Jill's Film Pops

Sigh...

2010-04-02T19:19:00.001-07:00

I really need to post regularly in here. For that I apologize! I really will try this time to stick to at least one new post a week. I can for sure do at least two a month. Looking forward to getting back into this! :)

Oscars Hosts: Disaster Waiting to Happen?

2009-11-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

Your hosts for the 2010 Oscars. Good or bad choice? Credit: Entertainment Weekly

The hosts for the 2010 Academy Awards have been announced and they are Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin. Personally, I'm not happy with this decision for the Oscars host, which in this case is hosts. First off, Alec Baldwin has not hosted any major awards events or galas that have a large public viewing audience. The only thing he's very well known for is his show 30 Rock and he has a very dry sense of humor. Combine that with seasoned Steve Martin and his extroverted humor and it doesn't look like a good recipe. Furthermore, having more than one host has yet to prove to be a good thing. Take for example the 2008 Emmy Awards where the show was hosted by 5 of the top reality show hosts. The awards show turned into an incredibly dull an boring event that could not end soon enough. Even though being the host for the Oscars is probably one of the most thankless jobs in Hollywood, the Academy should not have selected more than one person to be the host. They should have just stuck with Steve Martin, who is seasoned, well known and liked, and done without Alec Baldwin all together. I'm not even happy with the selection of Steve Martin as he hasn't had any good recent releases lately in Hollywood and has not done anything very major in the last few years except for the atrocious and unnecessary Pink Panther 2. If the Academy had really wanted to do well, they would have tried to woo someone with experience, great humor, and universal appeal. Such hosts that would have been much better than those selected include Neil Patrick Harris who could have done the Oscars and completed a Grand Slam of sorts of hosting duties, Hugh Jackman could come back as he was an excellent host, Stephen Colbert, James Roday of Psych, or even Jack Nicholson. Sadly, I'm not a member of the Academy or the committee that selects the host, so we'll all just have to wait and see if these hosts can pull of hosting the biggest awards show of the season.

Law Abiding Citizen Review

2009-11-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

Law Abiding Citizen is, quite simply put, a film about revenge gone too far. The film tells the story of a man named Clyde Shelton who has lost his wife and young daughter in a violent home invasion. When his lawyer, Nick Rice played by Jamie Foxx, takes a deal with one of the attackers named Darby in exchange for the conviction and death row sentencing of his accomplice, Butler's character unwinds. Darby was the one who stabbed both Shelton's wife and child, not the accomplice, which explains why he cannot understand why justice is being served to Darby. The film fast forwards to 10 years later, a large amount of time that I found surprising, and shows the execution of Darby's accomplice, which turns into an excruciating affair with him after it turns out someone has tampered with the lethal injection system. From there, the revenge just gets worse, but stays amazingly intelligent throughout.

Nick Rice (Foxx) interrogates Clyde Shelton (Butler) about his plans for revenge. Credit: Overture Films

This film really shows just how insane Gerard Butler's character has gone from not seeing justice served to those who destroyed his family, but it also shows just how incredibly intelligent his character is. The pacing is good and fast, the characters however are your average cliches, except for Butler's of course who gives a masterful performance. Foxx plays the lawyer who works too hard and is too focused on moving up the career ladder rather than serving justice to those who deserve it. The lesson Butler's character is trying to teach Foxx's is that murderers deserve justice to be handed to them. The mechanisms that Butler uses to exact his revenge on those he believes has wronged them are original, and also somewhat unnerving. The twist in at the end of the movie, although somewhat unbelievable, is satisfying and makes for a great ending.

If you're looking for a fall action flick, take this one up. Not only does it have enough action and shock moments, it also teaches some good moral lessons too. Including that revenge is not always the path to take, especially when one takes revenge too far. Final Grade: B

Paranormal Activity

2009-10-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

Last night I went and saw the much hyped Paranormal Activity with my best friend. I did try to talk her out of seeing it a multitude of times as I myself really wasn't sure if I could handle this movie. I've already stated how much I dislike horror, and this seemed to fit right in that category based on what the media and viewers were saying. However, I failed as there wasn't much else in terms of movies worth seeing and she was pretty much dead set on seeing this one. We went and saw it, and I'll say that I wasn't disappointed. I actually thoroughly enjoyed it, much more so than my friend who was completely freaked out by it thus causing many of my giggling fits.

