Blue Jasmine – We Are Movie Geeks

The Top 21 Movies of the 21st Century……So Far!

It’s one thing to come up with a list of the best movies in any given year, but the best movies of a century that’s just in its 16^th year? We Are Movie Geeks polled a group of 30 carefully-selected (and mostly St. Louis-based) movie critics, movie bloggers, movie academics, movie promoters, and just plain old movie fans and asked for a list, in order of preference, of their Top Ten Favorite Films so far this century. Somewhere among the endless superhero blockbusters, franchise reboots, and sequels, some really great movies have come out in the last 16 years. And some of them were indeed superhero blockbusters, franchise reboots, and sequels! The 21^st century has another 84 years to go, and there’s no doubt that these choices will change as the years go by, but since it’s doubtful any of those polled will be around when the century ends (unless Stephen Tronicek – born in 1999 – makes it to 101), we might as well do this now. To come up with our top 21, a super-scientific algorithm was generated….just kidding! We simply scored each movie based on its rank in any given list. If a movie was #1 on any list, it received 10 points, #2 received 9 points, and so on (a movie ranked #10 received 1 point – get it?). Of course, all of these lists are highly subjective and some favorite titles will be omitted, so prepare to argue with the selections of these 30 film buffs (and yes, we’re naming names!).

HERE ARE THE RESULTS!:

21. GLADIATOR (2000 – Ridley Scott)

20. UP (2009 – Pete Docter)

19. THE LEGO MOVIE (2014 – Phil Lord)

18. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (2007 – The Coen Brothers)

17. 12 YEARS A SLAVE (2013 – Steve McQueen)

16. THE REVENENT (2015 – Alejandro Innaritu)

15. INSIDE OUT (2015 – Pete Docter)

14. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOLESS MIND (2004 – Michel Gondry)

13. O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? (2000 – The Coen Brothers)

12. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (2009 – Quentin Tarantino)

11. THE AVIATOR (2004 – Martin Scorsese)

10. SYNECEDOCHE, NEW YORK (2008 – Charlie Kaufmann)

9. MEMENTO (2000 – Christopher Nolan)

8. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (2001 – Wes Anderson)

7. BOYHOOD (2014 – Richard Linklater)

6. LORD OF THE RINGS RETURN OF THE KING (2003 – Peter Jackson)

5. THE DEPARTED (2006 – Martin Scorsese)

4. MAD MAX FURY ROAD (2015 – George Miller)

3. PAN’S LABYRINTH (2006 – Guillermo Del Toro)

2. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (2007 – Paul Thomas Anderson)

1. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001 – David Lynch)

Directors Martin Scorsese and the Coen Brothers each had two films on this list, as did writer Charlie Kaufman and Pixar director Pete Docter. Nothing from beloved directors Clint Eastwood, Ang Lee, Darren Aronofsky, Woody Allen, Cameron Crowe, Alexander Payne or David Fincher, but the all of them were well-represented on the individual lists, all of which are presented here:

Tom Stockman (We Are Movie Geeks)

10. THE AMERICAN (Anton Corbijn)

9. BLUE JASMINE (Woody Allen)

8. GRAN TORINO (Clint Eastwood)

7. THE DEVIL’S REJECTS (Rob Zombie)

6. CITY OF GOD (Fernando Meirelles)

5. LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA (Clint Eastwood)

4. APOCALYPTO (Mel Gibson)

3. INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (Quentin Tarantino)

2. LIFE OF PI (Ang Lee)

1. MAD MAX FURY ROAD (George Miller)

Andrew Wyatt (St. Louis Magazine, Gateway Cinephile)

10. UNDER THE SKIN (Jonathan Glazer)

9. THE TURIN HORSE (Bela Tarr)

8. OF TIME AND THE CITY (Terence Davies)

7. ZODIAC (David Fincher)

6. CERTIFIED COPY (Abbas Klarostami)

5. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Andrew Dominik)

4. INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch)

3. THE MASTER (Paul Thomas Anderson)

2. SYNECDOCHE NEW YORK (Charlie Kaufman)

1. CACHE (Michael Hanake)

Stephen Tronicek (FilmAnalyst)

10, ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry)

9. BIRDMAN (Alejandro Innaritu)

8. CLOUD ATLAS (Tom Twyker, The Wachowski Brothers)

7. UP (Pete Docter)

6. A SERIOUS MAN (the Coen Brothers)

5. INTO THE WILD (Sean Penn)

4. REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (Darren Aronofsky)

3. PANS LABYRINTH (Guillermo Del Toro)

2. ALMOST FAMOUS (Cameron Crowe)

1. BOYHOOD (Richard Linklater)

Dana Jung

10. SIN CITY (Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller)

9. THIS IS THE END (Evan Goldberg)

8. AVATAR (James Cameron)

7. DISTRICT 9 (Neill Blomkamp)

6. APOCALYPTO (Mel Gibson)

5. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (David Lynch)

4. HUGO (Martin Scorsese)

3. INSIDE OUT (Pete Docter)

2. MAD MAX FURY ROAD (George Miler)

1. LORD OF THE RINGS RETURN OF THE KING (Peter Jackson)

Mathew DeKinder (Suburban Journals of St. Louis)

10. THE HURT LOCKER (Kathryn Bigelow)

9. THE TREE OF LIFE (Terence Malick)

8. MAD MAX FURY ROAD ROAD (George Miller)

7. ROAD TO PERDITION (Sam Mendes)

6. THE DARK KNIGHT (Christopher Nolan)

5. INGLORIOUS BASTARDS (Quentin Tarantino)

4. ANCHORMAN (Adam McKay)

3. LORD OF THE RINGS RETURN OF THE KING (Peter Jackson)

2. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson)

1. 12 YEARS A SLAVE (Steve McQueen)

Jim Batts (We Are Movie Geeks)

10. KILL BILL (Quentin Tarantino)

9. THE ARTIST (Michel Hazanavicius)

8. THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN (Judd Apatow)

7. CAPTAIN AMERICA THE FIRST AVENGER (Joe Johnston)

6. AMERICAN SPLENDOR (Shari Springer Berman)

5. LORD OF THE RINGS RETURN OF THE KING (Peter Jackson)

4. GHOST WORLD (terry Zwigoff)

3. THE INCREDIBLES (Brad Bird)

2. SPIDERMAN 2 (Sam Raimi)

1. PANS LABYRINTH (Guillermo Del Toro)

Lynn Venhaus ( Belleville News-Democrat, Webster-Kirkwood Times)

10. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER (Marc Webb)

9. NEBRASKA (Alexander Payne)

8. 28 DAYS LATER… (Danny Boyle)

7. INSIDE OUT (Pete Docter)

6. THE DEPARTED (Martin Scorsese)

5. BOYHOOD (Richard Linklater)

4. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (Wes Anderson)

3. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (David Fincher)

2. THE DARK KNIGHT (Christopher Nolan)

1. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (David Lynch)

Kent Tentschert (Webster-Kirkwood Times)

10. THE DESCENDANTS (Alexander Payne)

9. THE DARK KNIGHT (Christopher Nolan)

8. BIUTIFUL (Alejandro Innaritu)

7. UP (Pete Docter)

6. THE READER (Stephen Daldry)

5. NIGHTCRAWLER (Dan Gilroy)

4. INCEPTION (Christopher Nolan)

3. THE PRESTIGE (Christopher Nolan)

2. GLADIATOR (Ridley Scott)

1. THE REVENANT (Alejandro Innaritu)

Rob Garica (HEC-TV)

10. THE TREE OF LIFE (Terence Malick)

9. OVERNIGHT (Tony Montana)

8. BAMBOOZLED (Spike Lee)

7. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MAN (The Coen Bothers)

