b-lot-buzz

Academy Awards Nominations For 2012

2012-01-25T22:27:00.000-08:00

Very excited with this year's nominee list for the 84th annual Academy Awards. I actually am having a pretty tough time choosing who or which film is BEST over another. Each one this year, was pretty outstanding in it's own way.

Actor in a Leading Role
Demián Bichir in “A Better Life”
George Clooney in “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin in “The Artist”
Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt in “Moneyball”

Actor in a Supporting Role
Kenneth Branagh in “My Week with Marilyn”
Jonah Hill in “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte in “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer in “Beginners”
Max von Sydow in “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Actress in a Leading Role
Glenn Close in “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis in “The Help”
Rooney Mara in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep in “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams in “My Week with Marilyn”

Actress in a Supporting Role
Bérénice Bejo in “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain in “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy in “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer in “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer in “The Help”

Animated Feature Film
“A Cat in Paris” Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
“Chico & Rita” Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
“Kung Fu Panda 2″ Jennifer Yuh Nelson
“Puss in Boots” Chris Miller
“Rango” Gore Verbinski

Art Direction
“The Artist” Production Design: Laurence Bennett; Set Decoration: Robert Gould
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″ Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan
“Hugo” Production Design: Dante Ferretti; Set Decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
“Midnight in Paris” Production Design: Anne Seibel; Set Decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
“War Horse” Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Cinematography
“The Artist” Guillaume Schiffman
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Jeff Cronenweth
“Hugo” Robert Richardson
“The Tree of Life” Emmanuel Lubezki
“War Horse” Janusz Kaminski

Costume Design
“Anonymous” Lisy Christl
“The Artist” Mark Bridges
“Hugo” Sandy Powell
“Jane Eyre” Michael O’Connor
“W.E.” Arianne Phillips

Directing
“The Artist” Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants” Alexander Payne
“Hugo” Martin Scorsese
“Midnight in Paris” Woody Allen
“The Tree of Life” Terrence Malick

Documentary (Feature)
“Hell and Back Again” Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front” Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
“Pina” Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
“Undefeated” TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

Documentary (Short Subject)
“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement” Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
“God Is the Bigger Elvis” Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
“Incident in New Baghdad”James Spione
“Saving Face” Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom” Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

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

Foreign Language Film
“Bullhead” Belgium
“Footnote” Israel
“In Darkness” Poland
“Monsieur Lazhar” Canada
“A Separation” Iran

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

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

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

Best Picture
“The Artist” Thomas Langmann, Producer
“The Descendants” Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, Producers
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” Scott Rudin, Producer
“The Help” Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, Producers
“Hugo” Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
“Midnight in Paris” Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
“Moneyball” Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, Producers
“The Tree of Life” Nominees to be determined
“War Horse” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, Producers

Short Film (Animated)
“Dimanche/Sunday” Patrick Doyon
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
“La Luna” Enrico Casarosa
“A Morning Stroll” Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
“Wild Life” Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

Short Film (Live Action)
“Pentecost” Peter McDonald and Eimear O’Kane
“Raju” Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
“The Shore” Terry George and Oorlagh George
“Time Freak” Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
“Tuba Atlantic” Hallvar Witzø

Sound Editing
“Drive” Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Ren Klyce
“Hugo” Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
“War Horse” Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

Sound Mixing
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
“Hugo” Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
“Moneyball” Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
“War Horse” Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

Visual Effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″ Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
“Hugo” Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
“Real Steel” Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
“The Descendants” Screenplay by Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
“Hugo” Screenplay by John Logan
“The Ides of March” Screenplay by George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
“Moneyball” Screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

Writing (Original Screenplay)
“The Artist” Written by Michel Hazanavicius
“Bridesmaids” Written by Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
“Margin Call” Written by J.C. Chandor
“Midnight in Paris” Written by Woody Allen
“A Separation” Written by Asghar Farhadi

The Descendants - Film Review

2012-01-24T22:39:00.000-08:00

The Descendants is a true to life story about a family who is forced to deal with the aftermath of their mother’s near fatal tragic boat accident. While the father, Matt King (George Clooney) works through the choices he needs to make about his wife’s state of being and their family’s future, the daughters retaliate in different ways to express their anger over the whole thing.

