Thoughts on Avengers: Endgame

I saw Avengers: Endgame yesterday and I'm going to talk about it at length here, so spoilers abound. These are just my initial thoughts, so things could change but here they are!

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My overall feeling on the movie is I liked it, but I did not love it. Maybe I expected too much. I don't know; I really didn't expect much beyond possibly some time travel, an epic battle scene, and for Iron Man to die. All of which were delivered. I'm going to break down what I liked and talk about some of the things that kept me from loving it.

Things I loved:

• Literally every time Loki appeared. He was perfection. Every time. 

Things I liked:

• Hulk/Banner - I liked this new version of the Hulk/Banner; they were much more interesting to watch and I feel like the character now can do a lot more. I wish this had happened earlier in the series, but I understand why narratively it wouldn't have. 
• Captain America's ass (America's ass). That joke never got old.  I also liked when the Captians America were fighting themselves and the past CA says, "I can do this all day," and the present CA responds something like, "oh I know," with a sigh.  
• In general, the comic relief was good (as always) with one storyline joke exception (more on that below).
• All the tear-jerky scenes with Iron Man. Man, they laid that on thick throughout the movie, and I was totally there for it. "I love you 3000" is going to be on tote bags and tattoos, I've no doubt.
• I have never seen any of the Spider-man movies (the only Marvel movies I have missed), but I love that kid, and the reunion scene with him and Iron Man was perfect (this is really a sub-point of the above Iron Man point, I guess). 
• The moment when all the yellow Strangelove space/warp circles appeared and all the fallen appeared ready for battle. This was epic. And awesome. Expectations met!
• That the Ant-Man movies really mattered and he was an integral part of the plot.
• The scenes between Captain America and Black Widow. I know we're supposed to ship her and Banner, but I just never have. I think she and CA are where it's at and he needs to get over Agent Peggy Carter.  But alas...that seems to be a moot point now!

Things I didn't love:

• Not enough Captain Marvel. Or maybe enough, but the last few movies & the previews really made it seem like she would have a larger role. I'm fine that she didn't; I just feel mislead. 
• When Thor cut off Thanos's head - that was awesome- but everyone's reaction "what did you do?!" was super lame. He killed this asshole that should have been killed long ago- thank him!
• Not enough Bucky.  I loved the scene between Sam and Cap (although not everything about how it was happening), and I get that it would have been too much to have another heartfelt scene, but damn, Bucky gets like no real love and only a couple of lines in the whole movie. They keep teasing that he's going to be a bigger part of the story, but that just doesn't seem to be happening. 

Things I found....problematic (with some burning questions thrown in)

• We need to talk about Thor. So, I would have liked to see a story-line where he dealt with his depression or PTSD or whatever he was going through in a way that did not involve fat jokes. Or play alcoholism up for laughs. The scene when he is revealed to now be fat with a huge beer belly was played for laughs - laughs where fat Thor (AND FAT PEOPLE IN GENERAL) were the butt of the joke. Not funny. And the jokes were there throughout the movie. I love Thor, - he might be my favorite Avenger -  and I felt this storyline did a real disservice to his pain and also caused harm to those who deal with fatphobia and fat oppression on a daily basis (because movies do impact real life & representation matters).   His friends, instead of seeing the pain he was in and trying to help him, looked at him with disgust and disdain for "letting himself go."  Not okay. 
• I'm not really sure how the Captian America living his life in the past and becoming old in the present works. Time travel is always messy; the laws of time travel even when well explained usually are flawed, and I thought this movie had finally figured it out so the story would all "work."  But then that last scene... no.  It messes it all up. If it doesn't mess it up, please explain it to me - if Cap time travels back to 1950 (or whatever) to live out his life with his Peggy, then how is he also the same Cap in our present? Shouldn't he be in another timeline? Ugh. They should have left that be and just had Captain America retire (which also doesn't make ANY sense for his character) or die. Or have him just never have come back from his time travel expedition and we could wonder. 
• Black Widow dying for the Soul Stone.  One, Hawkeye didn't sacrifice her, she sacrificed herself, so does that even work by soul stone rules? Two, hasn't the "woman (super)hero" sacrificing herself for the greater good been done to death? I'm not talking Marvel, I'm talking the history of film. It's a tired plot device.  Also, why didn't Nebula give Hawkeye and Black Widow a heads up about this?
• The scene during the epic battle when Scarlet Witch is battling Thanos (which was awesome), then he starts to win and says something about her being alone and ALL the women superheroes appear and say she isn't alone. I mean, yeah, it was cool, and I got the feels, but then I recognized that scene for the empowerment breadcrumbs that it really was.  

More Burning Questions:

• So....is Loki still dead? Because I need him to be alive. I'm hoping that something in all the time travel stuff means that he somehow will be alive. Unlike with the Captain America storyline, I will be totally fine if all laws set for time-travel logic have to be upended to make this happen (sorry, love is illogical).  He has a show coming out (which means I will have to get a Disney streaming subscription), so what timeline will that be set in? 
• Am I going to have to watch Guardians of the Galaxy to get my Thor on?  I hope not.
• Black Widow is dead, but I thought she had a movie coming out?  So, I guess similar question as the one about Loki.
• Does Captain America's time-hopping new life also mess up Agent Carter's choices and character motivations? Is it all part of the past/present/past/cycle and it's fine? 

Oscar 2018: The Highs and Lows

The Full List of Winners!

The Oscar Highs:

• Francis McDormand's Acceptance Speech (Actress, 3 Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri)
• Not sure what an "inclusion rider" is? Here you go!
• Jordan Peele winning Best  Original Screenplay for Get Out (YAY!)
• Maya Rudolf and Tiffany Hadish were the funniest part of the night. 
• Also Kumail Nanjiani is my favorite, so here is a clip of him presenting with Lupita Nyong'o being funny and talking about Dreamers. 
• The first Native (Cherokee) presenter in all of Oscar history: Wes Studi. And he spoke in Cherokee!
• Sign Language at the Oscars - Rachel Shenton signed (and spoke) her acceptance speech for her Short, The Silent Child. 

