Eddie Redmayne | Craig's Movie Report

I’ve not really taken much interest in the Academy Awards this year, as I am getting increasingly underwhelmed by award ceremonies of late where it’s always the same names and the same kinds of movies getting nominated let alone winning anything. However on taking a casual glance at this year’s winners, I feel pleasantly surprised to see some deserving names getting mentioned.

I was wanting to see Birdman for a while but haven’t yet got around to it. At first I was intrigued as it was a come back vehicle for Michael Keaton, then I heard it was directed by 21 Grams auteur Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. So I am equally happy to report that the movie grabbed Best Picture along with a Best Director nod for Alejandro. In some of the other categories I was not surprised to see who won, such as Eddie Redmayne as Steven Hawkins in The Theory Of Everything … typical Oscar fair but I hear it’s an amazing performance. I was also pleased to see J K Simmons getting Best Supporting Actor for Whiplash – not overly familiar with the movie but he has always been a very underrated actor. I was surprised to see Patricia Arquette getting Best Supporting Actress – thinking this actress, her appearance in Boardwalk Empire aside, was a bit of a has-been. So very pleased for her also. I am also a growing fan of Julianne Moore so was happy to see her get the Best Actress nod for Still Alice, even though I’m not familiar with that film.

One disappointment I did have was that once again, the Best Animated Feature Film went to a big budget Hollywood animation (Big Hero 6), and the also nominated Studio Ghibli movie The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya was snubbed – but, I haven’t seen either so that’s just a personal gripe. Yet I was happy to see that The Grand Budapest Hotel did fairly well in the production design, music and costume categories, even if I’d have loved it to get Best Picture.

For a full list of who won what, Click Here.

Viewed – 03 April 2012 DVD

I come to this movie at a loss, as I don’t really have much knowledge of movie star Marilyn Monroe beyond her iconic image and an old Elton John song. That isn’t to say that her enduring iconic beauty hasn’t fascinated me. This movie attempts to show a candid, little seen side to the actress, from the viewpoint of a relative outsider to her harem of agents, acting coaches and bodyguards.

Colin Clark is a young man from a wealthy English family who yearns to be a part of the movie industry, so lands a job as an assistant director on a movie being directed by and starring Laurence Olivier. Yet the big name isn’t the famed english character-actor but that of his co-star, Hollywood superstar Marilyn Monroe. During the time on the movie Colin finds Marilyn not to be the confident, bold personality he’s been lead to believe but that of a shy, nervous and over-protected woman … who he falls in love with. This is a movie boasting a trio of excellent performances, and a story that sheds light on someone who was otherwise hidden behind a fake manufactured image. Marilyn is heart-breaking and tragic, but also endearing and funny; a free spirit not unlike Princess Diana, equally trapped in a world that suffocates her. I felt very sorry for her, and Michelle William’s remarkable performance really captures the frightened little girl inside. Kenneth Branagh is very good too as Olivier, coming across at first as hard-nosed and tough, whilst also gentle and caring, and is quite a joy to behold for an actor better known for his stiff Shakespearian roles. Yet I’m guessing the most impressive performance here is from Brit actor Eddie Redmayne as Colin, who falls for a legendary actress, and discovers the person within, at first star-struck, then totally captivated and understanding, to the point wanting to protect and save her. Yet Marilyn was too big a star to ever really be saved, and therein lies the tragedy of the real person beneath the glitz and glamour.

Harry Potter’s Emily Watson is waisted however as a wardrobe girl, and the movie fails to truly explore Marilyn Monroe, her time on the movie being all too brief to capture who she really was. Yet as a snapshot this small but enjoyable tale entertained and left me with an image of one of the world’s most famous actresses, unlike I had ever imagined.

Verdict: 4 /5