In the film, the main characters Katie and Micah are haunted by a demon whose disturbances continually grow and get worse over the course of the film. Credit: Blumhouse Productions

The main premise of this film is that the main characters, Micah and Katie, live together in suburban San Diego and Katie has been complaining of small paranormal occurrences throughout the house that mainly occur at night. Her boyfriend decides to purchase a nice video camera and film everything that occurs within the house. He even sets it up on a tripod facing their bed and bedroom entry way when they sleep at night. What he captures are the small occurrences that Katie has been complaining about. After a visit from a psychic, Katie divulges that she believes she has been haunted by a demon intermittenly ever since she was 8 years old. The psychic refers them to a demonologist, informs them that the demon feeds off of negative energy, and concurs that the demon is probably after Katie herself since it never goes away no matter where she goes. However, her boyfriend, Micah, refuses to let her call in the demonologist as he feels that he can take care of the problem himself and "protect his girl". This backfires of course as his lack of disrespect towards the demon and Katie's wishes leads to their continual arguments, and thus an increase in negative energy which leads to more violent occurrences that even start to happen during the day.

I won't spoil what happens or how the movie ends as the fact that you don't know what is going to happen is a main contributing factor as to why this movie is so good and original. It feeds into your primal fear of not knowing what will happen or when and the feeling of vulnerability when you go to sleep. I will say that the part that freaked me out the most was what occurred the night before the last night shown in the film. The ending of the film is pretty creepy too and will definitely stay with you for a while. This movie certainly works its magic though and does not disappoint, however it is a movie that you can only see once as it won't have the same effect on you again. Furthermore, this movie is definitely best seen in a dark theater with an audience of strangers. The tension in the theater is unreal, especially when the deep bass sound is present that signifies the presence of the demon. It certainly lives up to the hype and is a great return to psychological horror that doesn't depend on gore or cheap gags. Grade: B+

Fame Review

2009-10-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

Okay I'll be honest, I really did not want to see this movie. Not only did I know it would probably be plotless, but I didn't see the point of spending $11 to see a film that I had seen pretty much a bazillion other times in a multitude of other incarnations, such as the Step Up series and Center Stage. However, one of my best gal pals really wanted to see it after our hardcore biochem tests and I gave in after her horrified look from my suggestion of seeing the hyped up Paranormal Activity. It turned out that I was absolutely right about the movie being plotless, but was it entertaining as hell? You betcha. To my ticket taker, if you read this, your promise of me not hating this movie was so beyond true.

A spontaneous dance session occurs in the lunch room of the prestigious Performing Arts High School that acts as the main setting for Fame. Credit: MGM

I'm not going to do a plot summary of the movie because frankly, there is no plot. The movie simply traces the four years of the students' lives at this school starting with their audition day to their graduation. This fast pacing did keep the movie moving, however it left me wishing that more of the characters' stories could be fleshed out more. The characters themselves are none too special either. There's the shy, naive, introverted actress who falls in love with her talented, extroverted, and charming classmate. There's the troubled actor from "the streets" and the girl who is pushed by her parents to practice her talent when she really wants to do something else. It's a movie filled with cliche characters, so don't expect anything original there.

Where you will get originality however is with the sequences of talent. The cast of this movie most definitely lives up to the call of talent needed for this movie. There's eye popping dance moves, spine tingling singing, and musical feats so great they're sure to be iTunes best sellers, or at least already were considering how long this movie has been out. Probably one of my favorite scenes of the entire film was where the dance teacher was telling one of her students, a farm boy from Iowa, that he would never amount to a great dancer. This brutal truth was backed up with a dance routine by who was considered to be the best female dancer in the school. The contrast of her amazing dancing and his brutal and harsh truth was well done. However my friend didn't like the fact that his teacher told him that feeling that she had no right. What needs to be understood is that in these schools of extreme practice and developing of one's talent, if a teacher feels you're not good enough then they will tell you. They don't hold your hand and feed you cookies, they just tell you the horrid truth regardless of whether you want to hear it or not. These teachers have been through it all already and they know what they are talking about, and I think this scene, however cliched it might be for the dance film genre, was well done.

