2016 Update and Podcast

Hello there! It's been a long time. I was caught up in classes during the first half of 2016 and didn't have time to write anything that wasn't for academic purposes. And then these past 3 months or so I've been working on creating and launching a podcast version of this blog!

So, if you've missed my written movie thoughts you can now hear them twice a week in my new The Oscars Are My Super Bowl podcast! There are twelve episodes up so far and you can find them on iTunes, other podcasting apps or the most recent episodes are at www.iabdpresents.com/the-oscars-are-my-super-bowl.

A new episode went up today about Todd Phillip's War Dogs. The movie was not what I expected going in and despite a few flaws I enjoyed it. Especially Jonah Hill's performance. Take a listen here.
hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/5/1/4/5146581692390365/12_War_Dogs.mp3?c_id=12818077&expiration=1474493115&hwt=abb99ecda22f382a7c601a39436b3fd4

I'm hoping to incorporate more written work in the next few months so stay tuned. Until then, let me know what you think of the current format change!

The Oscars are Here! Predictions 2016

It's Oscar Day!!!!! I'm so excited! I haven't been able to update the blog this Awards Season the way I wanted to or have done in past years. (Sorry, I'm taking two classes and I've been a bit overwhelmed with homework.) But, I'm back for my favorite day of the year and the main attraction of Awards Season.

I wasn't able to see all of the nominated movies this year but saw all of the nominees in the major categories and all of the shorts. There were 9 movies I wasn't able to see but I started with 46 so I'm happy with what I was able to, though I really wish I'd had time to watch Straight Outta Compton.

So without further ado, my Oscar Predictions:

Category	Who will win	Who I want to win
Best Picture	Spotlight. I’ve been going back and forth between The Revenant and Spotlight for weeks but I’m going with my gut on this one. When I saw Spotlight last fall I thought it had a good chance at being Best Picture so I’m sticking with my original intuition. There’s also a chance that this could go to The Big Short which won at the Producer’s Guild Awards.	Three of my favorite movies of 2015 are up for Best Picture (The Martian, Spotlight, Brooklyn) and I enjoyed watching most of the nominees (minus Mad Max and The Revenant—neither is really my thing). And while I’ll be hoping Spotlight wins for my Oscar pool my secret hope is an impossible win for Brooklyn. It was my very favorite movie of last year and I know it doesn’t have a chance of winning but if it miraculously did I would be ecstatic.
Best Actor	Leonardo DiCaprio. There is no doubt in my mind that this is Leo’s year to win. In a year of weaker lead actor performances his is by far the most outstanding and everyone thinks he’s due a win.	The Revenant was not my favorite movie (I am not a fan of lost in the wilderness tales and it reminded me too much of Jack London stories and Jeremiah Johnson) but Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance was the best part. He’s been such a solid actor for over 20 years and I’d watch him in just about anything so of course I’d love to see him win.
Best Actress	Brie Larson. Here’s another easy pick. At the start of Awards Season I thought this might be a fight between Brie and Saoirse Ronan but at this point Larson is a lock to win tonight. She’s been so charming this season too so I’m looking forward to seeing her acceptance speech this evening.	I will secretly be hoping for an Oscar shock win for Saoirse Ronan even though it won’t happen. Brie Larson gives an amazing performance in Room but Saoirse Ronan is transcendent in Brooklyn. She shows so much in just a look.
Best Supporting Actor	Sylvester Stallone. He is the clear sentimental choice.	I was surprised by how good Stallone was in Creed but I’d much rather see either Mark Rylance or Mark Ruffalo take home the gold tonight. I’ve said it before but Rylance was so great in Bridge of Spies and I love a middle aged British man.
Best Supporting Actress	Outside of Best Picture this category has been the one I’ve been most unsure about but I’m going to go with Alicia Vikander. It’s just as likely that Kate Winslet could win though. But I think Vikander has the edge because people liked her body of work this past year.	I really liked Kate Winslet in Steve Jobs and knew she’d get nominated when I walked out of the theatre. However, Alicia Vikander was absolutely heartbreaking in The Danish Girl and I thought she was great in Ex Machina too.
Best Director	Alejandro G. Iñárritu. It’s nearly unprecedented to have back to back directing wins but Iñárritu won at the director’s guild and in the second year of #OscarsSoWhite I have a feeling the voters will want to reward the most high profile diverse nominee in a major category. There’s also a chance that a sentimental vote could go to George Miller.	I’ll be rooting for Tom McCarthy for Spotlight and I’d also be happy to see Adam McKay win considering The Big Short was such a departure from his previous broad comedies.
Best Adapted Screenplay	The Big Short. Since Adam McKay is not going to win as Best Director I think this is where The Academy will reward him.	Of course I’m going to root for Brooklyn every chance I get. Plus I love Nick Hornby.
Best Original Screenplay	Spotlight. It won at the writers guild and I think similarly to Adam McKay, this is where Tom McCarthy will get his win.	I thought the script of Spotlight was great so I hope this wins.
Best Cinematography	The Revenant. I think Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki is going to win his third Oscar for cinematography in a row.	I think all of the nominees in this category are strong and I really liked the cinematography in Sicario and Carol. But again, like with Leo, even though I didn’t particularly like The Revenant, the cinematography was breathtaking and considering what he did with Gravity and Birdman the past two years respectively Lubezki is at the top of his game.
Best Animated Feature	Inside Out. Pixar and Disney are nearly impossible to beat in this category and a lot of people loved the nostalgic tragedy of Inside Out.	I only managed to see 3 of the 5 nominees in this category but if I were voting on tonight’s awards my pick would have been Anomalisa. It’s far too strange a movie to actually win but I thought Inside Out was not the best that Pixar has done.
Best Documentary Feature	Amy. The past few years The Academy has either awarded super political or showbiz docs and with nothing quite like CitezenFour this year I think Amy will come away with the gold.	I really liked all of the documentary nominees but I thought The Look of Silence was particularly haunting and highlights a part of history most people don’t know about.
Best Documentary Short	Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah. I think the other short with a chance of winning in this category is Body Team 12 but when in doubt choose the doc about the Holocaust.	Again, like with the Documentary Feature I liked all of these documentaries but my favorite was Chau, Beyond the Lines because it was one of the only ones that was hopeful at the end.
Best Live Action Short	Shok. This was the Live Action Short that struck me the most.	Like the Documentary Shorts, these were mostly very heavy but I thought even though Shok was devastating it was wonderful.
Best Animated Short	World of Tomorrow. This dark comedy is the most original in animation and subject matter.	I’m going to root for World of Tomorrow as well but I liked all of these except Prologue.
Best Song	“Til It Happens to You” from The Hunting Ground. People want to see Lady Gaga win an Oscar.	To be honest I really don’t care about this one this year. I just don’t want that lame Sam Smith Bond movie song to win.
Best Score	The Hateful Eight. This is Ennio Morricone’s night.	My favorite score this year was Carter Burwell’s for Carol. It felt like another character in the film.
Best Costume Design	I have to admit I’m really not sure about this one but after the win at the BAFTAs I’m going to go with Mad Max: Fury Road.	I think Carol should get this because the clothes are absolutely gorgeous in that movie and I really don’t want Mad Max to win anything.
Best Production Design	Mad Max: Fury Road. I think this could go somewhere else maybe but I think this will be part of the technical sweep for Mad Max.	I think Carol should have been nominated but without that I’d much rather see The Danish Girl win than Mad Max.
Best Makeup & Hairstyling	Mad Max: Fury Road.	Mad Max is going to win but I’d rather see The Revenant take it.
Best Foreign Language Film	Son of Saul. In a strong year for Foreign Language Film this is a powerful and original movie.	I’ve seen lots of Holocaust movies but I’ve never seen anything like Son of Saul before.
Best Visual Effects	Star Wars: The Force Awakens.  This might be my biggest mistake but I really think this might be the one win for Star Wars despite the technical push for Mad Max.	I think Star Wars: The Force Awakens should have gotten a Best Picture nod so I’m rooting for Star Wars all the way here.
Best Editing	I really don’t know with this one but I’m going to guess The Revenant.	Again, I don’t know but I’ll go with rooting for Star Wars: The Force Awakens or Spotlight.
Best Sound Mixing	Mad Max: Fury Road.	I never know what to do with sound. So Star Wars?
Best Sound Editing	Mad Max: Fury Road.	I repeat.

