Oscar Ramblings 2013 Edition

LETS GET TO IT. 

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Let me explain. I'm starting with this for TWO reasons.

1. I'm a Tolkien fan and this is more or less a lock for The Hobbit(2012).

2 The only real contender for this category is missing. Licoln(2012) There is some awesome facial hair going on, that would make Dwarves proud.

Nominees:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

(See previous notes) And its maybe just a numbers game. 13 Dwarves gusy! What other achievement is there this year?

Hitchcock

This has to be the welcome news to the make up crew, not so much to Anthony Hopkins. 

Les Misérables

Oh yeah, Why isn't Anna Karenina in this category? But this is a deserved nomination. It might win because the play will be so beloved.

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Brave
Pixar has a good track record. But this has not been as resonant as the previous films. I still loved it.

Frankenweenie
This is Tim Burton coming back in to my heart by making an stop-motion-animated monster movie in Black-and-White.

ParaNorman
A breath of fresh-air. Something you would never say about a zombie. Stop motion again.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits
My pick to win. Did you notice that there are 3 stop-motion-animated-features nominated this year. And this was the most fun to watch.

Wreck-It Ralph
I fell in love with the movie from start to end. This is my runner up, a very close runner-up.


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams
I had the biggest crush on Amy Adams. But after watching this movie. Whoah. She scares me now.
I'm going to need to see Man of Steel soon!

Sally Field
Amazing performance as always. She and Martine Sheen almost saved The Amazing Spider-Man. And in this movie she shines. A total equal to the man.

Anne Hathaway
I may just be biased with this one. She is MY PICK to win it.

Helen Hunt
The dairing to play this role may have been the reason this movie is in the oscars at all. But she really is more of a lead in most of her scenes. Which leads to a possibility of her winning and upsetting any of your oscar pools.

Jacki Weaver
Love this lady, looking forward to anything she does. This there was a great cast for Silver Linings Playbook.   But for most of the time she gets shoved to the side and your quite happy when she pops up again in scenes.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Wow. This category is just fille with fresh faces.
But seriously this is a tough call, not only are they all past winners as Leading Roles but they are really great actors with years of experience than anyone would be envious of.


Alan Arkin
Mr Arkin (see previous paragraph about Jacki Weaver)

Robert De Niro
So good to see Mr. De Niro at the party again. He has been doing good work and now finally hes going to back the big show. Not that he's never invited. It's just not the oscars without Bobby!

Philip Seymour Hoffman
Past winner, should have won for any past nominations. May be the winner for The Master.

Tommy Lee Jones
This is one of the performances in the movie that clearly stands-out in the movie that isn't Sally Field or Daniel Day Lewis.

Christoph Waltz
Christoph Waltz should star in his own Tarantino Movie. And int the first 2/3rds of this movie he did. Seriously it should have been split into two movies like Kill Bill.


BEST LEADING ACTRESS


Jessica Chastain
Is she the lead? I think the story is the lead. But I guess watching I got the feeling that I was her just hell-bent on this one goal.

Jennifer Lawrence
Man oh man. I love Jennifer Lawrence. And when she's dark Jennifer Lawrence, wait, whats more than "love"? She would have had this in the bag if it were not for...

Emmanuelle Riva
Just saw Amour tonight. Showing the deterioration of a person. Great performance, but I'm never watching this movie again.

Quvenzhané Wallis
What a revelation she is I look forward to seeing her future work.

Naomi Watts
Great performance, in such a harrowing movie. Her scenes compelling but I think this spot should switch with Helen Hunt. But then we'd be sure that she'd never really win.


BEST LEADING ACTOR


Bradley Cooper
Oh Bradley, man I so want you to win. But it weren't for "The DDL" you may have it. Who knows it might be like Tom Hanks winning for Philadelphia. Total surprise.

Daniel Day-Lewis
Might actually be the greates living actor of his generation. And might actually pick up his 3rd Best Actor oscar tonight.

Hugh Jackman
Amazing actor, can play a multitude of roles easily. Superhero, singer, performer. He may be the only actor that could challenge Daniel Day-Lewis. There is nothing you cannot do. And former host of the oscars, so you might stand a chance. Thats how it works right?

Joaquin Phoenix
This turn as a disturbed persone might not have been a stretch for Juaquin. Who knows these days.

Denzel Washington
is Flight. The crash and his performance in that crash was worth the price of admission.


BEST DIRECTING


Amour
Michael Haneke
For taking those two actors to deliver the subject of the movie. Well deserved nomination sir.