The Oscar Lows:

• Generally boring and unfunny. And as if it wasn't long enough, there was this whole "let's go across the street and surprise 'real people' by having actors give them candy" bit.
• The in memorial- give us some context for how we know these producers, old actors, writers, etc. They used to show scenes from movies people worked on, but now it's mostly just a head shot and a person's name. Such a let down.

Oscar  Disappointments:

• Neither Get Out or Lady Bird winning Best Picture. 
• Neither Jordan Peele or Greta Gerwig winning Best Director. 
• Daniel Kaluuya not winning Best Actor (Get Out)
• Willem Dafoe not winning Best Supporting Actor (The Florida Project)
• Icarus won Best Documentary? WHAAA? No. I blame Russia. 

Oscar Watch 2018!

I set out to watch 39 of the the nominated movies for this year's Academy Awards, and I was able to see 36 of them!  I don't think I could have done it without my MoviePass subscription!

Here is my run down of who I'd like to win each of the categories. I do not recommend using any of this to fill out any Oscar-watch Ballots though. I pay zero attention to reviews/buzz, so although I also give predictions, they are largely meaningless.
**Please forgive misspellings of names, of which I'm sure there are more than a few!
**Also my not wanting someone to win doesn't mean I think they did a bad job; just that they aren't who I want to take home the award for some reason or another.
**I did not list the super technical categories because I really don't have an opinion on them this year!


Best Picture: 
Want to Win: Get Out or Lady Bird
Would be fine if they won: I, Tonya, Shape of Water, 3 Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri
Don't Want to Win: Dunkirk, Darkest Hour, Call Me By Your Name, Phantom Thread, The Post.
Who I think will win: probably someone from my "don't want to win" list.

Best Animated Picture:
Out of the 4 I saw,  Coco is the clear winner here. I don't see how any of the others can beat it.
Other animated movies: Ferdinand, Boss Baby, Loving Vincent, Breadwinner (Sadly, I didn't get to see this one!)
Who I think will win: Coco

Best Documentary:
I saw 4/5 of these as well. Abacus: Small Enough to Jail has my vote. I also really like Strong Island.
Other nominated Documentaries: Icarus, Last Men In Aleppo, and Faces Places (I didn't see this one).
Who I think will win: Strong Island or Last Men In Aleppo

Best Actor: 
Want to Win: Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out)
Would be fine if they won: Denzel Washington (Roman J. Isreal, Esq), Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name)
Don't Want to Win: Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour), Daniel Day Lewis (Phantom Thread)
Who I think will win: Daniel Day Lewis

Best Actress:Want to Win: Frances McDormand (3 Billboards), Saorise Ronan (LadyBird), or Margot Robbie (I, Tonya)
Would be fine if they won: Sally Hawkins (Shape of Water), Meryl Streep (The Post)
Don't Want to Win: n/a
Who I think will win: Frances McDormand

Supporting Actor:
Want to Win: Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project)
Would be fine if they won: Richard Jenkins (Shape of Water), Sam Rockwell (3 Billboards), Woody Harrelson (3 Billboards)
Don't Want to Win: Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World) -- only because I didn't see it.
Who I Think Will Win: Richard Jenkins or Sam Rockwell

Supporting Actress:
Want To Win: Allison Janney (I, Tonya), Laurie Metcalf (LadyBird), Octavia Spencer (Shape of Water)
Fine If They Win: Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread)
Don't Want to Win: n/a
Who I think Will Win: Allison Janney

Director:
Want To Win: Jordon Peele (Get Out) or Greta Gerwig (Ladybird)
Fine If They Win: Guillermo del Toro (Shape of Water)
Don't Want to Win: Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Paul Thomas Anderson (Phantom Thread)
Who I think Will Win: Guillermo del Toro (Shape of Water)

Adapted Screenplay:
Want To Win: Aaron Sorkin (Molly's Game)
Fine If They Win: Virgil Williams & Dee Rees (Mudbound)
Don't Want to Win: James Ivory (Call Me By Your Name), Scott Frank & James Magold & Michael Green (Logan), Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber (Disaster Artist)
Who I think Will Win: Aaron Sorkin (Molly's Game)

Original Screenplay: 
Want To Win: Jordan Peele (Get Out) or Greta Gerwig (Ladybird)
Fine If They Win: Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick)
Don't Want to Win: Guillermo del Toro (Shape of Water), Martin McDonagh (3 Billboards)
Who I think Will Win: Martin McDonagh (3 Billboards)

Cinematography:
Want To Win: Shape of Water or Mudbound
Fine If They Win: Dunkirk
Don't Want to Win: BladRunner 2049, Darkest Hour,
Who I think Will Win: Shape of Water

Orig Score:
Want To Win: Phantom Thread (Jonny Greenwood) or Shape of Water (Alexandre Desplat)
Fine If They Win: Dunkirk (Hans Zimmer), Three Billboards (Carter Burwell)
Don't Want to Win: Star Wars: Last Jedi (Jon Williams)
Who I think Will Win: Shape of Water (Alexandre Desplat)

Orig Song:
Want To Win: Stand Up for Something (Diane Warren & Common, Marshall)
Fine If They Win: This is Me (Bemj Pasek & Justin Paul, The Greatest Showman), Mighy River (Mary J. Blige, Mudbound)
Don't Want to Win: Mystery of Love (Sufjan Stevens; Call Me By Your Name)
Who I think Will Win: I have absolutely no clue.

beauty and the beast, a 4 year old's perspective

The other night I watched Beauty and the Beast with my nieces (ages 2 and 4), my mom, and sister.  The 4 year old (M) did not like the Beast. This is understandable: the Beast locks Belle's dad in a dungeon, keeps Belle captive, and yells & grows at her a lot. He is actually pretty scary for much of the movie.  In hindsight, we should have anticipated M not liking him.

