Oscars – Nicole Davis

February 27, 2016February 27, 2016

February Culture Round-Up

Watching…

Love (Netflix)

After watching 10 episodes in 12 hours, I can safely say I was addicted to Love.

Veering away from the much-chartered and turbulent 20s that forms the epicentre of Girls, Love focuses on Mickey (Gillian Jacobs) and Gus (Paul Rust) as they grapple with their early 30s.

Created by Judd Apatow, Love reveals a contentedness to revel in his comfort zone, surrounded by slackers, stoners and lost souls. The comedy is perhaps less provocative or smutty as in some of his projects and there are moments that feel a bit ‘been-there-done-that’, but it’s perceptive and subtle humour nevertheless. A kind which probes, but never taxes.

It’s not easy to watch characters so intent on self-sabotage. Mickey is a radio programmer who sleeps with men way below her station and drinks away her self-hatred for doing so. Gus, meanwhile, wants to be a writer on the show where he tutors, but lacks any of the ambition or the guts to make it happen. Woe is them.

Yet in each episode, I found myself won over. The chemistry between Jacobs and Rust is well, a little bit rusty. I’m not sure if I’m rooting for them to figure it out as a couple, or just as individuals. But for Jacobs’ detached, destructive performance alone I’d stick with it. Through her, the writers very effectively disseminate the ‘cool girl’ trope and create a character as messed-up as Hannah Horvath but whose issues are dealt with in a thoroughly authentic and original way.

Highlights include: Bertie, as brought to life by the adorable Aussie comedian Claudia O’Doherty, is one of the most fully realised ‘best friend/roommate/supporting’ roles I’ve seen in awhile. Though winsome and eager to please, she’s also admirably astute. The date scene between her and Gus is one to relish. Also look out for Andy Dick playing himself in a wickedly wacky and emotionally stirring cameo.

Love isn’t the kind of show you fall head over heels for, but you’ll be glad to have let it into your life.

Show Me A Hero (HBO)

I don’t need any cajoling to watch 6-hours of Oscar Isaac. See below for evidence as to why:

But if I did, mentioning that it entails a New-York set miniseries, penned by The Wire’s David Simon and helmed by Crash’ Paul Haggis would probably do the trick.

That along with a Bruce Springsteen themed soundtrack, 80s costume design and complex politics undercurrents surrounding Mayor Nick Wasicsko and the public housing debacle, make for a charged and compellingly multi-faceted drama. It’s exactly the kind of drama that serves TV’s reputation so well.

Reading…

Room – Emma Donaghue.

The potent, poignant and expertly crafted novel upon which the dark horse of the Oscar’s Best Picture category is based. Room is written from the point of view of 5 year old Jack and details his experiences of the 12-foot-square room that forms his existence. Since his ‘Ma’ was kidnapped 7 years ago, Room is all they have ever known.

It’s a harrowing fairytale of sorts. One which celebrates the cavernous potential of a child’s imagination and the triumph of the human spirit, but without first exposing the trauma and suffering it takes to unleash that will to survive. With delicacy, ingenuity and a mastery of language, Donaghue – who also adapted the film’s screenplay – creates a world that is at once vivid and claustrophobic, both inside Room and after Jack and Ma are set free.

Listening to…

Serial.

I’m so late to the party that this recommendation serves little besides my memory. Still, if this is the heads-up to push you over the edge I’ll be glad to have done it. Serial is a brilliantly addictive and concise account of a mysterious murder in Baltimore.

Spearheaded by journalist Sarah Koenig, the investigation drip feeds a meticulous presentation – and dissection – of interviews, interrogations, phone-calls, observations and recreations that relate to a puzzling crime committed in 1999 and culminated in the supposedly wrongful conviction of Adnan Syed. It’s riveting stuff and you often forget this charts a very real case.

The best thing about the podcast format; aside from really forcing you to engage and concentrate and listen, is that you can unleash your inner True Detective AND at least make as if to be doing other things too.

Eating…

Oppo Ice-Cream.

The brainchild of the Thullier brothers, Oppo – which refers to ‘opposites’ – is a brand of ice-cream like no other. Blending the taste of a luxury dessert with superfood ingredients, such as lucuma and baobab, as well as replacing sugar and cream for stevia leaf and coconut oil, Oppo is a mouthful of magic. It’s hedonism for the health-conscious. Whether or not you can justifiably consume a tub in one sitting is very much up for debate, but believe me, after one spoonful, you’ll want to.

Doing…

Painting the Modern Garden at the Royal Academy.

Traversing modernist landscapes from Monet to Matisse, this intricately curated exhibition is sumptuous, salient and surprising in its depth. The context of World War 1 provides a harrowing and ironic backdrop to canvas’ that are alive with colour. Structured around Monet’s career, the exhibition delves into the inspirations behind his paintings and the influences they would subsequently have.

From his much-loved water lilies to photographs of the artists themselves – trowels in hands – this is an immersive, compelling experience, offering healing powers as much in a time of suffering as they do today.

From 30 January to 20 April.

Buying…

Bloom & Wild flowers.

