Monday, January 31, 2011
Meet the New Superman!
Although I did love Brandon Routh, I'm sure this guy will be good.
Meet Henry Cavill of the hit show The Tudors (you know, the show that you see previews for when you get the movie theater early, but you never actually see the show because it's on Showtime or HBO or some cable channel that you don't get). He'll be starring as Clark Kent in Superman: Man of Steel, which is due out December 2012.
Before you say he's no good. Just wait til you see him with the glasses on!
Movie Review: True Grit
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Warning: May contain spoilers. You've been warned.
This is one of the very few westerns I have seen. What happened to this genre? Westerns define American cinema! We don't see a lot of these anymore and it makes me sad.
True Grit is actually a remake of the 1969 film of the same name starring John Wayne. I have yet to see that one.
In this movie, a young girl is on a mission to hunt down her father's killer and hires a U.S. marshal to help her find him.
Jeff Bridges plays the U.S. marshal and delivered an Oscar-worthy performance. It was kind of the same as Heath Ledger performance in Brokeback Mountain, where you can barely understand what he is saying half the time. And newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, who plays the young girl, rightfully earned an Oscar nomination as well for Supporting Actress. Her character was a strong, confident girl who had some pretty difficult lines and she did them with such ease. This is the movie that will launch her career and I know it will be an amazing one.
Matt Damon and Josh Brolin were also great in this movie. I'm very surprised that Josh Brolin didn't have a larger part or, to rephrase, more screen time. You spend the entire movie talking about him and you only see him for about 20 minutes.
One scene in particular that freaked me out was the snake scene after the young girl, Maddie Ross, falls into a hole or cave. If you have a fear of snakes like I do, then watch this movie with caution.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Movie Review: The King's Speech
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Warning: May contain spoilers. You've been warned.
(out of four stars)
Believe it or not, this movie was amazing.
I wouldn't say that it's for everyone, but I'd say it's for a true movie lover. There's no action, there's no punching, no guns, no explosions, and no sex.
The story is about King George VI and his fight to overcome a stammer. Seriously, that's it. But yet, it's such an amazing film. The movie takes place in the 1930s and we see King George's rise to the throne and how he must deal with the threat of Adolf Hitler.
The cast was phenomenal. Colin Firth deserves the Oscar, hands down. I even tried pulling off a stammer myself and I just couldn't do it compared to him. He was brilliant. Geoffrey Rush played the King's speech therapist and he also did an amazing job. This is the first movie I've seen him in where he wasn't fighting Captain Jack Sparrow. And the always lovely Helena Bonham Carter was amazing in this movie too. She played the King's wife and stood by her husband's side through it all.
I believe that all three of the actors deserve their Oscars. I wouldn't mind if this movie won Best Picture, but I'm still backing and hoping for Black Swan.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
The Movie Poster Awards
If you're a movie loser like me, you'll appreciate this… The Internet Movie Poster Awards.
Check out the winners of this year's awards by clicking here.
This website is also the best source for finding movie posters and checking out new ones. ;)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
HP: Part 1 coming April 11th!
I just love them. Harry and Ginny 4-eva! Haha.
Anyways, mark your calendars!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 is expected to be released on April 11th!
So excited. Then only a couple months until Part 2.
And the nominees are in...
The Oscars were announced this morning.
