Yes folks, its time for you to know what I liked the best this year of the dozens of movies I saw!
10 - "Black Panther": A great film with a great story line and visuals. Very well done.
9 - "First Man": A well done, if a bit slow paced, tale of the first man to walk on the moon. Gives us a look at our hero as the distant, kind of obnoxious man he was as opposed to the rose colored ideal.
8 - "Support The Girls": A day in the life of a dedicated manager at a Hooters style restaurant and the girls she manages. Brilliant character study.
7 - "Deadpool 2": Hysterical, off color and almost as good as the original.
6 - "22 July": Harrowing Netflix released film about the 2011 attacks on a government building and a youth camp in Norway. Far better than a "direct to streaming" release has any business being.
5 - "Halloween": Yet another in the series, and it maintains the 10 year cycle of each 10th year movie being the only ones worth watching. Respectful of the source and a great watch.
4 - "Bohemian Rhapsody": Compressed timeline will annoy long time fans, but theres no doubt that Remi Malek deserves a best actor nod for his almost perfect transformation into the legendary Freddie Mercury.
3 - "Avengers: Infinity War": Magnificent lead in to what may be the end of the current run of films and sets up the next run with excitement and thrills. The Marvel machine rolls on!!
2 - "Revenge": A beautiful young woman goes off with her rich married boyfriend to a hunting retreat. While there, his friends arrive early and things get out of hand. Following her rape by one of his friends, her boyfriend pushes her from a cliff to her presumed death to protect his marriage. She didn't die...and she's out for vengeance. From the first frame, the film pulls you in and has you rooting for her to get the justice she deserves.
1 - "Eighth Grade": Kayla is almost done with 8th grade. Next year, off to high school and a fresh start for this introverted, shy and nearly friendless young girl. However, in the last week of school, Kayla will learn a lot about life, friendships, mean girls and herself. The hands down best film of the year, something we can all relate to. You'll ache and cheer for Kayla as she handles the ups and downs of almost high school. Brilliant and should be far more viewed than it has been.
Wednesday, December 26, 2018
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
10 Worst of 2018
Here are the 10 worst movies that I saw in 2018. And away we go.............
10. "I Kill Giants": From an acclaimed graphic novel comes this steaming pile of crap.
9. "The Strangers: Prey at Night". Came too far behind the original and wasn't an eighth as clever or scary.
8. "Venom": Now fanboys can argue over who was worse, Topher Grace or Tom Hardy.
7. "1517 to Paris": True story of American servicemen who stopped a terror attack on a French train while on vacation, and starring them? Fun idea but clearly Clint's eyes are already out if he thought those screen tests were acceptable.
6. "A Simple Favor": No real friend would ask you to sit through this.
5. "Pacific Rim: Uprising": One would think giant robots fighting monsters would at least be fun, mind numbing entertainment, but this film will prove you wrong!
4. "Red Sparrow": The only thing that could make a naked Jennifer Lawrence unbearable is having to see it in this film.
3. "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom": You know its bad when Jeff Goldblum is the highlight of the film.
2. "Assassination Nation": A small town wants to kill a clique of high school girls after a hacker unleashes the towns secrets. We'd have been better off just nuking the town, the actors and the filmmakers.
1. " Best F(r)iends: Vol. 1" After the "so bad its good" of "The Room", I had similar hopes for the filmmakers second outing together. Nope, this one was so bad it wasnt even watchable.
10. "I Kill Giants": From an acclaimed graphic novel comes this steaming pile of crap.
9. "The Strangers: Prey at Night". Came too far behind the original and wasn't an eighth as clever or scary.
8. "Venom": Now fanboys can argue over who was worse, Topher Grace or Tom Hardy.
7. "1517 to Paris": True story of American servicemen who stopped a terror attack on a French train while on vacation, and starring them? Fun idea but clearly Clint's eyes are already out if he thought those screen tests were acceptable.
6. "A Simple Favor": No real friend would ask you to sit through this.
5. "Pacific Rim: Uprising": One would think giant robots fighting monsters would at least be fun, mind numbing entertainment, but this film will prove you wrong!
4. "Red Sparrow": The only thing that could make a naked Jennifer Lawrence unbearable is having to see it in this film.
