2015 Cesar Award Nominees

France's Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences announced the nominations for this year's Cesar Awards - the country's equivalent to the Oscars - in a morning ceremony at the famed Fouqet's restaurant on the Champs Elysees.

Sean Penn will receive the Academy's honorary Cesar this year, organizers announced Monday.Alain Resnais will get a tribute at the awards ceremony.

The 40th annual awards will be held on Feb. 20 - just two days ahead of the Oscars - at Paris' Chatelet Theatre. 

Here are nominees in some key categories:

Best Film
Love at First Fight
Eastern Boys
The Belier Family
Hippocrates
Saint Laurent
Sils Maria
Timbuktu

Best Director
Celine Sciamma for Girlhood
Thomas Cailley for Love at First Fight
Robin Campillo for Eastern Boys
Thomas Lilti for Hippocrates
Bertrand Bonello for Saint Laurent
Olivier Assays for Sils Maria
Abderrahmane Sissako for Timbuktu

Seventh Son (2015)

 Jeff Bridges plays a gruff Master Gregory who has lost his apprentice (Kit Harington) during a fight with a powerful witch (Julianne Moore). Thomas Ward (Ben Barnes) is chosen to be Gregory's new apprentice. And there you go, an action-packed adventure with perilous monsters and witches lurking. Nothing in the movie surprises, even the twists have been seen before.

The long-delayed young adult book adaptation finally shows up on big screen. Asia noticeably has an earlier release date. The question now is "Is it worth the wait?" For a movie delayed this long, people have already forgotten about it so I won't be surprised if it flops at box office. This gets as generic as what a fantasy period film can be. It is packed with every cliché you find in the genre however it is still entertaining with its action set pieces, decent CGI and 3D.

It's not an awful film but if you want to see something new, anything new, then this isn't the film to look at. The production quality is high; things look good. They're shot well and you can see a lot of time and effort went into creating it. But I have to ask, if you're going to put that much time and effort into a project, why not do something new/fresh/unique/original?

Blackhat (2015)

I really wanted to like this movie. A hacking thriller on an international scale -- what a hot subject that is great to bring to the silver screen! Throw in some Chris Hemsworth and I'm in! I was a huge fan of Hackers in the 90s and was really excited to see what a 2015 blockbuster and director would bring to a story that is straight from today's headlines!

Set in the world of Global Cybercrime, Blackhat follows a convict (played by Chris Hemsworth) and some American Chinese partners as they hunt a high level cybercrime network from Chicago to Los Angeles to Hong Kong to Jakarta. Blackhat is so bad from the first minute its hard to even begin with this movie. I wanted to leave the entire time.

Spoiler here we get to see really two hacks in this movie and don't get me wrong these two types of hacks are used a lot and have a lot of success. But the first hack we see is a phishing attack on an NSA Cyber Security person. Hathaway sends the man an email from his supervisor telling him he needs to change his password due to him having dealt with the U.S./Chinese team and the email has a short cut to change his password. Guess what he does? Yep. Clicks the link which happens to be hiding a keylogger in it which grants Hathaway access to the system the team needs to put some information together.

Top Five (2014)

"Top Five" is the latest film from funnyman Chris Rock. Rock, who pulls quadruple-duty here as writer, producer, lead actor and director, assembles an all-star cast in this subversively insightful tale about a comedic actor having a midlife crisis on the eve of the debut of his latest film.

The film concerns Andre Allen (Chris Rock), one of the most famous comedy actors in the business today after doing three consecutive comedies revolving around the character of "Hammy the Bear," which had Allen dressed in a large, realistic bear outfit. At this point in his career, Allen wants to forget about "Hammy the Bear" and focus on his new film "Uprize," concerning the slave rebellion in Haiti, which is proving to be an uphill battle to market and convince audiences this is a new direction for the actor.

"Top Five" reminds one of "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)," another film released this year about an actor trying to disregard his previous film roles as a superhero in favor of a more grounded, serious project, in this case, a play he desperately wanted people to see, connect with, and positively receive. "Top Five," like "Birdman," is also a film about dealing with one's critics, regardless of whether or not they are professional or everyday individuals that comment on your work positively or negatively.

A Most Violent Year (2014)

This is going to be one of those films that a lot of people aren't going to like. Not because it's a bad movie, but because the title and the trailer make it sound like it's going to be violent and action filled, that its not. J.C. Chandor (All Is Lost) directs a movie that would be better suited to the decade that the film takes place, as I fear it will be lost in the instant gratification era that we live.

J.C. Chandor seems to be evolving into a filmmaker to be reckoned with now that he has three fantastic movies under his belt that are all very different from each other. Chandor now tackles the gangster crime genre with this tale about the pursuit of the American Dream and the sacrifices we have to make to make it become a reality that concludes in churning out a fantastic crime thriller that echoes classic films like Casino and Goodfellas, but with a very grounded touch.

The acting in this film is excellent all around. Oscar Isaac plays a likable lead as he tries to remain legitimate in the heating oil industry. His plight is fascinating so I rooted for him to see him succeed. Jessica Chastain is amazing as well as Isaac's mob connected wife as she delivers a powerful performance while not going into stereotype. Albert Brooks is great as well as the dare I say it intimidating lawyer and David Oyelowo as the DEA trying to take Isaac down and thankfully does not fall into a stereotype.

Dear White People (2014)

This social satire is about being a black face in a white world. It follows four black Ivy League students and what they go through day to day to either fit in or just be noticed without it dealing with race. They deal with their own demons and dealing with the color of their skin, not only with their white classmates.

The film goes as fair as a militant who is mixed and trying to find herself and where she fits in, her white side or her black side, the token black guy, who happens to be gay, the daddy's boy, doing everything his father wants him to do and not what he wants to do for himself and the bougie black girl who wants to be white and not accepting her blackness because she would be consider ratchet if she would be loud and cuss people out. Justin Simien, the director hit the end of the film with a full on black face, hip-hop party.

The film was very thought-provoking and quite entertaining. I felt very connected with a few of the characters and had a growing discontent feeling with some as well. I really enjoyed Lynol's character and his development through the first and how his voice become stronger. I didn't quite care for Sam and her radical news, and same goes for Reggie. I felt bad and sympathetic towards Troy and even Kurt, but there are so many in that position.

Wild (2014)

I was hoping to see something that at least equals Emille Hirsch's Into The Wild (2007). I set my expectation that high after seeing the striking similarities on many aspects. As Into The Wild was, this movie is also a true story based lone character centered journey of hiking a long path, running away and seeking an atonement for his/her self- perceived dark past of relationships with others and life mistakes. The movie actually tries to follow suit with Into The Wild's recipe of crisscrossing the story flow between the journey itself and the past.

With the breakdown of her marriage and the death of her mother, Cheryl has lost all hope.  After years of reckless behaviour, and abuse to her body, and close friends, she makes decision to hike more than a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, alone.  This is supposedly the story of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddens, strengthen, and ultimately heals her, but unfortunately, its Reese Witherspoon walking............a lot.

A big disappointment, especially when considering the content of the book. Instead of focusing on the high adventure of her journey along the PCT, we are inundated continually with graphic depictions of her one night stands and heroin use. The film could have included her troubled past in an appropriate way, but did not. So if you enjoy nude scenes with druggies, watching losers shooting up and drugged out, and hearing the constant use of the F word, this is the film for you.

2015 SAG Awards Winners

The winners of the SAG Awards are being announced at the annual awards show, held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. See below an updated list of winners.

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: EDDIE REDMAYNE, “THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING” (Focus Features)
STEVE CARELL, “FOXCATCHER” (Sony Pictures Classics)
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH, “THE IMITATION GAME” (The Weinstein Company)
JAKE GYLLENHAAL, “NIGHTCRAWLER” (Open Road Films)
MICHAEL KEATON, “BIRDMAN” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: JULIANNE MOORE, “STILL ALICE” (Sony Pictures Classics)
JENNIFER ANISTON, “CAKE” (Cinelou Films)
FELICITY JONES, “THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING” (Focus Features)
ROSAMUND PIKE, GONE GIRL” (20th Century Fox)
REESE WITHERSPOON, “WILD” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: J.K. SIMMONS, “WHIPLASH” (Sony Pictures Classics)
ROBERT DUVALL, “THE JUDGE” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
ETHAN HAWKE, “BOYHOOD” (IFC Films)EDWARD NORTON, “BIRDMAN” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)MARK RUFFALO, “FOXCATCHER” (Sony Pictures Classics)

65th Berlin International Film Festival

The 65th annual Berlin International Film Festival is scheduled to be held from 5 to 15 February 2015, with American film director Darren Aronofsky announced as the President of the Jury. German film director Wim Wenders is scheduled to be presented with the Honorary Golden Bear. The first seven films of the festival were announced on 15 December 2014.Isabel Coixet's Nobody Wants the Night has been announced as the opening film.

2015 Academy Awards Nominees

The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences just announced the nominees for the 2015 Academy Awards, and as always, they're a mix of "obviouslys" and "wait, whats?" 

We'll be giving an in-depth rundown of what the surprises and snubs mean in separate articles all day, but in the meantime, you can check out the nominations in all the categories below… 

Best Picture

American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand BUDAPEST HOTEL
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash 

Best Actor

Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything 

Best Actress

Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon, Wild 

Taken 3 (2015)

Taken 3 tries to reinvent itself with contrived plot and ends up accomplishing nothing. The movie sacrifices its simplistic nature and opts for Fugitive knock-off plot, a change born out of necessity since the daughter couldn't possibly get kidnapped again. It crams too many subplots and expositions into a series that's not known for cerebral approach. When the characters need to explain every move they do for audience's sake, it's a clear sign that the plot has become too convoluted. The action sequences are also subpar with previous Taken movies, which ultimately makes it nothing more than generic action movie.

With a good director, you get good action. With good action and a credible actor, you get Taken. The movie opened up in 2008 and made surprising money at the box office. It wasn't a great movie, but I had fun. What I thought made the movie stand out more was that it was discussing the dangers of traveling and sex trafficking. In 2012, Taken 2 got audiences rooting for Liam Neeson again as he was…rescuing his kidnapped ex wife. It was a boring rehash of the original. It surprises me that we now have Taken 3 to close the trilogy.

I was very disappointed at the story line. Expecting to see the final showdown between the ex CIA operative and a ruthless group of criminals from eastern Europe who had every reason to attempt a third time to destroy him and his wife and daughter. But instead all i saw was a pathetic attempt at a change in plot as if we were watching another movie altogether. The acting in some scenes was shallow and the film was very predicable after you had realized what the main plot was.

Inherent Vice (2014)

After such masterpieces like Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and There Will Be Blood, it's hard not to expect A LOT from every film coming from the mind of Paul Thomas Anderson. So obviously the standards were pretty damn high going into his newest film Inherent Vice, an adaptation of the Thomas Pynchon novel of the same name about a stoner private investigator who is investigating the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend, as well as a slew of other mysteries and disappearances that coincide with one another amid a cavalcade of characters whose names, careers, and orientations get a little bit tough to keep up with.

Inherent Vice isn't a bad movie by any means. I can only think of 3 reasons why some speak ill of this drug-fueled comedy/mystery/crime film. 1. The Characters: While main characters Doc, played by Joaquin Phoenix and Bigfoot, played by Josh Brolin, give award worthy performances, some might say that the supporting cast is too all over the place. While some people like Martin Short give scene- stealing performances, others like Reese Witherspoon have little to offer. 2. The Plot: The plot not only carries the movie, but even I think that it has flaws. New plot points keep getting added throughout and some don't go anywhere. Even the main plot seems to get lost in a sea of other issues leading to many unanswered questions. 3: Paul Thomas Anderson: No no no. I'm not saying he didn't do a good job with this movie. It's just that when audiences saw that his name was attached, it seems that their expectations went through the roof.

Unbroken (2014)

Greetings again from the darkness. Louis Zamperini was a true American hero and his life story is epic and legendary. The son of Italian immigrants, young Louie easily found trouble, and only the efforts of his older brother and a local police officer allowed him to discover inner strength through his talent for distance running. As a 19 year old, Louie ran in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and later enlisted in the Air Force and served as a bombardier during WWII. After a horrible plane crash, he spent a grueling 47 days adrift at sea in a life raft, until rescued/captured by the Japanese. Zamperini served as a Prisoner of War, where he was subjected to immense physical and psychological torture, until the war finally ended.

Given the true life inspirational story and the truly heroic events of its featured character, the film can best be labeled a mild disappointment. It is extremely impressive to look at, but somehow lacking in emotion … despite some excruciatingly uncomfortable moments. The film strives for the level of historic epic, yet its conventional tone and approach leave us wondering what's missing. The single most effective and emotional moment occurs in a short clip of the real Louis Zamperini running as an Olympic torch bearer at age 80 for the 1998 Olympics (in Japan!).

Selma (2014)

This movie had a great cast, great story, and was very entertaining and well written. David Oyelowo, although a tad inconsistent early on, elevated to another level when he transformed before your eyes to a dynamic and vulnerable Dr. Martin Luther King, JR. Toward the end of the movie, his performance was so strong, if he was not actually shown on the screen, you couldn't tell if if was an old recording of MLK or David Oyelowo himself.

It's probably hard for young people to believe that segregation and race hatred were the norm in our nation just 50 years ago. (Yes, the South was worse than other parts of the country, but segregation was everywhere.) We now take it for granted that everyone has the right to vote, and that we can have an African-American President.

"Selma" shows us how this progress came about. It came about because of the incredible bravery of African-American people, and because of the astute tactics of the leaders of the civil rights movement.

Birdman (2014)

Where should I begin? Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu will go down as one of the greatest filmmakers to ever live. Birdman is one of the most creative films I've ever seen.

The plot involves a washed up actor named Riggan(Michael Keaton) trying to put on a stage play, in an attempt to revive his career. This is the most impeccable casting I've ever seen. Keaton, of course has a career that parallels Riggan's, playing a superhero and becoming more obscure once that ended over 20 years ago. The characters we meet along the way are equally interesting. There's Mike Shiner(Edward Norton), an actor who is perfect on the stage and anything but off it. Riggan's daughter Sammy(Emma Stone), who was neglected by her father and became addicted to drugs. Riggan's ex-wife(Amy Ryan) is also interesting in the way she so easily lets him manipulate her.

Its also a bit like watching a Quentin Tarantino production. The support characters are very strong, and creates a series of tense moments and scenes. You start to wonder... What's going to happen in this scene? Whats going to happen in the next few seconds? The subtext about advantage of ignorance is also good, and works at several layers. As are the outrageous scenes, most of which are confined in the tunnels of a Broadway theater. Its fast paced in many parts, with fast dialogue. So it can a bit hard to catch, for those not familiar with English. Which is interesting considering the writer/director's first language is Spanish.

2015 Golden Globes Winners

Sorry late to post, but her is your 2015 Golden Globe Winners. are you happy? hopefully. 

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Winner: Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything

Lead Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Winner: Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
David Oyelowo – Selma

Lead Actress in a Motion Picture- Drama
Winner: Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Jennifer Aniston – Cake
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild

Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical
Winner: The Grand BUDAPEST HOTEL
Birdman
Into the Woods
Pride
St. Vincent

Lead Actor in a Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical
Winner: Michael Keaton – Birdman
Ralph Fiennes – Grand BUDAPEST HOTEL
Bill Murray – St. Vincent
Joaquin Phoenix – Inherent Vice
Christoph Waltz – Big Eyes

Lead Actress – TV Drama
Winner: Ruth Wilson – The Affair
Claire Danes – Homeland
Viola Davis – How to Get Away With Murder
Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife
Robin Wright – House of Cards

Director
Winner: Richard Linklater – BoyhoodWes Anderson – Grand Budapest Hotel
David Fincher – Gone Girl
Ava DuVernay – Selma
Alejandro G. Inarritu – Birdman

2015 BAFTA Nominees

Awards Season is everywhere, now it;s BAFTA time to announce their nominees. 

Here is the full list of nominations for the 2015 Bafta Film Awards.

Best film

Birdman

Boyhood

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Imitation Game

The Theory of Everything

Outstanding British film

'71

The Imitation Game

Paddington

Pride

The Theory of Everything

Under The Skin

Actor

Benedict Cumberbatch - The Imitation Game

Ralph Fiennes - The Grand Budapest Hotel

Jake Gyllenhaal - Nightcrawler

Michael Keaton - Birdman

Eddie Redmayne - The Theory of Everything

Actress

Amy Adams - Big Eyes

Felicity Jones - The Theory of Everything

Julianne Moore - Still Alice

Rosamund Pike - Gone Girl

Reese Witherspoon - Wild

Supporting actor

Steve Carell - Foxcatcher

Ethan Hawke - Boyhood

Edward Norton - Birdman

Mark Ruffalo - Foxcatcher

JK Simmons - Whiplash

Supporting actress

Patricia Arquette - Boyhood

Rene Russo - Nightcrawler

Keira Knightley - The Imitation Game

Imelda Staunton - Pride

Emma Stone - Birdman

Director

Wes Anderson - Grand Budapest Hotel

Damian Chazelle - Whiplash

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu - Birdman

Richard Linklater - Boyhood

James Marsh - The Theory of Everything

2014/2015 Awards Season Calender

October 2014

23 - Gotham Award nominations announced
30 -  Britannia Awards (BAFTA LA)

November 2014

3 - British Independent Film Award nominations
15 - Governors Awards
19 - Screen Actors Guild Award nomination ballots mailed
25 - Independent Spirit Award nominations announced

December 2014

1 - Gotham Awards2- National Board of Review vote and announce winners
3 - Directors Guild Award nomination voting opens
7 - British Independent Film Awards
8 - AFI Awards announced8 - Screen Actors Guild nomination ballots due
10 - Screen Actors Guild Award nominations announced
11 - Golden Globe Award nominations announced
13 - European Film Awards
29 - Academy Award nomination voting opens

January 2015

2 - ACE Eddie Award nominations announced
5 - Producers Guild Award nominations announced
5 - Art Directors Guild nominations announced
6 - National Board of Review Awards Gala
7 - BAFTA nominations announced
8 - Academy Award nomination ballots close
11 - Golden Globe Awards
12 - Directors Guild of America voting deadline
13 - Directors Guild of America nominations announced
15 - Academy Award nominations announced
23- Final Screen Actors Guild ballots due
24 - Producers Guild Awards25 - Screen Actors Guild Awards
30 - American Cinema Editors' ACE Eddie Awards31 - Art Directors Guild Awards

February 2015

2 - Academy Nominations luncheon 
6 - Academy Award final voting begins 
6 - Directors Guild of America final ballot deadline
7 - Directors Guild of America dinner, winner announced8 - BAFTA Awards
14 - Writers Guild Awards
21 - Independent Spirit Awards
22 - Academy Awards ceremony

Night at The Museum : Secret of the Tomb (2015)

The finale which had been in the planning stages is really one that is bittersweet and the final performances of Robin Williams who will be missed along with Mickey Rooney as both died in the year 2014.

Ben Stiller returns as the guard who knows the secrets of the museum coming alive. And how a tablet keeps them that way. But in a black tie affair thing, which went awry due to the fact of the tablet as the animals and people like Teddy Roosevelt that comes to life is about to die down due to the tablet going down.

You don't go into "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" expecting great art. You expect a few laughs and some moments of wonder as you witness museum displays magically come to life. The first "Night at the Museum" disappointed me. The second, "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" surprised me with how much better it was than the first. Amy Adams was wonderful as Amelia Earhart in that film.

This new, third installment, "Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb" was only okay, but it wasn't horrible, either. I really, really wish it had been a bit better. It's one of Robin Williams' and Mickey Rooney's last movies. Both died this year. Robin Williams does look visibly tired and sad.

Frank (2014)

Michael Fassbender dons a huge fake head in the enjoyable Frank showing at Sundance London. The movie is a fictionalised account based on a book written by journalist Jon Ronson who also co wrote the screenplay. In the 1980s Ronson played keyboards in the Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band in which Frank wore a big fake head and nobody outside his inner circle knew his true identity.

Frank is probably the hardest film that I have ever watched to describe to someone who has never watched it. After viewing I had literally nothing to say. This is because it was a truly excellent watch.I was initially attracted to 'Frank' by its strange and wacky trailer with promised an insane black comedy.

The first hour of Frank delivers on this completely and it is hugely entertaining. Some of the funniest scenes that I've seen at the cinema this year. This in my mind is properly revised comedy, until the film which is currently sitting at the top of the box office charts 'bad neighbours.' Anyways i digress.

Big Eyes (2014)

After being seriously disappointed by, well, every Burton movie since Sleepy Hollow, I had some serious expectations for Big Eyes. There was just so much potential, with the convoluted relationship between art and success and an a personal connection with the subject (Burton is a collector of Keane's art). I had no idea what to expect before watching this film.  Amy Adams delivers her best performance as always. At times she was vulnerable and desperate, at times she was empowered and at other stages of her life you got to see a deep sense of compromised pride rivaled by her desire to maintain her family unit. I was glued to the screen by the fascinating story and the fantastic cast, as well as Burton's artistic influence.

Freshly colored with an array of set pieces, this is one of Burton's most aesthetically pleasing films of his career. Danny Elfman's score is the signature touch that we await in all of Burton's works. It's subtle yet apparent in nearly all the right ways. Same goes for the stunning costume work by Colleen Atwood, a strong contender for another Academy Award nomination.

The Interview (2014)

The recent political controversy regarding this film will be the only thing to keep it relevant a year from now. The interview spits Katy Perry references, in fact references to a song of hers that was charting back in 2010. It throws a bunch of Lord of the Rings references. "Haters gonna hate" is an actual line in this movie! I have not heard that meme in years. This movie already feels irrelevant at the time of its release.

This movie is rather easy to sum up, because there have been any untold number of movies like it the past decade. Sure, the plot may be about killing a Korean dictator, but with these types of movies, the plot never really even matters. The whole point of this movie is to get cheap laughs with boners, toilet humor, sex jokes, drugs, and slap stick. This is YET ANOTHER movie where grown men depicted as regular American guys parade around acting like the sorriest most stupid a-holes on the face of the planet.

I really wanted to hate The Interview but I must admit, it's got its moments of hilarity. By all accounts, this movie probably should never have been green lit. While Kim Jun Un is the face of evil these days, writing and producing an over the top farce about assassinating a sitting dictator is still a terrible idea however you look at it. Seth Rogan plays the straight man in The Interview and he is, indeed, pretty good at this brand of base humor. James Franco, on the other hand, tends to overact, but then again, his entire life has been one big over-act. Perhaps some other comedic actor would have actually been a better choice than Franco - a smarmy Bill Murray or what about quirky Owen Wilson or Steve Carrell - I'm sure they were all busy and passed - ultimately the wisest choice.

Paddington (2014)

A wonderful adaptation drawn from the characters immortalised in the books, this film is a major success. Heart-warming and humorous without being mawkish or over-sentimental, the antics and escapades of lovable Paddington Bear will surely delight fans of all ages.

How the animators achieved such a wonderful and memorable 'Paddington' is a minor miracle. His expressions and mannerisms are spot on, whilst the cast are obviously all enjoying themselves enormously in being permitted to perform in Paddington's World. It is obvious that a great deal of love and affection has been injected into the making of this film; the acting, graphics, editing, sets and storyline are all virtually flawless, and you must surely be a soul with no heart not to find some modicum of pleasure from this 90 minute magical movie experience.

American Sniper (2014)

American Sniper is Clint Eastwood's harrowing take on Chris Kyle's life and his service in the Navy as a SEAL sniper who killed nearly 200 enemy soldiers. The film is relentlessly violent and disturbing but honors the life of the late Chris Kyle in a very admirable way. It doesn't show this man as an invincible legend, it shows him as a mere man with a heart and soul that are clearly broken due to his sacrifice for his country.

Good work on Bradley Cooper's part as well, putting on the weight and getting into character to play Chris Kyle, a sniper for the navy seals who did four tours in Iraq protecting his fellow troops by being a legendary shot. the Movie explores Kyle having to deal with a rival sniper who was keeping him from doing the job of protecting his troops and having to deal with coming home to his wife and kids feeling that his mission was incomplete.

The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them (2014)

I have been waiting for this movie since 2013 TIFF. The plot looks good, I love angsty love story. and They have Queen Chastain and McAvoy in one film. Written and directed by Benson, "Them" crafts an emotional and passionate tale of love lost, regained, and ultimately doomed to exist. Almost taking cues from films like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Benson offers up an honest and raw interpretation of love in the shadow of tragedy. Likely not his first choice in which to tell his story, he takes a meticulous paintbrush and strokes through every part of the film with intricate detail, choosing what and what not to tell the audience.

The negative aspect of the film, the audience never acquires an understanding of how this event created two very unhappy people. The only glimpse I receive of their suffering is at the beginning when Eleanor tries to kill herself by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. The movie transitions from utter happiness in the opening scene to a suicide attempt hence the sudden mood change. From there on it is downhill with the occasional hope of a happy ending unfortunately never fulfilling though.

Love is Strange (2014)

LOVE IS STRANGE, a film, unaffectedly directed by Ira Sachs, is so natural and unassuming in its portrayal of relationships that the divide between audience and the characters on the screen disappears; we are directly slipping into their lives with the ease of familiarity. There is a formal beauty to the movie, thanks to the cinematography of Christos Voudouris - the way he captures each space - delineated not only through décor, but through the light which mutates with the atmosphere, very much like a Chardin still-life painting, classic in its grandeur and silence.

The film tells the story of an older couple, who are forced to leave their Manhattan apartment after one of them is fired from his teaching position. They temporarily move in with relatives and neighbours, until they have found a new place of their own. The film shows the interaction between civilized and polite people who are all perfectly willing to help each other, but nevertheless are increasingly annoyed by the uneasy situations caused by the arrangement.

Into the Woods (2014)

"Into the Woods" intermingles the fairy tales of Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Red Riding Hood in a complex but fairly deftly plotted meta-fairy tale. A bewitched baker must bring back an item out of each fairy tale so that his wife may conceive, along the lines of the Sondheim musical.

Meryl Streep is superb as the witch. She symbolizes all the mothers who can't let their children grow up and leave the house, keeping Rapunzel locked in a tower and the young prince at bay for as long as she can. Rapunzel happens to be the baker's young sister, stolen by Streep as a baby to exact revenge on the baker's father, who visited her garden one night and made off without spilling the beans. But when did Meryl do a bad thing in movie? BUT when you say Meryl wont do a bad, this is her due. This movie imo is not good. Doesnt mean its not watchable.

"Into the Woods" is wordy and boring. It's a fairy tale story, so we expect something breezy and entertaining, not something existential and overbearing. As much as you can appreciate how Lapine and Sondheim have challenged the notion of fairy tales by turning them around on the audience, at some points it just gets boring. The film's third act, when "happily ever after" gets turned on its head, for example, is a test of patience, even though without it, the story would have no meaning and the film would therefore become artistically pointless.

Whiplash (2014)

Finally, Freaking Finally. I have been waiting for this movie since the last Sundance. and It paid off. At first sight, Whiplash seemed to me as another talent movie, which features the same clichés, no matter it's about music, dancing or sports. But the great reviews made me really curious about it, and I can honestly say, that it's nothing like your usual film about music.

Damien Chazelle's work, like every beginner director's is full of raw power and energy. Every moment of Whiplash has so much dynamics and tension. You wouldn't expect surprising twists from these kind of movies, but Whiplash has the quality to show you something unexpected in every minute. The director incorporates a few small, but clever twist in the narrative, and these aren't twists for the twists' sake. Chazelle is unlike any other young director: his work is unbelievably calculated, there's not a single unnecessary frame in this picture, and he can always capture the essence of the moment or the actors' performances.

The Good Lie

The Good Lie is a beautiful, heart wrenching film inspired by true events. The film begins in Sudan during the Civil War and follows a group of young children as they attempt to flee their village after it is destroyed and find refuge in Ethiopia. Thirteen years after fleeing their country, the four surviving friends are sent to America to start a new life, but that presents its own challenges. Mamere, Jeremiah and Paul are sent to live and find work in Kansas, while their sister Abital is sent to live with a host family in Boston. They three boys must work together to navigate through this strange new world, while trying to become reunited with their sister and save their families back in Africa.

The first part of the movie can be difficult to watch, as it depicts the horrors of the Sudanese Civil War, and how these surviving children saw their families killed by invading troops. Also, how they trekked nearly 900 miles across the sub-Sahara, under the most dangerous and difficult conditions to reach the Kakuma Camp. The remainder of the film depicts the culture shock awaiting them in Kansas City as they relocate to America.

This was definitely better than expected.  The acting was decent although amateurish at times. I easily connected with all the characters, and would have loved if the film went deeper into their personal stories.