performances because I also consider this film a performance driven one.

Call Meryl Streep overrated but she's the best aspect of the film. I could repeat and say that she can go on and on and act for hours and I'll just watch her and feel blessed a hundred times but that's really what she makes me feel :3. Despite the negative nature of her role, she just brings me pleasure whenever she acts. Her screams, her antics as Violet Weston are amazing and call it cliché, but my favorite scene of the whole film is the funeral dinner scene and it's also because of her. Sometimes, I feel like Meryl Streep is secretly a bad person because she's so brilliant in portraying one :)). Julia Roberts as Barbara is also impressive. I'm not wow'd by her but her transition from the goody goody, funny and glamorous characters into the Barbara Weston kind of character is really commendable. No make up, she somewhat looked old, she looked bad  as a character and she owned it. Streep and Roberts carried the film for me that I didn't notice the film's imperfections. The ensemble as a whole is praiseworthy.

If you're into dramas, August: Osage County will not disappoint you. It's one that will may make you feel bad because of its content, but will also make you feel good because of the wonderful performances from start to finish. I'm having a hard time categorizing it as a comedy despite some of the funny lines but the negative content is really overpowering that it negates all the jokes it possesses.