My Oscar Predictions - All 24 Categories!

 

My Oscar Predictions

for

The 85th Academy Awards

 

 

 

Another year of movies has come and gone. Tomorrow The Oscars will determine the best of the best in film. There are really only two clarifications I need to make before I make my predictions. 1) With these first categories dealing with Documentaries, Short Films, and Foreign Films, I am just guessing randomly. I have about zero knowledge of these categories, but it's still fun to try and guess the winner. I will start my picks with the boring categories and end with the bigger ones. 2) My picks for the bigger categories are those I believe the Academy will pick. My picks are not meant to reflect whom I would prefer to win, though there are sure to be some instances where my preferences will coincide with the actual winners. So, with that out of the way let's get started!

The 1st Annual Todd Awards - Winners

The 1st Annual Todd Awards

-Winners-

The time is here. I have decided to post the winners of The Todd Awards on the eve of the Oscars so that the Oscar winners will not affect my own personal choices for the categories that are similar. Please do not confuse this list with my own Oscar predictions for the two are very different. These are my own awards. Not everyone will agree with my choices, because we all have our own preferences and these are just mine. Hopefully, there will be some that you support or can, at least, appreciate. Without further ado, here are the winners:

Redbox Review: "End of Watch"

End of Watch

Director: David Ayer
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Anna Kendrick, and Frank Grillo.
Rated R for strong violence, some disturbing images, pervasive language including sexual references, and some drug use.

This week, End of Watch arrived at Redbox. This was one I had meant to see while in theaters, but just never got around to it. This is a hard hitting, in-your-face look at what two cops go through every day in one of the most dangerous cities in America. Let me start out by saying this movie is not for everybody. It contains extreme language that is constant throughout the movie and some disturbing violent content. If those are things that you can deal with then End of Watch may be worth your time.

Need a Redbox? Check out "The Perks of Being a Wallflower".

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Director: Steve Chbosky
Cast: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, and Paul Rudd.
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, drug and alcohol use, sexual content including references, and a fight - all involving teens.

There have been many films about a teenage outsider just trying to survive high school and, if possible, win the heart of that one amazing girl. Perks is another one of those stories. What makes this film stand out is its great young cast and the subtle, yet honest, performance by Logan Lerman. The late John Hughes once said that adults tend to treat teenagers and their problems as inferior to real adult problems. According to Hughes, when you are a teenager and you are going through those problems, they are as real as anything, and because they are real they should not dismissed so easily. Writer/director Steve Chbosky definitely applies what Hughes was saying with this film.

Charlie (Lerman) is starting his freshman year shortly after losing his best friend to suicide. He has no friends and not even his older sister will sit with him at lunch. Charlie often writes letters to some mysterious penpal (possibly himself) describing his feelings. He also talks about an aunt that was his best friend before her death when he was just a boy. Soon, Charlie is befriended by a free spirited senior, Patrick (Ezra Miller), and his step sister, Sam (Emma Watson). Charlie quickly begins falling for Sam as he spends more time with her discovering how much they have in common especially when it comes to music and literature. As the school year comes to an end Charlie must prepare to let Sam go off to college, and he must come to terms with what really happened with his aunt.

As I briefly mentioned before, this young cast is just fantastic. Ezra Miller has a stand out performance as the fun, yet sensitive Patrick. Emma Watson proves that she has the potential to have a wonderful career outside of the Harry Potter universe. There is great warmth and charm that she brings to her character. Logan Lerman is sensational as Charlie. His character could have easily been too bland or Lerman could have overacted some scenes, but instead he brings Charlie to life in such a believable way. Great writing and great characters make a great movie.

 

RATING:  A-

 

Movie Review: "Safe Haven" Made Me Not Want a Haven, Ever.

Safe Haven

Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Cast: Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, Cobie Smulders
Rated PG-13 for thematic material involving threatening behavior, and for violence and sexuality.

Let me just start by saying I am not entirely opposed to "chick flicks". If I am in a sappy enough mood I can find enjoyment from The Notebook. Last year's The Vow, however, gave me a very bad taste in my mouth for the genre. Safe Haven did not help. At least The Notebook had two lead actors who are actually very talented. It seems like each Nicholas Sparks adaptation gets less and less talented actors for the leads, yet somehow these movies keep bringing in the big bucks. Forgive me as I pick the movie apart:

The plot. Katie (Julianne Hough) flees from a violent relationship with an obsessed cop tracking her down. Sounds a lot like Sleeping with the Enemy, but at least that film focused more on the thriller side of the story than the love story. Not the case with Safe Haven. Katie ends up in a beautiful town in North Carolina where her future love, Alex (Josh Duhamel), awaits her. They begin a romance, but then Katie's troubled past catches up to her and threatens to ruin her new life with Alex.

It's not that the plot is awful. It's not original, but there are some interesting elements to be found. The problem is that it was so boring. It seemed to take forever to tell something that could have been told in about 20-30 minutes but why not drag it out, right? I felt no concern for any of the characters because I knew how they would turn out. Hough and Duhamel are adequate at best. There were definitely moments where Julianne Hough's beautiful looks could not overshadow her failed attempts at being angry or charming. Though the disaster that is this movie is not entirely the actors' fault. Yes, I'm looking at you, Nicholas Sparks.

You may have heard about the twist surprise ending. It's so blatantly stupid that it boils my blood. Reader beware because here comes a major spoiler alert. If you still have intentions of seeing the movie and don't want it ruined then stop reading now! Still here? Ok, let's get into it. So upon arriving in the small town, Katie makes a new friend named Jo (Cobie Smulders). Throughout the movie, Katie warms up to Jo and the two confide in each other and take walks together. At the end of the movie, Alex gives Katie a letter that was written by his late wife before she died of cancer. The letter is addressed to the woman who Alex would fall in love with. Alright, I'm fine with that. There's potential with what's written in the letter. But then there is a picture with the letter (why would there be a picture of the dead wife for the new girl to see? Random), and guess who it is??? JO!!! She was dead the whole time!! Are you effing kidding me?! So either Katie is crazy by imagining Jo or Jo is actually a ghost who decides to hang out with her husband's future love (by the way, how did Jo know that Katie would be the one?) instead of maybe comforting her struggling son. I guess Nicholas Sparks was trying to be as creative as The Sixth Sense, but he failed miserably. One of the worst endings I've ever seen.

The only redeeming qualities found in Safe Haven are the actors' good looks, the adorable little girl who plays Josh Duhamel's daughter, and the beauty of North Carolina. That is it.

RATING:  D

The 1st Annual Todd Awards (2012)

The 1st Annual Todd Awards

 

-Nominations-

I have decided to further indulge my obsession with movies by creating my own little movie awards. Every year, the Oscars let me down in some of the big categories. Last year was a huge disappointment all around, not only with the winners ("The Artist"), but with many of the nominees as well. Most of the time the Academy Awards tend to recognize the more artistic films of the year rather than blockbusters. I do agree that most of the better films are not the summer blockbusters we flock to see, but unlike the Academy, I feel that not all blockbusters should be overlooked.

Need a Redbox? Check Out "Here Comes the Boom".

Here Comes the Boom

Director: Frank Coraci
Cast: Kevin James, Salma Hayek, Bas Rutten, and Henry Winkler.
Rated PG for bouts of MMA sports violence, some rude humor, and language.

Despite what many may think, I do not see every movie that comes to theaters. Though I like Kevin James, this one just did not appeal to me. However, I was told by some family and friends that I should check it out. Here Comes the Boom arrived in Redbox this past week so I decided to give it a try, and I was pleasantly surprised.


Kevin James does so much better on his own than he does when he tags alone with Adam Sandler whose comedic touch has rapidly declined since the early 2000s. James plays Scott Voss, a discouraged Biology teacher who once had a flare for teaching but has since found no motivation in his job. When the school needs to make budget cuts they decide to give the music program the axe. This directly affects Voss's fellow colleague played by Henry Winkler. Voss decides he will not let his good friend lose his job and resolves to raise the money himself to save the music program. After seeing a UFC fight he learns that the loser of the fight was paid $10,000. A former wrestler in college, Voss elects to begin training not to win, but to lose in the UFC. What follows is a funny ride.

If you are a fan of Kevin James then you will definitely find the humor here. This is a movie that the whole family can enjoy aside from a little MMA violence which is nothing too grotesque or cringe-worthy. At the heart of the film is a touching story with some motivational themes. For $1.20 at Redbox, Here Comes the Boom was worth every penny. Oh, and how great does Salma Hayek look even in her late 40s?!

 

RATING:  B

Movie Review: "Zero Dark Thirty" Builds and Builds to a Mesmerizing Conclusion.

Zero Dark Thirty

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Edgar Ramirez, Mark Strong, Joel Edgerton, and Chris Pratt
Rated R for language, brutal disturbing images, and strong violence.

This is a knock out film. It is the story of how the CIA tracked Osama Bin Laden for nearly a decade and ultimately found him. Whatever details may be fictionalized or exaggerated will most likely go unnoticed. The events in this film are depicted very realistically and are extremely detailed. At just shy of three hours long, the film spans from September 11, 2001 all the way through the death of Bin Laden in 2011.


The film does not mess around with politics or the war in Iraq. It has one purpose - find and kill Osama Bin Laden. Jessica Chastain plays the CIA Agent assigned to the task. She gives one of the best performances of the year. Chastain makes you feel the toll it takes to hunt a terrorist in the most hostile of circumstances. It is the intelligence that she gathers that leads to the raid on Bin Laden's compound, though she appears to be the only one who actually believes he is hiding there. The film is long, but its length does not feel unnecessary. Every detail only confirms how arduous it was to find Bin Laden.

The last half of the film is fascinating. The scenes begin to build on each other with increasing intensity. It is a shame that director Kathryn Bigelow was snubbed of an Oscar nomination, because it is her doing that makes this film powerful and effective. The finale depicting the raid on Osama's compound will have your eyes glued to the screen.

There are select movies that I believe all people need to see, and these movies tend to have major historical significance much like Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan. Zero Dark Thirty is one of those movies. Such movies are not always easy to watch, but they are not meant to be. They are meant to show you something important, something we should not forget. I know I won't forget Zero Dark Thirty.

RATING:  A+

Movie Review: "Gangster Squad" is Stylish yet Familiar.

Gangster Squad

Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, and Sean Penn
Rated R for strong violence and language.

Gangster Squad is inspired by a true story about the manhunt for gangster Mickey Cohen. According to the film, the Los Angeles Police Department is fed up with the city's acceptance of an East Coast thug running the town, so a police unit is formed to wage war on Mickey Cohen and his illegal activities. This police unit's actions will be kept off the record and if they are discovered the city will deny knowledge of their mission.
Enter Josh Brolin as a World War II vet who only knows how to fight a war. He recruits a team of incorruptible cops and they begin creating havoc for Cohen, played by Sean Penn.

The cinematography and slow-motion gunfights give the film a more comic book feel than an actual account of history. The action is very stylized and entertaining. The film's strengths are its cast of great actors. Brolin seems to be at home playing an angry cop and Ryan Gosling puts in as much as he can into his somewhat dull character. Gosling and fellow Crazy, Stupid, Love costar Emma Stone have great chemistry together. Here's hoping they pair up for a third time on screen. Sean Penn is one of today's finest actors and he seems to be enjoying himself in this role as a villain, though he tries a little too hard at times.

What is weak about the film is its predictability. I am willing to concede that I have seen one too many movies, but even so I can still find myself surprised by a film's plot. Not here. Everything that happened could be seen coming twenty minutes ahead. I am convinced that screenwriter Will Beall used the plot of The Untouchables as his template here. Gangster Squad failed to have any element of surprise as opposed to the fantastic L.A. Confidential which left you guessing who was good or bad and who would live or die.

If you need some pretty mindless gangster action then this may be just what you are looking for. It is not worth much more than that.

RATING:  B-

My Top Ten of 2012

This year was a great year for movies. As I was reviewing the list of movies released this year, I kept thinking how difficult it would be to compose my Top 10 and then rank them! As always, I did not see everything and am always willing to reconsider my list once I do see the major contenders. Some of those I have not yet seen this year include: The Master, Wreck-It Ralph, Cloud Atlas, The Impossible, and End of Watch. So let's get to it. Here are my favorite 10 films of 2012, love 'em or hate 'em:

Movie Review: "Les Miserables" is FAR from Miserable.

Les Miserables

Director: Tom Hooper
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Samantha Barks, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sacha Baron Cohen
Rated PG-13 for suggestive and sexual material, violence, and thematic elements.


This movie, for me, has been a long-awaited event. My childhood was filled with Star Wars, Willow, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Batman, X-Men, and thanks to my parents, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, and Les Miserables (the musicals). I have enjoyed seeing many of these translated to film. Les Miserables was one I never thought could be made into a movie, but I had always hoped it would be. Now the day has come.


The broad and epic story was already difficult enough to adapt to film, but director Tom Hooper decided to make it an even bigger challenge. Unlike other movie musicals he decided to have his actors sing each song live on set. The performances were not prerecorded in a studio before filming began, and no lip-synching was done on camera. By doing this, the actors sang each song over and over again, each time giving a different performance. They were able to access all kinds of different emotions in their singing instead of just singing the words into a microphone in the confines of a studio. The result is something truly phenomenal.

If you are expecting to hear these famous tunes sung the way they are on stage then you are in for a big surprise, and possibly, you will be disappointed. If you want to hear these songs sung beautifully then listen to the broadway soundtracks or see the stage performance. But, what you will not see or hear from the stage is the intense emotion that is brought before you on screen. These actors (particularly Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and Eddie Redmayne) perform these songs like never before. It is in your face, intimate, raw, and very real. I have never teared up while watching this incredible musical performed on stage, but there were multiple times I had to wipe away tears as I watched it on screen. It was a joy to see the filmmakers expand the scope of the story in such a way the stage version never could, especially with its beautiful cinematography.

The story is timeless and very involved. It is a story of mercy, love, forgiveness, redemption, revolution, and sacrifice. The music portrays these themes perfectly. All the actors bring their A-game to their characters. As I mentioned before, the singing is raw and filled with emotion. Everyone does great in their respective roles. Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried are the weaker singers, but they hit their notes and their acting is superb. After seeing the movie and listening to the soundtrack on repeat, Crowe's interpretation of Javert has already grown on me, and if Russell Crowe is the weak link of a movie then it must be pretty damn good.

If you are a fan of the musical I can promise you that you will have never seen the story like this. These are not the broadway voices you are used to, but do not let that ruin the movie for you, because it is truly moving. The movie may not be for everyone especially those who are not fans of musical theater, but even still I encourage you to give it a try. This movie has the potential to change your mind. I cannot wait to see it again. 

RATING:  A

Movie Review: "Django Unchained" Should Be Called "Tarantino Unchained"

Django Unchained

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Samuel L. Jackson
Rated R for strong graphic violence throughout, a vicious fight, language, and some nudity.


Ah, Quentin Tarantino. He is one crazy dude and an even crazier filmmaker. No one else can take genre films and totally transform them the way Tarantino does. This time, he takes on a Western, but one that is mainly set in the South and dealing a great deal with slavery.
The plot is fairly straight forward and amounts to nothing more than a revenge thriller. And a revenge thriller at the hands of Tarantino is sure to be ultra-violent. The blood is abundant throughout the first half of the movie, but then walls are literally painted with gallons of it by the end.

The highlight of the movie was when Big Daddy (Don Johnson) leads a raid as KKK members. Despite the fact that these characters are racist pigs, the scene is absolutely hilarious. Again, only Tarantino can make a KKK raid hysterical. The first hour or so is extremely entertaining. The middle of the film slows down a bit, but is carried by Leonardo DiCaprio's performance as plantation owner Monsier Candie. He can quickly flip the switch from being charming to intimidating and very scary. The end is an absolute bloodbath. Django felt like it could have been about twenty minutes shorter and would have been better off, particularly towards the end.

My personal favorite film of Tarantino's is still Inglourious Basterds, but if you are a fan of Tarantino then you will definitely have to catch this one. It is overlong and excessively violent, but was still an entertaining and wild ride.

RATING: B+

My Film Review Rating System

There are many ways to rate a film these days. Many of the top critics use a four star system. There are those, however, that use five stars, letter grades, or "Two Thumbs Up" like Roger Ebert. For my film reviews I will be using the four star system. The breakdown is as follows: