The King's Speech

This movie was a little surprising. When I first heard of it, I thought that it couldn't possibly be THAT interesting. And well, it wasn't that interesting, BUT it was definitely better than I thought it was going to be. Unfortunately, I don't have much to say about it. One thing I absolutely loved about it was the cinematography. They did a really good job of making the crowds look really overwhelming and Colin Firth really inferior. I don't know exactly what they did, it was almost like a fish-eye type thing. It's hard to explain, but it was very effective and really cool. The cast did a great job. And, as I've said before, I think Colin Firth is a shoe-in for Best Actor. I think this is a boring choice, and am hoping for a huge upset in either Jesse Eisenberg or James Franco, but he did do very well in this role. He was very believable. Geoffrey Rush was really good, unfortunately, he's against Christian Bale, so I don't think he'll win, but he was very good. Mostly, right after I saw this movie, I wasn't that impressed. It wasn't until a week or so after I saw it that I started to appreciate the good things about it.

Toy Story 3

Now, this is a great movie. It is possibly one of the best sequels ever created. I grew up with Toy Story. I remember loving all of the characters when the movie first came out. It was one of the first Pixar movies, and that was something no one had ever really seen before. Also, I don't think they did it with this one, but the original Toy Story was one of the ones with the short at the beginning, was it not? Those were hysterical. Anyway, they did a fantastic job with this movie. It sucks that it took ten plus years to get another one made, but on the plus side, since there was such a big gap, a whole new generation of kids can learn to love it now. As far as the story goes, I really liked how they did it. I loved how Andy was basically my age, and I thought the whole day care thing was really clever. I'm glad that they got all of the same people back for the voices. It just would not have been the same without Tim Allen or Tom Hanks. This movie is funny, and it also made me cry. (And according to Entertainment Weekly, it also made 40-year-old men cry). What truly makes this movie is that it is for everyone. You could tell that there was a conscious effort to make it relatable to the original Toy Story audience, but it also was rooted in the kid movie genre, which appealed to the new kids. I think it also set itself up pretty well for some more sequels (Fingers Crossed*) It is a great movie, and it's a shoe-in for Best Animated feature, but unfortunately it can't compete with the heavy hitters of the Best Picture category. It's great that it's nominated though. This is two years in a row, since the Academy adopted the 10 nominee Best Picture category that an animated movie has been nominated. Last year it was Up. I think it's great that animated movies are getting recognized for their greatness. If I remember correctly, up until these past couple of years, the most recent animated movie to be nominated for Best Picture was Beauty and the Beast. I loved it, and I could watch it again and again.

My Arch Nemesis

I know the Oscars are in a week, and I still have a few Best Picture noms to go through, but I've been watching movies with my least favorite actor in the world lately.

Nicholas Cage

He is the one actor that I can NOT stand. I just don't like him. Something about the way he talks, the way he looks, and the movies he chooses to do that just irks me. The National Treasure movies and Gone in 60 Seconds jump out as terrible ones for me. But in the past couple of days, I've watched two movies that prove that he wasn't always so horrible; he actually has some talent....or did, I guess.

 Tonight, it was Raising Arizona. It is an extremely weird comedy about Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter stealing a baby and mayhem ensues. Nicholas Cage was actually really funny during this movie. I actually forgot that he was who he was for a little while. I thought the entire cast was great. John Goodman was hysterical. It's a Coen Brothers movie, and it definitely seemed like one. I called it before I looked it up, but it was one that I could get on board with. It was the right amount of weird, and I think the zaniness and ridiculousness made it even funnier.
The other movie I watched was Leaving Las Vegas. Now, this is the movie that could potentially restore my faith in Nicholas Cage. It was a great performance by him. The movie is about a man who goes to Las Vegas to drink himself to death, and on the way he meets a woman. I could not believe the amount of alcohol he was putting into his system, and before this movie, I didn't know it was possible to have physical signs of withdrawal from alcohol. It was probably the saddest movie I've ever seen. Way sadder than any movie about Alzheimer's I've ever seen, and maybe even sadder than Marley & Me. It is definitely worth it though. I can't stop thinking about it. It is just so haunting how someone could be that messed up. I recommend you watch it. It's on instant play of Netflix.
I must say that these two movies really do give Nicholas Cage a little bit more credit than I ever have given him. While I still can't stand his voice or his face, I'm starting to appreciate his talent a little bit more. And I'm going to stop discriminating against movies he's in. I almost did that with Kick Ass but that turned out to be a really great movie that I loved.

