And the Oscar Goes To.....

Best Picture:The King's Speech
Best Director: Tom Hooper for The King's Speech
Best Actor: Colin Firth for The King's Speech
Best Actress: Natalie Portman for Black Swan
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale for The Fighter
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo for The Fighter
(check out the full list of winners here: Oscars winners )
I went 9/10 on my picks, with my only loss being for Best Foreign Film, and that doesn't count much anyways, right?

My own awards:
Worst Hosts: James Franco and Anne Hathaway
Best Choice for Hosts for 2012: Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law
      Second Choice for Host for 2012: Billy Crystal
      Third Choice for Host for 2012: Sandra Bullock
Best Acceptance Speech: Luke Matheny for the Short Film "God of Love"
Worst Acceptance Speech (Ever?): Melissa Leo
Worst Singing: Gwenyth Paltrow
Most Unattractive Cleavage: Jennifer Hudson
Most Needs to be Shaved Beard: Christian Bale
Best Dressed: Penelope Cruz. I really liked her dress, and she had a baby a month ago and looked better than I ever could at any point in my life.
      Runner-up Best Dressed: Halle Berry, because she's the best looking 44 year old to ever live.
Worst Dressed: Mark Ruffalo's wife (who's name is Sunrise, what the what??) She looked like a mega-idiot.
      Runner-up Worst Dressed: Helena Bonham Carter who is taking the Bellatrix Lestrange role way too seriously in real life.

Bad Teacher

So, I had heard about this movie and wasn't that sure what to think, but I just now finally watched the trailer and WOW, I think this might be hilarious. (And yes, I realize that was a crazy run-on sentence). Check out the trailer, but just a warning, even the trailer is big time rated R!  Opens June 17!

The Hangover 2

May 26, 2011.

OMG.

It's Oscar Time!

Hello all, as you hopefully know, the Oscars are this Sunday! Woo!! Here are my predictions for the winners:

Best Picture: The King's Speech

Best Actor: Colin Firth

Best Actress: Natalie Portman OR Annette Bening, I can't decide here.

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale

Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo

Best Director: Tom Hooper (But, I really don't know on this one)

Best Animated: Toy Story 3

Best Screenplay: The King's Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network

Best Foreign Film: Biutiful

The rest I don't know enough about to make an educated guess. Look for a special edition post Sunday night with all the winners! I can't wait!

Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows

New title just released, more news to follow! Picture above is a scene from filming, with returning stars Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law and introducing Noomie Rapace who's career is about to explode all over the place (she was in the Millenium series Swedish version movies). I'm excited about this sequel! Opens December 16!

Bridesmaids

Ok, I have to be honest here... this movie might be terrible. It also might be funny. It's really really hard to tell from the trailer. Judd Apatow is producing what looks to be The Hangover for girls. Except maybe not funny. It stars Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolf, which is the only reason I am willing to wait and see. So... stayed tuned...

True Grit

So the review is a bit late, but this should complete a review for every movie nominated for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards.

Surely everyone knows the original True Grit.  No?  Well, if you don't remember all of the details from the original film, at least most remember John Wayne's performance.  He won his only Oscar for his portrayal of Rooster Cogburn, the surly, alcoholic, "one-eyed fat man," hired to chase down a murdering fugitive.  It seems that's the only thing I really recalled from the original.  It was John Wayne playing John Wayne (which is still pretty impressive).

That's what sets this film apart from its predecessor.  The current movie isn't just one-note; it draws on the entire cast (Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Barry Pepper, Josh Brolin and Hailee Steinfeld) to tell the story.  Coming from the Coen Brothers this eclectic and powerful line-up shouldn't be much of a surprise.

The plot stays the same: Young Mattie Ross's (Steinfeld) father is gunned down by Tom Chaney (Brolin) so she goes in search of help to track down the fugitive and bring retribution.  She hears that Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) is a man of 'true grit,' and she won't be deterred in her pursuit of Cogburn's services.

