Foxcatcher
Me: I saw Foxcatcher yesterday.
Dad: Is that the one about the American sniper?
Me: No.
Dad: What's that one called?
Foxcatcher is loosely based on the true life story of Mark (Channing Tatum) and Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo), brothers who both won gold medals in wrestling at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Mark is contacted by John E Du Pont (Steve Carell), the eccentric heir to one of the largest fortunes in the USA, who offers to train him at the family's Foxcatcher estate in preparation for the 1987 World Championships and the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
This year's Oscar nominations were announced today*. Foxcatcher received nods for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Screenplay. Tatum and Ruffalo provide strong support as the Schultz brothers but this film is dominated by a superb performance from Steve Carell whose recognition by the Academy is well deserved. As indeed is the make up nomination, as a great deal of prosthetic work seems to have taken place to transform Carell into this crooked nosed, sinister figure.
It's an enormous departure from the comedic roles I've largely seen Carell portray in the past. He told Simon Mayo in an interview last week that being Du Pont on set put a distance between himself and everyone else working on the film. It's not difficult to see why. He's a deeply strange, unsettling individual with a sheltered upbringing, seemingly drawn to the world of wrestling to spite his mother (Vanessa Redgrave) and to experience some affinity with the common man. It's a greatly nuanced performance from Carell.
I've seen some reviews criticise Foxcatcher for its slow pace. But that pace provides many of the film's most interesting moments. A long early practice scene with the two brothers hints at their strong but complex relationship. Du Pont's response to his mother describing wrestling as "a low sport" is to grapple with another wrestler on the floor when she comes to watch them practice. He wants to show love for Mark, but does so whilst before shooting a revolver into the ceiling of the training facility. A documentary crew attempts to interview Dave as part of a documentary on the US wrestling team and he can't quite stomach the notion of endorsing Du Pont's propaganda.The power Du Pont holds over Mark (and later Dave) lays at the heart of the film and the sense of tension is ramped up nicely as Seoul draws nearer and nearer.
There are a couple of plot holes, including an absolutely absurd sequence where we're asked to believe Mark loses a preposterous amount of weight prior to a competition weigh in. The film also comes in at around 2 hours, 10 minutes (no movie needs to be longer than this) but the conclusion feels a bit abrupt. But these are minor quibbles. It's not breezy box office fare but the story is genuinely gripping from start to finish.
* It's been covered extensively elsewhere today but The Lego Movie being snubbed in the Best Animated Feature category is an absolute travesty of justice.
Dad: Is that the one about the American sniper?
Me: No.
Dad: What's that one called?
Foxcatcher is loosely based on the true life story of Mark (Channing Tatum) and Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo), brothers who both won gold medals in wrestling at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Mark is contacted by John E Du Pont (Steve Carell), the eccentric heir to one of the largest fortunes in the USA, who offers to train him at the family's Foxcatcher estate in preparation for the 1987 World Championships and the 1988 Olympics in Seoul.
This year's Oscar nominations were announced today*. Foxcatcher received nods for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Screenplay. Tatum and Ruffalo provide strong support as the Schultz brothers but this film is dominated by a superb performance from Steve Carell whose recognition by the Academy is well deserved. As indeed is the make up nomination, as a great deal of prosthetic work seems to have taken place to transform Carell into this crooked nosed, sinister figure.
It's an enormous departure from the comedic roles I've largely seen Carell portray in the past. He told Simon Mayo in an interview last week that being Du Pont on set put a distance between himself and everyone else working on the film. It's not difficult to see why. He's a deeply strange, unsettling individual with a sheltered upbringing, seemingly drawn to the world of wrestling to spite his mother (Vanessa Redgrave) and to experience some affinity with the common man. It's a greatly nuanced performance from Carell.
I've seen some reviews criticise Foxcatcher for its slow pace. But that pace provides many of the film's most interesting moments. A long early practice scene with the two brothers hints at their strong but complex relationship. Du Pont's response to his mother describing wrestling as "a low sport" is to grapple with another wrestler on the floor when she comes to watch them practice. He wants to show love for Mark, but does so whilst before shooting a revolver into the ceiling of the training facility. A documentary crew attempts to interview Dave as part of a documentary on the US wrestling team and he can't quite stomach the notion of endorsing Du Pont's propaganda.The power Du Pont holds over Mark (and later Dave) lays at the heart of the film and the sense of tension is ramped up nicely as Seoul draws nearer and nearer.
There are a couple of plot holes, including an absolutely absurd sequence where we're asked to believe Mark loses a preposterous amount of weight prior to a competition weigh in. The film also comes in at around 2 hours, 10 minutes (no movie needs to be longer than this) but the conclusion feels a bit abrupt. But these are minor quibbles. It's not breezy box office fare but the story is genuinely gripping from start to finish.
* It's been covered extensively elsewhere today but The Lego Movie being snubbed in the Best Animated Feature category is an absolute travesty of justice.
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