Review: Never Let Me Go

An incredibly unique and moving love story set in a science fiction alternate world, with great central performances from some of Britain’s young rising stars Knightly, Garfield and Mulligan.

Before watching Never Let Me Go I had not read Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel from which the film is adapted; I hadn’t even seen a trailer for it. In fact I’d only really read little snippets about it and had no real idea of what it was going to be about. This is probably the best way to go into the film. All I really knew was that it starred Andrew Garfield, Keira Knightly and Carey Mulligan, most likely Britain’s best young talents currently around, and they did not disappoint. For this review I do have to issue a spoiler warning, as this is a film which is difficult to discuss without revealing a few plot points. So if you’d prefer to see the film completely ignorant of its later story, I’d advise you to stop reading now. That said, these details, while secretive and unexpected, do not form the main basis of the story.

Top 5 of 2010: Alex’s Picks

Choosing my top five films of 2010 has been extremely tough, and I’ve had to rack my brains to come up with a conclusive list. This is not because there have been so many poor films released, but that there have been a lot of exceedingly good ones, which has seen a some great films miss out, such as How to Train your Dragon, Catfish, Ponyo, Shutter Island, Four Lions, I could go on. But there had to be five that made the cut, so here it is, *commence drum roll* my belated Top 5 of 2010:

NotYetRated's Oscars 2011 Predictions

So here's our predictions of how things are about to go down in the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

Actor in a Leading Role

Alex: Colin Firth - The King's Speech
Dom: Colin Firth - The King's Speech
Josh: Erm...what?
Sam: Colin Firth - The King's Speech

Actor in a Supporting Role

Alex: Christian Bale - The Fighter

Dom: Christian Bale - The Fighter

Josh: Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech

Sam: Christian Bale - The Fighter

Actress in a Leading Role

Alex: Natalie Portman - Black Swan

Dom: Natalie Portman - Black Swan

Josh: Natalie Portman - Black Swan

Sam: Natalie Portman - Black Swan

Best of 2010: Actress in a Supporting Role

Who We Are: Josh

Hello, my name is Josh. In between eating and sleeping, two quite important activities in my life, I like to watch the occasional film. After watching a film I have been known to enjoy sounding off about them and this website is a great forum to do just that. On the occasion I do leave the screen I enjoy socialising with friends, preferably over a alcoholic beverage as well as indulging my rather large appetite. A great film should have engaging characters, a well written script and a griping plot but anything with Jennifer Aniston in will do.
  

Twitter: @JHEastman

Best of 2010: Actor in a Supporting Role

Who We Are: Dom

Hello, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Dom. Nothing really qualifies me to write about films other than quite liking them. Other things I like are Tabasco sauce, chino trousers, Radiohead and Star Wars. What I value highest in a film is dialogue, strong central performances and an engaging storyline. But the well-implemented zombie, dinosaur, robot or alien is good too. Film nerds are generally a friendly bunch, so feel free to comment on anything I write, telling me what you think, I won't get offended and I'll always respond eventually. But if you insult Blade Runner, I will hunt you down and murder you like a Replicant.  Anyway, hope you enjoy the site. 

Twitter: @DominicJMartin

Spider-Man Reboot Gets 'Amazing' New Name

Filming has begun, and now the Spider-Man reboot has a name. Columbia Pictures announced that it will share the name of the original comic developed by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko back in 1963, The Amazing Spider-Man. The similarities with the original source material won't stop at the name either. Unlike Sam Raimi's recent trilogy, the new film will centre more around Peter Parker's days at high school, balancing his classes in the day with fighting crime at night. Spidey's love interest will not be Mary-Jane Watson, but instead Gwen Stacey, his original girlfriend from the comics. And as clearly shown in the latest picture of provided by the studio (pictures after the jump), the suit will feature mechanical web shooters rather than the biological ones that Tobey Maguire's character possessed. This marks another return to Stan Lee's original creation and perhaps outlines a larger focus on Parker's scientific prowess that was missing from Raimi's films.

Best of 2010: Actress in a Leading Role

Nolan To Make Howard Hughes Biopic After Batman?