What I couldn't have seen coming was M falling for the charms of Gaston.  Bewildered, M asked why Belle didn't want to marry Gaston.  Then, when Gaston rallied the townspeople to attack the Beast, she began cheering, "Yeah! YEAH!!" and raised her arms in exclamation.  And later, while the Beast and Gaston fought, she chanted "NO BEAST! NO BEAST!" At this point, J (the 2 year old) leapt to the Beast's defense yelling "YES BEAST! YES BEAST!" :)

We tried to explain that Gaston was actually the mean one, but M was unconvinced. Hmmm, hopefully this is not an indication of M's future taste in men...

Movie Review: The Master

Last night I watched The Master, and I was pretty excited to see a thinly veiled look into Scientology.  It stars Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jaoquin Pheonix, and Amy Adams (all of whom earned Oscar nominations) and was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

When the movie ended, I asked my companions, "So, what what the point? What was the story? Who and what were we supposed to care about?."  I asked because I really did not know, and they had no answer for me either. It's not that the movie was confusing - it was not. It's not that the movie was complicated - it was not. It's that the movie had no actual story, and what the writer clearly intended the story to be was neither developed nor interesting.

Because of previews,  NPR stories, and the title, I thought the story was going to be about the guy who created Scientology: how he gained his followers, what he taught, and how the people around him were affected.  Sadly, this is not what it was about.

A major shortcoming of the film is that far too much time was spent with the Jaoquin Pheonix character (Freddie), a WWII veteran psychologically disturbed alcoholic. The first 30 minutes or so is spent following Freddie for reasons unknown, as he is perhaps the most uninteresting character in the film.  When he finally finds himself in the presence of the Master, I start to hope the movie is going to pick up. Unfortunately it doesn't. While we catch glimpses into the motives of the title character, we never get any deeper into that story, and instead, Anderson focuses on the relationship between the Master and Freddie. That might be fine, but neither the characters nor the relationship between the two evolve, hence, no there is no story. This film is, as I said on FB, "long, boring, pointless."

One thing I found maddening was that there were so many hints that interesting things were happening all around the main story, but we never got to learn about them.  Here are some examples:

• The Master & his wife. How did they come up with "the cause"? What are their motives in trying to obtain followers. What drives them? 
• The master's son. Mid-movie he tells Freddie his father is "making it up as he goes along."  We never see the son's struggle with how to fit in to the family without buying into the message. Then, most interestingly, at the end of the movie, the son seems on-board with "the cause."  How did that happen? Why did we not follow this character?
• The people who follow The Master.  Why are they drawn to him? What about "the cause" speaks to them. How do their families deal with the fact that they are following what some described as "a cult"? To be fair, Anderson may have thought he was writing this story through Freddie. His mistake was picking a character that is rather one dimensional and doesn't grow. Additionally,  he a character that never seems to 100% buy into the cause. The Laura Dern character - who is a true believer for much of the film- would have been a better choice. She has a pivotal moment with the Master in which she questions something and he yells at her. What happened next? Did she grapple with this? Did she accept it? We don't know. This great and powerful scene happened, and then... nothing.

And while many say how great the acting was, rest assured the acting is good despite the fact that the characters are all static. We have no clue what drives these characters and none of their stories are followed in a way that allows us to get any more than a 1 dimensional view of most of them.

The movie was a terrible disappointment. I cannot recommend anyone see it. I spent 2 1/2 hours wondering where the interesting movie shown in the previews was hiding.

oscar watch 2013: my picks!

After watching all except 2 movies that I could not get my eyes on (The Gatekeepers - not yet released in St. Louis; The Master - out of theater, but doesn't come out on DVD until the 26th), I have my hopes for  who will take home Oscar.

This is not a list of  who I think will win, but who I would *want* to win. I categorized the nominees into groups by how I would feel if they won. If you want to know who I think will win, look for the asterisk*.



Best Movie:
Happiest: Argo*
Happy:  Silver Linings Playbook or Lincoln, Zero Dark Thirty
Fine: Life of Pi, Django Unchained,  or Beasts of the Southern Wild
Angry: Amour, Les Mis

Best Animated Movie:
Happiest: Wreck-it-Ralph
Happy: Frankenweenie, Pirates! Band of Misfits
Fine: ParaNorman (cute, but not worth winning), Brave* (yes, I know impeccable animation, but the movie was so boring. UGH! Totally wasted potential for an awesome, strong, heroine for little girls to look up to).
Angry: n/a

Best Documentary:
Happiest: Searching for Sugar Man
Happy: The Invisible War, 5 Broken Cameras, How to Survive a Plague,
Fine: The Gatekeepers* (couldn't see it, so have no opinion)
Angry: n/a

Best Actor:
Happiest: Daniel Day Lewis*, Lincoln
Happy: Hugh Jackman, Les Mis; Bradley Cooper,Silver Linings Playbook
Fine: Joaquin Pheonix, The Master (I put him here because I can't really have an opinion since I didn't see the movie)
Angry:  Denzel Washington, Flight (I hated this movie & didn't think he did anything new or note-worthy. I certainly didn't get lost in his role.)

