Awards Season 2018/19 is well under way!



The most Oscar nominations: Both films tie with 10 nominations each at this year's Academy Awards



UPDATE 25/02/2019: The Favourite has won 1 Oscar (Olivia Colman, Leading Actress) and Roma has won 3 Oscars (Alfonso Cuarón, Directing, Cinematography and Foreign Language Film)

The Favourite - A lavish portrayal of rivalry and power ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

2018 Image via Fox Searchlight Pictures/Film4 Productions/Element Pictures/Waypoint Productions

(Pictured from left: Rachel Weisz as Sarah Churchill and Olivia Colman as Queen Anne)















Yorgos Lanthimos' extravagant and outrageous comedy period epic nominated for 10 Academy-Awards at this year's Oscars. With Olivia Colman as Queen Anne up for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Rachel Weisz as Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough and Emma Stone as Abigail Marsham, Baroness Marsham (Sarah's cousin), both nominated in the Supporting Role category.





The film itself is not your ordinary period costume drama epic, which apparently the Academy does not recognise frequently. But this one is a game-changer. With 3 leading ladies at the helm and an extraordinary dialogue, Lanthimos delivers a stellar film that captivates love, rivalry and jealousy in eloquent detail. Colman's depiction of Queen Anne expresses the frustrations and expectations of a royal, with her on and off days dutifully.



The power dynamics itself represent a broader view of the so-called love triangle between Abigail, Sarah and Queen Anne. Particularly with Queen Anne who is thrilled by the idea of playing each character to garner the attention she graciously craves. Evidently, we see Queen Anne's fears when being without one or the other and how all of her children never survived, which exemplifies her melancholy outlook on life.



The on-going love rivalry is a staple to Weisz's Churchill and Stone's Marsham competitive courage and willingness to care for the Queen in disastrous yet comical ways. The comedy is quite abrupt and rare in a period drama, but clearly it was Lanthimos' intention to encapsulate the audience. The cinematography itself where Robbie Ryan (director of photography for The Meyerowitz Stories on Netflix), a first time Oscar nominee for The Favourite excels with the use of fish-eye lens, giving us a sort of fly on the wall feel in the intended formal scenes such as Colman's stunningly funny fall in her political duties.



A worthy watch to see how power differentiates between three leading ladies where Colman, Weisz and Stone are all leading ladies in this film. There is no doubt why this film is being recognised amongst multiple awards this season.



The Favourite is out on DVD and Blu-Ray now





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Roma - A piece of cinema worth your time

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

2018 Image via Netflix/Participant Media/Pimiento Films



Alfonso Cuaron's grand Mexican tale set in 1970s Mexico City, during civil unrests engulfing the country, recognises class disparity in a middle-class family and a young working-class woman. Echoing some of Cuaron's own personal experiences in his childhood, making the story a personal one. With a whopping 10 Academy-Award nominations including Best Director for Alfonso Cuaron and Actress in Leading Role for Yalitza Aparicio, the first time an Indigenous female has ever been nominated in this category, as well as Marina de Tavira nominated for Actress in a Supporting Role.





Roma distributed by the US streaming-giant Netflix and available in select theatres across North America was released on 14th December last year on the service globally. With critics delight, Roma had its debut at the 2018 Venice Film Festival, which created early buzz for this year's awards season. It is understandable why so many outlets praised Roma due to the human message Cuaron delivers, and of course, the stunning cinematography reverting back to the old black and white landscape, a breath-taking move especially in today's world of cinema.





I read so many critics say you must watch this in the cinema if you ever have the chance, of course, I would check local listings but unfortunately nowhere had screenings. So along came Netflix, it wasn't until recently that I purchased my own projector to create the cinematic ambience required to really absorb Roma for what it is. And I have no regrets buying a cheap projector from Amazon. If you can, buy a projector (some are cheap, honest!) just for this movie. You won't be sorry. I was mesmerised by the stunning contextual aspects of the film's setting in Mexico and of course the characters that filled the narrative's flow.



