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.

$ $ $ $ $ $

-  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.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

-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.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

Emily

And the Oscar Nominees Are.....

Best Picture: "Black Swan," "The Fighter," "Inception," "The Kids Are All Right," "The King's Speech," "127 Hours," "The Social Network," "Toy Story 3," "True Grit," "Winter's Bone"

Best Actress: Annette Bening, "The Kids Are All Right"; Nicole Kidman, "Rabbit Hole"; Jennifer Lawrence, "Winter's Bone"; Natalie Portman, "Black Swan"; Michelle Williams, "Blue Valentine"

Best Actor: Javier Bardem, "Biutiful"; Jeff Bridges, "True Grit"; Jesse Eisenberg, "The Social Network"; Colin Firth, "The King's Speech"; James Franco, "127 Hours"

Best Supporting Actress: Amy Adams, "The Fighter"; Helena Bonham Carter, "The King's Speech"; Melissa Leo, "The Fighter"; Hailee Steinfeld, "True Grit"; Jacki Weaver, "Animal Kingdom"

Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale, "The Fighter"; John Hawkes, "Winter's Bone"; Jeremy Renner, "The Town"; Mark Ruffalo, "The Kids Are All Right"; Geoffrey Rush, "The King's Speech"

Best Director: Darren Aronofsky, "Black Swan"; David O. Russell, "The Fighter"; Tom Hooper, "The King's Speech"; David Fincher, "The Social Network"; Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, "True Grit"

Best Animated Feature: "How to Train Your Dragon," "The Illusionist," "Toy Story 3"


Best Screenplay: "Another Year," "The Fighter," "Inception," "The Kids Are All Right," "The King's Speech"


Best Adapted Screenplay: "127 Hours," "The Social Network," "Toy Story 3," "True Grit," "Winter's Bone"

Best Foreign Film: "Biutiful," "Dogtooth," "In a Better World," "Incendies," "Outside the Law"

Art Direction: "Alice in Wonderland," Robert Stromberg (Production Design), Karen O'Hara (Set Decoration); "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1," Stuart Craig (Production Design), Stephenie McMillan (Set Decoration); "Inception," Guy Hendrix Dyas (Production Design), Larry Dias and Doug Mowat (Set Decoration); "The King's Speech," Eve Stewart (Production Design), Judy Farr (Set Decoration); "True Grit," Jess Gonchor (Production Design), Nancy Haigh (Set Decoration)

Achievement in Cinematography: "Black Swan," Matthew Libatique; "Inception," Wally Pfister; "The King's Speech," Danny Cohen; "The Social Network," Jeff Cronenweth; "True Grit," Roger Deakins

Achievement in Costume Design: "Alice in Wonderland," Colleen Atwood; "I Am Love," Antonella Cannarozzi; "The King's Speech," Jenny Beavan; "The Tempest," Sandy Powell; "True Grit," Mary Zophres

Best Documentary Feature: "Exit Through the Gift Shop," "Gasland," "Inside Job," "Restrepo," "Waste Land"

Best Documentary Short Subject: "Killing in the Name," "Poster Girl," "Strangers No More," "Sun Come Up," "The Warriors of Quigang"

Achievement in Film Editing: "Black Swan," Andrew Weisblum; "The Fighter," Pamela Martin; "The King's Speech," Tariq Anwar; "127 Hours," Jon Harris; "The Social Network," Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Picture (Original Score): "How to Train Your Dragon," John Powell; "Inception," Hans Zimmer; "The King's Speech," Alexandre Desplat; "127 Hours," A. R. Rahman; "The Social Network," Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Achievement in Music Written for Motion Picture (Original Song): "Coming Home" from "Country Strong;" "I See the Light" from "Tangled;" "If I Rise" from "127 Hours;" "We Belong Together" from "Toy Story 3"

Best Animated Short Film: "Day and Night," Teddy Newton; "The Gruffalo," Jakob Schuh and Max Lang; "Let's Pollute," Feefwee Boedoe; "The Lost Thing," Shaun Tan and Andrwe Ruhemann; "Madagascar, A Journey Diary," Bastien Dubois