3. "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom": You know its bad when Jeff Goldblum is the highlight of the film.
2. "Assassination Nation": A small town wants to kill a clique of high school girls after a hacker unleashes the towns secrets. We'd have been better off just nuking the town, the actors and the filmmakers.
1. " Best F(r)iends: Vol. 1" After the "so bad its good" of "The Room", I had similar hopes for the filmmakers second outing together. Nope, this one was so bad it wasnt even watchable.
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Oscars 2018!!
Here is our final list of picks for this years Oscars. Our picks are in italics.
Best Picture:
“Call Me by Your Name”
“Darkest Hour”
“Dunkirk”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“Phantom Thread”
“The Post”
“The Shape of Water”
“Three Billboards
Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Lead Actor:
Timothée Chalamet,
“Call Me by Your Name”
Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”
Lead Actress:
Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,
Missouri”
Margot Robbie, “I,
Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
Meryl Streep, “The Post”
Supporting Actor:
Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson,
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Supporting Actress:
Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Allison Janney, “I,
Tonya”
Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”
Director:
“Dunkirk,” Christopher
Nolan
“Get Out,” Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
“Phantom Thread,” Paul Thomas Anderson
“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro
Animated Feature:
“The Boss Baby,” Tom McGrath, Ramsey Ann Naito
“The Breadwinner,” Nora Twomey, Anthony Leo
“Coco,” Lee Unkrich,
Darla K. Anderson
“Ferdinand,” Carlos Saldanha
“Loving Vincent,” Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman, Sean
Bobbitt, Ivan Mactaggart, Hugh Welchman
Animated Short:
“Dear Basketball,” Glen Keane, Kobe Bryant
“Garden Party,” Victor Caire, Gabriel Grapperon
“Lou,” Dave Mullins, Dana Murray
“Negative Space,” Max
Porter, Ru Kuwahata
“Revolting Rhymes,” Jakob Schuh, Jan Lachauer
Adapted Screenplay:
“Call Me by Your Name,” James Ivory
“The Disaster Artist,”
Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
“Logan,” Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green
“Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin
“Mudbound,” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees
Original Screenplay:
“The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani
“Get Out,” Jordan Peele
“Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
“The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor
“Three Billboards
Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonagh
Cinematography:
“Blade Runner 2049,” Roger Deakins
“Darkest Hour,” Bruno Delbonnel
“Dunkirk,” Hoyte van
Hoytema
“Mudbound,” Rachel Morrison
“The Shape of Water,” Dan Laustsen
Best Documentary
Feature:
“Abacus: Small Enough to Jail,” Steve James, Mark Mitten,
Julie Goldman
“Faces Places,” JR, Agnès Varda, Rosalie Varda
“Icarus,” Bryan Fogel,
Dan Cogan
“Last Men in Aleppo,” Feras Fayyad, Kareem Abeed, Soren
Steen Jepersen
“Strong Island,” Yance Ford, Joslyn Barnes
Best Documentary
Short Subject:
“Edith+Eddie,” Laura Checkoway, Thomas Lee Wright
“Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405,” Frank Stiefel
“Heroin(e),” Elaine
McMillion Sheldon, Kerrin Sheldon
“Knife Skills,” Thomas Lennon
“Traffic Stop,” Kate Davis, David Heilbroner
Best Live Action
Short Film:
“DeKalb Elementary,”
Reed Van Dyk
“The Eleven O’Clock,” Derin Seale, Josh Lawson
“My Nephew Emmett,” Kevin Wilson, Jr.