As Matt tries to shift his focus from his wife to his daughters, just to help them cope, he learns about his wife’s indiscretion. Angered by the unexpected news, he sets out to find the other man, so he could set the record straight for everyone involved. While doing so, he learns much more than he bargained for about family, trust, love, responsibility and most of all letting go.

The most interesting aspect of the film, is the fact Alexander Payne was able to relay almost perfectly, to his audience, a story about the challenges in life and the natural human behavior associated with it. The second most interesting thing about the film is that, it almost didn’t feel like a film because the script was so realistically written. Third fact, adding a touch of humor throughout the film, helped the audience find some escape from the misery associated with true to life stories.

Of course, there was the fact, Clooney did an amazing job portraying the role of the distraught and disconnected husband and father, who, at the end of the day, does a pretty descent job of stepping up to the plate. And yes, he did carry the entire film on his shoulders and his input throughout the film was obvious and well appreciated. I think, normally when an actor challenges himself to portray a character he knows very little about in real life, then he, for sure, becomes an actor worthy of winning the Golden Globes.

Well done and the film is a must see for sure

In The Land Of Blood and Honey - Angelina Jolie Film

2012-01-23T01:17:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately for us, there are no films released today that are worth running to the theatre for (of course in the U.S. that is). So, it is always good to play catch up with films at a time like this.

In The Land of Blood and Honey is a film written and directed by Angelina Jolie and based on what I have seen so far, it's worth checking out. Although the film has experienced some controversy and could be considered one sided- based on who is looking at the glass half full or empty. Some movies, in my opinion, should be watched for the focal point of the story - and in the case of this film, it is a love story, everything else is secondary.

Daniel Craig - Skyfall with 007

2012-01-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

I am sure everyone is familiar with the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" well apparently Empire magazine got their hands on a pic of Daniel Craig from the film Skyfall (James Bond film for those who haven't been following) which they feel is worth a thousand words.

Do you agree? Will this photo still entice you enough to see the film? Just checking.

Steven Spielberg returns to Sci-Fi

2012-01-18T01:48:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite directors, Steven Spielberg, never stops to amaze me with the the different genre of films he dabbled in, just in the last year alone. There was The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse, both released in 2011, then overlapping from 2011-2012, he is wrapping up the film Lincoln, a biopic about the 16th president (U.S. that is for all my amazing foreign followers) with Daniel Day-Lewis and when that is finished he is going to shift gears into a Sci-Fi film titled Robopocalypse - a story about global war between man and machine.

Yes, we know this sort of film has been done a dozen times before, but not by Spielberg, so stay tuned. I am excited to see where this is going as the film is based on a novel by Daniel H. Wilson.

Golden Globe 2012 Red Carpet Fashion

2012-01-16T21:16:00.000-08:00

There were some hits and for sure some misses on the red carpet, as usual. But overall, there seemed to have been mutual agreement among the stars to be comfortable in whatever they were wearing. So check out the trends and let me know what you think?

Golden Globe 2012 - In Review

2012-01-15T21:15:00.000-08:00

The Golden Globes is definitely my favorite award ceremony and I watch the show religiously every year. With that said, I was actually surprised at some of the winners this year. I am not saying they didn't deserve the recognition, but I was surprised at how it all turned out.

What surprised me the most was:
George Clooney winning over Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Performance by a male actor category
Midnight in Paris over The Artist - in the Best motion picture in comedy or musical
Meryl Streep over Viola Davis - For Best Performance by an female actor
The Descendants over The Help win

It was also a toss up for me between:
Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer - glad to see one of them won however.

Most memorable was:
The Cecil B DeMille award presentation to Morgan Freeman by Sidney Portier

Most forgettable moments were:
Meryl Streep's speech
Sofia Vergada's Spanish slurs
Madonna showing us how she knows about foreign films

But overall, the show was as expected. Ricky Gervais of course never ceases to amaze me, nor stop annoying the celebrities year after year and as for the E team - I am truly not impressed with your covering the red carpet.

