The Hunger Games

               As I've touched on before in this blog, adapting a book into a movie can be quite difficult. From dealing with scenes that have trouble translating to something visual, to the always painful task of cutting detail in order to create a running time suitable for the story and the audience. Then there's always the challenge of having to do this process with a hugely popular best-seller not only in America, but around the world. This can make any fan nervous as we've seen the good and the bad come from this challenge. From the model franchise of Harry Potter to the not so good Twilight series (yes, I know it's made a fortune and I haven't read the books, but I saw the first one and it was terrible, but feel free to disagree),  the question is whether The Hunger Games was able to live up to its fans expectations.
              Though it has already claimed the top spot at the box-office in its first two weekends, are audience getting what they hoped for when forking over $11 a ticket?  In my opinion they are. Writer/Director Gary Ross (Seabiscuit, Pleasantville) has condensed the story into a very well managed 2 hours and 20 minutes. As with any such story details had to be cut, but it includes all of the important aspects of this story as well as what is needed to continue on to the next story in the trilogy. A huge key in this success is the fact author Suzanne Collins is one of the trio, along with Ross, in adapting the screenplay. There's no doubt having her involved so closely in the adaptation process is what helped keep all the major events that happen in the book, to happen exactly the same way in the movie. Another applauding fact to this script is the way they dealt with the book's first person narrative. Due to this there's a lot of information told to a reader that needs to be shown to a viewer. To solve this the writers used many different ways to portray such info to the audience, from plainly showing a narrative text on the screen to coming up with a whole new scene in general, such as the one when the Tracker Jackers are explained.
              For those who are now lost by the lingo just used and are new to the story, The Hunger Games is set in the futuristic ruins of North America, in the country of Panem. The evil Capitol requires each of its 12 impoverished districts to every year volunteer a boy and a girl between the ages of 12 and 18, chosen via a draft, to fight to the death in an arena (and you thought the US was in rough shape). The story follows Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone, X-Men: First Class), of District 12 who volunteers to fight to save her sister. She is sent along with fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark, played by Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right). He is a non-threatening looking, but surprisingly strong individual who is yet insecure and has a much bigger role then he could ever imagine. From here the plot line travels parallel to that of the book's, as Katniss must find a way to survive in and out of the games in an ever changing landscape while somehow protecting all of those around her with whom she loves and cares for.
            As for the casting of this movie, which is quite important in highly popular adaptations, I believe the casting people hit their mark with most of the characters. Lawrence is perfect in portraying Katniss as the very self-reliant, reserved, person that she is. Some may not be happy with the choice of Hutcherson as Peeta, but when it comes down to it he's a good fit as he portrays the main important qualities Peeta is supposed to have. Those being his sincerity, loyalty, kindness and sensitivity. He may not be that heart throb some people want, but he's not supposed to be. That's more reserved for Gale (Liam Hemsworth), Katniss' best friend, who from the brief exposure seems to be a good fit.
         The best job casting wise has to go to Haymithch Abernathy, the drunken sad-sack mentor to Katniss and Peeta, who is played by Woody Harrelson (Friends With Benefits). Just think of his character in Zombieland and translate it to this film. It's perfect. Other notables are Stanley Tucci (Easy A) as Caeasar Flickerman, Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, who's hard to even recognize under her Capitol wardrobe, Donald Sutherland as President Snow, and Lenny Kravitz as Katniss' stylist Cinna.
          Overall, I give this movie a thumbs up and 3 1/2 out of 4 stars. For me this movie was pretty much everything I could have hoped it would be when seeing it on the big screen. It's unrealistic to expect it to be exactly like the book. All you can hope for is it's the best version possible when going by the constraints of a movie and this is pretty darn close. What's even better is if you haven't read the book you'll still enjoy this movie. It's that good of a story on its own. However, if you haven't read it there's a good chance the movie will make you want to read it, and that to me is what makes a good adaptation. Just ask Harry Potter. Enjoy!

Editor's Note: Due to my long absence and the fact I have watched a handful of movies in that time I'm not sure which movie I'll review next. As always if I see one in theaters, like The Hunger Games, it gets priority. Otherwise, it could be Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or a couple others so stay tuned to see what's next!
 

