Opinions On the Oscars

Hey, it's Ben.  After watching the Oscars last night, I had no problem with the winners at all whatsoever.  I had seen all of the films that won the major awards, and I was happy with all of them.  However, what upset me was that there were absolutely no surprises.  Except for foreign language film (I thought it was between The Class and Waltz with Bashir, but Departures took the award), I predicted all of the awards.  But, here are my opinions on the winners:

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

If anyone is a regular reader of the blog, they know how much I love this film.  I am so glad that it won best picture, and I hope it will be remembered as a great film for years to come.

Best Actor: Sean Penn (Milk)

Even though I was pulling for Mickey Rourke, Sean Penn is great as the gone-too-soon Harvey Milk, and any other year he probably he would have been my choice.

Best Actress: Kate Winslet (The Reader)

Kate Winslet is so fantastic in this movie that I completely lost myself in the film.  Like many other people are saying, if someone plays a character who seduces a 15 year old b

oy, abandons him, and sends thousands of people to their deaths in Auschwitz, and still makes the character sympathetic, this must be a great actress.  And, of course, Kate Winslet is one.

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)

Not only is it the best part of The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger's performance is one of the best villains in movie history.

Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona)

Even though Marisa Tomei was my choice, Cruz is brilliant in this movie, and it shows that she will have a long and great movie career in the future.

Best Director: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire)

Once again, not a surprise, but still fantastic direction by Boyle.

Best Animated Film: Wall-E

A wonderful, inspiring movie, with both great animation and great heart.

-Ben

Ratings for Oscar nominees

Here is every film I've seen that's nominated for an Oscar's rating.

Benjamin Button - 4 out of 4

Frost/Nixon - 4 out of 4

Milk - 4 out of 4

The Reader - 3.5 out of 4

Slumdog Millionaire - 4 out of 4

The Wrester - 4 out of 4

Tropic Thunder - 4 out of 4

The Dark Knight - 4 out of 4

Revolutionary Road - 3 out of 4

Rachel Getting Married - 4 out of 4

Changeling - 4 out of 4

Bolt - 0 out of 4

Kung-Fu Panda - 3 out of 4

WALL-E - 4 out of 4

Man on Wire - 4 out of 4

Hellboy II: The Golden Army - 4 out of 4

Presto (Short Film) - 4 out of 4

Wanted - 3 out of 4

Happy-Go-Lucky - 4 out of 4

In Bruges - 4 out of 4

-Zach

The Oscars

Okay, you know what movies I loved this year and you know what performances I loved.  There's only one more question left to ask... Will the Academy agree?  So, here are my picks for who I think should win and who I think will win for all categories I actually can possibly have a say in.

Best Picture

Prediction & Opinion: Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actor

Prediction & Opinion: Mickey Rourke-The Wrestler

Best Actress

Prediction & Opinion: Kate Winslet-The Reader

Best Supporting Actor

Prediction & Opinion: Heath Ledger-The Dark Knight

Best Director

Prediction: Danny Boyle-Slumdog Millionaire

Opinion: Davin Fincher-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Original Screenplay

Prediction: Dustin Lance Black-Milk

Opinion: Martin McDonagh-In Bruges

Best Adapted Screenplay

Prediction & Opinion: Eric Roth-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Best Documentary

Prediction & Opinion: Man on Wire

Watch the Oscars, Sunday February 23rd at 8:00 on ABC.

-Zach

Happy Friday the 13th to Me!

Friday the 13th is a terrifying day for me, mainly because I'm a very superstitious person.  I'll tell you it has nothing to do with Jason Voorhees, and this movie didn't make me any more scared than I was before walking into it.  I'm not dissing this movie's scare factor... I'm just saying I wasn't scared, then again my The Exorcist didn't scare me so it depends on your scare-ability how scary you'll find it.  I'm going to confess something to you... I hate when all the scares in the movie are exactly the same.  Jason jumping out at you, again and again and again and again and you get the point... that's all this movie is.  This movie has less blood and is better looking than the original but the killer has no motive!  Why is he doing this?  The funny thing is that in both movies there is one scene that surpasses all the other scenes put together.  I would actually say there were two amazing scenes in the original, the Kevin Bacon scene and the final showdown.  In the new one the amazing scene involves a boat and a bow and arrow, the opening scene is also pretty solid.  In all the entire movie summed up to a mildly satisfying night at the movies.

