by Robbie Jones
Gary Oldman is one of the greatest actors of all time.
If there is anyone reading this that does not agree with that statement, I will fight you. That is no lie.
But seriously, the man is a legend. Whether it be villainous roles such as True Romance and Leon, or playing the good guy like Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, the man knows how to light up the screen with is presence. But how would you react if I told you this man has never won an Oscar? No, seriously, I’m not lying. Gary doesn’t have a little golden guy sitting on his shelf and that is an utter disgrace.
Gary Oldman is one of the greatest actors of all time.
If there is anyone reading this that does not agree with that statement, I will fight you. That is no lie.
But seriously, the man is a legend. Whether it be villainous roles such as True Romance and Leon, or playing the good guy like Gordon in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, the man knows how to light up the screen with is presence. But how would you react if I told you this man has never won an Oscar? No, seriously, I’m not lying. Gary doesn’t have a little golden guy sitting on his shelf and that is an utter disgrace.
In his entire career of amazing performances, only one film has earned him a nomination: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The film boasts one of the most impressive British casts ever assembled. It includes the likes of Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch and John Hurt, the man responsible for Doctor Who’s latest mindfuck. The film, based on the book by John le Carré, is set in the bleak days of the cold war, where espionage veteran George Smiley (Oldman) is forced out of semi-retirement to uncover a soviet agent in MI6.
Now, this film isn't perfect. It’s painfully slow, and will require all of your concentration to keep up. First time watching, you may lose track of things half way through, but eventually picked up later. This seems more like a film that was made for the critics rather than the general audience, as it received rave reviews but I imagine there a lot of people who didn’t like it; especially on second viewing as the magic was sort of goes. None of this takes away from the fact that this is one of the beautifully crafted films of the past five years.
Now, this film isn't perfect. It’s painfully slow, and will require all of your concentration to keep up. First time watching, you may lose track of things half way through, but eventually picked up later. This seems more like a film that was made for the critics rather than the general audience, as it received rave reviews but I imagine there a lot of people who didn’t like it; especially on second viewing as the magic was sort of goes. None of this takes away from the fact that this is one of the beautifully crafted films of the past five years.
The cinematography is absolutely stunning, and the performances all round are fantastic. But no one comes close to Oldman.
Oldman turns the class factor up to 11; pulling off one of the most beautifully handled and subtly brilliant performances in a long, long time. So you can imagine my anger when Jean Dujardin, the French star of silent film The Artist, took the prize. And um, what exactly has Dujardin done since then? Sure, he’s got a Scorsese movie coming up, and then a Clooney one after that, but he took his bloody time to become anything important. Face it, when the dog from the movie is more popular than you, you are not worthy of that statue. It’s an absolute disgrace, and the worst mistake the Academy has ever made.
You cannot just watch this film at any time; it is a film that requires you to be wide awake and concentrating; you need to be in the mood for it. Don’t put this one cause you fancy watching a film, put this one because you want to see an indisputably brilliant piece of cinema.
Follow Robbie on Twitter!
Oldman turns the class factor up to 11; pulling off one of the most beautifully handled and subtly brilliant performances in a long, long time. So you can imagine my anger when Jean Dujardin, the French star of silent film The Artist, took the prize. And um, what exactly has Dujardin done since then? Sure, he’s got a Scorsese movie coming up, and then a Clooney one after that, but he took his bloody time to become anything important. Face it, when the dog from the movie is more popular than you, you are not worthy of that statue. It’s an absolute disgrace, and the worst mistake the Academy has ever made.
You cannot just watch this film at any time; it is a film that requires you to be wide awake and concentrating; you need to be in the mood for it. Don’t put this one cause you fancy watching a film, put this one because you want to see an indisputably brilliant piece of cinema.
Follow Robbie on Twitter!
RSS Feed