The Tree of Life

             There's a strong possibility this will be the shortest review I have done to date. Why you may ask? Well it's hard to talk about, none the less review something when you don't know what it's about or what happened. That's precisely the predicament we have with this film.
              To begin with there is a lot more wrong with this movie than there is right, and there's not much right with this movie. I wasn't sure what was even happening in this movie until about 30 minutes in. At one point there's a period of about ten minutes where you don't even see an actor and you hear one whispered line that I didn't even understand. This time period is just filled with images of space and nature like you see in the poster above. Then at one point dinosaurs pop in there too! I was so lost and frustrated at this point that I almost turned it off. But instead, I forced myself to watch this film in its entirety. I wish I hadn't. Once this ended it was still hard to follow and to figure out what the heck was going on.
             What this film is about is the eldest of three sons of a 1950s family in Texas and his troubled relationship with his father. That's brief, but it is about as detailed as I can get. The son, Jack, is played by newcomer Hunter McCracken as a boy and by Sean Penn as an adult. Though Penn is barely in this movie. He's in about 20 minutes total, 10 in the beginning and 10 in the end and I'm not even sure he ever says a complete sentence. The mother, Mrs. O'Brien is played by Jessica Chastain (The Help) while the father, Mr. O'Brien is played by Brad Pitt (Moneyball).
             Another trouble with this movie and why it is so hard to follow is because it's all just a bunch of brief sequences and not scenes. It's like the entire movie is a dream scene or a bunch of flashbacks where only a couple of lines are said and then it moves on. Basically there's no flow between scenes and everyone seems to stand on their own, thus making it very hard to follow. Plus, to cap all of this off, the film runs at a length of 2 hours and 20 min. I felt like this movie was never going to end. However, this movie could have only been an hour and a half and I still know I'd be saying all of this negative stuff.
            Overall, this movie is confusing, strange, weird, long, and just plain terrible. Writer/director Terrence Malick is supposed to be a genius, but I just don't see it. At least not in this film. How it was ever nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at this year's Oscars I'll never know.
             I give this movie 0, that's right 0 out of 4 stars and a big thumbs down. It gets a 0 for all of the reasons I said above and the fact I wish I had never watched it, and that no one else should waste their time because they'll never get it back. This movie is out on DVD and Blu-Ray, but please don't buy and don't see it. Learn from me and save yourselves. Worst movie ever! Don't enjoy!

Editor's Note:  The next movie I will be reviewing will be the Best Picture nominee The Help starring Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain, Bryce-Dallas Howard, and Sissy Spacek.

War Horse

         Up for review today is another one of this year's 9 Best Picture nominees. As like many of the other nominees, I don't think it should have been in contention for the Oscar's highest honor. In all opinion this year was a bit of a dud. Thus because of that is why I believe 9 films still made the contention. The fact that only a couple of films really stood out to people caused all the voters to vote for many films to be in contention. That's my theory anyway, but let's move on to the actual review shall we.
        Well what is there too say about War Horse. It's a WWI set drama and directed by Steven Spielberg. So far, so good right? Well unfortunately it doesn't get much better from here. But let me say, the movie is not bad. It's just not great. When it comes right down to it all you have is a movie about a horse. A miraculous horse, yes, but a miraculous one that isn't real and is the main character of the movie. Thus in lies the biggest problem.
         In other movies about a horse, though the horse is the main center point of the plot of the movie it isn't your lead character. Look at Seabiscuit and Secretariat. First off, both are about true horses with amazing stories. That helps in itself. Secondly, though the story of the horse is what we're watching, there are main characters along side that help the story move forward and progress. In Seabiscuit you have Tobey Maguire and Jeff Bridge's characters and in Secretariat there's Diane Lane who carries the show. But in War Horse, there's just a bunch of supporting characters to the horse that filter in and out of the movie before you can even really form an opinion of them.
         War Horse at its core is a story of friendship between a horse named Joey and his owner Albert (Jeremy Irvine). Albert is the son of a Scottish farmer who buys Joey at an auction. Albert becomes responsible for training Joey and in turn their deep friendship begins. When the war begins, despite Albert's pleas Joey is sold to the British cavalry. From here we watch as Joey goes and makes his way through the war facing many different challenges along the way in an effort to hopefully be reunited with Albert once its over.
          Sadly, this bond of friendship is the driving force behind this movie and it just isn't strong enough. There are some good things though as there's a reason it was nominated for 6 Oscars. However, these are mainly on the technical side. The cinematography is very good as the shots of the vast Scottish landscape and others throughout Europe are quite vivid and beautiful. Plus, John Williams score is quite good as well. As for acting, I think the best job goes to David Thewlis (Lupin in the Harry Potter series) who plays the villainous landlord of Albert's family's farm.
         In the end though, there's just not enough good to make up for the bad or just average. The movie runs at 146 minutes which is far too long. If this had been cut down to a solid two hours it could have potentially helped itself immensely. However, all we're left with is an overly long war story about a horse. At least with Seabiscuit and Secretariat you had the excitement of races to drive the viewers interest. This one doesn't and like I said it just becomes a movie about a horse. Big whoop.
         Overall, I give this movie a thumbs down and 2 out of 4 stars. I'm bumping it up from 1.5 strictly for its technical achievements.  But the story in itself combined with running time only gather a 1.5 for me. This movie may still be able to be found at a random theater here and there, but otherwise you can get it on DVD and Blu-Ray beginning April 3rd. Enjoy!