Golden Globe 2012 - My List of Winners

2012-01-14T21:53:00.000-08:00

Let's see how far off I am with the winners, considering I called it for the 49'rs to win against the Saints and hoping for the Giants to do the same on Sunday, since I wrote this at midnight -> early Sunday morning. Anyway, I have placed an asterisk by my list of winners and according to me the Golden Globe goes to...

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
1. THE DESCENDANTS
  Ad Hominem Enterprises; Fox Searchlight Pictures
2. THE HELPDreamWorks Pictures, Participant Media; Touchstone Pictures *******
3. HUGOParamount Pictures presents a GK Films Production; Paramount Pictures
4. THE IDES OF MARCH
  Columbia Pictures, Cross Creek Pictures, Exclusive Media Group, Crystal City Entertainment; Sony Pictures Releasing
5. MONEYBALL
  Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing International
6. WAR HORSE
  DreamWorks Pictures; Touchstone Pictures

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

GLENN CLOSE - ALBERT NOBBS

VIOLA DAVIS -THE HELP ******

ROONEY MARA - THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

MERYL STREEP - THE IRON LADY

TILDA SWINTON - WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

GEORGE CLOONEY - THE DESCENDANTS

LEONARDO DICAPRIO - J. EDGAR ******

MICHAEL FASSBENDER - SHAME

RYAN GOSLING - DRIVE

BRAD PITT - MONEYBALL

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

50/50
Summit Entertainment and Mandate Pictures; Summit Entertainment
THE ARTIST ********
a La Petite Reine – Studio 37 – La Classe Americaine – JD Prod- France3 Cinema – Jouror Production-uFilms coproduction; The Weinstein Company
BRIDESMAIDS
Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Apatow Productions; Universal Pictures
MIDNIGHT IN PARISA Mediapro, Versatil Cinema & Gravier Production; Sony Pictures Classics
MY WEEK WITH MARILYNThe Weinstein Company; The Weinstein Company

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
JODIE FOSTER - CARNAGE (MIGHT ME A STRONG CONTENDER)
CHARLIZE THERON - YOUNG ADULT
KRISTEN WIIG - BRIDESMAIDS
MICHELLE WILLIAMS- MY WEEK WITH MARILYN ******
KATE WINSLET -CARNAGE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
JEAN DUJARDIN -THE ARTIST ****
BRENDAN GLEESON - THE GUARD
JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT - 50/50 ***** (STRONG CONTENDER)
RYAN GOSLING - CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE.
OWEN WILSON - MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
1. THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN ******
  Paramount Pictures/Columbia Pictures/ Hemisphere Capital/Amblin Entertainment/Wingnut Films Production/ Kennedy/Marshall Production A Steven Spielberg Film; Paramount Pictures and Columbia Pictures
2. ARTHUR CHRISTMASColumbia Pictures & Sony Pictures Animation, Aardman; Sony Pictures Releasing International
3. CARS 2
  Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios; Walt Disney Pictures
4. PUSS IN BOOTSDreamWorks Animation; Paramount Pictures
5. RANGO
  Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies present A Blind Wink / GK Films Production; Paramount Pictures

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

THE FLOWERS OF WAR(Jing Ling Shi San Chai) New Pictures Film Company; Wrekin Hill Entertainment

IN THE LAND OF BLOOD AND HONEY (USA) GK Films; FilmDistrict

THE KID WITH A BIKE (BELGIUM) (Le Gamin au Velo) Les Films du Fleuve; Sundance Selects

A SEPARATION (IRAN) (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) Asghar Farhadi; Sony Pictures Classics

THE SKIN I LIVE IN

****

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

JESSICA CHASTAIN - THE HELP ******

JANET MCTEER -ALBERT NOBBS

OCTAVIA SPENCER - THE HELP

SHAILENE WOODLEY - THE DESCENDANTS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

KENNETH BRANAGH - MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

ALBERT BROOKS - DRIVE

JONAH HILL - MONEYBALL

VIGGO MORTENSEN - A DANGEROUS METHOD

CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER - BEGINNERS

*****

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE

WOODY ALLEN- MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

GEORGE CLOONEY - THE IDES OF MARCH

MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS - THE ARTIST - WILL PROBABLY WIN

ALEXANDER PAYNE- THE DESCENDANTS

MARTIN SCORSESE - HUGO **** WOULD LOVE TO SEE HIM WIN

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE

WOODY ALLEN- MIDNIGHT IN PARIS

GEORGE CLOONEY, HESLOV, BEAU WILLIMON - THE IDES OF MARCH

MICHEL HAZANAVICIUS- THE ARTIST *****

ALEXANDER PAYNE, NAT FAXON, JIM RASH- THE DESCENDANTS

STAN CHERVIN,STEVEN ZAILLIAN, AARON SORKIN - MONEYBALL

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE

LUDOVIC BOURCE- THE ARTIST

*****

ABEL KORZENIOWSKI - W.E.

TRENT REZNOR, ATTICUS ROSS -THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO

HOWARD SHORE - HUGO

JOHN WILLIAMS - WAR HORSE

The rest of the awards are in my opinion filler catagories. I never believed Television and Cinema should be in the same award ceremony.

Heartbreaker - Foreign Film Review

2012-01-11T08:47:00.000-08:00

I hadn’t seen a foreign film for a while and so last night I logged into Netflix and watched the film Heartbreaker (English Title) not sure if there is a French title for the film. Anyway, the story is about a brother and sister team who run a business of breaking people up so the woman in the relationship can pursue a much healthier relationship post the loser she is currently with. The true story begins when a wealthy French businessman hires the brother, Alex, to break up an engagement between his daughter Juliette and a wealthy Englishman named Jonathan. The first challenge is of course, there is nothing wrong with the English fiancé, the second thing is Juliette is truly committed to the relationship, so Alex, while doing everything to break them up, ends up realizing he is falling for Juliette.

The best thing about the film, coming from an American point of view, is the remarkable sceneries of Monaco, followed by all the wealth associated with that part of the world. Either way, it is breath taking. The other surprise for me, is how good of an actress Vanessa Paradis is, I had no idea. Although she reminds me a little of Marion Cottilard in her style of acting, I appreciated the fact, she truly commands the screen. I didn’t care for the greasy look Alex (Romain Duris) had and was surprised at the fact, such an elegant woman, such as Juliette (Vanessa Paradis) would even spend a moment talking with someone like him. But I suppose opposites do attract and director, Pascal Chaumeil, showed us just that in a funny and creative sort of way.

I do recommend the film since it is a comedy, for those who do not mind reading the subtitles and could use an escape to Monaco.

Kathryn Bigelow's Film Project - Untitled Bin Laden Film

2012-01-10T01:40:00.000-08:00

I did enjoy Hurt Locker, even though I don't care for war films. But although that may be the case, I am not to happy about hearing Kathryn Bigelow plans to make a film about the Navy Seal Team No6 killing of Osama Bin Laden, well unless of course, it is the plot leading to his assassination.

I know there is an audience for it and there is no double Bigelow is the best person to direct such a film, but some things I feel are best left to documentary film making. But even though that's my take on this project, I will state here the cast tied to the project is a pretty good one and that in itself may be worth checking out.

So far, Jason Clark (The Chicago Code), Chris Pratt, and Joel Edgerton have already been confirmed. Jessica Chastain, Edgar Ramirez and Mark Strong are currently in talks to join the rest. Stay tuned, I may just have updates, if I don't lose interest in the project.

13 - Film Review

2012-01-09T01:17:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not it has taken be a month to review the film 13, because I just couldn't get the impact of the story out of my system enough to be partial to movie.

But first here is the background, I only rented the film, 13, because I am a huge fan of Jason Statham and without knowing much about the flick, I just decided if it was with Statham, then I needed to see it. I should have known when a film goes to DVD quickly, it is something to avoid at most any cost.

The story is about men and their love-love relationship with gambling and their inability to judge what lines to cross to become a winner of the pot. It is a simple story, very dark and very very to the point. There is no guess work, there are no special effects or 3D, it is simply an intense film with mind boggling results.

I actually felt sick to my stomach as I watched the film and I suppose since that's what I felt, director, Gela Babluani had done his job well. What was troubling to watch, I think outside of the blood and gore, is how stupid mankind really is and how tempted to do what is wrong without much regard to the repercussions from their actions. Every character in the film did something wrong and every character paid the price for it with their lives and yet, although I was annoyed and disgusted, I just couldn't stop watching the film. So the question is, am I as stupid as the characters portrayed in the film? Did I not realize my limitations and when to stop?

Either way, I do recommend the film, but only for those emotionally stable enough to walk away without feeling too much and as for kids, tell them to go to bed.

Wrath Of The Titans - Movie Trailer

2012-01-06T01:52:00.000-08:00

There aren't enough words to express what I think about the film Wrath Of The Titans - a sequel to the Clash of the Titans - coming our way on March 27, 2012. So, since I am speechless, I will let the trailer speak for itself and let you tell me what you think - will film 2 be better than film 1?

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol - Film Review

2012-01-04T01:43:00.000-08:00

I hate movie hype - I really do - because no matter how hard I try, I end up falling for it and see a film just because some say it's worth seeing.

Of course, MI - Ghost Protocol was one of the films I just assumed would be worth checking out and so when I finally saw it last night, I walked out feeling even more annoyed with the franchise than before. Let me explain. The film, as expected is about IMF's challenge to prove it's commitment and/or dedication to their work and the challenges associated with getting rid of the bad guys.

With that said, the film had enough action to intensify the storyline and of course it is always impressive to see Cruise do his own stunts (in most cases) but outside of the known facts, this chapter of the franchise did not live up to any of my expectations. I feel, the TV series, based on the century, had alot more to offer than the "action" packed version of the 21st century.

You see the first problem is the bad acting job on everyone's part, which of course made it really difficult to accept them as a team. It seemed no one was really comfortable with their roles or their lines and it showed. Every scene was too well rehearsed and the dialogue spoken with very little emotion. But that's not all, if the IMF possessed top of the line industry gadgets to do the job, why was everything malfunctioning, was that really the only way to create drama in the story line, a malfunctioning special tactics gadgets? And last but not least, or shall I say to top it off, the near ending scene with the missile was probably the worst I have seen in a long time.

Yet, no matter what, the film has done really well at the box office and is currently in the number1 spot in the U.S. In my opinion, the 133minute film is too long and should only be seen in the theatre if it's absolutely necessary, otherwise a rental would suffice for MI - Ghost Protocol. However, due to the fact the film incorporates amazing scenery from some of the most beautiful places around the world, it will surely be an international hit as well.

Skyfall and Daniel Craig equals a Classic Bond Film

2011-12-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

I have always felt and continue to feel, that Sean Connery was and is the best Bond. But since Daniel Craig was chosen to play the role several years back, I have to admit he has, not only knocked his portrayal out of the ballpark, but has earned the second best Bond position in my book, among all the players.

With that said, apparently producer Michael G. Wilson see’s a big future in Craig’s Bond role and has plans to do, hopefully, 5 more films with the actor once production on Skyfall with Sam Mendes has finished. Skyfall by the way will be released next October and is set in an almost 60s feel, which of course is a great technique to keep the fans interested and the nostalgia associated with Connery’s portrayal alive. The other interesting tid bit, is that 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Bond film – Dr. No –so the style of the film Skyfall is most appropriate to celebrate the occasion and boost sales :)

I actually can’t wait for the film’s release and looking forward to seeing Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and more onscreen for the classic take on an amazing franchise.

Hugo - Film Review

2011-12-27T08:30:00.000-08:00

Martin Scorsese’s Hugo is definitely a visual masterpiece and based on his vision in making the film, it is most certainly worthy of recognition for the most creative film in 2011. However, although I appreciated the esthetically pleasing 118 minutes film, I actually found myself ‘impatiently’ waiting for the ending, because I felt the film was simply too long for the story to be told. Usually lengthy film making is a result of poor editing and in the case of Hugo, it was definitely the case. By the time we reached the last hour, I almost lost interest and didn’t care about how the film would end.

Here is the background: The story is a about a young boy named Hugo, who lived inside the clock tower of a train station during the late 30-40s after his parent’s untimely death. His father, who was a clock maker, had stumbled upon a rusty robot from the early part of the 19th century, which magicians used to perform their acts, and was in the process of fixing it with Hugo before he died. After his death, Hugo was determined to repair the robot no matter what. So, he, often times, walked through the train station and stole screws, springs and various other gadgets for his project. While doing so, he was caught by an elderly man who owned an antique shop in the train station, and was forced to give up the robot to the antique collector, so he wouldn’t turn him in. The only way to earn his robot back, Hugo was given the opportunity to work in the antique shop for free and so the story began, and dragged on, until the very ending where the elderly man became the focal point of the entire story and Hugo got his robot back in the most unusual way.

The point is, although the story was long, the synopsis was solid, but either way the story is only appealing to those who appreciate the history of film making and have a soft spot for France, which of course I certainly do (on both counts), but even then I couldn’t stand scene after scene of nothingness to reach the end result. I am not suggesting you pass up on the film, I am merely pointing out that unless you truly appreciate animation in all its glory, this film will simply bore you.

Mr. Scorsese I apologize for my comments, because I am a fan and do actually applaud your efforts in dabbling in 3D animation and creating as I said before, a visual work of art.

Film Recommend - Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-22T01:19:00.000-08:00

While I understand every child will want to play video games, while some adults do the same throughout the holiday season, I highly recommend spending some part of an evening with your loved one, just sitting by the fire and watching one of my favorite classic holiday films, while munching on popcorn and drinking champagne. I don't recommend a remake of some of the film, stick to the original to get the full experience.

The Adventures of Tintin - Film Review

2011-12-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

I had a chance to see the film, The Adventures of Tintin, before it's release to the U.S., and although it's been a while that I have seen it, I decided to wait until this week to talk about it, since it's out on December 21st.

Here is the thing, for the longest time I was concerned with the fact, the film may not do so well in the states, but in talking to people here and there in the business and out, there is much anticipation for the film. I am so happy to hear that and of course looking so forward to the results over the Christmas weekend.

The film, although I am not a 3D fan, is probably best viewed in 3D option or IMAX which apparently is another option for the U.S. Spielberg's team did an amazing job putting on film, the comic books I followed all throughout my childhood. So this is how it feels when you see your action hero on the silver screen.

Anyway, The Adventures of Tintin, in my opinion is a grand introduction to what is yet to come and hopefully Spielberg, actually I am certain, is working on bringing us more from the series. of Tintin comic books.

One thing I do want to states, the period film isn't for little adults under the age of 10, it is, in my opinion, more adult friendly and as a result of the era it is in, children under 10 may lose complete interest in the story. But just to give you an idea, the film feels alot like Indiana Jones and a soft variation of Raiders of The Lost Arc and although the critics feel it isn't Spielberg's best, I truly believe for the fans of Tintin, it is one great film.

Let me know what you think?

69th Golden Globe Nominees And My Predictions

2011-12-18T07:18:00.000-08:00

The Golden Globes are my favorite award ceremony and of course a prelude to the Oscars,with that said, I have added my predictions for this years winners. Let's see how it all pans out in January 2012.

BEST PICTURE, DRAMA
The Descendants
The Help - My choice and Golden Globe Predicted winner
Hugo
The Ides of March
Moneyball
War Horse

BEST PICTURE, MUSICAL OR COMEDY
50/50
The Artist - My first choice
Midnight in Paris
My Week with Marilyn
Bridesmaids - Golden Globe Predicted Winner

BEST DIRECTOR
Woody Allen, Midnight In Paris
George Clooney, The Ides of March
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist - My choice
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo - Golden Globes Predicted Winner

BEST ACTOR, DRAMA
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J Edgar - Might be the winner
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, The Ides of March - My choice
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

BEST ACTRESS, DRAMA
Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help - My choice and predicted winner
Rooney Mara, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin

BEST ACTOR, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brendan Gleeson, The Guard
Joseph Gordon Levitt, 50/50 - My Choice and Predicted winner
Ryan Gosling, Crazy Stupid Love
Owen Wilson, Midnight in Paris

BEST ACTRESS, COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Jodie Foster, Carnage - predicted winner 2
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids - My choice
Michelle WIlliams, My Week With Marilyn
Kate Winslet, Carnage - predicted winner 1

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn - my choice
Albert Brooks, Drive - Golden Globe predicted winner
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Viggo Mortensen, A Dangerous Method
Christopher Plummer, Beginners

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain , The Help - My choice & Hopefully Golden Globes
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST SCREENPLAY
Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen
The Ides of March, George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon - Hands down my choice & GG
The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants, Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Moneyball, Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Adventures of Tintin - Hands down my choice
Arthur Christmas
Cars 2
Puss in Boots - Predicted GG choice
Rango

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - hard to say for US audience
The Flowers of War
In The Land of Blood and Honey
The Kid WIth The Bike
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Artist, Ludovic Bource - My Choice
W.E., Abel Korzeniowski
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Hugo, Howard Shore - Predicted GG choice
War Horse, John Williams

BEST ORIGINAL SONG - I really don't care who wins
“Lay Your Head Down,” Albert Nobbs
“Hello Hello,” Gnomeo and Juliet
“The Living Proof,” The Help
“The Keeper,” Machine Gun Preacher
“Masterpiece,” W.E.

What To Expect When You Are Expecting - Really?

2011-12-12T01:15:00.000-08:00

Not every book should be made into a movie. I don't know how many times I have said this before, but I guess it's cheaper to conjure up a script from a book, then to actually be creative enough to produce a script from scratch. Sorry, but I almost threw up in my mouth when I saw the trailer to the film What to Expect When You are Expecting and although the book may have been popular, I can't see the success of the film from what I have seen so far.

The only upside is, of course seeing the sexy Brazilian star Rodrigo Santoro, outside of his Xerxes 300 costume. Check out the trailer and let me know what you think, will you see the movie?

Ides of March - Film Review

2011-12-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

Ides of March as defined in most dictionaries represents the 15th of March, the day Julius Cesar was assassinated in Rome. I tried very hard to find the correlation between the title of the film and the actual meaning of the term while I watched the movie last night and for the life of me I couldn't find it. Perhaps I was oblivious to the analogy since I was extremely tired but when I woke this morning, it all made sense to me. Clever George Clooney… very clever.

You see the film is about, not so much an American Governor trying to become the President of the United States of Messiness, but the indication that no matter who is running, the corruption of politics exists one way or another. However, the true story is about the young ambitious lad who was the campaign manager (portrayed PERFECTLY BY RYAN GOSLING) of the insignificant Governor (Played by George Clooney) running the Presidential race. Although the lad possessed highly ethical work standards, at the end realized no matter what, he must conform to the ways of dirty politics to get to survive or in this case salvage his career. So, the analogy between the title made and what transpired onscreen was the “attempted in this case” assassination of the young ambitious campaign manager and his rise above the ashes to redeem what is rightfully his.

Now, the film had an extremely slow start, border-lining boredom the first 35 minutes - which we all know is necessary to pave the way to the punch line, however, if you are patient enough, which in this case, I highly recommend, the next 65 minutes will have you on the edge of your seat with the twist and turns of a day in the life of a campaign manager gone wrong. The screenplay, cleverly written by George Clooney was transilated into a well written script. Not only was it clear, but in modern lingo, which is always helpful for those politically challenged individuals who shy away from such films.

I also believe the film didn’t get the best reviews, but that is not a good enough reason to avoid it. It is a very good film and worth watching because of, first and foremost, Ryan Gosling’s outstanding performance. Second, Clooney's ability to deliver a solid product. I think the only downfall was Marisa Tomei, who in my opinion wasn’t cast right for the role and Paul Giamatti who didn’t shine as he normally did in all his work. But, all in all the film worked.
I do recommend the film, more so before the award season, so that we can all actually make a fair assessment as to who the winner of this year’s awards should be.

New Year's Eve - Film Trailer

2011-12-07T01:51:00.000-08:00

I must admit I appreciated the film Valentine's Day, Paris Je t'aime, New York I Love You , so it would only be appropriate for me to talk about the film New Year's Eve, a no brainer with a cast ranging from everyone to anyone in Hollywood, well minus the Jolie-Pitt entourage of course.

All kidding aside, the synopsis is about a group of individuals who would do most anything to be a part of New Year's eve celebration in New York and the struggles to fulfill their dreams. Watch...and then tell me if you plan to include the film in your list of to-do's for December.

Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunters - Jeremy Renner

2011-12-06T00:54:00.000-08:00

Jeremy Renner is one talented actor, who I know has been super busy making film after film, since the Hurt Locker. Believe it or not, MIssion Impossible, which is due out I believe middle of 2012, is one I can't wait for and then there is The Bourne Legacy, also due out in 2012. In the middle of two action packed films, he is wrapping up a project for Paramount titled Hansel and Gretel - Witch Hunters - a fairy tale story based on siblings who have become extremely vengeful bounty hunters chasing witches, especially after a traumatic incident involving their childhood.

Interesting? Not sure, but if it involves Jeremy Renner, I know I will queue up to see the film no less. Stay tuned for the first trailer release.

My Piece Of The Pie - Foreign Film Recommend

2011-12-02T05:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a while I have noticed a foreign film, which I am glad to announce. The last of course was The Artist while I was in Paris. Anyway, My Piece of the Pie is the name of the film and is a story about a businessman/playboy named Steve (Gilles Lellouche) who hires a housekeeper from the country, without realizing she comes with access baggage, which can either make or break his career.

This is actually the first time I have come across a film, which although conjured up by a French writer (Cedric Klapisch), sounds very American. I can see George Clooney and Julia Roberts in the American version of the film.

Nonetheless, I like the synopsis and if anyone else out there is as interested as I am, the film opens in the U.S. on 12/9/2011.

A Dangerous Method - An Indie Film Recommend

2011-11-29T21:57:00.000-08:00

I have the utmost respect for Independent filmmakers. I suppose it's because I completely understand the challenges an indie filmmaker faces while attempting to bring on screen, what he drafted up on paper.

A Dangerous Method is one of those films, which took screenwriter Christopher Hampton over 12 years to write and turn into a screenplay. His interest in psychoanalysis led him to conduct thorough research about the relationship between Freud, Jung and Sabina and from it he created a pretty accurate account of history. The accuracy of the film is a result of several factors. First, filming on location in Vienna at the Burgholzi hospital and Frued's home. Second, most of the dialogue of the film is taken from the actual correspondence between Freud, Jung and Sabina.

The film is the official selection of the 2011 Venice Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival and the New York Film Festival. There is also great buzz about Vigo Mortenson, Kira Knightly and Michael Fassbender's performance. Check out the trailer below and let me know what you think?

Mirror Mirror - Movie Trailer

2011-11-28T01:20:00.000-08:00

Here is a glimpse of Mirror Mirror, the Snow White film by Tarsem Singh. Since, after seeing The Immortals, I can honestly say Singh is an amazing visionary when it comes to film making, and because of that I have actually changed my mind about seeing Mirror Mirror.

Here is a glimpse of Singh's visual masterpiece. Will you see the film and are you a fan of Tarsem Singh's work.