Reviews of Movies, TV shows & metro Detroit Restaurants

2026 Oscar Predictions

2026-03-13T12:53:00.007-04:00

I am predicting 18/24 categories this year. I feel good about many of the movie awards, but the acting awards except for Best Actress are going to be really interesting.

BEST PICTURE

Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams

What I want to/think should win: One Battle After Another
What I predict will win: One Battle After Another

BEST ACTOR

Timothée Chalamet - Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio - One Battle After Another
Ethan Hawke - Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan - Sinners
Wagner Moura - The Secret Agent

Who I want to/think should win: Leonardo DiCaprio
Who I predict will win: Timothée Chalamet

BEST ACTRESS

Jessie Buckley - Hamnet
Rose Byrne - If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Kate Hudson - Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve - Sentimental Value
Emma Stone - Bugonia

Who I want to/think should win: Renate Reinsve
Who I predict will win: Jessie Buckley

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Benicio del Toro - One Battle After Another
Jacob Elordi - Frankenstein
Delroy Lindo - Sinners
Sean Penn - One Battle After Another
Stellan Skarsgård - Sentimental Value

Who I want to/think should win: Benicio del Toro
Who I predict will win: Stellan Skarsgård

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Elle Fanning - Sentimental Value
Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas - Sentimental Value
Amy Madigan - Weapons
Wunmi Mosaku - Sinners
Teyana Taylor - One Battle After Another

Who I want to/think should win: Amy Madigan
Who I predict will win: Teyana Taylor

BEST DIRECTOR

Chloé Zhao - Hamnet
Josh Safdie - Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson - One Battle After Another
Joachim Trier - Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler - Sinners

Who I want to/think should win: Paul Thomas Anderson
Who I predict will win: Paul Thomas Anderson

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Blue Moon
It Was Just an Accident
Marty Supreme
Sentimental Value
Sinners

What I want to/think should win: Sinners
What I predict will win: Sinners

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Train Dreams

What I want to/think should win: One Battle After Another
What I predict will win: One Battle After Another

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

The Secret Agent - Brazil
It Was Just an Accident - France
Sentimental Value - Norway
Sirât - Spain
The Voice of Hind Rajab - Tunisia

What I want to/think should win: Sentimental Value
What I predict will win: Sentimental Value

BEST CASTING

Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
The Secret Agent
Sinners

What I want to/think should win: One Battle After Another
What I predict will win: Sinners

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Frankenstein
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Train Dreams

What I want to/think should win: One Battle After Another
What I predict will win: One Battle After Another

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sinners

What I want to/think should win: Sinners
What I predict will win: Frankenstein

BEST EDITING

F1
Marty Supreme
One Battle After Another
Sentimental Value
Sinners

What I want to/think should win: F1
What I predict will win: One Battle After Another

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Bugonia
Frankenstein
Hamnet
One Battle After Another
Sinners

What I want to/think should win: Sinners
What I predict will win: Sinners

BEST SOUND

F1
Frankenstein
One Battle After Another
Sinners
Sirât

What I want to/think should win: F1
What I predict will win: F1

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Avatar: Fire and Ash
F1
Jurassic World Rebirth
The Lost Bus
Sinners

What I want to/think should win: F1
What I predict will win: Avatar: Fire and Ash

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Frankenstein
Kokuho
Sinners
The Smashing Machine
The Ugly Stepsister

What I want to/think should win: Sinners
What I predict will win: Frankenstein

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Avatar: Fire and Ash
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
Sinners

What I want to/think should win: Sinners
What I predict will win: Frankenstein

Reviews & Ratings for the 2026 Oscar Best Picture Nominees

2026-03-06T11:28:00.011-05:00

I’ve now seen all of the Best Picture nominees and liked all of them with one of them being much less likeable than the rest, but at least I didn’t hate any of them! Here are my quick takes and ratings for each:

One Battle After Another (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3014483)

One Battle After Another is the best movie nominated for Best Picture as it is quite exhilarating, funny, and highly entertaining. The performances are great starting with Leo and with Chase Infiniti’s performance being truly outstanding especially for such a young actor. But Benicio steals the movie in the handful of scenes he is in. I liked this movie a lot...9.0/10 stars

F1 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16311594)

F1 has no chance of winning Best Picture, but it sure is an entertaining movie. It’s loud (I’m glad I saw it in a theater) and just a fun movie...8.5/10 stars

Marty Supreme (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32916440)

If Timothée Chalamet doesn’t turn in one of the best performances of his career, Marty Supreme falls apart. He IS the movie and carries it. Yet another Best Picture nominee that is highly entertaining...8.5/10 stars

Sentimental Value (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27714581)

Sentimental Value is yet another Best Picture nominees that has great performances at the center of it. Its two leads played by Renate Reinsve & Stellan Skarsgård (one of my favorite actors) are just fantastic playing daughter & father who have a very complicated relationship. This is a lovely movie...8.5/10 stars

Sinners (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31193180)

Sinners is yet another wildly entertaining movie with awesome performances at the center of it. Horror-themed movies rarely get Oscar love, but this one deserves it as it weaves music, humor, the Jim Crow South, and the supernatural perfectly. I definitely enjoyed it...8.0/10 stars

The Secret Agent (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27847051)

Wagner Moura owns The Secret Agent. This Brazilian movie set in the 1970s is quite thrilling and engrossing and it’s all because of him. I’ve liked him ever since he played Pablo Escobar in Narcos and this role is very different than that one which demonstrates just how good he is. And because of him, I really liked it...8.0/10 stars

Frankenstein (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1312221)

I actually had pretty low expectations going into Frankenstein, so I was pleasantly surprised by it. I honestly did not know the story that well and thought this was a good retelling of it. All in all, it’s a good movie...8.0/10 stars

Train Dreams (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt29768334/)

I think if Train Dreams was a bit of a happier movie, I would have liked it more. It’s beautifully shot and Joel Edgerton is great in it. It is a great story about living in the Northwest United States in the early 1900s and I did like it...7.5/10 stars

Hamnet (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14905854)

I thought Hamnet was going to be better than what it was. It’s a good move and I liked it, I just had higher expectations going into it. I did think Jessie Buckley was great...7.5/stars

Bugonia (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12300742)

This movie is batshit crazy and I normally hate Yorgos Lanthimos movies, but I did not hate this one. But I also do not think it should be nominated for best picture, so with all of that said...6.0/10 stars.

2025 Oscar Predictions

2025-03-02T09:09:00.002-05:00

I am predicting 16/23 categories as I never predict any of the Best Short Film categories, Best Documentary, and Best Original Song (which really needs to be dropped as an award). I am also not predicting either Best Animated or Best International Film as I haven’t seen any of this year’s nominees with the exception of Emilia Perez.

UPDATE: I went 15/16 with my predictions with the only miss being Mikey Madison for Best Actress. But that's OK because I really wanted her to win and am so glad she did. The winners are below in blue.

BEST PICTURE

Anora

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Dune: Part Two

Emilia Pérez

I’m Still Here

Nickel Boys

The Substance

Wicked

What I want to/think should win: I know it has no chance, but I think Dune: Part Two is the best movie I’ve seen in the last 20 years. For the movies that DO have a chance, I want to see Anora win.

What I predict will win: Anora

BEST DIRECTOR

Sean Baker, Anora

Brady Corbet, The Brutalist

James Mangold, A Complete Unknown

Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez

Coralie Fargeat, The Substance

Who I want to/think should win: Well, I think Denis Villeneuve should win, but he wasn’t nominated, so I’ll go with Sean Baker.

Who I predict will win: Sean Baker

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Adrien Brody, The Brutalist

Timothée Chalamet, A Complete Unknown

Colman Domingo, Sing Sing

Ralph Fiennes, Conclave

Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice

Who I want to/think should win: Timothée Chalamet

Who I predict will win: Adrien Brody

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Cynthia Erivo, Wicked

Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez

Mikey Madison, Anora

Demi Moore, The Substance

Fernanda Torres, I’m Still Here

Who I want to/think should win: Mikey Madison

Who I predict will win: Demi Moore

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Yura Borisov, Anora

Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain

Edward Norton, A Complete Unknown

Guy Pearce, The Brutalist

Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice

Who I want to/think should win: Edward Norton

Who I predict will win: Kieran Culkin

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown

Ariana Grande, Wicked

Felicity Jones, The Brutalist

Isabella Rossellini, Conclave

Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez

Who I want to/think should win: Monica Barbaro

Who I predict will win: Zoe Saldaña

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Lol Crawley, The Brutalist

Greig Fraser, Dune: Part Two

Paul Guilhaume, Emilia Pérez

Ed Lachman, Maria

Jarin Blaschke, Nosferatu

Who I want to/think should win: Greig Fraser, Dune: Part Two

Who I predict will win: Lol Crawley, The Brutalist

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Anora, Written by Sean Baker

The Brutalist, Written by Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold

A Real Pain, Written by Jesse Eisenberg

September 5, Written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David

The Substance, Written by Coralie Fargeat

What I want to/think should win: Anora

What I predict will win: Anora

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

A Complete Unknown, Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks

Conclave, Screenplay by Peter Straughan

Emilia Pérez, Screenplay by Jacques Audiard; In collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi

Nickel Boys, Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes

Sing Sing, Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John "Divine G" Whitfield

What I want to/think should win: A Complete Unknown

What I predict will win: Conclave

BEST FILM EDITING

Anora, Sean Baker

The Brutalist, David Jancso

Conclave, Nick Emerson

Emilia Pérez, Juliette Welfling

Wicked, Myron Kerstein

What I want to/think should win: Anora

What I predict will win: Anora

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Daniel Blumberg, The Brutalist

Volker Bertelmann, Conclave

Clément Ducol and Camille, Emilia Pérez

John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, Wicked

Kris Bowers, The Wild Robot

Who I want to/think should win: Daniel Blumberg, The Brutalist

Who I predict will win: Daniel Blumberg, The Brutalist

BEST SOUND

A Complete Unknown, Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco

Dune: Part Two, Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill

Emilia Pérez, Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta

Wicked, Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis

The Wild Robot, Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts

What I want to/think should win: Dune: Part Two

What I predict will win: Dune: Part Two

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

The Brutalist, Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia

Conclave, Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter

Dune: Part Two, Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau

Nosferatu, Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová

Wicked, Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

What I want to/think should win: Dune: Part Two

What I predict will win: Wicked

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Alien: Romulus, Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan

Better Man, Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs

Dune: Part Two, Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke

Wicked, Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould

What I want to/think should win: Dune: Part Two

What I predict will win: Dune: Part Two

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

A Different Man, Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado

Emilia Pérez, Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini

Nosferatu, David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton

The Substance, Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli

Wicked, Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth

What I want to/think should win: The Substance

What I predict will win: The Substance

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Arianne Phillips, A Complete Unknown

Lisy Christl, Conclave

Janty Yates and Dave Crossman, Gladiator II

Linda Muir, Nosferatu

Paul Tazewell, Wicked

Who I want to/think should win: Conclave

Who I predict will win: Wicked

Reviews & Ratings for the 2025 Oscar Best Picture Nominees

2025-03-01T11:28:00.000-05:00

I always try to see every movie nominated for Best Picture, but I haven’t seen I’m Still Here yet, so that spot will be blank for now. I’ll update this after I eventually see it.

