Oscar Nomination Predictions 2014

Welcome back! It appears this blog is turning into more of an annual Oscar blog than a year round movie blog, and for that I apologize, however most likely no one is reading this anyway, but its nice to have a place to put these Oscar posts so I can come back later and check my work! Lots of excuses as to why we stopped posting, Diomedes moved into Chicago and has no internet, which means he uses his Iphone for everyone, and its tough to type posts on an Iphone. As for me, I use my Ipad for everything now, and you can't really type a long post on an Ipad. So basically technology has made us lazy. Anyway, its time for our annual Oscar Nomination predictions. The Oscar nominations are announced this Thursday, and there will be plenty of breakdown here.

As for my way too far in advance 2014 Oscar predictions, we did pretty well. Films like Gravity and 12 Years a Slave were great calls by me, just as it appears The Butler and August: Osage County were not. In addition many of the films I thought would be contenders (The Monuments Men, Foxcatcher) were pushed into 2014.

On to what we think will be nominated this year.

Best Supporting Actress

You'll see a lot of the same theme this year, which is that all the main nominations will come from the same 15 movies. While the nominations will vary in those 15, it is a small pool to choose from this year. The Best Supporting Actress race is no different, as all the nominees films are nominated in other main categories. The locks are June Squibb for Nebraska, Lupita Nyong'o for 12 Years a Slave, and Jennifer Lawrence for American Hustle. From there it gets tricky. Oprah Winfrey and Julia Roberts are the powerhouse superstars that the Academy likes to honor, but some smaller movies and performances are still fighting to get in, like Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine and Margot Robbie for The Wolf of Wall Street. Despite Oprah not getting the SAG nomination, I do believe she sneaks in here.

Final Prediction:
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
June Squibb, Nebraska
Oprah Winfrey, The Butler
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County

Best Supporting Actor

A tougher category as multiple spots are still up for grabs. The Golden Globes sealed Jared Leto as a lock for his performance in Dallas Buyer's Club. In addition Barkhad Abdi for Captain Phillips is in. Michael Fassbender for 12 Years a Slave has been considered by most to be a lock for some time, but his name is not being mentioned much. For the final two spots, the battle is between Daniel Bruhl for Rush, Bradley Cooper for American Hustle, James Gandolfini for Enough Said, Will Forte for Nebraska, and Jonah Hill for The Wolf of Wall Street. Why no one is talking about Jeremy Renner in American Hustle is beyond me. Ultimately I think Gandolfini, Forte, and Hill have too little momentum. Tom Hanks will get all his love for his lead performance in Captain Phillips and not enough for his supporting turn in Saving Mr Banks, and James Franco is still a very odd choice for Spring Breakers, despite people trying to push him into the race.

Final Prediction:
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyer's Club
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Daniel Bruhl, Rush

Best Actress

The easiest category (yet the one with the fiercest final battle) since 4 nominees are locks already. Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine, Sandra Bullock for Gravity, Judi Dench for Philomena, and Emma Thompson for Saving Mr Banks are all in. The question now is Meryl Streep for August: Osage County or Amy Adams for American Hustle? If nominations were due next week, I think Adams is a lock, but Streep was a favorite a few weeks back when many sent in their ballots. Still, I am calling for the upset and saying Adams gets in.

Final Prediction:
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr Banks

Best Actor

The hardest category for me. Chitwetel Ejiofor and Matthew McConaughey are locks for 12 Years a Slave and Dallas Buyer's Club, respectively. Tom Hanks is a near lock for Captain Phillips. After that it gets murky. Bruce Dern has a very good chance of securing the 4th spot for Nebraska. So for the 5th spot, Robert Redford for All is Lost, Leonardo DiCaprio for The Wolf of Wall Street, or Christian Bale for American Hustle? Joaquin Phoenix, Oscar Isaac, and Michael B. Jordan are still slightly in play here as well, however any getting a nomination would be a true upset. I think ultimately voters will go with the showiest performance and give the 5th spot to Leonardo DiCaprio, and personally I can't understand why they don't just give him the Oscar.

