Snitch and Mike's Fearless Oscar Picks

My View:   Snitch (2013) PG-13   When his son is wrongfully convicted of distributing drugs, John Matthews (Dwayne Johnson) makes a deal with the Feds. He agrees to become an undercover informant and gather information on the leader (Benjamin Bratt) of a drug cartel. But, has the love for his son gotten Matthews in a situation that John and his family may not survive? This is an action movie (at least that is what the trailer made it look like) without any action. There are only three action sequences in the film, and in two of them, all Dwayne “The Rock” is doing is driving a big semi.  Not too thrilling. I mean, here is a guy that is as big as a house, and we are supposed to believe that he is just an ordinary guy, a guy that has to act meek to drug dealers. The drug dealer’s dialogue is right out of a Charles Bronson Death Wish movie from the eighties, and Benjamin Bratt’s character speaks as though he is auditioning for a remake of Scarface. Johnson is asked to act way too much in this film and action fans will be bored by the slow moving script.    My Rating: Cable    Snitch Website

Mike's Fearless Oscar Picks

The 85^th annual Academy Awards are on this Sunday, Feb. 24th. Here are my Fearless Oscar picks, along with any picks that I foresee as possible upsets:  I got 11 out of 13 right. 

Correct
Incorrect

Best Picture:    Argo     Argo has been picking up a lot of steam lately, with Ben Affleck (who is not nominated for Best Director) winning almost every major Directing award including the Golden Globes. Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg could win this.

Best Actor in a Leading Role:   Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln.     They might as well have a statue with his name on it because this is a sure thing.

Best Actress in a Leading Role:    Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook.      Lawrence was the best one of a cast where all four major roles got nominations. Emmanuelle Riva for the French film Amour could garner enough votes for her outstanding work in the film.

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:     Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook.       De Niro gave one of his best performances in recent years. Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln, stood out in a very large cast.

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:     Ann Hathaway in Les Miserables.       She wasn’t on the screen longer than ten minutes but boy, did she make an impact. Sally Field in Lincoln is always a good bet because the Academy really likes her.

Best Director:     Stephen Spielberg for Lincoln.        Spielberg is highly respected and for an historical drama, the film did extremely well at the box office. David O. Russell did a masterful job directing the cast of Silver Linings Playbook.

Best Adapted Screenplay:     Argo written by Chris Terrio

Best Original Screenplay:     Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino

Best Animated Film:      Brave

Best Foreign Language Film:      Amour

Best Documentary Feature:     Searching for Sugar Man

Best Cinematography:      Life of Pi - Claudio Miranda

Best Song:     Skyfall - Adele and Paul Epworth

Until Next Time!

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

My View:  The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (2012) After the birth of their daughter, Renesmee, Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) gather up the Cullen Vampire clan to protect their child. Irina (Maggie Grace) feels that Renesmee, whose miraculous birth, is a threat to the Volturi, so they set out to kill the child. Now the ultimate battle is about to go down. This isn’t saying much, but this is the best Twilight film. It has the usual beginning of any of the Twilight films, lots of setup with very little action, lots of corny scenes between Bella and Edward (that even my audience full of Twihard fanatics laughed at), and if you haven’t seen any of the other Twilight films, don’t start with this one as you will be completely confused. I thoroughly enjoyed the big battle sequence near the end, but there is a major flaw with this film (that I can’t discuss without giving out spoilers) that really ruined the ending for me.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee   The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 Website

My View:  Lincoln (2012) As the Civil War continues, Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) is determined to pass the 13th amendment and battles Congress as well as his own cabinet to abolish slavery. The film is only about the last few months before Lincoln’s second term is to start, so don’t expect a lot of setup from this film as it expects that you know most of the history of the Civil War and of Lincoln, himself. Daniel Day-Lewis is incredible in this performance, though it does take a little getting used to his voice, which is sort of high pitched. The rest of the cast does a remarkable job, including Sally Field as Mary Todd, David Strathairn as Secretary of State Seward and Tommy Lee Jones as Congressman Thaddeus Stevens. I really enjoyed the performances of James Spader and John Hawkes, as they try and muster votes for the amendment by just about any means possible. The film is beautifully shot, and its score fits perfectly with what we are seeing on the screen. Steven Spielberg has done a great job in capturing one of our country's  most trying times.  My Rating: Full Price   Lincoln Website

The 50 (A Movie From My Best/Worst Films of All Time)

#`13 Best Film

North By Northwest (1959) In this classic Alfred Hitchcock film, Cary Grant plays Roger Thornhill, a New York advertising executive who is mistaken for a government agent by some foreign spies. As he travels across the country, he meets a woman on a train, Eve Kendall (Eva Marie Saint), who begins to help him with his quest to find out why he has been targeted. The film contains many of the iconic Hitchcock scenes, including the crop-duster scene where Thornhill is attacked by a dusting plane, and the film concludes with a major battle on top of Mt. Rushmore between Thornhill and the bad guy. Grant is at his absolute best, and there is a great deal of chemistry between him and Eva Marie Saint.   My Rating: I Would Pay To See it Again   North by Northwest Info

Forgotten Film:  Silver Streak (1976) A mild-mannered book editor (Gene Wilder) takes a cross country train trip. While on the train, he thinks he sees a murder committed, but there isn’t any evidence and no one believes him. He decides to investigate on his own and becomes the next target of the killer. This is a very funny film with superb performances by Wilder and, in a smaller role, Richard Pryor. Jill Clayburgh plays the romantic interest of Wilder, and their meeting on the train is one of my favorite romantic/flirting scenes between two leads in all of movies. The dialogue in this film is witty and fast, and while some of the comedy is a little over the top, it still makes for a highly enjoyable film.   My Rating: Full Price  Silver Streak Info

In Case You Missed it (A Film Just Released on DVD):  Arthur Christmas (2011) I liked this animated film about Santa, who is getting ready to retire, and his two sons, one of which will follow in his footsteps. The humor in the film plays to both adults and kids, and the storyline is perfect for the holidays.  My Rating: Full Price   Arthur Christmas Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Lincoln: Facial Hair Artist

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  Zero Dark Thirty (2012) Oscar winning director Kathryn Bigelow brings to the screen the story of the hunt for Osama bin Laden and his eventual death by SEAL Team 6. Chris Pratt, Jessica Chastain and Joel Edgerton fill out the cast on this highly anticipated film.   Zero Dark Thirty Website

Until Next Time!