Dune: Part 2 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15239678)

When I saw Dune: Part 2 in March, I said that it is the best movie I've seen since The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. I stand by that statement as I absolutely love this movie and if it hadn’t come out in March, I think it’d be getting more Oscar buzz…10/10 stars

A Complete Unknown (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11563598)

I saw A Complete Unknown with some family on Christmas Day and thought it was a great way to enjoy Christmas. The movie depicts the early days of Bob Dylan’s career and his music of that time, which is the era of his that I like the best. The performances are outstanding, especially Timothée Chalamet’s…9.0/10 stars

Anora (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28607951)

I’ve seen Anora twice now, including once in the theater and I liked it even more after watching it for that 2nd time. Mikey Madison is fantastic in this somewhat batshit crazy, manic, funny, heartfelt, and even a bit sad movie…9.0/10 stars

The Brutalist (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8999762)

The Brutalist is a very long movie clocking in at 3 hours & 35 minutes (including a 15-minute intermission and the credits) and it’s worth seeing every minute of. It’s an excellent movie with great performances by Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce…8.5/10 stars

Conclave (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20215234)

Conclave is a very entertaining movie with a great cast. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and while I somewhat question the ending of it, that didn’t take away from how much I liked it…8.0/10 stars

Wicked (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262426)

Even though it’s a bit long, I definitely liked Wicked, especially the performances of the 2 leads, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. I’ve never seen the musical and I didn’t know any of the songs until I saw the movie. The songs are great and the performances of those songs were great as well…7.5/10 stars

Nickel Boys (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23055660)

Nickel Boys is a good movie with a unique filming style. I just thought it was a bit boring at times. But the ending made up for that and I did like it…7.0/10 stars

Emilia Perez (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20221436)

I thought Emilia Perez was a decent movie with good performances, especially by Zoe Saldaña. I am just not sure it belongs as a Best Picture nominee…6.0/10 stars

The Substance (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17526714)

I was enjoying the batshit craziness of The Substance until the end where it went off of the rails. It just reaffirmed that this type of movie just isn’t for me…5.0/10 stars

I'm Still Here (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14961016) - TBD

2024 Oscar Predictions

2024-03-10T07:35:00.002-04:00

I think 2023 was a great year for movies and I saw some great ones throughout the year with many of those nominated for numerous Oscars. Here are my predictions in 18 of the 23 categories for the 2024 Oscars.

UPDATE: I went 13/18 with my predictions and unlike last year, I believe the Best Picture Oscar was awarded correctly. The winners below are in blue.

BEST PICTURE

American Fiction

Anatomy of a Fall

Barbie

The Holdovers

Killers of the Flower Moon

Maestro

Oppenheimer

Past Lives

Poor Things

The Zone of Interest

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: You heard it here last…Oppenheimer

BEST ACTOR

Bradley Cooper, Maestro

Colman Domingo, Rustin

Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers

Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction

Who I want to/think should win and who I predict will win: You heard it here last again…Cillian Murphy

BEST ACTRESS

Annette Bening, Nyad

Lily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon

Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall

Carey Mulligan, Maestro

Emma Stone, Poor Things

Who I want to/think should win and who I predict will win: Lily Gladstone

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction

Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon

Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer

Ryan Gosling, Barbie

Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things

Who I want to/think should win: Ryan Gosling

Who I predict will win: Robert Downey Jr.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer

Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple

America Ferrera, Barbie

Jodie Foster, Nyad

Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers

Who I want to/think should win and who I predict will win: Da'Vine Joy Randolph

BEST DIRECTOR

Jonathan Glazer, The Zone of Interest

Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things

Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon

Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall

Who I want to/think should win and who I predict will win: Slam dunk time…Christopher Nolan

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

Io Capitano, Italy

Perfect Days, Japan

Society of the Snow, Spain

The Teachers' Lounge, Germany

The Zone of Interest, United Kingdom

What I want to/think should win: Society of the Snow

What I predict will win: The Zone of Interest

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

The Boy and the Heron

Elemental

Nimona

Robot Dreams

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

American Fiction – Cord Jefferson

Barbie – Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach

Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan

Poor Things – Tony McNamara

The Zone of Interest – Jonathan Glazer

What/Who I want to/think should win: Oppenheimer – Christopher Nolan

What/Who I predict will win: American Fiction – Cord Jefferson

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet and Arthur Harari

The Holdovers – David Hemingson

Maestro – Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer

May December – Screenplay by Samy Burch; Story by Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik

Past Lives – Celine Song

What/Who I want to/think should win: The Holdovers – David Hemingson

What/Who I predict will win: Anatomy of a Fall – Justine Triet and Arthur Harari

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

The Creator – Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts and Neil Corbould

Godzilla Minus One – Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams and Theo Bialek

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland and Neil Corbould

Napoleon – Charley Henley, Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet, Simone Coco and Neil Corbould

What I want to/think should win: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland and Neil Corbould

What I predict will win: The Creator – Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts and Neil Corbould

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

American Fiction – Laura Karpman

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny – John Williams

Killers of the Flower Moon – Robbie Robertson

Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson

Poor Things – Jerskin Fendrix

What/Who I want to/think should win and what/who I predict will win: Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

El Conde – Edward Lachman

Killers of the Flower Moon – Rodrigo Prieto

Maestro – Matthew Libatique

Oppenheimer – Hoyte van Hoytema

Poor Things – Robbie Ryan

What/Who I want to/think should win and what/who I predict will win: Oppenheimer – Hoyte van Hoytema

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Barbie – Jacqueline Durran

Killers of the Flower Moon – Jacqueline West

Napoleon – Janty Yates and Dave Crossman

Oppenheimer – Ellen Mirojnick

Poor Things – Holly Waddington

What/Who I want to/think should win: Barbie – Jacqueline Durran

What/Who I predict will win: Poor Things – Holly Waddington

BEST FILM EDITING

Anatomy of a Fall – Laurent Sénéchal

The Holdovers – Kevin Tent

Killers of the Flower Moon – Thelma Schoonmaker

Oppenheimer – Jennifer Lame

Poor Things – Yorgos Mavropsaridis

What/Who I want to/think should win and what/who I predict will win: Oppenheimer – Jennifer Lame

BEST SOUND

The Creator – Ian Voigt, Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic

Maestro – Steven A. Morrow, Richard King, Jason Ruder, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – Chris Munro, James H. Mather, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor

Oppenheimer – Willie Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo and Kevin O'Connell

The Zone of Interest – Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn

What I want to/think should win: Oppenheimer – Willie Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo and Kevin O'Connell

What I predict will win: The Zone of Interest – Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Barbie – Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer

Killers of the Flower Moon – Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis

Napoleon – Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Elli Griff

Oppenheimer – Production Design: Ruth De Jong; Set Decoration: Claire Kaufman

Poor Things – Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: Oppenheimer – Production Design: Ruth De Jong; Set Decoration: Claire Kaufman

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Golda – Karen Hartley Thomas, Suzi Battersby and Ashra Kelly-Blue

Maestro – Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell

Oppenheimer – Luisa Abel

Poor Things – Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston

Society of the Snow – Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé

What I want to/think should win: Oppenheimer – Luisa Abel

What I predict will win: Maestro – Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell

Reviews & Ratings for the 2024 Oscar Best Picture Nominees

2024-03-08T12:34:00.005-05:00

Oppenheimer (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15398776)

My expectations for Oppenheimer since I first heard about it were very high and they were most decidedly met…9.5/10 stars.

Killers of the Flower Moon (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5537002)

I think Killers of the Flower Moon might be better than Oppenheimer, but I like Oppenheimer more…9.5/10 stars.

The Holdovers (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14849194)

I really enjoyed The Holdovers as it’s funny & heart-warming and if it wasn’t for Cillian Murphy’s performance in Oppenheimer, Paul Giamatti would win a much-deserved Best Actor Oscar for his performance…8.5/10 stars.

American Fiction (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt23561236)

American Fiction is an excellent and quite funny movie that definitely deserves its Best Picture nomination…8.5/10 stars.

Barbie (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1517268)

Fun, bizarre, funny, silly, entertaining, sappy, absurd, and yet it has a good message. Those were my instant reactions to Barbie and that’s how I still feel about it…8.0/10 stars.

The Zone of Interest (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7160372)

It’s hard to say that I liked The Zone of Interest. It’s a pretty powerful & somewhat horrifying movie about a notably evil & monstrous Nazi…8.0/10 stars.

Past Lives (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13238346)

Past Lives is a unique & bittersweet romance movie with excellent performances, most notably by Greta Lee…7.5/10 stars.

Anatomy of a Fall (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17009710)

I am a big fan of courtroom dramas and Anatomy of a Fall is definitely a good one with a great performance by Sandra Hüller at the center of it…7.5/10 stars.

Maestro (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5535276)

I expected much more from Maestro after Bradley Cooper’s almost perfect directing debut with A Star is Born and I thought it was just OK…6.0/10 stars.

Poor Things (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14230458)

The only thing preventing me from totally hating Poor Things was Emma Stone’s excellent performance as Bella, but it still wasn’t very good in my opinion…3.0/10 stars.

2023 Oscar Predictions

2023-03-11T09:47:00.007-05:00

There were a lot of good & even great movies in 2022 and some of them were nominated for Oscars. I am not as confident in some of my predictions as in past years, so it'll be interesting to see how I do this year. I do think a movie I pretty much hated (Everything Everywhere All at Once) is going to clean up though and that kind of pisses me off and a movie I love (Top Gun: Maverick) won't win nearly as many awards as it should...oh well. Here are my predictions for 17 of the 23 categories.

UPDATE: I went 12/17 with my predictions and am disappointed in this year's Best Picture winner. Oh well, hopefully Dune 2 sweeps everything in 2024. The winners are below in blue.

BEST PICTURE

All Quiet on the Western Front

Avatar: The Way of Water

The Banshees of Inisherin

Elvis

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Fabelmans

Tár

Top Gun: Maverick

Triangle of Sadness

Women Talking

What I want to/think should win: Of course, I think Top Gun: Maverick should win all of the awards it’s nominated for and thus want it to win Best Picture. But...

What I predict will win: This pains me, but I predict that Everything Everywhere All at Once is going to win...Ugh.

BEST DIRECTING

The Banshees of Inisherin — Martin McDonagh

Everything Everywhere All at Once — Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

The Fabelmans — Steven Spielberg

Tár — Todd Field

Triangle of Sadness — Ruben Östlund

Who I want to/think should win: Steven Spielberg

Who I predict will win: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (ugh)

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Austin Butler in Elvis

Colin Farrell in The Banshees of Inisherin

Brendan Fraser in The Whale

Paul Mescal in Aftersun

Bill Nighy in Living

Who I want to/think should win: Austin Butler (who is great as Elvis)

Who I predict will win: Brendan Fraser

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE

Cate Blanchett in Tár

Ana de Armas in Blonde

Andrea Riseborough in To Leslie

Michelle Williams in The Fabelmans

Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Who I want to/think should win and who I predict will win: Cate Blanchett (who carries Tár and why that movie is as good as it is)

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Brendan Gleeson in The Banshees of Inisherin

Brian Tyree Henry in Causeway

Judd Hirsch in The Fabelmans

Barry Keoghan in The Banshees of Inisherin

Ke Huy Quan in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Who I want to/think should win: Brian Tyree Henry who is great in a really good movie

Who I predict will win: Ke Huy Quan

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Angela Bassett in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Hong Chau in The Whale

Kerry Condon in The Banshees of Inisherin

Jamie Lee Curtis in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Stephanie Hsu in Everything Everywhere All at Once

Who I want to/think should win: Kerry fecking Condon

Who I predict will win: Jamie Lee Curtis

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Babylon — Mary Zophres

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — Ruth Carter

Elvis — Catherine Martin

Everything Everywhere All at Once — Shirley Kurata

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris — Jenny Beavan

What I want to/think should win: Wakanda Forever

What I predict will win: Elvis

BEST SOUND

All Quiet on the Western Front — Viktor Prásil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte

Avatar: The Way of Water — Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges

The Batman — Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson

Elvis — David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller

Top Gun: Maverick — Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: Top Gun: Maverick

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

All Quiet on the Western Front — Volker Bertelmann

Babylon — Justin Hurwitz

The Banshees of Inisherin — Carter Burwell

Everything Everywhere All at Once — Son Lux

The Fabelmans — John Williams

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: All Quiet on the Western Front

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

All Quiet on the Western Front — Screenplay by Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson & Ian Stokell

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery — Written by Rian Johnson

Living — Written by Kazuo Ishiguro

Top Gun: Maverick — Screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks

Women Talking — Screenplay by Sarah Polley

What I want to/think should win: Top Gun: Maverick

What I predict will win: Women Talking

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

The Banshees of Inisherin — Written by Martin McDonagh

Everything Everywhere All at Once — Written by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

The Fabelmans — Written by Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner

Tár — Written by Todd Field

Triangle of Sadness — Written by Ruben Östlund

What I want to/think should win: The Fabelmans

What I predict will win: Everything Everywhere All at Once

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

All Quiet on the Western Front — Germany

Argentina, 1985 — Argentina

Close — Belgium

EO — Poland

The Quiet Girl — Ireland

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: This is a slam dunk...All Quiet on the Western Front

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

All Quiet on the Western Front — Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová

The Batman — Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — Camille Friend and Joel Harlow

Elvis — Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Aldo Signoretti

The Whale — Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley

What I want to/think should win: All Quiet on the Western Front

What I predict will win: Elvis

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

All Quiet on the Western Front — Production Design: Christian M. Goldbeck; Set Decoration: Ernestine Hipper

Avatar: The Way of Water — Production Design: Dylan Cole and Ben Procter; Set Decoration: Vanessa Cole

Babylon — Production Design: Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino

Elvis — Production Design: Catherine Martin and Karen Murphy; Set Decoration: Bev Dunn

The Fabelmans — Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara

What I want to/think should win: All Quiet on the Western Front

What I predict will win: Babylon

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

All Quiet on the Western Front — James Friend

Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths — Darius Khondji

Elvis — Mandy Walker

Empire of Light — Roger Deakins

Tár — Florian Hoffmeister

What I want to/think should win: Top Gun: Maverick...oh wait, it wasn’t nominated!