Final Prediction:
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyer's Club
Chiwetal Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips

Best Director

Always the hardest category because the directors branch tends to get tricky with their nominations. Last years nominations for Beasts of the Southern Wild and snubs for Affleck, Bigelow, and Hooper proved that. So while I am hesitant to say there are locks, the closest we have are Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave, Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity, and David O'Russell for American Hustle. For the last two spots, Martin Scorsese appears to be the favorite to get one of them, and it falls between Alexander Payne and Paul Greengrass for the final nomination. Spike Jonze is well respected but Her is not looked at as a strong directing achievement (however he may get an Oscar for the screenplay) and somehow the Coen's film Inside Llewyn Davis is being overlooked. The real wild card to me here is Ryan Coogler for Fruitvale Station. I don't think the film has enough support to get a Best Picture nomination, but if the Director's branch wanted their shocker, he would be it, so keep your eyes on that. As for my final prediction, I am saying Payne is the more obscure choice than Greengrass, which means he has the better shot.

Final Prediction:
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
David O'Russell, American Hustle
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street
Alexander Payne, Nebraska

Best Picture

Ah, the big one. It has been hard to predict these last few years since the number of nominees can vary. It has been 9 each of the last two years, but this year I think love is spread over about 15 films so there is a good chance 10 get in. First the possibilities, 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, and American Hustle are locks. The way the voting system works, you are rewarded for a decent number of voters loving your film, and people who like The Wolf of Wall Street, love it. Captain Phillips has been a consistent threat as well. Nebraska, Inside Llewyn Davis, and Her all are still hanging in as well. Dallas Buyer's Club, Philomena, and Blue Jasmine have been gaining steam, while August: Osage County, The Butler, and Saving Mr Banks have been losing it. The other film to consider is the aforementioned Fruitvale Station, which still has its champions within the Academy. Ultimately I think the first 6 I mentioned are the closest to sure things, which means 12 Years a Slave, Gravity, American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Wolf of Wall Street, and Nebraska are in. If we only had 5 like the old days, I think Wolf would be left out. So now between 0 and 4 spots for the final 9 films I mentioned. I think Dallas Buyer's Club and Philomena have a ton of momentum and get in. I think Her gets in as well as many people find it sweet and think its the best film of the year. I think August, The Butler, and Mr Banks are on the outside looking in, as is Fruitvale Station as not enough people are still talking about it. So for the final spot, Inside Llewyn Davis or Blue Jasmine? I am going to say that the Blue Jasmine love is too little too late and say Davis gets in.

Final Prediction (10):
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Gravity
Captain Phillips
The Wolf of Wall Street
Nebraska
Dallas Buyer's Club
Her
Philomena
Inside Llewyn Davis


So there it is, I am very like quite wrong on a lot of these, and also I lied to you at the beginning of this article as Rush, Blue Jasmine, Saving Mr Banks, Her, and The Butler I have getting only one of the main 6 nominations each. In case you consider Screenplay part of the main show, my predictions for Adapted are Before Midnight, Captain Phillips, Philomena, 12 Years a Slave, and The Wolf of Wall Street. With Original going to American Hustle, Blue Jasmine, Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, and Nebraska.

I'll be back after Thursday to breakdown the nominations, and back a few more times prior to the Oscar Ceremony to tell you what I think will win and what should win. And after the show we'll break down the winners and as usual, look far to forward to 2015. Thanks for reading.

-Maximus   

50 Movies to See Before You Die – Avatar

It would be hard to leave this movie out of the 50 movies we have chosen that have set themselves apart from the rest of the film industry and are deserving of being experienced before you part with this world.  As I was recently discussing with Maximus, this list we have created is not of the best 50 movies ever made but of the top 50 movies that need to be experienced.  Avatar was the first of its kind having a whole special level of equipment needed to be created just to film it.  It is visually a thrill and will be one of those movies that will be re-released into theaters in the future as your home theater system just can’t do it justice.

The premise of the movie is that humans in the future have explored other planets and have found specific resources that are very valuable and only found on the planet of Pandora that they have begun to exploit.  A disabled vet named Jake Sully (played by Sam Worthington) wants to still stay in the game and is offered the opportunity to work as a body guard through a life like replica of the inhabitants of Pandora, giving way to the name of the movie “Avatar”. 

Through this Avatar, Jake meets with the natives and finds he rather enjoys their way of living, while they start to accept him as one of their own.  The Colonel of the human fleet finds this as a huge advantage so he exploits the situation by using Jake’s friendship with the natives to gain military intelligence.  The story spirals into a roller coaster ride of events from there, which I will leave for you to find out for yourself.

