Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Directed by: Rupert Wyatt

2011

Viewed August 2011

What to say about this movie other than that it is awesome. Let's start with the story line. Will Rodman (James Franco) is searching for a cure to Alzheimer's and is testing his cure on chimps. He finally thinks he's ready for human trials when the ape goes out of control and his project is shut down and all of the apes are put down. Will finds a baby chimp and takes him home to his sickly father. Will and his father (played superbly by John Lithgow) raise "Caesar" who has increased intelligence due to the testing that Will had done on him. Caesar gets into some trouble with the neighbors and has to be taken away... Caesar is smart enough to know the apes that he's with are being mistreated... I don't want to give the whole movie away... The apes in this movie were filmed using the same motion capture technology as Gollum in Lord of the Rings and you very often forget that they are computer generated. This film makes you think a lot about making sure to buy products that are free of animal testing, as well as making you think twice about visiting the monkeys at the zoo. A

Judging a Movie by its Trailer

Here are some reviews for some previews of upcoming movies!

The Father of Invention
Stars: Kevin Spacey, Heather Graham, Camila Belle, Johnny Knoxville
What it seems to be about: Kevin Spacey invents a really popular contraption that people accidentally stick their finger into a hole and it cuts their finger off. He ends up in jail and ten years later gets out and has to reinvent himself.
Comes out: October 2011
Worth Seeing?: Looks sort of lame. 

Fright Night
Stars: Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Toni Collette, Christopher Mintz-Plasse 
What it seems to be about: Colin Farrell moves in next door for Anton Yelchin and his mom (Toni Collette) and students start disappearing from school because Colin Farrell is a vampire. Anton Yelchin investigates.
Comes Out: August 19, 2011
Worth Seeing?: Yes! It looks good! Sort of like Disturbia, but better because it doesn't have Shia LeBeouf...

Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil
Stars: A bunch of nobodies
What it seems to be about: A bunch of hot peeps go to the cabin where they run into some rednecks who "kidnap" their friend (who really got hurt, and they were trying to help her), then the hot peeps start trying to attack the rednecks but keep getting killed by their own stupidity. The rest of the hot peeps group think the rednecks are mass murderers.
Comes out: August 2011
Worth Seeing?: Maybe wait for the DVD, it looks like one of those so stupid that it's awesome movies.

Warrior
Stars: Nick Nolte, Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Morrison
What it seems to be about: Two brothers, one a family man the other a war hero, enter a mixed martial arts tournament and end up fighting each other for the title.
Comes out: September 2011
Worth Seeing?: Yes! It looks amazing! Plus Tom Hardy is awesome. 



 

Megamind

"All men must choose between two paths. Good is the path of honor, heroism, and nobility. Evil... well, it's just cooler."

Directed by Tom McGrath

2010

Viewed August 2011

I'm on a huge animated movie kick.... I love them! Megamind (Will Ferrell) is a super villain hell bent on taking over Metro City but is constantly thwarted by Metro Man (Brad Pitt), who has been his rival since infant hood (probably not a real word, but I'm using it any way). Megamind always kidnaps reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey) and Metro Man always saves her. Megamind finally beats Metro Man and goes on a crime spree, but then realizes how empty his life is without a hero to battle. Megamind is super funny (he often mispronounces words in a hilarious way since he's from another planet, among other things) and has a great message about how bad may be fun, but it isn't good. Will Ferrell's voice had a tendency to get on my nerves, I felt like he was yelling at me for most of the movie, but other than that, this was a great movie! B+

The Smurfs

Directed by Raja Gosnell

2011

Viewed July 2011

The Smurfs are very blue. And a little creepy when the camera pans in really close and their little faces fill the entire screen. They're also in trouble and need the help of Patrick and Grace Winslow. The Smurfs and their enemy Gargamel (Hank Azaria)  are sucked into a portal that sends them to New York City. They end up in the home of Patrick and Grace (Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays). Patrick is very skeptical and annoyed, but his wife thinks they're adorable and wants to help them. Patrick gets a promotion at work and has to impress his psycho boss, and of course the Smurfs get in the way. The Smurfs is pretty generic, but I still enjoyed it. I went to it with a 9 year old who has a short attention span and it kept his attention really well. I also appreciated that it was not full of butt and fart jokes. C+

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

"Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living and above all, those who live without love."