“The Silent Child,” Chris Overton, Rachel Shenton
“Watu Wote/All of Us,” Katja Benrath, Tobias Rosen
Best Foreign Language
Film:
“A Fantastic Woman” (Chile)
“The Insult” (Lebanon)
“Loveless” (Russia)
“On Body and Soul (Hungary)
“The Square” (Sweden)
Film Editing:
“Baby Driver,” Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss
“Dunkirk,” Lee Smith
“I, Tonya,” Tatiana S. Riegel
“The Shape of Water,”
Sidney Wolinsky
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Jon Gregory
Sound Editing:
“Baby Driver,” Julian Slater
“Blade Runner 2049,”
Mark Mangini, Theo Green
“Dunkirk,” Alex Gibson, Richard King
“The Shape of Water,” Nathan Robitaille, Nelson Ferreira
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Ren Klyce, Matthew Wood
Sound Mixing:
“Baby Driver,” Mary H. Ellis, Julian Slater, Tim Cavagin
“Blade Runner 2049,”
Mac Ruth, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hephill
“Dunkirk,” Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo
“The Shape of Water,” Glen Gauthier, Christian Cooke, Brad
Zoern
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Stuart Wilson, Ren Klyce, David
Parker, Michael Semanick
Production Design:
“Beauty and the Beast,” Sarah Greenwood; Katie Spencer
“Blade Runner 2049,” Dennis Gassner, Alessandra Querzola
“Darkest Hour,” Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
“Dunkirk,” Nathan Crowley, Gary Fettis
“The Shape of Water,”
Paul D. Austerberry, Jeffrey A. Melvin, Shane Vieau
Original Score:
“Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer
“Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood
“The Shape of Water,”
Alexandre Desplat
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Carter Burwell
Original Song:
“Mighty River” from “Mudbound,” Mary J. Blige
“Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name,” Sufjan
Stevens
“Remember Me” from “Coco,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert
Lopez
“Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall,” Diane Warren,
Common
“This Is Me” from “The
Greatest Showman,” Benj Pasek, Justin Paul
Makeup and Hair:
“Darkest Hour,” Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski, Lucy
Sibbick
“Victoria and Abdul,” Daniel Phillips and Lou Sheppard
“Wonder,” Arjen Tuiten
Costume Design:
“Beauty and the Beast,” Jacqueline Durran
“Darkest Hour,” Jacqueline Durran
“Phantom Thread,” Mark Bridges
“The Shape of Water,”
Luis Sequeira
“Victoria and Abdul,” Consolata Boyle
Visual Effects:
“Blade Runner 2049,” John Nelson, Paul Lambert, Richard R.
Hoover, Gerd Nefzer
“Guardians of the
Galaxy Vol. 2,” Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Jonathan Fawkner, Dan
Sudick
“Kong: Skull Island,” Stephen Rosenbaum, Jeff White, Scott
Benza, Mike Meinardus
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,”
Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould, Neal Scanlan
“War for the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon,
Daniel Barrett, Joel Whist
Monday, December 25, 2017
2017's 10 Best Films
As always, this list is composed of what I have seen. Still a few out there I've yet to see, but gotta hit the deadlines!
10 - Columbus: A beautifully created film about loss and discovery, with some of the richest and deepest characters 2017 could muster.
9 - The Founder: The story of the man who took McDonalds from small town hangout to international powerhouse, and the lives he crushed to do so. Outstanding work from Michael Keaton.
8 - Thelma: This new take on ideas used in Carrie, amongst others, pack a hit in this Norwegian import of a strictly religious girl's sexual awakening and the unknown powers that lay within her that result.
7 - Blade Runner 2049: While it likely won't be held in as high regard as the original classic, this long awaited sequel more than lives up to the original's standards.
6 - Hidden Figures: This film was heavily praised at the 2016 Oscars, but got a national release in 2017, thus making it eligible for inclusion here. If you haven't seen it, you shouldn't toast the new year without doing so. A magnificent true story of the first black women to help man into space.
5 - Thor: Ragnarok: More light hearted and comical than most of its predecessors, this fall's MCU entry was the most fun I've had at the movies since the original Guardians of the Galaxy.
4 - Battle of the Sexes: Outstanding retelling of the story of the titular 1970's tennis match between feminist Billie Jean King and male chauvinist Bobby Riggs. Sure, some dramatic license taken but a great and fun watch.
3 - Dunkirk: A masterwork by Christopher Nolan as he retraces and recreates World War II's most heroic and least honored event...the rescue operation to save thousands of British soldiers from sure annihilation by German forces at the seaside city of Dunkirk. Outstanding.
2 - Wonder Woman: Not simply a great comic book film, but a fully realized and engrossing tale of someone so sure of themselves and their role in the world that they will not let the realities of life stand in the way of finding greatness. Not simply an empowering film for women, but a celebration of following your own path.
