Inglorious Basterds

Inglorious Basterds

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Year: 2009

Country: USA

If you've seen other Tarantino films (such as Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs or Kill Bill) you know what you're in for if you're planning to see Inglorious Basterds... in a way. I say "in a way" because you'll know you are in for violence, long crude dialogues and some dark humor. But also you won't know exactly what you're in for. You can try and guess, but the picture you'll get is probably very different from what the movie really is about. The film is different from any other war film you've seen before, and who else but Tarantino to deliver such film?

Inglorious Basterds is the story of a group of American Jewish soldiers known as the Inglorious Basterds, lead by Lieutenant Aldo Raine, played by Brad Pitt. These soldiers go around murdering and scalping Nazi soldiers. As the story developes, two plans to end with the German Nazi German reign, one nexecuted by the Basterds, and another executed by a cinema owner, played by Melanie Laurent, who plans on avenging her family who was murdered by the Nazis a few years before.

Probably my plot description isn't the best. Anyway, the film is a very good and interesting, not to mention fun, piece to watch. As you know, Tarantino is known for long but sharp dialogues in his films, and this one is no different. While some of the dialogues may seem way too long at times, they are very well written. The action throughout is very interesting and original, and the story is too. Have you ever seen something like this before? Maybe, but not exactly this way. You've pobably seen a group of people murdering Nazi soldiers, but in those movies you won't see them calping the Nazis. Anyway, the characters are also very well written and developed. Colonel Hans Landa is probably the most memorable villain of the year. "That's a Bingo!"

Performance-wise the film is excellent as well. Christophe Waltz plays the main villain, Landa. His performance is top notch. He embodies his character in every possible way, bringing Hans Landa to life. His performance had him even speaking four different languages (English, German, French and Italian) and he is very good in all of them. Brad Pitt's performance is pretty good too as the man in front of the Basterds. He is funny, he is vulgar, he is outspoken, he is cocky. He is all of this and heis very believable at it. Melanie Laurent and Diane Krueger are the two lead women in the film. Both of them deliver very good and believable performances, especially Laurent. You can see it in her that she truly wants revenge.

Tarantino's direction is great too, but that is no surprise. He does a very good job with his actors, guiding them in what they have to do. His vision of the film is what makes it. Bloody and comic, just like his other films, his vision of Inglorious Basterds completes the film. I think that nobody else would hve been able to bring his script into the screen. If somebody else had done it then we would have a much different end result, and it wouldn't have been as good as it actually is. His style is written all over it, now imagine if somebody else had done it. He is the only one who could have pulled it through.

Tarantino' 2009 film Inglorious Basterds is a very interesting ride to take. It is unique and original, with excellent characters, played very well by its cast, and great dialogues. It has Tarantino's mark all over it, so nobody else could have done it.

My recommendation: You should go and see it, but a little warning it is not for everybody. So if you are weak to the stomach probably you shouldn't see it :)

My score: 87%

Trailer 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sQhTVz5IjQ

Trailer 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOMKloOEKcU

Game of Thrones: HBO's New Series

Game of Thrones
Based on the Series by George R. R. Martin "A Song of Ice and Fire"
HBO

HBO's new series "Game of Thrones" premiered last sunday. The series for those who don't know is based on a series of seven books by American author George R. R. Martin. The first season will be based on the first book of the series "A Game of Thrones". This will be a fantasy series, but nothig like you've seen on TV before. As Martin himself puts it, this is fantasy for adults. While the likes of Lord of the Rings focused on magic and was clear battle of good vs evil, in Game of Thrones its approach is different. It doesn't spend a lot of attention on magic, and the conflicts aren't good vs evil either. It is a mature approach on the fantasy genre.

The pilot episode was nothing short from breathtaking. It was a mere glimpse into what is yet to come.

For the technical parts, Game of Thrones deserves a very special mentioning. The set decoration and art direction is outstanding. The settings of the series are amazingly realistic and very well designed. The costumes are also a very good work, what helps the viewer be transported into the world of Westeros. The music is also a very good accomplishment. The cinematography was also very well made, and it made the show feel like it was an actual movie.

In terms of story, Game of Thrones brings nothing but promise. As it was ony a pilot we don't get the full story of course, but what we've got so far was pretty good and gets our hopes up for the rest of it. From the opening scene with that heavy gate opening to the shocking and unsettling closure, the whole time we get sucked into this world. This simple beginning brings to our mind the possibility of fights over power and even maybe a war. It also make us think that treachery or love and hate or feelings as such may play a part in what is to come.

The acting was another fantastic element to the show. Theparts were perfectly casted and the characters fulfill their jobs. Sean Bean, who plays Eddard Stark, makes a very good first impression as to what could be one of the most memorable TV performances of the last few years. (But remember, I said "possibly", so if something goes wrong, and I'm not saying it will, please don't judge me). Lena Heady's performance was also excellently played, and the feeling she inspires in you is the on you're supposed to feel. Nikolaj Coster Waldau also did a very good job in his cocky and arrogant role. Emilia Clarke's character and performance are probably the most sad and sympathy-inspiring ones, and her brother (played by Harry Lloyd) is just a heartless wimp who anyone would want to drive a stake through his heart. The kid actors, Maisie Williams and Isaac Hempstead-Wright, deserve a mentioning too as they were also very good in their parts.

What I think that people will have the most trouble with is the show's level of sex and violence. Personally, I didn't have a problem with that, safe maybe for the shocking revelation at the end which I thought could be a little too much for TV. But what I hear most people compain about is that this series is too violent and has too much sex. For my part I disagree, in the episode there weren't really many violent or sexual scenes. A couple, yes, but not many. The problem really is that it was a little too graphic with what it showed. But hey, if it is there it is for a reason. I haven't read the books but for what I understand sex is an important aspect as women use it as weapon and its a weakness in men, or something like that, and I guess that its graphic violence is there because they didn't want to restrain its nature.

If you want to watch HBO's new series Game of Thrones then my advice is to go ahead, that is if you're not easily offended by controversial subjects, sex and violence. It is a very well done series, almost cinematic, with an excellent cast and great story and characters, not to mention its settings, costumes, cinematography and music. So, HBO's Game of Thrones is a very worthy television accomplishment. Before, I thought Boardwalk Empire was the best new thing this season, but Game of Thrones can give it a hard battle. Maybe this year we'll finally have an interesting Emmy race....

I'm Back.... I'll try at least

After a little hiatus I've decided it is time to get back to Blogger and RT. I'm sorry for having such a prolonged absense and that I did not give any sort of warning, and also I'm very sorry I could not go through everyone's messages before I took this short break. On the other hand, I'm pretty happy to be back to this wonderful film-loving community :)
Now, I think I'll be doing a few changes around my blog, maybe. I think I'll focus on books and TV alot more than before, but of course I won't take my attention off films. I can't promise I'll get through everything around here, but I'll do my best. Also, I won't be able to be posting or reviewing as much as I would like to, becaue I've been busy as hell lately, and that's part of what took me off the site for so long.

So, I hope that you've all wached some good movies and kept me as a friend, because I certainly would like to share a lot of these stuff with you guys :)

RT and Blogger: Just an offer I couldn't refuse....

Oscars: Final Predictions and Analysis Before the Ceremony

Oscars:

Final Predictions and Analysis Before the Ceremony

February 27th. W all know what day is today. The day the award season ends with the biggest award ceremony of the year. Tonight are the Oscars. Sadly, due to the amount of praise films receive by critics and other awards ceremonies, the Oscars become highly predictable. But this year, despite some predictability in hand too, might be one of the toughest to predict. What first seemed crystal clear has become muddy and hard to see through. So I'll make one last humble attempt at trying to predict the big awards. Ok, here we go:

Best Adapted Screenplay:

While many great and worthy films are in competition this year, the Adapted Screenplay category seems to be reduced to just one film since the beginning, and that is The Social Network. Aaron Sorkin's screenplay didn't just receive great praise, but it received as much praise as the film itself. Also, the fact that it was adapted from a true story, and not just a true story but the true story behind one of the biggest phenomenas of today, might give credit to the film.

Best Original Screenplay:

This might be a little harder to predict. The film I would have liked to win wasn't even nominated (and it wasn't the first time), Black Swan. So, without Black Swan out of the way the award has been narrowed into two possible winners: Inception vs The King's Speech. Personally, I would like The Kids Are All Right to win, but it is clear it will be between these two. Now, Inception was mindbending and complex, all which can help it win the award, but I think the Academy will lean towards The King's Speech. The film has Oscar written all over it.

Best Supporting Actor:

The Best Supporting Actor race is narrowed once again into two: Christian Bale for The Fighter vs Geoffrey Rush for The King's Speech. Rush just won the BAFTA, but Bale hhas already won a Golden Globe, an SAG and a Critic's Choice, so I think Bale's a much safer choice. Now, both of these actors were fantastic in the film, and I personally prefer Bale, but the aggressive campaign The King's Speech has been leading for the last couple of months mgith benefit Rush.

Best Supporting Actress:

Ask me a few months ago and I would tell you without hesitation that Melissa Leo is all in for the award. But recent events indicate that she might not be the Academy's first choice, and instead they'll go for Hailee Steinfeld for True Grit. Between these two women I personally prefer Melissa Leo (her performance being one of the high aspects of the film), but most people seem to prefer Hailee Steinfeld. And many Academy members wanted her in the Best Actress race rathe than Best Supporting, so it is possible that these people will vote for her in this cetegory. Its a tough call, but it seems that Steinfeld is closely leading the competition.

Best Actor:

Probably the easiest category to guess of the year, the Award will go to the stammering King George VI, played magnificently by Colin Firth. Firth's performance is more than simple acting, its heartbreaking and inspiring, and that is something people love. And while Bardem won at Cannes, it is very unlikily he'll win here. (Sorry, friend-o)

Best Actress:

Its easy to guess who will win, but recently another competitor has risen. The race was being led by Natalie Portman's incredible performance in Black Swan, while Annette Beining seemed to have been dormant, but her campaign seems to be working, for she's won already the Hollywood Award, the London Film Critics Award, Women Film Critics Circle, and the New York Film Critics Circle among others. Yet, I think the award will still be taken by Portman.

Best Director:

I think this one isn't very hard to guess. Despite Tom Hooper winning the Director's Guild Awards, David Fincher seems to be the one most likely to win. He deserves the award, and due that he ahs already won the Golden Globe, the Critic's Choice and the BAFTA, I think it is pretty clear who will win.

Best Picture:

Now, here's the tough one. Before, I had for granted that The Social Network would win the award. It had won almost all the awards, including the Golden Globes and the Critic's Choice. But recently The King's Speech seems to be the one who will most likely take the award. With a BAFTA, a Director's Guild and Producer's Guild won, the odds are in favor for The King's Speech. I would like The Social Network to win, but it is a really tough call. The King's Speech seems to be more Oscar material than The Social Network, but Network is the big movie about the current generation. It is not like last year when the race was between Avatar (a film that, despite what people said, the Academy would never go with) and The Hurt Locker, which was the safest option. This year we have to very good and strong contending films. I don't know how it will turn out, but people think it will be The King's Speech who takes the award.

How accurate my predictions were? We'll find out tonight ;) Thanks for reading

The Wrong Man (1956) Review

The Wrong Man

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Year: 1956

Country: USA

Master of horror and suspense Alfred Hitchcock has done it again. He has created another intoxicating ride, full of twists and turns that will keep the audience on the edge of their seat. This time, unusual for a Hithcock film, he bases his story in a real life incident, but that doesn't mean it isn't as exciting as his other ficitional work is, because we have in here a very good addition to the epic filmography of one of the best directors who has ever lived.

Henry Fonda stars as Christopher Emannuel "Manny" Balestrero, a common man who works as a musician in the Stork Club in New York City. He isn't the wealthiest man in the world, in fact he's been running through some economic difficulties, but he always tries to follow the path of good. When his wife, Rose, has some dental troubles, Manny goes to the insurance office to borrow some money. But there the people recognize him as the man who had previously assaulted the place. The police is called and Manny is arrested. Witnesses recognize him as the man who has previously assaulted several stores, and Manny is cited to trial. With the help of his family and his attorney, Manny will have to try to prove his innocence, even if no one believes him, even if every circumstance seems to be against him.

Before Psycho, Vertigo or North by Northwest, Hitchcock still had a good run of great and chilling movies. Who can forget Rear Window, something close to a masterpiece, an account of mystery and suspicion. Or Shadow of a Doubt, one of Hitchcock's best early American films. And of course, The 39 Steps, a British spionage thriller with an unaware man implicated in international conspiracy. And then we have this, The Wrong Man, a tale of innocence and justice, a legal thriller dealing with themes of mistaken identity. Hitchcock certainly knew what he was doing when he did this.

The film's cast is all around wonderful. With stars of the caliber of Henry Fonda, Anthony Quayle and Vera Miles you know the performances will be great. Fonda, as usual, steals the show, completely imporsonating that man, innocent but being judged as guilty. He fully reflects the man's concerns and preoccupations. You can see on his expression how he's worried about his family and about his own well being too. Anthony Quayle, also, delivers a pretty strong performance as Manny's lawyer. You can believe the man's a lawyer, he seems to know what he is talking about. And Vera Miles is excellent as Manny's wife. Her concern, her guilt and her eventual madness is very clearly expressed by this wonderful actress.

There is no need to mention the great direction, but I will anyway. Of course, Hitchcock's direction is top notch. He captures the character's feelings to perfection, he can set an excellent thrilling mood and he can certainly get the audience to the edge of their seat. He leads all their actors to their great performances. And who can forget the cameo? In this film, as in most of his others, Hitchcock has a cameo apperance, but this one might be the most easier to spot. And why is that? Because he is the first person to appear on screen, he even says his name. He serves as an introductor to the film, and this cameo might be his most unforgettable one.

But the film isn't perfect. The screenplay is very well written, balancing character and suspense. In spite of this, there were moments that it didn't seem to know where it was going, as if the screenwriters got stuck in one part or another. It wasn't anything serious, but it did seem a little bit unfocused. Also, the film lacks the punch of other superior Hitchcock films, like Vertigo or Psycho. And there were a few characters who could have used a little more developing. But overall, the screenplay was fairly good, despite a few minor issues.

Hitchcock is a master of suspense. His thrillers have captured the audience and kept them guessing until the end. And this film is no different. Full of great performances, moody direction, interesting characters and a satisfying story, this is a film to rememeber. And while it might not be one of his greatests, and it may seem out of focus at one or two scenes, the film promises to satisfy the viewer.

My recommendation: Go see it, especially if you're a Hitchcock fan.

My score: 83%

The CACB Movie Awards

The CACB Movie Awards

As many of you have already done, I decided to create my own movie awards. I decided to expand my categories up to 10, with a few exceptions having less. Please note: I haven't watched every film nominated in the Foreign Language category, so I had to complete with the Academy Award nominees and the Cannes winners.

Best Picture:
The Social Network *
Inception
Black Swan
True Grit
The King's Speech
127 Hours
Shutter Island
The Town
The Ghost Writer
Toy Story 3

Best Director:
David Fincher - The Social Network *
Christopher Nolan - Inception
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
Joel and Ethan Coen - True Grit
Danny Boyle - 127 Hours
Martin Scorsese - Shutter Island
Roman Polanski - The Ghost Writer
Debra Granik - Winter's Bone
David Michod - Animal Kingdom
Ben Affleck - The Town

Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges - True Grit
Leonardo DiCaprio - Shutter Island
Leonardo DiCaprio - Inception
Ewan McGregor - The Ghost Writer
Javier Bardem - Biutiful
James Franco - 127 Hours
Colin Firth - The King's Speech *
Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network
Ryan Gosling - Blue Valentine
George Clooney - The American

Best Actress:
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Julianne Moore - The Kids Are All Right
Noomi Rapace - The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Tilda Swinton - I Am Love
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine
Natalie Portman - Black Swan *
Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Rebecca Hall - The Town
Chloe Grace Moretz - Let Me In

Best Supporting Actor:
Jeremy Renner - The Town
Christian Bale - The Fighter *
Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech
Guy Pearce - Animal Kingdom
John Hawkes - Winter's Bone
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right
Andrew Garfield - The Social Network
Justin Timberblake - The Social Network
Matt Damon - True Grit
Ben Kingsley - Shutter Island

Best Supporting Actress:
Mila Kunis - Black Swan
Barabara Hershey - Black Swan
Chloe Grace Moretz - Kick Ass
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom
Lesley Manville - Another Year
Marion Cotillard - Inception
Amy Adams - The Fighter
Melissa Leo - The Fighter *
Helena Boham Carter - The King's Speech
Olivia Williams - The Ghost Writer

Best Original Screenplay:
Biutiful
Black Swan *
Inception
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
Animal Kingdom
Another Year
Blue Valentine
The Illusionist

Best Adapted Screenplay:
The Ghost Writer
The American
Shutter Island
127 Hours
The Town
Winter's Bone
Toy Story 3
The Social Network *
True Grit
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Best Foreign Language Film:
Even the Rain (Spain)
Biutiful (Mexico) *
Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Thailand)
Of Gods and Men (France)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Sweden)
Dogtooth (Greece)
In a Better World (Denmark)
Outside the Law (Algerie)
I Am Love (Italy)
Madeo (Korea)

Best Animated Feature:
Toy Story 3 *
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Tangled
Despicable Me
Chico and Rita
Megamind

Best Documentary:
Inside Job
Restrepo
Waiting for Superman
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Exit Through the Gift Shop *

*: Winner

Thank you for your time :)

Stephen King's Carrie, Review

Carrie

Stephen King

Stephen King is one of my favorite American authors. What makes him repellent to some is appealing to many like me. We enjoy a good horror/thriller story that gets our attention and keeps us reading. His characterization is very good, in every novel or short story he writes he spends time crafting his characters, bringing them to life. Anyway, Carrie, his first published novel, is no different. Its characters are passionately written, the plot keeps us glued to the book and it also has a very important theme on the background.

Carrie White's mother is a religious fanatic. She doesn't let her express herself, she doesn't let her have friends or meet boys, she didn't even tells her about puberty and what is menstruation. Even women's breasts she describes as "dirty pillows", and say that they grow only on bad girls. As a punishment for any kind of tresspass against the Lord, her mother will lock her inside a closet for hours, making her pray. But her torture doesn't end here, as in school is probably worst. She's the butt of every joke, has no friends and everybody believes she's weird or ugly or crazy or stupid or something along those lines. But Carrie carries the hidden talent of Telekinesis. As her prom approaches, her powers begin to develop, and when a final prank (much more crueller than most) is delivered, the whole town will have to pay for the kids' mistakes and cruelty.

Carrie comes close to what I believe is King's masterpiece, The Shining. While The Shining is still superior, Carrie comes near the top of the books I've read from the master of horror. In it, we can see the suffering Carrie has to endure, we can feel it ourselves. We see it both from her perspective and the other kids' perspectives, as well as outsider's perspective on the matter written as books, interviews, analyses, thesis, etc on the subject of telekinesis and Carrie White.

Carrie is plainly disturbing. First is the strong and cruel bullying she has to go through. Much like in Let the Right One In (read review here http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/690522/blogs/?id=675207), the main character faces bullying every day, and at the end this helps to create a very violent scenario throughout the novel. The novel carries the strong message of no discrimination or bullying, and the consequences it may bring. While it is clear that in real life a kid may not whipe a whole town because he was bullied, he still may commit serious acts that nobody really wants.

The other disturbing part comes from the mother. A strong and crazy religious fanatic, her beliefs helped in making Carrie weak and resentful. I think that most of what happened to her came from her moher's discipline. She probably would never have flipped if her mother wouldn't have been so much of a wackho.

The novel both entertains and disturbs at the same time. Its simple but intriguing plot makes the reader keep reading, and King's ingenious style helps it on this subject. His characters are all well thought out. Carrie and her mother are, of course, the one he dedicates more time to, and the end result is a terrific and terrifying combination of scared daughter and crazy mother. For the other players, he spends a good time developing the characters of Sue Snell and Chris Hargensen, Carrie's schoolmates, who spend much time making her pranks. These two characters also represent opposite sides: one feeling guilty, the other feeling she needs for Carrie to suffer even more; one mature, the other completely childish; one desiring redemption, the other desiring revenge.

Due to King's narrative, a thrilling and keep-reading plot, ingenius characterization and profound themes in its background, Carrie is a, slightly-underrated, gem. Many may criticize it, but at the end it is a very important piece of horror literature. A definite recommendation for horror fans, psychological-thrillers fans and, of course, Stephen King fans. His first novel is definitely one of his bests.

The 83rd Academy Awards Nominations

The 83rd Academy Awards Nominations

What we have all been waiting for, what we have all tried to guess and predict about, what we've been trying to figure out probably since last year's ceremony are finally here: the nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards have been announced. And while this is obviously not as exciting or interesting as the cermony itself, we (or at least I do) get a kick from watching this nominations. This year, the year which could have been the most predictable of all, has come with a few surprises, but yet nothing really breathtaking. So here is the list of the nominations for this year's Oscars and my thoughts on them:

Best Picture:

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone
These films were all predicted to be nominated for this award. Before today, I thougt The Town would make the list, but apparently it didn't convince the Academy members.
Who I Want to Win: The Social Network
Who Should Win: The Social Network
Who Will Win: The Social Network or The King's Speech

Best Director:

Darren Aronofsky – Black Swan
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen – True Grit
David Fincher – The Social Network
Tom Hooper – The King's Speech
David O. Russell – The Fighter
Its a surprise not to see Nolan in here, but we have all gone through this before. Also, I was expecting to see Danny Boyle in here, but apparently they liked better The Fighter or True Grit
Who I Want to Win: David Fincher - The Social Network
Who Should Win: David Fincher - The Social Network
Who Will Win: David Fincher - The Social Network

Best Actor:

Javier Bardem – Biutiful as Uxbal
Jeff Bridges – True Grit as Rooster Cogburn
Jesse Eisenberg – The Social Network as Mark Zuckerberg
Colin Firth – The King's Speech as King George VI
James Franco – 127 Hours as Aron Ralston
This is the best Best Actor nominations I've seen so far. I was hoping that Javier Bardem would get in, and he did in here.
Who I Want to Win: Colin Firth - The King's Speech or Javier Bardem - Biutiful
Who Should Win: Colin Firth - The King's Speech
Who Will Win: Colin Firth - The King's Speech

Best Actress:

Annette Bening – The Kids Are All Right as Nic
Nicole Kidman – Rabbit Hole as Becca Corbett
Jennifer Lawrence – Winter's Bone as Ree Dolly
Natalie Portman – Black Swan as Nina Sayers
Michelle Williams – Blue Valentine as Cindy
Even at this stage I was hoping to see Tilda Swinton or Julianne Moore or even Noomi Rapace here, but they did just what was expected. Anyway, this are fair good nominations but the win isn't very hard to guess.
Who I Want to Win: Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Who Should Win: Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Who Will Win: Natalie Portman - Black Swan

Best Supporting Actor:

Christian Bale – The Fighter as Dicky Eklund
John Hawkes – Winter's Bone as Teardrop
Jeremy Renner – The Town as James "Gem" Coughlin
Mark Ruffalo – The Kids Are All Right as Paul
Geoffrey Rush – The King's Speech as Lionel Logue
Andrew Garfield was (sadly) left out from this category, but other than that this are fairly good nominations.
Who I Want to Win: Christian Bale - The Fighter or Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech
Who Should Win: Christian Bale - The Fighter or Geoffrey Rush - The King's Speech
Who Will Win: Christian Bale - The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress:

Amy Adams – The Fighter as Charlene Fleming
Helena Bonham Carter – The King's Speech as Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Melissa Leo – The Fighter as Alice Ward
Hailee Steinfeld – True Grit as Mattie Ross
Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom as Janine "Smurf" Cody
Hailee Steinfeld made the list, meaning that another strong contender (probably Mila Kunis) was left out. It is possible that her performance was great, but I didn't see her in the Oscar race. Pleasantly, I was wrong.
Who I Want to Win: Amy Adams - The Fighter
Who Should Win: Melissa Leo - The Fighter
Who Will Win: Melissa Leo - The Fighter

Best Original Screenplay:

Another Year – Mike Leigh
The Fighter – Scott Silver, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson
Inception – Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right – Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg
The King's Speech – David Seidler
This is an interesting race. But Black Swan, which deserves the award, wasn't even nominated here. Damn you Academy!
Who I Want to Win: Black Swan * or The Kids Are All Right
Who Should Win: Black Swan *, then Inception or The Kids Are All Right should win out of the nominations
Who Will Win: The King's Speech

Best Adapted Screenplay:

127 Hours – Danny Boyle and Simon Beaufoy from Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston
The Social Network – Aaron Sorkin from The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich
Toy Story 3 – Michael Arndt, John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich; characters based on Toy Story and Toy Story 2
True Grit – Joel Coen and Ethan Coen from True Grit by Charles Portis
Winter's Bone – Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini from Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell
I was hoping to see The Town or The Ghost Writer, but I can live with these ones.
Who I Want to Win: The Social Network
Who Should Win: The Social Network
Who Will Win: The Social Network

Best Animated Feature:

How to Train Your Dragon – Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
The Illusionist – Sylvain Chomet
Toy Story 3 – Lee Unkrich
A five nominees race would have been better, considering that there were already more than five competing for one spot. I would have liked to see Tangled in here particularly, from the other possible nominees.
Who I Want to Win: Toy Story 3
Who Should Win: Toy Story 3
Who Will Win: Toy Story 3

Best Foreign Language Film:

Biutiful (Mexico) in Spanish and English – Alejandro González Iñárritu
Dogtooth (Greece) in Greek – Yorgos Lanthimos
In a Better World (Denmark) in Danish, Swedish and English – Susanne Bier
Incendies (Canada) in French and Arabic – Denis Villeneuve
Outside the Law (Algeria) in Arabic and French – Rachid Bouchareb This is probably the hardest one to choose. I was surprised not to see Of Gods and Men or Uncle Boonmee here. I would have also liked to see Even the Rain.
Who I Want to Win: Biutiful
Who Should Win: Biutiful
Who Will Win: Biutiful or In A Better World

Best Documentary Feature:

Exit Through the Gift Shop – Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz
Gasland – Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
Inside Job – Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
Restrepo – Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
Waste Land – Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley
I thought that Waiting for Superman was going to be, but it wasn't even nominated...
Who I Want to Win: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Who Should Win: Exit Through the Gift Shop or Restrepo (?)
Who Will Win: Restrepo

So these are my thoughts and predictions on the Academy Awards based on the nominations. Please leave a comment saying what you think. Thank you for your time

Top 20 Films of 2010

Top 20 Films of 2010

I've watched a few new films so I have finally completed a top 20. Here is my updated version of the best films of 2010:

20. Tangled

19. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

18. Shutter Island

17. How to TrainYour Dragon

16. The American

15. The Ghost Writer

14. Madeo

13. The Fighter

12. The Town

11. Exit Through the Gift Shop

10. The Kids Are All Right

9. Winter's Bone

8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

7. 127 Hours

6. ToyStory 3

5. True Grit

4. Inception

3. The King's Speech

2. Black Swan

...1....

The Social Network

There are still a couple of films I have to see yet, so there may still be a new top 25 or 30. Thank you for your attention

The Western Remake

The Western Remake

In a world where the Hollywood execs have very little imagination and very big thirst for money is common to get remakes often, and almost all of the time the remakes are much worse than the original and generally don't work by themselves. Yesterday I watched the original True Grit for the first time, and, oddly, I thought the remake was better. But this is not the same time I think a new version is better than the original, as a couple of months ag I saw the original 3:10 to Yuma back to back with the 2007 version and I liked once again the remake. What got me thinking, how is it that most of the time the remakes suck but with Westerns they seem to work better than your common remake, many times even better than the original. I don't know, maybe it is a coincidence, but I think this have been the only two remakes which I have enjoyed better than the original film.

I'll offer short reviews for this four films, some facts I have found on the internet and then I'll draw my own conclusions:

True Grit (1969/2010)

The original True Grit was released in 1969 and starred John Wayne as Rooster Cogburn, Kim Darby as Mattie Ross and Glen Campbell as LaBoeuf. The 2010 version was directed by the Coen Brothers and starred Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn, Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie Ross and Matt Damon as LaBoeuf. And while the first one was quite good and entertaining, I think, and I know I'm probably risking my neck here, that the remake was better. John Wayne is one of my favorite actors and True Grit gave him his only Academy Award, but I think Jeff Bridges was better as U.S Marshall Rooster Cogburn. Wayne's performance was more likeable and less rude, but that isn't how Marshall Cogburn is supposed to be. He's supposed to be loud, rough and probably detestable. Also, I prefer Mattie Ross than Kim Darby. Kim Darby's performance I found rather poor, while she doesn't fit to play the strong and brave Mattie Ross, not to mention that she was 22 while playing a 14 year old. Aside of that, the original cast was as good or better than the remake. I prefer Robert Duvall than Barry Pepper, but I prefer Josh Brolin over Jeff Cohey, while Matt Damon and Glen Campbell might be tied in my book.

I've heard people call the remake an exact copy of the original. While not entirely truth, I think that the remake followed the original way to closely. It follows the same structure, almost all the same dialogue, only a few events were changed but nothing really big. However, with many of the events depicted in both films some were better shot in the remake than the original.

The music and cinematogaphy of the remake were superior to the original, but the original still has many dialogues better than the remake. ('Quincey: His lower lip? What were you aiming at?; Cogburn: His upper lip', one of my favorite lines in the movie).

3:10 to Yuma (1957/2007)

Unlike True Grit, here which film is superior is pretty clear: the 2007 remake. The original had decent performances but nothing memorable, while the remake the performances were outstanding all around, especially fom both leads Christian Bale and Russel Crowe. The characters in the remake have more depth and development, and many situations that happen in the remake are much more exciting and interesting than the original.

The original was good, only the remake was better.

Other Remakes

I have been investigating a little about this, and as it turns out there have been other Western Remakes that -apparently- beat the original:

-Ned Kelly (2003), remake of the 1970 film.

-El Dorado (1967), a remake of Rio Bravo, though not exactly better it still did very good justice to the film according to the critics and fans.

-The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968), remake of Paleface.

To tell the truth, I haven't seen any of this remakes, but according to what I have found out, they are equally good or even better than the first ones. And the list doesn't end here, there are a few other remakes which, while not better than the first one, still were good enough to ride by themselves:

-Stagecoach (1966), a remake of the 1939 John Wayne film

-High Noon (2000), a TV version of the 1962 film starring Gary Cooper

-Destry Rises Again (1939), a spoof on the 1932 film of the samme name

So it seems that there is something with remaking Westerns that the new versions seem to escape the Remake curse. Now, don't get me wrong, I still don't like Remakes and would completely hate if I heard we would be having remakes of The Searchers, Winchester 73, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, or (God forbid) The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. What I am trying to say is that many of the western remakes aren't as bad as other remakes are. These are just thoughts I've been having that I wanted to share with you, I am not trying to prove or test anything. So what do you think?