Monday, February 10, 2020

And The Oscar Goes To... 2020 Winners


Oscars 2020 Winners: 





























All images appear courtesy of The Academy of Motion Picture, Arts and Sciences 
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Thursday, February 6, 2020

And The Oscar Goes To... Oscar 2020 Nominations and Predictions

Performance by an actor in a leading role nominee:
Antonio Banderas in PAIN AND GLORY

*Leonardo DiCaprio in ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD (Should win) 

Adam Driver in MARRIAGE STORY

Joaquin Phoenix in JOKER (will win)

Jonathan Pryce in THE TWO POPES

Performance by an actor in a supporting role nominee:
Tom Hanks in A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Anthony Hopkins in THE TWO POPES

Al Pacino in THE IRISHMAN

Joe Pesci in THE IRISHMAN

Brad Pitt in ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD (Should win) 

Performance by an actress in a leading role nominee:
Cynthia Erivo in HARRIET

Scarlett Johansson in MARRIAGE STORY

Saoirse Ronan in LITTLE WOMEN

Charlize Theron in BOMBSHELL (Should win) 

Renée Zellweger in JUDY

Performance by an actress in supporting role nominees:

Kathy Bates in RICHARD JEWELL (Should Win) 

Laura Dern in MARRIAGE STORY

Scarlett Johansson in JOJO RABBIT

Florence Pugh in LITTLE WOMEN

Margot Robbie in BOMBSHELL

Best animated feature film of the year nominees:
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD

Dean DeBlois, Bradford Lewis and Bonnie Arnold

I LOST MY BODY

Jérémy Clapin and Marc du Pontavice

KLAUS

Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh and Marisa Román

MISSING LINK

Chris Butler, Arianne Sutner and Travis Knight

TOY STORY 4 (Should Win) 

Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen, and Jonas Rivera

Achievement in cinematography nominees:
THE IRISHMAN

Rodrigo Prieto

JOKER

Lawrence Sher

THE LIGHTHOUSE

Jarin Blaschke

1917 (Should Win)

Roger Deakins

ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD

Robert Richardson

Achievement in costume design nominees:
THE IRISHMAN

Sandy Powell and Christopher Peterson

JOJO RABBIT

Mayes C. Rubeo

JOKER

Mark Bridges

LITTLE WOMEN

Jacqueline Durran

ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD (Should Win) 

 Arianne Phillips

Achievement in directing nominees:
THE IRISHMAN

Martin Scorsese

JOKER

Todd Phillips

1917

 Sam Mendes (Should Win) 

ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD

Quentin Tarantino

PARASITE

Bong Joon Ho

Best documentary feature nominees:
AMERICAN FACTORY

Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert and Jeff Reichert

THE CAVE

Feras Fayyad, Kirstine Barfod and Sigrid Dyekjær

THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY (Should win) 

 Petra Costa, Joanna Natasegara, Shane Boris and Tiago Pavan

FOR SAMA

Waad al-Kataeb and Edward Watts

HONEYLAND

Ljubo Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska and Atanas Georgiev

Best documentary short subject nominees:
IN THE ABSENCE

Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam

LEARNING TO SKATEBOARD IN A WARZONE (IF YOU’RE A GIRL)

Carol Dysinger and Elena Andreicheva

LIFE OVERTAKES ME (Should win)

 John Haptas and Kristine Samuelson

ST. LOUIS SUPERMAN

Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan

WALK RUN CHA-CHA

Laura Nix and Colette Sandstedt

Achievement in film editing nominees:

FORD V FERRARI (Should win)

 Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland

THE IRISHMAN

Thelma Schoonmaker

JOJO RABBIT

Tom Eagles

JOKER

Jeff Groth

PARASITE

Yang Jin-mo

Best international feature film of the year nominees:
CORPUS CHRISTI

Poland

Directed by Jan Komasa

HONEYLAND

North Macedonia

Directed by Ljubo Stefanov and Tamara Kotevksa

LES MISÉRABLES

France

Directed by Ladj Ly

PAIN AND GLORY

Spain

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar

PARASITE (Should Win) 