Perhaps inspired by my sojourn to the Royal Academy, for Mothers Day this year, I’ve decided to try out online florists ‘Bloom & Wild’, a startup that picks, arranges and sends flat-pack bouquets direct to your door. It’s a bloomin’ great idea for those who want to gift fresh flowers without the hassle of carrying them. I’ll admit I was predominantly swayed by the idea of 3D flowers springing from an envelope as if in a magic show. I’ll have to wait until the 6th March to see if they deliver.

February 14, 2016February 14, 2016

6 Films To Watch After You’ve Seen The Survivalist

Originally published on We Are Colony.

In The Survivalist, BAFTA-nominated Stephen Fingleton creates an intensely realistic vision of a post-collapse world. The loss of modern luxuries and amenities force three survivors to collate all their wits and resources to avoid encroaching danger.

To celebrate its release in cinemas and on VOD, I recalled six other films that pit their protagonists against extreme circumstances and make you more than glad to be inside watching them…

Mad Max: Fury Road (DIR. George Miller, 2015)

A post-apocalyptic movie on steroids, Mad Max is arguably last year’s most talked about film. Where The Survivalist is sparse and introspective, Fury Road is a ferocious whirlwind of CGI spectacle. Still, there’s a reason Indiewire labeled Fingleton’s debut “Mad Max in the countryside”. Each bring a vivid sense of detail to the ‘end of the world’ scenarios they have created to startling effect.

“The Survivalist revels in the muddy minutiae of a post-collapse environment.”

Snowpiercer (DIR. Bong Joon-ho, 2013)

Set on a train trapped in an infinite loop around a frozen planet, the world’s dwindling resources inspire a group of ‘third class’ passengers – among them Captain America (Chris Evans), Billy Elliot (Jamie Bell) and the Elephant Man (John Hurt) – to overthrow the oligarchs that power the engine.

Refreshingly different in its take on disaster, Snowpiercer is an absurdist piece of cinema. Visually it might not have much in common with The Survivalist, which revels in the muddy minutiae of a post-collapse environment, but it’s a stellar example of how to inject a bit of humour into what’s typically a sombre genre.

Equal parts suspense and horror, Snowpiercer is contemplative yet entertaining and where both films excel is in their ability to tell an expansive story in a small space.

The Road (DIR. John Hillcoat, 2009)

Speaking of sombre, John Hillcoat’s The Road is the often held up as a litmus test against which apocalyptic films are inevitably compared. As Viggo Mortensen shepherds Kodi Smit-McPhee across a ravaged, cannibalized America, it’s hard to recall a film that has so frighteningly depicted austerity.

The result is something remarkable and haunting, but which, at times, feels excessive. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis’s elegiac score orchestrates certain moments to detrimental effect and there are sequences where silence alone could be more fitting. The Coen brothers, in their adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men, left the soundtrack devoid of music, a choice which subsequently maximizes tension.

Indeed, where The Survivalist is most effective is in its absence of music; when pregnant silences and the threat that fills them, linger.

“Cuarón and Fingleton exhibit a flare for kinetic filmmaking, utilising tracking shots to explore a primitive landscape with poetic flourish”.

Children Of Men (DIR. Alfonso Cuarón, 2006)

The world is a battleground in Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men and Clive Owen must act as bodyguard to society’s last hope at regeneration. Now twice Oscar-anointed, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki demonstrates striking visual prowess. His recreation of a war-torn dystopia, where characters live in perpetual fear of being struck by a bullet or a bomb is astounding.
The Survivalist employs a similar aesthetic of dirt and drizzle, and both embrace a costume and production design that feels chillingly plausible. Likewise, Cuarón and Fingleton exhibit a flare for kinetic filmmaking, utilizing tracking shots to explore a primitive landscape with poetic flourish.

The Rover (DIR. David Michôd, 2014)

Australian director David Michod’s follow-up to Animal Kingdom sees Robert Pattinson and Guy Pearce exchanging blows against the backdrop of a desolate, dystopian society.
Perhaps most similar to The Survivalist, what separates both these films from the lesser iterations of their genre is the focus on the human condition as opposed to the context. The reasons for economic and societal collapse are for the foremost left a mystery, and in a world where supplies and a sense of order are scarce, The Rover and The Survivalist question what’s left of mankind when civilization and its organizing principles disappear.

“An immersive, intimate experience against the backdrop of a sublime and primal landscape”.

The Revenant (DIR. Alejandro González Iñárritu, 2015)

The film that might finally secure Leonardo DiCaprio his long awaited Oscar, sees him take on a bear, a perilous journey and a Tom Hardy with an agenda. To say it’s deserving is an understatement.

Whilst The Survivalist’s scale might be smaller, both films test the endurance of their protagonists as they are confronted by punishing situations that push their bodies and psychological strength to the limit. In a world that is as exquisitely beautiful as it is brutal, the imminence of death seems omnipresent.

With little dialogue, our only window into the pain that DiCaprio’s vengeful frontiersman Hugh Glass suffers is the nuance of his performance and he more than delivers. In The Survivalist, Irish actor Martin McCann likewise has to experience the woes of maggots and using fire to self-heal, though he’s spared the grizzly encounter. In each film, the result is an immersive, intimate experience against the backdrop a sublime and primal landscape.

The Survivalist, alongside two exclusive short films, is now available on We Are Colony with behind-the-scenes extras: http://www.wearecolony.com/the-survivalist

January 9, 2016January 9, 2016

Review: The Danish Girl

Tom Hooper’s The Danish Girl, is a sensual and occasionally moving film, but one that altogether lacks gumption or dynamism.

