The Martian Trailer Typecasts Matt Damon

Poor old Matt Daaaaaaaaaamon. You'd think somebody in Hollywood had it in for him. First he got stuck out in the far reaches of space in Interstallar and now he's all on his lonesome again in the new trailer for sci-fi thriller The Martian.


Don't feel too sorry for him though. First, Christopher Nolan. Now, Ridley Scott. Matt Damon is getting his pick of the great directors in Hollywood. Maybe all this solitary stuff on faraway planets is Damon just trying to get away from all these other Hollywood actors and their spoiled behaviour on sets. Have you seen the cast list on this one?


Kristen Wiig, Jessica Chastain, Kate Mara, Sean Bean, Donald Glover, Jeff Daniels, Michael Pena and Chiwetel Ejiofor. That all adds up to a lot of talent and just maybe a lot of tantrums that Damon got to mostly avoid.

This looks great so far but as it's not out till November, I hope this is the one and only trailer we'll get. It's already over 3 minutes long so we really need to see nothing more of this until we sit down to watch the film in cinemas thank you very much. 

More trailers at I Love That Film

12 Years A Slave Review

The director of 12 Years A Slave, Steve McQueen, is an artist. He paints the bleakest possible picture of slavery imaginable, capturing beautiful but haunting images that seemed to have been beamed directly from the past. In 12 Years A Slave he transports you to another time and place making you feel the heat and the pain and forcing you to become a witness to the horror of history. Where Django Unchained tempered its brutality with its Tarantino-ness, the only respite from the misery of 12 Years A Slave is the beauty of its compositions and the fact that for one man there may actually be a way out of this hellish misery.

The slave in question is Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free man who lived in New York with his family until one day in 1841 when he is abducted by 'entertainers' who chain him up and send him down south to live the next 12 years as a slave. Along the way, he is beaten, humiliated, forced to work, to punish other slaves and to keep his past and literacy a secret. Over the 12 years, Northup is passed through three slave owners from the seemingly gentle and (vaguely) caring Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch) to the sadistic psycho Epps (Michael Fassbender).

After watching 12 Years A Slave, it is incredible to think how few films there have been about the subject of slavery in America. 200 years of this shocking practice and fewer than 30 films that really explore slavery exist. 12 Years A Slave, though it may only be one film, goes to serious lengths to show the horror, the humiliation and encapsulate the experience of those who were slaves in the South in the 1800's. It is a true story, based on only one man's memoirs but it says so much that audiences may not ever feel the need to see another film on slavery again.

By having Northup as it's protagonist, 12 Years A Slave may not focus on the ordinary slave's experience but instead it zeroes in on the promise, the pride and the painful humiliation of one early African-American to emphasise the wrongs done to all slaves during American slavery's awful 200 year existence. Northup is stifled in every way by his circumstances; he must not admit to even being able to read and write and he is treated worse than an animal. McQueen never shies away from showing the slaves as broken people. Shots of them staring blankly, running back to their masters and treating each other poorly show just how dehumanizing the impact of slavery is.

12 Years A Slave is a constantly tough watch, just as it should be. Every ray of hope is dashed. Every kindness is stamped on and every punishment and humiliation is dwelt on. Sean Bobbit's cinematography captures the sweaty south beautifully but though many of it's shots look like gorgeous paintings, many more are stark reminders of the brutality at the heart of slavery. When Northup is hung from a tree, it is an ugly moment framed with strangely beautiful long shots; a series of depressing snapshots of history. Add to this, Hans Zimmer's haunting, achingly sad score and the sound of slave voices singing Roll Jordan Roll and 12 Years A Slave becomes a mournful ode to 200 years of misery and shame.

12 Years A Slave brings a terrible historical truth to life. It may only be the story of one man but it feels definitive; every frame is a painting that transports you to another time. Through it's cinematography, production and costume design, but most of all the performances of a completely committed cast, 12 Years A Slave depicts the ugliness of slavery with unforgettable imagery.

Stick around! Please enjoy some more reviews from I Love That Film:

Dallas Buyers Club

American Hustle

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

All is Lost

The Railway Man

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Captain Phillips

Saving Mr. Banks

Golden Globes winners and losers

The Golden Globes threw up a bunch of surprises last night and having bet £10 on various outcomes, it seems I have ended up losing about £1.40. The main reason for that is that I put £3 on the favourite for Best Actor in a Drama, Chiwetel Ejifor. I was sure Ejiofor was a guaranteed win after seeing 12 Years A Slave 
on Friday night. Having now seen Dallas Buyers Club, I can see why the competition was so severe.

I also lost a pound by betting on The Wolf of Wall Street to win Best Picture Comedy/Musical over the favourite American Hustle. Again, I haven't seen TWOWS but I suspected that American Hustle would not be winning much except maybe in the acting categories. Oops!

Luckily I did believe in Amy Adams to win the Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical and I had put £2 on her. She was the favourite so I didn't win much but still, it's better than a kick in the pants and made up for losing money on Ejiofor and The Wolf of Wall Street.

I also won a bit on Leo DiCaprio for winning Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical for TWOWS and also for Jared Leto for winning Best Supporting Actor for Dallas Buyers Club. Again, I think both of these were the favourites and I only put a very small amount on each so no big champagne popping wins for me!

I also lost money by betting on Lupita Nyong'o over Jennifer Lawrence for Best Supporting Actress. These were the biggest surprises of the night for me; Ejiofor and Nyong'o losing out to Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lawrence. As much as I love Lawrence, I'm gobsmacked she beat Nyong'o. Thank goodness 12 Years A Slave won Best Picture or I may have had a small screaming fit.

Anyway enough about me and my silly movie awards gambling addiction, here is the list of winners (almost all of them anyway) taken from The Telegraph:

Best motion picture (drama)

12 Years A Slave
Best TV series (drama)
Breaking Bad 

Best Actor in a motion picture (drama)
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Best Actress in a motion picture (drama)
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine 
   
Best Director – motion picture
Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity

Best motion picture (musical or comedy)
American Hustle

Best Actress in a motion picture, musical or comedy
Amy Adams, American Hustle

Best Actor in a motion picture, musical or comedy  
Leonardo Dicaprio, Wolf of Wall Street

Best Animated Feature film 
Frozen

Best Foreign Language Film  
The Great Beauty (Italy)

Best Actor in a TV series, drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad 

Best Supporting Actress in a motion picture
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle

What did you think of the winners this year?