True Grit

Going in to this movie, I did not have high expectations. In my eyes, it has quite a few things going against it: it's a western, a remake of a JOHN WAYNE (bleh!) movie, a Coen Brother's movie, and it has Jeff Bridges as that same guy from Crazy Heart. I normally don't like Coen Brothers movies, I really don't like John Wayne, and Jeff Bridges has been getting on my nerves. That being said, this movie was actually pretty good. It wasn't the typical weird, "I don't get it" Coen Brothers movie, so that was refreshing. I heard that the original movie was more about the John Wayne/Jeff Bridges character, but with the remake, they decided to make it more about all three of them, the girl in particular. Great move. I think the girl is a great character. She's a strong young woman who can fend for herself pretty well. I liked her a lot. I also liked Hailee Steinfeld. I thought she was really good for the part. Also, I was pleasantly surprised by Matt Damon. He was really good in this movie, and his character definitely brought some light to the film. I think that the Coen's could have really weirded out this movie, but they didn't, thankfully. They made some interesting choices as far as staying with the original. I can't be sure, seeing as how I haven't seen the original, but when Jeff Bridges is riding the girl to the doctor, they used a continuous shot with just the background changing. I could see it being like that in the original. It looked very old-timey. My mom didn't like that, but I thought it was a great tribute. I kind of like when things intentionally look old or fake. Overall, though, I don't really have much of an opinion of this movie, other than it surpassed my very low expectations. I don't think it will do very well at the Oscars either. It didn't get any Golden Globe nominations, and all of its competitors are just too good. In Entertainment Weekly this week, they predicted that Hailee Steinfeld will beat out Melissa Leo for best supporting actress. I think that is absolutely nuts. Hailee was good, but not better than Leo. Not by a long shot.

Inception

When I first saw this movie, I was so excited about it. It was the first great movie in a really long time. It was instantly put on my list of favorite movies. I just think this movie is so cool. The story idea is extremely original. There hasn't really ever been a movie like it. It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole movie; there is never a dull moment. The dialogue, at times, is weird, stale, and forced. I guess this could be because the whole thing seems pretty ridiculous. The whole world is so elaborate and so far from reality, and if the dialogue isn't strong enough, it just seems fake. The whole movie isn't like this, but there are definitely instances. I think for the most part, they did a good job of putting us into that world. It takes such creativity to think of something so new and out there. I think this movie works so well because it's a twist on a typical heist movie. It is very action-packed, it has mystery, love, loss, and it has comedic moments-- the entire package.
Another thing that makes this movie so good is the way it looks and sounds. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. The fight scene with shifting and zero gravity is the coolest thing ever. They did such a great job with it, and it completely looked real. As far as other things go, it just blew my mind to see streets folded on top of each other, and I thought it was so interesting-looking when the dreams collapsed. Also, when they keep cutting back between the different layers, I thought that was so cool. Also, the cast of this movie is absolutely outstanding. Marion Cotillard, in particular, was so impressive. I loved her in this movie. I think that the Academy definitely missed the mark on the acting categories, at least for Marion and Leo. But it's really hard for the performances of a summer blockbuster to resonate above the people of the "Oscar Season" movies.
At the end, I loved how everything tied together, it was like I forgot what was real and what wasn't. Like I completely forgot that they were actually on a plane the entire time. That's another reason this movie worked, even with the ending, it kept me guessing and questioning reality the whole time. I think the ending was perfect. It leaves the viewer to decide if it was happy or not. I, for one, was overcome with happiness for Leo's character. I absolutely loved this movie.

The Social Network

In honor of talking about David Fincher, I wanted to do The Social Network. When I first heard of this movie, I thought to myself, "Are you kidding me, a Facebook movie?!", as I'm sure a lot of you did. Needless to say, going into it, I wasn't really excited, and I had no expectations. This movie absolutely blew me away. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what makes it so great, but I will try. First, Mark Zuckerberg (even though I know he's a real person) is SUCH a great character. He has all the redeeming qualities of the protagonist, but also the qualities of the bad guy. I found myself rooting for him, feeling sorry for him, and hating him all at the same time. Not only Mark Zuckerberg was a good character, but so was Eduardo and the Winklevoss twins. Eduardo straddled the line between being a total pushover and being tough and a badass. The twins were like the total stereotypical pampas Harvard students. Also, the story was just really interesting. I had no idea about all of the stuff that went on. And another thing that made it interesting was just how smart they all were. It's hard to imagine that much brain power packed into one person.
I know that people are skeptical because of everything the real Mark is saying about how it isn't true and stuff like that. But the truth of the matter is that no one is going to just be okay with looking like an ass on a worldwide stage like he did. But even if it isn't true... it's a MOVIE, and a damn entertaining one at that. So who cares? I sure don't, and you shouldn't either. Long story short, see this movie. It is probably my favorite one of the year. And I'm sure everyone of this generation can appreciate it. Facebook and social networking sites have pretty much defined us. This is the movie of our generation, and people will be talking about it for a very long time.

Best Director

No real surprise nominees here. I am surprised, however, that Danny Boyle wasn't nominated for 127 Hours. Not only is he a genius, and 127 was masterful, but ever since Slumdog Millionaire, he has got an 'in' with the Academy. Otherwise, I really like David Fincher for this category. The Social Network was awesome and the acting was really good in it, which is a testament to the directing. I really hope the Coen brothers don't win. I am like morally against them. Everyone seems to absolutely love their movies... I just don't get them. True Grit was a pretty normal movie as far as all of theirs go, but I'm just tired of them. It's like the Academy has a quota to fill: At least one Coen Brother's movie must be nominated every year. It's boring. Boring especially because they win a LOT of the time. Luckily, however, I don't think they have a chance this year, really. Their competition is too good, and their movie being shut out at the Golden Globes does not fair well for them. If Fincher has any real competition, I would say it is Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan. The movie was so unique, and I thought it was done extremely well.

The Kids Are All Right

This movie stars Annette Bening and Julianne Moore as a lesbian couple with two kids. Their kids find their sperm donor father, Mark Ruffalo, and mayhem ensues. I’ve seen this movie twice, and I enjoyed it both times. It was not my favorite movie, however; I thought it was kind of cliché and just slow moving. Also, I thought the dialog was weird and awkward. I thought this especially when the daughter was talking. Her dialog seemed way too forced, and it didn’t sound like that would be coming out of a teenager’s mouth. One thing I thought was really funny (and kind of desperate) throughout the movie was Annette Bening’s wardrobe. There is one scene in particular that I can remember, when the couple is buying landscaping supplies, and she is wearing a denim, cut-off, button-up shirt. It’s like they were trying really hard to prove that she was really a lesbian. I thought it was funny because it was so stereotypical, but I can definitely see that it was desperate. I am a big Annette Bening fan, but in this movie, I didn’t really believe her. She seemed like the same exact person as other movies she’s been in. Also, I did not really enjoy Mark Ruffalo in this movie. He just seemed way too doofy and awkward for no reason. I don’t think that he should have been nominated, but oh well. Overall, this movie was okay. It wasn’t anything really special.

Just a Fun Video

I'll have a new post soon-ish, but in the meantime, here's a pretty funny video from Dana Carvey's return to SNL.

Party On!

Supporting Categories

Best Supporting Actor
While I love this category this year, it is also the source of the biggest snub of all the nominations! This category is very strong this year. Christian Bale is the obvious front runner in my eyes. He is also my favorite. He was absolutely perfect in The Fighter. From two minutes into that movie, I thought Bale should and would win. He totally made that movie what it was. His performance was so dynamic, and I completely forgot that he was Christian Bale. Other than him, everyone was good, but no one compares. The snub is Andrew Garfield. He definitely should have been nominated for his role in The Social Network. Mark Ruffalo took his place, and I don't think he was very deserving of a nomination; especially when it kicked Andrew Garfield back. I am a huge Mark Ruffalo fan, don't get me wrong, but I don't really consider him a great actor. I thought his performance in The Kids Are All Right was very one-sided.

Best Supporting Actress
Again, a very strong category. There isn't much to say about it. Melissa Leo should win and is going to. She was amazing in The Fighter. She will win it in a landslide. She was awesome. Leo, along with Christian Bale, totally stole that movie. She was perfect as the crazy, overbearing stage mom. My second choice would probably be Hailee Steinfeld, but I don't think she has a chance in hell against the competition. I am kind of disappointed that Mila Kunis wasn't nominated. I thought her performance in Black Swan was haunting. I can't really compare her to the woman who is nominated instead of her, I didn't see Animal Kingdom.

Winter's Bone

I know many of you probably haven't even heard of this movie. It is a small independent film that did very well at Sundance. I watched this movie a couple days ago as a refresher. I saw it when it first came out in August not expecting it to get and Oscar recognition. And here it is with four nominations. When I saw it the first time, I wasn't really excited by it at all. I was pretty indifferent about it, actually. This time around, it still didn't really excite me, but I could appreciate it more. It is about a girl's search for her father in order to keep her home. The biggest thing I can say about this movie is that it has SO MUCH character. Every single one of the actors just looked so real and so unique. It was like they really were those people. I was thoroughly impressed. This is a testament to the acting, but also the makeup and costume people. Just looking at these people just gave me the creeps and made me think that they weren't good people. The acting really was great in this movie. Jennifer Lawrence was very convincing, and I was extremely impressed by John Hawkes. Very good nominations. The first time I watched it, I didn't really notice him as much, but this time I did. The story is kind of slow moving, and there are quite a few characters to keep track of. So, it's not my favorite, at all. I can always tell something isn't that good when I don't really know what to say about it.

Oscar Winners

I posted my predictions a couple days ago, and here is why I think those people will win come Oscar night.

 Best Actor         

This category is AMAZING this year. I have three favorites out of this group. Jesse Eisenberg was my favorite until very recently. In The Social Network, I think that he did a great job. He was pompous and did a perfect job of making us think he's an asshole and hate him while feeling sorry for him at the same time. He is so under estimated. Before this movie, I didn't really think anything of him even though I absolutely loved Zombieland. I think it's great that he's getting recognition for this great role. James Franco in 127 Hours is my new favorite. This may not be surprising because I've already gushed about that movie on here, and I continue to do it to ANYONE that will listen to me. That being said, he was so likable and courageous, and he carried the movie excellently. I mean, he's on screen for 95% of the movie.  He did a great job showing Aron's struggle to stay present in his own mind and not give up. Even though these two are my personal favorites, I have to say that the Oscar will go to Colin Firth. He did very well, don't get me wrong, but his performance wasn't exciting at all. The King's Speech is the complete formulaic Oscar movie, plus the Academy loves a speech impediment. I have to admit this is kind of disappointing, and I hope that me, and everyone else, are wrong. Jeff Bridges is over-rated in my opinion, he won last year, and I'm tired of him. And I didn't see Biutiful, but I don't really think that Javier Bardem has a chance. It is impressive, however, that he got nominated for a foreign film.

Best Actress

In this category, my favorite is also who I think will win. Natalie Portman is a shoe-in for this category. She was perfect as Nina in Black Swan. Vulnerable with a dark side, and completely crazy. She was eerie and did a perfect job of being afraid of not knowing what she is capable of. I absolutely loved her. Her only real competition is Annette Bening as Nic in The Kids Are All Right. I've always been a fan of hers, ever since American Beauty, which is my favorite movie of all time. But she was not my favorite in this movie. I feel like her character was just a repeat of Carolyn from American Beauty. Also, she just seemed to try way too hard to be stereotypically gay. Jennifer Lawrence did a pretty good job, but I think that Winter's Bone is just too small of a movie and she's just too young with way too strong of competition. I haven't seen Rabbit Hole or Blue Valentine, but I am a huge Michelle Williams fan, so I'm sure she's good in her movie. 

More to come. I figured I'd do them in groups. 26 Days til the ceremony!!