Beasts of the Southern Wild
Benh Zeitlin
I look forward to seeing him again in this category. Seriously.

Life of Pi
Ang Lee
I've read the book long before any news of a movie. People said this movie was unfilmable. Just give him the oscar now.

Lincoln
Steven Spielberg
He already has two. We know he's good. He made a movie about people in a room talking. He made that great. Making a movie that lives on forever may be enough of an accomplishment.

Silver Linings Playbook
David O. Russell 
Much like Mr. Haneke he took great actors and delivered a great movie. But it would be a surprise if he took home the oscar tonight.

BEST PICTURE


Amour
It's nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, Original Screenplay, and Director. If it wins one of those. It's not going to get best picture. Its is a good movie, but best picture?

Argo
Now this is a movie about Hollywood essentially. Big chance this might win since its been getting top prize at most of the other award shows.

Beasts of the Southern Wild
The little movie that could. Never had a smaller movie bag the biggest prize.

Django Unchained
The second in a series of revenge flicks from Tarantino gets a nomination. As it should. But I still like Basterds better.

Les Misérables
This should be here because the finally made a popular  opera into a popular movie.

Life of Pi
I really hope this wins. A double win for Ang Lee!
That would be GREEEEEEEEEEEEEAAT!

Lincoln
Everything about this movie is right event the timing. But I still wish Life of Pi would win.

Silver Linings Playbook
Certainly a movie that will be on repeat on my player when I get the Blu-Ray! You don't really need this award.

Zero Dark Thirty
I'd pick Lincoln before this, for importance to the american history.

UPDATE:
I have never been so happy to be so wrong.

I fell too when I heard Jennifer Lawrence won! #Oscars twitter.com/GLsolo/status/…

— Solo Galura (@GLsolo) February 25, 2013

Catwoman just beat out Lois Lane and Aunt May for an #Oscar.

— The Mary Sue (@TheMarySue) February 25, 2013

Batman Begins (2005) - Christian Bale + Christopher Nolan - Charlie Rose:

Inspiration

Review: Pranorman (2012)

directed by: Chris Butler, Sam Fell 

@paranorman is like a zombie. It's a whole with a lot of lose ill-fitting parts. But unlike a zombie, it's FRESH!
— Solo Galura (@GLsolo) September 18, 2012

Yeah Catwoman!

Yeah! SHUT UP Internets! She IS Catwoman. She rocked it! 

The Other Side of Heaven

Anne Hathaway's first theatrical release was The Princess Diaries but she had book The Other Side of Heaven first. Production halted on the film while she shot The Princess Diaries, a move which was supported because both films were produced by Disney. 

The Princess Diaries

I've been meaning do pieces about Anne Hathaway in her various movies, all leading up to her role this July in The Dark Knight Rises. I hope to do all her movies before it comes out this month. Oh. . . I have a lot of work to do. 

It's interesting to note on here IMDB notes The Princess Diaries as here first movie, and in the lead role. She was cast in The Other Side of Heaven first but production of The Princess Diaries started first . But this is the first movie I've ever seen her in and I've been smitten ever since. 

Review : Fulltime Killer[2001]

Directed by Johnnie To, Ka-Fai Wai

Fulltime Killer is the story of two assassins. The flamboyant Tok(Andy Lau) and the the quiet O(Takashi Sorimachi), then there is Chin(Kelly Lin) who is set as the love interest. It is also presented as a kind of Noir film with a interpol/police officer(Simon Yam)narrating while in pursuit of both men.

Both hitmen are the best in asia, O ranked #1 and Tok ranked #2. Each man brings something different to their work. O, dispatches his marks with quiet intensity and precision of Swiss watch, tying up any and all loose ends along the way. While Tok has a flair for theatrics, being so glory hungry that he takes off his mask in front of a security camera as a kind of taunt or invitation. Antics like these are usually the reason why he is number 2 as one of his clients would remind him.

The plot steps into a drama aspect quite a bit as melancholy O reminisces about a former lost love, who he only hires as a maid and stalks here through his apartment window.

The stylishness of this picture comes from the directors, who, at the time, were lauded for giving new life to Asian action movies.I don't know if i can draw a direct line from this to the current surge of Asian action movies like The Raid: Redemption If I can't: Who cares? Andy Lau is one Bad-Ass-Good-Looking-MoFo!

Review : Prometheus

I loved this movie. No ratings, no stars, I just love it. From director to cast. I don't really have that much of a problem with Lindelof because I never finished Lost. With all the vitriol he's getting on the internet I do fear for the future of another franchise hes penned. He seems like a nice guy on The Nerdist Podcasts. 

