06 Tuesday Jun 2017
Tags
A Perfect World, American Sniper, Bird, High Plains Drifter, Sully, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Unforgiven, White Hunter Black Heart
* * * * (Out of * * * *)
1. Sully (2016)
2. Bird (1988)
3. American Sniper (2014)
4. Unforgiven (1992)
* * * 1/2 (Out of * * * *)
1. A Perfect World (1993)
2. White Hunter Black Heart (1990)
3. The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)
4. High Plains Drifter (1973)
20 Tuesday Dec 2016
Posted in Uncategorized
To be a Great filmmaker in my opinion, one needs to direct 10 or more
* * * * star films. That is my highest rating. To be a Very Good filmmaker, one needs to direct a number of * * * * star films between the numbers of 5 and 10. To be a Good filmmaker, one needs to direct 4 or 5 * * * * star films. If one has directed 3 or less * * * * films, that makes him/her an OK director in my book. Here are my Favorite Directors of All-Time List (In Alphabetical Order)
Honorable Mention: John Landis
13 Friday May 2016
Tags
Alice and Martin, Barocco, Changing Times, Hotel America, I Don't Kiss, In the Name of My Daughter, My Favorite Season, Rendez-vous, Strayed, The Bronte Sisters, The Girl on the Train, The Scene of the Crime, The Witnesses, Thieves, Unforgivable, Wild Reeds
* * * * (Out of * * * *)
1. Wild Reeds (1994)
2. The Bronte Sisters (1979)
3. The Witnesses (2007)
4. Unforgivable (2012)
5. Thieves (1996)
6. My Favorite Season (1993)
7. I Don’t Kiss (1991)
8. Strayed (2003)
9. The Girl on the Train (2009)
10. Alice and Martin (1998)
(I saw it on an old VHS tape)
11. Rendez-vous (1985)
12. Barocco (1976)
13. In the Name of my Daughter (2014)
14. Hotel America (1981)
15. Changing Times (2004)
16. The Scene of the Crime (1986)
06 Wednesday Apr 2016
Posted in Uncategorized
A regular visitor of this site nicknamed JW of the website entitled “Film & Nuance” has nominated me for his alternate version of the “Liebster Award” which according to a blog post on it has nominated me for it. Click on this link for more info: https://filmandnuance.wordpress.com/2016/04/04/liebster-award-2/ This award seems to be one of those recognizes excellence in film blogging or lack thereof. Win or lose, I just want to give a big thank you to him for nominating me because it encourages me to believe that my blog is worth reading despite the fact that a majority of it consists of lists of my favorite films by various directors 🙂 While I am happy to be recognized, I personally feel that their are more deserving candidates than myself. For me, just seeing various people (bloggers or not) visiting this site and either leaving a positive comment or just liking a post is a significant achievement for me alone because it really shows that people find my blog interesting 🙂 Anyway, since I am a nominee, I have given 11 questions below (click on the above link) to answer since it is rule for all of the nominees 🙂
1.) What is your favorite hobby other than blogging(if it already is)? And why do you love it so much?
I love to go swimming because the water feels relaxing 🙂 I also love to watch tons of films via Blu-ray/DVD or just seeing them in the theater.
2.) What are your top 3 movies of all time? And your worst 3?
This had become a very tough question for me. This is not so much due to the fact that I love a lot of films, but it is because I am pretty much a firm believer in the “Auteur theory” which you can read more about on wikipedia (click on this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auteur_theory). At the same time though, If one were to ask me what my top 10 favorite films of all-time were, I would probably feel unsatisfied since for me that is a limited number 🙂 Since I talk about filmmakers a lot on this site though, I will say that as of now, my top 3 favorite filmmakers of all-time are: Robert Altman, Alfred Hitchcock and Akira Kurosawa. As with all of my favorite directors, I have more than 3 favorites, but here goes. My top 3 favorite Robert Altman films would be: Nashville (1975), Short Cuts (1993) and McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971). My top 3 favorite Alfred Hitchcock films would be: The Birds (1963), Psycho (1960) and Vertigo (1958). My top 3 favorite Akira Kurosawa films would be: Throne of Blood (1957), Ikiru (1952) and Rashomon (1950). Luis Bunuel is another favorite, but I have not had the time to rank his films despite the fact that I ranked his films already (I plan on updating it again). I know this answer is more complicated, but I hope I at least provided a fascinating one. As for my top 3 worst films of all-time, their is plenty but here are some worthy candidates: Forrest Gump (1994), Titanic (1997), American Beauty (1999), Gladiator (2000) and A Beautiful Mind (2001). I know that was more than three, but I could not resist. What do they all have in common? They have all won the prize for Best Picture sadly. As for worst filmmakers or overrated ones, I would rather not say.
3.) If you had a chance to rewind life to any point in your life, would you? If yes, then to which point in your life? If no, why not?
Probably when I first started the blog back in 2012 because between than and late May of 2015, I seemed to have written glowingly about some films that I now have mixed emotions about (i.e. Boyhood, Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel). That and their are some directors I listed, who are no longer favorites (please note that the names you see in My Greatest Film Directors of All-Time list right now is on-going and I do not mean them).
4.) Name your most anticipated 2016 movies?
As of April 2016, the most anticipated film for me is director Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The BFG which opens this summer in late June/early July I believe. After the back-to-back disappointments of Lincoln (2012) and last year’s Bridge of Spies, I hope this is a return to form especially since the screenwriter of The BFG is the late Melissa Mathison (who also wrote the screenplay to Spielberg’s E.T.).
5.) Recall your favourite childhood memory or a particular instance where you felt overjoyed?
For me, this one can be applied to both childhood and adulthood and that deals with family and friend activities. One example is social gatherings involving friends and family because their is this pure joy that comes out of it due to being with a group of people who either love you (i.e. your family) and those who love to hang out with you (i.e. your friends). 🙂
6.) If you could be any character from any movie/tv series/book, who would you be? And why?
I do not know If their is a character from any movie/tv show/or book that I would want to be because let’s face it their lives are probably as complicated as ours 🙂 Nevertheless, I have always saw myself as a really nice person and the legendary late leading actor Jimmy Stewart was a lot like that. To put it in other words, I had always wanted to be like Jimmy Stewart even though he is a real actor and person and not a character from fiction.
7.) Would you rather lead a safe, conventional and routine life or a life bound only by your own rules? Why?
That is kind of a difficult question because I do live by my own rules, but my own rules come off as worthy as those to a mild-mannered person like myself. Now this is just me speaking, I can not speak for others who live by their own rules because each person who chooses that method does not live by the same rules I do. Since I did describe myself as mild-mannered though, does that mean it is a code word for safe and conventional? 🙂
8.) What are the collectibles (e.g. posters, toys, figurines, plushies etc)/ objects do you have and are most proud of? It could be movie/book related or anything really.
The collectible I am proud of is my Cryptkeeper doll 🙂 Do you remember that great horror anthology show that ran on HBO from 1989-1996 (I own all the seasons on DVD) called Tales from the Crypt? That and every single Blu-ray/DVD that I own 🙂
9.) Walking in the park or walking in the city?
I love to walk in both the park and city areas 🙂
10.) If you could be fluent in one other language, what would it be?
I always wanted to learn how to speak Japanese because I have always been fascinated by Japanese culture and four of my many favorite filmmakers of all-time are Japanese: Akira Kurosawa, Yasujiro Ozu, Kenji Mizoguichi and Shohei Imamura.
11.) Why did you start blogging?
I started to blog back in 2012 because all of my friends said that I should start a blog because my knowledge of film was and still is pretty extensive. So I took the bull by the horn and with a little help from different people, I was able to start this blog up. I owe them a considerable amount of credit because without them, this site would not be possible. Despite the fact that I have written posts that are mostly lists, I hope to go beyond that and write a blog entry that reads like a review or an essay on a genre or filmmaker or something like that. Prior to 2015, visitors on this website was climbing but slowly but last year I started to get more likes on my blog entries and from visitors from all over America and abroad. As long as people have encouraging things to say about my blog and as long as they love what I type, I will remain very happy with this site 🙂 For me that is more satisfying than winning any type of blogging contest 🙂
Those are the answers to my questions. Now I have to let JW know I have the answers up and running on the new blog entry 🙂 If all of you readers are hoping that I win the contest I appreciate it, but as I implied numerous times in this post, I am just happy with the people who come and visit this site and like my posts as well as leaving encouraging replies 🙂
24 Friday Apr 2015
Posted in 1970's Cinema, 1980's Cinema, American Cinema, American Filmmakers, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Elaine May, On the Side, Romance, Uncategorized
To the average joe, people probably only remember female director/writer Elaine May as the female partner of the late Mike Nichols in their comedy tour “An Evening with Mike Nichols and Elaine May.” At least I believe that is the title? When the two parted their own ways, they each began their directing careers respectively. Here is where the big difference comes in; almost everybody has seen Nichols films, but hardly anyone can remember a May film. This is highly unfortunate because in many ways and despite only four directed films on her resume, May is actually the superior filmmaker. Even though I was no fan of Mike Nichols films (may he rest in peace), I am not trying to bash him as a person or even as a director (though I always found them uninteresting), he was probably a great man at heart. Let us get back to Elaine May though. Her first film, A New Leaf (1971) was originally intended to be a dark romantic comedy drama running a maximum of 180 minutes long, but Paramount head Robert Evans took it away from her and edited it down to 104 minutes. Who knows