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.

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.

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.

2015 New York Film Festival

The 2015 New York Film Festival has locked in its main slate of features, with a total of 26 films on the roster including the world premiere of Steven Spielberg’s “Bridge of Spies” with Tom Hanks, as well as festival-circuit buzzmagnets including Todd Haynes’ “Carol,” Michael Moore’s “Where to Invade Next,” Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Lobster” and John Crowley’s “Brooklyn.”

The New York Film Festival has become an increasingly important stop for features angling for awards-season attention, lending a patina of prestige to the titles that earn a spot on the competitive, tightly curated main slate of 25 to 30 films. Recent NYFF alumni including “Gone Girl” (2014), “Life of Pi” (2012) and “The Social Network” (2010) went on to become serious players in the annual movie-industry trophy derby, as did “Hugo” (2011), which bowed as one of the festival’s “secret screenings.”

2015 TIFF Awards Winners

The Toronto International Film Festival has closed out its annual ten-day run with a star-studded awards brunch, which feiatured the announcement of the festival's various awards and prizes. Chief among them is the People's Choice Award, TIFF's most prestigious award and one chosen by audience members themselves (fans of the various films could log their vote either by depositing their ticket stubs in voting boxes available post-screening, or by using their individual ticket numbers to vote online).

Often viewed as a harbinger of awards season glory, the TIFF People's Choice Award winner has typically continued on to major Oscar attention. Since 2008, every single People's Choice Award winner, save for 2011 winner "Where Do We Go Now?," has been nominated for Best Picture. Of those titles, three -- including "Slumdog Millionaire," "The King's Speech" and "12 Years a Slave" -- have ultimately won the Oscar for Best Picture. Since TIFF's creation in 1976, five People's Choice Award winners have gone on to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

2015 Academy Awards Winners

ITS HERE FINALLY!!!!

See below a full list of winners from the 87th Academy Awards, announced Sunday at the Dolby Theater. The show, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, aired live on ABC. “Birdman,” “Grand Budapest Hotel” and “Whiplash” came out of the event as big winners.

Best Picture
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole, Producers (WINNER)
“American Sniper” Clint Eastwood, Robert Lorenz, Andrew Lazar, Bradley Cooper and Peter Morgan, Producers
“Boyhood” Richard Linklater and Cathleen Sutherland, Producers
“The Grand Budapest Hotel” Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson, Producers
“The Imitation Game” Nora Grossman, Ido Ostrowsky and Teddy Schwarzman, Producers
“Selma” Christian Colson, Oprah Winfrey, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, Producers
“The Theory of Everything” Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce and Anthony McCarten, Producers
“Whiplash” Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook and David Lancaster, Producers

Citizen Four (2014)

Approached by CITIZENFOUR, journalists Glenn Greenwald and Ewen MacAskill along with documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras fly to Hong Kong in the summer of 2013 to meet with the man who ended up being Edward Snowden to discuss and divulge secret information regarding covert surveillance programs run by the NSA and other intelligence programs of American and international citizens.

The documentary is a thrilling and terrifying account of the actions that transpired before, during and after the groundbreaking reports were leaked and the turn of events by the American government. This review of CITIZENFOUR is not going to be a debate regarding the right or wrong of whistle-blowing or the government collection of data. That discussion can be saved for when someone mentions that they have seen CITIZENFOUR and an debate-like argument will indubitably ensue. This review will try to focus, as much as it can, on the scope of its impact and effectiveness of the film as a documentary.

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 

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.

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

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.

2015 SAG Awards Nominations

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Steve Carell, "Foxcatcher"
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Imitation Game"
Jake Gyllenhaal, "Nightcrawler"
Michael Keaton, "Birdman"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Theory of Everything"

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Jennifer Aniston, "Cake"
Felicity Jones, "The Theory of Everything"
Julianne Moore, "Still Alice"
Rosamund Pike, "Gone Girl"
Reese Witherspoon, "Wild"

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Robert Duvall, "The Judge"
Ethan Hawke, "Boyhood"
Edward Norton, "Birdman"
Mark Ruffalo, "Foxcatcher"
J.K. Simmons, "Whiplash"

Mr Turner (2014)

We always knew that "Mr Turner" would not be a conventional costume picture any more than it would be a conventional biopic. It is, after all, a Mike Leigh film and Mr Leigh doesn't do 'conventional'. Of course, he normally concerns himself with the vagaries of contemporary middle-class culture, poking fun at, and then finding the bleeding heart of, the little people who inhabit his very personal world. (Leigh is, perhaps, the only writer/director who can crack us up and break our hearts simultaneously).

"Mr Turner" isn't the first time he has looked to the past nor to real historical figures for his material. With "Topsy-Turvy" he created the world of Gilbert and Sullivan and 'The Mikado'. As musical biopics go it is, perhaps, unique. Now with "Mr Turner" he takes us deep into the life of William Turner, arguably the first great 'modern' painter and almost certainly the greatest of all English painters, and in doing so has created the least stuffy costume picture I have ever seen. Of the several masterpieces Leigh has given us "Mr Turner" may be the finest.

Sils Maria (2014)

this movie was a big hit in Cannes maybe because they have Juliette Binoche (as much as I know she is France sweetheart) Kristen Stewart and Chloe Moretz who have their own fandom, and big big fandom. So I got this special opportunity to watch this movie on film festival last week. I was so happy since I can't wait to see it with my own eyes. As a fan of Stewart, hearing good reviews about her in this movie made me want to see it even more.

This was a good movie, to a large extent because of its lead actors. I expected Juliette Binoche and Kristen Stewart to make a great team, and they did; there was never a moment when I thought one of them was out-acting the other, or drawing attention from the other. They worked in perfect tandem as far as I could see. But the movie is too long. I like the cinematography, Sils Maria is such a beautiful place.

I love Juliette when plays as a desperate woman. Well she does everything great. In this movie she played as a veteran actress with her own personal problem, and then new director asked her to do a remake based on a movie that made her famous. but as the opposite character. The base is great, I mean Maria had their own problems and it would make a strong story but they add more conflict in to it that included Chloe Moretz's character, Joanne Ellis.

The Imitation Game (2014)

Great film. IMO Best picture contender next to Boyhood and Birdman. I was lucky to watch this movie on near movie festival near me as surprise screening. The Imitation Game has Benedict Cumberbatch playing Alan Turing. The film shows various different points of Turing's life: His difficult school life, his triumphs during the war and his conviction for his homosexuality after the war. The film drifts through these various timelines in a non linear way and paints a brilliant portrait of Turing. His conviction following the war could have been focused on more and Keira Knightly is a bit jarring, but TIG is unshaken by its flaws and emerges a triumphant and deeply moving historical drama. Like many Oscar baiting movies it's all about the acting. Benedict Cumberbatch is absolutely outstanding as Turing and as far as I'm concerned he's the best actor Oscar front runner for 2014.

The film opens with some very good early scenes, that convey well the upheaval caused by the outbreak of the war. The crowd scenes are nothing new, but as time goes by, it must be harder to get the period details correct. The opening scenes, have that authenticity, as well as conveying the great social upheaval of the war. Not so much exciting, but rather impactful and panoramic.

Gone Girl - Review (2014)

it's been a quite week for me. with not much movies and I didn't have a chance to go online.  So finally I watched Gone Girl. I am a fan of David Fincher, so yeah I wished it would be good. 2014 has been kind of a shitty year (exceptions being Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men Days of Future Past, Guardians of the Galaxy). So this was my most anticipated film of the year, and I was really hoping it would be good

When I heard Ben Affleck would be Nick I didn't think it would be good. But now I can see it that he can actually be good without stealing the attention lol. Pike all the way. She is perfect. I have to be honest tho, for me this is the first time i have seen Rosamund Pike shining from the beginning to the end, she portrays her character beautifully , every scene she is in, it's just mindblowing, she absorbs you with her great acting. Mark my words on this one, if rosamund pike doesn't get an Oscar nom for this role, then something is wrong

Love the disenchantment of Fatale Femme(Amy, everyone!). Only does she live as true self and be happy(junk food jamming, jubilant jumping, low maintenance, vulgar behavior, etc.) when she gets away from: either the man who loves her (but never knows her, esp. true her) or the man she loves (yes, the husband she's framing, and believe it or not, they are well-suited for each other!!!) the most revealing scene would be the one in which Amy keeps eating ice cream?  while watching her husband's tricky performance on the TV interview, her rich suitor sitting besides runs his look between the girl and the husband, just like an outsider. She's so attentive and enchanted to her rival - the husband, who has unexpectedly grown up from a passive victim/loser to a devious, manipulative guy. She confesses afterwords that she loves him more when watching him on the screen putting her, by lying, into disadvantage within the game.

AFI Fest 2014 Lineup

Adding to its previously announced Gala presentations of "A Most Violent Year," "The Gambler," "Inherent Vice" and "Foxcatcher," AFI Fest will present writer/director Tommy Lee Jones' feminist Western "The Homesman" starring Hilary Swank.

AFI Fest's special screenings are "Clouds of Sils Maria," "Merchants of Doubt," Mike Leigh's Cannes favorite "Mr. Turner," Julianne Moore Oscar vehicle "Still Alice," "Tales of the Grim Sleeper" and Foreign Language Oscar contenders "Mommy," "Saint Laurent" and "Two Days, One Night."

AFI Fest runs November 6 through 13 in Hollywood, CA. Here's more information on the added lineups:

GALAS

Opening Night:

A MOST VIOLENT YEAR – Set in 1981, during one of the most crime-ridden winters in New York City’s history, A MOST VIOLENT YEAR follows the lives of Abel and Anna Morales (Isaac and Chastain) as they attempt to capitalize on the American Dream, while the rampant violence, decay, and corruption of the day drag them in and threaten to destroy all they have built. World Premiere. Thursday, November 6, 2014.

Centerpiece Galas

INHERENT VICE – INHERENT VICE is the seventh feature from Academy Award® nominee Paul Thomas Anderson and the first ever film adaptation of a Thomas Pynchon novel. When private eye Doc Sportello's ex-old lady suddenly out of nowhere shows up with a story about her current billionaire land developer boyfriend whom she just happens to be in love with, and a plot by his wife and her boyfriend to kidnap that billionaire and throw him a loony bin...well, easy for her to say. It's the tail end of the psychedelic '60s and paranoia is running the day and Doc knows that "love" is another of those going around at the moment, like "trip" or "groovy," that's being way too overused—except that this one usually leads to trouble. With a cast of characters that includes surfers, hustlers, dopers and rockers, a murderous loan shark, LAPD Detectives, a tenor sax player working undercover, and a mysterious entity knows as the Golden Fang, which may only be a tax dodge set up by some dentist...Part surf noir, part psychedelic romp – all Thomas Pynchon.
Saturday, November 8, 2014