Best Actress
Happiest: Jessica Chastain*, ZD30
Happy: Jennifer Lawrence*, Silver Linings Playbook; Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Fine: Emannuelle Riva, Amour; Naimi Watts, The Impossible
Angry: n/a

Best Supporting Actor:
Happiest: Christopher Waltz, Django Unchained
Happy: Tommy Lee Jones*, Lincoln; Robert DiNero, Silver Linings Playbook
Fine: Alan Arkin, Argo; Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master (again, only here b/c I didn't see it)
Angry: n/a

Best Supporting Actress:
Happiest: Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Happy: Anne Hathaway*, Les Mis;  Jackie Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Fine: Sally Field, Lincoln; Amy Adams, The Master (again...didn't see her)
Angry: n/a

Best Director:
Happiest: Ben Affleck, Argo - wait, he wasn't nominated (OUTRAGEOUS!)
Happy: Ang Lee, Life of Pi; Steven Speilberg*, Lincoln; David O Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Fine: Benh Zeitlin, Beasts S/W
Angry: Michael Haneke, Amour

Best Cinematography:
Happiest: Django Unchained, Robert Richardson
Happy: Skyfall, Roger Deakins; Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda; Anna Karenina, Seamus McGarvey
Fine: Lincoln*, Janusz Kaminski;
Angry: n/a

Best Score:
Happiest: Silver Linings Playbook (not actually nominated)
Happy: Anna Karenina, Argo, Skyfall, Life of Pi,
Fine :Lincoln*
Angry: n/a

As it turns out, I've seen all the movies up for Writing, so I'll go ahead and give my picks for those, too. :)

Best (adapted) Screenplay:
*I guess I should have read the writings from which these were adapted. I've read Life of Pi, but not the others, & I'm going to just have ignore if I think it was adapted well, but only concentrate on which one I thought was written best in general.
Happiest: Silver Linings Playbook
Happy: Argo, Lincoln*, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life of Pi -- I almost put this at "fine," because I love the book so much, and was not happy with a couple of the changes they made. Overall, one of the better adaptations I've seen & I'm not supposed to be judging on the "adaptation."
Fine: n/a
Angry: n/a

Best (original) Screenplay:
Happiest: Django Unchained*
Happy: Moonrise Kingdom, Zero Dark Thirty
Fine: n/a
Angry: Flight -- are you KIDDING me?! I cannot believe this was nominated for writing. Can.Not.Believe!; 
Amour

best original score recap

I was having a hard time deciding which score I should pick to win Best, and I found myself just leaning towards the one I had heard most recently.  Because I’d heard some scores months ago and some days ago, I decided I should listen to them side by side. Below are my comments about the music  as I was listening to it.  

Argo –While many of the pieces are not ones I necessarily want to listen to over and over again, I did think they fit in the movie perfectly; additionally, the pieces, “Breaking Through the Gates,”  “The Mission,” and “Clearing Iranian Airspace” are pure magic, putting the soundtrack squarely in the fantastic category. 

Life of Pi – I remember while I was watching the movie that I loved the music. It was actually a huge part of the movie, and in many ways, helped move the story along. It is beautiful to be sure, and I think my favorite piece is “Tsimtsum,” “Tiger Training,” “Orphans,”  and “Back to the World,” but it’s hard to pick. Most of the pieces are only 1-3 minutes long, and they all ease into each other; really it is one piece of music. It is gorgeous.

Lincoln – Well, it’s John Williams, so I know I’m going to like it. And I do, but that’s about all. I remember while watching the movie that music was power, but the same can be said for all of these scores.  I will say that the “Peterson House and Finale” is absolutely breath-taking (and, of course, the clip they play will be from this).  Overall, the music is beautiful and heads above many other scores, but I’m not feeling it for best score.

Skyfall – I remember remarking on the music when I came out of the theater – the music and the gorgeous cinematography. So I was excited to give this another listen. I couldn't get my hands on it through Spotify, so I purchased it from iTunes.  The stakes have been raised, Thomas Newman, you’d better delight me!  Okay, yes, I remember why I liked this so much as I was watching the movie. It is amazing.  “Jellyfish” and “Silhouette” are two of my favorites (and they are from a beautifully shot scene in the film). “She’s Mine” and “Deep Water,” and “ Adrenaline,” are also favorites. I don’t think it’s going to win though, although I think maybe it should. I think it’s going to be too fast-paced/electric for good old Oscar.

Anna Karenina - this is gorgeous  It starts off so fanciful, and I love the waltz   When I was watching the movie, I remember enjoying the music above all else, and I still enjoy it. I would listen to this again and again.  It is gorgeous, classical, and if I were still in an orchestra and given the choice of which of these scores to play, I would pick this one. I do adore it.

Silver Linings Playbook – Okay, so this is not nominated, but it should be. Three bars in, and I’m reminded how much I love this. Very hip, funny, distressing and beautiful; it helps tell the story of the movie perfectly. God, I almost forgot how much I loved this movie &; the music is bringing it all back. I love it.  “Simple,” “With a Beat,“ and – well, all of them, actually -  are just stunning. I know its not a big grand score, and it is relatively short compared to those nominated, but it just captured the film so well & is quite enjoyable on its own as well. I wish it had been nominated.

oscar watch 2013: review recap

I often post mini-reviews on facebook, so I have compiled the oscar movie reviews here for posterity. Movies with an * means I didn't have a FB review, but added one here.

Yes, you are welcome. I know I am doing the history of cinema  a great service! You can thank me with cookies. ;)

Skyfall (11/12)

Skyfall was absolutely amazing. The opening credits were easily the best ever, and the cinematography was striking throughout the movie; there are a few scenes that were so beautifully done that little compares. The story was also good (although I'll always be partial to Casino Royale)

*Lincoln  (November)

• I was completely blown away by this movie. As a history teacher, the congressional debate scenes rocked my world. Tommy Lee Jones was riviting, as, of course, was Daniel Day Lewis. I loved this movie and would happily watch it again!

*Silver Linings Playbook (December)

• I adored this movie. I was expecting a romantic comedy - that is certainly how it was billed, but that isn't how I would describe it. I loved the characters and the ups and downs of the movie. It was a really smart, enjoyable movie.

* Django Unchained (December)

• When I came out of this gorgeous, funny, though-provoking, violent, interesting movie, I said, "Nobody does blood splatter like Quentin Tarantino."  I stand by that statement. This movie was fantastic. Loved it!), and I HIGHLY recommend everyone sees this!