Telling the story of Lili Elbe, an artist who became one of the first recipients of gender reassignment surgery, Hooper employs a sedate and sumptuous approach that may have suited his Oscar-winning biopic The King’s Speech, but feels somewhat inappropriate here.

We first meet Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne) and his wife Gerda (Alicia Vikander) as the picture of marital bliss. Flirtatious, loving and both artistically-inclined, theirs is a relationship of complete affinity, so much so that Gerda describes her first kiss with Einar as though it was like ‘kissing myself’.

It is in these quiet moments of realisation that The Danish Girl is at it’s most hypnotic. Sadly, it’s a tone that Hooper fails to sustain.

The couple are bohemian royalty, with Einar enjoying relative fame and success as a landscape painter and Gerda – though slighted by her own lack of recognition as a portraitist – content to frolic at society parties and lavish amid the dreamy surroundings of Copenhagen circa 1926.

However that happiness is no sooner established than quickly punctured by Einar’s apparent fetish for femininity and all that comes with it. Asked to sit in for their ballet dancer friend (a playful Amber Heard), whom Gerda is painting, Einar – feigning reluctance, though visibly animated – dons stockings, shoes and a dress and adopts an elegant pose. The picture is all too funny for Gerda, but for Einar it stirs a feeling of deep-seated dissatisfaction with his masculine identity. Touching the silk fabrics, there are already glimmers that he might feel more complete, more himself, were he to embrace a different persona altogether.

It is in these quiet moments of realisation that The Danish Girl is at it’s most hypnotic. Sadly, it’s a tone that Hooper fails to sustain.

Gerda, still caught up in the heady hilarity of her husband’s pantomime, encourages Einar to attend a party with her dressed as a woman. Together they conjure up Lili, a bashful cousin of Einar’s, whom bears a striking resemblance to him. As Lili gradually begins to manifest full time, the film become more parodic.

Redmayne does a marvellous job of conveying Einar’s inner turmoil, and certainly as he gazes at himself in the mirror, distorting his own body to adopt a womanly form, one can’t fail to be convinced of the transformative talents of the very actor that became Stephen Hawking for last year’s The Theory Of Everything. But here the very casting a cisgender man lends falseness to the entire film, for Redmayne cannot very well become a woman. Despite his earnest attempts at delicacy and elegance, he is ultimately playing dress-up and his performance often consists more of certain poses, movements or facial expressions than it does of an underlying sense of womanhood. Redmayne captures the subtleties of body language, but all too often it feels affected and superficial.

As Einar begins to consider the possibility of becoming Lili full-time, and consulting doctors that could grant his wish, Gerda’s career begins to soar. Her portraits of Lili find an audience in Paris and as she becomes increasingly visible to society, her husband slowly disappears.

Alicia Vikander, the young Swedish actress who’s on the precipice of going stratospheric, is the beating heart of this film. Where Redmayne is all poise and grace, hers is a performance that feels spontaneous and raw, every emotion possible flickering across her face as Gerda grapples with Einar’s new identity. The scene where Gerda begs Lili to give her her husband back is perhaps the most gut wrenching.

It’s hard to fault the filmmaking. Hooper is a director obsessed with perfection and wherever you look there is more exquisite scenery and furniture and fabric to absorb. The protagonist’s lives might be falling apart, but dammit their sofas can be flawlessly upholstered. It’s this tendency to prettify that becomes the film’s and ironically, Lili’s, undoing.

Alicia Vikander, the young Swedish actress who’s on the precipice of going stratospheric, is the beating heart of this film.

The precise, calculated style feels too measured and not messy enough for the subject matter at hand. The painterly aesthetic might reflect its protagonist’s craft, however it doesn’t do justice to the challenge and trauma of Lili’s transition. Even when threat looms in the form of prejudiced assailants or dangerously conventional doctors, it feels tentative and performative rather than real and frightening.

Hooper and co-writer Lucinda Coxon have not only neatened Lili’s story and presumably made it more palatable for mainstream cinema-going audiences (and no doubt Oscar voters), but rather worse cut it short. Lili died at the age of 49 from a fatal womb transplant after enduring a series of operations, and therefore it seems unlikely she had a moment of epiphanic self-acceptance before conceding to death in Gerda’s arms, shortly followed by an overwhelmingly saccharine scene – that practically yells SYMBOLISM – where Lili’s scarf drifts across the Danish landscapes she hitherto committed to canvas.

Indeed Gerda’s own life took a sour turn. She did not get swept off her feet by the dashing Matthias Schoenaarts (as Hooper would have you believe), but married an Italian officer who drained her of all her financial resources. (Read more about the true story here).

The Danish Girl, for all its good intentions, is a contrived vanity project that sadly diminishes the struggle of Lili’s transformation. I walked away from the cinema thinking it was all very lovely, which I fear, was hardly the point.

February 22, 2015March 18, 2015

87th Academy Awards: The Live Blog

The pinnacle of the movie calendar, the apex of awards seasons, the prestigious, glamorous, superlative event known as the Academy Awards is about to begin. I’m well-stocked in caffeine and raring to go…

5.08am – THE END IS NIGH

So that’s it. The unforgiving orchestra plays for the final time. Neil Patrick Harris says his goodbyes, and presumably won’t be asked back. And pretty much everyone that was expected to win did. So yay. Goodnight or good morning.

