Birdman, The Theory Of Everything and Into The Woods

Post Christmas and the rush to show Oscar favourites is on. And what a great start with the amazing Birdman. My most vivid memory is of Edward Norton and Emma Stone on the roof of the St James Theatre on Broadway, the theatre where basically the whole movie was shot in 30 days. Their conversation pitches both of them in contention for best supporting roles. Emma Stone was brilliant throughout, and who could have expected that.

Michael Keaton is equally amazing, think Natalie Portman in Black Swan. I guess it's not surprising that a movie about theatre, shot in a theatre, would bring out the best in the whole cast. The long takes shot by director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu are quite astounding. They help to give the impression of theatricality, as if we were watching the continuous action as it would be on stage. The whole film is highly original if not really weird. But what an experience.

For some reason I actually preferred The Theory of Everything to Birdman. The latter just does not have the constant emotion of the former, something I wasn't expecting. It must have been the screenplay by novelist and play-write Anthony McCarten that did this. He is actually the man to thank for getting this movie made. He fell in love with Jane Hawking's memoir and persuaded her to sell him the option for the movie rights whilst writing the screenplay. And he couldn't have found two better producers than Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title to wring out the words that I finally fell for.

Add to that the miracle of casting Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as Stephen and Jane Hawking (both deserve best actor Oscars) together with the direction of James Marsh and you have the best film I have seen for a long time. It was probably more enjoyable than my favourite films of the last two years in Locke and Margin Call.

The only reason I went to see Into The Woods was because we actually went to see the stage version in London back in December 1990. Here Julia McKenzie and Imelda Staunton were superb. However the movie is a huge disappointment. It has that screechy frantic quality that has you hoping the end will come quicker. The only saving grace is Emily Blunt as the baker's wife who brings a calm beauty  to the proceedings, And she can sing which is more than can be said for most of the others. This was not the movie for James Corden or Anna Kendrick. One of the worst films I have seen for ages.