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The story of Alfred Hitchcock must

be more interesting than this. The genius behind some of the greatest moments in cinema history gets the standard biopic treatment in Hitchcock. The problem is that it not only fails to live up to the legacy of the man it is trying to capture but it also manages to make him look completely uninteresting.

With the occasional moment managing to hit the right note there is a very real possibility there is an interesting biopic in here somewhere. Certainly the famous shower scene from Psycho is recreated with much love and is the best moment this film has to offer. The film flirts with the idea of Hitchcock being voyeuristic and obsessive but backs off before it gets too controversial.

Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren shine in the central relationship between Hitchcock and Alma Reville. These two strong performances manage to bring the film back from the brink as the production of Psycho strains their marriage. The supporting cast however, fades into the background as if they are aware that the film is not really interested in them at all.

Ultimately there is not much that can rectify the major problem with the film, the fact that it falls flat at every turn. There are many question marks surrounding the authenticity of the film’s plot; the biggest of which must be if you’re going to invent the history of Hitchcock, why make it so boring?

2/5

Hitchcock is in UK cinemas now

When Good Will Hunting came out, it was always assumed

that it was Matt Damon who did all the graft, and Ben Affleck was the one who was hanging on to Damon’s brilliance – but now, it is being said, maybe it was the other way round. Argo is an incredibly astute work that has all the hallmarks of a brilliant director, especially one with so little directing experience.

The plot is preposterous – in Iran in 1979, protests have broken out and the US embassy is overthrown by the violent mob, with most of the staff taken hostage, with relations between Iran and America suggesting that these hostages may well be killed. However during the confusion 6 staff escaped and are hidden by the Canadian ambassador in his home. While outside anyone accused of being American is killed on site, inside they wait, hoping not to be discovered. Back on US soil, it is decided to try and sneak them out, with their only possible option being a heavily guarded airport. And so fake Canadian identities are constructed to allow them to sneak safely onto a passenger jet, under the pretence that they are supposed to be location scouts for a Sci-Fi movie. With silly looking aliens and crack-pot nonsense. Called Argo. And most ridiculous of all – it’s based on a true story. It really did happen.

Knowing this changes your entire perspective – farce is replaced with tension, humour with fear, as the covert mission faces obstruction after obstruction – the structure and production of the final quarter of an hour has got to be one the most well conceived and nail biting experiences I’ve had thanks to cinema in years.

Oscar Hopes

Having already won the “movie cast prize”

at the SAG, it is clear that Argo has the potential to win big. It really is a staggering film, and few would argue if it ended up getting the Best Picture nod. But. I don’t think it will. It’s nomination categories aren’t across the board, which suggests, and where they exist there are other nominations that seem stronger in each category. The main award looks set to go to Lincoln, and I would even push Silver Linings Playbook ahead in the queue (yes, it really is that good). Elsewhere, the best supporting actor nomination is a damn dense pack of

leading stars, and there was little truly remarkable about Alan Arkin’s role to suggest the night will be his. Next in line are more technical awards – editing (which I feel Life of Pi must be in with a shout) original music (which is fairly unremarkable, and certainly doesn’t stand out as significant, while up against Skyfall) sound editing and mixing (which equally fail to stand out as significant for Affleck’s film) before finally best Adapted Screenplay. If it has a shout, it could be that – but again, it’s a tough, tough group of nominations, including Life of Pi (filming the impossible) Beasts of the Southern Wild (which is so delightful it makes you want to weep), Lincoln and once again, Silver Linings Playbook. As much as it deserves to do well, I have to say, I don’t think Argo will win anything – despite the fact it is a brilliant piece of cinema.

I”m quite keen on a good animation. As anyone who has met me will attest, I have

a small fixation with Wall-E, and hold many of its peers in high esteem – few higher than one of my all time favourite films “Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs”. As such, when it comes to animation, I have been around the block. Having only recently caught Paranorman I am happy to say that this surpassed whatever few expectations I had of this. What was a release that slipped past me last year as some loveless film for kids has become my surprise kids film of the year – filling the void left by my disappointed expectations of Brave.

Paranorman echoes much of the knowing humour of CWACOM, and similarly manges to balance it with a cracking, easy to watch masterpiece that kids will enjoy too. The story of Paranorman subverts the traditional children”s narrative while keeping thoughts critical. A child, Norman, is born in a world in which he does not fit. He is peculiar in his difference, and finds that his difference makes him special, but struggles to really his individuality into something positive.

The subversion comes in that his gift is that he can see dead people, sharing a peculiar skill that only his Uncle – a reclusive oddity that is shunned by the rest of the town – dares mention, and in a town built on a history of ghosts and witchcraft. Believing

him to be deluded, his family hope he will break from his phase, and fail to see the truth that was staring at them all along – just how special he is.

The look of Paranorman is magical – managing to capture something of the ghostly quality of stop motion animation into an aesthetic that looks clean, and crisp – and is put to good use in a distinctive online casinos australia world. Filled with humour, Paranorman manages to amuse horror fans while keeping Kids interested with a tale that is just as dark as they could hope to cope with, while never overstepping or abusing its position. A very intelligent, funny and beautiful film that I would be happy for my kids to fall in love with.

Oscar Hopes

There is only one nomination and that is for Best Animated Feature, alongside Brave, Frankenweenie, Wreck-it Ralph and Aardman”s Pirates!, a collection of films which all have their charms. The category is such an oddity that it seems hard to try to rationalise how any decision can be made – are we looking here for animation and style, or should we be focusing on the best film which happens to be animated? The look and feel of Paranorman is so utterly distinctive that comparison seems impossible, but it certainly surpasses the almost clumsy Pixar offering of Brave, and Burton”s Frankenweenie unfortunately lags behind Paranorman while attempting to do something similar, but with a more tired invention. Wreck-it Ralph, still technically unreleased in Britain, promises to be as equally well written and different which means it may be the biggest competitor, if judged with this kind of criteria – in fact, both attend to fans of different cultures – Wreck-it Ralph indulging the fantasies of avid arcade gamers, while Paranorman is soaked in reference to trashy horror films and other low-art films, it might be worth considering which offends the Academies” sentiments the most! As it is, I would personally love to see Paranorman win, but almost all of the films in this category are equally deserving but for different reasons – but are unfortunately inseparable offerings due to their diversity (bizarre as that sounds). Potentially a very difficult category to predict.