5.03am – BEST PICTURE

The legend that is Sean Penn is on hand to present Best Picture.

Nominees:

American Sniper (2014): Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper, Peter Morgan
Birdman (2014): Alejandro González Iñárritu, John Lesher, James W. Skotchdopole
Boyhood (2014/I): Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland
The Imitation Game (2014): Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky, Teddy Schwarzman
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven M. Rales, Jeremy Dawson
Selma (2014): Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner
The Theory of Everything (2014): Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten
Whiplash (2014): Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook, David Lancaster

Sean Penn feigns shock. For a second I think he might say American Sniper.

BUT THE WINNER IS: BIRDMAN.

I am somewhat surprised Boyhood didn’t cinch it. I feel bad for Linklater who has devoted so much of his time to this passion project, and which must resonate so honestly and so rawly with many families.

Picking up the big three: screenplay, director and picture, Birdman proves its popularity and artistry. A triumph for originality, inventiveness and experimentalism in cinema.

4.54am – BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Matthew McConnaughey saunters onto the stage. Is he the real Mr. Grey?

Nominees:

Marion Cotillard, losing her job in Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, losing hope in The Theory of Everything
Rosamund Pike, losing her cool in Gone Girl
Julianne Moore, losing her memory in Still Alice
Reese Witherspoon, losing her toenails in Wild

AND THE WINNER IS: Julianne Moore

Unsurprising victory for Moore. She’s cleaned up at pretty much every other awards show, and justifiably – her performance as Dr. Alice Howland is haunting, gut wrenching and anchored by authenticity. This is her 5^th nomination and 1^st win: the cherry on top of an illustrious and diverse career.

4.48am – BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Nominees:

Steve Carell, wrestling his demons in Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch, securing WW2 victory as Turing in The Imitation Game
Bradley Cooper, drinking whiskey and getting frisky in American Sniper
Michael Keaton, treading the boards in Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, riding a Tide in The Theory of Everything

AND THE WINNER IS: Eddie Redmayne.

He looks like he’s being choked by his bow tie. He looks overwhelmed. He says ‘Thank You’ thrice, and dedicates the award to ALS sufferers, his partner in crime Felicity Jones, and of course, Stephen Hawking. The transformation in the film alone is deserving of this award. His performance is the mark of dedication.

4.42am – ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING

Batffleck is onstage to present the best director award. It’s tense.

Nominees:

Richard Linklater, keeping it in the family for Boyhood
Alejandro González Iñárritu, flying high for Birdman
Bennett Miller, staging a fight for Foxcatcher
Wes Anderson, gives chase for The Grand Budapest Hotel
Morten Tyldum, does the Math for The Imitation Game

AND THE WINNER IS: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Bennett Miller was so quick to stand up I wondered if he’d heard the wrong name. Funny speech, funny guy. Birdman had verve, dynamism and was spectacularly guided by Iñárritu. Basically, I concur.

4.34am – BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Nominees:

American Sniper (2014): Jason Hall
Inherent Vice (2014): Paul Thomas Anderson
The Imitation Game (2014): Graham Moore
The Theory of Everything (2014): Anthony McCarten
Whiplash (2014): Damien Chazelle

AND THE WINNER IS: The Imitation Game, Graham Moore

No fucking way. What. Just. Happened. Easily the biggest upset of the night. Moore’s script was hackneyed and conventional, and lacked the spice to really represent Turing’s unconventionality. But now he’s gone and mentioned an attempted suicide and urged people to stay true to themselves, so I feel like a dick. I guess his script honoured Turing’s legacy, and in turn the Academy are honouring the overdue-ness of that.

4.30am – BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Nominees:

Boyhood (2014/I): Richard Linklater
Birdman (2014): Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo
Foxcatcher (2014): E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): Wes Anderson, Hugo Guinness
Nightcrawler (2014): Dan Gilroy

AND THE WINNER IS: Birdman

Emma Stone looks chuffed, which makes me happy. I quite wanted to see Nightcrawler snap this up, considering it lost steam in most other categories, but Birdman is the most fascinating of these nominees.

4.27am

Just FYI if everything suddenly goes quiet on the blogging front that’s because I just had a sugar hit and am pre-empting a crash any minute now.

4.22am – BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Nominees:

The Imitation Game (2014): Alexandre Desplat
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): Alexandre Desplat
Interstellar (2014): Hans Zimmer
The Theory of Everything (2014): Jóhann Jóhannsson
Mr. Turner (2014): Gary Yershon

AND THE WINNER IS: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Alexandre Desplat

With two nominations it would’ve been a travesty for Desplat not to win. Plus, this score is absolutely magical and so elemental to the creation of an all-encompassing and unique world. Desplat gives a heartfelt speech. And I believe that puts GBH in the lead! Come on Wes.

4.20am – DIVA-OFF?

The real Julie Andrews has just appeared on stage, much to Felicity Jones’ absolute delight. Fingers crossed she breaks out into a rendition of Alejandro.

4.16am – THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF GAGA

Blimey. Lady GaGa looks elegant. She’s singing The Sound of Music, in celebration of the enduring classic. And doing a rather good job. She’s managed to stay poker-faced throughout.