Les Miserables (12/31)

Having seen the stage version when I was younger & belting out "Do You Hear the People Sing," many times in my car, I had high hopes for Les Mis (sorry, Jason H-). And although some of the scenes/songs were absolutely amazing, overall the movie fell flat for me. I'm glad I saw it, but I think it could have been better; this review sums up my issues with it quite nicely.

Invisible War & Looking for Sugar Man (1/27):

I finally watched the documentary, The Invisible War, and holy crap it was compelling. Heart-wrenching at times, but a story that must be heard. I highly recommend it. Last night I watched another Oscar nominated documentary, Looking for Sugar Man, and it was also fantastic. So far I'm two for two. Let's keep 'em coming!

 Brave (1/28)

My first Oscar dud: Brave. The animation might be fantastic, but the story was rather lame an humorless :-(

 ...I was excited of the prospect of a strong, smart princess whose main goal in life was not just to find her prince, but the story was just not that good. Hopefully this movie will pave the way for more movies in which our girls have strong role models. And hopefully those movies will be better.

How to Survive a Plague (1/28)

3rd documentary: How to survive a Plague. Amazing story of how average people band together to become extraordinary and successfully fight for AIDS research & treatment. Although dry at times - like something you might watch in school- it is powerful and inspiring, and a is part of our history that should not be overlooked.

Beasts of the Southern Wild  (1/30)

Oscar prep continued tonight with Best Movie nom, Beasts of the Southern Wild. I'm not done processing this movie, but it certainly does raise questions of culture and land worth discussing. While this wouldn't be my choice to win best movie, the little girl was amazing.

 5 Broken Cameras (2/1)

Another thought provoking documentary: 5 Broken Cameras. 14 movies to go!

Wreck-It Ralph (2/3)

Best Animated Movie #2: Wreck-it Ralph. I loved this movie! It was hilarious, and I could see owning it. I'm having a hard time believing any of the other animated films will come close to this one, but I'm going to try to have an open mind about it. (13 movies to go!)

Oscar (short) BONUS! Paperman (2/4)  My friend Ellie  & my roomate shared this with me. Thanks!

           Love this

  Flight (2/6)

Oscar Watch 2013: Flight(Denzel Washington, best actor). Denzel was Denzel; fantastic as always. But I wasn't wowed. The movie did wow me- in how completely awfull it was. The tone was off, the climatic moment was contrived & unrealistic, and the end was basically a montage of cliches. It should have been a good movie; there were moments of greatness, but then they were ruined by poor writing and a distracting soundtrack. 13 to go! 

  Zero Dark Thirty (2/7)

"Oscar Watch 2013: Zero Dark Thirty (picture & actress). Absolutely amazing. I'm increasingly conflicted over which picture I want to win Best. On one hand this was perfect: gripping, and emotional, and somehow suspenseful even though I knew the outcome. On the other hand, it has a low rewatchability likelihood. Jessica Chastain was flawless and should take home the Oscar. 12 to go!"

this post on FB led into a question about whether rewatchability should be a factor, however slight, in determining if a movie should win best picture. I maintained it should be a  very small factor, but the majority of people disagreed with me. It is an interesting question to ponder & ponder it still I do.   

  Life of Pi  (2/9)

Oscar Watch 2013: Life of Pi (movie, director, cinematography, & music). Another fantastic & gorgeous movie. The book is one of my absolute favorites, so I found some of the changes jarring and strange, but the way the story was brought to life visually spot on. If you haven't read the book, read it. I have a copy & will lend it to you. Then see the movie. So far this has my cinematography vote.

 ParaNoman (2/11)

Oscar Watch 2013: Paranorman (best animated): Slow to start, but a cute little horror movie for kids. Reminded me a little of Hocus Pocus. My favorite line was, "Don't make me through this hummus at you! It's Spicy!" 9 to go  

 The Sessions (2/11)

Oscar Watch 2013: The Sessions (best supporting actress, Helen Hunt). Did John Hawkes get a Golden Globe nomination at least? I love him in everything, and this was no different; but alas he is not nominated. So far the only supporting actress I haven't seen is Amy Adams, and Helen Hunt may be my top pick (even though I know Anne Hathaway is going to win); this was not an easy role & she did an impeccable job. The movie was sweet, funny, and tear inducing in that way all good indie comedy-dramas are. 8 to go!

 Frankenweenie (2/13)

OW2013: Frankenweenie (best animated) was way better than I anticipated. This may be the first Tim Burton movie I've liked in awhile. Sweet & well crafted, and not over the top. The music was just perfect for the film.

 Amour (2/16)

OW2013: Amour (best picture, actress, director). This movie was more depressing than Wall-E. I kind of wish I hadn't seen it, and cannot, in good conscious, recommend it to anyone who has ever experienced a loved one dying. That said, if you enjoy extremely realistic and heart-wrenching movies about people growing old & their enduring love, then this is the movie for you! Emanuelle Riva (actress) was outstanding, and definitely deserves the nomination. ( 6 to go!)

 Pirates! Band of Misfits (2/17)

OW2013: Pirates! Band of Misfits (best animated) was cute, but not terribly entertaining for me. Visually, of course, it was ridiculously good. And bonus: Jeremy Piven and a Flight of the Conchords song is in it. 5 to go!

 Oscar (short) BONUS! Maggie Simpson, The Longest Daycare (2/19)

Oscar Bonus! I caught the animated short, Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare," today because my all-knowing Tivo thought to record it for me. It was sweet & lovely, but also had some comments about society. I laughed when Maggie's intelligence was tested by "Often Wrong Technologies," and then placed in the "nothing special" (loved that)

 Argo (2/20)

OW2013 Argo (movie, supporting actor, score). Firstly, how did Ben Affleck not get a director nomination? Secondly this movie was awesome. I loved every minute if it. See it! On Alan Arkin (s actor): I adore him beyond reason, and his comic relief was welcome during the film, but much like Denzel in Flight, he was just sort of Alan Arkin being Alan Arkiny. Great, but nothing new. The score: beautiful. Need to hear them all side by side to pick a fav, but Loved it. Great movie!!! 

