For Your Consideration: Her

Her (2013)

“It’s marmite.” God, there’s a phrase that’s become nauseatingly ubiquitous. That thing that some people like and some people don’t like; well, that’s marmite that is. Yea, that thing that definitely isn’t a disgusting yeast-extracted savoury spread, that thing that most certainly isn’t Marmite, well that, that’s marmite that is. That’s marmite. It’s marmite. Marmite. Do you see?

And I’d wager the measly value of all that I own (which, by the way, doesn’t include any jars of that blacker-than-black work of the devil) that somebody somewhere has described the very notion of a Spike Jonze movie set in the not-too-distant future about a recently divorced man falling in love with a computer operating system, as ‘marmite’.

Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoneix) is down. But, unlike me, it isn’t because everybody keeps using an annoying pseudo-synonym for the word ‘divisive’, rather its because his divorce has left him without a companion and without purpose. He downloads an operating system, Samantha, to help organise his life, which he luckily gets on with like a homepage on fire. Luckier still, it comes complete with the foxy vocals of Scarlett Johansson. Now that’s lucky.

This is high-concept sci-fi-lite stuff, but unlike something in the same bracket such as The Truman Show, it delivers fully on its promise.

Guess Who’s Coming to the Nominations Luncheon: Predictions for 86th Academy Awards nominations

How does that old saying go again? Aha, that’s right…The Oscar nominations are like my lunch…They’re happening at about 1.30 this afternoon and I’m salivating just thinking about them.

If you remember anything about this time last year, it won’t be the horsemeat scandal; it’ll be my 100% Oscar nomination predictions. I can say that, of course, in the full comfort that: a) you’ll be far too busy/lazy/stupid to go back and verify the claim; and b) your memory cells will have been eroded sufficiently over the last 12 months by the consumption of burgers and burgers full of reformed horse bollock to remember.

So without aneigh further ado (splendid, just just splendid), here are some big shouts for this darn year’s Academy Awards nominations…

For Your Consideration: American Hustle

American Hustle (2013)

Hot off the heels of two very hot Oscar favourites in three years, comes red-hot David O. Russell’s hot new Academy-fancied flick American Hustle. Now that’s really hot.

David O. Russell’s American Hustle (MAN, that’s satisfying to say) is a film utterly clad in veneer. It’s very much a haircuts, nail varnish, dodgy accents, more hair, heaving cleavage, aviators, even more hair kind of a movie.

Set in 1970s New Jersey, Christian Bale’s be-toupéed Irving Rosenfeld is a flabby career-conman, making decent wedge from knocked-off paintings and trifling lending scams; juggling his be-bouffanted, haphazard handful of a trophy wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) and be-frizzied soul-mate and partner-in-crime Sydney (Amy Adams). When be-permed, ambitious undercover cop Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) busts Irving and Sydney, he offers them the chance to secure their freedom by bagging him bigger fish in the form of senators, governors and be-pompadoured family man and mayor of Atlantic City Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner).

But despite all the facade and the follicle topiary, you’d be a fool (a fool I say) to labour under the misapprehension that American Hustle hasn’t got depth; it’s got it in volumes.