4.06am – BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Nominees:

The Lego Movie (2014): Shawn Patterson(Everything is Awesome)
Selma (2014): Common, John Legend(Glory)
Beyond the Lights (2014): Diane Warren(Grateful)
Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me (2014): Glen Campbell, Julian Raymond(I’m Not Gonna Miss You)
Begin Again (2013/II): Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois(Lost Stars)

AND THE WINNER IS: ‘Glory’, Selma

Glory for glory. A moving, profound acceptance speech that matches the sentiments of the song, and the film. “March on”.

4.05am – THE ACADEMY HAS A SENSE OF HUMOUR

“Benedict Cumberbatch is… the name you get when you ask John Travolta to pronounce ‘Ben Affleck’”. NPH’s best quip of the night. John Travolta and Idina Menzel laugh it up over his disastrous pronunciation of her name at last year’s awards.

4.02am

Julianne Moore, Chris Pine and David Oyelowo are just 3 of the actors reduced to tears after John Legend’s rendition of ‘Glory’, the song from Selma.

3.56am – KEEPING SCORE

Tally so far… Whiplash and Grand Budapest Hotel each have 3. Boyhood, Birdman and American Sniper have 1. Surprising, but a few of the big dogs are yet to come.

3.50am – BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Nominees:

Citizenfour (2014): Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky
Finding Vivian Maier (2013): John Maloof, Charlie Siskel
Last Days in Vietnam (2014): Rory Kennedy, Keven McAlester
The Salt of the Earth (2014): Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, David Rosier
Virunga (2014): Orlando von Einsiedel, Joanna Natasegara

AND THE WINNER IS: Citizenfour

Haven’t seen this yet, but desperately want to – and now even more so. Unlike Michael Moore, the winners tastefully bring up a political issue; that of privacy and subsequently honour the necessary courage of whistleblowers, much to the applause of the audience. Apparently, they’ve just woken up…

3.44am – BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN EDITING

Even Benedict Cumberbatch and Naomi Watts can do little to revive what’s become the most tedious procession in awards history. I’m surprised I’m still awake. Presumably the Academy will edit out yawning stars and fidgety nominees. This ceremony is certainly not rushing, and most definitely dragging.

Nominees:

Boyhood (2014/I): Sandra Adair
The Imitation Game (2014): William Goldenberg
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): Barney Pilling
Whiplash (2014): Tom Cross
American Sniper (2014): Joel Cox, Gary Roach

AND THE WINNER IS: Whiplash

Fuck yes. It’s gone to the right film. The power of Whiplash lies not just in Simmons’ performance, but in the perfectly timed editing.

3.36am

Among those remembered are Lauren Bacall, Robin Williams, Bob Hoskins, Luise Rainer, Samuel Goldwyn Jr, Richard Attenborough, James Garner, Mickey Rooney, Mike Nichols, Eli Wallach. As ever its a touching moment, and you forget how many people leave behind enduring legacies and iconic moments. Finished off with a power ballad from a skinnier-than-ever Jennifer Hudson.

3.30am – PASS THE TISSUES

Meryl Streep comes on stage looking like she means business and quoting Joan Didion. She’s a goddess basically. Streep introduces the segment whereupon we honour those in the industry who have passed. Get ready for an emotive, water-coloured montage.

3.25am – BEST ACHIEVMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY

Nominees:

Birdman (2014): Emmanuel Lubezki
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): Robert D. Yeoman
Ida (2013): Lukasz Zal, Ryszard Lenczewski
Mr. Turner (2014): Dick Pope
Unbroken (2014/I): Roger Deakins

AND THE WINNER IS: Birdman

The second consecutive win for Lubezki, who picked up the award last year for the artistically awe-inspiring, and boundary defying, Gravity. I was sort of hoping the beautiful compositions of Ida would gain recognition, but that being said, Birdman is insanely intricate and self-assured in navigating its way through all those corridors, conflicts and clandestine activities.

3.22am – BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION DESIGN

Nominees:

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock
The Imitation Game (2014): Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana Macdonald
Interstellar (2014): Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis
Into the Woods (2014): Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock
Mr. Turner (2014): Suzie Davies, Charlotte Watts

AND THE WINNER IS: The Grand Budapest Hotel

And that makes three. Another deserved win for Anderson’s most fully realised and wondrously chaotic film.

3.19am

Cheryl Boone Isaac, the president of the AMPAS comes on stage to give an obligatory and VERY rehearsed speech on diversity in cinema. In a year where there has been great controversy over the lack of diversity in the nominations. She praises filmmakers that “give voice to challenging ideas and alternate points of view” and whilst that all very well and everyone might clap/nod/agree, it feels a little bit anachronistic and unreflective of this year’s Oscars.

3.11am – BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Nominees:

The Boxtrolls (2014)
Big Hero 6 (2014)
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
Song of the Sea (2014)
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya (2013)

AND THE WINNER IS: Big Hero 6

I’ve heard good things. It’s this years Frozen apparently and we all know how that turned out.

3.07am – BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Anna Kendrick (generally being awesome) and Kevin Hart are the best presenting duo thus far. Bubbly, funny and getting the job done.

Nominees:

The Bigger Picture (2014): Daisy Jacobs, Chris Hees
The Dam Keeper (2014): Robert Kondo, Daisuke ‘Dice’ Tsutsumi
Feast (2014/I): Patrick Osborne, Kristina Reed
Me and My Moulton (2014): Torill Kove
A Single Life (2014): Joris Oprins

AND THE WINNER IS: Feast

Like the films themselves, the winners keep their speeches short and sweet.

3.04am – BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS

Nominees:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014): Dan Deleeuw, Russell Earl, Bryan Grill, Daniel Sudick
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014): Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, Daniel Barrett, Erik Winquist
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014): Stephane Ceretti, Nicolas Aithadi, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould
Interstellar (2014): Paul J. Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter, Scott R. Fisher
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014): Richard Stammers, Lou Pecora, Tim Crosbie, Cameron Waldbauer

AND THE WINNER IS: Interstellar.

Here, here. I saw Dawn of the Planet of the Apes tonight, and was astounded by its realism and emotional depth. But nothing touched Interstellar this year in terms of its vision and vastness.

3.01am – RITA ORA IS GRATEFUL

Performing the Original Song nomination from Beyond the Lights. It’s a little bit screechy. I’m grateful it’s over.

2.53am – AND THE WINNER IS: PATRICIA MARQUETTE

I really wanted their to be an upset. For Jared Leto to spit out Emma Stone’s name at the last minute. But alas for 12 years of hard, emotional graft, Patricia Arquette takes home the award, along with most others this season. And she knew it – she came prepped with glasses and paper.

She tells us she loves lots of people. Then champions equal rights for women in the US. (And the UK thank you very much). A fairly ordinary speech, not much personality in it.

2.51am – BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Here we go. Another exciting award. Jared Leto takes to the stage, complete with powder blue tux and shiny mane to present one lucky lady with the honour…

Nominees:

Patricia Arquette, getting by and getting high in Boyhood
Laura Dern, offering sage wisdom in Wild
Keira Knightley, cracking codes in The Imitation Game
Emma Stone, doing crack in Birdman
Meryl Streep, bewitching in Into the Woods

2.49am – BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING

Nominees:

American Sniper (2014): Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman
Birdman (2014): Aaron Glascock, Martín Hernández
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014): Brent Burge, Jason Canovas
Interstellar (2014): Richard King
Unbroken (2014/I): Becky Sullivan, Andrew DeCristofaro

AND THE WINNER IS: American Sniper

American Sniper gets its first win of the night. Could this lead to bigger things?

2.46am – BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING

Nominees:

American Sniper (2014): John T. Reitz, Gregg Rudloff, Walt Martin
Birdman (2014): Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Thomas Varga
Interstellar (2014): Gary Rizzo, Gregg Landaker, Mark Weingarten
Unbroken (2014/I): Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, David Lee
Whiplash (2014): Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins, Thomas Curley

AND THE WINNER IS: Whiplash.

Seems like the right choice, the sound mixing in Whiplash adds to the sheer energy, intensity and tension that makes the film so engrossing.

2.45am – MILES AND MARGOT

Miles Teller and Margot Robbie come on stage to do something… I’ve tuned out. I’m too busy admiring Miles Teller. Also did NPH pronounce Margot Robbie as Robey?

2.42am

Ok this is funny. Even if NPH has resorted to getting near-naked and ripping off Birdman for laughs.

2.36am

Tim McGraw is singing a ballad. Is anyone else bored? Where’s Ellen? I remember last year being more fun. Bring out the pizza.

2.34am

Neil Patrick Harris addresses the elephant in the room and talks to David Oyelowo after mentioning all the great Brit actors who have been nominated… To be honest that just felt awkward.

2.28am – BEST DOCUMENTARY, SHORT SUBJECT

Nominees:

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 (2013): Ellen Goosenberg Kent, Dana Perry
Joanna (2013/I): Aneta Kopacz
Our Curse (2013): Tomasz Sliwinski, Maciej Slesicki
The Reaper (2013): Gabriel Serra
White Earth (2014): Christian Jensen

AND THE WINNER IS: Crisis Hotline.

Yay two women. They thank lots of people and remain relatively unflustered.

2.25am – BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

Kerry Washington and Jason Bateman sashay towards the mic to present this award.

Nominees:

Aya (2012/I): Oded Binnun, Mihal Brezis
Boogaloo and Graham (2014): Michael Lennox, Ronan Blaney
Butter Lamp (2013): Wei Hu, Julien Féret
Parvaneh (2012): Talkhon Hamzavi, Stefan Eichenberger
The Phone Call (2013): Mat Kirkby, James Lucas

AND THE WINNER IS: The Phone Call.

One of them thanks his local bakery for fantastic doughnuts. I’m not sure they expected to win. They’re doing a Pawlikowski and trying to ignore the music.

2.18am – EVERYTHING IS AWESOME

This chaotic, psychedelic number from The Lego Movie is like something from Eurovision. Like most of the audience I don’t really know what’s going on.

2.17am

Neil Patrick Harris isn’t sinking. But he isn’t swimming either. Steve Carrell massively outshone him in that little bit.

2.11am – BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Nominees:

Tangerines (2013): Zaza Urushadze
Ida (2013): Pawel Pawlikowski
Leviathan (2014): Andrey Zvyagintsev
Wild Tales (2014): Damián Szifrón
Timbuktu (2014): Abderrahmane Sissako

AND THE WINNER IS: Ida!