1 - The Disaster Artist: A film adaptation of the book chronicling the creation of the "Citizen Kane of Bad Movies", this career defining turn by James Franco becomes more a set piece that you are not observing. You are in the film, you are seeing the events unfold merely feet away, not projected on a 40 ft. screen. A good film pulls you into its world, but a great film makes you part of it, and that is why this is the hands down best film of the year.
10 - Columbus: A beautifully created film about loss and discovery, with some of the richest and deepest characters 2017 could muster.
9 - The Founder: The story of the man who took McDonalds from small town hangout to international powerhouse, and the lives he crushed to do so. Outstanding work from Michael Keaton.
8 - Thelma: This new take on ideas used in Carrie, amongst others, pack a hit in this Norwegian import of a strictly religious girl's sexual awakening and the unknown powers that lay within her that result.
7 - Blade Runner 2049: While it likely won't be held in as high regard as the original classic, this long awaited sequel more than lives up to the original's standards.
6 - Hidden Figures: This film was heavily praised at the 2016 Oscars, but got a national release in 2017, thus making it eligible for inclusion here. If you haven't seen it, you shouldn't toast the new year without doing so. A magnificent true story of the first black women to help man into space.
5 - Thor: Ragnarok: More light hearted and comical than most of its predecessors, this fall's MCU entry was the most fun I've had at the movies since the original Guardians of the Galaxy.
4 - Battle of the Sexes: Outstanding retelling of the story of the titular 1970's tennis match between feminist Billie Jean King and male chauvinist Bobby Riggs. Sure, some dramatic license taken but a great and fun watch.
3 - Dunkirk: A masterwork by Christopher Nolan as he retraces and recreates World War II's most heroic and least honored event...the rescue operation to save thousands of British soldiers from sure annihilation by German forces at the seaside city of Dunkirk. Outstanding.
2 - Wonder Woman: Not simply a great comic book film, but a fully realized and engrossing tale of someone so sure of themselves and their role in the world that they will not let the realities of life stand in the way of finding greatness. Not simply an empowering film for women, but a celebration of following your own path.
1 - The Disaster Artist: A film adaptation of the book chronicling the creation of the "Citizen Kane of Bad Movies", this career defining turn by James Franco becomes more a set piece that you are not observing. You are in the film, you are seeing the events unfold merely feet away, not projected on a 40 ft. screen. A good film pulls you into its world, but a great film makes you part of it, and that is why this is the hands down best film of the year.
Sunday, December 24, 2017
2017's 10 Worst Films!
As always, this list is limited to what I've seen this year.
10. Better Watch Out - An Xmas set home invasion thriller with a twist, this lump of coal was only good for a smart turn by lead actress Olivia DeJonge.
9. Justice League - Once again, the lead actress saves a shitty film, as Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman is the only reason to watch this huge, steaming pile of dog squeeze.
8. The Emoji Movie - An even bigger steaming pile of Patrick Stewart('s character) than could have ever been imagined.
7. The Dark Tower - No shock here, too much source material to script it like they did.
6. Baywatch - Utterly talentless and clueless cast fails to improve on Z rate TV show.
5. The Snowman - Looked great, but a lead character named Harry Hole (ok, ho-lay) should have been my first tipoff.
4. 47 Meters Down - Should have been buried deeper.
3. T2: Trainspotting - Taking NO cues from the classic original, this was less necessary than Fuller House.
2. The Book of Henry - A film that dreams of being as clever as everyone making it thought it was.
1. Alien Covenant - Apparently the once great Ridley Scott thinks that incestuous robots are a great lead in to the legendary original film. Spoiler alert Rid, they're not.
10. Better Watch Out - An Xmas set home invasion thriller with a twist, this lump of coal was only good for a smart turn by lead actress Olivia DeJonge.
9. Justice League - Once again, the lead actress saves a shitty film, as Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman is the only reason to watch this huge, steaming pile of dog squeeze.
8. The Emoji Movie - An even bigger steaming pile of Patrick Stewart('s character) than could have ever been imagined.
7. The Dark Tower - No shock here, too much source material to script it like they did.
6. Baywatch - Utterly talentless and clueless cast fails to improve on Z rate TV show.
5. The Snowman - Looked great, but a lead character named Harry Hole (ok, ho-lay) should have been my first tipoff.
4. 47 Meters Down - Should have been buried deeper.