Well, it's now only a little over an hour to the big show. Can't wait to see what happens! I'm leaving for Florida for spring break in the morning so won't have a chance to write a follow up to the Oscars for a week or two but feel free to follow me on Twitter @mandaailey to see my reactions during the commercials tonight.

Counting Down to Star Wars (Plus the Globe, SAG, & Critics' Choice Nominations)

I've successfully finished my first semester back to college (yay!) so it's time for a new blog and just in time for the announcements of the Golden Globe, SAG and Critics' Choice nominations in the past week. While I am excited for these announcements, since they mark the beginning of Awards Season, there is another movie event that is eclipsing my Awards Season elation this year. STAR WARS!

Yes, I know it is a bit of a cliche to be excited about the new Star Wars movie but I don't care. Everyone is excited (except my friend Jim--weirdo) and I'm okay with that. I don't care that I'm not alone in this cultural fervor. Bring on the over saturation of Nerdist, Entertainment Weekly and Buzzfeed articles pertaining to the release this Friday. Give me more stupid memes and posts that are inundating my Twitter and Facebook feeds. Hell, I'll even take the ridiculous amount of merchandizing. Action figures and Legos? Those are just expected. Star Wars character coffee creamer and mac n cheese? Why not? That seems like whimsical fun. A CoverGirl makeup line? Okay, I'll admit that boggles me. But beyond strange Star Wars themed makeup I'm on board for it all.

See, I'm just unabashedly full of joy that we're getting another Start Wars movie. I loved the original trilogy growing up and remember being so excited to watch all of them on the big screen when they were re-released in the 90's. When the prequels were announced, I remember doing the math with my brother and realizing that by the time Episode III would be released I would be in college and, being in middle school at the time, thinking that that future seemed impossibly far away. Yet here we are, ten years beyond that impossibly far away future on the eve of the release of the seventh installment in my favorite epic space opera. I know some are worried about this new iteration after the disappointment of the prequels, but for me the fact that J.J. Abrams is involved gives me new hope (horrible pun intended). I like what he has done with the Start Trek movies and his ode to Spielbergian sci-fi, Super 8, is great. So I have faith that Abrams will deliver with Star Wars as well.

To prepare for and celebrate this momentous movie milestone, my husband and I are heading to one of our favorite theatres to watch a marathon of all six movies, an then ending with the premiere of The Force Awakens. The marathon begins at 1 am on Thursday so I'm trying to adjust my sleep schedule to be able to make it through the nearly 24 hr marathon without nodding off. We'll see how successful I am at that, but I'm determined to stay awake the whole time and I plan to aid my endeavor with plenty of caffeine. My husband intends on sleeping through parts of the prequels but I haven't seen Episode II or Episode III in ten years so I'm interested to see if time apart has made them better or not (I am prepared for not). So maybe I'll add some sugar to my caffeine regimen to keep going.

Now that I have my Star Wars ebullience out of my system let's move on to the various award nominations. For me, the biggest surprise of both the Golden Globe and Critics' Choice nominations was the inclusion of Mad Max: Fury Road. I know overall it was well reviewed by critics (I was in the minority of not liking the film), but I just don't think it is an award worthy movie. I'll grant that Fury Road is the best in the franchise and that the action sequences were stunning but one of the best movies of the year? No. And for it to get nominated over Brooklyn in the Globes drama category is just sad. So far, Brooklyn has been the best movie I've seen this year and I'm glad it got nominated for a Critics' Choice Award but I was hoping it would get a Globe nod as well. The Globes don't really have any bearing on what films or which actors get nominations for the Oscars but I like to see excellent movies get the attention they deserve. I'll keep my fingers crossed for Brooklyn to get an Oscar Nomination come January.

As far as the acting categories go, I was very happy to see nominations across the board for Saoirse Ronin in Brooklyn (she is brilliantly breathtaking), Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies (see my October blog for how much I loved his performance) and Kate Winslet in Steve Jobs (I loved her performance and think she deserves an award for the accent she uses alone). The only performance I was surprised to see left out of both the Globes and SAGs nominations was Mark Ruffalo's work for Spotlight. I thought he was wonderfully dynamic in the film so I'll be hoping he gets an Oscar Nomination next month as well. I also thought perhaps there would be more individual nominations for the other actors in the cast but at least Spotlight got best ensemble nominations from the SAGs and Critics' Choice Awards.

Beyond the movie nominations, all three of the awards shows to recently announce nominations now include television as well. So I just have to add that I was excited to see nominations for Mr. Robot from all three of the organizations (HFPA-Globes, SAG, BFCA-Critics). I was also happy that Outlander and Fargo got some love from the Globes and that Fargo, You're the Worst and UnREAL got nods from the Critics' Choice Awards.

I'm looking forward to seeing how all of these races play out and of course can't wait for the Oscar Nominations on January 14th. In the meantime, I've got Star Wars to look forward to tomorrow! (As I finish writing this I've only got 18 hours until the marathon starts!) I do plan on tweeting throughout the marathon in between movies so if you'd like to follow along feel free to find me on Twitter (@mandaailey). Well, I think I've thoroughly screwed up my sleep cycle so I'm off to bed. Good night!

Oscar Bait Season

It's been a while (moving, traveling, going back to college to work on finishing my degree have all been keeping me busy) but I'm back with some new movie viewing habits and just in time for Oscar Bait Season.

What is Oscar Bait Season you ask? Well, it's that time of year in the Fall, usually starting in October or late September after the TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival), when many of the movies hoping to snag Oscar Nominations are released. Especially those looking for nominations in the "big six" categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor. I personally appreciate all the different categories (even if I still don't know quite know what to look for in good sound editing/mixing--I'm determined to figure it out though) and look for potential nominees all year round. Yet, despite the fact that the Oscars reward the best in artistic achievement in film throughout the entire calendar year, it's rare that Best Picture nominees, let alone winners, are released earlier than October. In the past five years only 10 of 45 Best Picture nominees were released before the TIFF (only 3 of those in the past three years) and none of those have won. Thus, we are in the midst of Oscar Bait Season when all the prestige biopics, epics and "based on a true story" films hoping for a chance at the big prize are coming to a theatre near you.

So, thanks to our super awesome AMC Stubs Card (no, they aren't paying me to advertise, but they should), which gets us half price tickets on Tuesdays, my husband and I now have a weekly movie night and I get to enjoy my second favorite movie season, after Awards Season naturally. In the last few weeks we've seen four films falling firmly in the Oscar Bait Season firmament (Black Mass, The Walk, The Martian and Bridge of Spies).

My husband and I were in Boston on vacation in mid August so we were very excited to see Black Mass and return to the city through film. Of course, the Boston we visited is far changed from the gritty, violent world of the 1970s & 1980s presented in the movie. I love a good gangster flick (The Godfather is one of my all time favorites) and Black Mass did not disappoint. It's full of brutal mob hits, politics, and the added bonus of corrupt FBI agents. Part of the allure of the film is it's stranger than fiction, based on real events story. There must have been something in the air in the late 1970s that made FBI agents think it was a good idea to work with criminals and something in the air recently inspiring filmmakers to tell those stories; with director Scott Cooper's Black Mass this fall and director David O. Russell's American Hustle in late 2013. While the two films live in the same world and have extremely similar themes they do tell their stories in different ways. Cooper's film is darker and more menacing where Russell's is more stylized and has a black humor about it. Yet, much as I enjoyed Black Mass, the dark, menacing gangster tale has been told before and it lacks the "fun" that American Hustle gave us. Unfortunately this may keep Cooper's film from going the distance for any Awards Season nominations. I think Black Mass's best hope for any nominations would be in the Best Actor or Best Supporting Actor categories. There's been a lot of hullabaloo about Johnny Depp's performance as James "Whitey" Bulger and there were times in the movie, especially his scene with Julianne Nicholson as the terrified wife of corrupt FBI agent John Connolly, where I forgot it was Depp and believed it was Bulger. However, most of the time I was a bit distracted by the makeup, focusing on "this is Depp transformed by makeup" much in the same way that I was distracted by Nicole Kidman's prosthetic nose in The Hours. Granted, that performance did land Kidman an Academy Award, so there's always a chance Depp could get a nomination for his transformation. My favorite performance in Black Mass though, was Joel Edgerton as  John Connolly. His is a subtler performance than Depp's but it is fantastic. As his character becomes more and more seduced by his association with Depp's gangster and the decadent world it opens up to him, Edgerton alters not just the way Connelly talks and interacts with others but the way he moves and walks. I doubt it will happen, but if Black Mass receives only one Oscar nomination I hope it is goes to Joel Edgerton.

I've been a fan of Joseph Gordon-Levitt for over twenty years, starting with Angels in the Outfield and grew up loving him in Third Rock from the Sun and 10 Things I Hate About You. I've always liked how he can switch from drama to comedy and how incredibly charming he is in interviews. It is this charm that Gordon-Levitt exudes which kept Robert Zemeckis's The Walk from being a bit cloying at times (like a recurring "talking head" of Gordon-Levitt's Phillipe Petit overlooking New York from the Statue of Liberty and describing events). The Walk is a fun caper movie and Zemeckis succeeds in building the tension throughout the first 2/3 of the movie before the titular walk takes place. The colorful cast of characters who make up the accomplices helping  Petit complete his "coup" also contribute to the fun of the film (my favorite was "Jeff" the Frenchman who doesn't speak English and is terrified of heights). The film really begins to soar, though, when Gordon-Levitt's Petit begins his historic wire walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center. This wire walking sequence is breathtaking. Literally. I am dreadfully afraid of heights and had to remind myself to breath a couple times while watching these scenes. This may have been exacerbated by the fact that I saw The Walk in IMAX 3D but I wouldn't have wanted to see it any other way. Every film that shows up in the IMAX 3D format isn't necessarily worth the extra money but there are a few that should be seen on that sort of grand scale: Avatar, Gravity and now The Walk. And this is where the movie's best bet for an Oscar nod lies; in the Best Visual Effects category because beyond Gordon-Levitt and his wire the world around his walk was completely created digitally and it looked surprisingly believable. There's also a slight chance for a Best Cinematography nomination with the way the camera moves seamlessly glides around Gordon-Levitt throughout his wire walk.

I have to admit I was not sure if I would like The Martian before a friend, whose movie opinions I trust, highly recommended it. I've never liked "survival" tales and have a deep-seated dislike of Jack London stories, particularly "To Build a Fire", so the idea of watching a man try to keep himself alive on a deserted, barren planet for two hours did not sound like anything I would enjoy. However, The Martian is so much more than a survival story; it's a tale of human ingenuity and hope--a theme that has popped up in two other films about space exploration in as many years (Gravity, Interstellar). My hope is that this new trend of space exploration epics inspires us to do something explore more of the universe ourselves. The Martian seems even more prescient now, considering NASA recently found flowing water on Mars. It's also one of the best movie I've seen this year. Out of the four Oscar Bait films I've seen in the past month, The Martian also has the best chance of getting multiple Oscar nominations come January. Everything about the film is wonderful from Ridley Scott's direction to Matt Damon's and the rest of the cast's performances to the writing and cinematography. Scott expertly balances the drama of the story with a very human sense of humor throughout the movie. This balance of dramatic heaviness and comic lightness was very refreshing because rarely do we deal with the tragedies of life without humor seeping it's way in. And I have to add, that The Martian is the only one of these four films that had strong female characters who weren't there to just be either a cheerleader to the male main character or a victim of him. Jessica Chastain may only have a supporting role in the film but her character is fully formed.

Of these four Oscar Bait films, Bridge of Spies, was the one I was most excited to see before hand. I'll watch almost anything Steven Spielberg or Tom Hanks is involved in but I particularly love a good  Spielberg/Hanks collaboration (Saving Private Ryan might be my favorite WWII movie). Bridge of Spies is a good film even if it's not my favorite of Spielberg's historical epics (that prize has to go to Lincoln). The beginning was a bit slow, and I almost nodded off a couple times, but once Hanks' tenacious attorney begins actively defending Mark Rylance's Soviet spy the pace picks up and I was captivated until the end. Bridge of Spies is the most traditional Oscar Bait movie out of these four films. It's based on a true story, there are multiple Academy Award winners and nominees both behind and in front of the camera, and most importantly it is a historical epic directed by Spielberg. In the past ten years, all but one (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) of the seven films Spielberg has directed have been nominated for at least one Oscar. There's no denying the Academy loves them some Spielberg and I'm almost positive this movie will get some of their love. If Bridge of Spies only receives one nomination come January though, I hope it goes to the incredibly talented Rylance for Best Supporting Actor. He's a wonderful actor who has the miraculous ability to make seemingly unlikable characters appear relatable and human. This is the second time he's brought this arresting talent to the screen in 2015 (if you haven't seen him in the miniseries Wolf Hall stop reading this and go watch it) and what makes his Soviet spy all the more remarkable is that we not only like him but we root for him too.

I'm looking forward to what else is in store this Oscar Bait Season and while I'll be watching many of those films I'm also looking forward to the biggest movie this year: Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I'm headed to the theatre today to pick up my tickets to the all day marathon of all seven movies! As my favorite movie season approaches I'll hopefully have a chance to post more often (school schedule permitting) but until then go and see some awesome movies and put The Martian at the top of your list.

Delving into Darkness

This past week marks the half way point through the summer film noir class I'm taking in joint with TCM and Ball State University. This means I am deep within the "Summer of Darkness" with a few glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel. I have to admit this week I've been in need of those glimmers of light considering the gloomy weather we've had here in central Ohio. When I signed up for the class I thought why not take a deep dive into the shadows and murky morals of film noir? It's summer! All the sun and heat will balance out the darkness. But then we had the rainiest June I can remember and it's been more than a little gloomy outdoors so it's been nice to take a reprieve this week and watch a few TV comedies (Community, Another Period, The Comedians, The Meltdown with Jonah & Kumail) to recharge.

With that said, I really am enjoying this class. Exploring film noir as a genre/style/movement (there's a big debate about which it is, I say a little of all three) has been very interesting. Learning about what was going on in the world to bring about darker, generally more realistic, films and seeing all of the storytelling and visual tropes like femme fatales and heightened shadows. Watching so many films noir (yeah, I thought that was a weird plural but apparently correct) in a row has highlighted some major themes I've seen throughout many of the movies.Visually, mirrors, shadows & fog or rain recur but not merely for the aesthetic look. Symbolically mirrors and shadows represent duality of characters like Brian Donlevy's Paul in The Glass Key claiming not to have been involved in a death that he actually was involved in all whilst getting ready in a mirror or Clifton Webb's Lydecker in Laura pretending to leave Laura's apartment with his shadow high on the stairs' wall as he decides to stay and finish what he started. Fog and rain represent a literal and figurative haziness in the story like the rain storm in The Big Sleep that precedes Humphrey Bogart's Marlowe in his discovery of his employer's daughter in a compromising position. These symbols of duplicity and murkiness fit perfectly with the subject matter of the films such as murder mysteries, gangster films and psychological thrillers. Themes of fate and the dangers of hubris also abound. Edgar G. Ulmer's Detour in particular deals with the idea that some are just fated to a bad end though I would argue that often times the characters who think they are victims of fate actually bring their doomed end upon themselves. Thus bringing us to hubris. Noir seems to have countless characters who in a way seal their fate with their own self destructiveness, blind to their hubris and greed, from the couple on a crime spree in Gun Crazy to the despicable Veda in Mildred Pierce. 

Much as I'm enjoying most of the movies I've watched so far for the course including some classics I'd had on my list for a long time (M, The Maltese Falcon, The Killers) and some I hadn't heard of before (Gun Crazy, Deadline at Dawn) I do sometimes find the strictures of the Code frustrating. I enjoy my darkness with a little ambiguity so I'm glad each day of the Summer of Darkness line up on TCM ends with a neo-noir where every misdeed of a character doesn't have to be punished and people cuss and kiss for more than 3 seconds like they do in the real world. One of my favorite movies of 2014 was Nightcrawler which firmly falls into the neo-noir wheel house with it's jaded look at the state of TV news and pitch black portrayal of humanity. The scene where Jake Gyllenhaal's Louis Bloom enters the house of the murdered family and we follow his camera light up the steps and throughout the house is a stunning use of light and could go toe to toe with any of the cinematography in a classic noir. Nightcrawler is currently streaming on Netflix and I cannot recommend it enough. A dark but brilliant film.

To take a break from noir in June I went to see a few films in the theatre: Woman in Gold, Jurassic World and Spy. When Woman in Gold showed up at the local dollar theatre I texted my best friend describing the premise of the movie and who starred in it. Her response, "You had me at Helen Mirren." We both have a deep unabiding love for older British actors and actresses (Michael Caine, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith) and I've always been fascinated by stories dealing with WWII so Woman in Gold was completely up my alley. It's not the sort of movie that will win any awards or become a classic but I enjoyed it. I know a movie featuring Nazis may seem like an odd choice to take a break from the darkness of noir but Woman in Gold was hopeful especially with it's based on a true story premise. It's nice to know that in real life a woman was able to fight and get family heirlooms returned to her that were stolen by the Nazis. The theme throughout the film of not letting Austria shy away from it's darker past was also particularly poignant considering the tumult going on in this country right now. We so often try and hide or forget the darker side of our past but it's always better to face it, admit the mistakes and try to ramify the situation.

I went to see Jurassic World with most of my immediate family (of which half were wearing Jurassic Park shirts and dinosaur hats) for the first IMAX showing opening night and I loved it. It's not as good as the original but was much more in the spirit than The Lost World or Jurassic Park III, not to mention better than the previous sequels. Now, Jurassic World is not without faults; there's not a lot of character development, there are made up dinosaurs and the now infamous scene of Bryce Dallas Howard's Claire running from a T-Rex in heels, but WHO CARES? I didn't go into Jurassic World thinking it would be the next Oscar winner or even the best movie in the franchise. I went to see dinosaurs reek havoc and to bear witness to Chris Pratt as the Raptor King. And boy did the movie deliver! Plus there were the added comedic bits featuring Jake Johnson and Lauren Lapkus as control room employees, that I've heard some people complain about, however, I thought their scenes were fun. Overall, the movie gave me the feeling I had as kid when I would see a big action adventure and would get completely lost in it's world for a couple hours.

I've adored Melissa McCarthy since she was Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls and have loved seeing her career explode after her excellent performance in Bridesmaids. While not all of her post Bridesmaids movies have been stellar (feel free to skip Identity Thief) there have been some gems (The Heat, St. Vincent). Spy, though, highlighted Melissa McCarthy's comedic genius better than any of her previous film ventures and it was so much more than just a vehicle for her. Spy was the best comedy I've seen in the theatre for years. Paul Feig's direction was superb and he's quickly becoming my favorite comedy director. Sometimes "action comedies" get hokey in the action sequences or lose out on the comedy during the action but not with Spy. Feig presented the perfect balance between comedy and action. I can't wait to see his take on Ghostbusters next year. The biggest surprise of the film though, was Jason Statham. I had no idea he could be so funny and my husband and I couldn't stop quoting his lines on the way home.

To close out I'm going to do something a little different. Leave a list of the films noir and others I've watched this summer with a "grade" as requested by Paul (@sdterp on Twitter). So until next time here are some movies (in order that I watched them) and how I'd grade them.

Film Noir

• M (1931)   A+
• La Bete Humaine (1938)   B-
• The Letter (1940)   B
• Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)   C
• High Sierra (1941)   A-
• The Maltese Falcon (1941)   A
• Journey Into Fear (1942)   B
• Johnny Eager (1942)   C
• Nora Prentiss (1947)   B-
• Woman on the Run (1950)   B
• Dark Passage (1947)   B+
• Born to Kill (1947)   B+
• L.A. Confidential (1997)   A
• The Glass Key (1942)   B-
• Laura (1944)   A-
• Ministry of Fear (1944)   B
• Murder, My Sweet (1944)   A-
• Danger Signal (1945)   C+
• Detour (1945)   B-
• Mildred Pierce (1945)   A
• Deadline at Dawn (1946)   B+
• Johnny Angel (1946)   C-
• The Gangster (1947)   D+
• Gun Crazy (1950)   A
• Tomorrow is Another Day (1951)   B-
• Nightmare Alley (1947)   B-
• Night Moves (1975)   B
• Cornered (1945)   B-
• Crack-Up (1946)   B-
• Gilda (1946)   A-
• The Big Sleep (1946)   A
• The Killers (1946)   A
• Nobody Lives Forever (1946)   B-
• Nocturne (1946)   C+
• Crossfire (1947)   B+
• Hollow Triumph (1948)   B
• Mystery Street (1950)   B
• Border Incident (1949)   B
• The People Against O'Hara (1951)   C+
• Get Carter (1971)   A-
• The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)   B
• They Won't Believe Me (1947)   B-
• The Woman on the Beach (1947)   B

Other Summer Movies

• The Woman in Gold (2015)   B
• Jurassic World (2015)   B+
• Spy (2015)   A

Transitions and Oscar thoughts

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." It's one of my favorite quotes and while I intended to write this directly after the Oscars aired, Life (and yes with a capital "L") had other plans. In the past three months there have been a lot of life transitions going on for me and my family. Hospitalizations, surgeries, cancer scares, moving, jobs left behind and on a happier note a wedding. Much as I enjoy writing these there just wasn't time or I didn't have the energy to do more than lose myself in a movie or a book at the end of the day.

If you've read this blog before then you know how much I love Oscar movies. However, they tend to have a certain emotional intensity and every year after the Oscars, and especially the last couple of years, I tend to need a little reprieve. So in late winter and spring I turn towards comedies or silly action movies that don't have the same emotional punch as the Oscar fare. Over the last three months, I admit, I've been escaping into pure fantasy; whether it be a brand new action adventure in a theatre or a classic on TCM in my living room. I love old movies and have been watching quite a few over the past several weeks. I grew up enjoying old Cary Grant movies, John Wayne movies, and musicals, and somehow it never dawned on me until these last weeks that what they all have in common is that they're pure fantasy. There isn't a lot of realism, even if wide scenery shots are done on location, the scenes with actors are on studio sets for the most part, and thanks to the Production Code, men and women even had to sleep in separate beds. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think this is a bad thing, and I know these are generalizations that don't apply to every classic movie or genre. I love that these movies are fantasies. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is one of my favorite old musicals but there's not a bit of authenticity about it and that's okay. I like escaping to a world where somehow mountain farmers are world class dancers and it's clear that all of the mountains are painted on a sound stage wall. Another favorite of mine is North By Northwest which does take place more in the real world than Seven Brides for Seven Brothers but is just as much of a fantasy. How realistic is the idea that an "every man" is mistaken for a spy and somehow manages to tame the femme fatale as well?  It's a spy thriller fantasy that's a precursor to today's spy escape films like Bond and Bourne. Again, all of this is okay. I'll admit, sometimes it's hard to watch older films without seeing them through our jaded 21st century scope (pointing out plot holes and fake driving past canned backgrounds), but half the fun of watching an old movie is leaving behind our jaded present and escaping into a more idealized past.

Another way I've been escaping the present is going to see what are, arguably, action fantasies on the big screen. All have been blockbuster action movies (even if some were box office disappointments) that take place in the present but allowed me to lose myself for a couple of hours in a silly, explosion ridden, romp. I've seen several of these "action fantasies" (Jupiter Ascending, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Furious 7, Chappie, Avengers: Age of Ultron, etc) in the past few months and have truly enjoyed every one of them for their own merits.

I saw Kingsman: The Secret Service for my birthday with my husband and sisters and I think the best way to sum it up is with quotes from my sisters throughout the movie. In the first 10 minutes my 19 year old sister leaned over to me and whispered, "Uhg. This is so cheesy. They're trying too hard." Halfway through I looked over at them to see faces filled with joy and exclamations of, "This is amazing!" At the end of the movie while the credits rolled I asked them, "So what did you think?" My 14 year old sister declared, "Best. Movie. Ever."

Four years ago I had very happily never seen a Fast & Furious movie and was quite content to keep it that way. However, in the spring of 2011 Fast Five was coming out and my husband, then boyfriend, was SO excited. He insisted that I watch all of the previous four movies so I could be up to speed (pun intended) before we went to see the fifth installment of the franchise. I admittedly was not thrilled about this prospect. We had embarked on a viewing the year before of another one of his favorite franchises: Mad Max. To this day I wish I had those hours of my life back to spend watching more worthy movies. I just do not get Mad Max and doubt I ever will. (However, I love my husband--and our marital bliss--so I did see the newest installment of that franchise with him during opening week...best in the franchise just not my thing.) Needless to say, I was wary about embarking on another viewing journey of something my boyfriend held so dear because I was sure I would hate it as much I as I hate(ed) Mad Max. And I do hate the third Fast & Furious movie (Tokyo Drift or as I like to mockingly call it, 3 Fast) as much as Mad Max. Yet, when we got to the fourth film in the series I was surprised that it wasn't awful and, much as the first two are ridiculous, they were at least watchable. So when we went to see Fast Five in the theatre I actually liked it. It was a caper movie along the lines of Ocean's 11 but with cars. Now I go and watch the Fast & Furious movies with my husband without bracing myself for disaster. They are silly, over the top fun. They won't ever be my favorite movies but the series has done something rare, it's actually gotten better in the later installments. Furious 7 even had me tearing up at the end as the characters said goodbye to Paul Walker.

With Chappie and Avengers: Age of Ultron it was interesting to see two sides of the argument for artificial intelligence. Chappie presents a world where the humans are the jaded bad guys and the perky AI infused robot is the hope for a brighter future. Whereas, in Avengers: Age of Ultron the robot with AI is a maniac trying to destroy the world to "save" it and the super-for the most part-humans have to save the world from the rogue sentient robot. There have been movies exploring both sides of AI debate for years, from Terminator to Her, and there will probably be more to come as technology becomes more and more an extension of our lives every day. I hope it stays a fun device in film to explore our fears of technology rather than a reality.

My favorite movie that I saw to help me escape for a couple hours though, was Jupiter Ascending. It was not the best film and it's not without serious flaws but it was so much fun. I liked that for once it was an "every woman" who is supposed to be the Earth's savior instead of another man. Is she perfect or a super hero? Nope, just a maid who gets swept up in an alien family's war she knows nothing about. Yes, it's silly, but there are so many "guy" action movies or sci-fi movies that are more ridiculous and those don't have gorgeous costumes and a fantastical production design to distract you. Plus, there's something wonderful about a good bad movie. I can't tell you how many times my brother and I watched Flash Gordon growing up. And just like Flash Gordon, Jupiter Ascending is full of weird aliens, foreign planets, and a predictable love story; all it needs is a campy theme song by Queen. Unfortunately the critics panned this movie with the sort of vitriol it seems they save for one not good, but not god awful movie every year around Oscar season (past victims include One For the Money and The Monuments Men). I think (and hope) Jupiter Ascending will find a cult following on blu-ray and streaming.

As for The Oscars, I enjoyed this year's broadcast, almost as much as last year's, but I really missed the mark on predictions this year. I underestimated the might of Birdman but did really well in predicting the more technical awards than past years and I was so happy for all of the wins for The Grand Budapest Hotel. I liked Neil Patrick Harris as host for the most part, but the "magic" trick at the end seemed a bit superfluous. There were fabulous and touching acceptance speeches throughout the evening, including Patricia Arquette, J.K. Simmons and Graham Moore for Best Adapted Screenplay (Youtube these--they're worth a watch). Common and John Legend's performance of "Glory" was also incredibly moving and powerful bringing many in the audience and myself to tears. My very favorite moment of the night though, was when Julie Andrews came on stage after the Sound of Music tribute sung by Lady Gaga. First of all, Lady Gaga blew me away (I've never been a fan of hers and had no idea she could sing like that) and then the effervescent Dame Julie Andrews stepped on stage and I was instantly weeping. Sound of Music is my favorite musical and was my favorite movie as a child (one of the highlights of my life was seeing Julie Andrews and Christopher Plumber sing together live when I was in high school), so I can't really explain how magical  it was when she appeared on the Oscar stage after that tribute. Those are the sort of wondrous moments that happen at the Oscars which make me love them so much.

Now that summer approaches and Life is calming a bit (knock on wood) I have to stop only escaping with my movie viewing and start watching more of a variety again. I started this new transition by going to see A Most Violent Year at the local dollar theatre last week and loved it. It was a dark mood piece full of great performances and a fantastic score. Jessica Chastain was mesmerizing and as my friend Pam said, Chastain should "win an award for Best Nail Acting". It's still summer movie season so I'll of course be going to see some upcoming blockbusters (Jurassic World, Ant-Man) but I'm balancing my escapist viewing by taking an online course exploring Film Noir in joint with TCM's Summer of Darkness. So hopefully I'll have plenty of new film insights to write about here in the coming months. Until next time.

Oscar Night/Predictions 2015

Happy Oscar Day Everyone! It's only a couple of hours until the show begins and I can't wait.

This year, I started out with 44 nominees to see before tonight and managed to see all but 9 of them! That's an improvement from seeing all but 12 last year. Which, I figure isn't too bad considering I wasn't able to see any movies the past two weekends because of the flu. Hopefully next year I can improve on those numbers.

Despite seeing more nominees than ever before there are quite a few categories that could go either way so my predictions could be way off this year but I'm hoping they're not. Let's see if I can beat predicting 21 winners last year. So here they are.

Category	Who will win	Who I want to win
Best Picture	Boyhood. There’s a chance this could go to Birdman because it won at the big guild awards, and I might regret this choice at the end of the night but I think the Academy as a whole will go with Boyhood. I don’t think they’ll be able to resist the fact that it took 12 years to film and that there’s never been a work of fiction like it.	In a perfect world, The Grand Budapest Hotel would win. For now I’ll have to hope that the next Wes Anderson movie wins Best Picture.
Best Actor	Eddie Redmayne. This is another close race, with Michael Keaton being the other possible winner. And again, I might be wrong about this one but I think it’s going to be Redmayne at the end of the night since he won at both the SAGs and the BAFTAs.	I really liked Steve Carell and Benedict Cumberbatch this year but I’ve said since the Golden Globes that I hope Eddie Redmayne wins this one. I adore him.
Best Actress	Julianne Moore. There’s no doubt that Moore will win this for Still Alice.	I just saw Still Alice this morning, and much as I liked all of the other nominated performances this year, I’ve got to say I’ll be rooting for Julianne Moore tonight.
Best Supporting Actor	J.K. Simmons. This is a sure thing.	J.K. Simmons is electric as the sadistic music professor in Whiplash. He was absolutely mesmerizing in the role.
Best Supporting Actress	Patricia Arquette. This is another sure thing. She’s swept all of the other awards this year.	I thought Patricia Arquette was great but if I was able to have a ballot, my vote would have gone to Meryl Streep. I thought she was the best thing about Into the Woods.
Best Director	Richard Linklater. This is another close race between Boyhood and Birdman and even though, as with Best Picture, Alejandro G. Inarritu won at the DGAs, I think Linklater will come out on top with the Academy as a whole.	Of course I think Wes Anderson should win. He’s my all time favorite director.
Best Adapted Screenplay	The Imitation Game. I really don’t know with this one. It seems like there’s a chance Whiplash could win too, but I’m going to go with The Imitation Game since it took the prize at the WGAs.	I really just hope that anything other than American Sniper wins. But I like Paul Thomas Anderson so I’m hoping there’s a chance he’ll win for Inherent Vice.
Best Original Screenplay	The Grand Budapest Hotel. Wes Anderson is gonna win an Oscar!	I repeat, Wes Anderson is gonna win an Oscar! Of course I want The Grand Budapest Hotel to win.
Best Cinematography	Birdman.  I don’t think the Academy will be able to resist Emmanuel Lubezki’s extra long takes, even if they made me dizzy and sick.	This may come as a surprise since I’m rooting for The Grand Budapest Hotel in every other category it is nominated for, but I thought Ida had the most stunning cinematography.
Best Animated Feature	How to Train Your Dragon 2. I really don’t know who will win in this category. With The Lego Movie getting snubbed it opened up this category. Big Hero 6 might also take home the prize.	My mom might kill me for not rooting for her beloved Toothless in How to Train Your Dragon 2, but my favorite nominated movie this year was Song of the Sea. The animation is gorgeous and I’m a sucker for an Irish selkie tale. After seeing the movie I wanted to go home and watch The Secret of Roan Inish.
Best Documentary Feature	CitizenFour. I’m pretty sure this is a lock.	I was able to see 4 of the 5 nominees this year and really liked Last Days in Vietnam and Finding Vivian Maier, but CitizenFour was gripping.
Best Documentary Short	Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1. This might go to Our Curse or Joanna too.	I was able to see all of the documentary shorts this year and they were overwhelmingly depressing. Several people got up and walked out of the theatre during The Reaper and Our Curse because it was too much to take. My pick would be Our Curse though because at least it ended with a glimmer of hope.
Best Live Action Short	Boogaloo and Graham. All of the nominated short films had a tinge of melancholy to them this year except this tale of two boys growing up with pet chickens.	I loved Boogaloo and Graham.
Best Animated Short	The Dam Keeper. I might be wrong about this and it will go to Disney’s Feast, but Disney hasn’t fared well in this category over the past 10 years.	Again, most of the nominated shorts had a melancholy tone, but I really liked The Dam Keeper. The animation was beautiful and the story very sweet.
Best Song	“Glory”. I thought maybe “Everything is Awesome” would win but at the end of the night I think the Academy will give the award to Selma since it had the bigger snubs in other categories.	I kind of want “Everything is Awesome” to win but I’d be happy with “Glory” winning too.
Best Score	The Grand Budapest Hotel. Alexandre Desplat is nominated twice in this category so it may split his votes and could then go to The Theory of Everything but I’m betting on Desplat.	I wrote last year about how much I love Desplat’s scores and of course I’ll be hoping he wins for The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Best Costume Design	The Grand Budapest Hotel. The costumes are wonderful.	I’m staying loyal. The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Best Production Design	The Grand Budapest Hotel. Wes Anderson’s films always have the most detailed and amazing sets.	Again, The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Best Makeup & Hairstyling	The Grand Budapest Hotel. Foxcatcher impressively transformed Steve Carell, but The Grand Budapest Hotel had so much more going on. Plus Tilda Swinton looked like a real old woman.	And again, The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Best Foreign Language Film	Ida. Leviathan might overcome Ida but I don’t think it will in the end.	The only nominee I was able to see was Ida and it was a beautiful movie so I’m hoping it wins.
Best Visual Effects	Interstellar. I really don’t know here, but Interstellar made space exploration seem real.	I’ll be rooting for Guardians of the Galaxy because it was one of my favorite movies of last year.
Best Editing	Boyhood. Editing 12 years of film was probably quite a feat.	I never know with this category so I’m going to keep rooting for The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Best Sound Mixing	Whiplash. The sound categories always confound me but the mixing of the instruments in Whiplash should win.	I really like the movie so Whiplash it is.
Best Sound Editing	American Sniper. This might be the only win for this movie.	I’ll root for Interstellar since it was my favorite of the nominees in this category.

Well, the red carpet is starting so it's time for me to put away the laptop and get to watching the most glamorous night of the year! And I promise to actually write an Oscar re-cap this year, just probably not tomorrow, I'll be too tired. ;)