After years of preparation geek icon
Joss Whedon finally assembles earth's mightiest heroes for the first
blockbuster of the year The Avengers. Cast out from his home-world
the god of mischief Loki assisted by an evil alien race makes his
way to Earth with a vengeful plot that will require everything that
S.H.I.E.L.D. can muster to prevent. With the grandeur one would hope
for in such a huge superhero undertaking Whedon takes the increasing
quality of the Marvel film franchises laces it with a humorous
script, and throws in enough emotion to ensure the film will resonate with
audiences everywhere.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
100 Word Review - The Avengers
After years of preparation geek icon
Joss Whedon finally assembles earth's mightiest heroes for the first
blockbuster of the year The Avengers. Cast out from his home-world
the god of mischief Loki assisted by an evil alien race makes his
way to Earth with a vengeful plot that will require everything that
S.H.I.E.L.D. can muster to prevent. With the grandeur one would hope
for in such a huge superhero undertaking Whedon takes the increasing
quality of the Marvel film franchises laces it with a humorous
script, and throws in enough emotion to ensure the film will resonate with
audiences everywhere.| Review: |
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
100 Word Review - The Hunger Games
As the latest young adult series to
make the jump to film The Hunger Games launches moviegoers into a
bleak dystopian world in which the once rebellious states of Panem
are forced to offer up 24 young tributes. Tributes who will be
prepared to fight to the death on television as a reminder of the
unending power of their capitol oppressors. Keeping much of its
original thematic element intact the film creates a solid adaptation
of the novel while still remaining accessible to the uninitiated
viewer through the use of a steady pacing and bursts of well placed
character-driven moments.| Review: |
Sunday, March 4, 2012
100 Word Review - Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
An overwhelming definitive
environmental resolve, the latest entry into the Seussian films does
revolve.
Telling a tale from within a world gone astray, engulfed by industry, pollution, decay.
A young boy smitten, taken in by his crush, soon will be written into a tale long kept hush.
With a seed, a story, and a glimmer of hope, he'd set out to save thneedville from it's slippery slope.
Unfortunately for him the trees weren't the matter, his story was broken, the characters just chatter.
This ominous tale would be best left alone, the children may cheer, yet the parents will groan.
Telling a tale from within a world gone astray, engulfed by industry, pollution, decay.
A young boy smitten, taken in by his crush, soon will be written into a tale long kept hush.
With a seed, a story, and a glimmer of hope, he'd set out to save thneedville from it's slippery slope.
Unfortunately for him the trees weren't the matter, his story was broken, the characters just chatter.
This ominous tale would be best left alone, the children may cheer, yet the parents will groan.
| Review: |
Thursday, February 23, 2012
100 Word Review - Gone
It's usually a fair assumption that
with a handful of b-list actors on a cast list that a film is
probably one to avoid, but with Amanda Seyfried leading the cast you
might want to think otherwise. Well don't, Gone thrusts Seyfried into
the role of a mentally unstable past kidnapping victim who after her
sister's recent disappearance has gone mad attempting to find her.
The concept is solid though mundane, but fueled by a cast of vapid,
shallow characters the plot quickly fizzles out to the point of
needing constant bursts of illogical actions to move the story
forward.| Review: |
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
84th annual Academy Awards: Winner Predictions
With the 84th issuance of the coveted golden statuettes less than four days away it is time that I finally quit my stalling and make my predictions for who will walk away with their heads held high. This year's nominations have been regarded as some of the most odd and predictable and though that is true on some fronts there is always the chance for some great upsets.
Will "The Descendants" dethrone the award favorite "The Artist?" Can Mara take the reigns away from Hollywood elite with her edgy performance? or can Payne or Allen in his prime split the director and best picture categories keeping "The Artist" from total domination?
Probably not, so after weeks of deliberating (procrastinating) and hours of sifting through the historical statistics here is my attempt at safe picks for the 84th annual Academy Awards this Sunday night.
Do you agree with my choices, or have some different choices of your own? Let me know who you are putting your money on and why in the comments.
Will "The Descendants" dethrone the award favorite "The Artist?" Can Mara take the reigns away from Hollywood elite with her edgy performance? or can Payne or Allen in his prime split the director and best picture categories keeping "The Artist" from total domination?
Probably not, so after weeks of deliberating (procrastinating) and hours of sifting through the historical statistics here is my attempt at safe picks for the 84th annual Academy Awards this Sunday night.
- Best picture - "The Artist"
- Best actor in a leading role - Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
- Best actress in a leading role - Viola Davis, “The Help”
- Best actor in a supporting role - Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
- Best actress in a supporting role - Octavia Spencer, “The Help”
- Best director - Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
- Writing (adapted screenplay) - Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash, “The Descendants"
- Writing (original screenplay) - Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
- Animated feature film - “Rango”
- Art direction - "Hugo"
- Cinematography - "The Tree of Life"
- Visual effects - “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
- Original score - Ludovic Bource, “The Artist”
- Sound mixing - “Hugo”
- Costume design - “Hugo”
- Film editing - “The Artist”
Do you agree with my choices, or have some different choices of your own? Let me know who you are putting your money on and why in the comments.
| Review: |
Sunday, February 19, 2012
100 Word Review - Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
With
Nicolas Cage reprising his role as the demonic Ghost Rider the
directorial pair of Neveldine and Taylor take the helm for this
hellish sequel. Still yearning for release from his deal with the
devil Johnny Blaze is tempted into the task of protecting a child in
return for a cure to his curse. A simple plot that plays into the
director's act now, dialogue never style both casts Spirit of
Vengeance ahead of and behind its predecessor. With the lean toward
action we get a visually stunning film that despite its thin story
still offers a marginally fun experience.
| Review: |
Sunday, February 12, 2012
100 Word Review - The Woman in Black
In his first post Potter role Daniel
Radcliffe teams up with director James Watkins for the ghastly
thriller The Woman in Black. Pulling away from Hollywood horror
The Woman in Black tells a more traditional ghost story in which the
young lawyer Arthur Kipps is tasked with sorting out the eerie estate
of a woman who's untimely passing has stirred up fear amongst the
locals. By conjuring a constant cloud of suspense that will envelop
viewers The Woman in Black leaves audiences in a truly fearful state.
A fear that in these tired times feels both fresh, and inviting.
| Review: |
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
100 Word Review - Trick 'r Treat
In an era where modern horror couldn't
be more predictable and redundant it is a rarity to find an
interesting twist on the genre. 2007's Trick 'r Treat is the
disorganized attempt at doing just that. Telling the story of the
Halloween happenings of a town dedicated to the traditions of the
once sinister holiday Trick 'r Treat plays out more like a collection
of short stories woven together with a thinly strung theme. Once you
get past the apparent structural flaws of the film the stories within
bring out a campy, but ultimately fun and definitely unique horror
film.| Review: |
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
84th annual Academy Awards: Nominations & Reactions
Best Picture
- "The Artist" Thomas Langmann, Producer
- "The Descendants" Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
- "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" Scott Rudin, Producer
- "The Help" Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
- "Hugo" Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
- "Midnight in Paris" Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
- "Moneyball" Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
- "The Tree of Life" Nominees to be determined
- "War Horse" Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers
Actor in a Leading Role
- Demián Bichir in "A Better Life"
- George Clooney in "The Descendants"
- Jean Dujardin in "The Artist"
- Gary Oldman in "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy"
- Brad Pitt in "Moneyball"
Actor in a Supporting Role
- Kenneth Branagh in "My Week with Marilyn"
- Jonah Hill in "Moneyball"
- Nick Nolte in "Warrior"
- Christopher Plummer in "Beginners"
- Max von Sydow in "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close"
Actress in a Leading Role
- Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs"
- Viola Davis in "The Help"
- Rooney Mara in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"
- Meryl Streep in "The Iron Lady"
- Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn"
Actress in a Supporting Role
- Bérénice Bejo in "The Artist"
- Jessica Chastain in "The Help"
- Melissa McCarthy in "Bridesmaids"
- Janet McTeer in "Albert Nobbs"
- Octavia Spencer in "The Help"
Animated Feature Film
- "A Cat in Paris" Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
- "Chico & Rita" Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
- "Kung Fu Panda 2" Jennifer Yuh Nelson
- "Puss in Boots" Chris Miller
- "Rango" Gore Verbinski
Directing
- "The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius
- "The Descendants" Alexander Payne
- "Hugo" Martin Scorsese
- "Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen
- "The Tree of Life" Terrence Malick
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" Music and Lyric by Bret McKenzie
- "Real in Rio" from "Rio" Music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown Lyric by Siedah Garrett
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
- "The Descendants" Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
- "Hugo" Screenplay by John Logan
- "The Ides of March" Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
- "Moneyball" Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin
- "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" Screenplay by Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan
Writing (Original Screenplay)
- "The Artist" Written by Michel Hazanavicius
- "Bridesmaids" Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
- "Margin Call" Written by J.C. Chandor
- "Midnight in Paris" Written by Woody Allen
- "A Separation" Written by Asghar Farhadi
The rest of the awards I have very little to say about so I will just leave you with the remaining portion of the list.
Art Direction
- "The Artist" Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
- "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
- "Hugo" Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
- "Midnight in Paris" Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
- "War Horse" Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
- "The Artist" Guillaume Schiffman
- "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Jeff Cronenweth
- "Hugo" Robert Richardson
- "The Tree of Life" Emmanuel Lubezki
- "War Horse" Janusz Kaminski
- "Anonymous" Lisy Christl
- "The Artist" Mark Bridges
- "Hugo" Sandy Powell
- "Jane Eyre" Michael O'Connor
- "W.E." Arianne Phillips
- "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
- "Bullhead" Belgium
- "Footnote"
- "In Darkness" Poland
- "Monsieur Lazhar" Canada
- "A Separation" Iran
- "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
- "Hell and Back Again" Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
- "If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front" Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
- "Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory" Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
- "Pina" Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
- "Undefeated" TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas
- "The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement" Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
- "God Is the Bigger Elvis" Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
- "Incident in New Baghdad"James Spione
- "Saving Face" Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
- "The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom" Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen
- "Dimanche/Sunday" Patrick Doyon
- "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
- "La Luna" Enrico Casarosa
- "A Morning Stroll" Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
- "Wild Life" Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
- "Pentecost" Peter McDonald and Eimear O'Kane
- "Raju" Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
- "The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George
- "Time Freak" Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
- "Tuba Atlantic" Hallvar Witzø
- "Drive" Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
- "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" Ren Klyce
- "Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
- "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
- "War Horse" Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom
- "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
- "Hugo" Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
- "Moneyball" Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
- "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
- "War Horse" Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson
- "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
- "Hugo" Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
- "Real Steel" Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
- "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
- "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier
| Review: |
Sunday, January 22, 2012
100 Word Review - The Descendants
A heavyhearted monologue about the misperception of paradise, an
onslaught of establishing shots of beautiful beaches, tropical
landscapes, and sunbathed mountainsides, the interior of a hospital
room as a man stands over his comatose wife. Your introduction to The
Descendants sets the tone for the whole film as an out-of-touch
father struggles to take care of his two daughters while dealing with
the fallout from his wife's boating accident. With inspired
performances from both seasoned veteran George Clooney and relative
newcomer Shailene Woodley director Alexander Payne weaves a
heartbreaking story that still manages to create an uplifting and
engaging experience.
| Review: |
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