Performance by an actress in a supporting role - Penélope Cruz
Where?
Wandsworth, 620pm (hmmm, what can I have to eat? Oh sod it, Nandos it is!)
Comments?
So we come to the end, the final nomination out of the six main categories. It's a little bit sad but also a relief as well. I've managed to watch all nominations except one before the Oscar winners are announced, starting in just under six hours time - a bit of an effort if I do say so myself.
What a nice, breezy, humorous movie to end the Oscar marathon with. Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a very enjoyable romp about relationships, both long lasting and fleeting, and the need to live life to its fullest, a consistent theme amongst many of the nominated movies. This one does it best though, with Woody Allen's dry humour, great performances from the four leads - Javier Bardem, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall and Penélope Cruz - and the beautiful summer images of Barcelona.
The four main characters, Vicky, Cristina, Juan, and Maria Elena, get caught up in a tangled web of love, sex, longing, romance, passion and artistry. The movie is funny in a light hearted way, with Vicky (Rebecca Hall) assuming the Woody Allen type character, a newly engaged neurotic who is reluctant to throw caution to the wind and do anything spontaneous. Cristina (Johansson), her friend, is the complete opposite, always wanting to try different things, always looking for something; she doesn't know what she wants but she knows what she doesn't want, which doesn't really help her. They end up spending a weekend with Juan (Bardem), a Casanova type Spanish painter who seduces both women, an expression of his desire to grasp the moment. Things are going quite well, albeit in a complicated fashion, when Juan's ex wife (Cruz) returns to Barcelona after a cry for help via an attempt to kill herself. She once stabbed Juan with a knife in the heat of an argument, is obviously completely round the bed and she is none too pleased with the current romantic arrangements. Comedy ensues.
Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a very enjoyable movie with tasteful sexual encounters, intricate relationship threads and a funny script by Mr Allen. His he back to his best? Hard to tell, but taken in isolation, this movie is great fun and should be re-released in the summer, just to set the mood.
Oscar Glory?
Penélope Cruz plays the psychotic ex-wife, Maria Elena, a woman who is very passionate in everything she does, whether it's painting, arguing, lovemaking or stabbing her ex-husband. Cruz is excellent, very entertaining, and she gives the movie a bit of extra sexy Spanish spark. The arguments between her and Juan, both in Spanish and English, are hilarious.
I actually like her for the Oscar, ahead of Amy Adams, mainly because Cruz takes the role and makes it her own, without having to rely on the drama of the situation to dictate it. And she is a joy to watch. After Revolutionary Road, this movie was a god send, a feel good movie. Sure, it's light and breezy and can be forgotten soon after, but it's enjoyable while you watch it and Cruz is a big part of that.
Rating?
7.5 out of 10
Post Movie Quote:
"That's me done."
No comments:
Post a Comment