One of my main beefs with the movie was the fact that it was rated PG. The MPAA has a really messed up rating system these days. In this PG rated film, there were scenes of a female getting drunk, the aforementioned dancer attempting to commit suicide, a female getting taken advantaged of sexually, and a back story of one of the males where it is revealed his sister was killed when he was younger and that his father abandoned him as well. Pretty hardcore stuff for a movie rated so that the 12 and under crowd can go see it. Someone really needs to re-examine the rating system because movies are not getting the ratings that they need to be getting, but that is an entirely different entry for another time.

If you just want an afternoon of plotless and cliched entertainment, then this is your movie. Credit: MGM

Overall, I would wait until this movie hits the cheap theaters or DVD shelves. It's definitely fun to see if you're just looking for a movie to entertain you. However, don't expect originality story and character-wise. C+

Surrogates Review

2009-09-27T00:50:00.000-07:00

The token action movie of the fall season, Surrogates contains a plot that will make you think. In a world where people control robotic surrogates of themselves using only their mind, most of the population has lost touch with how to actually live their life. Although crime and disease rates have gone down to almost zero, every human is practically a vegetable in a chair controlling their robotic surrogate. There is of course a small group of protestors who choose to live a life without surrogates and are led by their affluent leader, the Prophet. Bruce Willis plays Tom Greer, an FBI agent who must venture into the world as his human self after his surrogate is destroyed. He must figure out what weapon is not only causing the destruction of surrogates, but also the death of their human controllers after the death of the son of the man who created surrogate technology. What comes is a thoughtful journey into humanity's insatiable addiction to technology and how it affects them.

Bruce Willis and Rosamund Pike in Surrogtes. Credit: Touchstone

Although the story is your average, predictable plot line, the actual idea itself is one worth taking under consideration. It isn't executed as well as I would have liked it to have been, but it's done well enough to where the movie is enjoyable and a worthwhile escape. The usage of robotic surrogates by humanity can be seen as a metaphor to humanity's current technology addiction. Primarily the addiction to MMORPG games such as World of Warcraft, Second Life, and Age of Conan. It's no secret that people spend hours, if not days, on end playing these games and not actually spending time doing some actual socializing. Furthermore, is it really worth giving up actual socialization and pretty much life itself to remain safe in doors living out our desires through a robotic surrogate? Personally, I think not because it's never really you doing those actions, it's the surrogate. If this idea had been undertaken with a larger budget and a more well-known director such as Peter Jackson or James Cameron, it could have been a much more thought provoking film. The underlying lessons are never really delved into as deeply as they could have been, but then again, it is just an action film meant to be simply enjoyed. Final Grade: B

Emmys: Who I Want to Win Since I Don't Give a Damn About TV Critics

2009-09-20T00:19:00.000-07:00

The Emmys are in T-minus 17 hours and counting and are sure to be the best Emmys EVER! Ausiello at Entertainment Weekly keeps spouting off about the amazing things Neil Patrick Harris, the host for this year's awards show, is planning on doing. These include a Dr. Horrible musical number halfway through the show and the guy who plays PC in the Mac ads as the nominations announcer. I'm actually bummed I'll be missing half of the show due to work. Anyways, since I don't really pay attention to TV critics, I'm just going to say who I want to win out of the nominations. Let me just put out there too now that it is a TRAVESTY that Zachary Levi, Kaley Cuoco, the Big Love cast, Chuck, and Psych did not get nominated! Just proves how outdated theses awards shows are in some cases. Anyways, here goes on who I want to win.

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory! He totally deserves it over the seasoned actors as he has continuously proven himself time and time again to have perfect comedic timing and execution. Plus some of those lines he has to say are such incredible tongue twisters that they are mind boggling! You also cannot deny his Christmas episode performance in which he perfectly conveyed Sheldon's reaction to receiving a napkin from Penny containing not only Leonard Nimoy's autography, but also his DNA. A gift only Sheldon would truly adore. To reach the aforementioned scene, just go to 5:26 in the linked video. Here's to you Jim Parsons, for giving me many laughs every Monday night. May the Emmy judges have recognized your talent and bestow upon you the award you so totally deserve.

Sheldon (Parsons) opens his best Christmas gift ever from Penny (Cuoco). Credit: CBS

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Since no one I really love is nominated in this category, I'm going to go with Tina Fey. She is a good comedic actress and in the scenes I randomly catch from 30 Rock, she is quite good in them. Considering that Christina Applegate's show was cancelled, she will more than likely not get it. So go Tina Fey I guess. Woo. This category is totally gypped.

Tina Fey as Liz Lemon on NBC's 30 Rock. Credit: NBC

Outstanding Comedy Series

The Office had a rocky season 5 and hasn't really been great since about season 3. Even though I don't watch the show, I'm going to go with 30 Rock. Again another category with nominees I don't care much for.

The cast of 30 Rock. Credit: NBC

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

In the episodes that I have caught on occasion of Dexter, Michael C. Hall's performances were always riveting and disturbing as well. It's not easy playing a guy who works for the police, is a dad, and has a side job of part-time serial killer. Only to those who deserve it though! Give Hall some Emmy love, I don't believe he's gotten it yet.

Michael C. Hall plays the title character of Showtime's Dexter. Credit: Showtime

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

I'll admit that I don't watch any of the shows that are nominated in this category. So for this one I'm just going to say I don't really care. Elizabeth Mitchell of Lost or one of the lovely Big Love actresses should have been included in the nominations. Darn it all!

Outstanding Drama Series

Oooo this one is a toughy! I really loved both Lost and Big Love this pas season, but I think it's time for Big Love to receive some Emmy love. Telling the tale of a polygamous family in such a realistic, complex, and relatable way is not achieved easily. They deserve recognition for this show and I think it's their turn to receive it!

Bill Henrickson (Paxton) with his three wives Barb (Tripple horn), Nicolette (Sevigny), and Margene (Goodwin). Credit: HBO

As you can probably tell, there really aren't many main categories that I care about this year. The main reason I will be tuning in once I get home is for Neil Patrick Harris. Looking forward to seeing him host, and hope he can top his Tony's hosting gig with this one! Here's to a good night at the Emmys!

My Must-See Fall Films

2009-09-17T11:28:00.000-07:00

With fall now upon us, it's time to plan the fall film viewing schedule. Fall is a time when those award and critic pleasers start crawling out of the woodwork from film festivals and limited releases to the mainstream media. It's not until December/January when things get really heated, and that's such a fun time! What follows are my must see movies for the fall season.

September

9: September 9

9, the protagonist of the movie, looks on the desolate landscape left in the wake of the apocalypse. Credit: Focus Features

I have actually already had the pleasure of seeing this movie. Although it didn't turn out to be as amazing as I expected it to be from the trailer, it was still a very enjoyable movie. The animation was superb and the story line was fairly well constructed. The major problem though with this movie was the pacing. In some areas it just seemed to drag and wouldn't get to its point. That plus the predictable fake out ending. I never really enjoy fake out endings that are predictable, they're just boring. Other than that though, the movie is certainly worth seeing on the big screen, even just for the animation alone. Final Grade: B Trailer

Surrogates: September 25

Bruce Willis in Surrogates, a murder mystery set in a world where people can send out surrogates to live out their fantasies. Credit: Touchstone

I'll admit I'm a sucker for action movies, especially ones with major action stars such as Bruce Willis. This movie looks like a live action Sims universe. The premise is that a murder has occurred in a seemingly perfect world where people can send out perfect looking surrogates to live out their dreams and fantasies. It's up to Bruce Willis to figure out the mystery before chaos consumes this society. Trailer

October

Toy Story Double Feature in 3D: October 2

Buzz, Woody, and all the rest of the toys get the 3D treatment in this double feature event. Credit: Disney Pixar

As if it weren't enough that Pixar is doing Toy Story 3, they are re-releasing both Toy Story movies in a double feature event that is even in 3D! Any true Disney Pixar fan cannot pass this opportunity up. Although they say that the engagement will only last two weeks, I'm sure it'll get extended. It's been 12 years since the first Toy Story graced cinema screens across the country, and demand to see this double feature is sure to be huge. I know I'll be there! Trailer

Whip It: October 9

Ellen Page and Drew Barrymore compete in the brutal and competitive sport of roller derby. Credit: Fox Searchlight

Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page, two of the snarkiest actresses in the industry, finally in the same film! It's just pure brilliance. This coming of age story has all the makings of a good movie and will certainly do well. With Ellen Page as the girl trying to break away from her mother's expectations of her to become a society woman and Drew Barrymore as the woman who helps her by getting her into roller derby. The message of the film, "be your own hero", will surely inspire audiences, which is something everyone needs now in these tough times. Trailer

Where the Wild Things Are: October 16

This visually pleasing movie will surely be a hit with both children and adults alike. Credit: Warner Bros.

When I first heard that this short children's book was being made into a movie, I didn't think it would be possible for it to turn out well. Considering the track record of adaptations of short children's books, such as How the Grinch Stole Christmas and The Cat in the Hat, there didn't seem to be much optimism for this one. After seeing the first trailer though, I was officially hooked. Max, the main character of the movie, feels misunderstood in his home and thus escapes to the island of the Wild Things, where he becomes their ruler. He realizes though that things aren't as easily understood and done as he originally thought. This will definitely be the family film of the season, if not a top film of the season. Trailer

November

2012: November 13

Another visually breathtaking disaster movie sure to send shivers down your spine

The majority of society knows about the prediction that the world will end on December 21, 2012, and this film puts images to those predictions. Horrific images that will surely scare audience members into being more environmentally conscientious and prepared for anything. Personally, I don't believe in this theory due to the non-existent peer-reviewed scientific support and the fact that no one in history actually states that the world will end on this date, but rather great global enlightenment/change will occur and that people just interpret it as the end. This movie follows a group of survivors of the cataclysmic events as they struggle to keep pushing forward. I primarily want to see this movie just for the astounding visual effects and so I can experience it using D-Box motion. D-Box motion is the latest innovation for movie theaters where viewers can feel like they are actually in the movie. This is achieved by motion seats and bass speakers underneath the seats. The film is encoded to tell the seats when to move and the bass speaker to make sounds so that viewers can get the full experience. However, with tickets being $20 a pop to experience it, one only wants to go to a movie that would be worth it. My father and I agree that this is a great movie for D-Box motion. Looking forward to it! Trailer

December

The Princess and the Frog: December 11

In Disney's first fully animated film in a long time, the tail of the princess and the frog is told, but with an unexpected twist. Credit: Disney

The great thing about this movie is that it's the first fully animated Disney film since, I believe, Brother Bear, which turned out to be a colossal failure. The film also features Disney's first African-American princess, Tiana. The tale of the princess and the frog is told in a New Orleans setting, but with a twist. Instead of the prince being changed back into a human when Tiana kisses him in frog form, she herself becomes a frog. What ensues will surely be a tale of hilarity, growing up, and falling in love. Hopefully Disney can score big with this movie as they finally return to their original roots. Trailer

Well that does it for my must see fall film list seeing as I just found out that The Lovely Bones got postponed from its December 11, 2009 release to January 15, 2010. Still in time for awards season, but I don't want to wait a whole month to see it! It will certainly be a part of my winter must see list though. Have a great fall season at the movies!

Bio

2009-09-17T11:05:00.000-07:00

I should probably introduce myself. My name is Jill and I have been a film junkie since I was 13. I am currently 20 years old and live in the sunshine state, California. I am currently a pre-med student pursuing my major in Biology with one year left to go. So the stress levels are steadily increasing!! If I wasn't studying to be a pre-med student I would more than likely be studying to be a journalist for a magazine, preferably one about entertainment. In high school, I was the film reviewer for our school paper and at the age of 16, I interviewed Orlando Bloom for Teen People.

The reason I love movies so much is because they can provide an escape from the harsh realities of life. My love of films is stemmed from when I saw the Lord of the Rings movies. After I saw that trilogy of cinematic prowess and mastery, I was hooked. From then on I continuously followed what movies were coming out, what reviewers said, and the nominations and wins for the major awards shows, namely the Golden Globes and the Oscars. This passion for movies has become a hobby of mine now since I'm not making it into a profession. It allows me to cool down from the daily stresses of my heavy science course load. The reason I decided not to major in journalism is because the pay rate is extremely low for journalists, the work conditions aren't favorable at all, and I didn't have as big a passion to write for the rest of my life as I did to go into the adrenaline rush of emergency medicine that is my one true love.

Thus, I started this blog to keep up my hobby of reviewing movies. Generally, I see two movies a month, more in the summer time. The only genre I absolutely review to watch is horror and that is because those movies easily frighten me. Don't believe me? I got incredibly freaked out in the first 15 minutes of Boogeyman, a movie that was a dud and poorly reviewed. Definitely not a horror fan. Everything else though, I really enjoy!

For movies I judge based on acting, visuals (including effects and graphics), plot, script, pacing, and score. The score is my favorite part of a movie since it sets the tone. The lack of a score can increase the tension, as seen in No Country for Old Men, or really drive the movie and set themes for story lines and characters, as seen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy which was brilliantly scored by Howard Shore.

Currently, my favorite films are the following:

Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, 13 Going on 30, You've Got Mail, 27 Dresses, Enchanted, Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Pan's Labyrinth, Life is Beautiful, Battle Royale, Singin' in the Rain, Pride and Prejudice (2005 Version), A Little Princess, Spirited Away, Becoming Jane, WALL-E, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, The Dark Knight, Hairspray, Center Stage, A Very Potter Musical, Bolt, (500) Days of Summer, and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

I can never name an all time favorite movie or even list the aforementioned films in any particular order. I just know I love them quite a bit.

That's all I think I have to say about me and my passion for films! Hope you enjoy reading this blog as much or even more than I enjoy writing it!

Reboot!

2009-09-15T21:34:00.001-07:00

Okay, I started this back in February and really did not follow through on keeping it up. Actually, I made absolutely no effort. There I said it! I doubt anyone has read this blog, and I don't blame anyone for not doing so. There isn't much here yet, and I basically abandoned it. Well, no longer. I am going to make a strong conscious effort to update this blog at least once a week with movie-related posts. Preferable reviews, but since summer is over the fall doesn't hold much for me in terms of movies. Maybe once more Oscar buzz starts happening a few little heard of films will work their way out of the woodwork. So, I promise to make a strong effort to update at least once a week, no matter how busy I am. I can do it!

Oscar Picks 2009

2009-02-21T23:15:00.001-08:00

With the Oscars coming up tomorrow, I've decided to list my picks for each category and give a brief description on why I chose it. I want to hear your picks and input too, my film-loving friends! So, let's get ready for the Oscars!

Actor, Leading
I would like to see Mickey Rourke win this one since the critics really have been raving about his role in this film. So it'd be nice for someone not as big as say, Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, to win.

Actor, Support
Um hello! Heath Ledger! Duuuuh.

Actress, Leading
Anne Hathaway really does deserve this one. She did a complete role reversal in Rachel getting married. It'd be great to see the Academy reward her for not going for one of her generic, I'm such a happy, lucky girl, roles.

Actress, Supporting
Penelope Cruz has been gaining a lot of acclaim for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Even though there are two nominees from Doubt, I think Cruz will beat them both out for the win.

Animated Feature
No competition for WALL-E. Even though Bolt and Kung Fu Panda were very good in their own right, Pixar made WALL-E just something amazing and unreal.

Art Direction
I'd love to see The Dark Knight win this one as I think that artistically it looked really great. The grittiness of the film was wonderful and really helped to carry the tension and feeling of insanity of the entire film.

Cinematography
Again, The Dark Knight. I was literally blown away by this film, and the camera shots really made you feel the tension of the film. Unfortunately, I think the Academy will favor Slumdog Millionaire, but I feel that their cinematography is very similar to the cinematography seen in City of God.

Costume Design
All too often, the Academy will reward the period piece in this category. Which is why I choose The Duchess.

Directing
If Christopher Nolan had been nominated, I would have chosen him. Since he's not, I'm going with Danny Boyle from Slumdog Millionaire.

Documentary Feature
I'm just going with the critics and saying Man on Wire.

Documentary Short
I literally just picked randomly on this one. The Witness-From the Balcony of Room 306. At least the title is interesting...

Film Editing
The film editing for Slumdog Millionaire was really good and kept the film going at a wonderful pace.

Foreign Language Film
Again going with the critics on this one and choosing Waltz with Bashir.

Makeup
I think The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will win this one because it's got to take quite a bit of makeup talent to show the aging and passage of time in the beautiful faces of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.

Original Score
I'll go with AJ Rahman from Slumdog Millionaire on this one. I wasn't really blown away by any of the scores this year, but he did make an upbeat and non-traditional film score that fit the story very well.