Editor's Note:  My next film will be the 2012 Best Picture nominee The Tree of Life starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, and Sean Penn.

2012 Oscar Winners!

Well the 84th Annual Academy Awards aired last night. It was a great show. Billy Crystal hosted for the 9th time and was great as usual. Not really any true surprises winner wise from the show, but none the less still entertaining. Here are the winners in the order they were announced last night.

Best Cinematography: Robert Richardson, "Hugo"

Best Art Direction: Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schavo, "Hugo"

Best Costume Design: Mark Bridges, "The Artist"

Best Makeup: Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland, "The Iron Lady"

Best Foreign Language Film: "A Separation"

Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer, "The Help"

Best Editing: Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo"

Best Sound Editing: Phillip Stockton and Eugene Gearty, "Hugo"

Best Sound Mixing: Tom Fleischman and John Midgley, "Hugo"

Best Documentary: "Undefeated"

Best Animated Feature: "Rango"

Best Visual Effects: "Hugo"

Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"

Best Original Score: Ludovic Bource, "The Artist"

Best Original Song: Bret McKenzie, "Man or Muppet"

Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, "The Descendants"

Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen, "Midnight in Paris"

Best Live Action Short: "The Shore"

Best Documentary Short: "Saving Face"

Best Animated Short: "The Fantastic Flying Books Of Mr. Morris Lessmore"

Best Director: Michel Hazanavicius, "The Artist"

Best Actor: Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"

Best Actress: Meryl Streep, "The Iron Lady"

Best Picture: "The Artist"

As you can see The Artist was the big winner, taking most of the major awards. My predictions of the major awards didn't go so well as I only went 2/6, but hey you can't win them all. I guess if I had been able to see The Artist in time for last night's show I may have been able to make more accurate predictions. Thus the importance of seeing all best picture nominees. Oh well. Here's the best video I could find showing Crystal's opening monologue skit from the show. It's hilarious, but the volume is a little low in the video so you'll probably need to turn it up a bit.

Oscar Predictions!

I know the Oscars are ongoing right now, but that's okay because my predictions are for awards that don't happen until the end of the show. So I only was able to watch 6 of the 9 Best Picture nominees this year, but whatever I can still make guesses. Plus, by the way the best picture category is quite sub par this year. The films are good, but nothing blows you away like The King's Speech did last year. Anyways, to the predictions.

Best Picture: The Descendants
Best Actor: George Clooney - The Descendants
Best Actress: Viola Davis - The Help
Best Director: Alexander Payne - The Descendants
Best Original Screenplay: Woody Allen - Midnight in Paris
Best Adapted Screenplay: Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, and Nat Faxon - The Descendants

The Descendants will be the big winner obviously if I end up being correct. Remember, these are who I think will win, not necessarily who I want to win. Let's hope I'm right! Enjoy the show!

UPDATE: So I went 2 for 2 on the screenplay awards, but unfortunately missed all of the others. I really wanted Viola Davis to win and thought she should've, though I'm sure Meryl Streep, who did win, did a great job in The Iron Lady. As for the other awards they all went to The Artist. I will be posting a full work up of the winners shortly!