What I predict will win: All Quiet on the Western Front

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

All Quiet on the Western Front — Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank and Kamil Jafar

Avatar: The Way of Water — Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett

The Batman — Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick

Top Gun: Maverick — Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson and Scott R. Fisher

What I want to/think should win: Real visual effects should always win this award...Top Gun: Maverick

What I predict will win: Avatar: The Way of Water

BEST FILM EDITING

The Banshees of Inisherin — Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

Elvis — Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond

Everything Everywhere All at Once — Paul Rogers

Tár — Monika Willi

Top Gun: Maverick — Eddie Hamilton

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: Top Gun: Maverick

Reviews & Ratings for the 2023 Oscar Best Picture Nominees

2023-02-25T11:37:00.013-05:00

I have seen all of the Best Picture nominees and I liked most of them. But two of these movies I did not like, which is rare for me for the most recent Best Picture nominees. I’m puzzled as to why one of these is such a critical darling and why the other one was nominated at all. Here are my quick thoughts and ratings for each. They are in order of my most favorite to least favorite.

Top Gun: Maverick (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1745960)

I’ve seen Top Gun: Maverick three times already, including twice in a movie theater and I love this movie. I don’t think I can say anything that hasn’t already been said about this movie as it’s pretty awesome. The REAL (aka...NOT CGI) visual effects were incredible. It’s also a great story and better than the original Top Gun, which rarely happens with sequels. I would have loved to have seen this movie with my late brother Steve who was a huge Top Gun fan as we saw the original together in a theater with my other brother Brian when it came out in 1986. Top Gun: Maverick was the best movie I saw in 2022...9.5/10 stars.

The Fabelmans (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14208870)

The Fabelmans is another movie that I actually saw twice in a movie theater. It’s a wonderful story about young Steven Spielberg (aka, Sammy Fabelman) growing up, loving & making movies, dealing with a turbulent family life, and putting up with anti-Semitism in school. I loved The Fabelmans...9.0/10 stars.

Avatar: The Way of Water (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1630029)

I walked out of Avatar: The Way of Water (which I watched in 3D) and said “Big Jim did it again!”. Like the first Avatar, this movie is a technical masterpiece and visually incredible. I also think it has a better story than the original along with better performances. I truly enjoyed this movie...9.0/10 stars.

The Banshees of Inisherin (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11813216)

The Banshees of Inisherin is a really good fecking movie. The performances are fantastic and it’s got some very funny moments. The humor is a bit dark at times, but it’s enjoyable. The dramatic elements are truly dramatic as well and the mixture of humor & drama is spot on...8.5/10 stars.

Tár (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14444726)

Tár is a very well-made movie with a great performance by Cate Blanchett at the center of it. It’s an unconventional look at how awful a person can be regardless of gender or political affiliation. When I walked out of it, I knew I liked it, but I didn’t know how much. After thinking about it and listening to a great “The Big Picture” podcast about it, I decided that I really liked it (especially the ending)...8.5/10 stars.

All Quiet on the Western Front (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1016150)

All Quiet on the Western Front is an intense & brutal war movie. As Americans, we don’t get to see war depicted from the enemy’s perspective and this movie shows that war sucked just as much for German soldiers as it did for the Allied soldiers. The production & sound design are both top notch too and I wish I’d have seen it in a movie theater instead of on Netflix...8.0/10 stars.

Women Talking (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13669038)

The title of Women Talking says it all as that’s exactly what this movie is. And while that may sound boring to some, it was quite compelling to me. Another movie that is carried by some tremendous performances, especially from Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, and Ben Whishaw, essentially the only man in the movie. I definitely liked this movie...8.0/10 stars.

Elvis (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3704428)

I’ve said to a handful of people that once you get through what I call “The Baz Luhrmann bullshit”, Elvis is a pretty good movie. Austin Butler’s performance and a chance to listen to some awesome Elvis songs alone make it worth watching...7.5/10 stars.

Triangle of Sadness (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7322224)

All I am going to say about this movie is that it’s too long, too ridiculous, and flat out obnoxious. I really couldn’t wait for it to end...3.0/10 stars.

Everything Everywhere All at Once (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6710474)

I think it’s safe to say that I hated this movie. It’s a total farce and way too over the top. It does have a good cast and I was happy to see Ke Huy Quan in a movie again as I think the last movie I remember him in was The Goonies. This movie is a critical darling for some reason and my reaction to that is, in the immortal words of Josh Baskin in Big, “I don’t get it”. I’ll be pissed if this wins Best Picture...2.0/10 stars.

2022 Oscar Predictions

2022-03-27T07:19:00.014-04:00

There seem to be a lot of locks, especially in the acting & technical awards (Dune is going to clean up on these). I think Best Picture is going to get interesting though. This is the first time I’ve ever placed actual bets using DraftKings for the awards based on these predictions.

UPDATE: I only got 2 of my predictions wrong (both screenplay awards). The winners are below in blue.

BEST PICTURE

Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look Up
Drive My Car
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

What I want to/think should win: Dune...was THE BEST PICTURE OF 2021! It deserves the Return of the King treatment by sweeping everything it’s nominated for even though it won’t.
What I predict will win: I am making a last-minute prediction that CODA will win after originally predicting that The Power of the Dog would.

BEST DIRECTOR

Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza)
Kenneth Branagh (Belfast)
Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog)
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car)
Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)

Who I want to/think should win: Denis Villeneuve for Dune...Oh wait, he was snubbed! The biggest snub of this year’s Oscars. He better win for Dune Part II.
Who I predict will win: Jane Campion

BEST ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain (The Eyes of Tammy Faye)
Olivia Colman (The Lost Daughter)
Penélope Cruz (Parallel Mothers)
Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos)
Kristen Stewart (Spencer)

Who I want to/think should win: Emilia Jones for CODA...oh wait, she was snubbed. Rachel Zegler for West Side Story...oh wait, she was snubbed too! How about Alana Haim for Licorice Pizza? Nope...SNUBBED! I like Olivia Colman, but did not like The Lost Daughter, so it’d be OK if anyone else wins here even though Nicole Kidman shouldn’t win for a movie that’s just OK.
Who I predict will win: Jessica Chastain

BEST ACTOR

Javier Bardem (Being the Ricardos)
Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog)
Andrew Garfield (Tick, Tick … Boom!)
Will Smith (King Richard)
Denzel Washington (The Tragedy of Macbeth)

Who I want to/think should win and who I predict will win: Will Smith, who is awesome in King Richard.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter)
Ariana DeBose (West Side Story)
Judi Dench (Belfast)
Kirsten Dunst (The Power of the Dog)
Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard)

Who I want to/think should win and who I predict will win: Ariana DeBose, who is amazing in West Side Story.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Ciarán Hinds (Belfast)
Troy Kotsur (CODA)
Jesse Plemons (The Power of the Dog)
J.K. Simmons (Being the Ricardos)
Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog)

Who I want to/think should win and who I predict will win: Troy Kotsur...I LOVE CODA and he’s fantastic in it.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Cruella (Jenny Beavan)
Cyrano (Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran)
Dune (Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan)
Nightmare Alley (Luis Sequeira)
West Side Story (Paul Tazewell)

What I want to/think should win: Dune
What I predict will win: Cruella

BEST SOUND

Belfast (Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri)
Dune (Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett)
No Time to Die (Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor)
The Power of the Dog (Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb)
West Side Story (Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy)

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: Dune

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Don’t Look Up (Nicholas Britell)
Dune (Hans Zimmer)
Encanto (Germaine Franco)
Parallel Mothers (Alberto Iglesias)
The Power of the Dog (Jonny Greenwood)

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: Dune

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

CODA (screenplay by Siân Heder)
Drive My Car (screenplay by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe)
Dune (screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth)
The Lost Daughter (written by Maggie Gyllenhaal)
The Power of the Dog (written by Jane Campion)

What I want to/think should win: Dune
What I predict will win: The Power of the Dog

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Belfast (written by Kenneth Branagh)
Don’t Look Up (screenplay by Adam McKay; story by Adam McKay & David Sirota)
King Richard (written by Zach Baylin)
Licorice Pizza (written by Paul Thomas Anderson)
The Worst Person in the World (written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier)

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: Licorice Pizza

BEST FILM EDITING

Don’t Look Up (Hank Corwin)
Dune (Joe Walker)
King Richard (Pamela Martin)
The Power of the Dog (Peter Sciberras)
Tick, Tick … Boom! (Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum)

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: Dune

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Coming 2 America (Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer)
Cruella (Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon)
Dune (Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr)
The Eyes of Tammy Faye (Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh)
House of Gucci (Göran Lundström, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras)

What I want to/think should win: Dune
What I predict will win: The Eyes of Tammy Faye

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Encanto (Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino, and Clark Spencer)
Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie)
Luca (Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren)
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Mike Rianda, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Kurt Albrecht)
Raya and the Last Dragon (Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Osnat Shurer, and Peter Del Vecho)

What I predict will win: I haven’t seen any of these, but I predict that Encanto will win.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

“Be Alive” — music and lyrics by DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter (King Richard)
“Dos Oruguitas” — music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda (Encanto)
“Down to Joy” — music and lyrics by Van Morrison (Belfast)
“No Time to Die” — music and lyrics by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell (No Time to Die)
“Somehow You Do” — music and lyrics by Diane Warren (Four Good Days)

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: “No Time to Die”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Dune (Greig Fraser)
Nightmare Alley (Dan Laustsen)
The Power of the Dog (Ari Wegner)
The Tragedy of Macbeth (Bruno Delbonnel)
West Side Story (Janusz Kaminski)

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: Dune

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

Drive My Car (Japan)
Flee (Denmark)
The Hand of God (Italy)
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan)
The Worst Person in the World (Norway)

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: Drive My Car

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Dune (production design: Patrice Vermette; set decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos)
Nightmare Alley (production design: Tamara Deverell; set decoration: Shane Vieau)
The Power of the Dog (production design: Grant Major; set decoration: Amber Richards)
The Tragedy of Macbeth (production design: Stefan Dechant; set decoration: Nancy Haigh)
West Side Story (production design: Adam Stockhausen; set decoration: Rena DeAngelo)

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: Dune

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Dune (Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, and Gerd Nefzer)
Free Guy (Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis, and Dan Sudick)
No Time to Die (Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner, and Chris Corbould)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker, and Dan Oliver)
Spider-Man: No Way Home (Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein, and Dan Sudick)

What I want to/think should win and what I predict will win: Dune

Reviews & Ratings for the 2022 Oscar Best Picture Nominees

2022-03-25T18:04:00.008-04:00

I liked all of this year’s Best Picture nominees and even loved some of them as 4 of them were my 4 favorite movies from 2021. It’s rare that my favorite movies of the year are nominated for Best Picture, much less 4 of them.