In other Nolan-related news, Vulture insists that following the completion of The Dark Knight Rises, the director who resurrected the Batman franchise and brought a whole new blockbuster (Inception) to our screens will move on to a Howard Hughes project. Reportedly, the project was one Nolan had written after Memento, but shelved it when Scorsese's The Aviator was announced to be released in 2004.

It might seem crazy to work on the project with DiCaprio's portrayal of the mogul still relatively fresh in the minds of movie-goers. However, Nolan's script is an adaption of the Michael Drosnin biography Citizen Hughes: The Power, the Money and the Madness which focusses on the latter years of Hughes' life and his descent into OCD-fuelled insanity. In contrast, Scorsese's film was centred more around his formative years and obsession with his Spruce Goose invention.

Considering Nolan's interest in characters with a degree of mental instability, think Cobb in Inception and Leonard in Memento, it's reasonable to think that he'll want to explore the weirdness of a man who spent his final years locked in a hotel room, wearing nothing but a dinner napkin, and fitting an air filtration system to his Chrysler. Supposedly the film will begin production in late 2012 for release in 2014, a decade after The Aviator, to avoid too much comparison.

At this point I'm willing to get excited about anything Nolan is working on, so we'll keep a close eye on any developments in this project.

The Dark Knight Rises Goes Deeper Into Inception Cast

Well we know that Christopher Nolan likes to work with cast members from his previous films, but this is getting kind of ridiculous. On top of the confirmation of Tom Hardy (possibly as Bane) and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's additions to the cast of the third instalment of Nolan's Batman trilogy, French newspaper Le Figaro reports that Marion Cotillard will be joining them from last summer's blockbuster Inception. They haven't stated any sources and so this looks to remain rumour for the time being.

Anne Hathaway has also been confirmed to be on the casting, so it's unclear what kind of role either of them would play. Hathaway so far has been rumoured to be taking on the role of anti-hero and potential Wayne love interest Catwoman. It's likely that Nolan will want to minimise the introduction of too many new character threads, and so currently the buzz around is that of family links for the new characters back to the previous films of the trilogy. It's been rumoured that Gordon-Levitt will play Alberto Falcone, the son of mob boss Carmine Falcone who figured heavily in Batman Begins. It might follow then that Cotillard will play Talia Al Ghul, the daughter of Begins villain Ra's Al Ghul (Liam Neeson). In the comics, Talia and Batman have an on-off relationship and a child together. With the death of Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight, a love triangle between Batman, Catwoman and Talia could be an interesting plot point.

Of course the Batman rumour trail has taken many twists already and it would be surprising if it didn't throw up anymore new developments before it starts production over the summer. What is for sure is this is going to be an epic-length picture and with Nolan at the helm, it'll have plenty of interesting and intertwining character arcs. As a huge fan of what Nolan's done to the franchise so far, I'm looking forward to seeing where he's going with the final chapter (?) in the story.

The King's Speech Wins 7 in Bafta Sweep

Perhaps unsurprisingly, The King's Speech dominated at last night's Bafta ceremony, taking seven of the fourteen awards for which it was nominated. Among the awards given to the film were Supporting Actor and Actress nods to Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter respectively, Original Score, Original Screenplay for David Seidler's script and Outstanding British Film. As expected, Colin Firth picked up his second consecutive Leading Actor award for his portrayal of King George VI, battling with his speech impediment. Most importantly though, the movie received the top award for Best Film, putting it ahead of rival The Social Network as the favourite to win the big award in a fortnight's time at the Oscars.

NotYetRated Best of 2010 Awards

Now that the Baftas are out of the way, we can finally move on to the awards that really matter.  That's right, it's time for the NotYetRated Best of 2010 Awards - the most prestigious and respected film awards around, in this solitary corner of the Internet. The four members of the NYR team sat around for hours, perilously debating, arguing and defending our favourite films, occasionally coming to blows, bargaining and death threats, until finally arriving at this definitive list. Each of the following categories have three runners-up and a winner (five runners-up for Best Film).