Best Live Action Short: "The Confession," Tanel Toom; "The Crush," Michael Creagh; "God of Love," Luke Matheny; "Na Wewe," Ivan Goldschmidt; "Wish 143," Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

Achievement in Sound Editing: "Inception," Richard King; "Toy Story 3," Tom Myers and Michael Silvers; "Tron: Legacy" Gwndolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague; "True Grit," Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey; "Unstoppable," Mark P. Stoeckinger

Achievement in Sound Mixing: "Inception," Lra Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick; "The King's Speech," Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley; "Salt," Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin; "The Social Network," Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten; "True Grit," Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland

Achievement in Visual Effects: "Alice in Wonderland," Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips; "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1," Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi; "Hereafter," Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell; "Inception," Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb; "Iron Man 2," Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

Country Strong

The number one reason I wanted to see this movie is because about half of it is filmed in Nashville. (Big promo for The Stage). Also, I like Gwyneth. So, I went in with low to moderate expectations, and was mostly pleased as a result. The previews don't accurately tell you what it's about (who is having relationships with who,etc) and I don't want to spoil it. But all in all, I liked it. It wasn't what I expected, and it was a lot more like Crazy Heart than I would have guessed. I think Tim McGraw is shaping up to be a fine actor, and Gwen gives a decent performance (not even close to her best, though). Leighton Meester was pretty good in it, but I did not like the young guy, Garrett Hedlund.

After giving it some thought, I realized there were some ways this good movie could have been a great movie. One, get rid of Hedlund entirely. Aside from his fantastic voice, he offered nothing to the story, if anything he watered it down and made it emotionally detached from the viewer. Also, Leighton Meester's fat chin just kept staring at me throughout the entire movie: distracting. But, leave those two things out and it's probably worth a matinee price, if you're interested in it, otherwise just watch Crazy Heart. It has better music, better acting, and a better story. Note, I did enjoy the music in the movie, but it's all country pop.... Also, note, if you don't like country music, don't see this movie.

$ $ $ $

-Emily

Black Swan

Whoa.  You may think you're ready for Black Swan, but you're not.

Here's what you probably already know going into the movie from the previews: Natalie Portman is a ballerina, chosen to play the Swan Queen in the upcoming production of Swan Lake.  Portman's character, Nina, is perfect for half of the role-- that of the White Swan.  Nina is innocent (read, naive), fresh, trusting and technically brilliant but cold.  Nina, however, must also dance the part of the Black Swan, a dark, seductive, emotional dance.  Everything she's not.  What follows is Nina's exploration of herself (quite literally at times) in an effort to unearth her own dark side.

Now, here's what you need to know about this movie: Black Swan is terrifying.  Nina seems to be losing touch with reality the more she embraces her darker side.  Her existence becomes shockingly unstable and violent.  People are hurt, although we're not sure exactly which people.

Here's my advice: Don't try too hard to figure out the ending-- you can't.  Take the film a bit more at face value and appreciate the physical, mental and emotional devotion that great performers must pour into their craft to excel.  The scenes of the dancers cracking toes, popping seemingly every joint in their body, splitting toenails because of over-exertion and undergoing tortuous physical therapy are every bit as unsettling as the psychological frights.  Nina pushes herself to perform at unimaginable levels.  There is a price for such perfection.

$$$$$
(Would be a fine rental, but everyone will be talking about this movie, particularly Portman's performance, during awards season.)

-  Stuart

Holiday Movie Favorites

It is the most wonderful time of the year, and there a few movies that are my favorite repeat watches for the month of December. People all have their favorites and it usually doesn't matter what anyone else says about your holiday favorite movies, you will watch them all in the next week. Forced Family Fun!

I will start with my recent holiday fav, Love Actually. I don't know anyone who doesn't love this movie. It is just so dadgum good! I've watched it twice this month already, and I probably will again before next Saturday. The acting is great, the stories are great, and I cry every time I watch it. I know its Christmas time when I get to pop this movie in the DVD player.

Another more recent favorite is, The Holiday. I realize this is a super girly Christmas movie, but I don't really care. I love it. It is so picturesque, funny, and sweet. Plus how can you not love Jude Law? Kate Winslet? It's Christmas movie gold, people!