3. T2: Trainspotting - Taking NO cues from the classic original, this was less necessary than Fuller House.
2. The Book of Henry - A film that dreams of being as clever as everyone making it thought it was.
1. Alien Covenant - Apparently the once great Ridley Scott thinks that incestuous robots are a great lead in to the legendary original film. Spoiler alert Rid, they're not.
Monday, February 27, 2017
Busted trying to make up for "Oscars So White"
So the new story is that they screwed up..which happens, granted. But....Warren Beatty says that the awkward little pause was because the card read "Emma Stone-La La Land"...which was the award given out two awards before (the order went actress, actor, picture)...so now we're supposed to believe they resealed the envelope with the card inside? I say that because if you watch the video we have a new, freshly opened envelope with the "Moonlight" card being shown.
Still dont buy it...admit it was the payback awards for OSW and you got caught. Beatty's pause could just as easily have been because they knew "Moonlight" was supposed to be the winner.
BTW, since I know most of you havent heard of, much less seen, the "best picture"...its about a young gay black man growing up with his addict prostitute mother and drug dealer friends, who grows up to become a dealer himself and reconciling with his first gay experience at the end. Nothing uplifting like "Hidden Figures" (the real best black headed film of the year. "Arrival" was my best picture overall, with HF coming a very close 2nd), nothing soul searching like "Fences" (where Denzel got screwed out of his Best Actor prize).
Nope...we get drug dealer/addict/whore stereotypes, but hey...at least this time the protagonist is gay.
Good work Oscar. I'm done with you.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
OSCAR NOMS AND SELECTIONS
As always, our choice is in bold and now italics too
BEST PICTURE
Arrival
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
La La Land
Lion
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
=============================
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Casey Affleck, Manchester by the Sea
Andrew Garfield, Hacksaw Ridge
Ryan Gosling, La La Land
Viggo Mortensen, Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington, Fences
=============================
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Isabelle Huppert, Elle
Ruth Negga, Loving
Natalie Portman, Jackie
Emma Stone, La La Land
Meryl Streep, Florence Foster Jenkins
=============================
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Mahershala Ali, Moonlight
Jeff Bridges, Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges, Manchester by the Sea
Dev Patel, Lion
Michael Shannon, Nocturnal Animals
=============================
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Viola Davis, Fences
Naomie Harris, Moonlight
Nicole Kidman, Lion
Octavia Spencer, Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
=============================
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
My Life as a Zucchini
The Red Turtle
Zootopia
=============================
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Arrival
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Silence
=============================
COSTUME DESIGN
Allied
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Florence Foster Jenkins
Jackie
La La Land
=============================
DIRECTING
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
=============================
DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
Fire at Sea
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
O.J.: Made in America
13th
=============================
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
Extremis
4.1 Miles
Joe’s Violin
Watani: My Homeland
The White Helmets
=============================
FILM EDITING
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
La La Land
Moonlight
=============================
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Land of Mine
A Man Called Ove
The Salesman
Tanna
Toni Erdmann
=============================
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
A Man Called Ove
Star Trek Beyond
Suicide Squad
=============================
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Moonlight
Passengers
=============================
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
"Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" from La La Land
Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
"Can’t Stop The Feeling" from Trolls
Music and Lyric by Justin Timberlake, Max Martin and Karl
Johan Schuster
"City Of Stars" from La La Land
Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyric by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
"The Empty Chair" from Jim: The James Foley Story
Music and Lyric by J. Ralph and Sting
"How Far I’ll Go" from Moana
Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda
=============================
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Arrival
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Hail, Caesar!
La La Land
Passengers
=============================
SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
Blind Vaysha
Borrowed Time
Pear Cider and Cigarettes
Pearl
Piper
=============================
SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
Ennemis Intérieurs
La Femme et le TGV
Silent Nights
Sing
Timecode
=============================
SOUND EDITING
Arrival
Deepwater Horizon
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Sully
=============================
SOUND MIXING
Arrival
Hacksaw Ridge
La La Land
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
=============================
VISUAL EFFECTS
Deepwater Horizon
Doctor Strange
The Jungle Book
Kubo and the Two Strings
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
=============================
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
Arrival
Fences
Hidden Figures
Lion
Moonlight
=============================
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
Hell or High Water
La La Land
The Lobster
Manchester by the Sea
20th Century Women
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