 Anna Karenina (2/21)

 OW2013 Anna Karenina (Cinematography, Score). Oh Anna Karenina, you long, long, boring movie. But, I have to give credit where credit due: the cinematography and music are beautiful. There were also several scenes that were quite compelling as well as being masterfully shot, but in the end the pacing was so drawn out that it could not hold my undivided attention. (And now, with the sad reality that it is not possible for me to see 2 of the nominations having sunk in, I say, "1 to go!")

 The Impossible (2/24)

 OW2013: The Impossible (actress: Naimi Watts). Well, if you need a good cry, this is the movie for you. I loved it, but it was somewhat draining emotionally. I though Naimi Watts did a fantastic job - as did Ewan McGreggor. I thought the kid who played Lucas (Tom Holland) should have gotten a supporting actor nomination. He certainly showed more range than Alan Arkin in Argo, and in ways he carried this movie. No, he totally carried this movie. He is the character whose emotions on which you hung your own. He was fantastic. 
Nit-pick: I loved this movie, but I thought the "let's zoom out to show how small we are compared to the tragedy as a whole and/or how impossible it was for these people to find each other  was overused. Doing that 1-3 times at key moments (like the first time they did it) is really powerful, but it was done so many times that I became someone somewhat immune to it. Which is, I guess, why it was not nominated for any other major categories. Still, great movie. I recommend it!
That's it! I'm done! Challenge Complete! :)

oscar watch 2013: the nominations

Here are the movies & their nominated categories for the 2013 Academy Awards (Major Categories). If I'd seen them prior to making the challenge, they are in blue. I am supposed to see them all before Feb 24, 2013!!

Best Movie:

Amour (director)

Argo (s. actor, score)

Beasts of the Southern Wild (actress, director)

Django Unchained (s. actor, cinematography)

Les Meserables (actor, s. actress)

Life of Pi (director, cinematography, score)

Lincoln (actor, s. actor, s. actress, director, cinematography, score)

Silver Linings Playbook (actor, actress, s. actor, s. actress)

Zero Dark Thrity (actress)

Movie Itself Not Nominated:

The Master* (actor, s. actor, s. actress)

Flight (actor)

The Impossible (actress)

The Sessions (s. actress)

Anna Karenina (cinematography, score)

Skyfall (cinematography, score)

Best Animated:

Brave

Frankenweenie

ParaNorman

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Wreck-it Walph

Best Documentary:

5 Broken Cameras

The GateKeepers*

How to Survive a Plague

The Invisible War

Searching for Sugar Man

* = I will be unable to see these movies because they have either not been released in St. Louis (Gatekeepers) or they are no longer in the theaters, but not yet on DVD (The Master). :(

oscar watch 2013: the challenge

Many of you know that about a month ago I gave myself the challenge of watching all the Academy Award Nominated movies (major categories). Together, this totaled 25 movies; fortunately I had already seen 5 of them: This gave me 29 days to watch 20 movies in preparation for the Oscars!

The categories I chose as "major":

• Best Movie
• Best Animated Movie
• Best Documentary
• Best Actor, Actress
• Best Supporting Actor, Actress
• Best Director
• Best Cinematography
• Best Score

Next year I'd like to add best screenplay (original and adapted) and the shorts (animated and live), but given the time constraints of this challenge, I felt my category list was already ambitious enough!

Can this challenge be done? I'm still working on it. Currently, 4 days before the Oscars I have 4 movies left to watch. Time is of the essence!

My next post will include all the movies & their nominations...

movie review: Don't You Forget About Me (John Hughes documentary)

This is a documentary about 4 film-makers who love John Hughes and set out (from Canada) to find his house and try to interview him & let him know that he is awesome and missed by all. Throughout the movie, various people who have worked with Hughes are interviewed as well as people in the film industry who admire him and teenagers who relate to his movies even today.

This should have been, could have been, a great documentary. Sadly, it was not. The problem was that the film-makers were completely unprofessional and came across as stalkers. Their plan? Drive to Chicago, knock on John Hughes' door, and ask him:
1. Why he stopped making movies.
2. Will he make movies again?
3. Does he know how much everyone loves him?

I'm sorry, but if these people actually had gotten an interview with Mr. Hughes (they didn't), these were their questions? These?! Really?

More than anything else, this movie made me mad. It made me mad because it should have been a good documentary about a film-maker who connected to a generation of teenagers - who still connects to that generation and to generations to come - but instead it ended up being a documentary about what assholes these young film-makers were. Ugh. Wasted. Sad.

Top 10 Movies of 2011

I made a list of my favorite movies from 2011! My criteria is pretty broad, and I tried to include movies from a wide range of genres. The movies all had to have one thing in common: rewatchability. There is a place for movies that no one would ever want to watch a second time despite their critical acclaim, but this list is not that place.

I'm sure I've made some glaring omissions, and there are many great movies that I simply did not see, but all in all I'm happy with my list. Here are my top ten of movies from 2011 (in no particular order). Happy movie watching!

50/50 (drama, comedy, bromance). You may remember me talking about this movie endlessly, saying things like, "Drop what you are doing, and go see this movie!" I stand by that statement. This movie stars Seth Rogan and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. It's about a guy who gets diagnosed with a type of cancer that has a 50% survival rate, and how he and his best friend deal with that reality. Next to Bridesmaids, this is the funniest movie I've seen all year. That said, I also sobbed more during this film than in any movie since the Lion King (Mufasa dying hit my 12 year old self pretty hard). I saw it twice in the theater (high praise). Although I did not put these movies in any order, if I had to pick my #1, this would be it. Hands down. So, again I say: drop what you are doing, and go see this movie.