If the original version still exists (lead actor Walter Matthau reportedly preferred this version), but it still works and Elaine May’s Golden Globe nominated performance is still truly hilarious. In 1972, she was hired to direct The Heartbreak Kid based on a story by Neil Simon. This film opened to both critical and commercial acclaim and Mikey & Nicky followed in 1976. As with A New Leaf, this crime drama staring John Cassavetes and Peter Falk had a troubled production history and according to reports, she was fired and then re-hired quickly. As with her first film, this one was a commercial failure despite critical acclaim. Speaking of production problems, the expensive comedy Ishtar was released in 1987 and was notorious even before it’s release due to cost overruns and mistreatment of the press. The film stared Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman as two bad songwriters who get a singing gig to Morocco and end up involved in political turmoil. Unlike her first three films, Ishtar was not only just a commercial bomb, but it was also a critical failure as well. The film does have it’s defenders though; Jonathan Rosenbaum has come to it’s defense ever since it’s initial release in 87. Sadly, May has not directed another film since than though she has written screenplays for her former partner Mike Nichols; The Birdcage (1996) and Primary Colors (1998). Reportedly, director Stanley Donen is preparing a new film with a script by Elaine May (or is she directing?) and all I can tell you is I hope it actually happens because May did not deserve to be treated so horrible by Hollywood. Now without further ado, I have compiled a list of my favorite films by director/writer May below.
* * * * (Out of * * * *)
1. A New Leaf (1971)
Despite being edited from 180 minutes to 104, A New Leaf still remains a truly witty and subtly observational romantic comedy drama. Aside from being her first feature, Elaine May also co-stars as the woman that Walter Matthau’s character (a soon to be ex-millionaire) tries to marry in order to con her with hilariously disastrous results.
2. Mikey & Nicky (1976)
As with A New Leaf, Mikey & Nicky is another film where Elaine May found herself clashing with Paramount Pictures over. Fired and then re-hired right away, the film has two versions. Either way, this is a deeply fascinating crime drama taking place over one night that deals with a hood (John Cassavetes) trying to get help from one of his fellow buddies (Peter Falk) in repaying a debt to the mob.
3. The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
Elaine May’s biggest commercial success to date is also the only one that garnered Oscar nominations; Eddie Albert and Jeannie Berlin garnered Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress respectively. Based on a Neil Simon story, Charles Grodin stars as a newly married Jewish New Yorker, who while on a Miami honeymoon with his wife (Berlin), sets his eyes on an ingenue (Cybill Shepherd) and follows her all over to her hometown of Minnesota. As in all of May’s films, the result is typically hilarious.
* * * 1/2 (Out of * * * *)
1. Ishtar (1987)
A notorious flop due not only to it’s critical and commercial failure, but also to it’s costly delays, numerous re-shoots and mismanagement of the press. Nevertheless, it still manages to be laugh out loud funny. The plot has two bad song writers (Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman) hired to perform a gig in Morocco, but end up getting embroiled in political turmoil with a mysterious woman (Isabelle Adjani) catching their eyes. In some ways, this plays out like May’s version of a Hope/Crosby comedy for the 1980’s. Vittorio Storaro’s cinematography is stunning as always and Paul Williams intentionally bad songs are frequently hilarious. Former Chicago Reader film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum’s defense of this film has arguably incited more people to come out and defend it as well.
24 Tuesday Feb 2015
Tags
American Sniper, Big Hero 6, Birdman, Boyhood, Citizenfour, Ida, Interstellar, Selma, Still Alice, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash
Sunday night’s Academy Awards was pretty forgettable. The reason has nothing to do with the speeches or anything, but the master of ceremonies himself Neil Patrick Harris. He may have done a great job hosting The Tonys a few years ago, but he has no idea how to host a show honoring the year in cinema. The opening musical number entitled “Moving Picture” was nothing special and his spoofing of that one scene in Birdman (the underwear scene) was funnier in the film. I was sort of surprised that Boyhood only garnered one win and that was for Best Supporting Actress, which went to Patricia Arquette. Eddie Redmayne won over Michael Keaton for Best Actor and as time went on, it was expected. Julianne Moore won Best Actress for Still Alice, but she has been in better films. I knew that The Grand Budapest Hotel was going to take home a lot of technical awards (Art-Direction, Costume Design etc). I would have loved to have seen Mr. Turner take home the award for Cinematography, but it went to Emmanuel Lubeszki once again. I was happy to see Ida win for Best Foreign Language Film. Amazingly, American Sniper and The Imitation Game only took home one award (Best Sound Editing for the former and Best Adapted Screenplay for the latter). Last, but not least the two best things about Sunday’s ceremony was the “Everything is Awesome” from The Lego Movie performed on stage and Lady Gaga’s on-target singing of Sound of Music songs in commemorating the film’s 50th anniversary. One more thing, I wish “Everything is Awesome” won Best song instead of the one from Selma. No offense to that song, it is just the one from The Lego Movie is just so awesome (pun intended). Other than that, the Academy Awards this year was nothing memorable and Neil Patrick Harris is no Billy Crystal or Ellen Degeneres. Here is my recap below. Out of my predictions: 23/24 correct predictions.
7:30 p.m – 7:52 p.m: So far, Neil Patrick Harris is nothing special. I have nothing against him, but he pales in comparison to Billy Crystal and Ellen Degeneres from last year. I was glad to see J.K. Simmons win for Best Supporting Actor for Whiplash. I loved his line about calling your parents. 1/24 correct predictions.
7:56 p.m – 8:05 p.m: Best Costume Design goes to The Grand Budapest Hotel which is my second correct prediction of the night. 2/24 correct predictions. This is fantastic, Best Makeup goes to The Grand Budapest Hotel again and as with the costume designer, the speeches of the makeup artists are very lovely. Team Oscar also makes an appearance. 3/24 correct predictions.
8:08 p.m. – 8:20p.m: Hooray Ida wins Best Foreign Language Film. It was totally deserving of the award. The speech the producer gives a beautiful and witty speech. 4/24 correct predictions. I loved the “Everything Is Awesome” song from The Lego Movie that was just performed. The whole choreography was just brilliant. So far, the best thing about the whole program has been this whole performance.
8:24 p.m – 8:38 p.m: The Phone Call wins Best Live-Action Short. 5/24 correct predictions. One thing though, did one of the winners just thank actress Sally Hawkins. Crisis Hotline wins Best Documentary Short. 6/24 correct predictions. Footage was shown from this year’s Honorary Luncheon or lack thereof that awarded lifetime achievement awards to actress Maureen O’Hara, Anime director Hayao Miyazaki and singer Harry Belafonte.
8:41 p.m – 8:56 p.m: Footage from this year’s Scientific Awards or lack thereof is shown. Best Sound Mixing goes to Whiplash. 7/24 correct predictions. Best Sound Editing goes to American Sniper. 8/24 correct predictions. Best Supporting Actress goes to Patricia Arquette for Boyhood. She was highly deserving of the award and much more. 9/24 correct predictions.
8:59 p.m – 9:13 p.m: Best Visual Effects goes to Interstellar. 10/24 correct predictions. Best Animated Short goes to Feast. 11/24 correct predictions. As with the best speeches of tonight I mentioned, this one was great too. Best Animated Film goes to Big Hero 6. 12/24 correct predictions. Again, great speech.
9:17 p.m – 9:25 p.m: The President of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science was up on stage talking about storytelling involving this year’s nominees for Best Picture. Her speech did not hit a false note. I love it. The Grand Budapest Hotel wins Best Production Design. 13/24 correct predictions. Very nice speech too. Best Cinematography goes to Emmanuel Lubezki for Birdman. 14/24 correct predictions. Another fantastic speech.
9:30 p.m – 9:38 p.m: Following a memorial of everyone who died in 2014, Jennifer Hudson performs a song of remembrance. Pretty nice.
9:42 p.m – 9:53 p.m: Best Film Editing goes to Whiplash. 15/24 correct predictions. Inspirational speech too. Best Documentary goes to Citizenfour. 16/24 correct predictions.
9:57 p.m – 10:08 p.m: Best Original Song goes to the song from Selma. 17/24 correct predictions.
10:12 p.m – 10:25 p.m: Lady Gaga pays homage to The Sound of Music (50th anniversary) by some the film’s popular songs. She does a pretty good job capturing Julie Andrews voice. Speaking of which, Julie Andrews comes on stage and it was great to see her talk on stage again. Best Original Score goes to The Grand Budapest Hotel. 18/24 correct predictions. Alexandre Desplat’s speech is pitch perfect.
10:29 p.m – 10:37 p.m: Best Original Screenplay goes to Birdman. 19/24 correct predictions. Nice speeches by all. Best Adapted Screenplay goes to Graham Moore for The Imitation Game. My first incorrect prediction of the night: 1/24 incorrect predictions. Inspiration speech though.
10:40 p.m – 10:45 p.m: Best Director goes to Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for Birdman. 21/24 correct predictions.
10:47 p.m – 11:08 p.m: Best Actor goes to Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything. 22/24 correct predictions. Inspirational and witty speech. Best Actress goes to Julianne Moore for Still Alice. 23/24 correct predictions. Best Picture goes to Birdman. 24/24 correct prediction. As with Julianne Moore, Inarritu gave a pretty good speech.
08 Sunday Feb 2015
Tags
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, American Sniper, Big Hero 6, Birdman, Boyhood, Citizenfour, Finding Vivian Maier, Gone Girl, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Ida, Jodorowsky's Dune, Last Days in Vietnam, Leviathan, Life Itself, Mr. Turner, Nightcrawler, Selma, Snowpiercer, Song of the Sea, Tangerines, The Babadook, The Boxtrolls, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, The Lego Movie, The Salt of the Earth, The Skeleton Twins, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, The Theory of Everything, Timbuktu, Under the Skin, Virunga, Whiplash, Wild Tales
Updated: 02/15/2015
I was originally going to give out my predictions this Thursday, but I might be busy that day so I have just updated my 2015 Academy Awards entry today with me giving my predictions. I sincerely hope I am not cheating my predicting two or more on quite a few of them. My reason for doing that is because even though we are just five days away from the Oscars, I still think it is a very tight race in some categories. I give two choices for my predictions under eleven of the categories (including Best Picture and Director) and under Animated Film and two other entries, I give three predictions. My predictions for four other categories (including Foreign Language Film) has me predicting either of the five nominees nominated for that entry. On the remaining eight categories however, I give just one prediction. As I said earlier, I hope I am not taking the easy way by predicting any of the five nominees under four of the categories, but again, I feel that it is unclear on what is going to win even in the limited time between now and next Sunday’s Oscar telecast. To make it even though, how about I disqualify Animated/Documentary/Live Action Shorts since (based on my knowledge) have not seen any of the nominees in those departments. Nevertheless, the category for Best Foreign Language Film still qualifies. 🙂
Thoughts
First, I shall talk about the positives of this year’s Oscar nominees because at the very least, the members of the Academy did get some things right. I was more than thrilled that Richard Linklater’s Boyhood and Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel were nominated for Best Picture and Director while also receiving technical awards. Same thing for Birdman, which I believe is director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s best work to date and I was completely satisfied in seeing the immensely talented Michael Keaton score his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Despite the omission of Mike Leigh as best director, it is slightly satisfying to see Mr. Turner get nominated for some technical awards. As for this year’s Foreign entry, it was great to see one that was actually a masterpiece (Ida) score not one, but two nominations (the other being for cinematography).
Despite all the good however, there were plenty of upsets for this die-hard cinema lover. As I mentioned above, Mr. Turner was not only overlooked for a Best Picture, but a Director and Actor nod as well. Equally shameful was the snubbing of The Lego Movie for Best Animated Film even though it garnered a single nomination for Best Original Song (“Everything Is Awesome”). If things could not get any worse, the members of the Academy failed once again to nominate a documentary by the great Illinoisan documentary filmmaker Steve James (Hoop Dreams and The Interrupters), which in this case would be Life Itself about the late legendary film critic Roger Ebert. Another sin of omission on their part was Jodorowsky’s Dune – a fantastic documentary about filmmaking itself. While I am angry that director Jonathan Glazer’s science-fiction art film Under the Skin was shut out completely, and also for overlooking lead actress Scarlett Johansson once again, I am even angrier that Gone Girl only got a Best Actress nomination for leading lady Rosamund Pike. Do not misunderstand me, she deserves the nod, but this single nomination does not give the film justice. In addition, Gone Girl should have gotten nods for Best Picture, Director (David Fincher), Adapted Screenplay (Chicagoan Gillian Flynn) and some technical nominations. Seriously, nominating Gone Girl for just Best Actress and nothing else is like giving Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather and Fincher’s own The Social Network one nomination while forgetting the other aspects that shape these masterpieces as a whole.
In the end however, I view the Oscars and other award shows as little more than a popularity contest. Years from now, the films, directors and actors etc. that go home either empty handed or end up overlooked will be better remembered and more celebrated than the film/person who usually ends up taking home the gold. That and giving one’s own personal picks, predictions and thoughts is always a fun way to make the proceedings entertaining.
Best Motion Picture of the Year
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
My Prediction: Birdman or Boyhood
Personal Choice: Boyhood
The Winner: Birdman
Unfairly Overlooked: Foxcatcher, Gone Girl, Mr. Turner, Nightcrawler, The Skeleton Twins, Snowpiercer and Under the Skin
Best Director
Birdman: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Boyhood: Richard Linklater
Foxcatcher: Bennett Miller
The Grand Budapest Hotel: Wes Anderson
The Imitation Game: Morton Tyldum
My Prediction: Birdman: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu or Boyhood: Richard Linklater
Personal Choice: Boyhood: Richard Linklater
The Winner: Birdman: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Unfairly Overlooked: Gone Girl: David Fincher, Mr. Turner: Mike Leigh, Selma: Ava DuVernay and Under the Skin: Jonathan Glazer
Best Actor
American Sniper: Bradley Cooper
Birdman: Michael Keaton
Foxcatcher: Steve Carell
The Imitation Game: Benedict Cumberbatch
The Theory of Everything: Eddie Redmayne
My Prediction: Birdman: Michael Keaton or The Theory of Everything: Eddie Redmayne
Personal Choice: Birdman: Michael Keaton
The Winner: The Theory of Everything: Eddie Redmayne
Unfairly Overlooked: Boyhood: Ellar Coltrane, Calvary: Brendan Gleeson, Foxcatcher: Channing Tatum, The Grand Budapest Hotel: Ralph Fiennes, The Judge: Robert Downey Jr, Locke: Tom Hardy, A Most Violent Year: Oscar Isaac, A Most Wanted Man: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mr. Turner: Timothy Spall, Nightcrawler: Jake Gyllenhaal, Selma: David Oyelowo and The Skeleton Twins: Bill Hader
Best Actress
Gone Girl: Rosamund Pike
Still Alice: Julianne Moore
The Theory of Everything: Felicity Jones
Two Days, One Night: Marion Cotillard
Wild: Reese Witherspoon
My Prediction: Still Alice: Julianne Moore
Personal Choice: Gone Girl: Rosamund Pike
The Winner: Still Alice: Julianne Moore
Unfairly Overlooked: The Babadook: Essie Davis, Big Eyes: Amy Adams, The Homesman: Hillary Swank, Ida: Agatha Trzebuchowska, The Immigrant: Marion Cotillard, The Skeleton Twins: Kristen Wiig, Under the Skin: Scarlett Johansson and Venus in Fur: Emmanuelle Seigner
Best Supporting Actor
Birdman: Edward Norton
Boyhood: Ethan Hawke
Foxcatcher: Mark Ruffalo
The Judge: Robert Duvall
Whiplash: J.K. Simmons
My Prediction: Whiplash: J.K. Simmons
Personal Choice: Whiplash: J.K. Simmons
The Winner: Whiplash: J.K. Simmons
Unfairly Overlooked: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: Andy Serkis, Fury: Logan Lerman, Gone Girl: Tyler Perry and The Grand Budapest Hotel: Tony Revolori
Best Supporting Actress
Birdman: Emma Stone
Boyhood: Patricia Arquette
The Imitation Game: Keira Knightley
Into the Woods: Meryl Streep
Wild: Laura Dern
My Prediction: Boyhood: Patricia Arquette
Personal Choice: Boyhood: Patricia Arquette
The Winner: Boyhood: Patricia Arquette
Unfairly Overlooked: Gone Girl: Carrie Coon, Ida: Agatha Kulesza, A Most Violent Year: Jessica Chastain, Nightcrawler: Rene Russo and Snowpiercer: Tilda Swinton
Best Adapted Screenplay
American Sniper: Jason Hall
Inherent Vice: Paul Thomas Anderson
The Imitation Game: Graham Moore
The Theory of Everything: Anthony McCarten
Whiplash: Damien Chazelle
My Prediction: The Theory of Everything: Anthony McCarten or Whiplash: Damien Chazelle
Personal Choice: American Sniper: Jason Hall
The Winner: The Imitation Game: Graham Moore
Unfairly Overlooked: Cold in July: Jim Mickle and Nick Damici, Gone Girl: Gillian Flynn, A Most Wanted Man: Andrew Bovell, Snowpiercer: Bong Joon-ho and Kelly Masterson and Venus in Fur: David Ives and Roman Polanski
Best Animated Film
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Song of the Sea
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
My Prediction: Big Hero 6, How to Train Your Dragon 2 or The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
Personal Choice: The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
The Winner: Big Hero 6
Unfairly Overlooked: The Lego Movie
Best Animated Short
The Bigger Picture
The Dam Keeper
Feast
Me and My Moulton
A Single Life
My Prediction: Any of the five nominees
Personal Choice: N/A
The Winner: Feast
Unfairly Overlooked: N/A
Best Art/Set Direction/Production Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Into the Woods
Mr. Turner
My Prediction: The Grand Budapest Hotel or Into the Woods