 

Directed by David Yates

2011

Viewed July 2011

This was a wonderful ending to such a great series. Its been awhile since I've read the book, and I think it basically follows most of the major points, but it does take some liberties as well. But keeping the book out of it, I still think that this was a really great movie. Harry, Ron and Hermione have battled Voldemort and his forces of evil for 8 movies, and here, in the 8th and final film, it all comes to a head and there is a final battle. Oh how these characters (and the actors who played them) have grown. We have watched them for the last 10 years and it's definitely sad to say goodbye. I got so into HP 7.2 and when the characters had triumphs I wanted to cheer for them. Neville had a big scene and I just wanted to jump up and clap for him because he's come so far from being that dopey, comical chubby kid and turned into a brave young man willing to stand up to The Dark Lord himself and fight for what he believes. This movie is not quite perfect, there were a few scenes that felt cheesy (mainly the "19 years later" part that was horrible in the book as well). Overall this movie was exciting, fun and it did not feel like I had been sitting there for 2 hours and 10 minutes! A-

Super 8

"Production value!"

Directed by J.J. Abrams

2011

Viewed July 2011

There is only one good way to describe this movie and that is: Steven Spielberg alien movie (like E.T. or Close Encounters) with a very J.J. Abrams twist (like Cloverfield or Star Trek)... Basically a group of hilarious kids are trying to film a zombie movie. They sneak out for a night shoot and witness a huge train wreck. Then weird things start happening around town and the kids try and figure out what is going on. It definitely has that nostalgia for the late 70s/early 80s, it was definitely a simpler time where you couldn't just look up a bunch of stuff on the internet and parents weren't afraid to let their kids play unsupervised. It's also very exciting and sometimes has a Goonies like feel within the group of kids. The kids are all so fun to watch and have some very hilarious and witty moments. I definitely love love LOVED this movie! A

P.S. Stay during the credits for a little treat!

Love Actually

"I love you even when you're sick and look disgusting"

Directed by Richard Curtis

2003

Viewed July 2011

What can I even say about this movie to sum it up? Oh yeah, it's incredibly adorable, completely entertaining, and dripping (yes dripping) with sappy, amazing, wonderful love love LOVE! I love it! It's one of those movies that just makes you want to be in love. It's adorable. If you haven't seen it yet, then see it. If you have seen it then watch it again! A

The Green Hornet

"You said I was boring. My gun has two barrels. That's not boring."

Directed by Michel Gondry

2011

Viewed June 2011

I didn't have high hopes for this film. The previews made it look so dumb. I was pleasantly surprised by it though. The buddyness of Seth Rogan and Jay Chou is just so fun and bromantic. The movie is about Britt Reid whose father dies of an allergic reaction to a bee sting and inherits his father's fortune as well as the newspaper he built. Britt's father is played wonderfully by Tom Wilkinson who definitely warmed me up to the movie despite having very little screen time. Britt ends up meeting the car/coffee making guy Kato and the two become fast friends who decide to become super heroes.... Except sort of not... They go and commit crimes to make people think they're bad, but really they help people and are trying to take down a drug ring.... I dunno, it didn't really make a whole lot of sense... They end up angering drug boss Chudnofsky who is played by the fantastic Christoph Waltz who pretty much makes the movie with all of his cheese and cheekiness. The actual plot is pretty dumb, but like I said, Seth Rogan and Jay Chou are fun together. C+

Country Strong

"Don't be afraid to fall in love. It's the only thing that matters in life"

