"Next year, the Oscars will be interesting. If all goes well, I'm going to have three films in contention. I've had many years of working a lot without being in the public eye. And that's been good. But by this time next year, I think things are going to change. I'm ready to be a bit more known." Actress Alicia Vikander, March 2015


Vikander was not far off the mark with her comments. The three films she is referring to are "Ex Machina", "The Danish Girl", and "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.".
Only the latter film failed to make an impact. Vikander is nominated for two 2016 Golden Globe Awards for her performances in "Ex Machina" and "The Danish Girl", and a Screen Actors Guild Award, again for "The Danish Girl". Academy Award nominations are sure to follow.

Vikander is from Sweden, but learned Danish for "A Royal Affair" (which is this week's review). I have reviewed a number of Danish films for the Drama Movies site. One, because I have Danish ancestors and two, Denmark has been producing some remarkable films over the past 15 years. Director Nikolaj Arcel thinks that Danish films are perceived as art-house films, but are actually very accessible. I would agree.

The world lost two giants in the art of cinematography this past week: Haskell Wexler, 93 years old, and Vilmos Zsigmond, 85 years old. Both men were on a list of the ten most influential cinematographers in movie history, as voted on by the International Cinematographers Guild. Zsigmond photographed "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "McCabe and Mrs. Miller", "Deliverance", and "The Deer Hunter". He described his style as "poetic realism", reality but more beautiful.

Wexler shot "Coming Home", "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", as well as directing "Medium Cool". Writer Ethan Mordden described "Medium Cool" as "about the shooting of cameras and the shooting of guns, and about the feelings of those shot and those shooting." The film mixes fact and fiction, showing events surrounding the 1968 Democratic Convention in Wexler's hometown, Chicago. Gun violence and race continue to affect Chicago's citizens, and are the subject of Spike Lee's latest film, "Chi-raq". Wexler said, "We, as filmmakers, are privileged. We can make people cry or laugh. We can make them think and feel. It is a great privilege and a great responsibility."


Here's the latest article from the Drama Movies site at BellaOnline.com.

A Royal Affair Film Review
A young queen, married to a mentally unstable king, begins an illicit love affair with the court physician. Based on historical events that took place in Denmark in the 18th Century, "A Royal Affair" features Alicia Vikander's breakout role.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art65594.asp

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