Dune (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1160419)

I saw Dune in a theater (Emagine Rochester Hills, MI EMAX) with my nephews & their girlfriends. It's visually astounding with incredible sound effects and a kick-ass score by Hans Zimmer. It really should be seen in a theater and I am glad I got to experience it in that setting. It’s a fantastic movie and was my favorite movie from 2021...9.5/10 stars.

Licorice Pizza (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11271038)

This was my 2nd favorite movie from 2021. It was just a fun movie to watch and the soundtrack is great. It has a lot of funny moments and some great needle drops. I really loved Licorice Pizza...9.0/10 stars.

West Side Story (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3581652)

Remakes never live up to the original movie...until now. I think THIS version of West Side Story is better than the original (which I finally watched in 2021 & is great). It blew me away and was my 3rd favorite movie from 2021...9.0/10 stars.

CODA (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10366460)

And finally, my 4th favorite movie from 2021. After I watched it, I posted this on Facebook about the movie and it still holds true: Give yourself a break from the noise of the world and watch this wonderful movie on Apple TV...9.0/10 stars.

Drive My Car (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14039582)

Don’t be intimidated by a Japanese 3-hour movie because Drive My Car is really good. It was a great way to spend an afternoon for me and I never felt bored by it or that it dragged at all...8.5/10 stars.

Belfast (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12789558)

Kenneth Branagh's Belfast is an excellent & charming semi-autobiographical movie about his childhood in Belfast, Northern Ireland...8.0/10 stars.

King Richard (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9620288)

Will Smith's fantastic performance as Richard Williams (Venus & Serena's dad) really carries this one...8.0/10 stars.

Don’t Look Up (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11286314)

This movie was very controversial and polarizing. I took it at face value and didn’t read into its underlying message too much. I did like it...8.0/10 stars.

Nightmare Alley (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7740496)

This movie is good, not great, but it’s entertaining. Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, and Willem Defoe are all very good in it...7.5/10 stars.

The Power of the Dog (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10293406)

I liked this movie, but didn’t love it. It has great performances and a good twist at the end. But it’s a bit of a slog and I really wish it’d actually been filmed in Montana instead of New Zealand...7.0/10 stars.

Alfred Hitchcock Movies

2021-07-01T13:00:00.007-04:00

In 2020, one of my favorite podcasts (The Ringer’s “The Big Picture”, which I highly recommend) did an episode on Alfred Hitchcock movies for the 60th anniversary of the release of Psycho. After listening to this episode, I realized that I hadn’t seen as many Hitchcock movies as I thought. I have since watched (or rewatched) 18 of them, many of them for the first time. These are all excellent movies, with some of them being the greatest movies of all time. Here are my ratings for these 18 movies.

North By Northwest (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053125)

Not only one of the greatest Hitchcock movies, but one of the greatest movies of all time. It’s my personal favorite of all of his movies and one of my favorite movies of all time as well...9.5/10 stars.

Rear Window (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047396)

Every time I watch this movie, whenever Grace Kelly appears, I sigh due to her classic beauty. Similar to North By Northwest, in addition to being one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, it’s one of my favorite movies, period...9.5/10 stars.

Vertigo (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052357)

Jimmy Stewart brings his A game and Kim Novak’s performance is haunting...9.0/10 stars.

Psycho (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215)

Psycho broke all of the rules and set the tone for all horror movies to follow...9.0/10 stars.

Notorious (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038787)

I had never seen this one until 2020 and wow...what a great movie! It was very cutting edge for its time (1946)...9.0/10 stars.

Strangers On a Train (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044079)

I had seen this a long time ago, so it was like watching it for the first time and it’s excellent...8.5/10 stars.

Dial M For Murder (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046912)

Another one I had seen a long time ago, thus it was like a fresh watch. Another one with Grace Kelly (sigh...) and excellent as well...8.5/10 stars.

To Catch a Thief (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048728)

I think I had seen this once upon a time, but it was definitely like watching it for the first time regardless. And yes, Grace Kelly again made me swoon...8.0/10 stars.

The Birds (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056869)

I had never seen The Birds until 2020 and wow...it’s terrifying! I really liked it...8.0/10 stars.

Rebecca (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032976)

A first timer for me based on the book by Daphne du Maurier and a movie that I really liked...8.0/10 stars.

Saboteur (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035279)

Another first timer that I really liked...8.0/10 stars.

Marnie (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058329)

I was watching these movies in a certain order and this one coincidentally came up on my watch list 1 day after Sean Connery died. And I really enjoyed it...8.0/10 stars.

Suspicion (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034248)

Cary Grant turns on the charm, but differently than he normally does. I enjoyed my first time viewing...8.0/10 stars.

The Man Who Knew Too Much - 1956 Version (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049470)

This was the first Hitchcock movie I ever saw in the summer of 1989 when I was 17 at my brother Dennis’ apartment in State College, PA. I liked it then and I still did after rewatching it...8.0/10 stars.

Foreign Correspondent (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032484)

Not a thriller in the classical Hitchcock way, but still thrilling and quite good...8.0/10 stars.

Rope (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040746)

An excellent version of the stage play of the same name with Jimmy Stewart in an atypical role for him...8.0/10 stars.

Spellbound (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038109)

Gregory Peck & Ingrid Bergman at their finest...7.5/10 stars.

The 39 Steps (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026029)

In spite of being made in 1935 and of low picture quality, I was pleasantly surprised how well this movie holds up...7.5/10 stars.

2021 Oscar Predictions

2021-04-25T06:54:00.004-04:00

It’s time for my annual Oscar predictions and I’m predicting 19 of the 23 categories. Some awards seem to be locks (like Chadwick Boseman for Best Actor, Soul for Best Animated Film) and many seem to be up in the air. Here we go!

UPDATE: So much for Boseman being a lock for Best Actor...wow! Anyway...I was 17 of 19 for my predictions and the winners are updated below in blue.

Best Picture

The Father

Judas and the Black Messiah

Mank

Minari

Nomadland

Promising Young Woman

Sound of Metal

The Trial of the Chicago 7

What I want to/think should win: Judas and the Black Messiah

What I predict will win: Nomadland

Best Directing

Thomas Vinterberg, Another Round

David Fincher, Mank

Lee Isaac Chung, Minari

Chloe Zhao, Nomadland

Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman

Who I want to/think should win: Chloe Zhao

Who I predict will win: Chloe Zhao

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Viola Davis, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Andra Day, United States vs. Billie Holiday

Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman

Frances McDormand, Nomadland

Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman

Who I want to/think should win: Carey Mulligan

Who I predict will win: Frances McDormand

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal

Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Anthony Hopkins, The Father

Gary Oldman, Mank

Steven Yeun, Minari

Who I want to/think should win: Riz Ahmed

Who I predict will win: Chadwick Boseman. I’m not sure if he’d win if he hadn’t sadly passed away, but this is almost a no-brainer. He IS great in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. I have no problem with him winning, I just think Riz Ahmed, Steven Yeun, and Anthony Hopkins are better.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Glenn Close, Hillbilly Elegy

Olivia Colman, The Father

Amanda Seyfried, Mank

Yuh-Jung Youn, Minari

Who I want to/think should win: Amanda Seyfried

Who I predict will win: Yuh-Jung Youn

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah

Leslie Odom, Jr., One Night in Miami

Paul Raci, Sound of Metal

LaKeith Stanfield, Judas and the Black Messiah

Who I want to/think should win: LaKeith Stanfield (he really should be nominated for Best Actor)

Who I predict will win: Daniel Kaluuya

Best Original Screenplay

Judas and the Black Messiah - Screenplay by Will Berson and Shaka King; Story by Berson, King, Keith and Kenny Lucas

Minari – Lee Isaac Chung

Promising Young Woman – Emerald Fennell

Sound of Metal – Screenplay by Abraham and Darius Marder; Story by Derek Cianfrance and D. Marder

The Trial of the Chicago 7 - Aaron Sorkin

Who I want to/think should win: Promising Young Woman – Emerald Fennell

Who I predict will win: Promising Young Woman – Emerald Fennell

Best Adapted Screenplay

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen, Peter Baynham, Jena Friedman, Anthony Hines, Lee Kern, Dan Mazer, Erica Rivinoja and Dan Swimer; Story by Baron Cohen, Hines, Nina Pedrad and Swimer; Based on the character by Baron Cohen

The Father – Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller, based on the play by Zeller

Nomadland – Chloé Zhao, based on the book by Jessica Bruder

One Night in Miami – Kemp Powers, based on his play

The White Tiger – Ramin Bahrani, based on the novel by Aravind Adiga

Who I want to/think should win: One Night in Miami – Kemp Powers, based on his play

Who I predict will win: The Father – Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller, based on the play by Zeller

Best Cinematography

Judas and the Black Messiah – Sean Bobbitt

Mank – Erik Messerschmidt

News of the World – Dariusz Wolski

Nomadland – Joshua James Richards

The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Phedon Papamichael

Who I want to/think should win: Nomadland – Joshua James Richards

Who I predict will win: Mank – Erik Messerschmidt

Best Film Editing

The Father – Yorgos Lamprinos

Nomadland – Chloé Zhao

Promising Young Woman – Frédéric Thoraval

Sound of Metal – Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Alan Baumgarten

Who I want to/think should win: Nomadland – Chloé Zhao

Who I predict will win: Sound of Metal – Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

Best Animated Feature Film

Onward

Over the Moon

A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

Soul

Wolfwalkers

What I want to/think should win: The only one I saw...Soul. This arguably could have been nominated for Best Picture and sure would have been that “breath of fresh air movie” that I think was needed.

What I predict will win: Soul

Best International Feature Film

Another Round

Better Days

Collective

The Man Who Sold His Skin

Quo Vadis, Aida?

What I want to/think should win: Another Round. This movie is fantastic and I think it should have been nominated for Best Picture as well.

What I predict will win: Another Round

Best Original Score

Da 5 Bloods – Terence Blanchard

Mank – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Minari – Emile Mosseri

News of the World – James Newton Howard

Soul – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste

Who I want to/think should win: Tenet - Ludwig Göransson. Oh wait...he wasn’t nominated which is a total joke as that score is fantastic.

Who I predict will win: Soul – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste

Best Original Song

"Fight For You," Judas and the Black Messiah – Music by D'Mile and H.E.R.; lyric by H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas

"Hear My Voice," The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Music by Daniel Pemberton; lyric by Celeste and Pemberton

"Husavik," Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga – Music and lyric by Rickard Göransson, Fat Max Gsus and Savan Kotecha

"Io Si (Seen)," The Life Ahead – Music by Diane Warren; lyric by Laura Pausini and Warren

"Speak Now," One Night in Miami – Music and lyric by Sam Ashworth and Leslie Odom Jr.

Who I want to/think should win: Who cares? This category is only worth talking about when songs are integrated into the movie and not just played over the credits (like “Shallow” from A Star Is Born). I do like Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Cooke in One Night in Miami though.

Who I predict will win: "Speak Now," One Night in Miami – Music and lyric by Sam Ashworth and Leslie Odom Jr.

Best Sound

Greyhound

Mank

News of the World

Soul

Sound of Metal

What I want to/think should win: Duh, the movie with the word “sound” in its title...Sound of Metal

What I predict will win: Sound of Metal

Best Costume Design

Emma

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Mank

Mulan

Pinocchio

What I want to/think should win: Mank

What I predict will win: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Emma

Hillbilly Elegy

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Mank

Pinocchio

What I want to/think should win: Mank

What I predict will win: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Best Production Design

The Father

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

Mank

News of the World

Tenet

What I want to/think should win: Tenet

What I predict will win: Mank

Best Visual Effects

Love and Monsters

The Midnight Sky

Mulan

The One and Only Ivan

Tenet

What I want to/think should win: Tenet

What I predict will win: Tenet

Reviews & Ratings for the 2021 Oscar Best Picture Nominees

2021-04-18T08:27:00.012-04:00

I have now seen all of the 2021 Best Picture nominees and I liked all of them. But none of them would be considered “pick me up” movies as they are all pretty intense with a lot of heartbreak. Given the last year, it’d have been nice to have something nominated that was more refreshing and a lot less heavy. Anyway...here are my ratings for each in the order that I liked them.

Judas and the Black Messiah (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9784798)

While I could have watched Judas and the Black Messiah from home, I was fortunate enough to see it in a theater. It's a fantastic & powerful movie with great performances from the entire cast, but especially from Daniel Kaluuya as Black Panther Party chairman Fred Hampton & Lakeith Stanfield (who I've loved since I first saw him in the TV show Atlanta) as party infiltrator Bill O'Neal. I didn't know the story of Hampton prior to seeing this movie and sadly I wasn't surprised by how it ended. This is an excellent movie...9.0/10 stars

Nomadland (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9770150)

Nomadland is a wonderful journey and a great story. Francis McDormand is in every scene and turns in an outstanding performance as modern-day nomad Fern. The following quote from the movie says it all:

“One of the things I love most about this life is that there's no final goodbye. You know, I've met hundreds of people out here and I don't ever say a final goodbye. I always just say, ‘I'll see you down the road.’”

I did really like this movie...8.5/10 stars

Sound of Metal (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5363618)

I’ve been a fan of Riz Ahmed since I first saw him in the HBO miniseries The Night Of. His performance in Sound of Metal carries this movie to another level and I was very impressed with him in this role of heavy metal drummer Ruben who loses his hearing. While the supporting performances by Olivia Cooke (playing Ruben’s girlfriend & band partner Lou and who I’ve liked since I first saw her in the TV show Bates Motel) and Paul Raci (playing Joe, the man who runs the shelter for deaf recovering addicts that Ruben goes to) are outstanding, it’s Ahmed’s that carries the movie. The movie’s portrayal of Ruben’s deafness is outstanding and I really liked it...8.0/10 stars

Promising Young Woman (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9620292)

I had heard that this movie was good, but didn't really know what it was about. At the time I saw it, movie theaters had just reopened. Since I needed happy things in my life and going to movies makes me happy, I went to see it in a theater. And I am very glad that I did! I guess it's probably technically a thriller, but it has moments of comedy (albeit dark) & romance as well. Carey Mulligan plays Cassandra who goes on quite the journey in this movie and she might just win her first Oscar for her performance. I really liked it...8.0/10 stars

Mank (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10618286)

I think Citizen Kane is an overrated movie. Apparently, its filmmaking is groundbreaking and that is probably true, but I just don’t think it’s that great of a story. I actually like Mank, a movie about the writer of Citizen Kane (Herman Mankiewicz), better than the movie whose story it’s telling. I think Gary Oldman carries this movie as Mankiewicz and Amanda Seyfried’s (who I have liked since first seeing her in the HBO series Big Love) supporting performance as actress Marion Davies is brilliant. I definitely liked it...8.0/10 stars

Minari (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10633456)

Immigrants frequently come to the United States to find a better life than what they had in their home country. That is the ultimate American dream and how the U.S. was founded. Minari is a movie that tells this exact story, with the immigrants in this case coming to Arkansas from South Korea. It’s a wonderful telling of just such a story. It has moments of humor, but is quite dramatic otherwise and heart-wrenching. All of the performances are great, from the kids (Anne played by Noel Kate Cho and David played by Alan Kim) all the way to the grandma (played perfectly by Youn Yuh-jung and deserving of her Oscar nomination). But Steven Yuen really stood out for me playing the father Jacob Yi and I’ve liked him ever since I first saw him in The Walking Dead (plus he grew up in Michigan!). His Best Actor nomination is also well-deserved. I enjoyed this movie a lot...8.0/10 stars

The Trial of the Chicago Seven (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1070874)

I knew very little about the uprising at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago going into this movie. It is a compelling story and The Trial of the Chicago Seven does a great job of telling it. Aaron Sorkin is one of the greatest screenwriters of all time and while this isn’t his greatest screenplay, he does tell this story well. What shocked me the most about this story was the treatment of Bobby Seale during the trial (told accurately by the movie) and this at times was difficult to watch, but a necessary part of the story. I liked this movie...8.0/10 stars

The Father (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10272386)

I’m not sure if anyone could have done a better job of portraying Anthony (an aging man who must deal with his progressing memory loss) than Anthony Hopkins (and not just because they have the same name!). Like so many of this year’s Best Picture nominees, a great performance by this powerhouse actor carries this movie. The Father depicts Anthony’s memory loss as if the audience IS Anthony and living through his confusion. It’s a sad story that is difficult to watch at times, which is why it’s my least favorite of the nominees. But I still liked it quite a bit...8.0/10 stars

Movies with 8.0 Stars

2020-08-16T09:37:00.004-04:00

I have compiled this list of movies that I give 8.0/10 stars to over about 6 years and I've finally gotten around to posting it. It's a long list, but every movie on here is excellent and I highly recommend all of them. Here we go!

Say Anything (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098258)

It had been many years since I’ve seen this and it still holds up quite well. Even the 80s clothing isn’t that bad! And it reminded me of how big of a crush I had on Ione Skye 30 years ago…

A League of Their Own (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104694)

I had somehow never seen this movie until 2020 and I definitely enjoyed it. It’s a bit predictable, but has a lot of heart.

That Thing You Do! (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117887)

Yet again, a movie I hadn’t seen until 2020 that I really liked.

Something’s Gotta Give (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0337741)

A different spin on the modern rom-com that I enjoyed very much. Another movie that I somehow had never seen until 2020!

Irresistible (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9076562)

An excellent commentary on the sad state of politics in the United States.

The Old Guard (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7556122)

I watched 4 streaming new movies from 7/8/2020-7/12/2020 and this was the 3rd best of that bunch. It was much better than I expected and was the best action movie I’d seen in a while.

Serpico (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070666)

Network (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074958)

I’ve been making my way through classics I’d never seen and Network is most definitely worth all of the accolades it has gotten over the years. I’m not “mad as hell” that I finally watched it!

Bad Education (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8206668)

The King of Staten Island (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9686708)

This dramedy was much better than I expected and has a lot of heart.

Da 5 Bloods (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9777644)

The Big Sleep (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038355)

Another old movie that I’d heard so much about, but had never seen until 2020. Bogey nails it as Philip Marlowe!

Driveways (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9318280)

A nice, excellent little movie with a heartbreaking performance by Brian Dennehy, his last.

The Lady Eve (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033804)

A fun, old movie with great performances from Henry Fonda & Barbara Stanwyck.

Witness for the Prosecution (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051201)

Some 1950s sappiness and a little bit of overacting, but otherwise excellent.

Set It Up (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5304992)

Further proof that I am a big fan of romantic comedies!

Some Like It Hot (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053291)

Such a fun movie that I hadn’t seen in a very long time.

Honey Boy (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8151874)

Never Rarely Sometimes Always (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7772582)

A very powerful movie about a sensitive subject. Sidney Flanigan does a wonderful job of playing the lead character (Autumn) and deserves an Oscar nomination.

The Invisible Man (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1051906)

Sadly, this is the last movie I saw in a theater due to the pandemic. But it was an excellent horror movie!

Waves (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8652728)

Clueless (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112697)

I know this doesn't seem possible, but I watched Clueless for the first time in March 2020 in preparation to watch Emma as both are adaptations of the classic Jane Austen novel Emma (which I've never read), with Clueless being a loosely-based, modernized version. I did really like Clueless, but what it really proved to me is that Paul Rudd DOES NOT AGE!

The Two Popes (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8404614)

Richard Jewell (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3513548)

Clint is 90 and is still making excellent movies!

An Affair to Remember (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050105)

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3224458)

Dark Waters (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9071322)

Burning (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7282468)

It (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1396484)

Knock Down the House (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9358052)

Personally, I like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and this documentary is centered on her. But it also covers other women’s campaigns to become members of the U.S. Congress. It’s a great underdog story that I truly enjoyed.

Gosford Park (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0280707)

Stuffy Brits doing crazy shit in a period piece and the precursor to Downton Abbey? I’m all in!

Instant Family (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7401588)

A funny, feel-good movie is right in my wheelhouse!

A Simple Favor (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7040874)

Election (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0126886)

Tracy Flick in 2020!

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4595882)

Beautiful Boy (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226837)

Widows (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4218572)

Creed II (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6343314)

Juliet, Naked (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5607096

First Man (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213641)

Operation Finale (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5208252)

Eighth Grade (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7014006)

Tully (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5610554)

Wonder (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2543472)

Incredibles 2 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3606756)

All About Eve (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042192)

Coco (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2380307)

Laura (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037008)

Hostiles (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5478478)

Blockers (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2531344)

I, Tonya (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5580036)

The Cowboys (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068421)

Battle of the Sexes (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4622512)

Annihilation (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2798920)

The French Connection (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067116)

Upon rewatch, I liked this movie a lot more than I first did.

Philadelphia (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107818)

The Florida Project (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5649144)

Mudbound (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2396589)

The Gathering Storm (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0314097)

Captain Fantastic (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3553976)

Snowden (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3774114

Paterson (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5247022)

20^th Century Women (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4385888)

The Edge of Seventeen (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1878870)

Being a teenager is hard and when your "perfect" brother starts dating your best friend, it gets just a bit harder.

American Beauty (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0169547)

I didn’t like this after first seeing it, but that was 15+ years ago. I watched again and did like it this time. Kevin Spacey is UNHINGED as Lester.

Allied (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3640424)

Nocturnal Animals (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4550098)

Loving (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4669986)

Edgerton has little dialogue but says so much with body language.

A Bridge Too Far (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075784)

The Girl on the Train (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3631112)

Joy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2446980)

Trumbo (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3203606)

Deadpool (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045)

Steve Jobs (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2080374)

Straight Outta Compton (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1398426)

Kingsman: The Secret Service (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2802144)

Nightcrawler (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2872718)

Wild (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2305051)

The Fault in Our Stars (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582846)

The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2310332)

This is Where I Leave You (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1371150)

A very faithful adaptation of a book that I really liked.

Boyhood (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1065073)

Movies with 8.5 Stars

2020-04-04T11:38:00.002-04:00

Here ya go, a list of excellent movies to get you through these difficult times we are living through in the spring of 2020.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8613070)

This is the best movie I have seen so far in 2020. It’s a truly beautiful film.

Creed (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3076658)

A fantastic movie in the Rocky family of movies.

Molly’s Game (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4209788)

Molly Bloom’s story is truly enjoyable and Jessica Chastain is wonderful as Molly.

The Best Year of Our Lives (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036868)

An excellent post-WWII movie about coming back home after the war.

If Beale Street Could Talk (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7125860)

Difficult to watch at times, but a great love story.

A Quiet Place (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6644200)

Intense, scary, and at the time it came out, a must-see in a theater.

All the President’s Men (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074119)

It's hard to say much about this classic about the Watergate investigation that hasn't already been said, but this movie is a great portrayal of how important free press is in the U.S.

Wonder Woman (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0451279)

One of the best superhero movies of the last 10 years and it isn’t in the MCU!

In the Name of the Father (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107207)

A movie I had never seen until Christmas of 2018 and I can’t believe I had never seen it. A powerful movie with a fantastic performance from Daniel Day-Lewis.

Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2527338)

Critics did not like this movie. But who cares…I liked it a lot!

The Farewell (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8637428)

A wonderful story of a girl’s love for her grandmother with an excellent performance from Awkwafina.

El Camino (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9243946)

As someone who loved the show Breaking Bad, this movie does not disappoint!

Dolemite is My Name (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8526872)

Eddie Murphy nails the lead role and it’s a shame he didn’t get an Oscar nomination.

Downton Abbey (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6398184)

When I would watch Downton Abbey on TV, it was always with a glass of wine in my hand and usually some chocolate to go with the wine and that’s exactly what I did when I saw the Downton Abbey movie in a theater!

Hustlers (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5503686)

A very entertaining movie with a great performance from J.Lo who got robbed by not being nominated for an Oscar.

Blinded by the Light (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8266310)

I’m not a huge Bruce Springsteen fan, but I am a fan nonetheless and Blinded by the Light is a wonderful movie.

Uncut Gems (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5727208)

A bit frantic at times, but an excellent movie. Adam Sandler (who I typically don't like) gives a fantastic performance. And even K.G. is great in it!

Booksmart (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1489887)

There have been a lot of teen comedies over the years, especially about the end of high school and Booksmart holds its own against all of them. It starts a little slow, but picks up steam. It's funny, well-written, with great music, and loads of fun.

Yesterday (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8079248)

I got the opportunity to see an advanced screening of this movie and it's truly a wonderful movie. It pretty much hits all of the right beats for me: A sappy, goofy, romantic British comedy written by Richard Curtis...with a plot revolving around The Beatles! I absolutely loved it!

Long Shot (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2139881)

Right up my alley…A charming and sometimes sappy rom-com!

Anatomy of a Murder (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052561)

Excellent movie, classic Jimmy Stewart with great courtroom drama. Plus it was filmed in my homeland, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4912910)

One of the best non-superhero action movies I’ve seen in awhile.

Bombshell (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6394270)

While Nicole Kidman is great, Charlize Theron & Margot Robbie OWN this movie and give powerhouse performances.

Zodiac (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443706)

I watched this movie again as I didn’t remember it very well from the first time I had seen it and it is outstanding.

Knives Out (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8946378)

A fun & entertaining whodunnit!

Marvel Movies

2020-02-29T08:33:00.001-05:00

I've seen 8 Marvel movies over the last few years and here are my ratings for them. They are in the order that I liked them from best to "less best" since I didn't dislike any of them.

Avengers: Infinity War (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154756)

Snap!

8.5/10 stars

Spider-Man: Into The Spider Verse (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4633694)

This movie is truly a joy!

8.5/10 stars

Avengers: Endgame (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796)

I am...inevitable.

8.5/10 stars

Thor: Ragnorak (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3501632)

This movie is tons of fun!

8.0/10 stars

Captain Marvel (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154664)

8.0/10 stars

Captain America: Civil War (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820)

7.5/10 stars

Spider-Man: Homecoming (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2250912)

7.5/10 stars

Spider-Man: Far From Home (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6320628)

7.5/10 stars

Movies with 9.0/10 Stars

2020-02-16T08:44:00.002-05:00

I've got a serious backlog of movies that I've seen over the past few years that I haven't posted my ratings for. Here is a small list of movies over that time that I give 9.0/10 stars (some movies that I saw which were nominated for Oscars fall into this category, but I've already posted those movie ratings).

The Apartment (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053604)

A classic from Billy Wilder that is wildly fun & entertaining.

Apollo 11 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8760684)

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2527336)

The Big Sick (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5462602)

They Shall Not Grow Old (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7905466)

2020 Oscar Predictions

2020-02-08T06:44:00.002-05:00

It’s time for my annual predictions! I’m predicting 20 of the 24 categories. The acting categories seem to be foregone conclusions and it’s going to be interesting to see if 1917 continues its momentum & nabs Best Picture or if Parasite sneaks in for the win. Here we go…

UPDATE: Winners are highlighted in blue. I was 14 for 20 with my predictions. Even though Parasite wasn't MY favorite movie of the nominees, it is excellent and its Best Picture win was pretty surprising.

Best Picture

Ford v Ferrari

The Irishman

Jojo Rabbit

Joker

Little Women

Marriage Story

1917

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

Parasite

Who I want to/think should win: Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

Who I predict will win: 1917

Best Director

Martin Scorsese - The Irishman

Todd Phillips - Joker

Sam Mendes - 1917

Quentin Tarantino - Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

Bong Joon-ho - Parasite

Who I want to/think should win: Greta Gerwig for Little Women…oh wait, she wasn’t nominated! Of the nominees, I’d think Sam Mendes should win and…

Who I predict will win: Sam Mendes

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Cynthia Erivo - Harriet

Scarlett Johansson - Marriage Story

Saoirse Ronan - Little Women

Charlize Theron - Bombshell

Renée Zellweger - Judy

Who I want to/think should win: Saoirse Ronan

Who I predict will win: Renée Zellweger

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Antonio Banderas - Pain and Glory

Leonardo DiCaprio - Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

Adam Driver - Marriage Story

Joaquin Phoenix - Joker

Jonathan Pryce - The Two Popes

Who I want to/think should win: Adam Driver

Who I predict will win: Joaquin Phoenix

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Kathy Bates - Richard Jewell

Laura Dern - Marriage Story

Scarlett Johansson - Jojo Rabbit

Florence Pugh - Little Women

Margot Robbie - Bombshell

Who I want to/think should win: Florence Pugh

Who I predict will win: Laura Dern

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Tom Hanks - A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Anthony Hopkins - The Two Popes

Al Pacino - The Irishman

Joe Pesci - The Irishman

Brad Pitt - Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

Who I want to/think should win: Brad Pitt

Who I predict will win: Brad Pitt

Best Original Screenplay

Knives Out - Rian Johnson

Marriage Story - Noah Baumbach

1917 - Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood - Quentin Tarantino

Parasite - Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won

Who I want to/think should win: Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood - Quentin Tarantino

Who I predict will win: Parasite - Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Irishman - Steven Zaillian

Jojo Rabbit - Taika Waititi

Joker - Todd Phillips and Scott Silver

Little Women - Greta Gerwig

The Two Popes - Anthony McCarten

Who I want to/think should win: Little Women - Greta Gerwig

Who I predict will win: Jojo Rabbit - Taika Waititi

Best Cinematography

The Irishman - Rodrigo Prieto

Joker - Lawrence Sher

The Lighthouse - Jarin Blaschke

1917 - Roger Deakins

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood - Robert Richardson

Who I want to/think should win: 1917 - Roger Deakins

Who I predict will win: 1917 - Roger Deakins

Best Animated Feature Film

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

I Lost My Body

Klaus

Missing Link

Toy Story 4

Who I want to/think should win: I’ve only seen one of these, so I guess that’s the only one I “want” to win…Toy Story 4

Who I predict will win: Toy Story 4

Best International Feature Film

Corpus Christi (Poland)

Honeyland (North Macedonia)

Les Misérables (France)

Pain and Glory (Spain)

Parasite (South Korea)

Who I want to/think should win and who I predict will win: This is the award I am most confident in predicting correctly…Parasite is a no-brainer.

Best Costume Design

The Irishman - Sandy Powell and Christopher Peterson

Jojo Rabbit - Mayes C. Rubeo

Joker - Mark Bridges

Little Women - Jacqueline Durran

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood - Arianne Phillips

Who I want to/think should win: Little Women - Jacqueline Durran

Who I predict will win: Little Women - Jacqueline Durran

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Bombshell - Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan, and Vivian Baker

Joker - Nicki Ledermann and Kay Georgiou

Judy - Jeremy Woodhead

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil - Paul Gooch, Arjen Tuiten, and David White

1917 - Naomi Donne, Tristan Versluis, and Rebecca Cole

Who I want to/think should win: Bombshell - Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan, and Vivian Baker

Who I predict will win: Bombshell - Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan, and Vivian Baker

Best Production Design

The Irishman - Production Design: Bob Shaw; Set Decoration: Regina Graves

Jojo Rabbit - Production Design: Ra Vincent; Set Decoration: Nora Sopková

1917 - Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood - Production Design: Barbara Ling; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Parasite - Production Design: Lee Ha-jun; Set Decoration: Cho Won-woo

Who I want to/think should win: Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood - Production Design: Barbara Ling; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh. It felt like this movie was actually set in 1969.

Who I predict will win: 1917 - Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

Best Visual Effects

Avengers: Endgame - Dan DeLeeuw, Matt Aitken, Russell Earl, and Dan Sudick

The Irishman - Pablo Helman, Leandro Estebecorena, Stephane Grabli, and Nelson Sepulveda

The Lion King - Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones, and Elliot Newman

1917 - Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler, and Dominic Tuohy

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach, and Dominic Tuohy

Who I want to/think should win: 1917 - Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler, and Dominic Tuohy

Who I predict will win: The Lion King - Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones, and Elliot Newman

Best Original Song

"I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from Toy Story 4 – Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman

"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman – Music by Elton John; Lyrics by Bernie Taupin

"I'm Standing with You" from Breakthrough – Music and Lyrics by Diane Warren

"Into the Unknown" from Frozen II – Music and Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

"Stand Up" from Harriet – Music and Lyrics by Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo

Who I want to/think should win: "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from Toy Story 4 – Music and Lyrics by Randy Newman

Who I predict will win: "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman – Music by Elton John; Lyrics by Bernie Taupin

Best Original Score

Joker - Hildur Guðnadóttir

Little Women - Alexandre Desplat

Marriage Story - Randy Newman

1917 - Thomas Newman

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - John Williams

Who I want to/think should win: Little Women - Alexandre Desplat

Who I predict will win: Joker - Hildur Guðnadóttir

Best Sound Editing

Ford v Ferrari - Donald Sylvester

Joker - Alan Robert Murray

1917 - Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood - Wylie Stateman

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker - Matthew Wood and David Acord

Who I want to/think should win: Ford v Ferrari - Donald Sylvester. The sound is a major part of this movie.

Who I predict will win: 1917 - Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate

Best Sound Mixing

Ad Astra - Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson and Mark Ulano

Ford v Ferrari - Paul Massey, David Giammarco, and Steven A. Morrow

Joker - Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic and Tod Maitland

1917 - Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson

Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood - Michael Minkler, Christian P. Minkler, and Mark Ulano

Who I want to/think should win: Ford v Ferrari - Paul Massey, David Giammarco, and Steven A. Morrow

Who I predict will win: 1917 - Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson

Best Film Editing

Ford v Ferrari - Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker

The Irishman - Thelma Schoonmaker

Jojo Rabbit - Tom Eagles

Joker - Jeff Groth

Parasite - Yang Jin-mo

Who I want to/think should win: Parasite - Yang Jin-mo
Who I predict will win: Parasite - Yang Jin-mo

Reviews & Ratings for the 2020 Oscar Best Picture Nominees

2020-02-02T09:03:00.001-05:00

I’ve seen all of the movies nominated for Best Picture this year and there is only one of them that I didn’t like. I think 2019 was a great year for movies and these nominations do seem to be the best of the best.

Here are my ratings for each of them in the order that I LIKE them:

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7131622)

This is definitely an interesting spin on the Manson Family story. I think it’s an excellent story about Hollywood in 1969 and very well written. I think the performances are what really stand out. Leonardo DiCaprio as fading actor Rick Dalton and Brad Pitt as his stunt double Cliff Booth take Quentin Tarantino’s script to another level. I also enjoyed seeing Margot Robbie’s portrayal of Sharon Tate as a wide-eyed, fun-loving young woman. And Julia Butters as the young actress Trudi Fraser is just a treat. I really liked this movie…9.0/10 stars

Little Women (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3281548)

I’ve neither read the book nor have I seen any previous version of “Little Women”, but I loved this new version of it! Writer & director Greta Gerwig again delivers a wonderful movie. Another movie with great performances with Saoirse Ronan as Jo March and Florence Pugh as her sister Amy doing their best work. Pugh is quickly becoming one of the best young actresses in the business and Ronin just continues to deliver. Again, I loved this movie…9.0/10 stars

1917 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8579674)

Sam Mendes’ World War I movie about a mission two young soldiers are assigned to is a technical wonder. It is shot in “real time” and was edited to look like one single take. This approach ramps up the drama & terror these boys went through attempting to fulfill their mission and it’s very effective. I was on the edge of my seat for most of it. The cinematography by renowned cinematographer Roger Deakins is astounding. One particular scene in the middle of the movie took my breath away and this movie should be viewed in a movie theater. It is a brilliant film…9.0/10 stars

The Irishman (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1302006)

The first thought that went through my mind after watching this movie was “A modern epic”. I still believe that as it is epic in scale, star power, and film making. The bringing together of Martin Scorsese, Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci delivered exactly what I was expecting. I did manage to watch this in one sitting and the length of it didn’t bother me one bit. The de-aging of the actors took a little getting used to, but eventually it seemed seamless. I truly enjoyed this movie…9.0/10 stars

Marriage Story (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7653254)

At times, this movie about a failed marriage is hard to watch. But the performances by Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Laura Dern (plus Alan Alda in the few scenes he’s in) make it worth watching. Divorce is ugly, especially when there are children involved and this movie demonstrates that ugliness effectively. It’s not entirely depressing as it sprinkles in just enough light-hearted moments to keep it from going down a dark road (who knew Adam Driver could sing?). I definitely really liked it…9.0/10 stars

Ford v Ferrari (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1950186)

Sometimes I just want to watch a fun movie and this movie is definitely fun to watch. It has big stars, an entertaining story, and loud race cars. This story based on real events about Ford’s attempt at dethroning Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race is thrilling and keeps non-racing fans engaged with gripping human drama. I am not much of a racing fan, but I enjoyed this thrill ride. And who doesn’t want to see a movie with Matt Damon & Christian Bale in it? The racing scenes are really good and REALLY LOUD…8.5/10 stars

Parasite (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6751668)

This movie about class difference is funny (albeit darkly at times), dramatic, and even horrific. Early on, I laughed out loud a lot as the struggling Kim family uses its street smarts to work their way into the lives of the wealthy Park family. Once that happens, it gets much more dramatic. This rollercoaster ride of a movie is one that you are anxious to see how it ends, but once it gets there, it leaves your jaw on the floor. This is an excellent movie…8.5/10 stars

Jojo Rabbit (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2584384)

This movie is goofy, sweet, and tender at times yet dramatic when it needs to be. Getting used to Hitler as a comedic character in a movie was not easy, but once I did it, I went with it and enjoyed this satirical WWII movie. The performances by the young actors, especially Roman Griffin Davis as Jojo, make this movie mostly a fun watch…8.0/10 stars

Joker (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7286456)

This is the only Best Picture nominee that I didn’t like. I found this movie to be too dark & disturbing and not enjoyable to watch. I will give Joaquin Phoenix the credit he deserves for playing the titular nihilistic criminal and it will probably land him an Oscar. Of the few things I liked about this movie were the usage of two of my favorite Frank Sinatra songs, Send in the Clowns (an obvious choice for this movie) and That’s Life. That’s not saying much about the movie itself, obviously. This movie was not enjoyable for me…4.0/10 stars

2019 Oscar Predictions

2019-02-23T09:01:00.001-05:00

Here are my annual Oscar predictions. I’ve increased the number of awards that I am predicting and therefore I probably won’t do very well!

UPDATE: Winners are highlighted in blue. I was 12 for 20 with my predictions. It was a good ceremony and went very smoothly in spite of not having a host. There were some very memorable moments (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper's "Shallow" duet being the highlight for me) and some very deserving wins with a lot of diversity. I don't think Green Book deserved Best Picture and I don't believe that it will stand the test of time.

Best Picture

Black Panther

BlacKkKlansman

Bohemian Rhapsody

The Favourite

Green Book

Roma

A Star Is Born

Vice

The movie I want to/think should win: Um yeah...A Star Is Born all the way.

The movie I predict will win: Roma

Lead Actor

Christian Bale - Vice

Bradley Cooper - A Star Is Born

Willem Dafoe - At Eternity’s Gate

Rami Malek - Bohemian Rhapsody

Viggo Mortensen - Green Book

Who I want to/think should win: Take a wild guess...Yeah, Bradley Cooper.

Who I predict will win: Rami Malek

Lead Actress

Yalitza Aparicio - Roma

Glenn Close - The Wife

Olivia Colman - The Favourite

Lady Gaga - A Star Is Born

Melissa McCarthy - Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Who I want to/think should win: See above...Lady Gaga.

Who I predict will win: Glenn Close

Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali - Green Book

Adam Driver - BlacKkKlansman

Sam Elliott - A Star Is Born

Richard E. Grant - Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Sam Rockwell - Vice

Who I want to win: See above...Sam Elliott (and his voice/mustache).

Who I think should win and who I predict will win: Mahershala Ali

Supporting Actress

Amy Adams - Vice

Marina de Tavira - Roma

Regina King - If Beale Street Could Talk

Emma Stone - The Favourite

Rachel Weisz - The Favourite

Who I want to/think should win: Anyone except the 2 from The Favourite and not because I don’t like these actresses, but because I think that movie is a big turd. In actuality, who I want to/think should win is also...

Who I predict will win: Regina King

Director

Spike Lee - BlacKkKlansman

Pawel Pawlikowski - Cold War

Yorgos Lanthimos - The Favourite

Alfonso Cuarón - Roma

Adam McKay - Vice

Who I want to/think should win: Bradley Cooper...oh wait, he was robbed and didn’t get nominated.

Who I predict will win: Alfonso Cuarón

Animated Feature

Incredibles 2

Isle of Dogs

Mirai

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

The movie I think should win and the movie I predict will win: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (I liked Incredibles 2, but this Spider-Man movie is really good!).

Adapted Screenplay

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

BlacKkKlansman - Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee

Can You Ever Forgive Me? - Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty

If Beale Street Could Talk - Barry Jenkins

A Star Is Born - Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters

The movie I want to/think should win: I think A Star is Born should win everything it’s nominated for!

The movie I predict will win: BlacKkKlansman - Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee

Original Screenplay

The Favourite - Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara

First Reformed - Paul Schrader

Green Book - Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly

Roma - Alfonso Cuarón

Vice - Adam McKay

The movie I want to/think should win: Roma

The movie I predict will win: The Favourite, Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara

Cinematography

Cold War - Lukasz Zal

The Favourite - Robbie Ryan

Never Look Away - Caleb Deschanel

Roma - Alfonso Cuarón

A Star Is Born - Matthew Libatique

The movie I want to/think should win AND predict will win: I think Roma is a visually beautiful movie, so I will not pick A Star Is Born for this award and will pick Roma - Alfonso Cuarón.

Best Foreign Language Film

Capernaum (Lebanon)

Cold War (Poland)

Never Look Away (Germany)

Roma (Mexico)

Shoplifters (Japan)

The movie I want to/think should win AND predict will win: Slam dunk...Roma.

Film Editing

BlacKkKlansman - Barry Alexander Brown

Bohemian Rhapsody - John Ottman

Green Book - Patrick J. Don Vito

The Favourite - Yorgos Mavropsaridis

Vice - Hank Corwin

The movie I predict will win: I am picking this category for the first time ever (like many others) and don’t have a “want” to win pick here. I think Vice - Hank Corwin will win.

Sound Editing

Black Panther - Benjamin A. Burtt, Steve Boeddeker

Bohemian Rhapsody - John Warhurst

First Man - Ai-Ling Lee, Mildred Iatrou Morgan

A Quiet Place - Ethan Van der Ryn, Erik Aadahl

Roma - Sergio Diaz, Skip Lievsay

The movie I want to/think should win AND predict will win: First Man - Ai-Ling Lee, Mildred Iatrou Morgan

Sound Mixing

Black Panther

Bohemian Rhapsody

First Man

Roma

A Star Is Born

The movie I predict will win: Bohemian Rhapsody

Production Design

Black Panther - Hannah Beachler

First Man - Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas

The Favourite - Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton

Mary Poppins Returns - John Myhre, Gordon Sim

Roma - Eugenio Caballero, Bárbara Enrı́quez

The movie I predict will win: Black Panther - Hannah Beachler

Original Score

BlacKkKlansman - Terence Blanchard

Black Panther - Ludwig Goransson

If Beale Street Could Talk - Nicholas Britell

Isle of Dogs - Alexandre Desplat

Mary Poppins Returns - Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman

The movie I want to/think should win: Justin Hurwitz for First Man...Oh wait, Hurwitz got robbed and wasn’t even nominated!

The movie I predict will win: If Beale Street Could Talk - Nicholas Britell

Original Song

“All The Stars” from Black Panther by Kendrick Lamar, SZA

“I’ll Fight” from RBG by Diane Warren, Jennifer Hudson

“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from Mary Poppins Returns by Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman

“Shallow” from A Star Is Born by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt and Benjamin Rice

“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch

The movie I want to/think should win AND predict will win: Sadly, this may be the only Oscar that A Star Is Born wins…”Shallow” should be a no-brainer here.

Makeup and Hair

Border

Mary Queen of Scots

Vice

The movie I predict will win: Vice for Christian Bale’s transformation alone.

Costume Design

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs - Mary Zophres

Black Panther - Ruth E. Carter

The Favourite - Sandy Powell

Mary Poppins Returns - Sandy Powell

Mary Queen of Scots - Alexandra Byrne

The movie I predict will win: I hate making predictions for this movie, but I’m picking The Favourite - Sandy Powell

Visual Effects

Avengers: Infinity War

Christopher Robin

First Man

Ready Player One

Solo: A Star Wars Story

The movie I predict will win: Avengers: Infinity War

Reviews & Ratings for the 2019 Oscar Best Picture Nominees

2019-02-16T12:21:00.000-05:00

I've seen all of the movies nominated for Best Picture and there was only one that I didn't like. Here are my ratings and short reviews for each.

A Star is Born (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1517451)

I absolutely love this movie! The story is almost as old as Hollywood itself as this 4th version of A Star is Born (the 1st one came out in 1937), yet this new take on such an old story is truly wonderful. I have seen it 3 times, including twice at the theater. The performances by Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, and one of my all-time favorite mustaches & voices, Sam Elliott, are all Oscar-worthy. And even Andrew Dice Clay gives a heartfelt performances as Ally’s dad!

Who knew Bradley Cooper could sing? We know Gaga’s voice is out of this world, but Cooper really nails every singing performance. The on-screen chemistry between these two is something to behold and is a big part of what makes this movie so special. The scene where the two of them sing “Shallow” really shows off their chemistry, Gaga’s acting skills, and Cooper’s acting AND directing skills. It’s an all-time great movie scene.

This is by far my favorite movie out of all the nominees and one of my favorite movies period of the last 20 years...9.5/10 stars

Black Panther (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825683)

The greatest superhero movie ever? It’s quite possible that Black Panther is just that. I was very happy that it got nominated for Best Picture because it’s not just a great superhero movie, it’s a great movie...period.

In addition to being great movie, it’s pretty groundbreaking as well. Not only is it mostly an all-black cast, it’s a superhero movie with an all-black cast that made a shit ton of money (the highest grossing movie of 2018). This cast is one of the highlights of the movie as everyone turns in great performances, with Michael B. Jordan’s portrayal of Killmonger topping them all.

Black Panther is a great movie and I loved it…9.0/10 stars

Bohemian Rhapsody (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1727824)

I am a fan of Queen. I’m not a superfan, but I love their music. Bohemian Rhapsody has issues with continuity, reality, chronology, and editing. Its offscreen issues abound as well with the ouster of director Brian Singer and this contributes to the movie's sloppier bits. In spite of all of that, I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. Hearing Queen’s music rocking a movie theater was a joy in & of itself. It took everything it had in me not to sing along while watching it. I’ll do that when I watch it at home!

Other than the music, the 2 biggest highlights of the movie are: (1) Rami Malek’s performance as Freddie Mercury (which is fantastic) and (2) The reenactment of Queen’s notable Live Aid performance. This movie nails that performance pretty much shot for shot.

I am definitely a fan of Bohemian Rhapsody, the song AND the movie…8.0/10 stars

Green Book (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6966692)

Another movie with offscreen trouble and a debate about the accuracy of its events, yet I enjoyed Green Book.