Best of 2010: Actor in a Leading Role

Baftas 2011 Predictions

So in about three hours the awards season will step up a notch as we reach the Baftas, Britain's flagship film awards ceremony and the final send-off for the hopeful movies before the ones that everyone wants, the Oscars. Who wins tonight will give us the biggest clue as to who'll be taking home the golden statues in a fortnight's time. The Baftas are usually, but not always, synchronous with the Academy Awards; like last year when Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker beat out her ex-husband James Cameron's Avatar for Best Picture in London, and subsequently went on to repeat the feat in Los Angeles two weeks later.

So here are our picks for who'll be receiving plaudits tonight in the shape of a golden mask, and who we think deserve the awards.

Cool Art Posters for Oscar Nominees

Check out these cool new posters that illustrator Dean Walton, aka Mr. Shabba, has knocked up for five of this year's Best Picture nominees at the Academy Awards, The Social Network, Black Swan, True Grit, The Fighter and The King's Speech.  It's amazing how he's managed to capture so much of the character of the films in such minimalist paintings.  Check them out at the gallery over at SlashFilm here.

The Social Network Wins Big at London Critics' Awards

Increasing the interest around tomorrow's Bafta Awards and the building Oscar race, The Social Network won in four major categories at the 31st London Critics’ Circle Film Awards on Thursday night. The film about Facebook's creation took Film of the Year, while Aaron Sorkin was awarded for his excellent script with Screenwriter of the Year. Emerging young actor Andrew Garfield received Best British Actor in a Supporting Role for his portrayal of Zuckerberg's best friend Eduardo Saverin, and director David Fincher picked up Director of the Year.

The Social Network's biggest rival for the Oscars, The King's Speech, also received plaudits, as the race for the gold statues intensifies. It took the Attenborough Award for British Film of the Year, while Colin Firth received Actor of the Year for his performance as the stuttering King George VI and director Tom Hooper was awarded with British Director of the Year. The symmetry in the awards gives no clue as to who will take Best Director and Picture at the Oscars, the two awards that seem destined to go to one of these two films.

Other winners included Christian Bale for British Actor of the Year, now looking likely to add a Bafta tomorrow night to his growing trophy cabinet following his outstanding performance in The Fighter, and Gareth Edwards as Breakthrough British Film-maker for his film Monsters.

Check This Out: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

The ultimate collection of melodramatic NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOs. Hell yes!

Who We Are: Alex

Hello Internet. I’m a student at the University of Leeds, studying Spanish and Economics. So then, what qualifies me as a film blogger and reviewer, you may ask? Well nothing really. I just truly love films, and tend to watch a lot while procrastinating or just generally slacking. I thought doing this website would be a good way of putting this tremendous skill, yes skill, into action. A way to get off my ass, write some shizzle about film and inform the Internet of the latest movie news. So what do I look for in a film? Well I like a film with a great soundtrack and practically anything starring Bill Murray. Plus I believe the Dude or, His Dudeness, or, Duder, or, El Duderino (if you’re not into the whole brevity thing), is some kind of deity.

Twitter: @alex_steely

Review: True Grit

The Coen Brothers do it again, but reign in much of their trademark style in this genre piece. Great direction, writing and an outstanding cast performance make this the best western since The Assassination of Jesse James.

Let’s get one thing straight. I love the Coen Brothers. No Country for Old Men, Miller’s Crossing, Fargo, The Big motherfucking Lebowski – can’t get enough. Neither can the critics, it seems. With countless nominations, and multiple Oscar wins for the previously mentioned Fargo and No Country for Old Men, they’re kind of on a winning streak. The problem is, when you’re on a winning streak, that’s precisely what you have to keep doing. True Grit, a remake of a well known John Wayne picture and based on a classic western novel by Charles Portis, could have finally been their fall from grace. They’ve proven with the The Ladykillers (2004) that remakes may not be their forte, and when True Grit was announced to be a Coen Bros. remake, fanboys across the web simultaneously crapped themselves. Fear not, fanboys. True Grit isn’t as much a win as it is a triumph.

Review: The Fighter

While nothing new for the genre, a collection of excellent performances from Bale and company make for a very compelling boxing drama.

At a time when you’re spoilt for choice with the amount of good films out there (The King’s Speech, Black Swan, 127 Hours, etc.) some can slip under the radar, even if they don’t really deserve to do so. Luckily this hasn’t happened to The Fighter, David O. Russell’s boxing drama set in the depths of working-class Lowell, Massachusetts. It tells the real life tale of “Irish” Micky Ward’s formative years, struggling to make the grade before turning pro and getting his one shot at the big-time. It all sounds pretty generic, but that’s before you’ve met the family. Micky (Mark Wahlberg) is forever in the shadow of brother Dicky (Christian Bale), an ex-fighter that could have made something of himself had he not succumbed to the sweet, sweet charms of crack. There’s nothing wrong with a relaxing bit of crack you say? Well with consistent bouts of violence, brushes with the law and a spell in prison, it doesn’t seem to be working out too well for him. He also happens to be Micky’s trainer. Then you have the matriarch Alice (Melissa Leo), a tough, possessive bulldog of a woman who dotes on Dicky and their gaggle of terrifying sisters whilst “managing” Micky’s career.

Review: Tangled

Cheeky and entertaining without ever really standing out or bringing anything new to the animated genre. Perfectly good family fun, just don’t expect Beauty and the Beast.

Walt Disney Animation Studios return to the fairy tale format that made them famous with Tangled. The story is a re-telling of the Brothers Grimm tale Rapunzel, with Mandy Moore playing the longhaired princess. She’s taken as a child to live in a hidden tower by the evil elderly Gothel (posing as her mother) for the rejuvenating qualities of her hair. Every year, on Rapunzel’s birthday, the king and queen release lanterns in the hope that their lost daughter will see them and return. One night, while still a child, Rapunzel sees the lanterns and from then on dreams of seeing them up close. Eighteen years later and she is eager to see the outside world, and more importantly, the floating lanterns. Her opportunity comes in the form of the crook Flynn Rider, played by Zachary Levi, who promises to take her to see the lights. This deal does not go down well with Gothel, as she needs Rapunzel to keep her youthful looks. The chase through the kingdom ensues, with Rapunzel and Flynn getting into all types of tangles.

Review: Black Swan

Gloriously extravagant and psychotic, Black Swan is more overwhelming than a subtle character study. At the very least, thrilling entertainment, and at its best, mesmerising drama.

The first three words that come to mind when I think back to Black Swan are "bat shit crazy". Whether this is a good thing or not will likely depend on personal preference, but at the very least it deserves your viewing attention once. To call it merely crazy would be an injustice, Black Swan has insanity and direction, beauty and sleaze in equal measure. That’s to say, this film is a stunning artistic endeavour and dazzling entertainment that will leave you breathless.

Review: 127 Hours

Entertaining and compelling in a way its subject matter would seem not to allow. By the time it reaches its almost unbearable climax, the film will leave you affected in a profound way.

It may be clichéd to say that 127 Hours takes us through the journey of Aron Ralston, but this is precisely what the film does so brilliantly. A powerful film that takes us on a ride to experience a wide range of human emotions, it achieves this while avoiding the pitfalls of the genre and manages to do so without slipping into the stereotype. Just as Aron did while trapped, it will leave you contemplating life, debating what is and is not important. Ralston’s feelings are transferred to the audience well leaving the watcher affected and touched.

Coming Soon - 11.2.11

February 11th 2011 marks the dawn of a new film news and reviews site the likes of which the internet has never seen before.  Or more likely, just another in the crowd of hundreds populating the film-related blogosphere and cinema-centric Twitterverse.  The difference here?

We're students.

Yes NotYetRated.co.uk is a site run out of a bedroom by just four, humble students of the University of Leeds.  Yet to be corrupted by the cruel realities of working life, spirits high and untouched by the crushing cynicism of today's Britain and with far too much free time available, rudely interrupted by the occasional lecture or tutorial, we've set out on this ambitious, but modest project.  We want nothing more than to bring intelligent and informed thoughts on the continuing developments in the cinema world, as well as independent and enthusiastic views and reviews of film's latest releases.  And if we happen to make a few people laugh in the process, be that at or with us, well then that's a very rewarding bonus.