Another good, girly holiday movie I enjoy is The Family Stone. I watch this movie and want a big house in the northeast and lots of kids....it also makes me want to wear a big ring on my pointer finger a la Diane Keaton. It is a sweet family story, with a lot of actors I really love.Unfortunately, I have been at a loss to find it at any stores that sell movies and it is really making me sad. Don't worry, I won't give up.

On to some classic movies, my family always watches It's A Wonderful Life over Christmas, usually on Christmas Eve. If you haven't seen this movie, you are seriously missing out on some mandatory American culture. Jimmy Stewart is the best as George Bailey,  and there is no better villain than Mr.Potter. For me, this is the ultimate holiday movie.

My father might say that the best holiday movie is A Christmas Story. Fortunately, I think everyone has seen this movie as TBS shows it for 24 hours straight on Christmas Day every year. Always worth catching at least one airing of it though. You have to see a tongue stuck to a flagpole to truly ring in Christmas.

And most people I know also love watching Christmas Vacation. I'm going to make an admission though, I don't think I've ever actually watched this movie all the way through. I KNOW! I KNOW! I'm embarrassed. I promise I'll watch it next week.

Happy Holidays to all!

-Emily

Emily's Oscar Predictions

Before the Golden Globe nominations are announced tomorrow, I wanted to place my bets on likely Oscar  Nominations (which will be released January 25). I haven't yet seen all of the movies I think will be nominated in some degree, in fact some aren't even in theaters yet, so I may be wrong. However, I think I will be right on most of them. Without any further ado, here are my top 10 movies of 2010:

Black Swan
True Grit
Winter's Bone
127 Hours
The Social Network
Rabbit Hole
The King's Speech
The Fighter
The Kids Are Alright
Inception

My two other possibilities are Toy Story 3 and The Town, but I feel less confident the Academy will pick either of these.

Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges for True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network
Colin Firth for The King's Speech
James Franch for 127 Hours
I have also heard a lot about Ryan Gosling in Blue Valentine

Best Actress:
Natalie Portman for Black Swan
Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole
Annette Bening for The Kids Are Alright
Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone
And joining her costar, Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine

Best Director:
Danny Boyle for 127 Hours
Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan
Coen Brothers for True Grit
David Fincher for The Social Network
Christopher Nolan for Inception

Let the Awards Season begin!

127 Hours

Knoxville gets limited releases about a month after everyone else, so I was just recently able to see 127 Hours. I know everyone has already said what a great movie this is, but it really is. James Franco is simply fantastic, if he doesn't get a nomination it will be a crying shame. This is just a great story of survival, and this movie makes you feel like you were right there with him. It tells the true story of outdoors-man Aaron Ralston who in 2003 went off alone on a hike/climb in the canyons of Utah and got trapped by a boulder. It doesn't shy away from any of the details, and there are a couple of moments that are hard to watch. However, it really is a great story and Danny Boyle directs it perfectly. You feel like you've fought a war when it is over, but its worth the watch. I highly recommend seeing it if you get a chance!

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

-Emily

Winter's Bone

The final film I watched on Friday was Winter's Bone. As it turns out, I really did watch these in order from ok to great. Winter's Bone and The Kids Are Alright lead nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards, and deservedly so. Winter's Bone is absolutely one of the best acted movies I've ever seen. It was just so convincing, I felt like I was watching real life. This movie is set in rural Missouri and centers around a 17 year old girl named Ree. She is has been left with the task of raising her two younger siblings because her mother suffers from an incapacitating mental disease and her father has been in and out of jail for cooking meth. Her father has recently used their house and land as collateral for his bond and if he doesn't show up for trial they will lose everything. Ree sets out to find her father so she can save her family. It reads as a sad and depressing movie, but it was really more of a tough look at the lives of a lot of America's rural poor. It isn't easy to watch, but it wasn't about tears and misery. It's about the toughness and unfairness that life is for some people. If anything it made me want to go put hams by the doors of those peeling, sagging tiny houses it is so easy to glance over but which pepper the entire south. This is by far one of the best movies of the year and I won't be surprise to see it nominated for more and more awards as the next few months go by. Highly recommended.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $

-Emily