6. THE DEPARTED (Martin Scorsese)

5. CITY OF GOD (Fernanso Meirelles)

4. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Tomas Alfredson)

3. TALK TO HER (Pedro Almodovar)

2. PANS LABYRINTH (Guillermo Del Toro)

1. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (David Lynch)

Sam Smucker

10. WINTER SLEEP (Nuri Ceylan)

9. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Kar Wai Wong)

8. LORD OF THE RINGS RETURN OF THE KING (Peter Jackson)

7. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (Benh Zeitlin)

6. BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (Abdellatif Kechiche)

5. CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON (Ang Lee)

4. THE LOOK OF SILENCE (Joshua Oppenheimer)

3. THE PAST (Asghar Farhadi)

2. SILENT LIGHT (Carlos Reygadas)

1. BOYHOOD (Richard Linklater)

Robert Hunt (The Riverfront Times)

10. AMERICAN SNIPER (Clint Eastwood)

9. PANS LABYRINTH (Guilermo del Toro)

8. THE TRIP (Michael Winterbottom)

7. SITA SINGS THE BLUES (Nina Paley)

6. NOTRE MUSIQUE (Jean-Luc Godard)

5. 2046 (Wong Kar-Wai)

4. WHAT TIME IS IT THERE? (Ming-Liang Tsai)

3. I’M NOT THERE (Todd Haynes)

2. WENDY AND LUCY (Kelly Reichardt)

1. CARLOS (Oliver Assayas)

Sam Moffitt

10. OH BROTHER WHERE ART THOUGH? (The Coen Brothers)

9. WHIP IT! (Drew Barrymore)

8. THE BABADOOK (Jennifer Kent)

7. MEMENTO (Christopher Nolan)

6. SLITHER (James Gunn)

5. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson)

4. BLACK SNAKE MOAN (Craig Brewer)

3. MOON (Duncan Jones)

2. DRIVE (Nicolas Winding Refn)

1. SYNECDOCHE NEW YORK (Charlie Kaufman)

Michael Haffner (We Are Movie Geeks)

10. THE TREE OF LIFE (Terence Malick)

9. DRIVE (Nicolas Winding Refn)

8. IN BRUGES (Martin McDonagh)

7. LOST IN TRANSLATION (Sophia Coppola)

6. BOYHOOD (Richard Linklater)

5. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michael Gondry)

4. MAD MAX FURY ROAD (George Miller)

3. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (Wes Anderson)

2. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (David Lynch)

1. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson)

Renee Hirshfield (Webster University, Southwestern Illinois College)

10. AMERICAN SPLENDOR (Shari Springer Berman)

9. AMELIE (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)

8. TALK TO HER (Pedro Almodovar)

7. HUGO (Martin Scorsese)

6. INSIDE OUT (Pete Docter)

5. EX MACHINA (Alex Garland)

4. CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS (Andrew Jarecki)

3. INTERSTELLAR (Christopher Nolan)

2. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (Wes Anderson)

1. THE AVIATOR (Martin Scorsese)

Sarah Hirshfield (Mount Holyoke College)

10. MONEYBALL (Bennett Miller)

9. ELEPHANT (Gus Van Sandt)

8. SNOWPIERCER (Bong Joon Ho)

7. A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT (Ana Lily Amirpour)

6. 4 MONTHS 2 WEEKS AND 3 DAYS (Cristian Mungiu)

5. SUPER 8 (J.J. Abrams)

4. INSIDE OUT (Pete Docter)

3. EX MACHINA (Alex Garland)

2. PANS LABYRINTH (Guillermo Del Toro)

1. THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Davis Fincher)

Kathy Kaiser (Matinee Chat)

10. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (Quentin Tarantino)

9. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (Gore Verbinski)