The Coen Brothers are now in the envious position in Hollywood of being able to hand-pick not only their projects but their cast as well.  They've gone back to the well on this one and brought back Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski) and Josh Brolin (No Country For Old Men).  Bridges is, of course, great in the role of Cogburn.  He saves the character from forever being remembered only as John Wayne.  The actress who has gotten the most attention, and deservedly so, is Steinfeld.  She's a fast-talking, street smart, young woman who is unintimidated by gun-fire or life on the trail.  One of my favorite scenes in the film was her explaining to a local businessman how she would reclaim a horse by filing a writ of replevin in the local court.

A pleasant surprise in the cast is Matt Damon as the Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (pronounced LaBeef).  LaBoeuf is a bit of a dandy and can't help himself from droning about how everything is better in Texas, a habit that the Coen Brothers and Cogburn find nearly as annoying as I do.  Still, LaBoeuf is welcome comedic relief in an otherwise serious film.

While the picture may be considered a Coen Brothers film first (something entirely unique) and a traditional Western second, it still goes to show that good film-makers can make Westerns that are both commercial and critical successes.  I hope others will take note and follow suit.

True Grit is a good film, not the Coen Brothers best (maybe only because it's not one of their original ideas), but still definitely worth the price of admission.  I predict it finishes in third place for Best Picture.

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-  Stuart

Movies always come out in twos.... Snow White edition.

I'm sure other people have noticed the peculiar trend of movies to come out in pairs, called dueling movies.

Independence Day vs Mars Attacks. Dante's Peak vs Volcano.Tombstone vs Wyatt Earp. Madagascar vs The Wild. Deep Impact vs Armageddon. The Illusionist vs The Prestige. The Truman Show vs Edtv. Antz vs A Bug's Life. This year its Friends With Benefits vs No Strings Attached.  

Well, next year it is no different, except that it is. We've got not two versions of Snow White coming our way, but possibly THREE.


Charlize Theron, Viggo Mortensen, and Kristen Stewart are supposedly starring in one version called, Snow White and the Huntsman. Theron will play the evil queen, Viggo the huntsman, and Stewart as Snow herself. Here, the huntsman sent to kill Snow on behest of the queen but changes his mind and helps defend her, seems like a semi-odd interpretation.


Julia Roberts is the evil queen in The Brothers Grimm: Snow White. This one is being filmed in 3D and is directed by Tarsem Singh who did The Fall and The Cell, both of which apparently had crazy visual effects. 

Meanwhile, Natalie Portman is in negotiations to be in yet another Snow White themed movie called Snow White and the Seven. This one is apparently set in 19th century China and the dwarfs and now warriors, possibly an interesting spin.  

So, it should be an interesting competition to keep track of.... stay tuned!

Something Borrowed

Something Borrowed trailer

In happy movie news of the day, I just saw the trailer for Something Borrowed! I, like most of the 20-something female population, read this book by Emily Griffin (and it's written, and sure to be film, sequel). I was a bit skeptical about the casting of Ginnifer Goodwin and Kate Hudson, but it seems from the preview they will do their roles justice. I also LOVE John Krasinski, so much. Er go, I am looking quite forward to this movie opening May 6.

Drive Angry, are you for real?

Is this some kind of a joke? I mean, seriously? Drive Angry? What the hell kind of title is that?!? Did they just decided to regurgitate the Ghost Rider script but in 3D and without the bursting into flames factor? Why have no movie execs realized what a waste of space Nic Cage is? It astounds me that he continues to make millions of dollars making crap movies. Seriously, the last good movie he did was The Rock. And that was a totally stupid movie really. Or, National Treasure, but again, a really stupid movie if we're being honest. So please, I beg you, don't go see this movie. You have been warned for your own good.

Check out our Summer 2011 Superheros....

Captain America Trailer

 July 22 

 Thor Trailer

May 6

Green Lantern Trailer.

June 17

X Men First Class Trailer
June 3

Red Riding Hood

I don't know about anybody else, but I am PSYCHED about this movie. I LOVE the trailer, and I hope the movie proves just as good. It's based on a book which I plan to read after watching, which I think bodes well for the movie. Also its being directed by Catherine Hardwicke who did Twilight, and we all know how much I love that movie. Opens March 11! At last decent (hopefully) movies for 2011 begin!

New Year's Eve

The ensemble cast returns with New Year's Eve, opening December 9, 2011. It is the supposed "sequel" to Valentine's Day, both of which are directed by Garry Marshall. Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin, Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hilary Swank, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Sofia Vergara, Zac Efron, Til Schweiger, Sienna Miller, Jon Bon Jovi, Seth Meyers, Josh Duhamel, Katherine Heigl, Alyssa Milano. This movie looks like it could be really great or really bad.... we'll see!

The Dark Knight Rises News

I don't know about anyone else but I am beyond excited for the newest installment of the Batman series, coming July 20, 2012. Christian Bale returns in the Christopher Nolan, certain to be blockbuster, action-packed, star-studded third movie in the series. It looks like Nolan loved his cast from Inception so much that he's invited half of them along for Batman 3 (no complaints here). Tom Hardy is set to play the villain Bane. Reportedly Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard are in talks to join the cast as well. (All we need now is LEO!) And Anne Hathaway will be catwoman. Stay tuned for more Batman news as it moves into filming later this year!

Look Who is Playing the New Superman!

Henry Cavill, my long time celeb crush!!! You may have seen him smoldering and smoking up the Showtime series, The Tudors. (Highly recommend) And at long last he will be making a big screen splash as the leading man in the upcoming re-adaptation of Superman. Christopher Nolan is producing and Zack Snyder directs (Watchmen and 300). Should be fantastic. (Note, Cavill was in the running for James Bond but Daniel Craig got it, and he was runner up to Christian Bale's Batman.) If you want to see previous work from Cavill check out Stardust or The Count of Monte Cristo, both of which are favorites of mine.

Stay tuned for more movie news and movie updates for 2011 and 2012! I am hoping to expand the blog coverage from not only reviewing but also reporting on important upcoming movie info.

The King's Speech

I want to be sure to cover all the Best Picture nominees, and The King's Speech is my current front runner. After the Golden Globes I was leaning toward The Social Network, but The King's Speech has been on an upwards roll heading into the final weeks of awards season. But aside from that, The King's Speech is just a really great movie. Colin Firth is a fantastic actor in everything he does, and I am thrilled at the accolades he has been receiving for his work in this movie, because he is superb as King George VI. I must admit that I am a huge fan of all things royal as well as a huge fan of historical/period films. On top of my good feelings going in to this, there is also the outstanding cast which sets this movie over and above the rest for 2010.

King George VI must overcome a speech impediment with the help of a speech therapist, played by Geoffrey Rush, to confidently lead England into World War II. This is such a moving, inspiring, and educational movie based on a true story. I heard that the writer of this story was asked by George VI's wife (the Queen Mother to the current Elizabeth II) to wait until after her death to publish it. And so it was many years later that the world was able to learn of the endearing story of one of it's certainly great, but often over looked, leaders.

A Best Picture in my book.

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-Emily

The Fighter

I saw The Fighter the week it opened but somehow failed to post about it at the time. That said, I really enjoyed this movie. The movie is based on the real life stories of boxers Irish Micky Ward and Dicky Eklund played by Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale respectively. Supporting cast is equally outstanding, with two supporting actress nominees Amy Adams and (likely Oscar winner) Melissa Leo. Wahlberg continues to outdo himself as an actor, producer, etc etc and whatever else he sets his hand to. It is a shame he didn't get the nomination from the Academy, he deserved at least that. And as I'm sure everyone has seen, Christian Bale has rightfully been gathering up the best supporting actor awards and will in all likelihood sweep right through the Oscars.

The Fighter is a well written, well acted movie that is touching and inspiring. It's a fascinating story, and one that I look forward to watching again soon. I highly encourage everyone to see this movie, it is sure to become a favorite of yours as well.

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Emily