Cannes 2017 Winners

The Cannes Film Festival awarded its coveted Palme d’Or award to Ruben Ostlund’s Swedish comedy The Square on Sunday, while Sofia Coppola became only the second woman to win the best director award. Coppola won best director for The Beguiled, her remake of Don Siegel’s 1971 Civil War drama about a Union soldier hiding out in a Southern girls’ school. Hailed as Coppola’s most feminist work yet, the remade thriller told from a more female point of view stars Nicole Kidman and Kirsten Dunst, with Colin Farrell playing the wounded soldier.

Diane Kruger was named best actress and Joaquin Phoenix best actor as the festival celebrated its 70th anniversary. Kruger was honoured for her performance in Fatih Akin’s In the Fade. She played a German woman whose son and Turkish husband are killed in a bomb attack. Phoenix was recognized for his role in Lynne Ramsay’s thriller You Were Never Really Here, in which he played a tormented war veteran trying to save a teenage girl from a sex trafficking ring

Guardians of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

So, here another review since it's long weekend and I am sick as hell. Most recent movie I watched, Guardians of The Galaxy Vol 2. Like with any movie that is associated with Marvel Studios, comes its inherited "hype" and "excitement" with this film being no different. Director James Gunn has really made a name for himself directing the previous Guardians of the Galaxy and a confirmed sequel to this year's second iteration. His cinematic career does not have a large array of successful movies by his name but the Guardians of the Galaxy movies are amazing.

The tone and humor which got so many people hooked on the original, is preserved for its sequel. All of the Guardians have their distinct personalities and fitting sense of humor but are given a lot more character development in Volume 2. The characters Gunn chose to reintroduce, are interesting due to compelling backstories and some creative, touching and funny character moments. Watching action scenes featuring characters you love and care about, adds so much drama and weight to the action and makes the movie all the more enjoyable. The action itself is creative, fun and often times hilariously over the top.

John Wick : Chapter 2 (2017)

Back then I like the first of this movie, when I heard there would a sequel. I am really excited. Okay to begin with this movie is bloody, gore, violent and absolute treat for the action loving cinema-goers(tbh I am not but I just like this movie even tho when te violent scene played I just closed my eyes). The story was pretty good, filled with adrenaline pumped action sequences but most of the moves are repeating and was tiring for me. But couple of action scenes were top notch and you can see the brilliance of action choreo turned director Chad Stahelski. The background score added the toppings. The dialogues were good. The camera-work was exceptional and convincing.

The action scenes are the heart of the movie. The first John Wick was a perfect example of how to do action scenes right. Chapter 2 is exactly like the first. It's perfectly filmed with long takes that are really well made. The subway scene is outstanding. That whole scene is so well done. The humor is just an added bonus to what is John Wick's strongest feature, the action. All the reviews are in agreement that Wick is back with more action than ever imagined, as this one-man army unleashes a storm of well-placed bullets, knife slashing (and sometimes pencil) stand offs.

Beauty and The Beast (2017)

So basically I got very curious with people around me talking about this so I wanna join te hype by watching this. Granted, the movie is visually stunning. The costumes in this movie are gorgeous save for that godawful prom dress Watson wears during the ball room scene. The scenery is also very lovely to look at and the CGI is decent. The only issue I had with the CGI was Mrs. Potts. She was not charming, she was creepy. Why couldn't they make her look decent? Everything else was fine save for her.

I love Emma Watson but she was a complete miscast. She has this very serious looks and I imagine Belle should be this this quirky and lively small town girl. As predicted, her voice has been largely manipulated in post. And considering that Walt Disney himself made such a big deal out of the musical production in all of his movies.

Kong : Skull Island (2017)

Kong: Skull Island is an awesome monster film that fits right in there in the whole MonsterVerse that the movie studio is trying to build up on. Like the 2014 Godzilla film was trying to do. Kong: Skull Island is more into the whole big fun blockbuster style type of film compared to 2005's Peter Jackson's King Kong that paid homage to the original and had development with characters and story. Even Kong in the 2005 film had more of a personality and emotions than this film.

Kong: Skull Island follows a team of scientists & soldiers who, just before the end of Vietnam War, secure the U.S. government funding for the expedition of an uncharted island in the South Pacific but when they reach there, they encounter a 100-foot tall bipedal ape who destroys their choppers and leaves them dispersed & stranded in the unmapped territory, thus turning the survey job into a survival race.

LOGAN (2017)

So, I haven't updated my blog lately. Real life has been crazy lately,I am  still trying to survive tho. I am going to do a review from some movies I still remember.watched movie here and there but not in a mood to review it. So here I am going to start with Logan.

Can I say this movie is amazing? and can't be beaten easily. The movie revolves an around old, and frustrated Logan (who is a limousine driver). He, along with Charles Xavier (superbly played by Patrick Stewart) are waiting to finish off their lives in peace. It's 2029 and in this new world, where mutants have been exterminated and there are few of them left hiding, Logan is a man adrift in a world that no longer needs him. Caring for his former mentor who he has to control for his own good, he is a man without a true purpose and who is hurrying towards death.

2017 Academy Award Winners

In an epic flub that drew gasps of horror — and joy — at the Dolby Theater here, Faye Dunaway mistakenly named “La La Land” best picture at the 89th Academy Awards on Sunday night, but in reality “Moonlight” won the top prize.

The producers of “La La Land” were still thanking their families and fellow artists when the interjection came that “Moonlight” had in fact won, as everyone wondered if that was a joke. But it wasn’t, and the “La La Land” people quickly exited the stage as producers and stars of “Moonlight,” just as stunned as everyone else, walked on.

20th Century Women (2016)

The new critically acclaimed comedy-drama, from writer/director Mike Mills . It tells the story of a single mother, in 1970s California, who asks her two friends to help her raise her son. The movie stars Annette Bening, Greta Gerwig, Elle Fanning, Lucas Jade Zumann and Billy Crudup. It's received mostly rave reviews from critics, and it's also been nominated for several prominent awards. I absolutely loved it.

The film is hilarious at times, and there's several all-time classic scenes in it. The performances are all great (especially Bening and Gerwig) and the characters are all likable . The movie is also extremely touching, and involving. I cared a lot for all of it's main characters; I really wanted them all to succeed, and be happy.

Lion (2016)

Lion is based on Saroo Brierly's book "A Long Way Home," which chronicles his search for his biological mother from whom he was separated under strange and devastating circumstances when he was five years old. This film has been on my to-do list since I first noticed it a couple of months ago. And it turned out this movie is the best tear jerker movie of this year for me.

The story tells about 5-year-old, vulnerable Indian boy Saroo who gets lost on a train and travels thousands of miles across India away from his dear family. Saroo faces many hardships of life all by himself. Eventually he is taken in and adopted by a caring Australian couple. Years later Saroo feels a part of himself missing and is filled with murky memories of his past as a young child in India. Using Google Earth, Saroo is determined and passionate to find his lost family through the use of this tool.

BAFTA 2017 Winners

This year's Bafta Film Awards boasted a particularly formidable line-up of nominees.  La La Land led the pack: 32-year-old director Damien Chazelle's nostalgic Hollywood musical has been nominated in 11 categories, and won in four, including Best Picture and Best Director.

British director Ken Loach has finally won his first non-honorary Bafta for gritty benefits drama I, Daniel Blake, which had already bagged the Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. In his acceptance speech, Loach attacked the "callous brutality" of the UK government.

Hidden Figures

This is the true story of three African-American women who worked for NASA on the Mercury program in the early 1960s. Solid performances by all, some laugh-out-loud scenes, and some very emotional moments. It's also an important look back at the civil rights issues of the time period. The climax is a bit Apollo 13ish, and I'm fairly certain some scenes were embellished, but who cares. You should walk away from this film smiling.

The movie takes place in the 1960s where sexism and racial discrimination is still at a high. There is fear of the Soviet Union since they already have the technology to send astronauts into space, though there is still hope for America. Hidden Figures deals not just with their work at NASA but also the challenges they face in their personal lives, both as friends and individually as wives and parents.

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Nocturnal Animals is a dark and devilishly stylish thriller from Tom Ford, who knows a thing or two about style having worked as creative director for both Gucci and Yves Saint Lauren in the past. Nocturnal Animals is one of those movies as after you watch you leave being stunned and thinking about life in somewhat of a dark manner seeing that many times it's in the form of regret and tragedy.

The plot centers around Susan Morrow( Amy Adams)who's an elegant high class society L.A. art gallery owner who kind of finds herself in a state of doubt. She's married now to a new guy yet, it's when Susan receives a novel from her ex-husband Ed Sheffield(Jake Gyllenhaal)that brings back the memories of doubt and guilt. As with each page that Susan reads and turns this violent thriller becomes more and more of a symbolic tale that seems like a memory of her life with Ed. As it's clear Ed set out to bring fright to Susan thru the pages of a novel, as it has Susan doing a flashback of her time with Ed.

Screen Actors Guild Awards are sometimes dismissed as just another stop on the long road to the Oscars—but Sunday night’s ceremony was anything but business as usual. Outrage against President Trump's new immigration ban took center stage at the Screen Actors Guild Awards — even though the ceremony was full of shocking upsets and surprise winners.

Captain Fantastic (2016)

At first glance, Matt Ross' Captain Fantastic appears to be yet another low-budget independent, festival-friendly effort from a former actor that employs a 'quirky' sensibility and approach to humor, as well as roughing up a popular actor and having them play against type. Yet this tale of a family raised as survivalists by their liberal father who is attempting to shield them from the consumerist society he loathes is one of the most touching films of the year, and one that is careful not to over-simplify the difficult subject matter of how to raise your kids.

Jackie (2016)

Jackie tells the story of former First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, as she struggles to cope with the assassination of her husband, John F. Kennedy. While many people are concerned with the magic bullet theory, Jackie is concerned with the life of the woman behind the 35th President of the United States after she endures having to watch her husband die in that now infamous car ride in Dallas. There is no room for macho-ism here.

La La Land (2016)

I was interested in seeing this film because not only am I a sucker for a good musical, but I'll admit to being a big fan of Ryan Gosling as well as Emma Stone and I was intrigued to see what the director of Whiplash would do with a musical picture to make it fresh and unique. The premise of the story is that Stone is a young actress who has moved to LA to wait tables while auditioning to try and 'make it', while Gosling is a jazz purist  who plays the piano in bars to make a living and dreams of opening his own Jazz bar. Or to put it succinctly - "Two young artists meet and fall in love while chasing their dreams". The musical flows thematically from first love to heartbreak and every other emotion between, with great music throughout.

Oscar nominations 2017: the full list

On Tuesday morning, La La Land rode a wave of critical love to tie the record for most nominations received by a single film—14, the same number as Titanic and All About Eve—and it might just be impossible for any other movie to stall its tuneful front-runner momentum. At the same time, a major overhaul of the Academy and 12 months of recovery from #OscarsSoWhite led this year’s awards rise to the occasion by celebrating a diverse pool of actors and assorted film-industry creatives, including Arrival’s Bradford Young, one of the few black cinematographers ever nominated for an Oscar.

All the nominations for the 89th Academy Awards, which take place on 26 February at the Dolby theatre in Hollywood

BAFTAs 2017: full list of nominations

Amy Adams' two films Nocturnal Animals and Arrival are the closest competitors with nine apiece, and she will face her own battle in the category for Leading Actress for the latter, against Emily Blunt, Meryl Streep and Natalie Portman.

Arrival takes nine nominations, which shows that this visually ravishing sci-fi drama about Amy Adams’ linguistic professor trying to understand aliens might well make much more of an impression on Bafta voters than on the electors of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Award Race Calendar 2017

On Thursday (Jan. 5), academy members begin casting their Oscar nomination ballots. They only have nine days to decide on their picks for best pic as well as their favorite achievements in their respective branches. During that time, we’ll hear from the producers, directors, cinematographers, costume designers, makeup artists & hairstylists, sound mixers and visual effects wizards as to their top choices. Before Oscar balloting began, the film editors, casting directors and writers unveiled their slate of contenders while the art directors did on the first day of voting.

Arrival (2016)

You know I am a big fan of sci fi and something related to drama, alien, and space. Thank you to Apollo 13 the first movie that made me obsessed with this genre. Arrival is a mystery, sci-fi movie, directed by Denis Villeneuve, who also directed two other critically acclaimed movies I loved watching: "Prisoners" and "Sicario". This time, Villeneuve takes on the subject of extra-terrestrial life, and the communications between humans and aliens from another planet, starring Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whittaker in the lead cast.

Golden Globe Award Winners 2017: The Complete List

Sunday night's Golden Globe awards was all about La La Land, with Damien Chazelle's L.A.-set musical winning a record seven awards. But a number of other multiple nominees weren't as lucky. Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea, which went into the evening with six and five nominations each, respectively, only one won award apiece. To be fair, the prizes they did take home were big ones: best motion picture drama for Moonlight and best actor in a motion picture drama for Manchester's Casey Affleck. Experts had Moonlight also winning either best supporting actor (Mahershala Ali) or best screenplay, with Manchester tapped as the nominee that should win for screenplay and best motion picture drama.

HACKSAW RIDGE (2016)

I am not a fan of Mel Gibson,but sure as hell he did make a good movies. Mel Gibson returns to the director's chair with this war epic based on the true life story of Private Desmond Doss, who served in the Army as a medic during the Battle of Okinawa during World War ll. He also happened to be a pacifist, someone unwilling to partake in violence due to his religious beliefs. There at the Battle of Okinawa, one of the bloodiest battles of WWII, Doss ended up saving the lives of many of his fellow soldiers resulting in him being the first conscientious objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor.

PASSENGER (2016)

I just lower any expectation in my life and that includes when I watch movie. I watch this movie because I love romance and I like the idea of space ship drama. I strongly disagree and totally cannot understand why there are many critics addressed towards this movie. Passengers was wrapped with a beautiful and entertaining atmosphere. Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence was very outstanding on the movie. The chemistry between those 2 main character was charming.