8. DJANGO UNCHAINED (Quentin Tarantino)

7. IRON MAN (John Favreau)

6. CAST AWAY (Robert Zemeckis)

5. THE IMITATION GAME (Morten Tyldum)

4. THE REVENANT (Alejandro Innaritu)

3. THE DEPARTED (Martin Scorsese)

2. THE AVIATOR (Martin Scorsese)

1. 12 YEARS A SLAVE (Steve McQueen)

Melissa Thompson (We Are Movie Geeks)

10. BILLY ELLIOT (Stephen Daldry)

9. A MIGHTY WIND (Christopher Guest)

8. FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Wes Anderson)

7. HAIRSPRAY (Adam Shankman)

6. ELF (John Favreau)

5. SPIRITED AWAY (Hayao Miyazaki)

4. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (Gore Verbinski)

3. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (Woody Allen)

2. MOULIN ROUGE! (Baz Luhrmann)

1. LADY IN THE WATER (M. Night Shyamalan)

Pete Timmerman (Webster University)

10. THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS (Wes Anderson)

9. ADAPTATION (Spike Jonze)

8. REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (Darren Aronofsky)

7. PUNCH DRUNK LOVE (Paul Thomas Anderson)

6. CHILDREN OF MEN (Alfonso Cuaron)

5. TROPICAL MALADY (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)

4. THE ACT OF KILLING (Joshua Oppenheimer)

3. DOGTOOTH (Yorgos Lanthimos)

2. EVERYTHING WILL BE OK (Don Hertzfeldt)

2. IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (Wong Kar Wai)

Michelle McCue (We Are Movie Geeks)

10. GRAVITY (Alfonso Cuaron)

9. FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Wes Anderson)

8. AN EDUCATION (Lone Scherfig)

7. THE LADY IN THE WATER (M. Night Shyamalan)

6. THE HURT LOCKER (Kathryn Bigelow)

5. ROAD TO PERDITION (Sam Mendes)

4. THE LORD OF THE RINGS FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (Peter Jackson)

3. LOST IN TRANSLATION (Sofia Coppola)

2. MOON (Duncan Jones)

1. GLADIATOR (Ridley Scott)

Tim Venhaus

10. THE MASTER (Paul Thomas Anderson)

9. SUPERBAD (Greg Mottola)

8. KILL BILL (Quentin Tarantino)

7. BOYHOOD (Richard Linklater)

6. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (The Coen Brothers)

5. WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER (David Wain)

4. THE DEPARTED (Martin Scorsese)

3. REQUIEM FOR A DREAM (Darren Aronofsky)

2. THE ROYAL TENENBAUM’S (Wes Anderson)

1. ADAPTATION (Spike Jonze)

Travis Keune (We Are Movie Geeks)

10. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Andrew Dominik)

9. PANS LABYRINTH (Guillermo Del Toror)

8. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (Quentin Tarantino)

7. DRIVE (Nicolas Winding Refn)

6. MAD MAX FURY ROAD (George Miller)

5. THE WRESTLER (Darren Aronofsky)

4. OH BROTHER WHERE ART THOUGH? (The Coen Brothers)

3. MEMENTO (Christopher Nolan)

2. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry)

1. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson)

Cate Marquis (We Are Movie Geeks, The Jewish Light)

10. 12 YEARS A SLAVE (Steve McQueen)

9. A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)

8. THE DEPARTED (Martin Scorsese)

7. AMELIE (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)

6. THE PIANIST (Roman Polanski)

5. GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL (Wes Anderson)

4. PAN’S LABYRINTH (Guillermo Del Toror)

3. INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (Quentin Tarantino)

2. OH BROTHER WHERE ART THOUGH? (The Coen Brothers)

1. MEMENTO (Christopher Nolan)

Matt Myers (Allied Advertising)

10. LORD OF THE RINGS THE TWO TOWERS (Peter Jackson)

9. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson)

8. FANTASTIC MR. FOX (Wes Anderson)

7. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (The Coen Brothers)

6. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michael Gondry)

5. MAD MAX FURY ROAD (George Miller)

4. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (David Lynch)

3. AMÉLIE (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)

2. KILL BILL (Quentin Tarantino)

1. SYNECDOCHE NEW YORK (Charlie Kaufman)

Max Foizey (ZekeFilm)

10. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER (Marc Webb)

9. OH BROTHER WHERE ART THOU (The Coen Brothers)

8. CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON (Ang Lee)

7. ATONEMENT (Joe Wright)

6. UP (Pete Docter)

5. CLOSER (Mike Nichols)

4. BLACK SWAN (Darren Aronofsky)

3. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson)

2. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (David Lynch)

1. THE LEGO MOVIE (Phil Lord)

Sandy Olmsted

10. THE FAIRY ( Dominique Abel)

9. THE ARTIST (Michel Hazanavicius)

8. PARANORMAN (Chris Butler)

7. PAN’S LABYRINTH (Guillermo Del Toror)

6. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (Woody Allen)

5. LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE ( Jonathan Dayton)

4. HUGO (Martin Scorsese)

3. FRUITVALE STATION (Ryan Coogler)

2. HOCOLAT (Lasse Hallström)

1. BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (Benh Zeitlin)

Carl Middleman (KFTK – 97.1FM)

10. BLACK SWAN (Darren Aronofsky)

9. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (David Lynch)

8. (500) DAYS OF SUMMER (Marc Webb)

7. ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (Michel Gondry)

6. CLOSER (Mike Nichols)

5. UP (Pete Docter)

4. OH BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? (The Coen Brothers)

3. CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON (Ang Lee)

2. MEMENTO (Christopher Nolan)

1. THE LEGO MOVIE (Phil Lord)

Jim Tudor (ZekeFilm, ScreenAnarchy)

10. BUBBA HO-TEP (Don Coscarelli)

9. HOLY MOTORS (Leos Carax)

8. ALMOST FAMOUS (Cameron Crowe)

7. MAD MAX FURY ROAD (George Miller)

6. MULHOLLAND DRIVE (David Lynch)

5. HER (Spike Jonze)

4. THE INCREDIBLES (Brad Bird)

3. STAR WARS EPISODE III REVENGE OF THE SITH (George Lucas)

2. TOY STORY 3 (Lee Unkrich)

1. THE TREE OF LIFE (Terence Malick)

Dane Marti

10. INTERSTELLAR (Christopher Nolan)

9. INLAND EMPIRE (David Lynch)

8. THE HURT LOCKER (Kathryn Bigelow)

7. MINORITY REPORT (Steven Spielberg)

6. THE REVENANT (Alejandro Iñárritu)

5. THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD (Andrew Dominik)

4. LINCOLN (Steven Spielberg)

3. THE AVIATOR (Martin Scorsese)

2. LORD OF THE RINGS RETURN OF THE KING (Peter Jackson)

1. THERE WILL BE BLOOD (Paul Thomas Anderson)

Ian McDonald (Allied Advertising)

10.THE LIFE AQUATIC (Wes Anderson)

9. DJANGO UNCHAINED (Quentin Tarantino)

8. CABIN IN THE WOODS (Drew Goddard)

7. PAN’S LABYRINTH (Guillermo del Toro)

6. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (Tomas Alfredson)

5. HOT FUZZ (Edgar Wright)

4. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (The Coen Brothers)

3. MAD MAX FURY ROAD (George Miller)

2. SPIDERMAN 2 (Sam Raimi)

1. THE DEPARTED (Martin Scorsese)

BAFTA 2014 Winners – GRAVITY Leads With 6 Awards; 12 YEARS A SLAVE Clinches Best Picture

With two weeks to go until the 86th Academy Awards are handed out in Hollywood, all eyes were on London as the EE British Academy Film Awards were announced Sunday evening from the Royal Opera House.

