Oscar Update

My earlier post on the Oscars was almost two months ago now, and a lot has changed. We have seen the SAG nominations, the Golden Globe nominations, and some of the critics awards come through, and that changes the race. I decided the easiest way for me to keep updating the status of the films as things will change a lot between now and the ceremony, would be to do Oscar power rankings, where I rank the big awards and who is in the best position as of today. I will do ten films since that is the maximum number of nominees for picture, and 5 in the other categories. Here we go..

Best Picture:
1. The Artist-Still the favorite, but lots of backlash out there, and the favorite in November and December is almost never the winner in February.
2. The Descendants- Fading a bit from its front runner status of two months ago.
3. War Horse- The climber, however early reviews seem to indicate a love it or hate it mentality, never good.
4. Hugo-Might have been released too early, and maybe now that people are actually seeing it, they are realizing it is boring.
5. The Help- Has stood the test of time, doesn't seem to have a shot to win, but a nomination is a sure thing.
6. Midnight in Paris- I have heard zero about whether or not this is actually good or if people just like it because they think Woody Allen knows what he is doing.
7. Tree of Life- Hasn't stood the test of time as well as The Help, but still hanging around.
8. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close- Coming out so late, its not much of a factor.....yet.
9. Moneyball- More likely to make waves in acting and screenwriting, but still has an outside shot.
10. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- Many think Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and/or The Ides of March are more likely here, but I think late support for GwtDT will come on late. J. Edgar falls off the list of ten.

Best Actor:
1. George Clooney/The Descendants- Still the favorite, lots of competition though.
2. Brad Pitt/Moneyball- Many think is more deserving of a BSA nomination for Tree of Life, but that should only help him here.
3. Jean Dujardin/The Artist- I think he will get nominated, but the fact his movie is silent will ultimately cost him.
4. Michael Fassbender/Shame- The one I really think will come on late.
5. Leonardo DiCaprio/J. Edgar- Despite a great performance, feels like people just keep him in the race because he is so good, not because they loved this film specifically.

Best Actress:
1. Viola Davis/The Help- To unseat Streep, it takes a great performance.
2. Meryl Streep/Iron Lady- Hurts that you literally CANNOT find this movie anywhere.
3. Glenn Close/Albert Nobbs- Same as Streep, not sure where these films come from.
4. Tilda Swinton/We Need to Talk about Kevin- Late bloomer, but coming on very strong.
5. Michelle Williams/My Week with Marilyn- Fading a bit, might stick as many feel she should have won last year.
*-This category is going to get tough. While most others have a definitive 5 favorites, this has 7. Rooney Mara in GwtDT and Charlize Theron in Young Adult are going to fight hard to get in.

Best Supporting Actor:
1. Christopher Plummer/Beginners- Have this in my queue, will give it my thoughts soon.
2. Kenneth Branaugh/My Week with Marilyn- Some people feel he is the favorite, others leave him out entirely. Tough call.
3. Albert Brooks/Drive- Ignored at the Golden Globes in favor of Viggo, but was the favorite up until then.
4. Nick Nolte/Warrior- Performance was too close to home to not recognize for those who like Nolte.
5. Armie Hammer/J. Edgar- Many feel he will be left off, but since he is my personal favorite here,  I still feel he has a chance.

Best Supporting Actress:
1. Octavia Spencer/The Help- The better Davis does, the better Spencer will do.
2. Melissa McCarthy/Bridesmaids- Yes, seriously.
3. Berenice Bejo/The Artist- See Dujardin, Jean.
4. Jessica Chastain/The Help- Has had a great year, and many feel could have been nominated for this, The Tree of Life, or Take Shelter.
5. Shailene Woodley/The Descendants- Toss up between her and the supporting actress from Albert Nobbs, but I believe Close will be the only nominee from that film.

Best Director:
1. Michael Hazanavicious/The Artist- For me I think this its best chance at a major award.
2. Martin Scorsese/Hugo- Scorsese always has a shot.
3. Steven Spielberg/War Horse- Spielberg always has a shot.
4. Alexander Payne/The Descendants- Has a good track record with the Academy, but was the film that much of an achievement in direction?
5. Terrence Malick/Tree of Life- I think he'll sneak in and cost the overrated Woody Allen a nomination....cross off think....add in hope.

So that is where we stand in my humble opinion. However, as we know, things will change.

-Maximus

Movie Review-Hugo

Hugo is a reported Oscar favorite directed by the legendary Martin Scorsese, so what could go wrong?.....It was with this mindset that I went into Hugo, and then I was bored for an hour and a half before some semblance of a point finally showed itself in the last half hour. The film is about a young boy named Hugo, who lives in the Paris train station, keeping the clocks on time. Hugo is an orphan and is constantly on the run from the station inspector (Sasha Baron Cohen). When Hugo's father (Jude Law) was alive, they rebuilt an automaton, and the mystery of the movie is about what secrets this automaton holds and the search to find its key. From there it becomes a movie lovers film about movies, but doesn't do much to add excitement along the way. The film's humor works well but it used sparingly, and its two chase sequences are effective, but outside of those, the film is all about Hugo talking to various people about various things. Scorsese does get great performances from Ben Kingsley and Ray Winstone, but the film overall lacks any real entertainment. The best part about Hugo is its 3D, it is the best 3D I have seen since Avatar, and it is one of the few things that kept me from falling asleep. I give Hugo 5 Ninja stars out of 10.

-Maximus

New DVD Review-Rise of the Planet of the Apes

I saw Rise on DVD, but almost everyone else I know had already seen it in theaters, and had told me how great it was. Naturally, my expectations were very high, and when that happens, usually I end up being disappointed. However, Rise of the Planet of the Apes did not disappoint, the film is very exciting and puts some very interesting twists in the mythology that keep you on your toes despite knowing how it should end. The plot follows a young scientist (James Franco) who brings home a chimpanzee (Andy Serkis) and uses him as a test subject for an Alzheimer's medication. This medicine increases brain function, and the chimpanzee, Caeser, becomes smarter than most humans. From here I do not want to spoil much, suffice to say the apes decide their not going to take it anymore and rise up. Great performances from Andy Serkis in motion capture and John Lithgow as Franco's father. The effects are very good, especially the faces and reactions of the apes. Very few parts look like they are computer generated even though such a good portion of the film is CGI. Now that I have seen all the big summer films of 2011, I can say this and Harry Potter 7 Part 2 are the two best by far, and when I first heard they were making another Planet of the Apes film, I would have never guessed it could have been this good. I give Rise of the Planet of the Apes 8 Ninja Stars out of 10. 

-Maximus

New DVD Review - Cowboys and Aliens

So the idea I thought originally was a cool one.  Get two different genres and pit them against each other.  And then I saw Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford were going to star in this movie and I thought "Wow this could be pretty solid".  And then I saw that Jon Favreau was going to direct it and then I thought "He did a really good job with Iron Man, this movie could really be good with him behind the camera".  So I was altogether thinking this movie would be an instant hit with me since I like both genres.  Then I saw it…  There was action most of the time and the aliens didn't look terrible but whatever it was about this movie, I was just bored the whole time.  There was no point where I was interested and thought this was a cool movie.  I can't put my finger on any one thing but when the credits rolled I felt like I just wasted 2 hours of my life.  It wasn't terrible just boring in my opinion.  Also this idea of aliens vs. cowboys seems cool but when you really look at it, it just doesn't make sense.  It would be like an ant going up against the exterminator.  I mean the aliens just traveled through space while the cowboys are still riding horses.  A six-shooter can't stand up to a ray gun that hits with a sonic boom.  Sorry but it just doesn't stand up.  I would have to give this film 5 Ninja Stars out of 10 because again it wasn't bad it was just very boring.

-Diomedes

New DVD Review - Conan the Barbarian

Conan is a warrior of a Cimmerian tribe that was all but extinguished due to the quest of an evil lord looking to make himself a god and bring back the witch wife that was burned before his eyes.  Conan is a brute but a very cunning brute.  In the book series he was hailed as the King of the Thieves because of how crafty he was.  In this movie he shows a little of that but not much and as Arnold before him, he mostly relies on his strength to defeat his foes.  This is a partial remake of an Arnold Schwarzenegger film done in the 80's being that it's mostly the same idea with a few details changed.  They basically tried to beef it up with visuals to impress the audience in comparison of the original.  I am a huge fan of the original even with its cheesy graphics.  You just can't beat Arnold when it comes to a berserking barbarian, sorry but it's true.  So I wouldn't say this movie was terrible.  It was entertaining but in a "I like dumb blunt action" type of way.  If you're bored watch it.  If not I wouldn't go out of my way to see it.  I give it 4 Ninja Stars out of 10 and recommend the original over this one.

-Diomedes

Movie Review - Breaking Dawn

This is the 4th installment of this vampire/werewolf series with one more to go.  It has to do with Bella finally picking Edward and their marriage.  I will also say that there is a pregnancy that is a huge concern.  This movie is the first half of the 4th book and it is definitely not the action filled portion.  That being said I did end up liking the underlying conflicts and I am excited to see how they end the series.  I don't know why I had a positive reaction to this film but I would say it is worth seeing.  You probably don't need to see it in the theaters since it does not take advantage of the theaters main qualities (sound, base, visual effects, 3D, etc…) but if you were into the prior movies than it may be worthwhile for you to go purchase a movie ticket and view it in the cathedral of movie viewing (The Theater).  I would also like to state that I liked the first one and thought the last 2 were boring.  This one I would give 7 Ninja Stars out of 10.

-Diomedes

In Appreciation of Christopher Nolan

Spielberg, Scorsese, Eastwood, Scott, Howard...... All big names in the directing game, and arguably the five currently at the top of the active class. Tarantino, Fincher, Del Toro, Mann, and Snyder come to mind as well. Some would say Woody Allen, and those people would be wrong. But even with all those great names listed, I have to ask, is Christopher Nolan currently the best working director? Hear me out before you dismiss it. Nolan is currently shooting his 8th full length feature film, The Dark Knight Rises, and reportedly it will be his last outing involving the Caped Crusader. His first, Following, was shot for little to no budget and really does not apply to his total filmography. But from there on out he has been on fire, here is a breakdown of the next 6 films he would go on to direct and the Ninja Stars I gave it:

Memento: The most inventive film of its year, the story is told in fragmented fashion going from end to beginning, and tells the story of a man with no memory of what led to a murder. The audience learns along with the protagonist. Very few directors could have made Memento work and work in a sensible way, but Nolan did. 9 Ninja Stars out of 10.

Insomnia: The only of his 8 films that he did not get a writing credit for, but a great film none the less. A traditional murder mystery with two twists, A) the setting is a town in Alaska during a period of round the clock daylight, and B) our hero, played by Al Pacino, accidentally shoots his partner in the beginning, and it just so happens that his partner was about to testify against him for corruption.The film is deep and layered and gets great performance from Pacino and Robin Williams cast against type as a killer, in addition it really put Hilary Swank's career into drive. 8 Ninja Stars out of 10.

Batman Begins: After the debacle of Batman & Robin, it seemed the Batman franchise was dead and gone, but instead Nolan brought it back in dark and Gothic fashion, he brought a sense of realism to the story, and while The Dark Knight gets all the credit, Batman Begins is a near perfect Batman film. Nolan took fantastical villains Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) and Ras Al Ghul (Liam Neeson and Ken Watanbe) and made them believably twisted. 10 Ninja Stars out of 10.

The Prestige: A personal favorite, the story of two magicians (Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman) who start as partners but end as rivals. There are very few films that came out in the 2000's that have been as intelligent  as The Prestige. 10 Ninja Stars out of 10.

The Dark Knight: Many consider it to be Nolan's crown jewel. A perfect super hero film, the best in a genre that has saturated the market since Blade was released in 1998. Once again grounded Batman's mythology in dark and gritty realism with a new take on the Joker (Heath Ledger) and Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart). We have this film to thank for the Oscars expanded best picture nominee format, as the Academy knew they would have a revolution on their hands if a film as perfect as The Dark Knight was ever ignored again.10 Ninja Stars out of 10.

Inception: Nolan continued his stretch of following a Batman film with a stunningly original one of his own, and Inception broke boundaries and will do for Sci-Fi and Action films what The Matrix did for....Sci-Fi and Action films. The film's backdrop is as difficult to explain (and to film) as Memento's, but Nolan still knocked it out of the park. 10 Ninja Stars out of 10.

When The Dark Knight Rises is released next year we will see if Nolan can break the curse of the super hero trilogy the way Sam Raimi, Brett Ratner, and David S. Goyer were unable to do. If there is one guy who can do it, its him. Myself and Diomedes use a five film scale to determine and elite director, and the first five I listed at the top of this post are the only active directors to make the cut of having at least 5 elite films. But now Nolan has joined that list, and with some of the lows Ridley Scott and Ron Howard have had between their elite films, as well as the mediocre turn Clint Eastwood's directorial career has taken since he got to five, its possible Nolan is in the top three. When all is said and done, can Nolan possibly keep this streak alive and continue throwing perfect games? We will have to see, but for now, he has put himself squarely in the upper echelon of filmmakers working today.

-Maximus