Directed by Shane Feste

2010

Date Viewed: Saturday July 2, 2011

Let me start out by saying that Gwynth Paltrow has never really been my favorite actress. However, she is really good in this movie. Gwynth plays broken country singer Kelly Canter who is pulled out of rehab early by her manager/husband for a come back tour. Their marriage is toxic and ugly. Kelly had gotten drunk and fell off stage and killed their unborn child (which is how she ended up in rehab). Her husband can't forgive her, is controlling and both are unfaithful. Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund and Leighton Meester are worthy costars as Kelly's husband, lover and opening act (respectively). The music in Country Strong is pretty enjoyable, I'm not an expert on country music, but I enjoyed it. The movie has good moments, but as a whole got boring and a little cliched. C

Battle: Los Angeles

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman

2011

Viewed June, 2011

I loved the preview for this movie with its slow motion and haunting music. So when this film came out I wanted to see it, but didn't have the money. I snatched it up from Redbox the day that it was released just to make sure that I got a chance to finally see it. Wow. Was it worth it! Battle: L.A. is about aliens landing and starting a war here on earth. The focus of the movie is obviously Los Angeles, where a squad (I don't know the technical marine lingo...) of marines are sent in to save some civilians who are trapped behind enemy lines. It's shot like a legit war movie and it really works well. I love the shaky camera and the feel of imminent destruction by unknown forces.A

Kick-Ass

"With no power comes no responsibility... Except that wasn't true."

Directed by Matthew Vaughn

2010

Viewed June 5, 2011

In a world full of super hero comics, games and movies, teenager Dave Lizewski wonders why no one has tried to be a super hero. He decides to take things into his own hands and buys a scuba suit and mask and walks the streets looking for people to save. He gets into a fight with some thugs and the video is put on Youtube and Kick-Ass gets thrown into the spotlight. Meanwhile, Damon Macready (a.k.a. Big Daddy) is training his young daughter in the different forms of combat so together they can bring down drug tycoon Frank D'Amico. Kick-Ass has a really good mix of humor, seriousness, super (or not so super) heroism, action and heart. My only really big problem in this movie is Big Daddy and his daughter Hit Girl. Hit Girl is played wonderfully by Chloe Grace Moretz. She's quick witted and kicks a lot of bad guy butt. The father/daughter duo work wonderfully together and Nicholas Cage does a great job as Big Daddy. The thing that I had the biggest problem with is that this dad purposely puts his 11 year old daughter into harms way. He trains her and basically brainwashes her to become a killing machine. I'm really not cool with someone who puts a bullet proof vest on their daughter and then shoots her in the chest. There's also the issue of Hit Girl getting punched in the face and beaten up by a grown man. Even though the characters were very entertaining and perfectly cast, I still had a hard time with all of that. B-

Update

So, I don't know if anyone actually reads this, but I've made a few changes... I've updated the background (yay I figured out how), but the coolest thing that I did (and should have been doing since the beginning) was that I started to add tags to my posts so that now if you're looking for something in particular you can just look along the right column and choose a tag that fits what you're looking for. For example, lets say that I want to watch a movie starring Zach Galifianakis but I don't know which one is a good one to watch, I can search for his name and see that yes, he's been written about in this blog and I can see how many blog posts there are about him and I can click it and read the reviews of the movies that he's been in. Pretty cool. I've tagged according to who is starring, the director, the genre and the MPAA rating. Enjoy!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

"These are dark times, there is no denying. Our world has perhaps faced no greater threat than it does today." 

Directed by David Yates

2010

Date Viewed: Friday December 24, 2010 and May 29, 2011

This is probably my second favorite Harry Potter film (Number 4, HP and the Goblet of Fire is my #1 pick). I think I enjoy how its in a really dark place and the whole series has led up to this huge ending and this one just gets me really excited to see how the ending will all play out on screen. I think the acting is definitely better, and the friendship of Harry, Ron and Hermione is just so strong- Hermione and Ron are even willing to sacrifice their lives for Harry. I know, Ron has his weak moment in the film where he's all sullen and crabby and ditches them for a bit, but that's Ron for you... This film finds the three wandering the wilderness in search of the Horcruxes that hold pieces of Voldemort's soul. Voldemort is in search of the Elder Wand, which is the most powerful wand in the world. Bellatrix is still a crazy psycho, and Dobby is the hero in this film. B+

127 Hours

"I chose this. I chose all this. This rock... This rock has been waiting for me my entire life."

Directed by Danny Boyle

2010

Date Viewed: May 13, 2011

I put off seeing this movie because it sounded just so boring. Its the true story of Aron Ralston who went canyoneering and got his arm caught under a boulder. Really? an hour and a half of watching a guy be stuck? That sounds so boring! Too bad Danny Boyle is an awesome director! This movie was very far from boring! Aron's present is mixed with his past and with his hallucinations in a very interesting way. James Franco was fantastic as Aron and definitely deserved the Oscar nom that he got for this role. I know that I heard this a thousand times before finally caving, but seriously, listen to me, go rent this movie! It's really really good! A

The Hangover Part II

"We made a pact, Wolfpack only."

Directed by Todd Phillips

2011

Viewed May 2011

If you enjoyed the Hangover part 1, then you'll probably enjoy this one as well. Yes, it follows the same basic plot as the first part, yes some of the same characters randomly pop up, but I think part 2 holds its own against part 1. I can't decide which one I enjoyed more! For those who aren't familiar with the plot... The 4 guys go to Thailand for Stu's wedding. Stu insists on not having a bachelor party because of how badly that turned out for Doug in the first movie. So instead they have a bonfire and a couple of beers. The next morning Stu, Alan and Phil wake up in Bangkok with no memory of what had happened the night before. Also, Stu's future brother in law (and also his future in-laws pride and joy) is missing. They have to piece together what happened the night before in order to find Teddy. Hilarity ensues.  B+

Bridesmaids

Directed by: Paul Feig

2011

Rated R

Date Viewed: Saturday May 21, 2011

There is no way to pick a quote from this movie. Every single one of them has that "had to be there" feel to it. If you do see this movie then let me know how you feel about "It's coming out like lava!!!!"... Anyways, this movie is about Annie who is asked to be Maid of Honor in her childhood best friend Lillian's wedding. Annie is broke and single and is trying to keep up with the other bridesmaids, one of which is extremely wealthy. There's some rivalry between the wealthy bridesmaid and Annie over who is Lillian's real best friend and it's all pretty hilarious. This is a really funny movie. Kristin Wiig is fabulous and I just love her often dry delivery. The supporting cast is really funny as well. My favorite character was Megan who is the bride's future sister in law and who provides quite a few laughs. There is a bit of raunch so if that's not your thing, you're warned. From speech rivalry to food poisoning during dress fittings to destroying a big cookie, this movie is definitely a barrel of laughs. A-

No Strings Attached

"I'm warning you, if you come any closer I'm not letting you go."

Directed by Ivan Reitman

2011

Date Viewed: May 16, 2011

So the premise of this movie is a little gross... Adam and Emma try to have a purely physical relationship but don't have any interest in falling in love or having a real relationship. Eventhough I don't really agree with relationships like that, I did really enjoy this movie. It's cute and funny and even romantic at times. I'm usually not a huge Ashton Kutcher fan, but he was adorable in this movie as Adam who ends up falling for Emma and tries to get her to want more from their relationship the same way that he does. Natalie Portman as Emma is also fantastic. I didn't know that she could be funny! The supporting cast is really great too and includes Kevin Kline as Adam's estranged father, and Olivia Thirlby as Emma's sister. B

Unstoppable

Directed by Tony Scott

2010

Unstoppable is about a train, that because of stupidity, got away. Conveniently, this train that was so carelessly left running while the conductor hopped out for a second was carrying a bunch of cars filled with a toxic substance that would explode on impact. A lot of the movie is about them yelling at each other and trying to figure out how to stop the train and the other part focuses on two conductors on a train, an old guy and a young guy, who are snippy toward each other until they are forced to come together and help stop the runaway train...

This movie is soooo Tony Scott, the coloring, the camera work, the use of slow-mo, and the random police car that is driving so fast the it just all of a sudden flips over.... However, this movie was way better than I thought it'd be. I think it's one of the better Tony Scott films of late. C+

Sons Of Anarchy Season 1 and 2

" A true outlaw finds the balance between the passion in his heart and the reason in his mind. The outcome is the balance of might and right."

Viewed March 2011

I have to admit that I was very skeptical of this show and refused to watch it for a long time. I had heard that it was really good, but come on, a show about a motorcycle gang? Not for me. My siblings eventually became obssessed with it which was really weird, and my brother ended up putting it on my ipod over Christmas break (he always loads my pod full of movies and tv shows for me, so I'm kind of at his mercy). After I had watched everything else that was on my ipod I reluctantly started in on Sons. I wasn't sold after the first episode. In fact, I had a hard time even paying attention cause I bored and still overly skeptical. I texted my younger brother and asked if it was really worth it and he assured me it was. So I watched another episode. Then another. Then another until finally I was really hooked. This is not a show about a bunch of long haired, tattooed, Harley loving thugs who drive around on their motorcycles all day and cause trouble.... Except it sort of is... But it's even better. The Club is involved in many legal and illegal business ventures and the ATF is on to them. The first season deals mainly with the ATF trying to bring them down, and the second season mainly deals with another "business" man coming into town and trying to take over all the illegal activities in Charming. There are brawls and gun battles and plenty of motorcycle riding, but there's also some romance and some hard issues as well (I even got all choked up in one episode!). Sons of Anarchy has a butt load of really great under rated actors as well including Kim Coates, Ron Perlman and Tommy Flanagan (just to name a few). I now definitely love this show and the second season was even better than the first, so I hope that it continues to get better and better! Oh, and when did Katy Segal become super hot!? A

The Hunger Games (book)

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!"

Written by Suzanne Collins

I've decided to start writing about books as well... I've read 7 books since January since I have way too much down time at work.... So here it goes...

The Hunger Games takes place in the dystopian country of Panem. Panem is split into districts (there were 13, now only 12) that each serve the Capitol. The Capitol is rich and it's people are extravagant. District 2 is a little less so. Each district is poorer and more impoverished than the one before it. Every district is basically enslaved and provides the Capitol with a natural resource. Before this book begins, District 13 staged an uprising and rallied the districts to revolt against the Capitol. They failed and the Capitol retaliated by first destroying District 13 and then creating The Hunger Games to remind them of their disobedience and how powerless they are against the Capitol. The hunger Games is a fight to the death that takes plae every year and is televised throughout the country. One boy and one girl
(called tributes) from each district between the ages of 12 and 18 are randomly chosen to participate. The last one standing at the end of the Games is the victor.

Katniss Everdeen is the main character. She is 16 years old, lives in District 12 and takes care of her frail mother and her younger sister Prim. During The Reaping (the ceremony where the tributes are chosen) Prim's name is pulled and Katniss rushes in to take her place in the Games. Katniss is brought to the Capitol along with Peeta (the boy tribute) and Haymitch (District 12's only past victor who serves as a mentor) for training and then the Games. Katniss must survive many horrors and must kill or be killed in order to survive.

I loved this book, actually I loved this entire series. I think this is my favorite young adult series. I might get beat up for saying this, but I loved The Hunger Games more than Harry Potter. This book is super intense, so definitely not for those who don't like suspense. Katniss is sometimes a frustrating character, and a little dense as well. She has a fiery temer and over reacts/over analyzes frequently. She makes up for it by being a really strong female character though. There were a few plot points that I had figured out, but Katniss took longer to realize, but I also remembered that Katniss was 16 and not 27, so maybe that was ok. What I liked the most was the attention to details. For example in the arena Katniss is searching for water and gets dehydrated and her lips get dry and her tongue swells and she gets a headache and sluggish. Its details like that that make the whole story seem more real. It's also told from Katniss' perspective so you really seem to feel what she's feeling. This is definitely a must read. A

My Oscar Predictions

I haven’t seen very many of the movies that are up for Oscars, and I haven’t been getting Entertainment Weekly this year either… So here are my Oscar predictions based on basically nothing except Digg headlines. Last year I guessed every Oscar except for 1.. We’ll see how I do this year. I’m putting them in the order that they’re in on the Oscars website.


Actor
Javier Bardem in Biutiful
Jeff Bridges in True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network
Colin Firth in The King’s Speech
James Franco in 127 Hours



And the Oscar will go to: Colin Firth in The King’s Speech. He’s been getting an enormous amount of buzz for his performance especially since he has to pull off a stutter…



I’ll be annoyed if it goes to: Jesse Eisenberg in The Social Network. He plays the same exact character in every single movie. This one is no different.





Supporting Actor
Christian Bale in The Fighter
John Hawkes in Winter’s Bone
Jeremy Renner in The Town
Mark Ruffalo in The Kids Are All Right
Geoffery Rush in The King’s Speech



And The Oscar will go to: Christian Bale in The Fighter. Christian Bale was amazing to watch as Dicky, a druggie washed up boxer.



I’ll be annoyed if it goes to: Jeremy Renner in The Town. The Town was an excellent movie, but I don’t really feel like Jeremy Renner deserves to be up there. I didn’t really feel like he was outstanding in any way.



Actress
Annette Bening in The Kids are All Right
Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman in Black Swan
Michelle Williams in Blue Valentine



And the Oscar will go to: either Annette Bening in The Kids are All Right of Natalie Portman in Black Swan just based on various buzz that I’ve heard. I’m leaning more toward Natalie…I haven’t seen any of the movies in this category.



Supporting Actress
Amy Adams in The Fighter
Helena Bnham Carter in The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo in The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit
Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom



And the Oscar will go to: I haven’t heard much buzz for this category so I’m just going to go ahead and throw out Melissa Leo in The Fighter. She was so great as an overbearing mother/manager. I also really enjoyed watching Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit, however I can totally see her being snubbed since kids usually don’t win…



I’ll be annoyed if it goes to: Amy Adams in The Fighter. I feel like she’s only in here because she isn’t playing her usual cutesy character. She didn’t particularly stand out as being exceptional in this movie.





Animated Feature Film
How To Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3



And the Oscar will go to: How To Train Your Dragon has been getting a lot of buzz and just might breakup Pixar’s monopoly of Oscar wins… However, I won’t be surprised if Toy Story 3 takes it.



Art Direction
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Inception
The King’s Speech
True Grit



And the Oscar will go to: I’ve been trying to look up and see exactly what art direction means and I can’t really find anything… So I’m just gonna go out on a limb and take a wild guess that maybe Alice in Wonderland will win… No ideas here…



Cinematography
Black Swan
Inception
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
True Grit





And the Oscar will go to: So as I understand it the cinematography is the overall look of the movie. The depth of field, the camera movement, the contrast etc. I really liked how True Grit looked as well as Inception, however I’m thinking Black Swan could take this one, but I haven’t actually seen it… So I’m going to just to say Inception.



Costume Design
Alice In Wonderland
I Am Love
The King’s Speech
The Tempest
True Grit





And the Oscar will go to: The Tempest. I’ve heard that there are some really amazing costumes in this movie.



Directing
The Black Swan- Darren Aronofsky
The Fighter- David O. Russell
The King’s Speech- Tom Hooper
The Social Network- David Fincher
True Grit- Joel and Ethan Coen



And the Oscar will go to: This is a hard one since again, I haven’t seen all of these movies. I’m leaning toward Darren Aronofsky or David Fincher… To bring it down to one I’ll just say David Fincher.



Documentary Feature
Exit Through The Gift Shop- Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz
Gasland- Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
Inside Job- Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
Restrepo- Tim Hetherington and Sebastion Junger
Waste Land- Lucy Walker and AngusAynsley



The Oscar will go to: I haven’t seen any of the films in this category. I want Waste Land to win because it’s about a community living in a garbage dump in Rio de Janeiro and it sounds so interesting since I visited a community like that in Nicaragua.



Documentary Short Subject
Killing in the Name- Jed Rothstein
Poster Girl- Sara Nesson and Mitchell WW. Block
Strangers No More- Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
Sun Come Up- Jennifer Redfearn and Time Metzger
The Warriors of Quigang- Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon



The Oscar will go to: I never know with the short film categories so I’ll just say Strangers No More…



Film Editing
Black Swan
The Fighter
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network





The Oscar will go to: This is hard because I think that Black Swan might take this one as well, but it could also be 127 Hours’ chance to shine. But since 127 Hours seems like a long shot I’ll again go with Black Swan… I keep forgetting that The King’s Speech has gotten a ton of buzz and that it’s in all these categories too… but since it doesn’t interest me I guess I just don’t ever pick it lol.



Foreign Language Film
Biutiful -Mexico
Dogtooth- Greece
In a Better World- Denmark
Incendies- Canada
Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)- Algeria



The Oscar will go to: Biutiful



Makeup
Barney’s Version
The Way Back
The Wolfman



The Oscar will go to: Well the only movie in this category that I’ve even heard of is The Wolfman so I’ll go with that…



Music (Original Score)
How To Train Your Dragon
Inception
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network



The Oscar will go to: I’m totally guessing out of nowhere at this point so I’ll say Inception. I loved the music if I remember right…



Music (Original Song)
Coming Home (from Country Strong)
I See The Light (from Tangled)
If I Rise (from 127 Hours)
We Belong Together (from Toy Story 3)



The Oscar will go to: We Belong Together… It’s Randy Newman!



Best Picture
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone



The Oscar will go to: This one is SO hard for me! I’ve only seen half of these films. I’m going to have to say that The King’s Speech just might take it with all the buzz and all the awards its been getting.



Short Film (animated)
Day & Night
The Gruffalo
Let’s Pollute
The Lost Thing
Madagascar, Carnet de Voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)



The Oscar will go to: Day & Night just because I thought it was cute and it’s the only one I’ve seen…



Short Film (Live Action)
The Confession
The Crush
God of Love
Na Wewe
Wish 143



The Oscar will go to: God of Love…. Just cause…



Sound Editing
Inception
Toy Story 3
Tron: Legacy
True Grit
Unstoppable



The Oscar will go to: Inception



Sound Mixing
Inception
The King’s Speech
Salt
The Social Network
True Grit



The Oscar will go to: Inception



Visual Effects
Alice in Wonderland
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Hereafter
Inception
Iron Man 2



The Oscar will go to: Inception… or maybe Alice in Wonderland… But Inception was so amazing!



Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone



The Oscar will go to: The Social Network or True Grit… I can’t decide which…



Writing (Original Screenplay)
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech



The Oscar will go to: The King’s Speech



So there you have my very uneducated picks! What are some of your predictions?

The Business of Being Born

Directed by Abby Epstein

2008

This is a documentary about how expensive giving birth is and how much doctors push you to deliver whether its time or not and the rise of the c-section as a way to empty hospital beds. Basically hospitals are evil and home births with a midwife are perfect. I kind of feel like it’s not that cut and dry, but it was still a good documentary. There was plenty of footage of home births, so if you’re squeamish about that kind of thing then do not watch this movie. I, however, thought it was so amazing and beautiful and the idea of letting your body do what it was created do is such a beautiful thing. In some of the water births they had the women actually reach down and pull out their own baby which was such an amazing thing to watch and I can’t imagine how wonderful it must be to experience that. I definitely think that I will have my first child in a hospital, but I do want to have at least one home birth. It seems like such a beautiful experience. B

Machete

“We didn’t cross the border. The border crossed us”

Directed by Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis

2010

Date Viewed: Saturday February 12, 2011

Danny plays Machete, a Mexican in Texas who kills people with a Machete…. I don’t even really remember the plot to be honest… But in true Rodriguez style there is plenty of over the top gore and violence. There was too much boring talking and I lost interest, but the little fight scenes were hilariously over the top. C

The Social Network

“They came to me with an idea…. I had a better one.”

Directed by David Fincher

2010

Date Viewed: February 2011

I never had any interest in this movie. A movie about the birth of Facebook? A bunch of nerds doing computer stuff? Boooooring…. But it kept getting so many really amazing reviews… And then Oscar nominations… I started wondering about it and decided to finally break down and watch it. I was very pleasantly surprised. This is actually a pretty good movie. Mark Zuckerberg is in the process of being sued by The Winklevoss twins who claim that the idea for Facebook was actually their idea (it’s called intellectual theft… I never knew that existed). Zuckerberg is also being sued by his former best friend and business partner Eduardo Saverin who was basically cut out of the company. The story of Facebook is told mainly through testimony in the two cases. It was really interesting to see why Facebook began, how it began and then watch it explode into something huge. Justin Timberlake was great as Napster creator Sean Parker who took Zuckerberg under his wing in a way. Jesse Eisenberg is the same as he always is as Zuckerberg, who he portrays as a naïve kid who got caught up in it all and taken for a ride. I don’t know if that’s really how Zuckerberg is, but that’s how he’s portrayed in the movie. This movie was definitely not as boring as I thought it would be. B+

Jesus Camp

"It's no wonder, with that kind of intense training and discipling, that those young people are ready to kill themselves for the cause of Islam. I wanna see young people who are as committed to the cause of Jesus Christ as the young people are to the cause of Islam. I wanna see them as radically laying down their lives for the Gospel as they are over in Pakistan and Israel and Palestine and all those different places, you know, because we have... excuse me, but we have the truth! "

Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady

2006

Date Viewed : Tuesday January 19, 2011

This is the second time that I have seen this film and I was even more terrified this time than I was last time. This is about radical evangelical Christians and how they “go for kids” because they’re so impressionable (That wording is the exact wording of the pastor). The things that struck me this time were different than last time. This time I noticed all of the militaristic and almost violent wording and depictions. After the shooting in Tuscon happened and Sarah Palin came under all that criticism for her website and other things that she’s said I read a news article that talked about how when your whole life is immersed in guns and using military words etc. then seeing the world as a battle field is just what happens. You consider every person who disagrees with you as the enemy that you must do away with. I really started thinking about that while watching this movie. They’re using kids as a way to promote their political agenda and the kids do it to please their parents and so they don’t burn in hell. It shows an intense church service where these young kids (not even teenagers, but kids) are being told that if they mess up and say a bad word then they’re a sinner and God doesn’t want sinners. They’re also told that if they say they want God but then don’t stand up for Him against their peers then they’re weak and phony and God doesn’t want phonies. These kids give their all in worship and they weep to God. I’m all worship and for giving your all for Christ, but the anguish on these kids faces just really got to me. Loving Christ is not supposed to hurt your heart so much. This church totally forgot about the whole Grace aspect of Jesus, which is sort of a huge part. During the movie there was a radio talk show host who was talking about the ultra conservative right wing Christians and how they attack and attack and attack and he says something to the effect of “The thing that they forget is that Jesus said ‘blessed are the peacemakers.’” which really got to me too because I feel like there's so much militaristic talk amongst this group and there's not a whole lot of peacemaking. Anyways, this was a super well made documentary. I highly recommend it. A