The Descendants

                Whether you've seen the trailer to The Descendants already or not, on the surface it looks like a good movie. It's set in Hawaii, directed and co-written by already two time (and now three) Oscar nominee Alexander Payne and stars George Clooney. Sounds like a good recipe for success, and I'm glad to say the recipe works. Though like many real recipes it could have used a little tweaking here and there to just be that little bit better. Okay, don't worry I'm done with the recipe analogy.
                The Descendents is just like Alexander Payne's other works (Sideways, About Schmidt) in that it's a dramedy. In case some readers out there aren't familiar with that term that's a dramatic comedy.  Though set in Hawaii, where many like to think of as paradise, is far from that for Matt King (Clooney). King is a real estate lawyer and the sole trustee of a family trust that controls 25,000 acres of land on Kauai and is set to expire in 7 years. Him and his many relatives, who are descended from some of the first white settlers of Hawaii, as well as Hawaiian royalty, must make a huge decision on whether to sell the land or not and if so, then who to as it could have a huge impact on many fronts.
              As if this were not enough for King to be going through, his wife is in a coma after a boating accident. Now he must figure out how to deal with an ailing wife and 10 and 17-year-old daughters. This proves to be even more difficult as he is in his own words "the back-up parent." Think his plate can't get any fuller? Well it can, as he learns that his wife had been cheating on him. From here King goes on a journey to find out who his wife's love was, while along the way trying to connect with his children along the way.
              As with many good movies, it all begins with the story. This one is no original as it is based off of the novel of the same name by Kaui Hart Hemmings. However, though I haven't read the book, from my point of view Payne and his two fellow co-writers have done a great job at adapting it. I'm not the only one as the Academy has nominated the three men for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar. Payne is also recognized with an Oscar nomination for his work behind the camera and he rightfully should be. He creates some incredible and beautiful shots of the landscape in Hawaii, but more importantly throughout the movie he is able to shoot and portray the many different emotions and reactions the characters have to their circumstances. Some of these scenes come through with such honesty that it allows the viewer to connect and relate with the characters and what they're going through.
            Now in front of the camera the real applause must go to George Clooney. As many other critics have praised I believe this to be one of Clooney's best performances. Overall, it's a character I find it must be difficult to play with all that's going on in his life. Yet, Clooney seems to be on point as his portrayal of King throughout is one that is real and for lack of a better term, just seems to make sense with everything he does. Having already taken home a Golden Globe for his performance, I think he has a good shot of walking away with the Oscar for Best Actor. With that I don't want to shy away from the great performance by Shailene Woodley (The O.C.) who plays Alexandra King, Matt's eldest daughter. She is great as a troubled older teen trying to make sense of all that is happening in her life. It makes sense she was rewarded with a Golden Globe nomination and that there was some talk of a possible Oscar nomination for her performance.
           Overall, I thought this a creative story with many different pieces to it that bring in many different human elements. It's entertaining to watch it unwind and see the different characters deal with these elements in real ways. The setting of Hawaii is an added bonus as it creates some great backgrounds and scenery. Though I did like the movie, I was not fully taken with it as many other critics were. Though it dives right into it's plot lines, I felt like it was still a bit slow to taking off per say and really grabbing me. It was also a bit heavier than I expected going in, and thought there would be just a bit more laughs than there ended up being. With that said it is still deserving of the 5 Oscar nominations it has received, including Best Picture.
           I give this movie 3 out of 4 stars and a thumbs up. This movie is still in theaters now, though unless you want to go see it before the Oscars it is not one I say must be seen in theaters. If you're willing to wait for it on DVD then I don't see the harm. Enjoy!

Editor's Note:  My next review will be on the Best Picture nominated film War Horse directed by Steven Spielberg. Also here is a pictures of the land they use as the land King owns on Kauai. In the movie King and his family stand just feet from where I took these pictures. It is real privately owned land on Kauai that you can get to on a ATV tour on a private ranch. I highly recommend doing so if you ever visit.

Midnight In Paris

              Nostalgia. It's quite something when you think about it. How something, such as a memory, object, or even a perception of something from the past can make you miss and want that time to happen again so badly. Think of a happy moment in your own life about anything at all. Does it make you happy? Do you wish you could perhaps live that moment again to feel that original happiness the moment brought you? If you could, would you? In Midnight In Paris, a man is given the opportunity to do just that as the undeniable yearning for the past we all get now and then over whatever it may be is the film's major theme.
              Midnight In Paris centers around Gil, played by Owen Wilson (How Do You Know?). Gil is a successful screenwriter, who is at a bit of a mid-life crisis as he tries to transition from screenwriting to novel writing. Or as he puts it, write something of actual artistic value. He is enamored with the era of the 1920s and the artists from it, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein.
             The film begins with Gil and his fiancee Inez, played by Rachel McAdams, vacationing in Paris with her wealthy, conservative parents. While there they run into Inez's friend Paul (Michael Sheen of Frost/Nixon) and his wife. They spend some time together and while Inez adores him, Gil can't stand another minute of his company (Who can blame him? Paul is a pseudo-intellectual. Barf). To break off from their new found friends Gil decides to walk home one night. As he wanders the streets of Paris an old car drives up next to him at midnight and the people in it, all dressed in '20s clothing, invite to come along. Gil accepts and they go to a bar where it doesn't take long for him to notice that he has all of a sudden traveled back to the '20s. He is surrounded by the people and artist's he idolizes. From here Gil is off on a search of self discovery as he continues to visit the past and write his book.
             This movie has the potential to really connect to certain viewers, while perhaps shunning others. Fans of history (such as myself), or perhaps old writers and artists like Gil, will surely be intrigued and delighted by the constant cameos and drop ins of all the old well known artists that appear throughout the movie. I, myself highly enjoyed it, though I must admit I didn't know of everyone that popped up. Though I was constantly Googling names to learn about who I didn't know and I think that's another great affect this movie can have. You may not know all of the historical figures, but if you're interested than I can safely bet you'll probably be trying learn who they are.
            A huge piece to making this movie good goes to the acting of Owen Wilson. His enthusiasm and sincerity he brings to Gil's character is perfect in reflecting how excited he is to meet the people he idolizes, while also how confusing and complicating it's making the rest of his life. His Golden Globe nomination was well deserved, and in perhaps a lighter year with not so many strong candidates he could have scored an Oscar nod as well. But, if he had I don't think many critics would be saying anything against it.
            Rachel McAdams as always is charming and delightful in playing Inez, who though loves Gil, is just not on the same page with him in much of anything. Marion Cotillard (Inception) is wonderful as Adriana, a mistress of Picasso who begins to fall for Gil. Sheen is also perfect as Paul, who is just a tool. Though brief, the cameo roles are great as we get to see Kathy Bates (Revolutionary Road) play Gertrude Stein, and Adrien Brody as Salvador Dali, both of which just seem to fit perfectly.
            This review cannot be complete without mentioning Woody Allen. The great writer/director has done it again with this movie. The story idea is very fresh and original, not to mention well written and funny. Being shot on location in Paris makes it that much better as it really helps the audience get in with the feel of the city and connect with the characters more. It's no surprise this movie is up for 4 Oscars, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Director for Allen, as well as the biggie, Best Picture.
            Overall, I have to give this movie 3.5 out of 4 stars and a thumbs up. I believe it is a story many can enjoy, but can see others not connecting with it and thus not enjoying it as much. However, I recommend you all see it first before you judge. This movie is out on DVD and Blu-Ray now and is also available at your local Redbox. Enjoy!

Editor's Note:  My next movie will be on the Best Picture nominee The Descendants starring George Clooney and directed by Alexander Payne.

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

          So far on this blog I think it's safe to say that I have reviewed a fair amount of romantic comedies, especially lately. But then again, I think that term is thrown around too loosely sometimes, or used too technically. I've done it myself. For example, when you talk about Wedding Crashers are you saying its a comedy or a romantic comedy. My bet is most people say comedy. I do, but if you wanted to get technical you should label it the latter. Any who, my point is that when the term romantic comedy is used, most people expect some cheap, cheesy, gimmicky movie starring Hugh Grant or Katherine Heigl, that in all honesty is probably a chick flick. However, every now and then a movie comes along that fits the title of its genre, but does not go by its specifications. Crazy, Stupid, Love is one of those.
           Crazy, Stupid, Love is about....well...love. DUH! It's about first loves, lost loves, new loves, and everything in between. This movie follows many different people that all become connected in some way, but mainly around Cal and Emily Weaver, played by Steve Carell (Despicable Me) and Julianne Moore (Chloe). They're married high school sweet hearts and the movie opens on them at dinner. It's quite obvious the two have fell in a rut, but no more than a couple minutes into the movie does Emily drop a bombshell. She wants a divorce and has slept with a coworker named David Lindhagen, played by Kevin Bacon (X-Men: First Class).
          At this point Cal is quite depressed as expected, and begins going to the same bar every night where he drinks heavily and complains about his life. Here he meets womanizing, smooth talking, playboy Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling of All Good Things) who vows to take Cal under his wing and show him how to pick up women and get him over his ex-wife. All the while, Jacob had his advances spurned just a tad earlier in the film by an attractive young woman named Hannah (Emma Stone of Easy A) who seemed to have really caught his eye. From here we watch as Jacob helps transform and revitalize Cal into a new found image and persona. But through it all Cal still suffers as he goes through his divorce and deals with not only his longing love for Emily, but his son's love issues as well.
          Though this story focuses centrally around Cal and Emily and their relationship, everyone else involved has their own love and relationship to figure out too. It's how all of these people intertwine with each other and connect in some way that makes this story so good. It's really quite clever how the writers were able to put it all together and that just adds onto how funny the movie is. The trailer is loaded with laughs, but those aren't the only ones in there. Steve Carell is hilarious as usual and Ryan Gosling portrays his character perfectly. It's an all around great effort by a superb ensemble cast and everyone gets in on the laughs. Though my favorite line might be one by Cal midway through the movie, where right as you think the movie is falling into a gimmicky cliche, he drops a line that totally calls the movie on it and makes fun of itself; and as you all know I love when a film is able to do that.
           In reference to the ensemble cast, I do not want to leave out Marisa Tomei (The Lincoln Lawyer) and Kevin Bacon's characters. Though not seen much, they both make the most out their short screen time. Tomei is hysterical and perfect as a slightly crazy hookup of Cal's that comes back to haunt him, and Bacon is funny as Emily's moving to fast boyfriend who is quite frankly, just a douche.
          Overall, this movie had everything one good ask for. It appeals to a mass audience and both genders. It's funny, touching, clever, and provides a few unexpected twists to keep the viewer quite entertained. Plus, it's not overly long with running time of 1 hour and 58 minutes.
           I give this movie a thumbs up and 3.5 out of 4 stars. If you haven't seen it, do so. It's a great date movie. If you have seen it, see it again. Heck, I'll probably go buy it. As you could guess this movie is out on DVD and Blu-Ray and is also available at your local Redbox. Enjoy!

Editor's Note:  As I said in my previous post from this point until the Oscars I will be more than likely only posting reviews of Best Picture nominated films, though who knows something else could slip in. My next review will be on the nominated Woody Allen film Midnight in Paris, starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams.

2012 Oscar Nominations

           Well the nominations are in for this year's 84th Annual Academy Awards. There seems to a quite a few surprises this year when comparing the nominations to the award shows this season. However, when is there a year where this isn't snubs and surprises?
            Leading the pack this year with the most nominations is Hugo with 11 total and The Artist coming in a close second with 10. The Oscars will air on ABC on Sunday, February 26th and for a full rundown of the nominees check out the list below.


Best Picture
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo 
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse 

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris 
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life 

Best Actor
Demián Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

Best Actress
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

Best Supporting Actor 
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Best Supporting Actress
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help 

Best Original Screenplay
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids
J.C. Chandor, Margin Call
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Asghar Farhadi, A Separation

Best Adapted Screenplay
Alexander Payne, Jim Rash, and Nat Faxon, The Descendants
John Logan, Hugo
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, and Beau Willimon, The Ides of March
Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian, Moneyball
Peter Straughan and Bridget O’Connor, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Best Animated Film
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango 

Best Foreign Language Film
Bullhead (Belgium)
Monsieur Lazhar (Canada)
A Separation (Iran)
Footnote (Israel)
In Darkness (Poland)

Best Cinematography
The Artist
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
The Tree of Life
War Horse

Art Direction
The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
War Horse

Costume Design
Anonymous
The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
W.E.

Documentary Feature
Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Pina
Undefeated

Documentary Short
The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Film Editing
The Artist, Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants, Kevin Tent
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
Hugo, Thelma Schoonmaker 
Moneyball, Christopher Tellefsen

Makeup
Albert Nobbs, Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston, and Matthew W. Mungle
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk, and Yolanda Toussieng 
The Iron Lady, Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

Music (Original Score)
The Adventures of Tintin, John Williams
The Artist, Ludovic Bource
Hugo, Howard Shore
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Alberto Iglesias
War Horse, John Williams

Music (Original Song)
“Man or Muppet” from The Muppets, Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio” from Rio, Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, and Siedah Garrett

Short Film (Animated)
Dimanche/Sunday
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
La Luna
A Morning Stroll
Wild Life

Short Film (Live Action)
Pentecost
Raju
The Shore
Time Freak
Tuba Atlantic

Sound Editing
Drive
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Sound Mixing
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Visual Effects
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Editor's Note:  Look out later today for the review of Crazy, Stupid, Love. Also, I will now begin to watch and review all 9 of the best picture nominees as we lead up to the show so stay in tune for that!

Friends With Benefits

             Awww relationships, are they ever easy? Do they ever not get complicated? The complexity that is a romantic relationship has developed so many questions and answers and variable solutions that a whole industry has been created. Men trying to understand women and vice versa. The movie industry is no newbie to playing to this facet of human life either.
            Does that paragraph seem oddly too familiar for some reason? Let's be real, probably not because who's going to remember something that lacks any importance. But if it somehow does it's because that's how I started my review for No Strings Attached. Since I'm reviewing a movie with essentially the exact same premise why not cut a few corners right? Don't worry, I'm not going to do that. However, I can't say I wasn't a bit skeptical going into this movie since the former had come out about 5 months before it. I told you Hollywood is no newbie to playing off of the same idea over and over.
           Any who, Friends With Benefits is a movie about exactly what its title says. Justin Timberlake plays Dylan Harper an art director for a small internet company in Los Angeles. Mila Kunis (Black Swan) plays Jamie Rellis, a head hunter for a job agency in New York City, who recruits Dylan for a job at GQ Magazine. She is able to convince Dylan to take the job after his interview by spending the night taking him all around town showing him the sites, and thus sparking their friendship. Things become more intimate down the road when the two decide to take out their sexual frustration on each other. Having both just gotten out of relationships not long before and agreeing they're not ready for a new one, they decide what better way to answer their sexual needs without getting tied down. They set up rules so as to keep themselves from becoming emotionally attached. From here we watch as the two characters both seem to be falling for each other, but are far to afraid to admit it to each other or themselves.
           As I said above I was a bit skeptical going into this movie, but I had heard good things so I figured I should check it out. I'm glad I did because quite frankly, it's hilarious. Most of this is due to the fact it's aimed directly at my generation, from its plot focus to its humor. They even make fun of themselves and the type of movie they're making which I always think is great. As for the actors, Kunis has always been able to be funny going back to her work on That 70s Show and Family Guy, while we all know Timberlake can bring it thanks to his great skits on SNL. Plus, I must admit he's becoming someone I'm enjoying watch act as he's doing a really good job in both comedic and dramatic roles. That bastard, what can't he do?
           This movie has a great little cast of supporting characters around it too. Woody Harrelson (Zombieland) is probably the funniest character in the movie as he plays the gay sports director at GQ alongside Timberlake. It's really too bad he isn't in the movie more. Fair warning, he is vulgar as hell, which was completely unexpected, yet hysterical.  Then there's also Patricia Clarkson (Easy A, One Day) as Jamie's wild promiscuous mom, and Richard Jenkins (Step Brothers) and Jenna Elfman (Dharma and Greg) as Dylan's dad and sister. There's also a great little cameo by Shaun White.
            Overall, I thought this movie nailed it in what it was trying to produce. It delivered strongly on the comedy side, which was its main intent, with jokes that appealed to a mass audience, but struck hard with its target. Then when it needed its romance points it played into those well, whether gimmicky or not, and all the while didn't lose site of what the movie really was and had fun teasing themselves about it.
             I give this film a thumbs up and 3 out of 4 stars. Like I said I believe most people will enjoy this movie but anyone in the young adult range will relate to it more. It's a good date movie as it works great for both sexes. It even has a partial nudity scene of each main character to please each party so you can't go wrong. You can buy this movie on DVD or Blu-Ray now as well as rent it at your local Redbox. Enjoy!

Editor's Note:  My next review will be on the romantic comedy (once again, I know) Crazy, Stupid, Love starring Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Stone. Also, the Oscar nominations are being announced tomorrow so be on the lookout for those as well!!!

One Day

              The thing about book adaptations into movies is the movie is never as good as the book. To be fair, the movie never really has a shot at being better. A book will always win due to the fact it doesn't have a limit on information its able to give the audience. With a movie you're usually looking at about a 90-120 minute running time to condense a book into. This book can be anywhere from 200-1000 pages, and within those pages pack in many more details, subplots, etc. that can all help develop the story. For example, look at the Harry Potter series. With all of this it makes it harder on the screenwriter to try and cut information that has little or no relevance to the main story line, or perhaps change things so that it fits and flows better when in a movie.
             With all of this said, some movie adaptations are awful and some can be quite good. Again, look at the Harry Potter series for an example of success. Where One Day falls on this scale would have to be on the good side, though like I said above, it's not as good as the book; which yes I have read as well. One Day is based on the book of the same name by David Nicholls, who also wrote the screenplay, which I believe is big part of why it was adapted well. Now this is a love story through and through, but what makes this stand out against other ones is its completely original way in which it is told.
              In One Day, Dexter Mayhew, played by Jim Sturgess (21, Across the Universe), and Emma Morley, played by Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs), meet on July 15th, 1988 after their graduation from university. They spend the night together, but nothing really happens between them and thus they decide it'd be better off if they just be friends. From this point on, the only time and interaction we see of the two is what happens on that "one day," July 15th, of every year. From this unique perspective the audience is taken through these two peoples' lives as they go through many of the hardships many people face in their own lives. Figuring out their careers, relationships, and just straight evolving as a person. All the while doing this trying to remain friends with someone as distance, people, and each other stand in the way.
            Jim Sturgess does a great job at playing Dexter as he's able to portray and transition the character from his 20s to his 40s. From the smug, cocky, self obsessed, hard partying young man all the way into a more reserved, humbler, middle aged guy with flashes of his younger self. Anne Hathaway was an interesting choice for Emma, since one she isn't British, but I think she does a decent enough job with her accent that I for one was able to forget that fact. Plus, she herself does a great job with Emma's character as she goes from a nerdy, bookworm, harsh self critic when she's younger to an ambitious, more forgiving and accepting, yet still bookworm type adult.
            The great thing about the way this story is told, for a movie's perspective, is how you're able to tell the two character's whole life stories together in such a shortened period of time. Though David Nicholls is forced to cut a lot of detail of the two characters' lives and interaction between them, he is still able to keep much of the key components of the story without affecting too much. Though this is where people who have read the book will have an issue with the movie. The forced cuts do affect getting a better, fuller understanding of the complex relationship between Dexter and Emma and how their relationship with each other affects their relationships with other people. But again, this is just something the freedom of a book allows you to do.
           However, this is something that may be not noticed at all by viewers who haven't read the book and are enjoying this story for the first time. And in either case, the story is quite good outside of just the way its told. There's a few plot twists that are quite unexpected and will most likely surprise first time viewers.
            Overall, I have to give this movie a thumbs up and 2 1/2 out of 4 stars. It's close to three and I really did enjoy it. But for me, the fact I read the book already did knock it down just a little bit. I do believe many will enjoy this movie either way, and will be happy with its outcome even if they have read the book. This movie is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray, as well as at your local Redbox. Enjoy!

Editor's Note:  The next movie I will be reviewing will be Friends With Benefits starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake

Oscars!

Alright everyone, since this is a movie blog the Oscars are bit of a big deal and the nominations are being revealed two weeks from today. Last year I watched all ten of the Best Picture nominees and that's what ended up causing me to start this blog. So this year I plan to do the same thing with however many nominees there are (it can be anywhere from 5-10). I plan to review each one of these and probably give my own Oscar predictions once I'm done. We'll see if I'm smart and kind of know what I'm talking about or if I'm perhaps completely full of crap! Either way that's something to look forward to over the next month and a half. Stay tuned!

Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

           Having never read any of the original Sherlock Holmes stories myself, it's hard for me to cast any sort of judgement of comparison between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation and Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal. Though I believe it is safe to say the two don't add up to closely, and the same can probably go for the original stories and the movies. However, with such an iconic character as Holmes, to continue to retell and/or create new stories about him means people must be willing to change and adapt the character so it can seem fresh and new. Plus, the audience must be willing to accept this as well. The BBC did this just this past year with a mini series that placed Holmes as a detective in today's world and not the 1800s. This was a fresh new look and I'm glad to say that Director Guy Ritchie's version, though still in the 1800s, is still just as fun and fresh as the one we watched two years ago.
            Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows kicks off pretty much where we left off when the first one ended. Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) is finished helping Holmes solve cases as he is preparing to marry his fiance Mary. Holmes is as eccentric as ever as he's working on a new case. A case that if not solved could lead to the outbreak of World War I, only 25 years ahead of time. Holmes suspects well renowned Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris of Mad Men) to be behind all of it, which naturally no one else can seem to believe as it looks implausible. Of course Holmes doesn't take no for an answer, and sets out to stop Moriarty. Along the way he tricks Watson in to doing this one last case with him, all the while picking up the help of a gypsy woman named Madam Simza Heron (Noomi Rapace, who you might recognize as Lisbeth Salander from the original Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), whose brother seems to be mixed up in the situation. Unlike in the first movie which stayed in London, this story takes the trio outside of England into France, Germany, and Switzerland as they race against time to try and prevent the outbreak of war.
            A Game of Shadows is nothing short of what you should expect from the Holmes sequel. With Guy Ritchie at the helm again as director you get the same kind of style, camera work and story telling that we received from the first one, as well as many of his other movies. For example, the great decision making on when to use his patented sudden slow motion in the middle of an action sequence that then quickly speeds up to the high speed action it was just in. The writers do a good job of keeping the personalities of the Holmes and Watson portrayed in the first movie the same, and thus allowing the back and forth done by Downey and Law to do most of the comedic work.
            Law is great again as Watson, the upper class doctor, but with an itch for danger and adventure that he just has a hard time staying away from, especially with Holmes around. Enough can't be said however about Downey's portrayal of Holmes. Yes, he's eccentric and self centered, but he's also hilarious and a bit of a bad ass as he is able to fight. Not many, if any other versions of Holmes go around having to fight their way out of jams when solving cases.
            Plenty of people reprise their roles from the first film in this installment, though most in a limited capacity. One such being Rachel McAdams' character Irene Adler whom sadly isn't seen enough. But that's just the way of the story and thus does no harm to the movie. In this film we also meet Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's brother, who is played by Stephen Fry (Known more for his voice work such as the Cheshire Cat in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland).
            Overall, this movie had a lot of the same elements that were fun and enjoyable in the first movie. Thankfully, they didn't rely on just this as the plot was new and clever on its own and would have made for just as an enjoyable movie if it was the first one and not a sequel. Plus, as far as I'm concerned whenever you can go into a sequel and its just as good as the first, then you have a winner.
             I give this movie 3 out of 4 stars and a thumbs up. This movie is still out in theaters now and I recommend you go see it there as it's probably one of the few out there worth spending ten dollars on. With the action and quality you can't go wrong. Enjoy!

Editor's Note:  Sorry for being out of the loop the last couple months. It's just been pretty crazy plus didn't really have much to review. Anyways, my next movie will be One Day, based on the book of the same name, starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess.