12 Years a Slave

More or less a perfect film if it was not for both Benedict Cumberbatch and Brad Pitt playing the goodies in the film.  Oh for unknown actors. Nevertheless, this is some achievement. I wanted to clap at the end

9.75 / 10

Saving Mr Banks

What a good movie. Thoroughly enjoyed, could not fault it.
Emma Thompson playing the writer P L Travers supplants Bullock for the Oscar nomination in my book.
Nice shot near the end with Thompson on the red carpet outside the Grauman's Chinese Theatre looking back onto the road and the awful tacky shops opposite are masked out with red sheeting. Well what else would you do?
There is a fault and that's what happened after the film's premier and end of this film.Travers doesn't like the film at all and refuses to collaborate with Disney on any further adaptations. So a rather Disney view on themselves so for that knowledge I have deducted a further mark.

8/10

Watch out for references to paintings, I spotted two, the first a nod to Hockney, the second to Millais's Ophelia. (watch out for the way the hands are held)

Gravity

Without doubt best film seen for a long time. Multiple Oscars will be coming its way come March. Sandra Bullock very well cast in lead role and given the other actress offered the role, the most appropriate and should receive her second statue for her part.
How long the stunning opening scene went on for I do not know but it felt like ten minutes, but could have been longer so much so that the first obvious cutaway came as a jolt. Cinematography in Emmanuel Lubezki hands gobsmackingly outstanding, another Oscar winner there too. I have read that there are only around 200 cutaways in the film much less that normal, please note other directors and editors. Nothing is more tiresome than a scene cut into multiple shots and different perspectives. Emmanuel Lubezki, if you dont get an Oscar, you will get mine.
Lastly for a Brit, this was filmed, except for the last couple of minutes, in Shepperton Studios and 3D enhancement again by UK studios. How they achieved this 'real' film is beyond me but breathtaking it was.

A tip, unless watching at an IMAX, sit down at the front. Do not stray towards the back (which I normally would) but get yourself down there so that the screen fills your vision totally and you have to move your head to see what is happening on the extremes.
A  truly remarkable film.

9.75 / 10   (the ending was predictable otherwise it would have been 10)

Captain Phillips

Decent film in the hands of a master director, Paul Greengrass. Hanks and Barkhad Adbi turn in good performances especially Adbi as it was his first screen role.
9 / 10

Bacon and Moore @ Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Interesting juxstaposition between the two artist's work but was left rather underwhelmed by the whole exhibition. After Bowie Is at the V&A this did feel rather provincial.
Bacon is so over rated and getting close up only reinforced that view. Moore is from a different and special planet to Bacon, I did like this small piece called Three Points especially.

5/10

Squally Showers @ NT's The Shed

Pythonesque study in bad acting with equally bizare dancing that would be at home on the Edinburgh Festival circuit, a very amusing 65 minutes were spent in the NT's Shed. The sight of a previous PM break dancing and a magical use of a prop half way through were a few of the highlights. What it was about? who cares!

7/10

EOTR 2013 @ Larmer Tree Gardens

For some reason we felt this years EOTR had an 'end of term' feel to it, don't know why maybe it was the autumnal weather that put a chill into the evenings. The days were perfect, but come sundown a chill wind could be felt as well as the drizzle that marred Friday night.
So highlights only.
David Byrne and St Vincent were just wonderful, driven on by a seven piece brass section taking on the tradition of American marching bands by constantly being on the move. All well choreographed with DB doing his Stop Making Sense moves and Annie Clark tettering along on high heel shoes like a music box marionette. The final number is Road To Nowhere, and with all the musicians radio miked and not a lead in sight they proceed to play the number conga style around the stage clear of amps etc. They knew what they were doing, magical. Must see again.
Sigmur Ros were just from another planet, orchestral/operatic in ambition, could this be what an Wagner would have sounded like if he had been born in the late 20C. Again a brass section but only four strong and a four piece string/vocals outfit. What Jón Birgisson was singing about nobody had any idea but listen to him as if it was another instrument and it made sense. After an hour we had had enough vowing to see them again but in a full concert hall where we could sit down in comfort and
just let it all wash over us.
Best of the rest: it has to be the girls, Caitlin Rose with a blistering 50 minute set with what looked like so imported additional musicians on lead and drums. it certainly worked. Warpaint the day before, all women's outfit with good control of the dynamics of rock. Heartless Bastards had a feel of a rock orientated Lucinda Williams and again good control of dynamics.
Savages were a little disappointment, having seen them a month earlier in LA where standing right in front of guitarist Gemma Thompson the power of their performance was really bought home, it was lost on us standing near the back of The Big Tent and a badly lit stage.
Surprise of the weekend was King Khan and his Shrines, funk,soul, grunge and psychedelia all rolled into one. But again common element shared with DB/StV/SR was the horn section, that extra texture made the difference between them and all the guitar based groups, long may it last.
Small mention to Ed Harcourt who to had a trumpeter and Serafina Steer with her harp based rocky songs.

So what makes EOTR so special, ignoring Joanna Newsome two years ago, its the Americans, better musicianship, better stage craft, just more nounce all round, set against the raw Brits. It all leads to an interesting juxstaposition, with my heart going to the Yanks.