According to Academy rules a film can be up for Oscar status as long as it gets released in either LA or NYC for at least 1 week. So I mistakenly thought that Coriolanus was a 2012 release when it's actually a 2011 release. Another film I was interested in seeing, Rampart (nationwide release on 2/10...allegedly), is also a 2011 release.
Since Coriolanus is a really good film I will have to adjust my Top 20. Since I'm also going to see Rampart, I will wait on making the adjustment. Before I talk about Coriolanus I would like to thank Ms. Jennifer Cherry for alerting me to this film. She mentioned it to me at the Moosehead, I viewed the trailer online and it put the hook into me. Thanks buddy and keep the recommendations coming.
Coriolanus is a modern version of Shakespeare's play about legendary 5th Century BCE Roman General Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. Coriolanus is soldiers general who knows only battle. After defeating his arch enemy Aufidius, a Volscian (the Romans defeat the Volscians but the the hand to hand combat between Coriolanus & Aufidius ends in a draw), he gets a triumph in Rome and is going to be made Consul. The problem is that he's not the most charming fellow around and has a real hard time expressing himself. Plus the plebians or "the mob" blame him for a grain shortage and he even puts down a demonstration and the grain depot. So despite all he's done for Rome in battle, he's not a favorite of the people. Thanks to some goading from a pair of senators, Brutus and Sicinius, the people decide they don't want Coriolanus as Consul.
Coriolanus is banished and decides to seek out his enemy Aufidius in order to join up with him so he can take his revenge on Rome. Now Aufidius, like Coriolanus, is very popular with his men but he's also loved by the people of Antium. Aufidius takes in Colriolanus and the Volscians invade Rome. Coriolanus achieves victory after victory and begins to get very popular with the Volscian troops (who shave their heads to emulate Coriolanus) and that worries Aufidius. I don't want to give the entire film away but it's Shakespeare so lets just say it isn't the most happy ending.
The film is directed by Ralph Fiennes, who also plays the lead character. Aufidius is played by Gerard "Leonidas" Butler and the film also stars Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and Vanessa Redgrave. Stand out performances by everyone and the battle scenes are reminiscent of Hurt Locker or Blackhawk Down. I also liked the way that Coriolanus relationship with his mother (Vanessa Redgrave) is similar to the mother/son relationship of Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) and Mrs. Shaw (Angela Lansbury) in The Manchurian Candidate (similar but not nearly as creepy).
Now I'm not a reader of Shakespeare (my dealings with "The Bard" were relegated to mandatory readings in high school & college) so I wasn't familiar with this play. The tough thing for me was seeing people in a modern setting talking in iambic pentameter so I had to pay closer attention to the dialogue, to body movements and facial expressions. That's the only thing that I can see that would turn people off outside of that, this is a borderline excellent film.
I still would like to see Rampart but it appears that it won't be showing in the Charlotte or Winston-Salem area this weekend. Coriolanus is a cinch for the Top 10 so there will be changes coming soon but it looks like BellFlower will get dropped from the Top 10 and X-Men: First Class will get bumped from the Top 20. If I get to see Rampart then more changes could be forthcoming. Thanks for your time & stay tuned...
Since Coriolanus is a really good film I will have to adjust my Top 20. Since I'm also going to see Rampart, I will wait on making the adjustment. Before I talk about Coriolanus I would like to thank Ms. Jennifer Cherry for alerting me to this film. She mentioned it to me at the Moosehead, I viewed the trailer online and it put the hook into me. Thanks buddy and keep the recommendations coming.
Coriolanus is a modern version of Shakespeare's play about legendary 5th Century BCE Roman General Gaius Marcius Coriolanus. Coriolanus is soldiers general who knows only battle. After defeating his arch enemy Aufidius, a Volscian (the Romans defeat the Volscians but the the hand to hand combat between Coriolanus & Aufidius ends in a draw), he gets a triumph in Rome and is going to be made Consul. The problem is that he's not the most charming fellow around and has a real hard time expressing himself. Plus the plebians or "the mob" blame him for a grain shortage and he even puts down a demonstration and the grain depot. So despite all he's done for Rome in battle, he's not a favorite of the people. Thanks to some goading from a pair of senators, Brutus and Sicinius, the people decide they don't want Coriolanus as Consul.
Coriolanus is banished and decides to seek out his enemy Aufidius in order to join up with him so he can take his revenge on Rome. Now Aufidius, like Coriolanus, is very popular with his men but he's also loved by the people of Antium. Aufidius takes in Colriolanus and the Volscians invade Rome. Coriolanus achieves victory after victory and begins to get very popular with the Volscian troops (who shave their heads to emulate Coriolanus) and that worries Aufidius. I don't want to give the entire film away but it's Shakespeare so lets just say it isn't the most happy ending.
The film is directed by Ralph Fiennes, who also plays the lead character. Aufidius is played by Gerard "Leonidas" Butler and the film also stars Brian Cox, Jessica Chastain and Vanessa Redgrave. Stand out performances by everyone and the battle scenes are reminiscent of Hurt Locker or Blackhawk Down. I also liked the way that Coriolanus relationship with his mother (Vanessa Redgrave) is similar to the mother/son relationship of Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) and Mrs. Shaw (Angela Lansbury) in The Manchurian Candidate (similar but not nearly as creepy).
Now I'm not a reader of Shakespeare (my dealings with "The Bard" were relegated to mandatory readings in high school & college) so I wasn't familiar with this play. The tough thing for me was seeing people in a modern setting talking in iambic pentameter so I had to pay closer attention to the dialogue, to body movements and facial expressions. That's the only thing that I can see that would turn people off outside of that, this is a borderline excellent film.
I still would like to see Rampart but it appears that it won't be showing in the Charlotte or Winston-Salem area this weekend. Coriolanus is a cinch for the Top 10 so there will be changes coming soon but it looks like BellFlower will get dropped from the Top 10 and X-Men: First Class will get bumped from the Top 20. If I get to see Rampart then more changes could be forthcoming. Thanks for your time & stay tuned...
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