Friday the 13th - 2.5 out of 4

-Zach

Zach's Top 5 Most Anticipated Movies of 2009: Late Edition

I know its late into the year and everyone has already made their most anticipated movies of the year list but I decided I might as well before it's too late.

1. Inglorious Basterds - Directed by my favorite director of all time, Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction) , there is no way I'm not seeing this movie opening day.  Plus the trailer features Brad Pitt delivering the line "...and I want my scalps!"
   
2. Watchmen - Based on one of the most influential graphic novels of all time, I can't wait to see this because of the amazing trailer but also because of the director (Zack Snyder director of 300 and the remake of Dawn of the Dead, which are both movies I enjoyed), the fact that I'm reading the graphic novel, and for tons of other reasons.
   
3. Up - Pixar's follow-up to WALL-E, I don't have to say much else.
   
4. Terminator: Salvation - T2 is one of my favorite movies of all time so that's all the reason I need to be very eager to see this movie.
   
5. Star Trek - I don't actually need an explanation for this.
   

Honorable Mentions:

• The Bruno Movie
  
• Public Enemies
• Sherlock Holmes
• The Wolf Man
• Avatar
• The Fantastic Mr. Fox
• Shutter Island
• Where the Wild Things Are
• Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
• The Brothers Bloom
  

My Top 5 Least Anticipated Movies of 2009

1. Alvin and the Chipmunks 2
2. Cats and Dogs 2
3. Dance Flick
4. Night at the Museum 2
5. Ice Age 3

-Zach

Update

We are currently recording a audio podcast including a review of Coraline, we will announce when that is available (Give us at least a week).  I'm going to try to see Friday the 13th this weekend and I'll post a review of that.  In about a week I hope we can post our Oscar predictions.  In two weeks Watchmen will be released and I will make sure to see and review that when it comes out.

-Zach

Inglourious Basterds Trailer

First footage of my most anticipated movie of the year, Inglorious Basterds (not a spelling mistake), directed by my favorite director of all time, Quentin Tatantino.  The full trailer is available at http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808404206/trailer

and it is also embedded below.

-Zach

Inglourious Basterds - #1 Trailer
by hawkbcn

Taken

"I don't know who you are.  I don't know what you want.  If you are looking for ransom. I can tell you I don't have money.  But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career.  Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.  If you let my daughter go now, that will be the end of it.  I will not look for you, I will not pursue you.  But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."  When hearing that line, brilliantly spoken by the master of stage and screen, Liam Neeson (a.k.a. Oskar Schindler), you know he means business.  In the new movie, Taken, the plot has no surprises, except for maybe one instance that I was surprised about, but won't give away.  Just because the plot doesn't shine in Taken doesn't make it a bad movie.  There are tons of awesome action moments, including an awesome scene involving a construction site.  The action looks very good, the special effects are unnoticeable, bad effects can distract you from the action.  Of course Neeson gives a stellar performance.  I started thinking that Liam Neeson's character might end up to be some supernatural force, plowing through people without a scratch on his body, but by the end of the movie you learn, Liam Neeson is able to bleed.  What I trying to say is, Liam Neeson is opening a can of what some people like to call, whoopass.  The producer of this movie is Luc Besson, who produced the Transporter movies, Taken is far superior to any of of them.  This movie has already been released in other countries for almost a year, and has already made back its budget, but I doesn't mean you shouldn't see it.  Although if you don't see it you may receive a phone call from Liam Neeson saying, "If you see Taken now, that will be the end of it.  I will not look for you, I will not pursue you.  But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will kill you."

Taken - 3.5 out of 4 (Although I would like to give this movie a 4, unfortunately I can't because of the lackluster plot)

-Zach