12 YEARS A SLAVE was named Best Film with Chiwetel Ejiofor winning leading actor. GRAVITY won six awards including British Film, Director, Original Music, Cinematography, Sound and Special Visual Effects, while AMERICAN HUSTLE won three BAFTAs for Original Screenplay, Make Up & Hair, and Supporting Actress for Jennifer Lawrence.

Leading Actress was presented to Cate Blanchett for playing the title role in BLUE JASMINE – her third BAFTA win – and in his feature film debut Barkhad Abdi won Supporting Actor for CAPTAIN PHILLIPS.

Hosted by Stephen Fry, the ceremony featured a live performance from multi-platinum-selling artist Tinie Tempah and Mercury Prize nominee Laura Mvula.

Dame Helen Mirren was the recipient of the BAFTA Fellowship, Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema went to Peter Greenaway (THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE & HER LOVER), while the EE Rising Star Winner (voted for by the public) was Will Poulter.

Check out the red carpet arrival photos HERE.

Full list of winners:

Outstanding British Film: GRAVITY – Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman, Jonás Cuarón

Best Film: 12 YEARS A SLAVE – Anthony Katagas, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen

British Short Film: ROOM 8 – James W. Griffiths, Sophie Venner

British Short Animation: Sleeping With The Fishes – James Walker, Sarah Woolner, Yousif Al-Khalifa

Production Design: THE GREAT GATSBY – Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn

Sound Winner: GRAVITY – Glenn Freemantle, Skip Lievsay, Christopher Benstead, Niv Adiri, Chris Munro

Editing Winner: RUSH – Dan Hanley, Mike Hill

Documentary Winner: THE ACT OF KILLING – Joshua Oppenheimer

Make-Up and Hair Winner: AMERICAN HUSTLE – Evelyne Noraz, Lori McCoy-Bell, Kathrine Gordon

Costume Design Winner: THE GREAT GATSBY – Catherine Martin

Original Music Winner: GRAVITY – Steven Price

Animated Film Winner: FROZEN – Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer: Kieran Evans – Kelly + Victor

Supporting Actor: Barkhad Abdi – CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

Cinematography: GRAVITY – Emmanuel Lubezki

Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence – AMERICAN HUSTLE

Original Screenplay Winner: AMERICAN HUSTLE – Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell

Adapted Screenplay Winner: PHILOMENA – Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope

Special Visual Effects Winner: GRAVITY – Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould, Nikki Penny

Film Not in the English Language Winner: THE GREAT BEAUTY – Paolo Sorrentino, Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima

Leading Actor Winner: Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 YEARS A SLAVE

Director Winner: Alfonso Cuarón – GRAVITY

Leading Actress Winner: Cate Blanchett – BLUE JASMINE

Woody Allen’s Terrific BLUE JASMINE Opens Friday at The Hi-Pointe in St. Louis

I’ve seen the last several Woody Allen movies at The Hi-Pointe Theater. The first Woody I recall seeing there was ZELIG. The Hi-Pointe Theater, at 1005 McCausland Ave in St. Louis, is the best place to see Woody Allen movies. Something about its city locale, its nostalgia factor, its retro interior, and the fact that they sell wine by the bottle make me think that Woody Allen would be happy to know that his newest, BLUE JASMINE, will be playing there starting Friday August 15th. It’s been showing at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Theater (a fine venue) for the past week and I certainly don’t begrudge anyone who already saw it there. After all, I did refer to BLUE JASMINE as “the best film I’ve seen this year” in my WAMG review last week (read my complete review HERE), but The Hi-Pointe is the place to be and is where I plan on seeing it a second time

Here are the showtimes for BLUE JASMINE at The Hi-Pointe:
Friday: (5:15), 7:30 and 9:30
Saturday & Sunday: (1:00, 3:10, 5:15), 7:30 and 9:30
Monday – Thursday: (5:15), 7:30 and 9:30

The Hi-Pointe’s site can be found HERE

http://hi-pointetheatre.com/

BLUE JASMINE – The Review

After a side trip to Spain for VICKY CHRISTINA BARCELONA, back to New York for WHATEVER WORKS, to London for YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER, France for MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, and Italy for FROM ROME WITH LOVE, Woody lands in San Francisco (with some Manhattan-set flashback) for his latest, the terrific drama BLUE JASMINE. Armed with a script full of memorable characters, Allen’s portrait of one woman’s unhinged fall from privilege and prosperity to depression and madness is anchored by a devastating lead performance by Kate Blanchett.

Jasmine (Blanchett) used to have it all, an upscale life of luxury and good times in the Hamptons and Martha’s Vineyard. She’s suddenly penniless, blind-sided by the white collar financial crimes of her late husband Hal (Alec Baldwin in flashback), whose sleazy dealings she always turned a blind eye to. We first meet Jasmine on a plane, baring her soul to an annoyed fellow traveler, something she’ll do to strangers throughout the film. She lands in San Francisco armed with her designer suitcases at the doorstep of her working-class sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins). Despite Hal having squandered Ginger and her first husband Auggie’s (Andrew Dice Clay) desperately-needed lottery winnings, she offers Jasmine a place to stay. The sisters neither look nor act alike, both having been adopted by the same parents. Ginger has two sons from a first marriage to Auggie and a current fiancé Chili (Bobby Cannavale), a greasy goomba mechanic who sees right through Jasmine, who in turn continually refers to him as a ‘loser. Jasmine is a depressed woman who is unaccustomed to the lower class, living with noisy kids, and putting up with visits from Chili and his rough-edged pals. She goes to work as a receptionist for a lecherous dentist (Michael Stuhlbarg) and enrolls in a class to learn how to operate a computer so she can take an interior decorating license online. A chance meeting with a wealthy widowed diplomat (Peter Sarsgaard) looks like her ticket back to the privileged life she once know, if she can only keep her past from catching up with her.

Woody Allen has been cranking out a movie annually as long as I can remember and every few years critics latch on to his latest work and declare it his “best in years”. BLUE JASMINE really is. Allen deals here, as he does in most of his serious work, in class hatred, uncomfortable confrontations, and dysfunctional family conflict, but it lacks the heavy, Bergman-inspired gravity of some of Allen’s previous dramas like INTERIORS, SEPTEMBER, or ANOTHER WOMAN. The overheated premise proves perfect for Allen’s brand of stylized, poetic language. Even the uncouth Auggie and Chili naturally speak dialogue that sounds both composed and spontaneous. There are real dark turns in the film too, a mystery that depends upon the audience’s gradual discovery of what exactly happened to Hal.

Miss Blanchett is a riveting image, not just for the things she says but for the ravaged beauty and sadness she allows the camera to find in her face and clothes-horse figure. Constantly throwing back Xanax and martinis to cope, Blanchett performs emotional highs and lows, often within the same scene and her performance is really something to see. Jasmine is selfish and cruel and entitled yet the actress somehow generates a great deal of sympathy and the audience wants for her to find happiness. It’s a performance people will be talking about for a long time. It’s Blanchett’s show but there are so many good supporting performances in this film. Sally Hawkins is admirably down-to-earth as Ginger, who’s given a lot of screen time. Peter Sarsgaard scores as a too-good-to-be-true diplomat who may be the answer to Jasmine’s dreams as does Louis C.K. as Al, who might be Ginger’s step up from Chili. Andrew Dice Clay imbues Auggie with such humanity and sympathy that I can’t believe this is the same guy who was at the top of the stand-up game twenty years ago for reciting vulgar nursery rhymes. Only Michael Stuhlbarg as the dentist doesn’t fit so neatly into the puzzle. Until he makes his awkward advances, I didn’t understand why Jasmine wasn’t nicer to him.

