Better Late Then Never...OSCAR WINNERS

And the winners are...

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker in "The Last King of Scotland"

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin in "Little Miss Sunshine"

Best Actress
Helen Mirren in "The Queen"

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson in "Dreamgirls"

Best Animated Film
"Happy Feet"

Best Art Direction
"Pan's Labyrinth"

Best Cinematography
"Pan's Labyrinth"

Best Costume Design
"Marie Antoinette"

Best Director
Martin Scorsese for "The Departed"

Best Documentary
"An Inconvenient Truth"

Best Documentary Short
"The Blood of Yingzhou District"

Best Film Editing
"The Departed"

Best Foreign Language Film
"The Lives of Others"

Best Makeup
"Pan's Labyrinth"

Best Original Score
"Babel"

Best Original Song
Melissa Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up" for "An Inconvenient Truth"

Best Picture
"The Departed"

Best Animated Short
"The Danish Poet"

Best Live Action Short
"West Bank Story"

Best Sound Editing
"Letters from Iwo Jima"

Best Sound Mixing
"Dreamgirls"

Best Visual Effects
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"

Best Adapted Screenplay
"The Departed"

Best Original Screenplay
"Little Miss Sunshine"

The Shockers of the 2007 Oscars

Usually the Oscars are predicted way in advance, even so before the Golden Globes. Who will win? Who should win? The predictions were in this year, with magazines like Entertainment Weekly and Vanity Fair voicing their opinions, but surprisingly, a lot of major critics were wrong. Probably one of the most surprising wins of the night went to "The Departed" for Best Picture. Everyone chose "Little Miss Sunshine" as the clear front runner because of its great cast and original story, however, "The Departed" pulled it out, giving "The Departed" a total of four Oscars for the night.
Alan Arkin was also a surprise, with many people saying "Dreamgirls" is Eddie Murphy's best work yet, he was brilliant, and the fact that he won at both the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards made him the obvious choice, but nope...another miss...it was Arkin for "Little Miss Sunshine."
"Dreamgirls" was snubbed again when Melissa Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth" won for Best Original Song over all three songs from "Dreamgirls." Ouch!
And finally, who would've thought that "Happy Feet" would manage to pick up an Oscar instead of "Cars." I never would've guessed it. Are they sure they counted right?

All Hail the King and Queen of the Oscars

Forest Whitaker and Helen Mirren take home the best actor and actress Oscars, sweeping this years major awards. Whitaker, for his portrayal of Idi Amin, the brutal Ugandan dictator in "The Last King of Scotland," and Mirren for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen." Just a little bit of irony in the titles of these films right? Whitaker also made one of the best speeches of the night, despite his shock and nervousness.

"When I was a kid, the only way that I saw movies was from the backseat of my family's car. At the drive-in. And, it wasn't my reality to think I would be acting in movies, so receiving this honor tonight tells me that it's possible. It is possible for a kid from east Texas, raised in South Central L.A. in Carson, who believes in his dreams, commits himself to them with his heart, to touch them, and to have them happen. Because when I first started acting, it was because of my desire to connect to everyone. To that thing inside each of us. That light that I believe exists in all of us. Because acting for me is about believing in that connection and it's a connection so strong, it's a connection so deep, that we feel it. And through our combined belief, we can create a new reality."

I felt it was the best speech of the night, if not one of the best speeches in the past five years. His speech really showed me that there are actors out there who still appreciate the awards given to them, and I only hope that his career flourishes and we see much more of him in the future at the Academy Awards.

Countdown to the Oscars

Tonight at 8 on ABC, the 79th Academy Awards begins. All of Hollywood's A-list actors will be there, pressed and dressed for the most prestigious film awards of the year. This year, Ellen DeGeneres will be hosting the Oscars for the first time, bringing us lots and lots of laughs I'm sure. But who will the winners be? Helen Mirren, Forest Whitaker, Mark Wahlberg, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Eddie Murphy, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scoresese...just some of the big names of who are up for an Oscar tonight. Some actors presenting the Oscars are Ben Affleck, Jack Black, Steve Carell, George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Will Farell, Jodie Foster, Tom Hanks, John Travolta, and Kate Winslet. And of course, for all of the fashion junkies out there, don't forget to watch the celebs walk down the famous red carpet.

Shrek The Third Trailer

It's Not Easy Being Green...Unless You're King

Yes, Shrek is back, and with the whole crew in "Shrek the Third." In this new installment, Shrek's new father-in-law, King Harold, has become ill. The duties of king and queen of Far, Far Away have now passed to Shrek and Fiona, however, they are perfectly content living in Shrek's swamp, and feel no desire to rule. In order to get out of this predicament they must seek out the heir to the kingdom, Artie(voiced by Justin Timberlake), a young rebellious boy, who they must convince to become king. To do so, Shrek rounds up Donkey and Puss in Boots to help him out, while Fiona and her band of princesses get together to stop Prince Charming from seizing the throne while Shrek is away.
"Shrek the Third" adds new voices such as Justin Timberlake as Artie, Fiona's teenage cousin, who is one of the stars in this addition. New voices also include Eric Idle (Monty Python and "Spamalot") as Merlin, John Krasinski (The Office) as Lancelot, Ian McShane (Deadwood) as Captain Hook, the band of Princesses include Cheri Oteri (SNL) as Sleeping Beauty, Amy Poehler (Mean Girls) as Snow White, Maya Rudolph (SNL) as Rapunzel and Amy Sedaris (Strangers With Candy) as Cinderella. Larry King also reprises his character, Doris, the Ugly Stepsister, and even Regis Philbin is the voice of Mabel, the other Ugly Stepsister.
"Shrek the Third" is set to come out May 18, 2007.

My Picks For The 79th Academy Awards

Performance by an actor in a leading role:

• Leonardo DiCaprio "Blood Diamond"
• Ryan Gosling "Half Nelson"
• Peter O'Toole "Venus"
• Will Smith "The Pursuit of Happyness"
• Forest Whitaker "The Last King of Scotland"

My pick: Forest Whitaker "The Last King of Scotland"

Performance by an actor in a supporting role:

• Alan Arkin "Little Miss Sunshine"
• Jackie Earle Haley "Little Children"
• Djimon Hounsou "Blood Diamond"
• Eddie Murphy "Dreamgirls"
• Mark Wahlberg "The Departed"
  

My pick: Eddie Murphy "Dreamgirls"

Performance by an actress in a leading role:

• Penelope Cruz "Volver"
• Judi Dench "Notes on a Scandal"
• Helen Mirren "The Queen"
• Meryl Streep "The Devil Wears Prada"
• Kate Winslet "Little Children"

My pick: Helen Mirren "The Queen"

Performance by an actress in a supporting role:

• Adriana Barraza "Babel"
• Cate Blanchett "Notes on a Scandal"
• Abigail Breslin "Little Miss Sunshine"
• Jennifer Hudson "Dreamgirls"
• Rinko Kikuchi "Babel"

My pick: Adriana Barraza "Babel"

Best animated feature film of the year:

• "Cars"
• "Happy Feet"
• "Monster House"

My pick: "Cars"

Achievement in art direction:

• "Dreamgirls"
• "The Good Shepherd"
• "Pan's Labyrinth"
• "Pirate's of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"
• "The Prestige"

My pick: "Pan's Labyrinth"

Achievement in cinematography:

• "The Black Dahlia"
• "Children of Men"
• "The Illusionist"
• "Pan's Labyrinth"
• "The Prestige"

My pick: "Children of Men"

Achievement in directing:

• Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu "Babel"
• Martin Scorsese "The Departed"
• Clint Eastwood "Letters from Iwo Jima"
• Stephen Frears "The Queen"
• Paul Greengrass "United 93"

My pick: Martin Scorsese "The Departed"

Best foreign language film of the year:

• "After the Wedding"
• "Days of Glory (Indigenes)"
• "The Lives of Others"
• "Pan's Labyrinth"
• "Water"

My pick: "Pan's Labyrinth"

Best motion picture of the year:

• "Babel"
• "The Departed"
• "Letters from Iwo Jima"
• "Little Miss Sunshine"
• "The Queen"

My pick: "Babel"

Original screenplay:

• "Babel"
• "Letters from Iwo Jima"
• "Little Miss Sunshine"
• "Pan's Labyrinth"
• "The Queen"

My pick: "Pan's Labyrinth"


The Oscars will take place this Sunday, February 25, 2007 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. You can watch it at 8et/5pt on ABC.

Top Films of 2006

Now these films aren't necessarily the best, or most critically acclaimed films of 2006, but merely the films that I enjoyed the most.

10. Little Miss Sunshine
Out of all the films of 2006, I felt that this was one of the funniest and most touching films that I saw. "Little Miss Sunshine" is all about a dysfunctional family, who in support of their daughter, Olive, go on a road trip to enter her in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant. Steve Carell, who plays Uncle Frank who has just attempted to commit suicide, is hilarious with his subtle humor. His conversations with Dwayne, the son who has taken an oath of silence, which involved Dwayne(Paul Dano) gesturing and writing things down on paper, cracked me up. The two made for great laughs, as did Alan Arkin, who plays Grandpa, who gives the most random advice to his grandchildren, and while being a loving grandfather, he is also a coke addict. Little Miss Sunshine took home the Actor at the SAG Awards this year for Best Cast, while up against other big competitors such as the casts of "The Departed," "Dreamgirls" and "Babel." "Little Miss Sunshine" manages to be sweet, silly and deep at the same time, defining family values and is unlike any other film of the year.



9. The Illusionist
Edward Norton works his magic in this film, along with Paul Giamatti. The film is all about the illusion, as expressed in the title. Norton plays Eisenheim the illusionist, a famous magician, who manages to attract a woman who is way above his social status, and of course problems arise. As a first time viewer, I couldn't even figure out the difference between reality and illusion until the films Hitchcockian conclusion. Being a huge fan of Hitchcock's work usually allows me to predict almost all movie endings, however, not even I caught on to how big the illusion really was in "The Illusionist," which made the movie even more impressive.


8. Casino Royale
Despite that it did not live up to the 007 hype, I was very impressed with Daniel Craig's performance as the new James Bond. The film was lacking in action, but the acting was better than ever, setting up for more James Bond films to come. Pierce Brosnan may have looked the part more than any other Bond, but Craig owns the character, and I can't wait for the next 007 installment, "Bond 22," set to come out in 2008. Get excited!!!




7. Dreamgirls
A great movie that will get anyone rocking in their seat to the catchy numbers. The characters are great, and Jennifer Hudson is a smash in her film debut. Eddie Murphy also hit a grand slam with his portrayal of Jimmy Early, a spunky and hilarious performer. However, this is a different role for Murphy, having a character with a dark side, and depth...and what a voice! You'd figure Beyonce would steal every scene with her phenomenal voice and stunning looks...NO WAY! Jennifer Hudson rocks every scene that she's in and her performance as Effie White is brilliant.



6. The Devil Wears Prada
I expected Princess Diaries, some kind of Disney movie, that would only half satisfy me, but what I got was much more. Tons of laughs and brilliant performances by Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Emily Blunt. This is Streep in one of her best roles, playing a cold bitch, who happens to be the editor in chief for Runway magazine (a.k.a. the equivalent to Vogue), while Hathaway is the smart, but odd girl next door, who is at her beckon call along with Blunt. Blunt, a new face to American cinema, is also a scene stealer alongside Hathaway. Just an all around entertaining movie, definitely not the chick flick I thought it'd be.



5. Cars
Up their with "Finding Nemo," "Cars" is a great Pixar film. A fun-filled family film (love the alliteration?). With a great story and great CGI the film is a smash. Luke Wilson, Bonnie Hunt and Paul Newman provide their voices for the three main characters.




4. Blood Diamond
A great film about the diamond trade, takes place in Africa, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly. "Blood Diamond" has a thrilling plot that doesn't let up for a minute, keeping your eyes glued to the film. Danny Archer is one of DiCaprio's best roles, which got him a Best Actor nod for the upcoming Academy Awards. Hounsou plays Solomon Vandy, a devoted father who is separated from his family and most importantly his son, who was taken from him by the R.U.F. as a recruit. The two join forces in search of a huge diamond and Vandy's son, making for a great and exciting film and becoming one of my all time favorites.






3. Babel
Definitely one of the years top contenders for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. With an extremely complicated plot, "Babel" manages to get its message across quite clearly, without confusion. The cast is phenomenal and so is the directional style of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Babel has a whopping seven Oscar nods, and also comes out this week on DVD.




2. Pan's Labyrinth
I felt "Pan's Labyrinth" got shafted this year with its late release. What should have been a big contender for Best Picture was not nominated for that category, although it managed to pick up six other nominations, including Best Foreign Film, which it should win hands down. Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" is stunning visually with amazing costume design, with characters such as Pan the mythical fawn and the Pale Man, both played by Doug Jones. The characters are both beautiful and frightening, which makes us wonder whether or not they should be trusted. "Pan's Labyrinth" also takes place during the Spanish Civil War, bringing us into a very violent time and mixing it with a little girls' fantasy world. It's a fairy tale for the adults and something entirely different from anything else I've ever seen.



1. The Departed
As a Bostonian, I have to say "The Departed" was all around my favorite film of the year. Recently out on DVD, it has been flying off the shelves so quickly in Best Buy and Blockbuster, I have yet to see an available copy in Boston that wasn't a bootleg. "The Departed" also got 5 Oscars nods this year including Best Picture and Best Director for Martin Scorsese, who has earned an Oscar many times over but just hasn't gotten lucky. "The Departed"is a thriller of a movie, and with its all-star cast, attracts anyone and everyone to see it and I haven't met one person who hasn't loved this movie (then again, this is Boston, I don't know if that's allowed). DiCaprio, Nicholson, Damon, Wahlberg, Sheen...it doesn't get much better. "The Departed" is definitely one of my all time favorite movies. It has action, drama, love story, scandal and a bad ass attitude! You can't not love this movie!

TMNT Teaser

All Shell Breaks Loose...The Turtles Are Back

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back with their first addition to the franchise in 14 years! However, unlike the past three films, "TMNT" was created using CGI (computer-generated imagery), allowing us to see our childhood heroes, or current heroes (for those of you who are like me and still walk around wearing the green TMNT t-shirt), in a whole new way.
This time around Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael are back and fighting the forces of evil once again (with time for pizza of course), after defeating their arch nemesis, The Shredder. Although, as a family, they have grown apart, and at a most inconvenient time, since strange things are happening in New York City. With the help of their rat sensei, Master Splinter(the late Mako, this being his last film), and old friends, April O'Neil(Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Casey Jones(Chris Evans, most recently in the "Fantastic Four"), the Turtles take on an army of monsters and other ninjas called the Foot Clan, who are terrorizing the city and have it out for the Turtles.
I just need to say this...I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS MOVIE!!! Being a huge fan as a child, of both the cartoon and the movies, I cannot wait for this film to be released. It comes out March 23, 2007.
For more info go to The Official TMNT Web Site!

African Film Festival at the MFA

In honor of Black History month the MFA in Boston is hosting a Black Film Festival, and the coolest part about it (especially if you go to Northeastern University, which is right next to the MFA) is that Danny Glover will be there for opening night to present Abderrahmane Sissako's "Bamako." "Bamako" is a film about an exploration of globalism, Glover has a small part in it. He also produced the film through his company Louverture, which is "dedicated to the development and production of films of historical relevance, social purpose, commercial value, and artistic integrity," and all that jazz. Danny Glover is going to be there!!! Looks like fun to me, I know I'll be there!
Opening night is Friday, February 16th and begins at 7:45PM at the MFA. For more information about the film festival go here.

Dreamgirls

Oh the joy of sneaking into a second movie. But come on, who could pass up Dreamgirls when it was right on the other side of the hall! And it was totally worth it!
Right from the start Dreamgirls had me tapping my foot whether I wanted to or not. The songs were strong, the colors were bright and the characters bold. I didn't look at the time on my cell phone once, which now a days is a rarity.
Dreamgirls is about three girls, Deena(Beyonce Knowles), Lorrell(Anika Noni Rose) and Effie(Jennifer Hudson) that make up the Dreamettes, a group of struggling singers looking to make it big in the music industry. They start out singing in a competition where they shine, but surprisingly another contestant wins, however, when a big time singers backup singers quit, they get the opportunity to replace them. The man who approaches them about this is Curtis Taylor(Jamie Foxx), manager of James "Thunder" Early(Eddie Murphy), who eventually convinces the girls to take the gig. Eventually they become too good for Early and Curtis makes them into their own group, but this is where the problems start. Effie has always sung lead, and is the one with the most talent, but Deena is the one with the looks, so Curtis decides that she should be the new lead singer because the girls would be more marketable that way. Effie puts up a fight and Deena is hesitant to take on the lead, but for the better of the group they agree and Curtis promises Effie that she'll get her chance. As time goes by Effie realizes that Curtis is not keeping his promise, and this leads to her walking out on rehearsals and performances, and her eventual replacement. Deena becomes a star while Effie struggles to make a living, but don't worry all ends well in this musical.
With such a solid cast which includes Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Danny Glover, and Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson steals every scene that she's in with her strong personality and harsh attitude. Even being up against pop sensation Beyonce, she makes her look like an amateur. So why didn't this girl win American Idol? After seeing a spectacular performance by Foxx in Ray, he disappointingly falls short in Dreamgirls. His Ike Turner-like character just blends into the background in all of the musical numbers, hardly showing his natural charisma and the great musical talent that he possesses. Murphy, like Hudson, hits a home run with his performance as the out of control, do it his way, Jimmy Early, who reminds me a lot of the late James Brown. He brings tons of energy to the film, giving us lots of laughs, however, he is more than the comic relief in this film. Jimmy not only struggles with his drug addiction, but trying to be able to let his own personality shine out through his music, while Curtis suppresses Jimmy's own style, telling him his time is over, crushing his hopes and dreams. This is by far Murphy's best work to date, and hopefully he'll take home the Oscar for it.

Grade: B+

The Queen

In The Queen, Mirren transforms into the stoic Elizabeth II, full of arrogance, refusing to modernize her ways of ruling the monarchy. When Princess Diana tragically dies, the queen refuses to give Diana a royal funeral or deviate ever so slightly from the usual protocol, stirring up the British people. With a "screw everyone" attitude, the queen refuses to give in to the public despite the growing rebellion against the queen, the royal family and eventually the entire monarchy.
Mirren is brilliant in The Queen, with a stoicism that made me think, "I never thought a little old lady could scare me so much." And where Matt Damon failed in The Good Shepherd with a similar role, Mirren succeeds and goes way beyond expectations earning her nominations for Best Actress at every major awards ceremony this year. She first appears to be immune from feelings, with absolutely no reaction whatsoever to Princess Diana's death. However, as the film continues, and her support system crumbles, so does her emotional block toward the world. In one scene, the queen has gotten her car stuck, and while waiting for help to arrive she spots a deer. She becomes overwhelmed by the natural beauty of life, represented by the deer, and in this scene we see the first signs of emotion from her.
Another brilliant performance was given by Michael Sheen as Tony Blair, who balances out Mirren's performance with his upbeat attitude and modern views on the monarchy. Sheen's character sees the flaws in the royal family, saying things like, "will someone please save these people from themselves," but also has an unwavering respect for the queen, even when all others have turned their backs on her. He is the voice of reason, and the people's savior for most of the film, naming Diana "the people's princess" and trying to encourage the queen to take action while dealing with the stubborn and obnoxious members of the royal family.
The Queen is a royal masterpiece, with Mirren's performance to boot. Her portrayal of Elizabeth II is stoic yet extremely strong, and with her constant rude actions toward Blair, the film has many comical moments, giving such a heavy film a light air to it for the perfect balance. This year in film, Mirren IS the queen.

Grade: A-

News For Northeastern University Film Fans

This Wednesday, February 7th, in the Curry Student Center Ballroom on Northeastern University's campus, the Cinema Studies Department is sponsoring a showing of "The Golem," a 1920s silent film and horror masterpiece. This also includes a live and original score on piano performed by Associate Professor Yakov Gubanov of the Berklee College of Music. It's a 90 minute film, and it will be shown at 12 noon. All are welcome.

Looking at Film From Another Persepective

While searching through some other blogs I came upon Reel Times: Reflections on Cinema. This is another blogger who has been writing about film for sometime and blogging about it since 2003. It is interesting to view another blog so similar to mine in topic, but to be able to see the progression of the site and also the more advanced analysis and organization. What I really like about Reel Times is the organization, and how he separates the film reviews into their own archiving spot. The grading system for his reviews is also very effective, being done by letters instead of stars (not like I could figure out how to create stars for mine anyway, being new to blogging and Internet codes). One of his more recent posts is about the best movies of 2006, which every respectable blogger seems to be doing in the past few weeks. I guess I'll just have to go with the flow and create my own top films list as my next post. However, I can't say I agree with his choices, for example "Charlotte's Web" makes his top 10, but not "Babel" or "The Queen." But then again I guess this is why we have many critics...to gather many opinions to see if the majority thought it was great, mediocre or just lame.

Really...Another Hannibal Movie?

Believe it or not, there is another Hannibal prequel on the way, making "Hannibal Rising" its fifth addition. This film focuses on Hannibal Lecter's childhood, growing up in Lithuania and then living for ten years in England and then in Russia before being picked up by the FBI where "Red Dragon" begins.
Past Hannibal films have included film stars such as Jodie Foster(2-time Academy Award Winner), Ralph Fiennes(Academy Award Nominee), Scott Glenn, Philip Seymour Hoffman(Academy Award Winner), Harvey Keitel(Academy Award Nominee), Ray Liotta, Julianne Moore(Academy Award Nominee), Edward Norton(Academy Award Nominee), Gary Oldman, Mary-Louise Parker and of course Anthony Hopkins(Academy Award Winner). However, "Hannibal Rising" has mostly all unknowns. Sometimes this works out beautifully, like the brilliant Ivana Baquero in "Pan's Labyrinth" this year, but judging from the other Hannibal sequels/prequels, I can't see this film being a success. Well of course it will bring in some money with its ever present fan base, but that is the only reason these films keep getting made. The Hannibal Lecter series has been heading downhill ever since "Hannibal" was made...I mean, did they think they could top Foster and Hopkins' performances in the original? At this point, I feel it's all about raking in the dough.
"Hannibal Rising" comes out Friday, February 9th.