Best Picture
- Black Swan
- The Fighter
- Inception
- The Kids Are All Right
- The King's Speech
- 127 Hours
- The Social Network
- Toy Story 3
- True Grit
- Winter's Bone
Best Director
- Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan
- Joel Coen and Ethan Coen – True Grit
- David Fincher – The Social Network
- Tom Hooper – The King's Speech
- David O. Russell – The Fighter
Best Actor
- Javier Bardem – Biutiful as Uxbal
- Jeff Bridges – True Grit as Rooster Cogburn
- Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network as Mark Zuckerberg
- Colin Firth – The King's Speech as King George VI
- James Franco – 127 Hours as Aron Ralston
Best Actress
- Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right as Nic
- Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole as Becca Corbett
- Jennifer Lawrence – Winter's Bone as Ree Dolly
- Natalie Portman – Black Swan as Nina Sayers
- Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine as Cindy
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Christian Bale – The Fighter as Dicky Eklund
- John Hawkes – Winter's Bone as Teardrop
- Jeremy Renner – The Town as James "Gem" Coughlin
- Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right as Paul
- Geoffrey Rush – The King's Speech as Lionel Logue
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
- Amy Adams – The Fighter as Charlene Fleming
- Helena Bonham Carter – The King's Speech as Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
- Melissa Leo – The Fighter as Alice Ward
- Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit as Mattie Ross
- Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom as Janine "Smurf" Cody
Best Animated Picture
- How to Train Your Dragon – Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
- The Illusionist – Sylvain Chomet
- Toy Story 3 – Lee Unkrich
So far, I've seen… half of the Best Picture nominees. I'm hoping to see The King's Speech, The Kids Are All Right, and 127 Hours before the telecast. Given that The King's Speech shined at the Golden Globes and it has 12 nominations, I feel like it's probably take home best picture much to my dismay, but then again, I haven't seen it yet. According to Roger Ebert on Twitter, he thinks that The King's Speech or The Social Network will take it home and they'll dominate the awards. Hope not. I really enjoyed Black Swan. More so than The Social Network (although it was still good).
Best Actor, if the Golden Globes can be used as foreshadowing, will probably go to Colin Firth for The King's Speech. I'm really happy that Jesse Eisenberg was recognized (although he's like Michael Cera and good at playing the awkward kid). They just cast him really well.
If Natalie Portman doesn't take home the Oscar for Best Actress, I'll be very upset. She's very deserving. She was in the Star Wars prequels for crying out loud! Haha. Otherwise, I would like to see Michelle Williams take it home although I have yet to see Blue Valentine.
I used to be a Christian Bale fan, until I found out what an asshole he is. Have you heard the Terminator rant? "I'm a method actor!" Shut the fuck up Christian. If he wins Best Actor in a Supporting Role, I'll be upset. He may have won the Golden Globe, but I hope that Jeremy Renner or Mark Ruffalo take home the Oscar. It doesn't help that I have a grudge against the Fighter. I haven't seen it (and don't care to), but they should've just called it Rocky 6. I'm over generic sports movies like boxing movies.
I love Helena Bonham Carter. She is so talented and I love her even more because she is Bellatrix Lastrange! I would like to see her win the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. I also enjoyed Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit. She was surprisingly talented. She had some tough lines in that movie. I wouldn't mind seeing her win either!
Best Animated Picture is iffy. Believe it or not, this is the first Toy Story movie to be nominated in the Best Picture category and in the Animated category. Why the first time for Animated? The Animated category was first introduced at the 74th Academy Awards in 2002. The first two Toy Storys were already old news at the time. Shrek took home the first Animated Oscar win. Anyways, I'm really hoping for Toy Story 3, although I did really like How to Train Your Dragon. But don't forget about that third nominee. It wouldn't the first time if that one just snuck up and killed the other two. Remember Spirited Away?
Who was snubbed? Mila Kunis first and foremost. She was perfection in Black Swan. She deserves a nomination at least. Leonardo DiCaprio's performances in Inception and Shutter Island weren't as strong as his usually are, but they're still really good. I'm not surprised that he was snubbed, but I'm still disappointed. I'd also like to say that I'm so happy that Justin Timberlake was snubbed. Critics were raving about his performance and the studio was going to campaign for his Oscar nomination, but he didn't get it and honestly he did not deserve it. His co-star Andrew Garfield should've gotten one though. And finally… I haven't seen Buried yet, but at the time of it's release, critics were saying how amazing Ryan Reynolds performance was. I'm surprised that he didn't get one for leading actor. Finally, Christopher Nolan was snubbed for best director for Inception. But the man has two other nominations under his belt for the movie (best picture and writing). We all know he's phenomenal.
Congrats to Harry Potter and its two nominations and Tron: Legacy, Alice in Wonderland, Iron Man 2, and Salt. All of these were nominated in minor categories.
DVD Tuesday! New releases! 1/25
Friday, January 21, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Anne Hathaway is Selina Kyle aka Catwoman!
I couldn't be happier!
It was announced today that Anne Hathaway will be playing Selina Kyle in the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises. If you don't know, Selina Kyle is Catwoman, however I say Selina Kyle because I'm not exactly sure if Catwoman will be acknowledged in the movie.