 South Korea

 Directed by Bong Joon Ho

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling nominees:
BOMBSHELL (Should win) 

 Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan, and Vivian Baker

JOKER

Nicki Ledermann and Kay Georgiou

JUDY

Jeremy Woodhead

MALEFICENT: MISTRESS OF EVIL

Paul Gooch, Arjen Tuiten and David White

1917

Naomi Donne, Tristan Versluis and Rebecca Cole

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score) nominees:
JOKER (Will win)

Hildur Guðnadóttir

LITTLE WOMEN

Alexandre Desplat

MARRIAGE STORY

Randy Newman

1917 (Should Win) 

Thomas Newman

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

John Williams

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song) nominees:
"I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from TOY STORY 4

Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

"(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from ROCKETMAN (Should Win) 

 Music by Elton John

 Lyric by Bernie Taupin

"I'm Standing With You" from BREAKTHROUGH

Music and Lyric by Diane Warren

"Into The Unknown" from FROZEN II

Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez

"Stand Up" from HARRIET

Music and Lyric by Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo

Best motion picture of the year nominees:
FORD V FERRARI

Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and James Mangold, Producers

THE IRISHMAN

Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Producers

JOJO RABBIT

Carthew Neal and Taika Waititi, Producers

JOKER

Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Producers

LITTLE WOMEN

Amy Pascal, Producer

MARRIAGE STORY

Noah Baumbach and David Heyman, Producers

1917 (Pick 1) 

 Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Jayne-Ann Tenggren and Callum McDougall, Producers

 ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD (Pick 2)

 David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, and Quentin Tarantino, Producers

PARASITE

Kwak Sin Ae and Bong Joon Ho, Producers

Achievement in production design nominees:
THE IRISHMAN

Production Design: Bob Shaw

Set Decoration: Regina Graves

JOJO RABBIT

Production Design: Ra Vincent

Set Decoration: Nora Sopková

1917 (Should win) 

 Production Design: Dennis Gassner

 Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD

Production Design: Barbara Ling

Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

PARASITE

Production Design: Lee Ha Jun

Set Decoration: Cho Won Woo

Best animated short film nominees:
DCERA (DAUGHTER)

Daria Kashcheeva

HAIR LOVE (Pick two) 

Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver

KITBULL (Pick one)

Rosana Sullivan and Kathryn Hendrickson

MEMORABLE

Bruno Collet and Jean-François Le Corre

SISTER

Siqi Song

Best live-action short film nominees:
BROTHERHOOD (Should win) 

Meryam Joobeur and Maria Gracia Turgeon

NEFTA FOOTBALL CLUB

Yves Piat and Damien Megherbi

THE NEIGHBORS’ WINDOW

Marshall Curry

SARIA

Bryan Buckley and Matt Lefebvre

A SISTER

Delphine Girard

Achievement in sound editing nominees:
FORD V FERRARI

Donald Sylvester

JOKER (Should win)

Alan Robert Murray

1917

Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate

ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD

Wylie Stateman

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

Matthew Wood and David Acord

Achievement in sound mixing nominees:
AD ASTRA

Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson and Mark Ulano

FORD V FERRARI

Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Steven A. Morrow

JOKER

Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic and Tod Maitland

1917 (Should win)

Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson

ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD

Michael Minkler, Christian P. Minkler and Mark Ulano

Achievement in visual effects nominees:
AVENGERS: ENDGAME (Should win) 

 Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Matt Aitken and Dan Sudick

THE IRISHMAN

Pablo Helman, Leandro Estebecorena, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser and Stephane Grabli

THE LION KING

Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones, and Elliot Newman

1917

Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler and Dominic Tuohy

STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach and Dominic Tuohy

Adapted screenplay nominees:
THE IRISHMAN

Screenplay by Steven Zaillian

JOJO RABBIT (Should win) 

Screenplay by Taika Waititi

JOKER

Written by Todd Phillips & Scott Silver

LITTLE WOMEN

Written for the screen by Greta Gerwig

THE TWO POPES

Written by Anthony McCarten


Original screenplay nominees:
KNIVES OUT (Will win)

Written by Rian Johnson

MARRIAGE STORY

Written by Noah Baumbach

1917 (Should win)

Written by Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns

ONCE UPON A TIME...IN HOLLYWOOD

Written by Quentin Tarantino

PARASITE

Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin Won

Story by Bong Joon Ho

Logo of the Oscars courtesy of  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences





The 92nd Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 9, 2020, at the Dolby® Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
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Saturday, January 11, 2020

1917 (2020)

If there is any war film that is gripping as it is inciteful, it is this one. This war film is undoubtedly unlike any I have ever seen. It is better than any war film because of its uniqueness and realistic feel, mainly due in part by the stunning cinematography. Most other films like this also have stunning cinematography, but this film goes above and beyond by going inside the trenches of World War One.

The film is based on the tail end of the first World War and tells the story of two British soldiers who need to deliver a crucial message to a top British Military official who is near enemy lines. This film is indeed perhaps one of the greatest war films, and the stunning work of art that this film is will certainly be honored this award season.

Director of “Skyfall”, Sam Mendes, has done an extraordinary job at this retelling of a pivotal time in history. Mendes takes inspiration from his paternal grandfather who served in the war as a British soldier. Mendes can undeniably capture the essence of war so powerfully that the audience is witnessing it all makes this film even more captivating.

Partnering with Mendes once again on cinematography is acclaimed cinematographer Roger Deakins. Deakins can take audiences into the war with his stunning camera work. His one-shot technique is fantastic because this captures the atmosphere of the war and all surrounding it. I’ll say that this is without a doubt genius filmmaking.

Also reuniting with Mendes for the score is composer, Thomas Newman. Newman makes this film as gripping as possible with a score that is so upbeat and riveting in nature just like the film itself. To go along with this film, the score is as anxiety-inducing as the film itself, but in a good way.

The film's cast is predominately young, considering that this is a film in war. The two main leads George Mackay and Dean-Charles Chapman give sensational performances in this war drama. Each of them encompasses what it was like being a soldier in the war in stunning fashion and in an emotionally charged way.

This film makes the war film genre proud. Its utter sense of realism and authenticity in approach make this film more thrilling than ever. Whether you are a history buff or not, this film will educate you on one of histories most enduring wars. Sam Mendes possesses a talent that pays off in the long run as this film is one of the best, most fascinating war films of all time.
Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures













Rate: A+

 Director: Sam Mendes 

 Starring: George Mackay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden, Colin Firth and Mark Strong 
MPAA Rating: R (for violence, some disturbing images, and language) 

Runtime: 2 Hours 

Synopsis: During World War I, two British soldiers -- Lance Cpl. Schofield and Lance Cpl. Blake -- receive seemingly impossible orders. In a race against time, they must cross over into enemy territory to deliver a message that could potentially save 1,600 of their fellow comrades -- including Blake's own brother. 

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Monday, January 6, 2020

Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)

Ever since the classic 1995 Jumanji film came out, it is considered one of the best Robin Williams films. Now a reboot of the classic film has made a name for itself and rebranded into an exciting and action-packed film franchise. This franchise may no longer have the late iconic Robin Williams, but this franchise sees Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart in their comedic efforts. Following the 2017 reboot, comes a sequel that isn’t as funny but is just as action-packed as the previous film. This film does a good job at entertaining and fans of the 1995 original and the 2017 reboot will love this film, even if it isn’t as funny as the prior installment.

Director Jake Kasdan returns in this film with a fun and action-packed film. Kasdan makes this film as entertaining as the previous two films. Even though this film isn’t as funny as “Welcome to The Jungle”, it still excites. He makes the film even more action-packed than that film but it’s still a good addition to the franchise.

Returning to Jumanji are Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Nick Jonas, Karen Gillan, and Jack Black. They all return and give performances that are some of the best in any action-comedy film. Their performances are funny to the max and have a little something for everyone to enjoy. Alongside them are the younger cast, Alex Wolff, Madison Iseman, Ser’Darius Blain, and Morgan Turner. Just like the grown-up, video game avatar cast, the young cast does a great job once again at being thoroughly entertaining altogether.