The movie is basically almost all CGI besides the humans interaction throughout the movie.  James Cameron claims to have been building this idea for years, creating the whole society and even the language for the natives of Pandora.  He helped create the different types of cameras used to film this movie.  He created the biggest blockbuster since Titanic (which he directed as well…).  To his credit, this movie went beyond story line and literally into the limitless boundaries of the imagination.

As Maximus told me when discussing this movie, he believes that it is less amazing now that it is on DVD/Blu Ray.  He makes a great point with that statement as the actual 3D theater experience was the far superior way of seeing it.  I do think though that if you have not seen it in theaters, then you will still have a great experience in the Blu Ray format.  Or you could just wait for it to come back to theaters as I believe it will, especially since Cameron is working on a second story line dealing with Pandora.

- Diomedes

Summer Movie Preview 2013

May 1st is soon upon us, which means its time to break down what to look forward to and what to look forward to being disappointed by in the summer movie season. There is a lot to cover this year, so lets get to it.

May 1st:

Iron Man 3- The first Marvel movie since the Avengers, and possibly the last Robert Downey Jr. Iron Man solo film. Jon Favreau steps aside for Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang director Shane Black. Ben Kingsley costars as The Mandarin.  Guy Pierce and Rebecca Hall also join RDJ, Don Cheadle, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

May 10th:

The Great Gatsby- This Leonardo DiCaprio take on the classic tale was delayed from last Oscar season for unknown reasons. Director Baz Luhrman is incredibly hit or miss, if he hits (Moulin Rouge) he is great, but when he misses (Australia), the results are catastrophic. Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, and Joel Edgerton costar.

May 15th:

Star Trek Into Darkness- The second part of JJ Abrams planned Star Trek trilogy (we'll see how him taking over Star Wars affects his completion of the trilogy) looks a great bit darker than the first. We get Benedict Cumberbatch as villain John Harrison, and while we don't know much about the plot, the trailers are fantastic.

May 24th:

Fast and Furious 6- The final chapter in what Vin Diesel called "the second trilogy" of the F&F films. Dwayne Johnson returns as tracker Luke Hobbs, and while he was the best thing about 5, the film as a whole was the first since the original to be classified as good.

The Hangover Part III- The final chapter (sorry, it just keeps happening) of what director Todd Phillips claims "was always a trilogy" sees the wolf pack return to Las Vegas. Considering how bad Part II was, this can only trend upwards. All the main cast members return.

Only God Forgives- Ryan Gosling reunites with his Drive director Nicholas Winding Refn for this film of which little is known. The IMDB summary indicates Ryan Gosling plays a criminal in the Bangkok underground who seeks revenge on his brothers killer. Kristin Scott Thomas costars.

May 31st:

After Earth- M. Night Shyamalan returns from a necessary hiatus to direct this Will and Jaden Smith vehicle about a father and son who crash land on a ruined Earth. While Will Smith is front and center in the marketing, it appears to be Jaden's film.

Now You See Me- A great cast (Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Mark Ruffalo, and Michael Caine) star in this film about a team of magicians (Eisenberg, Fisher, Harrelson, and Dave Franco) who rob banks in the middle of the their act and give the money to the audience. The preview leaves much to be desired.

June 12th:

This is the End- A comedic take on the classic end of the world film, this one takes place at a party at James Franco's house, where the surviving members of the party (Franco, Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Jonah Hill, and Danny McBride) try to survive when the world outside their door ends. Also stars Rihanna, Michael Cera, Aziz Ansari, Emma Watson, and plenty of other members of young hollywood.

June 14th:

Man of Steel- Zach Snyder and Christopher Nolan's take on Superman finally arrives. Personally, I am not a huge fan of Superman, but the marketing for this film is top notch and makes me very excited for it. Hopefully DC's want for a Justice League movie doesn't get in the way of letting this film stand on its own.

June 21st:

World War Z- Another film pushed back from Oscar season last year, apparently the ending was garbage and the effects needed to be retooled, but Marc Forester has been very solid in his other films, and Brad Pitt usually makes smart decisions. Getting to be a bit much with the zombies though.

Monsters University- The long awaited follow up to the hit Pixar film.

June 28th:

White House Down- The second white house takeover movie of the last few months, this one stars Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx as the rescuer and POTUS, respectively. Roland Emmerich directs.

The Heat- Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy team up as a buttoned up FBI agent (Bullock) and a reckless homicide detective (McCarthy) to take down a drug dealer. From Bridesmaids director Paul Feig.

July 3rd:

Despicable Me 2- The sequel to the animated hit.

Lone Ranger- Gore Verbinski re teams with his Pirates star Johnny Depp for this retooling of the Lone Ranger told from Tonto's perspective. Armie Hammer costars as the Lone Ranger.

July 12th:

Pacific Rim-Finally, Guillermo Del Toro directs a film again. This one is about giant robots created to battle a species of monster that attacks from under the sea. Sons of Anarchy's Charlie Hunham and Ron Perlman star alongside Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Charlie Day as well as Idris Elba. 

Grown Ups 2- Apparently someone out there wanted a sequel to the Adam Sandler, Kevin James, and Chris Rock vehicle. My guess is David Spade and Rob Schneider want (need) it more than anyone.

July 19th:

R.I.P.D.- Ryan Reynolds stars as a hot shot cop killed in duty, just to find out he was recruited by an afterlife police force and paired with a Wild West lawman to bring down those who won't stay dead. From Red director Robert Schwentke. The first trailer makes the film look like Van Helsing meets Men in Black, with way too much Van Helsing.

Red 2- Ironic that the director of the first film has his next movie debut on the same day as the sequel to his first big hit? Dean Parisot takes over directing as the old crew comes out of retirement...again.

July 26th:

The Wolverine- Hugh Jackman returns as Logan for the 5th time in the most misunderstood film I can remember. It was widely reported to be a prequel to the trilogy and take place in feudal China, you know, Wolverine vs Samurais. But when the first trailer came out...well apparently its not a prequel and takes place in modern day....so its Wolverine vs the Yakuza. And to be honest, it sounded much cooler before.

August 2nd:

300: Rise of an Empire- Noam Murro takes over the directing duties from Zach Snyder in this prequel to 300. This tells the story of the rise of Xerxes' Persian empire and his domination of the sea.

2 Guns- Not a lot of information on this film, other than Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg teaming up and shooting things, lots of things.

August 7th:

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters- This sequel to the underwhelming first film tells the continued story of Percy and his demigod friends.

August 9th:

Elysium- If you haven't seen the trailer for this film, Neil Blomkamps follow up to District 9, I suggest going and checking it out right now, because its fantastic and can't be described. Matt Damon and Jodie Foster star.

August 16th:

Kick-Ass 2- This follow up to the hit off beat super hero film follows the same group of heroes as they are hunted by Red Mist. Jim Carrey costars.


Well those are the notables. My five most anticipated are as follows:

5. Man of Steel
4. Pacific Rim
3. Iron Man 3
2. Elysium
1. Star Trek into Darkness.


-Maximus

50 Movies to See Before you Die-Jurassic Park

In the next installment of our 50 Movies to See Before you Die series, we tackle one of the most groundbreaking and original films of all time, Jurassic Park. It seemed a fitting time to talk about JP as the film was just released again in 3D and Imax. I saw it thirteen times in theaters when it originally came out, and added one more to my list so I could see it in all its large, technical glory once again. The re-release of the film highlights one of its greatest achievements, that it still holds up 20 years later.

Lets start with a brief summary of the film in case you have been living under a rock for the last two decades. The film is about an amusement park magnate named John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) who employs scientists and billions of dollars to create the ultimate zoo, a zoo full of creatures long extinct. Before the park opens, he must get a paleontologist and paleobotanist (Sam Neill and Laura Dern respectively), and a mathematician (Jeff Goldblum) to sign off on the park so the lawyers and investors can fully understand what Hammond and his team have accomplished. However when a disgruntled employee sabotages the system to steal dinosaur embryos, the visitors and employees of the park must go from surveying to surviving as the dinosaurs run free.

While the main plot of the film is about survival and it becomes a effective and amazing horror film once the dinosaurs are let loose, the backbone of the film is the knowledge and dialogue backing up the visuals. While I am not saying the way they recreate the dinosaurs is 100% accurate (considering this is currently impossible), they do a convincing job of making you forget the implausible. In addition the conversations between the doctors and the creators and the scientists are fast, smart, and impeccably delivered by some great acting performances. In addition to the four actors already mentioned, you get great performances from Joe Mazzello and Ariana Richards as Hammond's grandchildren, Bob Peck as the big game hunter turned raptor enthusiast, and Samuel L. Jackson in one of his early roles as the park engineer.

While we are still early in the series, this is the second film by director Steven Spielberg to make the list, and it won't be the last. Spielberg had a banner year in 1995, winning Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for Schinder's List, and three more technical Oscars for Jurassic Park. Jurassic Park was a visual marvel for its time, one of the first films to use CGI, but Spielberg knows better than most when to use CGI and when classic puppetry and animatronics were necessary. JP is one of my favorite films, and is without a doubt the movie I have seen the most times, but it never gets old or stale, and if somehow you have not seen it up until this point, come over and we'll watch it together.

-Maximus

50 Movies to See Before you Die – Patton

Obviously we are not bias just favoring newer movies that were created during our generation, as both Maximus and myself are from a more recent generation, missing out on some of the great of all time.  Thankfully they were recorded and most transferred to DVD for our viewing pleasure.  So though this movie is not as ancient as a few of the movies that have made the list, let’s just say I wasn’t even a thought in my parent’s minds when this movie was released.

Patton is a biographical depiction of George S. Patton and his triumphs and misgivings throughout World War II.  Patton was by far one of America’s top Generals in WWII and showed it time and time again as he rolled his tank division through Africa, Italy, and then into the Fatherland itself.

Throughout the film, Patton is shown as a fearless and brilliant General who’s outspoken and order defying behavior leads him into losing his command more than once.  The film begins with a brief monologue and then moves to Africa where Patton begins his path to victory.  He itched to go head to head with Ernest Rommel, one of the most revered tacticians of the Third Reich.  He does not get that chance in Africa which makes his victory there bittersweet for him.  This alone shows the man’s competitiveness and his warriors thirst for battle against the best and the glory he would win if given the chance.  He finds himself in trouble because of his outspoken behavior so is forced to follow a British commander into Italy instead of leading himself.  Next he defies orders through his actions by dominating his opposition and rolling in to conquer cities ahead of his slow moving British counterpart.  So he wins glory again but finds himself sitting out on one of the biggest invasion in history, D-Day.  After awhile though the heads of the US forces in Europe could not keep his talent out of the fight so they give him the Third Army, which he forms into one of the most crack divisions in the US Army.  He becomes a juggernaut, pounding into the enemy lines, rolling through France and other occupied territories until he drives his tanks right into Germany itself.   

George S. Patton was played by, and don’t get confused now, George C. Scott.  Scott was so perfect in this role, much different than the type of characters he played in his other movies in my opinion, that he was nominated for Best Actor.  He refused the Oscar nomination with a letter saying “The whole thing is a go***** meat parade.  I don’t want any part of it.”  Evidently his performance was too outstanding to be denied as he went on to win the award for Best Actor.  He did not accept it and it is now in the Virginia Military Institute museum in Lexington, Virginia.

Since this was a historical movie, I did mention some of the events that happen throughout the movie.  I mean we all know who won, right?  What you may not know much about is one of the main figures behind America’s eventual victory over the tyranny of the Nazi Third Reich.  I would highly recommend taking a few hours on a weekend sometime and watching Patton, especially if you enjoy history.  If you do, you won’t be sorry.  Make sure to let us know what you thought of the movie!

-Diomedes

50 Movies to See Before you Die- Seven

In our next installment of the 50 Movies to See Before you Die, we are going to talk about David Fincher's amazing, terrifying, twisted, and excellent Gothic masterpiece, Seven. Seven stars Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as Detective Mills and Somerset, respectively. Detective Mills is a new transfer and is set to replace Detective Somerset, who is a few weeks away from retirement. Those plans are complicated when a serial killer begins murdering victims according to the seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, wrath, pride, and lust.

What makes Seven so spectacular is that you cannot define its genre, it has equal parts horror, thriller, noir, and even some buddy cop elements. It has the best parts of films like Chinatown, Silence of the Lambs, and Lethal Weapon while still maintaining its own unique identity. Each crime is more shocking than the previous one, and as the murders get more depraved, the hunt for clues intensifies. The acting in the film is top notch, Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman turn in performances that defined their careers, and Gwyneth Paltrow really shines in her first big film role.

Fincher's direction is nothing short of amazing. In his first big film since Alien 3, he was not afraid to fail, he went for uniqueness and shots that served the film better than most could have imagined. The film is expertly written by Andrew Kevin Walker, whose only other big film screenplay credits are the underrated Sleepy Hollow and 8mm, as well as the terrible update of The Wolfman. It would have been easy for Walker and Fincher to lighten the film up or water down the material to make it more palatable, but they wisely stuck with their ideas and made one of the great thrillers in film history.

Any conversation about Seven though really needs to focus on the ending of the film. This is were we get into spoiler territory, but I will not reveal anything that would ruin the film as knowing the ending would diminish the remainder of the film. But while the film is billed as a "whodunit" throughout most of the run time, when the killer is revealed, you discover that sometimes big stars take small parts when they know they are dealing with A+ material. And the shocking ending of the film will make you remember that not every director ends his films with a neatly wrapped, shiny bow. This is truly a climax you will never forget.

Like my previously reviewed Saving Private Ryan, and Diomedes' reviewed The Shawshank Redemption, Seven is a new classic, a film of the last twenty years that will be etched in the memory of those who have seen it forever. I cannot recommend this amazing piece of cinema enough.

-Maximus

50 Movies to See Before you Die – The Shawshank Redemption

As Maximus has pointed out, we are starting our trek through the top 50 movies you have to see before you die.  These are in no certain order and are not to be confused with the best movies of all time, though there would be many similarities were you to compare the two lists.  The Shawshank Redemption is one that most certainly would be one of those similarities.  If I had to guess, I would guess this movie makes 90% of the top 10 movie lists that have been created.  It is an excellent story filled with explicit details of life in prison with all the brutality and comradery that goes into serving a life sentence.

This movie started as a Stephen King thriller.  Unlike most Stephen King books, there is nothing supernatural about it except the will of an innocent man to make a life for himself in prison and never give up hope.  Andy Dufresne, played by Tim Robbins, is a framed banker whose wife was sleeping around and got shot while cheating on Andy.  Andy is such a distant type of person that he completely looks guilty and like a man devoid of emotions.  The movie continues on with narration by another inmate, Red, who is played by Morgan Freeman.  Without spoiling anything I will only continue by saying it follows Andy’s and Red’s interactions and hones in on an inmate’s chance at ultimate redemption.

I will be the first to say that I am not a Tim Robbins fan.  But I will also be the first to say that no one could have played this part better.  You never really like his character because he is distant and a little creepy but wow, do you feel sorry for the guy.  And even though he is not a character you would think to champion, you are totally rooting for him the by the middle and end of the movie.  Morgan Freeman, as we all know, has an excellent voice for narration.  Even though he is a character in the movie, he narrates at parts that are placed perfectly though out the movie because had it just been dialogue with the characters of the scene, it would not of had half of the impact that Morgan brings to you in his mellow voice while some horrific action is going to take place on screen. 

Not so well known Frank Darabont hit a home run directing this movie and was nominated for his Best Adapted Screenplay of the Stephen King novel.  He actually went on to Direct another Stephen King novel “The Green Mile” which was another excellent story which unfortunately didn’t make our top 50 list.  Composed by Thomas Newman, who was also nominated for Best Original Score, the score worked perfectly with the different emotions of the film.  Maximus mentions in his post about Saving Private Ryan that it was one of the biggest mistakes in Oscar history with it losing out to numerous different movies like Shakespeare in Love for Best Picture and Hanks to Benigni for Best Actor.  I completely agree with him.  But I do have to say that Hanks had a little redemption of his own back in 1994 with Forrest Gump as it dominated the Oscars the same year Shawshank was up for 7 different nominations.  Shawshank won none of them and Forrest Gump (which you will see later as it made the list) went on to win 6 including Best Picture and the Best Actor award for Tom Hanks.  If you were to put Shawshank in a different weaker year, I think it would have taken home at least a few awards.  But hey there is no shame losing to Forrest Gump in my opinion!

Alright, if you haven’t seen it, go watch it right now…I mean right now…what are you waiting for?  Now!!!!  If you have then share with us what you thought!

-Diomedes