Friends with Benefits (romantic comedy). Yes, I will give you that this movie is a predictable romantic comedy, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. There is a comfort in the rom-com formula, and sometimes you want that comfort. This movie is the best out of the newly popular "friends with benefits fall in love" sub-genre of romantic comedies, and it's just generally the best romantic comedy I've seen in ages. Rom-coms have gotten lazy. Just because they have a predictable formula does not mean that things like on screen chemistry, good comedy, and a great "I love you moment" should be done half-assedly. And yet one need look no further than Something Borrowed or How Do You Know to see that this shoddy craftsmanship has become the norm. Not so with this movie. I laughed often, and I really wanted the two main characters to find each other. I was not disappointed.

Win Win (drama). Back when we were podcasting, my cohorts and I reviewed this movie here. I loved this movie, as has everyone I know that's seen it. The movie is about a down on his luck wrestling coach who finds himself looking after a down on his luck kid, who happens to be an amazing wrestler. They bond, and both their lives are better for it. While from that synopsis alone, you would have to drag me to see this movie, it was actually amazing. It manages to be heartwarming, but not cheesy in the slightest. It stars Paul Giamani as the lead. Listen to the podcast. See the movie. DO IT!

Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol (action): This is by far the best of all the Mission Impossible movies. Adjectives I would use to describe this movie include: funny, suspenseful, surprising, entertaining, cheese-free, and heart pounding. Some of you may remember my eye roll inducing attempt to rewatch MI:2, and I have to say I was a little leery of the 4th installment after that debacle, but this was amazingly entertaining. I can honestly say, I hope there is a 5th!

Super 8 (drama, suspense, monster, family friendly): This movie stars a bunch of kids, a monster, and Kyle Chandler. The kids in the film are amerature film-makers, something I can identify with as this was the number one hobby of my brother and his friends growing up, While the kids film a scene in their movie, a train crashes and a monster is released. The rest of the town is evacuated, and the kids (of course) are the only ones who know the about the monster, and they set out to find out what's going on. While the plot seems silly, the acting (superb) and visual effects , as well as directing, make the movie one of the best of the year. I actually think my ol' movie reviewing buddy Pete reviews the movie perfectly here.

Bridesmaids (comedy): I saw this movie twice in the theater, and happily would have paid to see it a third time. Although I've complained that raunchy humour has all but completely pushed good-clean comedy from the movie reels, that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it when done right. This movie did everything right: it was both ridiculously (and sometimes disgustingly) hilarious, but it also had heart, and the characters, while exaggerated, felt like real people. I could identify with the main character, as I imagine just about any woman whose best friend got married before her might. while I cringed at many of her choices I could also see some of that stuff happening to me, which made it all funnier. Additionally, it was nice to see a "chic-flic" with some balls ovaries, and refreshing to see a movie focused on a female lead (Kristen Wiig) who was not on a mission to find love.

Midnight in Paris (Woody Allen movie): I picked this movie mostly because the cinematography was gorgeous. No movie has ever made me want to go to Paris as badly as this one did, and I started planning a trip before the end credits rolled. The movie is basically about a writer who is on a trip to Paris with his horrible fiance & her parents. At midnight, Paris is somehow transformed to 1920's, and the writer is able to hob-knob with literary & musical greats, as well as influential artists, and in doing so he learns a thing or two. I have to admit, I love this time period, which may have a large part in why I loved this movie. It was magical, humourous, thought-considering, and all in all enjoyable. If you are going to watch a Woody Allen movie, watch this one.

Crazy Stupid Love (dramedy, romantic, bromance): I guess this movie is about family, friendship, and finding that special someone. Barf! No really, it's good. Cal's (Steve Carell) wife (Julianne Moore) asks him for a divorce at the start of the movie. Depressed, he starts hanging out in a bar where he meets the sexy Jacob (Ryan Gossling) who kind of takes him under his wing and helps him get his grove back. Meanwhile, Jacob meets Hannah (Emma Stone), and falls in love. So, the movie has elements of romance & family, and is both funny and dramatic, but in the end, I really classify this movie as a bromance between Cal and Jacob. Their relationship is what drives the movie, and their relationship is the one you are most invested in. I loved everything about this movie. EVERYTHING. I can't say one negative thing about it. Sexy people, love, romance, and a few laughs. Great movie.

X-Men: First Class (fantasy, action/adventure): I believe the word I used to describe how I felt during this movie was "rivited." I was. This movie was absolutely gorgeous to watch. I loved the sense of time created by the colors used in the film. The movie was also smart. It was not just another X-Men movie; it had much more depth and was much more interesting (as is often the case with orgin stories). The action scenes were both beautful and intense. I just loved this movie. My only complaint (and I have to say it) was January Jones' pathetic acting in the movie. Not since Andie McDowell in Four Weddings and a Funeral, has any one actor's performance done as much to ruin a movie. Ugh..she was dreadful, but if you can look past that, then you should be able to enjoy this movie.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Parts I&II (fantasy, action/adventure, family): I put both of these movies together because they are the same book, so really they are the same movie. I have long been disappointed with Harry Potter movies (the books are better), but I have a hard time finding fault with this one. It is truly Epic with a capital E. I believe my tweet after seeing this movie was something like, "As I was leaving Harry Potter, I thought to myself, "If anyone ever tries to remake this movie franchise, I will cut them." And, that's how I feel, mostly due to this last movie. It was larger than life, and I loved it.


Honorable Mentions: movies didn't quite make the list, but that I still recommend highly.

Drive - has a very low re-watchability, and it certainly is not for everyone, however I found it breathtaking. Caution: this movie has some incredibly violent scenes.
Adjustment Bureau - I need to see this again, and I'll hazard a guess that when I do, I will regret not putting it on my top ten list. It was really interesting and an enjoyable ride. Also: Matt Damon.
The Future - okay, so I haven't actually seen this, but it's by Miranda July, so I'm sure I'll love it. It's in my queue.

if you take my cell phone, you will kill my child!

