Cartel Land

Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably know that the Oscars will air this Sunday. As a mixed girl and sociology minor, I want to boycott this major night on television (#OscarsSoWhite), yet the film student in me will probably win out and I can pretty much guarantee I'll be watching. 

This past week I was looking for inspiration for the documentary I'm working on in class, and decided I may as well check out one of the docs nominated for the Academy Award this year. Since I had heard about it around school, I decided to check out Cartel Land. As I sat in the hall between classes watching the film, my mouth continuously dropped in amazement. How did Matthew Heineman get access to all the characters in the film?? How in the world did he convince people to let him film at a meth lab?? How could he possibly have so many documentary appeals AND amazing cinematography???? After watching the documentary I felt simultaneously inspired and terrible; this is the type of documentary that seems nearly impossible to achieve, so why not give up now?

But alas, I am not a quitter. So, I took some notes and figured out how I could implement some of Heineman's techniques into my own film. One of the main aspects of the film that I felt could benefit my own was how he used the audio from news reports under his own footage. I was feeling very conflicted earlier that day, because I wanted to use news reports while editing, but I also felt like it was a cliché technique. However, I soon realized that just by simply pulling the visuals out and only using the audio, it gave a fresh feel to what I was trying to edit. 

After I finished watching Cartel Land, I decided that Heineman must be super-human and I needed to know his secrets. After reading through several interviews, I found exactly the inspiration I needed to make my thesis film. It turns out that Heineman is just a regular guy who had the patience to capture such an incredible story (he didn't even go to film school!). I realized that if he could make such an incredible film, then one day I can too. 

Now, to end this rant about the amazingness that is Cartel Land, I would like to share the biggest piece of inspiration I found while reading and watching Heineman's interviews, a quote by Albert Maysles: "If you end up with the story you started with, then you weren't listening along the way."

The Anxiety Attack that is Gravity (Spoiler Alert!)

     I hadn't seen Gravity until after it won several Academy Awards and after I'd heard raving reviews, but it was well worth the wait. Despite giving me anxiety attack-like symptoms throughout the entire movie, I couldn't look away until the end credits rolled.
     The cast was made up of just a few secondary characters that appeared only briefly as well as two A-list actors, George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. Despite having a small, focused, top of the line cast, the movie didn't focus on promoting Hollywood and Hollywood actors but rather on the characters and the story. Sandra Bullock played her part so well that I forgot that she was Sandra Bullock, famous actress, and saw her only as Dr. Ryan Stone, the alone and afraid medical engineer on her first shuttle mission to space. I felt her fear more than I'd ever felt fear from a character. I imagined myself in her place and I panicked inside.
     Dr. Stone spent the vast majority of the movie floating around in space with no space shuttle to return to, no real knowledge of how to get back down to Earth, and no one to help her. Since I already had an irrational fear of outer space, this was particularly horrifying for me to watch. I was rooting for Stone the entire time, as was everyone else who saw the movie, I'm sure. I wanted nothing more than for her to choose to live and to figure out how to get home. However, that didn't seem like a likely possibility to me, given the circumstances, her lack of experience in outer space, and her lack of training in this type of situation.
     For those reasons, I was utterly shocked but also unbelievably happy when she finally crashed down into the ocean on Earth. She had made it, and I couldn't imagine the amount of courage and calm that it would take for a person to do that.
     But it couldn't be that easy. When she opened the door to the tiny shuttle she was in and the ocean water started rushing in, my panic attack began. How could she get through a catastrophe like that in outer space by herself only to get home and drown?! Apparently Dr. Stone thought the same way and she just kept on fighting until she got herself out of the shuttle and swam/drifted to shore.
     The last shot of the movie was of Dr. Stone grabbing onto the beach she washed up on and finally standing up on land for the first time since she left Earth and experienced that disaster in space. We see her muster up the strength to walk into the land and the credits roll. That last shot really got to me. I can't imagine what it must feel like to feel the land beneath your feet and the force of gravity for the first time after spending a while in outer space, floating around. After the turmoil that Dr. Stone experienced, it must've been an incredible feeling.
     I had to remind myself several times during this film that it was just a movie and that Dr. Stone was just a character. I became more emotionally attached to the character than I normally do. At the same time, I spent a lot of time wondering how the filmmakers made this movie. The visual effects were amazing, and I think the simulation of zero gravity is really interesting and even more interesting when an entire movie is filmed using it. There wasn't a single aspect of this film or its making that didn't grab my attention and hold onto it for its duration. I'm glad I finally got around to see it, and I think everyone should do the same, if they haven't already.

American Hustle

The 86th Academy Awards are in just a few days, and the movie American Hustle has been nominated for 10 awards including Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Production Design.  Not only is the story captivating, but the acting is phenomenal.  When watching the film, you truly believe you're in the disco era.  The costuming, hair, and makeup was spot on, and accompanied by a "groovy" 70s soundtrack. The movie is built around reinvention -- a concept of the American Dream. During the 2 hours and 20 minutes the audience follows a scam-artist (played by Christian Bale) as he ambitiously pushes boundaries.  American Hustle perfectly balances comedy, tragedy, and romance.

American Hustle will be most closely competing with Gravity this year at the Oscar's...both films were nominated for 10 awards, and 12 Years a Slave follows closely behind with 9 nominations.  All 3 films are nominated for Best Directing and Best Picture.  While I can't speak for Gravity and 12 Years a Slave (I still have yet to see them), I am very optimistic that American Hustle will walk away from the Oscar's with a few awards.  I guess we just have to wait until March 2nd to find out!

12 Years a Slave and White Guilt in 2013

When the credits began to roll at the end of 12 Years a Slave, nobody in the theatre made any sort of move to leave. There was no popcorn crunching, no soda slurping, just dead silence. In part, this was because it was a fantastic movie - probably the best of the year - but it was also because, as an almost exclusively white audience, nobody was quite sure how they should feel. 

12 Years a Slave, which is only the third film by director Steve McQueen, is based on the true story of Solomon Northup, a free black man living in New York who was captured in 1841 and sold into slavery. The film follows Solomon (the incredible Chiwetel Ejiofor, who will almost certainly be nominated for best actor this year) as he gets moved around from slave owner to slave owner, trying to stay alive and somehow return home to his wife and children. As I mentioned, it’s a spectacular movie - the acting, the directing, and the cinematography are some of the best I’ve ever seen - and yet I can’t think of film in recent memory that has had so much Oscar buzz while simultaneously being something that people are almost afraid to talk about. 

So, to clear the air, I’d like to talk about 12 Years a Slave. 

Racism is an incredibly daunting thing for me to write about, and the more I look up at the title that I’ve given this piece, the more I have to wonder if it’s something I have any right talking about at all. As a middle class white guy from Vermont, I have almost no first hand experience with the topic apart from what I’ve obtained over the years through different kinds of media. My parents are not racist in the slightest, and I was raised to constantly be disgusted that people could judge others based solely on the color of their skin. Just because I’ve read Invisible Man and The Autobiography of Malcolm X doesn’t mean that I claim to have any real connection to or knowledge of black culture. Who am I to judge a brutally honest film about slavery?

I’ve done a little bit of research ever since I watched 12 Years a Slave, and I’ve found lots of articles that both praise and criticize the film; many, understandably, written by black critics. Some, like Orville Lloyd Douglas’s, make fine points about why Hollywood should make more “black” movies that focus on more than just the topic of race and that don’t try to make white people feel guilty. I understand where he’s coming from; with 12 Years and The Butler hitting theaters around the same time, it feels like someone’s really trying to make a point. However, other people, such as Wesley Morris, argue not only for the artistic merits of the piece as a film, but for how McQueen pulls no punches in the portrayal of white people; this is a film about slavery where the slaves stand alone; there are no white men pushed into the foreground, no Lincolns or Christoph Waltzes, to save the day for them. I agree with this aspect as well. 

But I still believe many people are missing the point. When I’m asked how the movie was, I typically respond “it was incredible, but there was an unbelievable amount of white guilt in that movie theatre.” Someone on YouTube even took the time to create a series of parody videos on that very topic. But this shouldn’t be anybody’s response. I’m fully aware that race is still a very prominent issue in our country in 2013, but there is no reason any person - white, black, hispanic, asian, or anywhere in between - should feel guilty when watching this film. By all means, we can be disgusted at how Solomon is treated by white people throughout the course of the movie; we should be. But taking that guilt - the guilt that slaveowners should have felt over 160 years ago - and applying that to ourselves today is wrong. 

I’m convinced that 12 Years a Slave defies all boundaries of a normal Hollywood film in a few different ways. There’s no real target audience: while the art house crowd might eat it up, no matter who you are, this film is for you. It’s a film that spends a painfully long time lingering on the botched hanging of Solomon, with the man, front and center, desperately trying to gain some traction with his toes in the mud pile beneath him. It’s a film that takes its time, utilizing really long takes and interspersing certain segments with shots of nature. It’s certainly not your standard Oscar-bait film. It is not a “black” film, and it’s not a “white” film. It’s not even a wholly American film (both McQueen and Ejiofor are British). More than anything, it’s a human film. 

Perhaps that’s what some people are missing, and what gives me the right to talk about racism and 12 Years. It is truly impossible for any white person to know what it’s like to be black and vice versa, but that doesn’t diminish the fact that this is a powerful film that affects each individual that sees it. Disagree with me if you want, tell me that the filmmakers are playing to my innate sense of white guilt and I’m not qualified to talk about this, but you’d be wrong. When you see Solomon come home after 12 years to find that his family is barely recognizable, and you see that no amount of happiness can fix the years of hell that he was forced to endure, you don’t have to have any necessary qualifications, apart from one. You just have to be human. 

Catching Fire

     The sequel to the The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, is going to be judged by critics and fans alike.  After Jennifer Lawrence's performance at the Academy Awards, all eyes will be on her.  The film is set to launch November 22 of this year.  The starring cast of the first movie returns with Woody Harrelson returns playing a role many have not seen him in, Stanley Tucci, Josh Hutcherson, Donald Sutherland and of course Jennifer Lawrence.

     In the second installment to a three part trilogy Katniss Everdeen and Petta Mellark return home after their win in the 74th annual hunger games.  The victors embark on a tour of all the districts and while this is happening a revolution seems to be stirring.  The cause of this revolution is none other then Katniss.

     I feel that this movie will be a big hit and that they are going to make a great sequel.  As long as the same intensity, great cinematography, costumes, and acting all stay the same or improve, the movie will be a big hit.  Jennifer Lawrence also seems to be attracting a certain type of audience to her movies and is now going to be in the next X-Men movie as well.  I am excited for this movie and can't wait to see it in theaters around Thanksgiving.

Greer Garson Mondays

Last night, my grampa turned on TCM like he usually does and it happened to be Greer Garson Monday's during the month of March. So basically that means every Monday evening during March, they have a Greer Garson marathon.

We watched her in Mrs. Miniver and Random Harvest. Mrs. Miniver was about a British family struggling during the first few weeks of WWII. Mrs. Miniver, played by Garson, is a wife and a mother of three, a little girl, a little boy and an older son who joins the air force. Her son also just got married to a well to do girl, and they're both about 18 years old.

The youngest son is overly excited about the war and thinks it's going to be the coolest thing ever, but of course it really isn't. There is a scene that I believe sums up what families in Great Britain were experiencing during the war. Mr. and Mrs. Miniver and the two youngest children have to hide out in their bomb shelter. It's small but cozy with bunk beds for the children, a little room to move around to have tea and knit. Mr. Miniver is showing off to his wife a new air vent he had put in that turns green when poisonous gas comes through so you kno when to close it off. Of course the two kids are sleeping through most of the bombings but eventually a few bombs hit a little bit to close and everything shakes and falls, scaring the children who are crying. After another bomb that hits them closely, their bunker door opens for you to see what the blitz really looked like.

I really enjoyed this film- it was a different view of WWII that most people haven't experienced. Mrs. Miniver. This film won 7 academy awards including Best Actress and Best Movie and was nominated for 3 others. And all of that doesn't surprise me one bit- it was fabulous and well done and the sets were to die for. There were some comedic parts, serious parts and some parts of the film that took you by surprise.

This is why I love TCM- you see movies that you never thought of seeing before with actresses or actors you've never heard. Next time I have the opportunity... well, next monday... I'm going to watch more Greer Garson films.

And The Oscar Goes To...

     The 85th Academy Awards was yet another one to add to the books.  Hosted by the very funny Seth MacFarlane the winners were surprising in some categories and not in others.  As always, what the celebrities wear to the awards is very important to the designers and to the public who judge the celebrities clothing; more for the women then men.  There are 24 awards to be handed out and each won has many nominees hoping to get the award.  The biggest movie names were: Skyfall, Argo, Les Miserables, Silver Linings Playbook, Life of Pi, Zero Dark Thirty and Paperman.

     Skyfall was another James Bond movie that I would regard as one of the best, definitely Daniel Craig's best Bond movie but also one of the best ever.  The new series of Bond movies captures the audience from the action movies we see today with the James Bond character we all like, except for Quantum of Solace.  The Bond series celebrated 50 years of making movies and they are preparing to release another new movie with Daniel Craig in the next James Bond film.  Skyfall won Best Sound Editing and Best Original Song.

     Les Miserables did not do as well as everyone expected but it still won Best Sound Mixing and Makeup and Hairstyling.  Silver Linings Playbook had its lead actress, Jennifer Lawrence win Best Actress.  Life of Pi won Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and best director Ang Lee.  Zero Dark Thirty left with less then expected just Best Sound Editing.  Paperman won best animated Short Film.  Finally Argo won Best Film Editing, Best Writing, and the biggest award of the night Best Picture.

     Argo was a fantastic movie that I saw opening night.  As soon as I left the theater I kowe it was going to win best picture.  The movie followed a great story that was told ver well.  The cinematography was amazing and every part of the story held meaning.  I am very happy to see Ben Affleck win, because he has been working hard on this project and he did a great job.  Congratulations cast and crew of Argo.

Oscar Time!!

 The biggest night in showbiz is around the corner everybody, with the 85th annual Academy Awards being this Sunday night! I am extremely excited to watch them as this year has not only seen some incredible films, but the awards are being hosted by the immensely funny Seth Macfarlane. Seth will surely bring some much needed spice to the awards this year, which is something it's severely lacked the past couple of years.

Now on to the nominees!

One of the biggest stories at this years Oscars is the fact that Daniel Day Lewis could win his third Academy Award for Best Actor thanks to his unbelievable performance as Abraham Lincoln in "Lincoln". If Day-Lewis wins, it will mark the first time in history that an actor has won the award three times, an unprecedented achievement. I personally have no doubt that he'll succeed in doing so, as any of you who has seen Lincoln will agree with me, not to mention he's brought home every major acting award this year.

Another big story is the nomination of 9 year old Quvenzhané Wallis for Best Actress, making her the youngest nominee for the category in Oscar histroy. That's pretty damn amazing. With fellow nominees Jennifer Lawrence, Jessica Chastain, Emmanuelle Riva (who consequently is the oldest best actress nominee in history at 85) and Naomi Watts, she's up against some stiff competition. I'm rooting for her to pull off the upset though!

This years Oscar's will be one to watch, WATCH THEM. I know I am.

Argo Review

Last night, instead of seeing yet another Die Hard movie, my date and I spent Valentines day seeing one of this year's Oscar contenders, Argo.  My date despises Ben Affleck, and went into the movie not expecting to like it, where I on the other hand am a fan of Mr. Affleck and expected only to love this movie.  Surly Argo did not disappoint and brought a fascinating story that I know nothing about, to the big screen with amazing direction and a thrilling plot.  Argo has won almost every major award this season and of course is nominated for 7 Oscar nominations for next weekend's celebration.

The biggest surprise surrounding the movie; however, is Ben Affleck's snub for best director.  I could not agree more.  The directing of this movie is what I think is strongest in this film.  Although the 7 other nominations are well deserved, I think Ben Affleck's directing is brilliant, connecting such a secretive, complicated story into a 2 hour film.  The only thing I did not like about his directing was the multitude of close-up's on Affleck's face. (He also stared in the movie as Tony Mendez.)  Although Affleck is a handsome man, no one looks good in the 70's and the close ups on his face were ridiculous and unnecessary.

The plot was complicated and detailed, but this is something I can not complain about because it's not just a script it is in fact real life.  The story follows Affleck's character Mendez using a faux Hollywood movie made my Canadian filmmakers to enter Iran and help 6 hostages escape.  The story is amazing and I can not believe this is based on a real event.  It absolutely blows my mind, and the use of found footage from the time was incredibly well planned and used to the best of it's ability.  I really felt like I was in 1979 / 1980.

The film is also up for best picture at the Oscars, which is no surprise after it won best picture for the BAFTAS, Critics Choice, and Golden Globes.  However looking at the other nominees this year I would not give Argo the oscar.  I believe it is a wonderful film and Affleck should be nominated; but I don't think it can even compare to a film like Zero Dark Thirty.  Alan Arkin is also nominated for his role in the film as a big shot Hollywood producer.  His story arch is absolutely hilarious, but won't win him the award.  John Goodman, Victor Garber, Brian Craynston, and Kyle Chandler also do a phenomenal job in the film, but this was really not an acting piece.  It was all about the plot and the history and I am happy how it turned out.  They added in a story line about Affleck's character Mendez and his family, which I found extremely irrelevant to the plot and hurt it more than helped.  You did not need to humanize his character it was not a strong enough relationship with the audience that we cared about his character or his family, and if that sub-plot was eliminated I think it would have overall been a much stronger film.

However I still give it an A and loved watching it and would love to know more about the Iranian hostage situation.  Argo does not disappoint.

Kiefer Sutherland

     My single favorite show of all time is 24.  The show follows the character Jack Bauer who is a federal agent that stops terrorists from destroying the country.  The idea of the show is that this terrorist attack takes place within the course of 24 hours.  Each episode is an hour long and the show builds on itself with worse and worse things happening while Jack Bauer saves the day whether he gets into trouble or not.  The character of Bauer is an extremely well trained fearless person who will do whatever it takes to save his country which rarely thanks him or pays him back.  The show is extremely well casted and should go down in television history as one of the best.
     The show first aired in 2001 on Fox and was an immediate hit.  I started watching the show during its second season and I fell in love.  The show aired for 8 seasons over the course of 9 years because of the writers strike in 2007-2008.  This was Sutherland's break through TV show that received 9 awards for through many different ceremonies and 7 of the awards were for Sutherland's performance.  The show also received countless nominations for awards especially during seasons 4 and 5.

     Since the show ended in 2010 Sutherland has been playing small roles in a few movies and has made some cameo appearances.  His latest work is staring in a new television series called Touch which is also aired by Fox.  I have not seen the show yet but maybe I will start watching the second season and love it just like 24, I highly doubt something like that will happen but I love Kiefer as an actor.

Huge Jackman!

Best known for his role as Wolverine or Logan in the X-Men series Hugh Jackman has come a long way from Australia to being nominated for an Academy Award with one of theaters most proud plays, Les Miserables.  I like Jackman as an actor and I believe he fits the role of Wolverine perfectly which is why you don't see his face in many other places.  When Hugh tried to play the role of Van Helsing the critics did not like him; not having seen the film since it came out in 2004, I have no opinion on his role.

Unfortunately for Jackman many directors and producers have not seen him in playing a lead role in a blockbuster other then Wolverine.  But he was given a chance as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables and has been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role.  If he gets it, not only will it promote the movie even more but it will give Jackman another chance at other lead roles besides Wolverine.  Jackman has been considered for many other roles for other comics but continues to be turned away for other stars or up and coming actors.  The role of Wolverine is one that is going down in the record books for one of films favorite characters and for Jackman for playing the role consistently over 5 films, beating Christopher Reeve as Superman for 4 films.

More Than Just a Silver Lining

Recently nominated for 8 Academy Awards, Silver Linings Playbook tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two people recovering from mental illnesses.  Going into the theatre I had my hopes up high after friends, parents and critics praising the film.  Surely I was not disappointed.  This touching, and emotional roller coaster allows the audience to see the frustrations and struggles of people living with these disorders.  Having only seen Bradley Cooper in movies like The Hangover, and Valentines Day, I was not expecting a strong, heavy hearted, leading male performance from him.  I was surely mistaken after Bradley carried the film impressing me with his acting and his on screen chemistry with all of the characters.  He played "Pat" a man living with bi-polar disorder who was recently released out of a mental health facility into the care of his parents Pat sr. (Robert DeNiro) and Dolores (Jacki Weaver) whom also gave wonderful performances in the show.

The film really picks up once Tiffany, a recovering sex addict played by Jennifer Lawrence, steps into the picture and befriends Pat.  Her performance was stunning and even won her the Golden Globe for a leading actress in a comedy or musical.  Both Lawrence, and Coopers ability to convey so much emotional depth within their facial features, especially their eyes and their necks, is unbelievable. I could not take my eyes off of either one, when either of them were on the screen.  I think both of them have reached new heights in their acting careers.  It's impressive to any actor who can steal the show away from Robert De Niro who still have a more than perfect performance.

The film is nominated for all 4 acting awards, best editing, best adapted screenplay, best director David O. Russell (nominated in 2010 for The Fighter) and best picture at the Academy Awards.  I think this film deserves all of these accolades.  The movie was a spectacular creation and beautiful tale of unlikely friends coming together.  After seeing the film I couldn't help but think if even a few things about the movie were different it could have been just another rom-com and not this beautiful work of art.  Don't get me wrong, I love rom-coms, but change Jenifer Lawrence with Katherine Heigel, have Gary Marshal direct instead, and it could have been a very different movie.

All in all, Silver Linings Playbook was a wonderful journey, and a stepping stone for film makers everywhere to show that even the most simple of plots can have the most lasting impact on audiences.

Best Director?

The nominations for the 2013 Academy Awards came out earlier this month and as always there quite a few movies that were left out. I think the biggest snub of all the nominations was that Ben Affleck was not even nominated for the Best Director category. I found it shocking that Affleck, who won Best Director at the Golden Globes and his movie Argo won Best Picture, was not even nominated for the Oscars. He seemed like the front runner to win the Best Director award but I guess the Academy saw it differently. Argo is a brillant and excellent film about a CIA agent who helps six American fugitives in Iran escape the country during a revolution. It stars Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin and John Goodman. I think Affleck did an incredible job and him not being nominated is a shame. Personally, I think Argo was the best movie of the year I'm rooting for it to win Best Picture at the Oscar's.

Argo

Oscar Buzz

It's still a few months away, but I'm looking forward to watch this years Academy Awards as I do every year. I love watching the Oscars because it's an opportunity to see films at their best. Audiences get to see the best in the industry from Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Score, Best Original Screenplay, etc. I also love seeing the celebrities and how they come to support fellow actors/actresses and to watch the show. It's always a spectacular show to watch. 

This year, comedian actor Seth MacFarlane (creator of Family Guy, American Dad, The Cleveland Show, and the motion picture Ted) will be hosting the 85th annual Academy Awards and I predict it will be a great show as usual.

The first Academy Awards were given in 1929 at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood, California. The awards have changed for the decades and the awards currently are given to over a dozen categories and include various types of films. Annually, the Academy awards is televised in more than 100 countries, and is the oldest award ceremony in media.

Douglas Fairbanks

Wings

Again the first Academy Award ceremony took place on Thursday May 16, 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The First host was actor Douglas Fairbanks. Fairbanks was known in Hollywood for his roles in The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mask of Zorro.  

The First Motion Picture to win the award for best picture was the film Wings. Wings was a silent film about World War 1 fighter pilots.The first Academy Award ceremony I remember seeing as a kid was in 2004 when Million Dollar Baby took home the Best Picture award. I loved the experience of it especially watching Chris Rock host the show. Some awards that were given that night were Jamie Foxx for Best Actor for his role in Ray, Hilary Swank for Best Actress in Million Dollar Baby, Morgan Freeman for Best Supporting Actor in the film Million Dollar Baby, Cate Blanchett in The Aviator, Clint Eastwood for Best Director of Million Dollar Baby, The Incredibles received Best Animated Film, and Robert Richardson for Best Cinematography in the film The Aviator.

A lot of great awards have been given over the years and I look forward to seeing which movies take home the awards this upcoming year in February. Some films predicted to be in the Best Picture Category include: Lincoln, Life of Pi, Les Miserables, Argo, The Master, Anna Karenina, and Flight.                                                                                                                                                                      

Good Will Hunting

I am going to move away from Russell Crowe and to a movie I really Love.  Good Will Hunting.  This is a heart warming story starring some A-list actors including, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Robin Williams.  I love Robin Williams and I really love his stand up, so it was great seeing him in such a serious emotional role.  He won Best Supporting actor for his part.  The screenplay was written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and won them each an academy award.  It also got nods for Best Picture, director, and supporting actress.  It is about a janitor at M.I.T named Will Hunting who is actually a genius.  When a professor at M.I.T figures this out he does his best to try to get Will Hunting into a very high level, and well paying job.

Good will Hunting is directed by Gus Van Sant who also directed Milk, another movie I think is fantastic.  Gus Van Sant did a fantastic job with the actors.   He got a oscar worthy performance out of Robin Williams and really was able to get them to play their characters well and fit well into the story.  I think the story is great because it takes what seems to be an obvious decision for Will Hunting to only reveal that he has various emotional issues.  Robin Williams plays a psychology professor who is asked to help Will by the M.I.T professor.  It is a great story and a great movie and is a must see.

American Gangster

Since I have done three movies with Russell Crowe I should stay with him.  American Gangster is a 2007 true story gangster movie based in the 70's about heroin kingpin Frank Lucas, starring Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington directed by Ridley Scott.  It was nominated for two oscars including best achievement in art direction.  Denzel Washington plays heroin kingpin  Frank Lucas, who was smuggling heroin in from vietnam in the early 70's.  Russell Crowe plays the detective who is trying to hunt him down.  Ridley Scott creates a beautiful picture of the brutality of the drug industry in New York in the early 70's.  He also gets an oscar nominated performance from Ruby Dee as Frank Lucas's mom who is the only one who is allowed to talk back to him.

I saw the movie when it first came out when I was maybe a bit to young for it, but my uncle assured my dad it was okay and so I continued watching it.  Russell Crowe's character is morally questionable with a failing marriage due to his womanizing behavior and it leads to his wife to seek a divorce and full custody of their child.  Though when he turns in unmarked bills he is promoted to head of a task force to stop whoever is supplying a new potent heroin.  Frank Lucas is the one supplying the heroin and because of his higher quality heroin at a lower price he quickly builds a fortune.

While Frank is able to avoid the cops for a while, but Crowe's character Richie Roberts gets on to him and with the end of the vietnam war Frank Lucas gets his supply cut off.  This combined with a failing marriage due to assassination attempts on his and his wife, and competing with the mafia and other drug dealers leads to him getting caught by Richie Roberts and convicted and sentenced to a 70 year term in jail.  He only served about ten years because he gave info to the police that led to over 100 convictions. The movie is a fantastic story that looks beautiful that is a must see.

Link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXceJA-eoJg

Once

The film 'Once' received an Academy Award for Best Original Song and other awards including the Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film. Later a musical was created based on this film and has been highly successful on Broadway winning eight Tony awards out of eleven nominations. Despite this acclaim, however, when my friends and I were watching this film over the summer, we were very disappointed. Even my non-television/film major friends shared my beliefs that this was a very poorly made movie and that it was hard to watch. I distinctly remember that the first five minutes of the movie was a single wide shot on the male lead playing guitar that was held for way too long and had a slow, shaky, zoom in that was NOT done on a dolly. I also noticed some continuity issues and poor location planning when I could see Spring '06 collection on all of the shop windows behind the guitarist. This was a poor decision because you can tell that they shot in 2006 yet the film takes place in an earlier time judging from the props, which include exceptionally old phones and Walkman CD players. Granted they shot on a € 160,000 budget, but I was expecting more from a movie that received so much praise.

'Once' had a fantastic story about a guy and a girl who find each other through music by writing, performing, and recording songs together that show their blossoming love, however, I was cringing at how the film was made. First off, the lighting was awful. It was incredibly grainy and it looked as if no professional lighting equipment was used and that they only utilized practical lighting. However, at one point I could tell they were flashing the lead actress with a cheap LED light when the actress was not directly under a streetlight while walking down the street, and this did not look good. All except maybe one or two of the shots in the entire film were handheld, which was a nice stylistic choice, but they were incredibly shaky and it was distracting. Some single shots would also last for 2-3 minutes and this production also completely disregarded the 180* rule. Despite the poor visual, at least the story and the music were entertaining. I would recommend only seeing 'Once' once.

A Beautiful Mind

Sticking with Russell Crowe I am going to switch to another brilliant performance in A Beautiful Mind.  Russell Crowe was nominated for best actor in this role in which he played John Nash.  This was the third year in a row he was nominated for Best Actor following his roles in the Gladiator and The Insider.  A Beautiful Mind won both Best Picture and Best Director and it was well deserved.  It is a true story that is told beautifully by Ron Howard.

A Beautiful Mind follows the life of John Nash it starts at his college life and goes until the end of his career.  Russell Crowe is perfect in the role as he brilliantly performs the trying life of John Nash and the many troubles he had despite being a brilliant mathematician who went to Princeton.  Jennifer Connelly played John Nash's love interest in the movie and she also did a brilliant job and earned an oscar for her performance.

Together they tell the story together beautifully and they give you a haunting vision of the life of John Nash.  I would talk more about the actual story, but if I get more into it I will start giving away some serious spoilers.  All you need to know is the movie is fantastic and worth watching and there is even a scene of the real John Nash at the end that is very touching.  This is Russell Crowe in another must watch performance.

Can you win an Oscar?

Oscar night was sort of a letdown for me. The hosts being probably the weakest since, well, The Oscars. Showing how Bob Hope hosted the early shows only emphasized the huge talent gap.

However, the highlight of the evening for me was Luke Matheny, the Brooklyn based filmmaker, writer and actor whose “God of Love” won the 2011 Academy Award in the Best-Live Action Short category.

The short film was Matheny’s thesis at NYU’s graduate film program. It had previously won the gold medal at the 2010 Student Academy Awards, a special jury recognition at Aspen ShortsFest and first prize and the King Award for Screenwriting at the NYU First Run Film Festival.

He is of course not new to the festival circuit. His previous short film "Earano" -- a hilarious take on Cyrano de Bergerac's love exploits, won the King Award for Screenwriting at the NYU First Run Festival, an honorable mention at the Angelus Student Film Festival, and Best Student Short at the Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City, Nevada.

So, can you win an Oscar? Yes, you can. You just need to walk the walk...

Here is "Earano" in two parts:

Lighting in The Kings Speech

Although I am a TV-R major and know I want to do TV in the future, I've always loved film...especially the watching movies part. As all film lovers know, award season is upon us and you know what that means? It's cram time! Time to watch all the best picture nominees before the big show, the Academy Awards, on February 27th! Last weekend I went to Cinemapolis and saw 'The Kings Speech.' This is the fourth of the nominated films I have viewed and definitely one of my favorites. The muted lighting of this film greatly enhances the mood that the director, Tom Hooper was trying to convey. During the tense moments when Colin Firth's character is faced with both internal and external conflict, the lighting had a greater contrast between light and dark. Overall the lighting had a great impact on the mood and further the audience's reaction to the story.