So happy this film has got recognition, it was by far one of my favourites of the year. Poor Pawlikowski just got woefully played off the stage for exceeding his allotted speech time. But didn’t give a shit and carried on anyway. What a hero. Keira Knightley found it hilarious.

2.09am – STRANGE PAIRING

Nicole Kidman and Chiwetel Ejiofor come on stage to present Best Foreign Language Film. COME ON IDA!

2.04am – LET’S CLAP THE RANDOMS

Channing Tatum comes on stage to introduce a bunch of people we don’t know. He got a pretty raw deal considering at one point there was talk of an Oscar nomination for his brutish, revelatory turn in Foxcatcher.

2am – BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Neil Patrick Harris stole my joke to introduce Reese Witherspoon. I’ll let him have it.

Nominees:

Foxcatcher (2014): Bill Corso, Dennis Liddiard
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014): Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou, David White

AND THE WINNER IS: Frances Hannon, Mark Coulier for The Grand Budapest Hotel, racking its total up to two.

1.58am – BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN

Nominees:

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014): Milena Canonero
Inherent Vice (2014): Mark Bridges
Into the Woods (2014): Colleen Atwood
Maleficent (2014): Anna B. Sheppard
Mr. Turner (2014): Jacqueline Durran

AND THE WINNER IS: Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Deservedly so, as the costumes are integral to the luxurious and other-wordly texture of this film.

1.50am – ADAM LEVINE LOOKING CASUAL

Levine has opted to perform ‘Lost Stars’ from the film Begin Again without his tuxedo jacket, his tattooed arms on full display. He could’ve scrubbed up better. His co-star in the film, Keira Knightley, claps enthusiastically. Now for a toilet break.

1.47am

Liam Neeson, dressed in funereal black, introduces two of the Best Picture nominees – The Grand Budapest Hotel and American Sniper. People then clap their own films…

1.42am – J.K. SIMMONS WINS!

Planting a big kiss on his wife and to rapturous applause, J.K. Simmons collects his expected Oscar for the Machiavellian music teacher Fletcher in Whiplash. He thanks his wife’s patience, his “above average children” and urges everyone to call their parents and thank them. I would. But mine are currently asleep.

1.39am – BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Lupita Nyong’o is first on stage to present this award to one of these five nominees…

Robert Duvall, an average Joe in The Judge
Ethan Hawke, a doting, guitar-toting Dad in Boyhood
Edward Norton, going over the top in his undies in Birdman
Mark Ruffalo, getting rough-alo in Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons, lashing out in Whiplash

AND THE WINNER IS: J.K. Simmons (sans hat).

1.30am – WE’RE OFF!

– Neil Patrick Harris kicks things off in deliciously camp, sing-song style. And Anna Kendrick is cameo-ing in her Cinderella, gold-foil dress. Jack Black joins in on the fun, poking fun at the series of sequels that have recently drenched our cinema screens. Kendrick shoes him off the stage. The song is called ‘Moving Pictures’, going by the amount of times that phrase has been uttered.

– Harris is looking a little red in the face. And no wonder considering he practically just crammed in ALL the nominations into one chorus. Applause all around.

1.29am – CUTTING IT FINE

Pregnant Keira Knightley, presumably wishing to miss the preamble has arrived in a dress that looks familiar from the latest Valentino collection. Frothy perfection. Knightley is up for a Best Supporting nomination for The Imitation Game.

1.20am – EMMA STONE GOES FOR GOLD

Emma Stone appears to have decided that if she isn’t going to win an Oscar, she’ll dress like one instead. I’m a fan. She’s brought her Mum along and is hilarious as always. Although this photo makes it look lime green, so maybe there’s just something wrong with my TV screen.

1.13am – GWYNIE GIVES A WAVE

Channelling the baby-pink look that she wore during her win for Shakespeare In Love, Gwyneth is sleek and polished. Seriously, her hair might as well be a reflective surface.

1.10am – BROMANCE IN THE AIR

Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper share a giggle on the red carpet. Touchingly, Cooper also has his hand placed on Clint’s lower back. Are they each other’s dates? B-Coop is up for Best Actor for his work in the controversial American Sniper. This is the third nomination in a row for Cooper, cementing his status as an acting force to be reckoned with. No wonder Clint is smitten.

1am – A STING IN HER TAIL

Stuart Heritage has hit the nail on the head over Alexa Chung’s coverage. She’s being more two-faced than Harvey Dent, at once decrying that we reduce women to the outfits they wear, and simultaneously conforming to that reductive approach. She has been nothing but snide thus far.

“Alexa Chung is genuinely tearing herself apart in the most compelling way on this Sky pre-show programme. She’s being paid to be mean about the red carpet dresses but, before she says anything mean, she keeps reiterating how cruel it is for people to be mean about red carpet dresses. It’s a perfect picture of self-loathing. It’s like watching Good Gollum arguing with Bad Gollum. She’s got about 35 minutes to split in two and start physically fighting with herself.”.

The Guardian’s live coverage can be found here.

12.55am – BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

He just called the carpet “squishy”. Looking all white on the night, he’s in an ivory coloured (is it ok to say that?) tux and once again reiterating how important the legacy of Alan Turing is. His new wife; theatre/opera director and playwright, Sophie Hunter, is radiant in red. At this stage the men are wearing more varied colours than the women.

