Movie Review-Before The Devil Knows You're Dead

Title-"Before The Devil Knows You're Dead"

Rating-R

Director-Sidney Lumet

Actors-Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke

Genre-Crime/Drama/Thriller

Year-2007

"Before The Devil Knows You're Dead" is an extremely well-made crime drama with amazing acting, and a very interesting story. The movie is about two brothers named Andy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke) who both desperately need money. Andy, who seems better-off financially, needs money to support his drug habit, while Hank needs money to pay child support to his daughter. Andy, the older brother, convinces Hank to join him in a scheme to rob their parents' jewelry store. The brothers plan the robbery perfectly, but things go disasterously wrong for everyone involved. This movie is very clever in how it uses a non-linear plot. It moves forward in time, and then goes back to show something you might have missed. It also shifts the different perspectives, so you can see events from another character's point of view, and how that changes the story. If you want to see a movie with a suspenseful, dramatic story, and incredible acting, I recommend watching "Before The Devil Knows You're Dead".

My Favorite Movies Of 2010 Part 3

Blue Valentine

Rabbit Hole

Temple Grandin

True Grit

Barney's Version

Incendies

Honourable Mentions:

Date Night



The Runaways

The King's Speech

Conviction

The Town

Welcome To The Rileys

Eat, Pray, Love

The Ghost Writer

My Favorite Movies Of 2010 Part 2

The Fighter-I saw The Fighter in theatres in February. Right from the opening scene, I knew it was going to be great. The Fighter is about the early career of boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and his relationship with his older brother and trainer, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), a former boxer who had become addicted to drugs. This movie has a very interesting true story and great acting by Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams, and especially by Melissa Leo, who played Micky and Dicky's mother and manager, and by Christian Bale, who was completely unrecognizable as Dicky. Melissa Leo and Christian Bale really deserved their Oscars for Best Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress this year.



Kick-Ass-I wasn't sure if I would like Kick-Ass, but it turned out to be one of my favorite superhero movies, as well as one of my favorite movies of the year. Kick-Ass is about an unpopular teenager named Dave (Aaron Johnson) who reads a lot of comic books and dreams about being a superhero. One day, he buys a costume and actually tries to fight crime. Not surprisingly, he almost gets killed. Later, Dave meets a father and daughter superhero team calling themselves Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz), who are very skilled, and are trying to fight the Mob in the city. One of the best things about the movie is how Big Daddy and Hit Girl are not clearly written as heroes. There are a lot of grey areas in the story that make it feel closer to the real world, even though the action in the movie can be over the top. This movie has a unique story and great acting by Nicolas Cage and especially by Chloe Moretz, who steals a lot of scenes as Hit Girl. I think her performance could have been nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.





Animal Kingdom-Animal Kingdom is a great crime movie. It is about an Australian teenager named Josh (James Frecheville) who goes to live with his grandmother and uncles after his mother dies. Josh's grandmother, nicknamed Smurf (Jacki Weaver), and his uncles Craig (Sullivan Stapleton) and Darren (Luke Ford) are all criminals. After another of Josh's uncles, nicknamed Pope (Ben Mendelsohn), returns home after hiding from police, Josh finds himself being pulled into his family's business. This movie has a very interesting and suspenseful story, as well as wonderful acting by Jacki Weaver (who was deservedly nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance) and by Ben Mendelsohn. Animal Kingdom is one of the best crime movies I've seen.



Never Let Me Go-Never Let Me Go is an amazing movie. It is about three friends named Kathy (Carey Mulligan), Ruth (Keira Knightly), and Tommy (Andrew Garfield) who have all grown up together at a British boarding school. Kathy has always been in love with Tommy, who is dating Ruth. The movie follows their changing relationship through several years. I don't want to give anything else away about the story. The movie has a very interesting and affecting story, and great acting, especially by Carey Mulligan and by Andrew Garfield, who I think should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for either his performance in this movie or in The Social Network.



Winter's Bone-Winter's Bone is about a teenage girl named Ree (Jennifer Lawrence) who is living in the Ozarks in Missouri, and raising her younger brother and sister on her own. Ree's father is a drug manufactuer who has been hiding from police. When Ree discovers that unless her father shows up for his court appearance, she will lose her family's house, Ree tries to find him. Unfortunately, her neighbors, including her criminal uncle Teardrop (John Hawkes), seem to have information but aren't willing to help. This movie has fantastic performances by Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes, who were nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor this year.



127 Hours-127 Hours is one of the best movies I've seen from last year. It tells the true story of Aron Ralston (James Franco), a mountain climber who became trapped in a canyon by a boulder in Utah in 2003. The movie is about what happened to Aron while he was trapped and his struggle to survive. James Franco gave a phenomenal performance, and I liked how the story always kept my interest. When the movie ended, it made me think about and appreciate my life a bit more.

Part 3 coming soon.

My Favorite Movies Of 2010 Part 1

Fish Tank-This was the first great movie I saw from last year. Technically, it's from 2009, but it wasn't released where I live until last year. Fish Tank is about a British teenage girl named Mia (Katie Jarvis) who wants to be a hip-hop dancer. She doesn't get a lot of support from her family. When Mia's mother, Joanne (Kierston Wareing) starts dating a man named Colin (Michael Fassbender), Mia eventually starts to bond with him. One of the things I love about this movie is the acting. Katie Jarvis had never acted before this movie. She gave one of my favorite performances of the year, and I thought that she should've been nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. Michael Fassbender and Kierston Wareing were also great in their roles. The story was well-written and I liked the music in it.



The Social Network-I saw this movie in theatres last year. I would call it my #1 favorite movie of 2010. I've re-watched it more than any other movie of last year, and I still enjoy it. I remember watching the opening scene in the theatre and being blown away. It opens with a fast-paced conversation that's about six minutes long. I love that scene because it's entertaining, smart, and tells you so much about the main character's personality. The Social Network is (very loosely) based on the story of Mark Zuckerberg, who created the website Facebook as a student at Harvard, and the two lawsuits he faced by former classmates, who claimed he stole the idea for the website. This movie has impressive performances by Rooney Mara, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer, and Justin Timberlake, but especially by Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Mark Zuckerberg. I had seen him in movies before, but I thought his performance in The Social Network was amazing. He completely deserved his nomination for the Best Actor Oscar this year. The movie also has a brilliant screenplay by Aaron Sorkin.





Inception-Inception is probably the most original movie I saw last year. It is about a thief named Dom (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his team who are able to enter people's minds while they dream, and steal information. One day, Dom's team is hired to plant an idea in someone's head, which is known as "inception" and is almost impossible for them to do. This movie has a very interesting and complex story. I've seen it twice, which helped me understand some of the details and twists in the story better. It has incredible special effects and great action scenes.



The Kids Are All Right-I was looking forward to seeing this movie for a while, and I loved it. The Kids Are All Right is about lesbian couple named Nic (Annette Bening) and Jules (Julianne Moore), and their two teenage children, who are curious about meeting their biological father, Paul (Mark Ruffalo). As Paul meets and gets to know the family, it causes unexpected changes and problems for everyone. I was very impressed by Annette Bening's performance, which I thought was one of her best. Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo were also great. The movie has a good story with well-written characters.





Toy Story 3-I was a bit nervous at first about a third Toy Story movie. There aren't many great sequels and even less in third parts of a franchise. That's why I was really happy to see how well done this movie was. In Toy Story 3, the toys are trying to deal with Andy leaving for college when they are accidently sent to a day-care center. This movie is a perfect ending (I hope what I've been reading about a fourth movie is just a rumour) to the franchise. It's funny, smart, and very moving. I thought it deserved its nomination for Best Picture and win for Best Animated Picture.

Part 2 of My Favorite Movies Of 2010 coming soon.

Movie Review-Network

"Network"

Rating-R

Director-Sidney Lumet

Actors-Peter Finch, William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall

Genre-Drama

Year-1976

I was very surprised that I didn't like "Network". It won Oscars, including Best Actress and Best Actor, and is considered to be one of the greatest movies of all-time. "Network" is about a group of people who work at a failing news network. It focuses on a veteran news anchor named Howard (Peter Finch) who has a nervous breakdown on the air. His best friend Max (William Holden), who owns the news station is very worried about him. However, two young bosses named Diana (Faye Dunaway) and Frank (Robert Duvall) notice that Howard's meltdown has gotten the station its best ratings ever, and decide to use him. While I thought the premise was interesting, there were a few things I didn't like about this movie. I didn't like how the Diana character was written. She was an insulting stereotype of a working woman. She was completely obsessed with her job, had no life outside of work, and was written to have stereotypical "masculine" traits. Another thing I didn't like about the movie was how the older characters were blantantly written as "the good guys", while the younger characters, and their entire generation, seemed to be blamed for the collapse of society. I found the movie to be self-important and annoying. I do not recommend watching "Network".

Memorable Movie Dads

Since Father's Day is tomorrow, I thought I would make a list of memorable dads in movies:

• Larry Miller as Walter Stratford in "10 Things I Hate About You"




• Gary Lewis as Jackie Elliot in "Billy Elliot"




• Laurence Fishburne as Furious Styles in "Boyz N The Hood"




• Burl Ives as Big Daddy Pollitt in "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof"




• Dan Hedaya as Mel Horowitz in "Clueless"




• Michael Cote as Gervais Beaulieu in "C.R.A.Z.Y."




• Alfred Molina as Jack in "An Education"




• Spencer Tracy (1950 version) and Steve Martin (1991 version) as Stanley Banks in "Father Of The Bride"




• Robert Carlyle as Gaz in "The Full Monty"




• Marlon Brando as Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather"




• Spencer Tracy as Matt Drayton in "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner"




• Paddy Considine as Johnny in "In America"




• Ben Affleck as Ollie Trinke in "Jersey Girl"




• J.K. Simmons as Mac MacGuff in "Juno"




• Christopher Cazenove as John Thatcher in "A Knight's Tale"




• Dustin Hoffman as Ted Kramer in "Kramer vs. Kramer"




• Roberto Benigni as Guido Orefice in "Life Is Beautiful (La Vita E Bella)"




• Greg Kinnear as Richard Hoover in "Little Miss Sunshine"




• David Tomlinson as Mr. Banks in "Mary Poppins"




• Robert DeNiro as Jack Byrnes in "Meet The Parents"




• Michael Constantine as Gus Portokalos in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"




• Ryan O'Neal as Moses Pray in "Paper Moon"




• Steve Martin as Gil Buckman in "Parenthood"




• Donald Sutherland as Mr. Bennet in "Pride & Predjudice"




• Will Smith as Chris Gardner in "The Pursuit Of Happyness"




• Gene Hackman as Royal Tenenbaum in "The Royal Tenenbaums"




• Christopher Plummer as Captain Von Trapp in "The Sound Of Music"




• Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in "To Kill A Mockingbird"

Movie Review-The Royal Tenenbaums

Title-"The Royal Tenenbaums"

Rating-R

Director-Wes Anderson

Actors-Gene Hackman, Angelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Luke Wilson

Genre-Comedy/Drama

Year-2001





"The Royal Tenenbaums" is a great movie and one of my favorites of 2001. It is about a very eccentric family in New York City. The children in the family, Chas, Margot, and Ritchie, were all prodigies and were very sucessful, until their parents, Royal (Gene Hackman) and Etheline (Angelica Huston) separated. As adults, Chas (Ben Stiller), Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), and Ritchie (Luke Wilson) have been estranged from their father, and are shocked when Royal suddenly wants contact with them again. I don't want to give anything else away about this movie. It has an imaginative story and terrific acting, especially by Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Luke Wilson. I really recommend watching "The Royal Tenenbaums".

Movie Review-My Own Private Idaho

Title-"My Own Private Idaho"

Rating-R

Director-Gus Van Sant

Actors-Keanu Reeves, River Phoenix, William Richert

Genre-Drama

Year-1991

"My Own Private Idaho" is a quirky, well-acted movie that is probably the most interesting movie I've seen in a while. It is about two best friends named Scott (Keanu Reeves) and Mike (River Phoenix) who are living on the street in Portland, Oregon. Mike was abandoned by his mother and suffers from narcolepsy. Scott has been living on the street in an attempt to spite his rich father, who wants him to inherit his business. Scott ends up accompanying Mike as he travels across the country searching for his mother. Scott and Mike run into many interesting and odd characters along the way, including a Fagin-like thief named Bob (William Richert). This movie has great acting, especially by River Phoenix, who gives an amazing performance. Keanu Reeves and William Richert were also impressive in their roles. If you want to see a well-acted and unconventional movie, I recommend watching "My Own Private Idaho".

Movie Review-Fish Tank

Title-"Fish Tank"

Rating-R

Director-Andrea Arnold

Actors-Katie Jarvis, Kierston Wareing, Rebecca Griffiths, Michael Fassbender

Genre-Drama

Year-2010

"Fish Tank" is an amazing movie and one of my favorites of 2010. It is about a fifteen-year-old girl named Mia (Katie Jarvis) who lives in a poor section of London with her mother Joanne (Kierston Wareing) and little sister Tyler (Rebecca Griffiths). Mia does not get along well with her family. Since being expelled from school, Mia spends most of her time practicing her hip-hop dancing and dreams of becoming a professional dancer. When Joanne starts dating a man named Colin (Michael Fassbender), Mia is not happy. I don't want to give too much away about the story, because it's interesting and doesn't go where you might expect. The acting in this movie is great, especially by Katie Jarvis, who had never acted before. I think that she should have been nominated for Best Actress for her performance. Kierston Wareing and Michael Fassbender are also memorable. I really recommend watching "Fish Tank".

Movie Review-The 400 Blows

Title-"The 400 Blows"

Rating-Not Rated

Director-Francois Truffaut

Actors- Jean-Pierre Leaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Remy, Guy Decomble, Patrick Auffay

Genre-Drama/Foreign (French with English subtitles)

Year-1959

"The 400 Blows" is one of my favorite movies. I watched it for the first time three years ago, and it completely blew me away. What I noticed most about the movie was how modern it seemed compared to Hollywood movies made around the same time. It looked like it could have been made at any time, not just in the 1950's. "The 400 Blows" is about a thirteen-year-old boy from Paris named Antoine (Jean-Pierre Leaud) who is very smart and creative, but misunderstood by everyone around him. His parents (Claire Maurier and Albert Remy) barely notice him at home, and his teacher (Guy Decomble) is always convinced Antoine is up to something. Feeling alone, Antoine starts committing petty crimes with his best friend Rene (Patrick Auffay). I don't want to give too much away about the story. One of the best things about this movie is the acting, especially by Jean-Pierre Leaud. His performance as Antoine is probably one of the best performances of all-time by a child actor, definitely one of the best I've ever seen. I don't think I've seen a movie that has a more natural and moving portrayal of a kid. If the ending doesn't make you feel something, you don't have a heart. You'll probably have to look for it, but I really recommend watching "The 400 Blows".

Memorable Movie Mothers

I thought I would make a list of memorable movie mothers because of Mother's Day last Sunday.

• Jacki Weaver as Janine "Smurf" Cody in Animal Kingdom



• Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side



• Danielle Proulx as Laurianne Beaulieu in C.R.A.Z.Y.



• Annabella Sciorra as Linda in The Cure



• Melissa Leo as Alice Ward in The Fighter



• Kate Winslet as Sylvia Llewelyn Davies in Finding Neverland



• Kierston Wareing as Joanne in Fish Tank



• Sally Field as Mrs. Gump in Forrest Gump



• Katharine Hepburn as Christina Drayton in Guess Who's Coming To Dinner



• Anne Bancroft as Adele Larson in Home For The Holidays



• Debbie Reynolds as Berniece Brackett in In & Out



• Samantha Morton as Sarah in In America



• Allison Janney as Bren MacGuff in Juno



• Annette Bening as Nic and Julianne Moore as Jules in The Kids Are All Right



• Jodie Foster as Dede Tate in Little Man Tate



• Susan Sarandon as Mrs. March in Little Women



• Lainie Kazan as Maria Portokalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding



• Mo'Nique as Mary Jones in Precious



• Claudia McNeil as Lena Younger in A Raisin In The Sun



• Sharon Warren as Aretha Robinson in Ray



• Sally Field as M'Lynn Eatenton in Steel Magnolias



• Susan Sarandon as Jackie Harrison in Stepmom



• Kate Del Castillo as Rosario in Under The Same Moon (La Misma Luna)



• Margaret Wycherly as Ma Jarrett in White Heat

Movies & Books Part 3

Hi. I thought I would write another entry about movies and books. Last Tuesday, I went out of town and saw the movie Rio in theatres with my sister. I thought it was really good and I'm excited for it to come out on DVD. My sister loved the movie. She had been to Brazil a few years ago as an exchange student and pointed out some of the landmarks to me.

When I was out of town, I bought a few movies: Magnolia, Howl, and Temple Grandin. I watched Magnolia on Friday and I thought it was awesome. I can't believe I didn't watch it earlier. If you haven't seen Magnolia yet, I really recommend watching it.

I watched Howl last night and I really liked it. It is about the poet Allen Ginsberg, who wrote the poem "Howl" in 1955, and about the obscenity trial that started because of the poem. I thought James Franco was great in it, and I kind of wish more people knew about this movie. It came out before the movie 127 Hours, which also starred James Franco, and got more of the attention because his performance in 127 Hours was nominated for Best Actor. I don't think his performance in Howl equals his performance in 127 Hours, but I think it's definitely one of his best.

Besides Rio, Magnolia, and Howl, the last movies I saw were Somewhere, The American President, My Cousin Vinny, Conviction, Drop Dead Gorgeous, and Becoming Jane.

Right now I'm re-reading the book City Of Thieves by David Benioff. I read it three years ago and it's one of my favorie books. I think this book would make an awesome movie. I finished reading My Booky Wook by Russell Brand a few weeks ago and I thought it was great. It's one of my favorite autobiographies.

My Favorite Simpsons Guest Voices Part 3

• Ron Howard as "Himself" in the episodes "When You Dish Upon A Star" and "Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder"


• Mark Hamill as "Himself" in the episode "Mayored To The Mob"


• Elton John as "Himself" in the episode "I'm With Cupid"


• Mel Gibson as "Himself" in the episode "Beyond Blunderdome"


• Betty White as "Herself" in the episode "Missionary: Impossible"


• R.E.M. as "Themselves" in the episode "Homer The Moe"


• Scott Thompson as Grady in the episode "Three Gays Of The Condo"


• Eric Idle as Declan Desmond in the episode "Springfield Up"


• Steve Buscemi as Dwight in the episode "I Don't Wanna Know Why The Caged Bird Sings"


• Emily Blunt as Juliet Hobbes in the episode "Lisa The Drama Queen"

Movies & Books Part 2

Hi. I thought I would write another entry about movies I've seen lately and books I'm reading. The last movies I've seen are The Fighter (great movie), The Adjustment Bureau (it was okay), Orange County (good movie I've seen before), Jet Boy, Easy A, The Town, and Before Sunset (Great movie. It was the sequel to Before Sunrise). I went out of town a few times since my last Movies & Books post, and I bought some DVDs: The Fighter, 127 Hours, Conviction, Winter's Bone, Kramer vs. Kramer, and Invictus. I also bought Season 7 of The Simpsons. In my last Movies & Books post, I had started reading In The Province Of Saints by Thomas O'Malley, but I couldn't finish it. Then I tried to read Crime And Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, but I couldn't get past Chapter 8. After that, I read the play The Importance Of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and I really liked it. Right now, I'm reading My Booky Wook by Russell Brand, which is his autobiography, and I think it's great so far.

My Favorite Simpsons Guest Voices Part 2

• Michelle Pfeiffer as Mindy Simmons in the episode "The Last Temptation Of Homer"


• James Woods as "Himself" in the episode "Homer And Apu"


• Meryl Streep as Jessica Lovejoy in the episode "Bart's Girlfriend"


• Anne Bancroft as Dr. Zweig in the episode "Fear Of Flying"


• Patrick Stewart as Number One in the episode "Homer The Great"


• Glenn Close as Mona Simpson in the episode "Mother Simpson"


• Johnny Cash as the coyote in the episode "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Homer"


• John Waters as John in the episode "Homer's Phobia"


• David Hyde Pierce as Cecil Terwilliger in the episode "Brother From Another Series"


• Willem Dafoe as the Commandant in the episode "The Secret War Of Lisa Simpson"

Part 3 coming soon...

St. Patrick's Day Movies

Since St. Patrick's Day is coming up soon, I thought I would make a list of great movies to watch:

• Waking Ned Devine (1998)
• The Commitments (1991)
• In America (2003)
• In Bruges (2008)
• Breakfast On Pluto (2005)
• Dancing At Lughnasa (1998)
• The Devil's Own (1997)
• The Brothers McMullen (1995)
• Rory O'Shea Was Here (2004)
• Black Irish (2007)
• The Departed (2006)
• The Fighter (2010)
• Tommy Tiernan: Something Mental (stand-up comedy DVD) (2008)

The Oscars

I really liked this year's Oscars. The opening montage was great. I especially liked Anne Hathaway and James Franco's opening skit that featured them in all the nominated movies. The Black Swan parody was great and it was really funny when Morgan Freeman and Alec Baldwin showed up in the skit.

I was really happy when Melissa Leo won for Best Supporting Actress. I was hoping that she would win. Jacki Weaver winning would have been cool, too. I liked Melissa Leo's speech and was really surprised she wasn't played off the stage by the orchestra or censored during her speech.

I knew that Toy Story 3 would win Best Animated Picture and I was happy that it won. I was really happy when Aaron Sorkin won Best Adapted Screenplay for The Social Network, but I was surprised that David Seidler won Best Original Screenplay for The King's Speech. I really liked that movie, but I wanted Inception or The Kids Are All Right to win.

I thought it was awesome when Christian Bale won for Best Supporting Actor. I really liked his speech. I was really happy and surprised when Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won Best Original Score for The Social Network.

I liked that the nominees for Best Original Song were performed this year. I was kind of disappointed when Randy Newman won for "We Belong Together" because I liked that song the least out of all of them. I would have picked "If I Rise" by Dido and A.R. Rahman to win.

I wasn't surprised at all when Colin Firth won Best Actor for The King's Speech. I thought he was really great in that movie, although I thought he should have won last year for A Single Man. I thought it would have been really cool if Jesse Eisenberg won Best Actor, but I knew it would be Colin Firth. I also knew Natalie Portman was going to win Best Actress for Black Swan. My sister saw Black Swan and said she was amazing in it. I think it would have been hard to pick Best Actress this year. I really liked Annette Benning in The Kids Are All Right. I haven't seen Rabbit Hole, Blue Valentine, or Winter's Bone yet, but I've read that Nicole Kidman, Michelle Williams, and Jennifer Lawrence were all great.

I was very surprised when Tom Hooper won Best Director for The King's Speech. I thought it definitely should have been David Fincher for The Social Network. I also wanted The Social Network to win Best Picture, but I was fine with The King's Speech winning. I really liked this year's Oscars and thought Anne Hathaway and James Franco did a great job hosting :)

Movie Review-The Fighter

Title-"The Fighter"

Rating-R

Director-David O. Russell

Actors-Mark Wahlberg, Melissa Leo, Christian Bale, Amy Adams

Genre-Biography/Drama

Year-2010

 

 

 

"The Fighter" is a great movie and another one of my favorites of 2010. It is based on the true story of Mickey Ward, an amateur boxer from Lowell, Massachusettes who eventually goes pro. Most of the movie focuses on Mickey (Mark Wahlberg)'s complicated relationship with his family, including his mother and manager, Alice (Melissa Leo), and his older half-brother and trainer, Dicky (Christian Bale). Mickey loves his family, but they seem to be holding him back, especially Dicky, who was once a great boxer, but became addicted to crack. When Mickey starts dating a bartender named Charlene (Amy Adams), it causes more tension between Mickey and his family. This movie has a very compelling story. It also has amazing acting by the entire cast, especially by Christian Bale, who gives one of the most unforgettable performances I've ever seen, and by Mark Wahlberg, who gives a great understated performance. I really recommend watching "The Fighter" when it comes out on DVD.

Movie Review-Toy Story 3

Title-"Toy Story 3"

Rating-G

Director-Lee Unkrich

Voice Actors-Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty

Genre-Animated/Comedy/Adventure

Year-2010

"Toy Story 3" is a wonderful movie and one of my favorites of 2010. This time, Andy is getting ready to go to college, and his old toys, including Woody (voice of Tom Hanks), Buzz (voice of Tim Allen), and Jessie (voice of Joan Cusack), are worried about what will happen to them. When the toys are accidently donated to a day-care center, they meet a friendly toy bear named Lotso (Ned Beatty). Unfortunately, they discover that life at the day-care center is not what they expected, and the toys make a plan to escape. This movie has a good balance of funny and emotional scenes, and definitely deserves its nomination for Best Picture in this year's Oscars. I really recommend watching "Toy Story 3".

Movie Review-The Kids Are All Right

Title-"The Kids Are All Right"

Rating-R

Director-Lisa Cholodenko

Actors-Annette Benning, Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson, Mark Ruffalo

Genre-Comedy/Drama

Year-2010
 
 

"The Kids Are All Right" is an awesome movie and one of my favorites of the year. It is about a lesbian couple, Nic (Annette Benning) and Jules (Julianne Moore), who are surprised to find out that their teenage children Joni (Mia Wasikowska) and Laser (Josh Hutcherson) want to contact their biological father. Joni and Laser meet their biological father, a man named Paul (Mark Ruffalo), and decide to introduce him to their mothers. As the family spends more time with Paul, Nic starts to feel left out, which causes problems in the family. I don't want to give too much away about the story. I loved this movie. I thought the characters and dialogue were realistic, and I felt like I was watching a real family, which doesn't happen often in movies about families. Everyone in the cast, especially Annette Benning and Julianne Moore, was wonderful. "The Kids Are All Right" is one of the best movies of 2010 and I really recommend watching it.

Movie Review-Inception

Title-"Inception"

Rating- PG-13

Director-Christopher Nolan

Actors-Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page

Genre-Thriller/Sci-Fi/Action

Year-2010

 

"Inception" is a great movie with amazing special effects. It is about a man named Dom (Leonardo DiCaprio) who is the leader of a team of thieves (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy) who are able to steal ideas from people while they sleep. Although the team has become very rich for performing "extractions", Dom has not seen his family in years and wants to stop. One day, a businessman named Saito (Ken Watanabe) hires the team to plant an idea in a competitor's head, instead of stealing an idea. Because planting an idea, or "inception", is more difficult and dangerous for Dom's team than "extraction", Dom decides to hire a new member, a talented college student named Ariadne (Ellen Page). This movie has one of the most original stories I've ever seen, as well as mind-blowing special effects. I think it might be even more enjoyable watching it a second time. "Inception" is one of the best movies of 2010 and I really recommend watching it.

My Favorite Simpsons Guest Voices

The Simpsons is my all-time favorite TV show and it has featured a lot of great guest stars. Here are my favorites:

• Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz and Troy McClure
• Kelsey Grammer as Sideshow Bob
• Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony
• Albert Brooks as Jacques in the episode "Life On The Fast Lane"
• Penny Marshall as Ms. Botz (aka "The Babysitter Bandit") in the episode "Some Enchanted Evening"
• Dustin Hoffman as Mr. Bergstrom in the episode "Lisa's Substitute"
• Beverly D'Angelo as Lurleen Lumpkin in the episode "Colonel Homer"
• Jon Lovitz as Llewellyn Sinclair in the episode "A Streetcar Named Marge"

Part 2 coming soon...

Valentine's Day Movies

Since Valentine's Day is coming up soon, I thought I would make a list of great movies with a romantic theme:

• When Harry Met Sally (1989)
• My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
• High Fidelity (2000)
• Chasing Amy (1997)
• Moonstruck (1987)
• The Brothers McMullen (1995)
• Say Anything (1989)
• True Romance (1993)
• (500) Days Of Summer (2009)
• Annie Hall (1977)
• Romeo & Juliet (either the 1968 or 1996 version)
• West Side Story (1961)
• Moulin Rouge (2001)
• Titanic (1997)
• French Kiss (1995)
• The Other Sister (1999)
• Love, Actually (2003)
• Brokeback Mountain (2005)
• All Over The Guy (2001)
• The Notebook (2004)
• Amelie (2001)
• Benny And Joon (1993)
• Before Sunrise (1995)
• The Princess Bride (1987)
• The Wedding Singer (1998)
• 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
• The Holiday (2006)
• WALL-E (2008)

Movies & Books

Hi. I thought I would do an entry about movies I've seen lately or books I'm reading.

The last movies I've seen lately on DVD are White Heat and Before Sunrise. If you haven't seen them, White Heat is a crime movie from 1949 starring James Cagney, and Before Sunrise is a romance with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy from 1995. I thought that both of these movies were very good, but not great, although both had some great scenes in them. I think that the ending to White Heat would have been perfect if the very last line in the movie had been cut out. I won't spoil the endings in case anyone hasn't seen them. I'm probably going to watch Before Sunset, the sequel to Before Sunrise, sometime soon. I've heard that it's supposed to be even better than Before Sunrise.

Yesterday, I went out of town and saw The Fighter in theatres. It was a great movie with very good performances by Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams, a great performance by Melissa Leo, and an amazing one by Christian Bale. He completely blew me away in that movie and needs to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

I also bought some new movies: Animal Kingdom, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The Pianist, and Empire Of The Sun. I'm really looking forward to seeing them for the first time.

I finished reading a book called The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer a few days ago and it was really good. Before that, I read Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern, and I really liked it. I started reading a new book today called In The Province Of Saints by Thomas O'Malley and it's interesting so far.

My Oscar Predictions

The Oscar nominations have just come out today, so I thought I would make my predictions. Here are the nominees: Best Picture 127 Hours Black Swan The Fighter Inception The Kids Are All Right The King's Speech The Social Network Toy Story 3 True Grit Winter's Bone I have only seen four of the nominees so far: Inception, The Kids Are All Right, The Social Network and Toy Story 3. I really want to see The Fighter, The King's Speech, True Grit, and Winter's Bone. Out of the movies I've seen, I would pick The Social Network or The Kids Are All Right to win Best Picture, although I think The King's Speech or True Grit has the best chance of winning. Best Actor Javier Bardem for Biutiful Jeff Bridges for True Grit Jesse Eisenberg for The Social Network Colin Firth for The King's Speech James Franco for 127 Hours I would pick Jesse Eisenberg to win Best Actor for his impressive performance in The Social Network, but I think that Colin Firth will win for The King's Speech. Best Actress Annette Benning for The Kids Are All Right Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone Natalie Portman for Black Swan Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine I would pick Annette Benning to win Best Actress for The Kids Are All Right. I think she really deserves to win for her performance. My other picks would be Nicole Kidman or Michelle Williams. I think that either Annette Benning or Natalie Portman will win. Best Supporting Actor Christian Bale for The Fighter John Hawkes for Winter's Bone Jeremy Renner for The Town Mark Ruffalo for The Kids Are All Right Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech I would pick Christian Bale for The Fighter and I think he will win. Best Supporting Actress Amy Adams for The Fighter Helena Bonham Carter for The King's Speech Melissa Leo for The Fighter Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom I would pick Melissa Leo for The Fighter or Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom. I think that Melissa Leo will win. Best Director Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan Joel and Ethan Coen for True Grit David Fincher for The Social Network Tom Hooper for The King's Speech David O. Russell for The Fighter I would pick David Fincher for The Social Network. My other picks would be Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan and David O. Russell for The Fighter. I think that either David Fincher or David O. Russell will win. Best Original Screenplay Another Year by Mike Leigh The Fighter by Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson, and Keith Dorrington Inception by Christopher Nolan The Kids Are All Right by Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg The King's Speech by David Seidler I would pick Inception or The Kids Are All Right. I think that The King's Speech or The Fighter might win. Best Adapted Screenplay 127 Hours by Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy The Social Network by Aaron Sorkin Toy Story 3 by Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich True Grit by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen Winter's Bone by Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini I would definitely pick The Social Network. My 2nd place pick would be Toy Story 3. I think that The Social Network will win. Best Animated Film How To Train Your Dragon The Illusionist Toy Story 3 I would definitely pick Toy Story 3 and I think it will win. Oscar Snubs I think that Andrew Garfield should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for The Social Network, Katie Jarvis should have been nominated for Best Actress for Fish Tank, Kierston Wareing should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Fish Tank, Christopher Nolan should have been nominated for Best Director for Inception, Julianne Moore should have been nominated for Best Actress for The Kids Are All Right, Ryan Gosling should have been nominated for Best Actor for Blue Valentine, and Dianne Wiest should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actress for Rabbit Hole.

Biggest Oscar Snubs

Here are the biggest Oscar snubs (in my opinion):

1962:
A Raisin In The Sun, the 1961 film starring Sidney Poitier, was not nominated for any Oscars. I saw this movie last year and I thought it was awesome, especially the acting by Sidney Potier and Claudia McNeil, who I think should have been nominated for Best Actor and Actress. I also think it should have been nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

1986:
The Color Purple, the 1985 film starring Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover, was nominated for 11 Oscars and didn't win any. I thought that even if it didn't win Best Picture or Whoopi Goldberg didn't win Best Actress, it would have won Best Original Song or Oprah Winfrey would have won Best Supporting Actress for her performance. I watched Out Of Africa last year, the movie that won most of the awards at the Oscars that year. I thought that Out Of Africa was good, but definitely not deserving of all the Oscars it recieved.

2000:
Fight Club, the 1999 film starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt, was nominated for Best Sound Effects, but was left out of the Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Picture categories. I think that even though it was probably very unlikely that Fight Club would be nominated for Best Picture or Best Original Score, it definitely should have been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. I don't really understand how American Beauty won so many of the awards that year. I thought it was good, I guess, but not amazing, like it was hyped to be. I guess that most of the Academy voters thought that Fight Club was too "edgy" and weren't ready for it, although when you compare the plots of American Beauty and Fight Club, I don't think that they were too different. Both movies feature main characters that have gotten tired of modern life and are looking for something that makes them feel alive, only American Beauty is from a Baby Boomer's perspective and Fight Club is Generation X's. I think that Fight Club and Boys Don't Cry should have been nominated for Best Picture, and that The Green Mile should have won that year, instead of American Beauty.

2008:
Into The Wild, the 2007 film starring Emile Hirsch, was nominated for Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actor for Hal Holbrook's performance in it. I think that Emile Hirsch should have been nominated for Best Actor, and that the movie should have been nominated for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Into The Wild is one of my favorite movies from 2007 and one of the best movies I have ever seen.

2009:
The Dark Knight, the 2008 film starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, was nominated for several technical awards and won Best Sound Editing and Best Supporting Actor for Heath Ledger's performance. I think that The Dark Knight should have also been nominated for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. The Dark Knight is one of my Top 3 favorite movies of 2008.

2010:
(500) Days Of Summer, the 2009 film starring Joseph-Gordon Levitt and Zooey Deschanel, was not nominated for any Oscars. I think that it should have been nominated for Best Original Screenplay and especially Best Picture, since the Best Picture category was expanded last year to include 10 movies. It is amazing to me how The Hurt Locker and A Serious Man were nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay and (500) Days Of Summer was left out. (500) Days Of Summer is one of my Top 3 favorite movies of 2009.

The Soloist, the 2009 film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx was not nominated for any Oscars. I think that Jamie Foxx definitely should have been nominated for Best Actor for his performance, instead of George Clooney for Up In The Air or Jeremy Renner for The Hurt Locker.

Inglourious Basterds, the 2009 film starring Brad Pitt and Christoph Waltz, was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and a few technical awards. It won Best Supporting Actor for Christoph Waltz, who really deserved it. However, Melanie Laurent was not nominated for her performance, which I think drives the entire movie and gives it heart, which it might not otherwise have. Inglourious Basterds is one of my Top 3 favorite movies of 2009.

Where The Wild Things Are, the 2009 film starring Max Records and Catherine Keener, was not nominated for any Oscars. Where The Wild Things Are is one of my favorite movies of 2009, and I was really surprised it didn't get nominated for Best Picture, especially with the expanded Best Picture category.

Mary & Max, the 2009 animated film featuring the voices of Toni Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman, was not nominated Best Animated Picture. I saw this movie last year, and I thought it was amazing. It's one of my favorite movies of 2009 and one of the best animated movies I've ever seen. I'm really surprised how it didn't get nominated but Coraline and Fantastic Mr. Fox did. I know that even if it had been nominated, it wouldn't have had a chance against Up (one of my Top 3 favorite movies of 2009), but it still would have been nice.

Movie Review-The Social Network

Title-"The Social Network"

Rating- PG-13

Director-David Fincher

Actors-Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield

Genre-Biography/Drama

Year-2010

"The Social Network" is an awesome and exciting movie. It is about Mark Zuckerberg, the man who created Facebook, the popular social networking website, and became the world's youngest billionaire at 23. The movie begins with Mark (Jesse Eisenberg) as a brilliant, but arrogant and socially-awkward student at Harvard. Mark has only one friend, a student named Eduardo (Andrew Garfield). One day, Mark comes up with an idea for a new website that will help people keep in touch with each other, and gets Eduardo to help him create it. As the website's popularity begins to grow, Mark deals with legal battles over the ownership and origin of Facebook. What makes this movie great is how it manages to take a story that uses a lot of computer terminology and because of its writing and acting, make it extremely interesting. The movie's screenplay was written by Aaron Sorkin, who wrote "A Few Good Men" and created the television show "The West Wing", so the dialogue in "The Social Network" is amazing. From the first scene, the movie really makes you pay attention to the dialogue, which is very fast-paced. "The Social Network" also has great acting, especially by Jesse Eisenberg, playing a character that is almost completely unlikeable, but manages to convey Mark's insecurity and lonliness. I would not be surprised if he was nominated for Best Actor in this year's Academy Awards. "The Social Network" is definitely one of the best movies of 2010 and I really recommend watching it when it comes out on DVD.

Movie Review-Mary & Max

Movie Review-"Mary & Max"

Rating- PG-13

Director-Adam Elliot

Actors-Toni Collette, Philip Seymour Hoffman

Genre-Animated/Drama

Year-2009

"Mary & Max" is one of the best animated movies I've seen. It is about a lonely Australian girl named Mary (Toni Collette). She desperately wants a friend, so one day she decides to write to a randomly chosen American. The letter goes to Max (Philip Seymour Hoffman), a man living in New York City who has Asperger's Syndrome. He has a very lonely life, also, and he answers Mary's letter. Soon, they are sending letters back and forth and learning about each other's lives. Although "Mary & Max" is an animated movie, it is not for kids, and I would recommend it more to teenagers and adults. "Mary & Max" has probably the best portrayal of Asperger's Syndrome that I've seen in a movie. It also has exceptional voice work by Toni Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman, who make the characters come to life. I really recommend watching "Mary & Max".

My Favorite Movies Of The Decade

• Billy Elliot (2000)


• High Fidelity (2000)


• Amelie (2001)


• Ghost World (2001)


• The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)


• Chicago (2002)


• My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)


• The Pianist (2002)


• The Dreamers (2003)


• Finding Nemo (2003)


• School Of Rock (2003)


• Million Dollar Baby (2004)


• Brokeback Mountain (2005)


• C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)


• Borat (2006)


• The Departed (2006)


• Little Miss Sunshine (2006)


• Shortbus (2006)


• The Assasination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)


• Into The Wild (2007)


• Juno (2007)


• Persepolis (2007)


• The Dark Knight (2008)


• Milk (2008)


• Slumdog Millionaire (2008)


• WALL-E (2008)


• Inglourious Basterds (2009)


• Up (2009)