While many were hoping for Angelina Jolie to play Catwoman, I thought that would be to expected and overrated. I feel as though casting Anne as Catwoman is like casting Heath as the Joker. Completely unexpected, but greatly anticipated. Anne is an Oscar nominee and she always blows me away with her performances and I expect the same with this one.
Anne Hathaway has also been cast in an episode of Glee. She will be playing Kurt's lesbian aunt. They're also hoping to get Julie Andrews to play his grandmother. Anne and Julie reunited = perfection!
And a minor note: Inception's Tom Hardy will be playing Bane… You know, the wrestler looking guy that was the side-kick to Uma Thurman's Poison Ivy in Batman & Robin.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Movie Review: Black Swan
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Warning: May contain spoilers. You've been warned.
(out of four stars)
This movie was flawless. It was absolutely perfect.
It's nominations for the Golden Globes are well deserved all around.
Now normally, movies such as this (psychological thrillers which involve hallucinations and such) scare the crap out of me and cause me not to sleep, but this one was not like those at all.
Natalie Portman deserves an Academy Award for her performance as the lead actress. Her performance was dead on and perfect.
Mila Kunis, whom I love and adore because she's just so gorgeous, was phenomenal as well. If she doesn't deserve an Oscar, then she at least deserves the nomination and recognition. Who thought Meg from Family Guy was such an amazing, dramatic actress?
The entire ending to the film is the greatest part. Her final performance as she transforms into the Black Swan is breathtaking.
I'm trying to see all of the movies that I believe will be nominated for Best Picture before they come out so I can now check this one off the list. I definitely (so far) want this one to take the Oscar. It's just that perfect.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Movie Review: The A-Team
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Warning: May contain spoilers. You've been warned.
(out of four stars)
I could've said three stars and I almost did, but I felt it would've made it seem too good. Two and a half is probably perfect for it. Maybe somewhere like two and three-quarters stars. Lol.
This movie was fun, funny, and explosive.
This is also the first time I've watched Jessica Biel and LIKED her! I still hold a grudge against her for being such a snotty bitch on 7th Heaven.
The action scenes were great. Particularly when they are in the tank as it parachutes down while fighting off planes. Awesome!
I liked all of the actors… Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica, and Patrick Wilson (although I hated that he was bad). I also really liked the two other guys on the team whose names escape me (Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson and Sharlto Copley)
I liked how when they were formulating a plan, we saw their plan unravel in real time as they explain it. I thought that was creative and… kinda helped (sometimes it was pretty confusing).
Do I think there will be a sequel? Unlikely. The four guys have expressed interest in making a sequel, but how many times do actors actually follow through with what they say. If they said they didn't want to make another one while they were promoting the movie, they're basically saying that it sucked and why make another one? Haha. Doubt it, but we'll see.
Movie Review: TRON Legacy
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Warning: May contain spoilers. You've been warned.
(out of four stars)
Wow. Just wow, Disney. I did not expect that to be so amazing.
I heard mixed reviews prior to seeing the movie (mostly positive) and they actually got me really excited and eager to see it.
I saw the first TRON less than a year ago and it was somewhat confusing for me. I liked it, but it was a little confusing. And it usually is confusing when you're trying to explain a new world or dimension (especially in the early 80s with premature "visual effects"). This movie helped with that. They had flashback to when things were created and how the grid came to be. Two of the actors (one of which is obviously Jeff Bridges) from the original even returned for the sequel, which I liked.
The bike scene, as predicted, was amazing, but I like how they didn't make that the most important thing in the movie. It was awesome to watch, but they got that over with within the first 30 minutes of being on the grid. There was more important things to be covered. But it's still an awesome scene.
I thought the story was good and made sense. I loved the young actors, Olivia Wilde and Garrett Hedlund. I really liked that they made the character of Sam older (he was 27) because it made this movie seem more grown up. How typical would it have been for Disney to put some naive teenager in there. Been there done that.
The visual effects were amazing. I'll admit I did get a headache from all of the bright lights mixed with the 3D, but it was worth it. The world was just so cool and creative.