Last night I had the opportunity to see an advanced screening of the movie 30 Minutes or Less. I get these passes occasionally through a pretty awesome website (gofobo); it's a great way to see movies for free if you are willing to put up with some inconveniences (like arriving at the movie nearly an hour early to ensure your seat). I am willing to put up with minor inconveniences because I love movies, and I am cheap.

Another inconvenience that free moviegoers sometimes have to endure is giving up their cell phones. The studio of the movie makes this decision, and it is a preventative measure against piracy attempts. When faced with this, you have three choices: you can either leave your phone in the car, check it (like a coat check for phones), or decide not to see the movie. Whenever this happens, people grumble. I can understand a little grumbling, especially if you are there alone and you have an hour's sit awaiting you before the movie, but what I can not understand is the sky is falling mentality that the world is going to end if you don't have your cell phone on you for 2 hours; that's insane. But what I cannot stand for is people being rude about it and acting as though saying "no cell phones allowed" is somehow taking away one of their inalienable rights. Last time I checked, the Constitution didn't say anything about cell phones. Unfortunately rudeness abounds, and last night was no different.

I'm in line relinquishing my cell phone, and the woman in front of me becomes irate, yelling at the young phone check girl that, "It is absurd that you are taking people's cellphones when they have children at home with the babysitter. Something could happen!" To which I jumped in and said, "You know, there was a time when we didn't all have cell phones on us all the time." I'd like to think several people said, "YEAH! You tell her!," but really it was only one guy. She stormed off.

Look lady, you are seeing a movie for free. It is your choice to be here, and if you really don't want to turn over your cell phone, go buy a ticket to see one of the other 16 movies playing at this theater. Do not take out your crazy sense of phone entitlement on this poor 19 year old who is just doing her job.

Okay, so here's where all the parents chime in, "But what if there IS an emergency!?! This is crazy! I have to have my cell phone for my KIIIIIDS!" To that I say: hogwash!

It shouldn't surprise you that not so long ago people went places - out to dinner, to a movie, to a play - without cell phones even though they had kids! Egads! How reckless! So, what did people do in these olden times (10 years ago)? Well, they hired reliable and responsible babysitters, and they left the location and phone number to the place they were going, as well as 1 or 2 other emergency contact numbers with that babysitter. If there was an emergency (a REAL emergency), then the babysitter would call 911 and then get a hold of the parents. As hard as this may be to believe, businesses still have phone numbers, and babysitters can still call these numbers in an emergency. This is exactly what your parents did when you were a kid, and somehow you are still alive to disregard the tale.

Look, cellphones are great; I love mine, but the crazed dependence on them is getting out of hand. Everyone needs to chill out and learn to disconnect every once and a while. The world will not end, nothing will explode, and your heart will not stop when you hit the "power off" button on your phone. Try it; I dare you.

netflix instant!

I lived in darkness, but now there is light.

Percy Jackson V Clash

I saw both Percy Jackson and the Lightning Bolt Thief and Clash of the Titans, and I prefer the kids' movie. Although there were flaws with Percy Jackson, I was highly entertained throughout the movie and would happily watch it again. Clash left me totally underwhelmed, and I can't recommend anyone pay full price to see it.

The two movies are the same basic story of Perseus' heroic quest, and the movies both hit the highlights of the Greek myth. Percy Jackson, however, is set in modern times, and I guess this is one of the reasons why I like it more. I love the idea of the Greek Gods being real, but forgotten.

One big difference in the movies is that in Percy Jackson, Percy (Perseus) is said to be the son of Posiedon. Now, this makes for some pretty awesome abilities of Percy's, thereby giving us some pretty awesome fight scenes using water, but the problem is that according to Greek mythology Perseus is Zeus' son. I'm not sure why they made this switch, and I'm not sure I completely care. It just seems an unnecessary choice.

sherlock holmes

I saw it. I liked it. I recommend it.

movie recommendations

I've rented a few good movies lately, and most of them have been pretty good. I recommend these:

• The Nanny Diaries (this seems to be one of the few movies in which I don't hate Scarlett Johnasson's character/face)
• Slumedog Millionaire - awesome
• Sunshine Cleaning - funny and sweet
• Star Trek

At the theater, I recommend:

• Avatar - epic, and way way way better than I expected
• Up in the Air - funny and interestibg. I loved it, and not just because it was shot in STL & my friend was in it for a split second.

best movies of summer 2009

I do a movie podcast each week, and as a result, I see a lot of movies. It's awesome. This summer has been exceptionally great for movies. Below is a list (in no order) of 5 of the best movies I saw this season; there were many great movies, and there were probably other movies that would be on this list if only I'd seen them (it seems even 1 movie a week is not enough!).

Star Trek
Inglorious Bastards
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
The Hangover
Julie & Julia

Also of note...17 Again. It's better than you think it is. So is Bandslam.

social networking has rotted my brain

Right now I am watching a fantastic movie. Correction: right now I have a fantastic movie playing while I hit "refresh" on my e-mail and facebook pages.

This has become increasingly problematic. I used to be able to give a t.v. show or movie my complete, undivided attention; in fact, I used to demand that I do so. But since the advent of myspace, facebook, and wireless internet on my laptop, I find that I cannot tear myself from the computer. And I don't even particularly like the computer. What's worse is that I'm not doing anything productive. Nothing at all. I'm literally hitting refresh to see if someone has uploaded a new picture or taken the latest arrested development quiz. As a result, I miss out on good storytelling, waste my time, and generally feel "ugh" at the end of the night. It's a problem.
To combat this, I'm limiting my Internet usage. Beginning tomorrow, I'm allowing myself 1 hour internet (non-school related) time a day. I will allow social networking to cut into my enjoyment of television no more!

excitment!

I'm seeing Harry Potter tomorrow! I can not wait!

This blog post brought to you by, "I forgot to blog yesterday on Movie Mondays"