The franchise also sees new faces in this film. Actors Danny DeVito, Awkwafina and Danny Glover make their franchise debut. The three do a great job at the overall humor of the film which is due in part by how they make this film even more exciting.

Like I said before, though this film isn’t nearly as funny as the 2017 installment, this film serves as another satisfying film. But, on the other hand, the action sequences are just better and more detailed than the previous film. The action sequences are also another big part of the comedic efforts here as well.

Composing the film's score is Henry Jackman. Jackman returns from the previous installment by bringing a lot more of an upbeat sound and one that is as fast-paced as the film itself. While Jackman also brings the return of the iconic drums sound from the original 1995 film. His score is as exciting as ever with this film and it makes the pace of the film flow smoothly even if the music wasn’t part of the film.

For this film is originally based off a book from the 1980s, this film would have a tough act to follow 25 years after the first film debuted. This film may not be as humorous as both of its predecessors, it delights in being another good addition to a fan-favorite series that audiences have come to love for many years.  

Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures and Sony 














Rate: B 


Director: Jake Kasdan 

 Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black and Karen Gillan

 MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for adventure action, suggestive content and some language)

 Runtime: 2 Hours and 3 Minutes 

 Synopsis: When Spencer goes back into the fantastical world of Jumanji, pals Martha, Fridge and Bethany re-enter the game to bring him home. But the game is now broken -- and fighting back. Everything the friends know about Jumanji is about to change, as they soon discover there's more obstacles and more danger to overcome.
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Monday, December 30, 2019

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

For over 40 years, it has captivated the world, cinema, and pop culture. Two trilogies and now a third one has concluded. In 2015, the “Star Wars” phenomenon returned with the third trio of films. 4 years later the third trilogy has concluded. This new trilogy was the continuation of the Skywalker story and now ends the iconic story. It may not be the best that the series has to offer, but it sure is better than 2017’s “The Last Jedi”.

Episode VIII was utterly horrendous, but this film is a much more satisfying entry into the franchise. It is a wonderful end to this third trilogy and is an exciting finale to the original story which has spanned for four decades. Episode VIII lacked severely in being a fun and entertaining film. This film was able to make up for the previous installment’s errors, in an extraordinary fashion.

Legendary director J.J Abrams returns to the series. He previously directed the first installment in this trilogy, 2015’s “The Force Awakens”. That film was a nostalgic treasure for all fans and brought us to love our favorite characters all over again. Abrams concludes this trilogy in such a way that satisfies fans and honors the late Carrie Fisher, with this being her last appearance. Through stunning visuals and your typical action sequences thrust into the film, this is another job well done for Abrams.

Returning once more are Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac. All of them give some of the best performances in this set of films. Despite the lack of narrative quality, they are still able to make the film as entertaining as it should be. This film also sees the return of iconic character Emperor Palpatine, played once again by Ian McDiarmid. He is one of the most exciting parts of the film because it brings fans to be more nostalgic than ever.

Giving his last hurrah at the iconic franchise is composer John Williams. Williams has scored every single film in the franchise minus the spin-off films and the Disney+ series. He’s been creating iconic scores for this franchise since the beginning. He returns in an epic and glorious fashion once more. He does yet another great job at creating enchanting sounds that I have no doubt will remain iconic just like the rest of his work throughout the franchise.

The time has come, and now it is here. The end of one of the cinemas' most beloved stories. This franchise phenomenon has created a mega fanbase and cult following. It will remain an iconic staple in cinema and pop culture for years to come. This film shows that this franchise will continue to remain entertaining for fans of all kinds.

Photo courtesy of Bad Robot, LucasFilm and Disney













Rate: B+ 

 Director: J.J Abrams

Starring: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, John Boyega and Oscar Isaac

 MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for sci-fi violence and action)

 Runtime: 2 Hours & 22 Minutes 
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