Allen has made so many comedies that it is easy to insist that he make nothing else. Actually, he is as acute an author of serious dialogue as anyone now making films, and in BLUE JASMINE most of the real action goes on in his words as well as the shattering performance by Ms Blanchett. By turns witty, surprising, and heartbreaking, BLUE JASMINE is Woody Allen at the very top of his form and the best film I’ve seen this year.

5 of 5 Stars

BLUE JASMINE opens in St. Louis Friday, August 9th at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Theater

Watch The New Trailer For Woody Allen’s New Drama BLUE JASMINE

After everything in her life falls to pieces, including her marriage to wealthy businessman Hal (Alec Baldwin), elegant New York socialite Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) moves into her sister Ginger’s (Sally Hawkins) modest apartment in San Francisco to try to pull herself back together again.

Jasmine arrives in San Francisco in a fragile mental state, her head reeling from the cocktail of anti-depressants she’s on. While still able to project her aristocratic bearing, Jasmine is emotionally precarious and lacks any practical ability to support herself. She disapproves of Ginger’s boyfriend Chili (Bobby Cannavale), who she considers another “loser” like Ginger’s ex-husband Augie (Andrew Dice Clay).

Ginger, recognizing but not fully understanding her sister’s psychological instability, suggests that she pursue interior design, a career she correctly intuits that Jasmine won’t feel is beneath her. In the meantime, Jasmine begrudgingly accepts work as the receptionist in a dentist’s office, where she attracts the unwanted attentions of her boss, Dr. Flicker (Michael Stuhlbarg).

Feeling that her sister might be right about her poor taste in men, Ginger starts seeing Al (Louis C.K.), a sound engineer whom she considers as a step up from Chili. Jasmine sees a potential lifeline when she meets Dwight (Peter Sarsgaard), a diplomat who is quickly smitten with her beauty, sophistication and style.

Jasmine’s flaw is that she derives her worth from the way she’s perceived by others, while she herself is blind to what is going around her. Delicately portrayed by a regal Cate Blanchett, Jasmine earns our compassion because she is the unwitting instrument of her own downfall.

Woody Allen’s new drama BLUE JASMINE is about the dire consequences that can result when people avert their eyes from reality and the truth they don’t want to see.

Throughout his career, Woody Allen has created many indelible female characters portrayed by some of the world’s greatest actresses, including Diane Keaton, Geraldine Page, Mariel Hemingway, Charlotte Rampling, Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey, Gena Rowlands, Dianne Wiest, Mira Sorvino, Judy Davis, Samantha Morton, Scarlett Johansson, and Penelope Cruz, to mention only a few.

Whether they appear in light comedies or dark dramas, these complex female characters have always been the focal points of Allen’s movies. Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett is certain to take her place among these multifaceted, complex, and richly observed women.

BLUE JASMINE Opens NY & LA July 26.

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Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Woody Allen’s BLUE JASMINE

Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired all North American rights to Woody Allen’s next film, BLUE JASMINE from Gravier Productions.

Produced by Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum and Edward Walson, BLUE JASMINE has another all-star cast which includes Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K., Andrew Dice Clay, Sally Hawkins, Peter Sarsgaard and Michael Stuhlbarg. It is the story of the final stages of an acute crisis and a life of a fashionable New York housewife.

The film marks the sixth collaboration with the filmmaker and Sony Classics. SPC’s previous collaborations with Allen include 2012’s TO ROME WITH LOVE, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (Oscar winner for Best Original Screenplay), YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER starring Anthony Hopkins, Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin and Frieda Pinto; the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival’s opening night film WHATEVER WORKS starring Larry David, Patricia Clarkson and Evan Rachel Wood; and SWEET AND LOWDOWN, which garnered Oscar nominations for Sean Penn and Samantha Morton.

Tom Stockman (We Are Movie Geeks)

Andrew Wyatt (St. Louis Magazine, Gateway Cinephile)

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