Personal Choice: The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Winner: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Unfairly Overlooked: Snowpiercer and The Zero Therorem
Best Cinematography
Birdman: Emmanuel Lubezki
The Grand Budapest Hotel: Robert D. Yeoman
Ida: Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski
Mr. Turner: Dick Pope
Unbroken: Roger Deakins
My Prediction: Birdman: Emmanuel Lubezki
Personal Choice: Mr. Turner: Dick Pope
The Winner: Birdman: Emmanuel Lubezki
Unfairly Overlooked: Gone Girl: Jeff Cronenweth, Nightcrawler: Robert Elswit and Under the Skin: Daniel Landin
Best Costume Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Into the Woods
Maleficent
Mr. Turner
My Prediction: The Grand Budapest Hotel or Into the Woods
Personal Choice: The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Winner: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Unfairly Overlooked: N/A
Best Documentary
Citizenfour
Finding Vivian Maier
Last Days in Vietnam
The Salt of the Earth
Virunga
My Prediction: Citizenfour
Personal Choice: Citizenfour
The Winner: Citizenfour
Unfairly Overlooked: Jodorowsky’s Dune, Life Itself and National Gallery
Best Documentary Short
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press One
Joanna
Our Curse
The Reaper
White Earth
My Prediction: Any of the five nominees
Personal Choice: N/A
The Winner: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press One
Unfairly Overlooked: N/A
Best Film Editing
American Sniper: Joel Cox and Gary Roach
Boyhood: Sandra Adair
The Grand Budapest Hotel: Barney Pilling
The Imitation Game: William Goldenberg
Whiplash: Tom Cross
My Prediction: American Sniper: Joel Cox and Gary Roach, Boyhood: Sandra Adair or Whiplash: Tom Cross
Personal Choice: Boyhood: Sandra Adair
The Winner: Whiplash: Tom Cross
Unfairly Overlooked: Birdman: Douglas Crisse and Stephen Mirrione, Edge of Tomorrow: James Herbert and Laura Jennings, Fury: Jay Cassidy and Dody Dorn, Gone Girl: Kirk Baxter, Nightcrawler: John Gilroy and Snowpiercer: Steve M. Choe and Kyung-pyo Hong
Best Foreign Language Film
Ida
Leviathan
Tangerines
Timbuktu
Wild Tales
My Prediction: Any of the five nominees
Personal Choice: Ida
The Winner: Ida
Unfairly Overlooked: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and Goodbye to Language
Best Live Action Short
Aya
Boogaloo and Graham
Butter Lamp
Parvaneh
The Phone Call
My Prediction: Any of the five nominees
Personal Choice: N/A
The Winner: The Phone Call
Unfairly Overlooked: N/A
Best Makeup
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians of the Galaxy
My Prediction: The Grand Budapest Hotel or Guardians of the Galaxy
Personal Choice: The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Winner: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Unfairly Overlooked: N/A
Best Original Score
The Grand Budapest Hotel: Alexandre Desplat
The Imitation Game: Alexandre Desplat
Interstellar: Hans Zimmer
Mr. Turner: Gary Yershon
The Theory of Everything: Johann Johansson
My Prediction: The Grand Budapest Hotel: Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game: Alexandre Desplat or The Theory of Everything: Johann Johansson
Personal Choice: The Grand Budapest Hotel: Alexandre Desplat
The Winner: The Grand Budapest Hotel: Alexandre Desplat
Unfairly Overlooked: Birdman: Antonio Sanchez, Fury: Steven Price, Gone Girl: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and Under the Skin: Mica Levi
Best Original Screenplay
Birdman: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo
Boyhood: Richard Linklater
Foxcatcher: E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman
The Grand Budapest Hotel: Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness
Nightcrawler: Dan Gilroy
My Prediction: Birdman: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo or The Grand Budapest Hotel: Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness
Personal Choice: The Grand Budapest Hotel: Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness
The Winner: Birdman: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris and Armando Bo
Unfairly Overlooked: The Babadook: Jennifer Kent, Calvary: John Michael McDonagh, The Lego Movie: Dan and Kevin Hageman (story), Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (screenplay), A Most Violent Year: J.C. Chandor, Selma: Paul Webb and The Skeleton Twins: Mark Heyman and Craig Johnson
Best Original Song
Begin Again: “Lost Stars” (Gregg Alexander and Danielle Brisebois)
Beyond the Lights: “Grateful” (Diane Warren)
Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me: “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” (Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond)
The Lego Movie: “Everything is Awesome” (Shawn Patterson)
Selma: “Glory” (Common and John Legend)
My Prediction: Selma: “Glory” (Common and John Legend)
Personal Choice: The Lego Movie: “Everything is Awesome” (Shawn Patterson)
The Winner: Selma: “Glory” (Common and John Legend)
Unfairly Overlooked: Big Eyes: “Big Eyes” (Lana Del Rey and Daniel Heath) and Noah: “Mercy Is” (Lenny Kaye and Patti Smith)
Best Sound Editing
American Sniper
Birdman
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
Unbroken
My Prediction: American Sniper
Personal Choice: Birdman
The Winner: American Sniper
Unfairly Overlooked: Edge of Tomorrow, Fury, Godzilla, Snowpiercer and Under the Skin
Best Sound Mixing
American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
Unbroken
Whiplash
My Prediction: American Sniper or Whiplash
Personal Choice: Whiplash
The Winner: Whiplash
Unfairly Overlooked: Edge of Tomorrow, Fury, Gone Girl, Snowpiercer and Under the Skin
Best Visual Effects
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Guardians of the Galaxy
Interstellar
X-Men: Days of Future Past
My Prediction: Interstellar
Personal Choice: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
The Winner: Interstellar
Unfairly Overlooked: Edge of Tomorrow, Godzilla, Lucy and Noah
18 Sunday Jan 2015
Posted in 2010-Present Cinema, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Ana Lily Amirpour, Animation, Anime, Anthony Stacchi, Anton Corbijin, Best Of, Bong Joon-ho, Brad Anderson, Charlie Siskel, Chicago, Chicago Film Critics Association, Chris Rock, Chris Williams, Christopher Miller, Cinema, Craig Johnson, Damien Chazelle, Dan Gilroy, Darren Aronofsky, David Fincher, David Gordon Green, David Mackenzie, David Michod, Denis Villeneuve, Documentary, Don Hall, Doug Liman, E.L. Katz, Frank Pavich, Frederick Wiseman, Gillian Flynn, Graham Annable, Gregg Araki, Isao Takahata, James Gray, James Ward Byrkit, Jennifer Kent, Jennifer M. Kroot, Jim Mickle, John Maloof, John Michael McDonagh, Jon Favereau, Jonathan Glazer, Kelly Reichardt, Laura Poitras, Luc Besson, Lukas Moodysson, McG, Michael Keaton, Mike Flanagan, Mike Leigh, Pawel Pawlikowski, Phil Lord, Richard Ayoade, Richard Linklater, Richard Shephard, Roger Ebert, Roman Polanski, Steve James, Steven Knight, Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, Tommy Lee Jones, Top 10, Uncategorized, Wes Anderson
Tags
3 Days to Kill, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, A Most Wanted Man, Big Eyes, Big Hero 6, Birdman, Boyhood, Calvary, Cheap Thrills, Chef, Citizenfour, Coherence, Cold in July, Dom Hemingway, Edge of Tomorrow, Enemy, Finding Vivian Maier, Gone Girl, Ida, Jodorowsky's Dune, Joe 2014, Life Itself, Locke, Lucy, Mr. Turner, National Gallery, Night Moves 2014, Nightcrawler, Noah, Oculus, Snowpiercer, Starred Up, Stonehearst Asylum, The Babadook, The Boxtrolls, The Double, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Homesman, The Immigrant, The Lego Movie, The Rover, The Skeleton Twins, The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, The Zero Therorem, To Be Takei, Top Five, Under the Skin, Venus in Fur, We Are the Best!, Whiplash, White Bird in a Blizzard
Under Construction
24 Thursday Oct 2013
Tags
Bride of Frankenstein, Frankenstein, Show Boat, The Great Garrick, The Invisible Man, The Old Dark House, Waterloo Bridge
* * * * (Out of * * * *)
1. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
2. The Old Dark House (1932)
3. The Invisible Man (1933)
4. Frankenstein (1931)
* * * 1/2 (Out of * * * *)
1. Show Boat (1936)
2. Waterloo Bridge (1931)
3. The Great Garrick (1937)
04 Friday Oct 2013
Tags
A Fistful of Dollars, Duck You Sucker! (aka A Fistful of Dynamite), For a Few Dollars More, Once Upon a Time in America, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Colossus of Rhodes, The Good the Bad and the Ugly
* * * * (Out of * * * *)
1. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
2. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
3. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
4. For a Few Dollars More (1965)
5. A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
* * * 1/2 (Out of * * * *)
1. Duck, You Sucker! (1971) (aka A Fistful of Dynamite)
2. The Colossus of Rhodes (1961)
