Our newest podcast will be this weekend and here’s a quick update!
Movie News: Quvenzhané Wallis teams up with Will Smith and Jay-Z
Quvenzhané Wallis, the youngest Best Actress Oscar nominee ever last night for Beasts of the Southern Wild, is teaming up with Will Smith and Jay-Z in the new musical adaptation of Annie. Wallis was cast as Annie in the version that will be produced by Smith alongside his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. James Lassieter (I am Legend, The Pursuit of Happyness and the up coming After Earth) and the one in only Jay-Z will also produce.
Annie is set to be directed by Will Gluck. The script is written by Emma Thompson and Aline Brosh McKenna.
After the performance that Wallis gave in Beasts of the Southern Wild, I’m extremely excited for this project. I love Will smith and Jay-Z so it will be fun to see them work together on this project too.
Movie News: Spidey gets new costume for The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man is getting a new look for The Amazing Spider-Man 2. His new costume, which closely resembles what Tobey Maguire wore in the original trilogy, features much larger eyeholes, a different shade of red and a different spider insignia that has been changed from black to gray.
Check out the new costume below (courtesy of Coming Soon) along with a look at the old costume from last year’s reboot and tell us what you think.
New Costume:
Old Costume:
Movie News: The Oscars Was Successful
The Oscars last night had some amazing moments and the winners seemed to be what was expected. The opening sequence by Seth MacFarlane was very entertaining and had some songs that were…well…different. Adele killed “Skyfall” and Life of Pi showed up big as I predicted it would. In our Oscars podcast, we went through all the nominees, changed some of our picks and we ended up doing pretty well. Here’s the breakdown of how we did (Remember, if you listen to our podcast, we changed some of our picks):
Best Picture: Argo
JD – Argo
Matthew – Argo
Nate – Argo
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
JD – Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Matthew – Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Nate – Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
JD – Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)
Matthew – Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Nate – Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
JD – Alan Arkin (Argo)
Matthew – Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Nate – Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)
JD – Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)
Matthew – Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)
Nate – Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables))
Best Director: Ang Lee (Life of Pi)
JD – Ang Lee (Life of Pi)
Matthew – Ang Lee (Life of Pi)
Nate – Ang Lee (Life of Pi)
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen: Django Unchained
JD – Moonrise Kingdom
Matthew – Django Unchained
Nate – Django Unchained
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published: Argo
JD – Life of Pi
Matthew – Silver Linings Playbook
Nate – Life of Pi
Best Animated Feature Film: Brave
JD – Wreck-It Ralph
Matthew – Brave
Nate – Brave
Best Achievement in Cinematography: Life of Pi
JD – Life of Pi
Matthew – Life of Pi
Nate – Life of Pi
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score:
JD – Mychael Danna (Life of Pi)
Matthew – Alexandre Desplat (Argo)
Nate – Mychael Danna (Life of Pi)
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song: Adele (“Skyfall” for Skyfall)
JD – Adele (“Skyfall” for Skyfall)
Matthew – Adele (“Skyfall” for Skyfall)
Nate – Adele (“Skyfall” for Skyfall)
Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Life of Pi
JD – Life of Pi
Matthew – Life of Pi
Nate – The Avengers
Total Results:
1) Nate & Matthew – 10 out of 13 correct
2) JD – 10 out of 13 correct
We’ll have more thoughts on The Oscars this week when we do our podcast. We’ll talk about our thoughts on the winners, any surprises and if Seth MacFarlane was actually funny. Be sure to stay tuned and catch that on this week’s show!
Movie News: Joss Whedon speaks about The Avengers 2
While out promoting his newest movie, Much Ado About Nothing, at the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival in Dublin, director Joss Whedon was asked about The Avengers 2, the sequel to last year’s massive hit. He had some interesting tidbits.
When asked for an update on the sequel, Whedon’s response was: “I can’t do any bigger, so I’m trying to do better.” And then when a follow-up question was asked about his philosophy, his response was: “Death, Death and more Death!”
I think The Avengers blew everyone away with just how awesome it actually was. I mean, with the way Marvel was setting it up over the years and then having every one of those superheroes come together for one movie, it’s incredible that The Avengers turned out the way it did. But now the pressure is on Whedon and Co. to make the next one even “better,” which will be extremely tough.
Movie News: We Saw Your Boobs
If you didn’t see this last night, you missed a pretty entertaining opening to the Oscars last night. This isn’t the best quality in the world, but it’s worth watching! Check it
Featured: The Oscars’ biggest moments
Re-posted with permission from Phoenix Blue Marketing & Advertising:
The Oscars was on last night and there was plenty going around on social media as well. If you watched it, you know there was a lot of fun (and some not so much) things that were tweet worthy. Seth MacFarlane’s opening act was hysterical and jaw-dropping all at the same time. And you can bet it was trending quite a bit. I’m actually surprised that “We Saw Your Boobs” didn’t trend longer than it did. I, for one, didn’t expect to see that one. While MacFarlane did pretty well, there were a few jokes that didn’t go so well (i.e. his awful Lincoln joke, which led to ton of tweets such as the one below).
I did like how MacFarlane recovered from that one, however. Overall, he did well and there was plenty of buzz about his performance.
Anne Hathaway’s dress was also a social media craze last night. If you saw her dress then you know what I’m talking about and I’ll just leave it at that. Her award for Best Actress was well deserved and that seemed to take more center-stage than her wardrobe, which was the right thing.
After flashing through the most memorable 007 clips for the 50th anniversary of the franchise, Shirley Bassey gave an amazing performance, which sent Twitter into a nice roar. It was one of the better moments of the night and there was plenty of positive tweets going around. Loved seeing the nice Bond tribute.
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One of my favorite trending things of the night was Quvenzhané Wallis. While she didn’t win for Best Actress, it was great to see her nominated and she was adorable last night. She was great and every time the camera panned to her, she threw up her arms and seemed to be having a great time.
One of the bigger moments of the night was when Jennifer Lawrence tripped on the way up to receive her award for Best Actress. While it may have been embarrassing, she played it off well and was very fun with it. Twitter had a heyday with it though. According to Twitter, there were 71,600 tweets about Lawrence and many were about her falling down. There were also several GIF’s being passed around as you could imagine. I personally thought she was cute and handled herself well.
Believe it or not, Jaws had a bigger Oscars’ night last night than the year it came out. Every time a winner was being long winded in their speech, they would play the Jaws theme song to rush them off the stage. While it was kind of funny, it also seemed kind of rude. It led to many, many tweets though as it trended on Twitter most of the night. One of the more popular tweets was Piers Morgan:
@piersmorgan
The Jaws music cut-off for long-winded acceptance speeches is the greatest addition to awards ceremonies ever. I’d add real sharks.
Michelle Obama also made a nice surprise that sent Twitter in a spin as well. It was very unexpected and left people with a lot opinions. Regardless of your politics, I thought it was a nice touch. According to Twitter, there were 85,300 tweets about the First Lady.
The only real surprise at the Oscars … Michelle Obama.
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 25, 2013
The top social media moment of the night was Adele’s performance of Skyfall, which was abolutely amazing! I was discussing with my friends last night that it seemed that we like the live version better than we did the recording for the movie. She was incredible! And Twitter thought so as well. There were 82,300 tweets per minute during her performance, which takes the top Oscar moment.
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There were plenty of other big moments. I personally loved the cast of Les Mis on stage peforming a piece from the film. What was your favorite moment of the night?
Podcast: The Oscars 2013 – Episode 2
The 2013 Oscars are here! And we’re ready to talk all about it.
On our second episode, here’s what to expect:
We talk all about the Oscars. We give our predictions and talk all about the nominees. The show is a little bit longer than normal, but I promise you will love it. Click here to check out our blog post with all our predictions.
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The Oscars 2013 – Episode 2
Oscar Review: Beasts of the Southern Wild (Best Picture)
Director: Benh Zeitlin
Writers: Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin, Based on the stage play “Juicy and Delicious” by Lucy Alibar
Stars: Quverzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, & Gina Montana
Synopsis: In a semi-post-apocalyptic world, where parts of the world have been flooded, Hushpuppy and her daddy live in an flooded area called the Bathtub. With her father’s ailing health and the world literally falling apart around her, Hushpuppy must learn how to be courageous and loving in the face of fear and hatred.
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DIRECTION
Benh Zeitlin has proved out of the gate that he is a phenomenal director. Beasts is his first full-length feature and it already stands a film worthy of praise. Zeitlin tells his story so beautifully with soft camera work. The “beasts” in the film are magnificent and startling without being cheesy or overly terrifying. They appear as if maybe they could be real, similar to the feel of the film as a whole. The film leaves and impression on the the viewer. As I leave Beasts, I remember its last line, “Once there was a Hushpuppy, and she lived with her daddy in the Bathtub.” Yes, she did indeed.
Grade: A
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SCRIPT
Beasts of the Southern Wild is not a script most studios would look at and give a green light to. Yet, Zeitlin & Alibar knew the gold in their hands. The story does not explicitly fall into one genre and yet ultimately it is a love story of a father and daughter. With its themes of love and courage, the story is highly accessible to audiences; however, it keeps a distinct feeling by creating its own world and never leaving it.
Grade: A
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PERFORMANCES
The performances in Beasts of the Southern Wild drive the film, and it is without argument that with different actors, Beasts would be a different and lesser film. The film stars unknowns actors who after Beasts will no longer remain on unknown. Quverzhané Wallis carries the film as Hushpuppy. She transcends the bounds of child acting and plays a role not too old for her (Jodi Foster in Taxi Driver) or a role that is merely a kid being a kid (Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine). Wallis exudes more emotion and life in this role than Meryl Streep, quite a triumph for a nine-year old. Dwight Henry plays Wink with should visceral anger and buried tenderness that it does not feel like a performance but an actual father trying to provide the best for his daughter. The supporting cast all portray real life characters struggling to survive. The feel has almost a documentary feel because of their true to life performances.
Grade: A+
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SCORE
Dan Romer and Benh Zeiltin’s score for Beasts is my favorite score of the year! The score has a New Orleans Jazz/Bluegrass feel to it. It’s full of mystery and sympathy and adventure; the same aspects that make the film itself so spectacular. It is ridiculous that this score failed to receive a nomination for best score. The film’s main theme sweeping yet it does not overpower the story and characters on the screen; it only enhances them, serving the exact function of the underscoring. Romer and Zeitlin’s score is also an excellent composition apart from the film. I’ve been listening to it for a few weeks now and it only gets more satisfying with every playback.
Grade: A+
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Overall Grade: A
Featured: InSession Film Oscar Predictions
Here are our Oscar predictions for this year. Be sure to check out our Oscar podcast this weekend. You can subscribe to our podcast’s here or on iTunes.
Best Picture:
JD – Lincoln
Matthew – Argo
Nate – Argo
Best Actor:
JD – Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Matthew – Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Nate – Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)
Best Actress:
JD – Jennifer (Lawrence Silver Linings Playbook)
Matthew – Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Nate – Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Best Supporting Actor:
JD – Alan Arkin (Argo)
Matthew – Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Nate – Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)
Best Supporting Actress:
JD – Amy Adams (The Master)
Matthew – Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)
Nate – Amy Adams (The Master)
Best Director:
JD – Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
Matthew – David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)
Nate – Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen:
JD – Moonrise Kingdom
Matthew – Django Unchained
Nate – Django Unchained
Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published:
JD – Life of Pi
Matthew – Silver Linings Playbook
Nate – Lincoln
Best Animated Feature Film:
JD – Wreck-It Ralph)
Matthew – Brave
Nate – Brave
Best Achievement in Cinematography:
JD – Life of Pi
Matthew – Life of Pi
Nate – Life of Pi
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score:
JD – Mychael Danna (Life of Pi)
Matthew – Alexandre Desplat (Argo)
Nate – Mychael Danna (Life of Pi)
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song:
JD – Adele (“Skyfall” for Skyfall)
Matthew – Adele (“Skyfall” for Skyfall)
Nate – Adele (“Skyfall” for Skyfall)
Best Achievement in Visual Effects:
JD – Life of Pi
Matthew – Life of Pi
Nate – The Avengers
Oscar Review: Argo (Best Picture)
Director: Ben Affleck
Writers: Chris Terrio, Tony Mendez (book), Joshuah Bearman (article)
Stars: Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman
Synopsis: A dramatization of the 1980 joint CIA-Canadian secret operation to extract six fugitive American diplomatic personnel out of revolutionary Iran.
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DIRECTION
Ben Affleck being snubbed for a Best Director nomination is probably the biggest joke of this year’s Oscars. With Gone Baby Gone and The Town, Affleck is now 3 for 3 as a director with Argo. From opening the movie with a blend of storyboards and video footage of the events that led up to the hostage situation to closing the movie with a thrilling and well-choreographed escape, Affleck’s direction is top notch. The way he is able to blend scenes from the States and from Iran is exceptionally well done and really showcases what he’s capable of and makes me really excited for what he does next.
Grade: A+
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SCRIPT
Yes, believe it or not, Argo is actually based on a true story. Crazy, huh? But the movie about a fake movie is both gripping and surprisingly funny and the ability to go back and forth so seamlessly is what really makes the movie a joy to watch. While it may be a little too Hollywood-y with coincidences that only seem to happen in movies, it didn’t detract from the overall experience.
Grade: A-
[divider]
PERFORMANCES
From notable stars to bit actors whose faces you would know but names you probably wouldn’t, Argo has what may be the best assembled cast for any movie of last year. Stealing the show, however, is Alan Arkin, who is nominated for an Oscar for his role as snarky Hollywood producer Lester Siegel. He, along with John Goodman, provides all the funny moments in the movie and has one of the best lines of any movie last year. Arkin’s role reminded me of his role in Little Miss Sunshine, in which he won an Oscar for, and I couldn’t get enough of him. He is brilliant.
Grade: A
[divider]
SCORE
Argo‘s score by Alexandre Desplat is effective, especially during the final sequences in the movie, and is much better than his score for Zero Dark Thirty. However, it could’ve been better. Also, the period-centric songs from bands like The Rolling Stones, Van Halen and Led Zeppelin were a nice little touch and added to the overall vibe of the movie.
Grade: B+
[divider]
Overall Grade: A
Oscar Review: Lincoln (Best Picture)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Tony Kushner, Doris Kearns Goodwin (book)
Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones
Synopsis: At the height of the Civil War, America’s 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, must balance keeping his divided nation together while keeping forward progress by granting freedom to slaves. The film chronicles the passing of the 13th Amendment and all the work leading up to this momentous legislation.
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DIRECTION
Steven Spielberg has proved he knows how to make a movie; Lincoln is no exception. Spielberg creates an epic with raw emotion, not letting the story get away from him or letting the emotion become melodramatic or corny. Spielberg’s trajectory has been erratic over the last decade with critical failures such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and War of the Worlds as well as critical darlings such as Munich, War Horse, and The Terminal. Lincoln sits as a crowning achievement of Spielberg’s most recent work and reminds us all that he is still a magnificently gifted director who brings in all necessary elements to tell a transfixing story.
Grade: A-
[divider]
SCRIPT
Lincoln‘s script functions as a typical biopic with a slightly higher than average sense of humanity than other standard historical biopics. Lincoln’s character is painted not as a larger than life man but as a man with enormous responsibility struggling to do his best for his countries and people. The banter between Lincoln and his cabinet is genuine and downright hilarious at times adding to even greater beauty in the film.
Grade: B+
[divider]
PERFORMANCES
The performances in Lincoln for the most part are top-notch. Daniel Day-Lewis slips on the character of Lincoln with ease as he disappears into the role of Abraham Lincoln. Day-Lewis has proved he is one of today’s greatest chameleon’s since he not only play a role but embodies that characters (e.g. There Will Be Blood, The Last of the Mohicans). Tommy Lee Jones also gives a standout performance as Thaddeus Stevens. Jones has always been a talented actor but he rarely offers much depth to roles beyond sheer drivenness. Besides Lincoln, Stevens is the most noble character in the film and every fiber of Jones’ performance portrays that. The only poor performance is Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln. Field attempts to portray an unstable Lincoln a la Sybil but only comes off as trying to hard rather than mentally ill. Field is a terrific actress, but this role does not fit her well. The ensemble cast adds to the overall high quality of the film but Lewis and Jones steal the show.
Grade: A
[divider]
SCORE
John Williams’ score for Lincoln is just that, a John Williams’ score. It is sweeping and full of grandeur, but it sounds too much like many of Williams’s other scores. The underscoring is tender and understanding adding to the humanity of the film, but it lacks any of the epic qualities of Williams’ better scores (Star Wars, Munich, Raider of the Lost Ark). The score feels old but not civil war old, just 30 years too late old. Overall, the score is good but it serves merely a functional purpose without ever transcending and becoming a piece on its own right.
Grade: B
[divider]
Overall Grade: A-
Oscar Review: Amour (Best Picture)
Director: Michael Haneke
Writers: Michael Haneke
Stars: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert
Synopsis: Georges and Anne are in their eighties. They are cultivated, retired music teachers. Their daughter, who is also a musician, lives abroad with her family. One day, Anne has an attack. The couple’s bond of love is severely tested.
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DIRECTION
Michael Haneke brings us an amazing film filled with love and emotion, heartbreak and frustration, and of this year’s best films. Some of Haneke’s shots are interesting as they give you a perspective of what it’s like to really live the couple in this film. The camera would literally just sit there as the actors are performing the scene and moving around, giving you an incredible sense of realism. He got incredible performances out of the actors, the scenery was perfect, and you feel for the couple as they as they cling on to hope (or try to). My only knock on the direction is there is no score, so it’s incredibly quiet and unusual. As someone who thinks the score is a huge part of movies, I was disappointed and it was weird. Outside of that, Haneke did a great job.
Grade: A-
[divider]
SCRIPT
Hanake also wrote the script for Amour. I love the story here. The dialogue is pretty good and there are some scenes in this movie that left me really wanting to engage with the characters. The script is centered around a subject matter that would be hard to deal with and I can’t imagine the couple’s pain, but I love how they try to fight for it and cling onto whatever hope and love they have left.
Grade: A-
[divider]
PERFORMANCES
Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva are amazing in this film and really captured my heart. I love how they interact with each other and they had amazing chemistry. Trintignant was great and as a guy, I really felt for his character and what he was looking for. Riva deserves every bit of her Oscar nomination and she makes worth watching this movie, if for nothing else.
Grade: A
[divider]
SCORE
Unfortunately, there is no score. It doesn’t ruin the movie by any means, but could of added some value.
Grade: F
[divider]
Overall Grade: A-
Featured: Win FREE movie tickets for a month!
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The winner will be randomly drawn from all the contestants and the winner will get a month’s worth of free movie tickets. You can find more details on the contest page. So go to our Facebook page and Like us and enter now! It’s very easy and we hope that you win!
Oscar Review: Django Unchained (Best Picture)
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Writers: Quentin Tarantino
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCarprio
Synopsis: In antebellum America, Djano, a slave, is separated from his wife. With the help of a bounty hunter, Django is freed and sets out to reclaim his wife from the plantation owner who holds her captive.
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DIRECTION
Django Unchained is a tightly planned and executed film. With a runtime of nearly three hours, Django never feels boring or unnecessarily lengthy. Tarantino knows his story is epic and the time he takes to tell his story reflects that, yet he also keeps his audience entertained. Django Unchained walks a beautiful line between farce and tragedy. In Django, I laugh at the macabre, overly gruesome murders of characters, yet almost weep when others characters are killed. Most films that attempt to tackle both these emotions end up as bipolar flicks like Hancock and Click which leave me not knowing what I feel and craving therapy more than continued movie watching. It’s been a while since I laughed and gasped at the same time as much as I did while watching Django Unchained. Additionally, Tarantino knows how to pay homage to his muses. Tarantino’s visual style especially in action, mirrors spaghetti & American westerns. In fact, the climactic shootout sequence almost directly parallels the shootout at the end of Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch. With the excessive flying blood, the dramatic use of slow motion, and the perfectly timed underscoring, the scene is transcendent and will stand as one of the greats in action movie history. Django Unchained is an excellent film, but not Tarantino’s best. Reservoir Dogs and Inglorious Basterds still reign supreme as their stories are tighter, but Django Unchained is certainly a Tarantino masterpiece.
Grade: A
[divider]
SCRIPT
Tarantino and the written word are an inseparable couple. Anything he pens not only tells an epic story, but creates a world that cannot be categorized by any one word except Tarantino. Django Unchained‘s story is without measure. Its storyline is epic and unlike any other film before. A slave and a bounty hunter teaming up together to rescue the slave’s wife, would in another writer’s hands become exploitation or schlock. But with Tarantino at the helm, a story worthy of Best Original Screenplay is crafted. The script’s only downfall is the Leonardo DiCaprio’s character is painted. He is an excellent villan, yet I still had trouble buying him as a villan. The fault does not lie in DiCaprio’s performance, but in Tarantino’s script. His character’s villainy does not make complete sense. If he had a backstory, I would have understood him more, but otherwise he was just evil for evil’s sake (which may have been Tarantino’s purpose all along; if so, I rescind). Except for this one minor flaw, the script ranks among Tarantino’s finest.
Grade: A-
[divider]
PERFORMANCES
Jamie Foxx is the baddest of assess. Foxx owns the role of Django, first as a reserved, downtrodden slave and ultimately as a warrior who fights for himself, his love, and his brothers. Christoph Waltz shines as always but this time in his brightest light yet. Waltz proves he is no longer pigeonholed as a deliciously evil villain, but instead creates a supporting protagonist who is not only admirable but endearing. Django also includes turns from Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson who play the film’s lead antagonists. I did not believe it was possible to hate Jackson, but when he plays a character as foul and black-hearted as Stephen, a once beloved American treasure easily slips into the role of public enemy number one; in short, Sam Jackson’s performance is one for the ages. DiCaprio also plays bad well but to a lesser degree. There is still too much sympathy in his character, but the fault lies not in his performance but in Tarantino’s script (see above). Other cast members, including cameos by Jonah Hill, Don Johnson, and Tarantino himself, add to the ensemble and make the casting spot on.
Grade: A+
[divider]
SCORE
Like some other Tarantino films, Django has no original score, but instead a soundtrack. And, man, what a soundtrack at that. Throughout his film career, Tarantino has had not only a great eye, but an ear that makes his movies that make them distinct and allow them to transcend the normal bubble they might have lived in otherwise. The music on the surface doesn’t make sense (hip-hop in 1850?), but the heart and humor in the film come even more alive with these musical selections. The soundtrack includes spaghetti western showdown music a la Ennio Morricone and Jerry Goldsmith as well as rap music by RZA and Rick Ross. Nothing in the soundtrack meshes, which is likely Tarantino’s purpose; however, due to this in-cohesiveness, there is little to bind the film together as a whole. The film does not suffer for it, but it not as memorable as films with tight themes and leitmotifs.
Grade: A-
[divider]
Overall Grade: A
Oscar Review: Wreck-It Ralph (Best Animated)
Director: Rich Moore
Writers: Rich Moore, Phil Johnston, Jim Reardon
Stars: John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch
Synopsis: A video game villain wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.
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DIRECTION
Rich Moore, who’s mostly known for TV, does an absolutely incredible job with Wreck-It Ralph. The visuals used in this are incredible and used stunningly. The video game references are top-notch, funny, and perfectly used. The story he takes us down is fun and exciting and he pieces this movie together masterfully. The voice actors are great in this movie and Moore puts together maybe my favorite music ever from an animated film. You see video game references from Mario Brothers, Pacman, and so much more. The video game innuendos are all over the place and it’s hysterical. I couldn’t have been more pleased. This movie has already won a lot of animated awards already, as it should, and Moore had a lot to do with it.
Grade: A+
[divider]
SCRIPT
The script for this movie is incredibly intelligent. The use of other video characters draws your interest immediately and it creates a story that we all can relate to. We all want to fit in and have a group of friends and this journey takes you down Ralph’s story of acceptance and love. In the middle of his journey, he meets up with an unlikely companion and I love how they play that off. The candy and science references are genius. There’s even a really good twist toward the end that I thought was written very well and you may not see coming. The dialogue was funny and the stores were really well thought out. It was slightly cheesy at times, but in a good way and what you’d expect from a kids film.
Grade: A+
[divider]
PERFORMANCES
John C. Reilly is amazing as Ralph in this film. He was perfect for the character and you could tell he was really invested in the part. He does a great job of drawing emotion and using it in his voice. If anyone else played Felix besides Jack McBrayer, I don’t think this film works as well. If you’ve seen Jack McBrayer in any of his other films, you know what I’m talking about. His awkward humor and soft voice was perfect. I absolutely loved it. Jane Lynch was also great as Calhoun and was another perfect cast. As a mean-spirited, hot-tempered, trash-talking character, would you really want anyone else there? I didn’t think so. I didn’t really care for Sarah Silverman as Vanellope though. I may be biased as I’m already not a huge fan of Silverman, but it didn’t do it for me. It wasn’t the worst of Silverman by any means and it didn’t ruin the performances or characters. I think someone else could of done a better job though.
Grade: A
[divider]
SCORE
Henry Jackman is a name that you want to get familiar with when it comes to music in Hollywood. The composer who did X-Men: First Class, is at his very best in his score for this film. The score to Wreck-It Ralph may be my absolute favorite of 2012 and is so much fun to listen to. The light, video game-y tones bring out my inner child and it’s awesome. It brings such a happy feeling to you when you listen to it and you can’t help but love it and have fun with this music. It absolutely brought a high energy, fun element to this movie that made it what it is. The soundtrack also got help from Skrillex, Owl City, and Buckner & Garcia that made this soundtrack one of the best of 2012.
Grade: A+
[divider]
Overall Grade: A+
Movie News: Sam Raimi still hasn’t seen The Amazing Spider-Man
Sam Raimi, the director of the highly successful Spider-Man trilogy, recently spoke with The Huffington Post to promote his new movie, Oz: The Great and Powerful, and the subject quickly turned to last year’s The Amazing Spider-Man. He had some interesting things to say, particularly the fact that he hasn’t seen it yet.
“Well, I’m a big Marc Webb fan and a giant fan of Emma Stone. And of Andrew Garfield. I saw him on Broadway in Death of a Salesman – it’s just brilliant. And I love the producers of that movie because they are dear friends, and the writer,” Raimi said. “But, I haven’t had the guts to go see the movie yet. Because I don’t want to go to my girlfriend’s wedding. I just can’t bring myself to do it. I don’t have the guts. But, I hear it’s great. My wife even loved the picture and said it was a wonderful, excellently produced, beautifully acted, brilliantly written Spider-Man picture. She’d tell me the truth and that’s what she said.
“I don’t feel (Webb) was in my shadow at all. I think I handed the torch to Marc and I hear that he ran with it and succeeded and made a brilliant picture. I’m happy for him and all the team. And I only wish him the best and I salute them because it’s a tough job, too. And obviously he’s pleased the fans – so, I’m proud for him. I’m happy for my friends on the picture.”
I completely understand where Raimi is coming from and I like that he supports the reboot and everyone involved in it. Personally, I enjoyed Webb’s Spider-Man more than I did Raimi’s (although another origin story was completely unnecessary). I thought Garfield served as a better Peter Parker/Spider-man and I loved the chemistry he had with Stone, who plays Gwen Stacy. And I’m excited for the sequel, although I fear it could be Spider-Man 3 all over again with numerous villains playing a part.
Movie News: Simpsons’ Oscar-nominated short is cute
The Simpsons being associated with the Oscars? Yeah, I’m just as surprised as you are. But it’s true as “The Longest Daycare,” featuring little Maggie Simpson, is nominated for Best Animated Short. The four-minute, dialogue-free video (with music by Hans Zimmer) is cute but has no chance of beating Paperman (watch it here) on Sunday.
Check out “The Longest Daycare” below and tell us what you think.
Movie News: Jason Clarke Joins Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
With the (maybe unexpected) success of the Rise of the Planet of the Apes, we all knew a sequel was inevitable. Fox has been wanting to get things rolling for the sequel but hit a speed bump when director Rupert Wyatt left the project due to time constraints. They’ve since hired director Matt Reeves who did Let Me In and now have landed Zero Dark Thirty standout Jason Clark.
Jason Clarke has been a name that’s been buzzing around Hollywood lately with Clarke having such a big year in 2012 with his great performance in Lawless and his even more outstanding performance in Zero Dark Thirty. For a franchise that’s looking to continue the high momentum of the reboot, this is a pretty big pickup and I like it. What do you guys think?