The ending was epic and I thought it was a perfect ending for this movie, although I don't feel like it opens up for sequel potential with these characters. I'm sure they could think of something though. If you don't already know, they are currently writing a TRON 3 (doubt it'll keep that title), but whats better is that it is expected to be the first movie of a new trilogy. Kinda like how On Stranger Tides is the first of a new trilogy for the Pirates saga, or Terminator Salvation was for… well, Terminator.
I can't wait. If they do it right, this series will be epic.
New Avril Lavigne!
As I had tweeted, I'm kinda digging this song. It's not amazing or anything, but it's catchy. It's no Girlfriend or Complicated, but it's still kinda catchy.
Movie Review: Titanic
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Warning: May contain spoilers. You've been warned.
Happy New Year! As promised, a movie review for my all-time favorite movie! Naturally, I'd give it four stars. Haha. Here we go!
My History
Before we start, I just want to explain my unusual history with Titanic. I was 8 years old when this movie came out and before even seeing it, I became obsessed with it. I don't even know how to explain it. Everybody else in my class was saying how amazing it was (don't ask why 8 year-olds were watching that movie) so I wanted to love it too.
Sadly, I never saw it in theaters (which is why I'm so excited for the movie to be rereleased in 3D), but I made my dad go out and buy it for me the day it was released on VHS! Then I finally saw it and fell in love. To this day, I stand by that movie, it's actors, and the ship itself. I'm quite impressive with the knowledge I have about the ship itself. I'm a loser like that.
So that's my odd, random, and bizarre history with the movie Titanic. Now on with the show.
Story
We'll get the bad out of the way first.
Okay, bad is a strong word, but we all know that originality isn't James Cameron's strongest area. Pocahontas Avatar.... nuff said. Many would say that Titanic is Romeo and Juliet on a boat which is partially true.
The story that everybody focusses on is the most obvious one that Jack and Rose (J and R or Romeo and Juliet) want to be together but Rose is riches and Jack is rags and their love is forbidden. But mix in the fact that Rose and her mother are simply trying to keep their upper-class status although they are far in debt because of Rose's father's death and the story gets better. Rose is being forced to marry her fiancé, Cal, by her mother because of his wealth.
But that's all just the flashback! Let's going to present day where Brock Lovett is searching for the Heart of the Ocean, a priceless diamond that Cal gave to Rose while on the Titanic. Brock is desperate to find it and uses old-lady Rose to get information as to where it is.
So the story isn't Oscar-worthy. I would never say that it is. But I don't think people are very fair when judging it. Think past the obvious and you'll see a better story. Not amazing, but decent. Remember, it is James Cameron. The only amazing original thing he created was the Terminator!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG502kWfZKus0R2DLNoNWT0-s1UxLdZFVElerCbkFcoCTxuIWoUoKn_6Q3iKBi48YANqqq0ERvPsgG7SShjvLl-GNJ_MT1hknZjgaqGH1W4B9Np_x8wSunOEKrzpOKYr2pEij2rcro3L_c/s200/cinema_01.jpg)
The Actors and their Acting
Breakthrough and career-launching performances for Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Everybody gave amazing performances. Kate Winslet and Gloria Stuart both received Oscars for their portrayals of Rose.
I personally enjoyed watching Leo, Kate, Billy Zane (Cal), Frances Fisher (Rose's mother), Ewan Stewart (Murdoch), Victor Garber (Thomas Andrews), Bernard Hill (Captain Smith), and Kathy Bates as Molly Brown.
Directing
James Cameron may be a Nazi, controlling, perfectionist, but he wouldn't have gotten the Oscar for best director if he wasn't. Kate Winslet said that she would never work with him again unless she was paid a lot of money. Apparently, while filming Avatar, if anyone's cell phone went off while shooting, he'd nail it to the wall.
Special and Visual Effects
This movie did an amazing job with its effects…. particularly visual. During production, they only built half of the ship and used a mirror image to complete it.
The movie won Oscars for its costumes, music, sound, art direction, cinematography, visual effects, film editing, and sound effects editing. And they were all well deserved!
Overall
Nothing will ever be able to top this movie for me. I've loved it for 13 years now and I doubt anything will change that. It's one of the most underrated overrated movies made. It deserved all of the Oscars it won. I love it.
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