It has a good mix of comedy & drama and the performances are great. Mahershala Ali turns in another Oscar-worthy performance as classical pianist Dr. Don Shirley and Viggo Mortensen does a nice job playing his chauffeur/bodyguard turned friend Tony Lip. Their on-screen chemistry makes this road trip movie quite enjoyable. And this is no ordinary road trip as it’s the 60s and they are touring the Deep South which becomes problematic for them due to Shirley being black.

I think the actors’ performances truly made this movie what it is and why I really liked it…8.0/10 stars

Roma (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6155172)

How can a black & white movie be visually stunning? Roma is that movie. Netflix has established itself as a beast to reckon with when it comes to “TV” shows and now it is doing the same with movies with a movie that is the odds-on favorite to win Best Picture.

Roma tells a powerful story of maid Cleo (played masterfully by newcomer Yalitza Aparicio who greatly deserved her Best Actress nomination) who works for an upper middle class family in Mexico City. Director Alfonso Alfonso Cuarón crafts this story wonderfully drawing from his own life growing up in Mexico City. It’s obvious that it’s very personal for him as it is very vivid & emotional. Not only did Cuarón direct Roma, he also wrote it and is listed as its cinematographer. He very well could win Oscars in all 3 of those categories as well as Best Foreign Film. He poured his heart into this movie and it’s very good…8.0/10 stars

BlacKkKlansman (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7349662)

BlacKkKlansman is a pretty intense movie (with a few comedic bits thrown in) based on a true story about a black man (Ron Stallworth played by John David Washington) who infiltrates the KKK with a white Jew (Flip Zimmerman played by Adam Driver) acting as his “stand-in” when it comes time to physically meet with the hate group.

In addition to telling a powerful story, BlacKkKlansman manages to do so in an entertaining and at times humorous way. Racism has always been a problem in the U.S. and sadly, it still exists. This movie doesn’t tap dance around that fact, but keeps it in the forefront. I definitely liked BlacKkKlansman…8.0/10 stars

Vice (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6266538)

In spite of what Vice would like you to believe, Dick Cheney is not responsible for everything politically (mostly politically BAD) that has happened since 1980. After watching this movie, I said this to my brother Dennis:

“As someone who leans left, I still have very mixed feelings about Vice. It's well made and Bale is great as well as Amy Adams, but the liberal skew was even difficult for me to completely stomach. I need to see how much of it is based in facts before I decide whether I liked it or not.”

Another word I could have used when describing this movie is “smug” as that’s the attitude it has. The events it portrays are mostly true, but with a smug take on the truth.

But with all of that being said, I did like the movie and found it entertaining. Christian Bale’s transformation into Dick Cheney is something to behold and will probably get him another Oscar. And Amy Adams does a wonderful job of portraying Cheney’s wife Lynn…7.5/10 stars

The Favourite (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5083738)

I am a big fan of period pieces, especially British period pieces. I love the TV shows The Crown and Victoria, both well-done portrayals of British royalty. I loved Downton Abbey, recently enjoyed the movie Victoria and Abdul, and find most movies about British royalty to be intriguing. But The Favourite? This movie I did not like. I found it to be a big absurd turd (how’s that for a rhyme?).

I do not understand the love for this movie by critics, etc. It has a ridiculous ending, weird music, is not funny, and again, it’s absurd. I like Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, and Olivia Coleman and they are the only reason I am giving this…4.0/10 stars

Movies with 7.5 Stars

2019-02-01T20:18:00.000-05:00

All of these movies that I've seen over the last few years get 7.5/10 stars, so I would definitely recommend giving these movies a viewing.

The last 3 movies on this list were part of a 2018 Christmastime movie marathon my brother Dennis and I had which is something we used to do all the time back in the 80s & 90s during the holiday season!

The Mule (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7959026)

This is not Clint as Walt Kowalski (his character in Gran Torino), he's not nearly that angry in this movie and much more likable. A good movie with a good story and some unexpected twists.

The Old Man & the Gun (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2837574)

Another movie about a geriatric criminal, this time played by Robert Redford. I think this was a little better than The Mule. Redford seemed to have a lot of fun playing bank robber Forrest Tucker and always had a little twinkle in his eye.

Victoria and Abdul (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5816682)

A very fun movie with a fun performance by Judi Dench as Queen Victoria. I'm a sucker for British period pieces!

The Disaster Artist (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3521126)

Tommy Wiseau was a seriously weird dude and James Franco did a great job of playing him in this movie. I was very entertained by this movie and especially Franco's performance.

Ready Player One

An entertaining movie, but not as good as the book. A very nostalgic movie for those of us who grew up in the 80s.

Solo: A Star Wars Story (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3778644)

While not nearly as good as it should have been, I enjoyed this movie about Han's origin story. Even though it has some flaws, it's still a very fun movie.

Mary Poppins (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058331) and Mary Poppins Returns (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5028340)

If I saw Mary Poppins as a kid, I don't remember seeing it. I finally watched it, mostly because of the movie Saving Mr. Banks (which I really liked). I definitely enjoyed it and it made me feel like a kid.

I saw Mary Poppins Returns in a theater over Christmas. I was pleasantly surprised by it as I definitely enjoyed it. I do like Emily Blunt and found her performance to be "spot on".

I am glad I decided to watch BOTH of these movies as they are quite enjoyable.

Howards End (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104454)

A good movie, but the TV mini-series is better. Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson are excellent, but I found Hayley Atwell and Matthew Macfadyen more compelling in the TV mini-series. But I did really enjoy this movie.

Ocean’s 8 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5164214)

Not nearly as good as Ocean's 11, but I enjoyed this movie as it was a fun heist movie. And this cast of women carried this movie big time!

Outlaw King (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6679794)

A Netflix original which tells the story of Robert the Bruce of Scotland. Chris Pine does a nice job playing Robert.

Judgment at Nuremberg (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055031)

This is a very intense older movie about fictional Nazis being tried during the Nuremberg trials. A very good movie with an all-star cast.

Absence of Malice (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081974)

Paul Newman, Sally Field, Wilfred Brimley (in a brief, but very memorable scene) directed by Sidney Pollack? Yeah, I am bound to like a movie with those people involved!

Gentleman’s Agreement (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039416)

Gregory Peck turns in an outstanding performance playing yet another honorable man, this time fighting anti-Semitism.

Movies With 7.0 Stars

2019-01-27T09:25:00.002-05:00

All of these movies that I've seen over the last few years get 7.0/10 stars, so they are definitely entertaining and worth watching.

The Wife (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3750872)

This movie is...fine. Glenn Close does give an excellent performance and she is deserving of her Best Actress Oscar nomination.

The Greatest Showman (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1485796)

Very entertaining and Hugh Jackman pretty much rules in everything he's in.

Citizen Kane (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033467)

I don't understand why this movie is praised by many as the greatest movie of all time. It is good & I liked it, but it pales in comparison to many of the other greats (like The Godfather!).

Dear White People (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2235108)

A decent movie, but the Netflix show is better.

Deadpool 2 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5463162)

Not as good as the first, but entertaining nonetheless.

Murder on the Orient Express (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3402236)

I thought this would be better than it was.

Stronger (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3881784)

Jake Gyllenhaal is great in this true story of a man who had his legs amputated as a result of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013.

Bird Box (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2737304)

I was pleasantly surprised as I heard so much negativity about this movie. I didn't love it and it's VERY far-fetched, but I certainly liked it enough to include it in this list.

Support the Girls (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6859352)

Regina Hall is great in this story of a manager at a Hooters-like bar in Texas.

The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6412452)

An entertaining, at times goofy, and at times sad movie which is really just a collection of short stories.

Movies With 4.0-6.5 Stars

2019-01-26T21:08:00.001-05:00

Working through my backlog of movies which is pretty big. Here are some of the movies that are at the bottom of the ratings from that backlog.

mother! (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5109784)

This movie is batshit crazy and NOT good!

4.0/10 stars

Pitch Perfect 3 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4765284)

Not even close to as good as the first one.

6.0/10 stars

How to Talk to Girls at Parties (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3859310)

6.0/10 stars

The Grinch (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2709692)

I didn't hate this version of The Grinch story, but it was just OK.

6.0/10 stars

Red Sparrow (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2873282)

Jennifer Lawrence needs to make better movies (see the first one on this list for even more evidence).

6.5/10 stars

The Human Stain (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0308383)

6.5/10 stars

First Reformed (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6053438)

Ethan Hawke is great in this movie, but I didn't think it was as great as many critics, etc. thought.

6.5/10 stars

2018 Oscar Predictions (UPDATE: Winners are highlighted in blue)

2018-03-04T08:08:00.000-05:00

I've seen all of the Best Picture Nominees (Reviews & Ratings for the 2018 Best Picture Nominees) plus some of the others nominated for other awards (Molly's Game, The Big Sick, Roman J. Israel - Esq., The Florida Project, Mudbound, Baby Driver, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Beauty and the Beast, Victoria and Abdul, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), so I am ready to make my predictions. Here they are, my 2018 Oscar predictions along with who I personally would pick to win if I was voting.

UPDATE: Winners are highlighted in blue. I was 7 for 8 with my predictions. I think I am going to add more categories next year. I also wish there would have been some upsets as the awards pretty much went as expected. I don't know how many of these movies will stand the test of time and I think The Shape of Water (the Best Picture winner and the only prediction I got wrong) will be forgotten as time goes on.

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

It’s not an easy year to choose Best Picture. I don’t think my favorites (Lady Bird & Dunkirk) will win, but it’s one of those years that you never know and there could be an upset. I think that Molly's Game, Mudbound, or The Big Sick belong on this list instead of Phantom Thread (just read my review of this movie to see what I think about it). I think The Shape of Water could just as easily win as Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, but I also think something like Get Out could pull off an upset. It's going to be interesting to see how it all pans out!

PREDICTION: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

MY CHOICE: Lady Bird (barely nudging Dunkirk)

Best Director

Dunkirk - Christopher Nolan

Get Out - Jordan Peele

Lady Bird - Greta Gerwig

Phantom Thread - Paul Thomas Anderson

The Shape of Water - Guillermo del Toro

Christopher Nolan is a brilliant director who deserves this award for previous movies (most notably The Dark Knight & Inception) as well as Dunkirk. I’d be THRILLED if he won, but I don’t think he will...

PREDICTION: Guillermo del Toro

MY CHOICE: Christopher Nolan

Best 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.

I think this one is pretty much a slam dunk even though I’d LOVE to see an upset and have Daniel Kaluuya win.

PREDICTION: Gary Oldman

MY CHOICE: Timothée Chalamet

Best 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

I think this is a slam dunk too, but I think Saoirse Ronan gave the best performance that I saw (I haven’t seen I, Tonya yet and I think Jessica Chastain got robbed for not being nominated for Molly’s Game).

PREDICTION: Frances McDormand

MY CHOICE: Saoirse Ronan

Best 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

I loved Richard Jenkins in The Shape of Water, but I think Sam Rockwell will snag this one.

PREDICTION: Sam Rockwell

MY CHOICE: Richard Jenkins

Best Supporting Actress

Mary J. Blige - Mudbound

Allison Janney – I, Tonya

Lesley Manville - Phantom Thread

Laurie Metcalf - Lady Bird

Octavia Spencer - The Shape of Water

As I said above, I haven’t seen I, Tonya yet, but from what I’ve heard, Allison Janney is great in it (as she is in everything) and will probably win. I thought Laurie Metcalf was great in Lady Bird.

PREDICTION: Allison Janney

MY CHOICE: Laurie Metcalf

Best 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

I really enjoyed Molly’s Game and thought it was a great story. I don’t think it’s going to win though...

PREDICTION: Call Me by Your Name - James Ivory

MY CHOICE: Molly’s Game - Aaron Sorkin

Best 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

This is a tough one for me because I absolutely LOVED The Big Sick and think it’s a shame that it didn’t get nominated for more Oscars. But Get Out is such a unique story (that I loved as well) that deserves to win. Can we have a tie for once? That’d suit me just fine!

PREDICTION: Get Out - Jordan Peele

MY CHOICE: The Big Sick - Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani