The 87th Annual Academy Awards: Nominations & Thoughts

Today brought us the nominations for the 87th Annual Academy Awards and I thought I'd throw out a few opinions. Now unfortunately, I have not had the time to see everything so this is just my opinion of films I've seen and what I would have chosen or gotten rid of in my opinion.

As "Selma" has only been released for a short period of time, I haven't seen it, but I don't understand how a film gets nominated for Best Picture yet only has one other nomination (Best Original Song at that). Most people seem to love the film, so it is surprising that it ONLY got 2 nominations. Along with that, American Sniper really didn't seem to have as much momentum as some of Clint Eastwood's past Academy Award contenders. At least it seems like a step above Clint's past failed Oscar bait: J. Edgar, Changeling or Flags of our Fathers.

A lot of this year's nominees, though, really didn't fail to surprise. The front runners prior to the nominations are still the front runners. Boyhood still seems to be the leading horse with Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel close on its heels. I am especially glad that Grand Budapest Hotel has been able to keep its award momentum up, especially since it opened in March. Birdman, my favorite film of 2014, tied for the most nominations with nine. Hopefully, Birdman will walk away with some gold, come Oscar night.

I think the biggest snub of this year's nominees belongs to The Lego Movie. Granted, I haven't even seen it, but the fact that the film was loved by critics and audiences alike--on top of being one of the biggest hits of the year; seemed almost like a shoo-in for Best Animated Film. Not even seeing the film, I could sense after seeing the nominees, that the lack of The Lego Movie being omitted was a huge snub.

Overall, in my opinion, this year's nominees fell in line close to where I would have predicted. The fun part will be when the awards are handed out as a lot of the films nominated this year, I did enjoy.

Go, Michael Keaton!

Best Picture
"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
"Boyhood"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"The Imitation Game"
"Selma"
"The Theory of Everything"
"Whiplash"

Best Director
Alejandro González Iñárritu, "Birdman"
Richard Linklater, "Boyhood"
Bennett Miller, "Foxcatcher"
Wes Anderson, "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Morten Tyldum, "The Imitation Game"

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"

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

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette, "Boyhood"
Laura Dern, "Wild"
Keira Knightley, "The Imitation Game"
Emma Stone, "Birdman"
Meryl Streep, "Into the Woods"

Best Adapted Screenplay
"American Sniper" (Jason Hall)
"The Imitation Game" (Graham Moore)
"Inherent Vice" (Paul Thomas Anderson)
"The Theory of Everything" (Anthony McCarten)
"Whiplash" (Damien Chazelle)

Best Original Screenplay
"Birdman" (Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo)
"Boyhood" (Richard Linklater)
"Foxcatcher" (E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman)
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Wes Anderson, Hugo Guiness)
"Nightcrawler" (Dan Gilroy)

Best Cinematography
"Birdman" (Emmanuel Lubezki)
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Robert D. Yeoman)
"Ida" (Ryszard Lenczweski; Lukasz Zal)
"Mr. Turner" (Dick Pope)
"Unbroken" (Roger Deakins)

Best Costume Design
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Milena Canonero)
"Inherent Vice" (Mark Bridges)
"Into the Woods" (Colleen Atwood)
"Mr. Turner" (Jacqueline Durran)
"Maleficent" (Anna B. Sheppard)

Best Film Editing
"American Sniper" (Joel Cox, Gary Roach)
"Boyhood" (Sandra Adair)
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Barney Pilling)
"The Imitation Game" (William Goldenberg)
"Whiplash" (Tom Cross)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
"Foxcatcher"
"The Grand Budapest Hotel"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"

Best Music (Original Score)
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Alexandre Desplat)
"The Imitation Game" (Alexandre Desplat)
"Interstellar" (Hans Zimmer)
"Mr. Turner" (Gary Yershon)
"The Theory of Everything" (Jóhann Jóhannsson)

Best Music (Original Song)
"Lost Stars" from "Begin Again"
"I'm Not Gonna Miss You" from "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me"
"Everything is Awesome" from "The LEGO Movie"
"Glory" from "Selma"
"Grateful" from "Beyond the Lights"

Best Production Design
"The Grand Budapest Hotel" (Adam Stockhausen; Anna Pinnock)
"The Imitation Game" (Maria Djurkovic; Tatiana Macdonald)
"Interstellar" (Nathan Crowley; Gary Fettis, Paul Healy)
"Into the Woods" (Dennis Gassner; Anna Pinnock)
"Mr. Turner" (Suzie Davies; Charlotte Watts)

Best Sound Editing
"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
"Interstellar"
"Unbroken"

Best Sound Mixing
"American Sniper"
"Birdman"
"Interstellar"
"Unbroken"
"Whiplash"

Best Visual Effects
"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"
"Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
"Guardians of the Galaxy"
"Interstellar"
"X-Men: Days of Future Past"

Best Animated Feature Film
"Big Hero 6"
"The Boxtrolls"
"How to Train Your Dragon 2"
"Song of the Sea"
"The Tale of Princess Kaguya"

Best Foreign Language Film
"Wild Tales" (Damián Szifrón; Argentina)
"Tangerines" (Zaza Urushadze; Estonia)
"Timbuktu" (Abderrahmane Sissako; Mauritania)
"Ida" (Pawel Pawlikowski; Poland)
"Leviathan" (Andrey Zvyagintsev; Russia)

Best Documentary Feature
"CITIZENFOUR"
"Finding Vivian Mayer"
"Last Days in Vietnam"
"The Salt of the Earth"
"Virunga"

Best Documentary (Short Subject)
"Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1"
"Joanna"
"Our Curse"
"The Reaper"
"White Earth"

Best Short Film (Animated)
"The Bigger Picture"
"The Dam Keeper"
"Feast"
"Me and My Moulton"
"A Single Life"

Best Short Film (Live Action)
"Aya"
"Boogaloo and Graham"
"Butter Lamp"
"Parvaneh"
"The Phone Call"

Left Behind

Ahahaha, oh, man. I take multiple months off and my triumphant return is this? Maybe it's best I stayed away.

Anyway, the "big budget", and I use the term loosely, remake of the Kirk Cameron trilogy based off the religious books beginning with the same name inspired by the ultimate book of fairy tales: the Bible, stars Nicolas Cage and his hair as Rayford Steele, (!) a pilot on a transatlantic flight when the Rapture begins. Ray's wife, Irene (Lea Thompson) has become invested in Christianity which separates the two. Ray's daughter Chole (Cassi Thomson) has flown in for Ray's birthday, but unbeknownst to her, Ray is booking it to Europe for a fling with a flight attendant and average tickets to a U2 concert.

Also hanging around is Cameron "Buck" Williams (Chad Michael Murray) who takes an interest in Chole but decides to board with Ray. While midway through the flight, some adults and all children go missing; leaving clothes and all personal possessions behind. On the ground, Chloe experiences the same dilemma including her now-missing mother (apparently Lea Thompson's check cleared).

A bunch of bad special effects and stilted dialogue scenes later, the film ends. There really isn't much to say about this film. Everyone involved has less than zero interest and the film is inept in delivering any sense of mystery or care about the characters. The biggest sin, though, might be the fact that this film can't even be enjoyed on a "so bad it's good" level. Director Vic Armstrong provides no sense of joy or fun to the proceedings and instead treats this film with the tone of an ethics professor lecturing. Even Nicolas Cage's hair decided to leave its sense of fun at home.

All the bad things you heard about this film are true.

1.8/10

The Change-Up

No, not that shitty movie that no one remembers (well, except me) and should have been set on fire and buried. The site that I have neglected for many-a months will be going through some changes. Yes, you'll still be getting my lame movie reviews way after the films have opened with my mundane typing skills. Besides that, though, I will be doing a side project that is a little more personal to me. Odds are, this will be a complete train wreck, but it's my train wreck.

RIP: Bob Hoskins

Never known as my favorite actor, but always an actor I would enjoy, Bob Hoskins passed away recently after suffering pneumonia.

My first experience with Bob Hoskins' performance came from his supporting turn in the Terry Gilliam's "Brazil" as Spoor, a Central Services Worker. Not a starring role, but certainly a memorable one which would lead to many more in a long career.

His most well-known role would come not much later as the role of Eddie Valliant in Robert Zemeckis' "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" in 1988. Me being young an impressionable when first watching "Roger Rabbit" initially thought Bob Hoskins was always just a gruff-sounding American based off his portrayal of Eddie, even after I had seen "Brazil". It's an amazing performance of comedic timing and the ability to work seamlessly during a time when special effects were much more difficult to bring to life on film. It really is a sham that Bob Hoskins was not nominated for Best Actor for this performance.

Moving through the 1990's, Bob Hoskins made many memorable, if somewhat forgettable, appearances in major Hollywood films including: Hook, Nixon, Michael and Super Mario Bros. I wont dwell too much on Super Mario Bros. as Bob Hoskins has stated in interviews that the film was the worst experience he had and that he considered the film a "piece of shit". That may be the case, but his performance as Mario is not the worst thing in that movie.

Recently, Bob Hoskins announced that he was suffering from Parkinson's Disease and would be retiring from making films. His last film given to us was the 2012 fantasy film "Snow White and the Huntsman".

Bob Hoskins gave us many years of interesting Hollywood and small films to choose from including his role as a London gangster in "The Long Good Friday" his role as Nikita Khrushchev in "Enemy at the Gates" and his Oscar-nominated performance as a driver in "Mona Lisa". Gone, but not forgotten, Bob Hoskins left behind a legacy that will continue onward for many years.

Dallas Buyers Club

The film that transformed Matthew McConaughey into an Academy Award winner.

Set during the 1980's, Ron Woodruff (Matthew McConaughey) lives a wild lifestyle of having unprotected sex with prostitutes and being a rodeo enthusiast. After an accident at work, Ron discovers that he has AIDS and is only given 30 days to live. He initially approaches Dr. Eve Saks (Jennifer Garner) about getting an FDA approved drug called AZT. Her boss Dr. Sevard (Denis O'Hare) leads the group for clinical trials of AZT.

Once on the drug, Ron discovers that his body is worsening quicker than usual. Finding out that AZT appears to do more harm than good, Ron goes to Mexico and meets with Dr. Vass (Griffin Dunne) who informs Ron that AZT kills the cells in one's body. Dr. Vass instead gives Ron alternative drugs that are not FDA approved. The unauthorized drugs appear to work and Ron begins to transport the drugs over the Mexico border for his use and to sell to others who also are infected by HIV. One of those infected, a transgender woman named Rayon, (Jared Leto) butts heads with Ron.

Eventually, the two form an uneasy alliance to sell the non-FDA approved drugs under the moniker of the Dallas Buyers Club for $400 a month. Dr. Saks eventually sees the negative side effects to AZT while also seeing that the non-FDA approved drugs do appear to be helping those suffering from HIV. Dr. Sevard does not see eye-to-eye with Dr. Saks or Ron and tries to shut down the Dallas Buyers Club.

This is a film that is really all about the performances. The script really didn't do much for me, and am surprised the script got an Oscar nomination. Enough can't be said, though, for the performances of Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey. Leto disappears into the role of the wise Rayon, who knows that she is on borrowed time, yet is trying to do what she can. McConaughey puts his own spin on the stereotypical anti-gay man who must bond with those he does not get along with, role. Both roles were deserving of their nominations and awards.

As stated, the story is nothing you haven't seen before, but anchored by two solid performances, this is a film that should be seen to see how Matthew McConaughey is becoming one of this generation's better actors.

7.3/10

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Wes Anderson drops his latest film upon us, and if you weren't a fan of his before, it will continue that way.

Set mainly in a fictional European country in the 1930's, The Grand Budapest Hotel tells the story of Zero (Tony Revolori) who trains as a lobby boy of the titular hotel, under the tutelage of Monsieur Gustave (Ralph Fiennes). Monsieur Gustave runs the hotel like a well-oiled machine and ensures that all guests are promptly taken care of, especially the females.

One female in particular, Madame Celine Villeneuve Desgoffe-und-Taxis aka Madame D (Tilda Swinton) eventually is found dead under suspicious circumstances. As Monsieur Gustave took special care of her during her time at the Grand Budapest Hotel, a journey begins where Monsieur Gustave takes Zero to Madame D's will reading. As Madame D's family expects to be bequeathed all of her fortune, the family is shocked that Monsieur Gustave has been granted a very expensive painting. This especially enrages Madame D's son, Dmitri Desgoffe-und-Taxis (Adrien Brody) who employs his loyal assassin J.G. Jopling (Willem Dafoe) to try and stop Monsieur Gustave and retrieve the painting.

This really is only the start of the plot and does not include an extended prison sequence featuring Harvey Keitel or the brief cameos by Anderson regulars Bill Murray and Owen Wilson. Edward Norton also shows up, sporting an ungodly accent, as an inspector that is really forced by the screenplay into tying up the remainder of the plot.

The film itself is filled to the brim with all of the standard Wes Anderson tropes that you have come to expect. The film may not be making fun of itself, but also really doesn't push any new limits that you haven't seen before from a Wes Anderson film. In regards to Wes Anderson films, this doesn't reach the heights of his latest efforts like Moonrise Kingdom or Fantastic Mr. Fox and certainly doesn't compare to my personal favorite: The Royal Tenenbaums.

As it is, though, with most Wes Anderson films, you know what you are getting, and this film certainly provides that. Even when Wes Anderson doesn't give you his best film, it's still better than most of what's currently playing at the cinema.

7.8/10

I, Frankenstein

Every January, Hollywood decides to dump multiple piles of expensive trash upon the audience in the hopes of making a bit of scratch. One of those piles for 2014 is I, Frankenstein.

The Creature, dubbed Adam, (Aaron Eckhart) because why not, is hurriedly rushed through his prologue where his creator, Frankenstein, dies. Once we get the two or three minutes of back story out of the way, Adam makes a shaky alliance with a group of gargoyles that protect humans from demons on Earth. The rest of the movie is a dimly-lit film where badly CGI'd demons battle badly CGI'd gargoyles and grumpy ol' Adam is stuck in the middle where he feels that this is not his fight.

Honestly, they should just call this movie by its real title: Underworld 5. The lighting, acting, release schedule and hammy bad guy portrayal by Bill Nighy all seem like they were filming I, Frankenstein under the release of the next film in the Underworld franchise. You take the demons and gargoyles and replace them with werewolves and vampires and the toned-up Aaron Eckhart and replace him with the toned-up Kate Beckinsale and you just made Underworld 5 without anyone even realizing it.

Aaron Eckhart, eager to show off how much time he spent in the gym, sleepwalks through the film without being bothered to even try to have some fun, in what is a silly premise. Not doing him any favors is writer/director Stuart Beattie who gives us a film that is way too serious for its own good. I understand if you are trying to make a classic version of the Frankenstein story, but the idea is so silly, that some humor would have done wonders for this film. Instead we get Adam, who is no fun, plodding along in a story devoid of fun while being shot in a style that drains any last hope of fun. Instead, we get a bland and utterly boring film that, where no one seems to have any fun, relegating the viewer to not have any fun either.

And honestly, where's the fun in that?

2.4/10