I did not see this in 3D, and having seen it twice now, I wish I had. I could see the intention of the technology used, just like How to Train Your Dragon. *sigh*

I have never seen the original Alien on the big screen. The first time I saw it may have been on TV. Lately I've been rewatching it on my computer. That's not really the best way to see it especially with the ships trying to look heavy, and the landing scenes. "All the excitement of parking." Did I mention I've been rewatching it with Rifftrax? That's probably not good too.

But seeing the original with my limited knowledge of the craft I could see, again, intention. I may never get to experience what most of you got when you saw it for the first time, in the theater, in colour. So when Ridley Scott comes back to not only a genre, but a franchise he helped create I was on board and rode that enthusiasm to the cinema. 

David stole the show, every time he was on screen I just knew he was going to do something, probably on orders or on his own. Hello HAL is that you?

And who would anyone here pick to take out to dinner; The Ice Queen(Vickers) or The Nun(Shaw)? This was really the toughest question on my mind after the movie. 

 

^^For anyone with anymore questions about the movie, her are a few answers. 

Oscar Ramblings 2012: Best Animated Feature

The Biggest Awards for Cinematic Arts is showing on February 26 est/pst and I thought I'd shout out my ideas about it on to the internet. 

Best Animated Feature is always an interesting mix for the Oscars. It usually puts together the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed pieces with the more obscure -mostly not American, not Pixar- productions. It has  among the past winners is Hayao Miyazaki for Spirited Away.

This years nominees are:
Rango

Upon hearing the details of the production I was interested to at least give this movie the benifit of the doubt. Johnny Depp teaming up with another director that was not his usual collaborator to work on an animated movie. I enjoyed this film upon viewing. It is nowhere near what most people are used to expect from animated feature. Visually, it stands apart from all the animated films. The choice for the lead himself is designed to go against the grain of the cuddly colourful cartoon character. It took the realism and highlighted the grim and soot.  And it has an amazing action sequence choreographed that left me glue to the action and would have had me applauding in the cinema if  I did not think that was weird.  It is darker in look, tone, humour, I am happy that this got a nomination.

Puss in Boots

Now this movie I like though it did slow down a lot in between the movie. It took the everything the lead character had in the Shrek movie and surrounded him with other characters to interact with. While the idea I agree with the execution, not so much. I would have love to see more of Puss doing more in the movie because most of the side characters did not interest me at all. I am quite surprised that this got a nomination. 

Kung Fu Panda 2

People loved the first but seamed mixed on this instalment. I had the opposite reaction. I loved the visuals of this movie. I thought I could have done without the 3D honestly because some of it was lost on me. I probably didn't notice it or it wasn't that good to begin with. The artwork immediately hooked me. The character design and the colours the were used to ton full effect, to give mood to this movie is amazing. The design of the main villain Shen is beautiful and brought to life with the animation and Gary Oldman's voice work. The patterns of his colours and the way he moves shows great care in execution especially in the fight scenes. I just wish there was more of it.  

Chico and Rita

It is amazing what music does to a person, it had me loving this movie from beginning to end. The music actually is only a back drop to the story of the two title characters, a story we have heard many times before. The story its self is very grown-up for what most are used to in animation. It is sexual, violent and real. The animation moves to the music with organic camera movements and a very realistic movement for animation. I hope more poeple would see movies like this to show them animation is a medium not a genre only for children. 

A Cat in Paris

The last and by no means the least. Far from it, this is my pick to win the Award. The art is again something that most would not be easy to warm to. It has a hard edge, which most would compare to expressionist art. It's a film inhabited by humans but starring a Cat. The characters though drawn two dimensional are well rounded, except maybe for the antagonist who seems to have only one setting. The story never goes where you would expect, and then throw in a sequence in the dark. The movie is equal parts fun, suspenseful, funny and heart warming. I do hope this is a win, if not I have already been treated to a fun movie and will certainly  be watching this again.

All the other catigories in this years Oscars cab be seen here.

