Cinema Roundup 20th February (Plus Oscar Predictions)

Movie of the Week- Rear Window

Movie of the Week- Rear Window

Alfred Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window plays for one night only on Thursday at the Omniplex Rathmines. Made at a time when Hitchcock was at the peak of his powers, it’s a movie that captures the essence of cinema – voyeurism, as a housebound Jimmy Stewart becomes obsessed with the idea that one of the many neighbours he spies on has committed a murder. If ever a movie deserved a big screen outing it’s this one.

The Duke of Burgundy

The Duke of Burgundy

The best of the week’s new releases, and the best movie I’ve seen this year, is The Duke of Burgundy, a look at the initially odd relationship between a lesbian couple who engage in master and slave sex games. Much more than the sleazefest you might expect, this is one of the best movies ever made about relationships, and one of the most romantic. A perfect antidote to 50 Shades of Grey.

Blackhat

Blackhat

Another must see release this week is Blackhat, the latest thriller from director Michael Mann, who returns to the form of his early classics. Don’t let the cyber crime premise put you off, this is cracking stuff, delivering everything you want from a Mann movie – immaculately staged gun battles, a seemingly doomed romance and lots of neon!

Jennifer Aniston gives a rare non-comedic performance in Cake, playing a woman suffering from chronic back pain. The former Friends star gives it her all but it’s a dull slog of a film.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter has a fascinating premise: a lonely Japanese girl believes the movie Fargo to be a work of truth and travels to the film’s location in search of the cash-filled briefcase hidden by Steve Buscemi’s character. Rinko Kikuchi is great in the title role but the film never quite makes enough of the premise.

If you thought found footage movies had finally disappeared, think again. Project Almanac applies the format to a time travel story involving a bunch of high schoolers and does nothing to justify its aesthetic choice. The result is a movie that plays out like a teenager’s gap year video diary.

The Academy Awards are this Sunday, so here are my predictions for the main categories:

Best Picture – Birdman

Best Director – Richard Linklater (Boyhood)

Best Actor – Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything)

Best Actress – Julianne Moore (Still Alice)

Best Supporting Actor – JK Simmons (Whiplash)

Best Supporting Actress – Patricia Arquette (Boyhood)

By Eric Hillis