12.50am – I COULD EAT HER UP WITH A WITHERSPOON

Best Actress nominee (I’d say contender, but Julianne has pretty much sealed the deal) Reese has knocked it out of the park. She looks exquisite. And hopefully her campaign to be asked better questions on the red carpet will make good: #askhermore. Wild – the film for which she is nominated – sees her take on the role of Cheryl Strayed and producer in a bid to develop, and showcase stronger, more emotionally complex and varied roles for women.

12.38am – CATE THE GREAT

Simple, yet effective. This is a lady who knows how to wow. She was last year’s Best Actress winner for her role in Blue Jasmine, so presumably will be presenting the Best Actor gong.

12.35am – BEST LOOK OF THE NIGHT SO FAR

The lads of Grand Budapest Hotel have arrived in co-ordinated suits. They look like a Barbershop Quartet slash the Rat Pack and it’s nothing less than extraordinary. Adrien Brody and Jeff Goldblum are included.

12.30am – I’M IN LOVE

Felicity Jones being interviewed is the cutest thing ever. She’s “living the dream” and seems so genuinely, radiantly happy to be alive let alone at the awards. Another Brit actress, Rosamund Pike, is up on the podium being interviewed. Aside from her funny, Angelia-esque leg stance, she’s incredibly regal and eloquent and expresses her support for her co-star and tonight’s host, Neil Patrick Harris.

12.25am – J.K. SIMMONS LOOKING EDGY

He’s wearing a hat and has a chain attached to his waistcoat… He just needs a cigar and Boardwalk Empire might’ve cast him as an extra. I wonder if he’ll dispose of the hat when he gets up onstage to collect his Oscar (because it’s pretty much in the bag).

12.20am – ETHAN HAWKE

Hawke believed that Boyhood would be too experimental for mainstream audiences. Once again shining a light on Ellar Coltrane’s performance and seeming very humble to be here at all.

12.15am – NOW THAT’S A SUIT

Eddie Redmayne arrives wearing a suit so sharp there should be a warning attached. In dazzling midnight blue, this is the suit of a man who knows he stands a chance at victory. He’s very smiley and fidgety on camera, expressing stutter-y nervousness and gratitude. Let’s hope he’s rehearsed a speech that’s a bit smoother…

12.10am – NAOMI WATTS EXCELS HERSELF

I’m loving the neckline and relaxed yet cool vibe of this dress. It’s Armani Prive, which if I’m not mistaken Watts also wore a couple of years ago when she was nominated for her turn in The Impossible, in another silvery creation. Watts provided stellar support in this year’s Birdman, reuniting her with Edward Norton with whom she previously shared a screen with in A Painted Veil.

12.07am – I SEE A THEME APPEARING

The second red dress of the night is worn with absolute aplomb by Gone Girl’s Rosamund Pike.

12.05am – DAVID OYELOWO SAYS OH-HELLO-WO

Looking dapper in red, Oyelowo is nothing but effusively grateful about being at the Oscars tonight, despite a lot of controversy over his Best Actor nomination snub. What a gent.

12am – MICHAEL KEATON SWOOPS IN

As Riggan Thomson in Birdman, Keaton treaded the boards and now on the Oscars red carpet he looks stiff as a board. Seems as though no-one briefed him on what to do with his hands. Maybe he’s just tense about tonight’s result in the Best Actor category. It’s a toss-up between him and Eddie Redmayne, though bookies have the latter down as the odds-on favourite.

11.57pm – LINKLATER SAYS HEY

Richard Linklater looks very relaxed and spaced out. Maybe high… Maybe just exhausted by Boyhood’s success. “Here we are…”. Yep definitely run out of interesting things to say about the film.

11.55pm – PATRICIA ARQUETTE CHAMPIONS A CAUSE

Eschewing talk of her dress or manicure, Arquette plumps instead to promote an eco sanitation charity. Alexa Chung slams her dress choice, calling it strange and armpit baring. This is starting to grate – woman talks about environmental degradation, and is instead criticised for not flattering her figure enough… Fucking Hollywood.

11.50pm – FELICITY JONES IS IN THE BUILDING

A.K.A. My girl crush and future BFF. Felicity appears to be having trouble with the sheer volume of her dress. That is a lot of fabric.

11.45pm – GREY NOWHERE TO BE SEEN

Dakota Johnson channelling something of a classic screen siren and also matching the carpet in this stunning dress. It’s Yves Saint Laurent and I’m sure Mr. Grey would certainly see her now…

I’ll try and tame the puns.

11.40pm – SELMA’S CARMEN EJOGO ARRIVES

Go Ejogo. As the stars start to filter onto the carpet, this is the first dress that’s caught my eye. Timeless, shimmery perfection.

11.30pm – RED CARPET ARRIVALS

– The fact that Sky Living prefaced their coverage with a warning about flashing images and bad language makes this seem like a movie itself. I’m already getting tingles.

– Alexa Chung!!! Hyped that she’s doing red carpet commentary, should make this section a little less banal.

– I love that awkward moment during a transfer of presenters where they’re just staring it out like a Wild West duel. “Glamorous cattle” is how Sky’s Entertainment correspondent has described the stars. I’m sure they’ve been called worse.