Minimum Power: Mike Wazowski

The Pit and the Pendulum

Black Swan

Review: The Twilight Samurai

The Twilight Samurai (2002)

Directed by: Yôji Yamada

The Twilight Samurai is a departure from the contemporary samurai movies. Where as most samurai movies abound in sword-fights, this movies slashing count could fit in one hand. The pace is slow, yet you may hardly notice while your are almost sharing the life of the protagonist going through the day-to-day duties of a low-ranking samurai Seibei Iguch in the last days of the Shogun period. Rather than participate in the social norms of drinking with his colleagues after work he rushes home to spend time with his two children and tending to his mother, earning him his nickname "Twilight Seibei"

A conflict arises when recently divorced Tomoe who returns to the village for some peace and quiet is hounded by her drunk & abusive husband. Seibei brings himself to fight for Tomoe's honour by duelling with her ex-husband and then effectively dispatching him in a brief but efficient manner. After which word of his prowess with a sword spreads and is sought-after for a mission to relieve another samurai of his duties.

The Twilight Samurai brings a fresh perspective to its crowded genre and gives insight in to the lives and times of the people of 19th century Japan. It tells a the story of a simple person, living, and like the samurai's technique, it is simple and effective.

Rotten Tomatoes

Chiwetel Ejiofor: Green Lantern Proposition

I understand that they have already cast Nick Jones in the role of Jon Stewart for the Green Lantern movie.

But the idea of Chiwetel Ejiofor as a Green Lantern has stuck with me mainly because of his body of work. If you were to peruse his CV you would see the diversity of acting ability which I site as the basis for him playing this role.

I took me so long to actually get to work on this thing all while i had Ps at my disposal. What a sloth I am.

Source material here and here.

A Tangled Review.

"This is the story of how I died." These were the opening words of Disney’s 50th animated feature Tangled. The Disney Studios has announced that Tangled would be their final fairy tale story which sounds even worse after you have seen Tangled.

The casting of Mandy Moore as Rapunzel a was pitch perfect, as Tangled is a Disney movie, and like many Disney movies musical numbers abound. Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel who has locked away sweet Rapunzel has one of the best songs titled "Mother Knows Best" warns our heroin of the perils awaiting her should she venture into the wide wild world. Zachary Levi as Flynn Rider is no slouch holding his own in a show stopping duet titled "I See The Light" set against the most beautifully staged sequence in the movie. Rapunzel is a musical make no mistake, the scenes that feature singing and dancing happen in the most organic way possible never feeling tacked-on or forced as an interlude in the story.

Disney's Rapunzel is adorable, insufferably so. Dare i say she may well be the most beautifull among all Disney Princesses or maybe I'm just more partial to blondes but face value aside Rapunzel as a character is what wins you over. Unlike other princesses this one is proactive setting complicated gears in motion to fulfil a simple goal. Flynn Rider can hold your attention and has gained the most at the end of the movie after he makes the biggest sacrifice getting his ass handed to him by a horse. Mother Gothel we all know is evil but putting on the guise of a caring mother to keep Rapunzel.

Tangled is a return to form for Disney now with John Lasseter taking the reigns at Disney Animation Studios. There is an obvious hike in quality when your protagonist and antagonist are not the only memorable characters in the movie. As many of the other Disney classics the side characters enhance the experience. Little Mermaid and her fishy friends, Aladdin and his Genie, Simba and his Hakunamatata friends, and Belle and her menagerie of anthropomorphised household appliances. Tangled certainly has these and more mainly in Maximus a zealous Imperial Horse and Pascal Rapunzels long suffering but equally understanding house-mate/pet chameleon. Even on route we meet a interesting collection of ruffians who break into a chorus titled "I've Got a Dream" inspired by Rapunzel.

As beautiful as Rapunzel is the world they inhabit is equally as gorgeous. Never have I seen so many variations of the colour green. Beautifully rendered the forest seems alive even though we only see parts of it as our Main Characters travel through it. This may be a CG movie but it the look and feel of it has that unmistakable charm of a classic Disney fairytale.

All these elements come together to bring you a delightful version of a story your heard many times before and you’ll be happy to add this version to tell at bedtime.

Frankenstien

In support of a daft-western tradition I Present Frankenstein.

Review: STAR TREK (2009)

I myself dislike knee-jerk reactions to any thing. But in today's internet, email, blogger-sphere and and message board era, i find myself drawn to peck at an anonymous keyboard from some undisclosed site typing these words:

Star Trek (2009) is AMAZING. There are simply not enough adjectives to describe it. The level of craft taken from pre-production to the hype is well worth it. The franchise is in very good hands, as exemplified with this installment. A big thank you to all those who made this film for giving us what may be the best film. The actors, writers, producers ( i almost never do that), etc... and the Director. You owe it to yourself to see this movie. And if possible See it in IMAX. It is time and money well spent.

Without a doubt it deserves a 5 out of 5 rating!

In the words of an Enterprise Crew member: "Live long and Prosper"