Original Song
Since Bruce Springsteen was majorly snubbed in this category for his song, "The Wrestler", (seriously, they could've nominated him! they didn't even fill up the entire category!!) I am going to go with the very upbeat and wonderful "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire.

Screenplay, Original
I would love to see the indie hit Happy-Go-Lucky win this one, even though the critics are saying the win will go to Milk.

Screenplay, Adapted
More than likely it will be Slumdog Millionaire.

Visual Effects
Iron Man should win this one for making Iron Man look stunningly real and his flights, especially the one with the two fighter jets, look effortless and breathtaking. I must applaud that visual effects team for superb work.

Sound Mixing
The sound in The Dark Knight pretty much rocked out!

Sound Editing
WALL-E should win this one just for the simple fact that even though the robots did not speak a single word of dialogue, the audience could understand clearly what they were saying just through the various beeps of robot language created by the same person who created R2-D2 and C3PO's languages.

Short Film, Live Action
Blind guess, Manon on the Asphalt.

Short Film, Animated
Presto was absolutely adorable and the animation was superb, as one can always expect from Pixar.

Best Picture
I think the race is between The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Slumdog Millionaire, but I think that Slumdog Millionaire is going to win, just because Button lost it's buzz a little too early in the game, which is very reminiscent of Atonement from last year. It had a ton of buzz before it came out and for a little while into its release, then it kind of just fell right off the radar. We'll see though!

So sound off below! What do you think of my picks? Who do you think will win? Why? Looking forward to Oscars 2009! =D

Oscar Predictions: Major Awards

2009-01-27T22:26:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty excited right now since the Academy Awards are only less than a month away. I love to predict the winners each year and just see if I match up with the winners the Academy chooses. So without further ado, I present my 2009 Oscar predictions for all four of the major acting categories and the Best Picture category!

Best Leading Actor

So bummed that Leonardo DiCaprio did not get nominated in this category. He looked amazing in Revolutionary Road just from the trailer. However, from the nominees I really think that Mickey Rourke will win the Oscar in this category. The critics were raving about his performance in this film and that it is also probably the best of his career. I feel that he is a very strong contender and the other nominees are just not getting that much attention. Thus, I choose Mickey Rourke as my prediction for the winner of this award!

Best Supporting Actor

This is seriously a no-brainer. The Academy is going to give it to Heath Ledger posthumously because not only will it be a very emotional moment in Oscar history, but also he pretty much turned in a career performance and literally disappeared into the role. He was the Joker in The Dark Knight and truly deserves the award. Sorry Robert Downey Jr., maybe next year.

Best Leading Actress

I really want Anne Hathaway to win this one for her role in Rachel Getting Married. She really broke out with this film and proved that she is a flexible actress who is not bound to only doing happy, bubbly films such as The Princess Diaries and Bride Wars. Unfortunately, knowing the Academy I doubt they will reward her for her amazing achievement this past year and will probably pass over her in favor of regulars such as Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet. My money is on Hathaway being snubbed in favor of Streep. I'm sticking by my prediction of Anne Hathaway winning this one though, however unlikely it may seem!

Best Supporting Actress

Originally I was in support of Amy Adams winning this one for her role in Doubt, but after thinking it over, I think Penelope Cruz is more likely to win it. She's gotten high critical acclaim for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and it looks like she did an excellent job in it. I'll be supporting her for this award, but I won't mind in the slightest if Amy Adams wins instead.

Best Picture

I was severely irked when The Dark Knight got snubbed in this category. So since it is snubbed, I'm going to have to go with Slumdog Millionaire winning this one. It actually has been a sleeper hit, gaining much hype over the past few weeks as it has won over critics and swept at awards shows such as the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards. Winning the Oscar for Best Picture is looking pretty likely for it. I did find the film to be good, but not great. Personally I feel like it is overly hyped, just like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button seems to be suffering from right now. I don't think The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will win quite simply because it was hyped up a little too early in the game, exactly like Atonement was last year. Thus, since Slumdog Millionaire is hyped up at the right moment and has been winning award after award, I'm betting it'll win Best Picture too. So go Slumdog. Wow I really am not that excited about any of the films in this category.

So what do you all think about those five major categories? Agree with my choices or are you supporting other nominees? Stay tuned too for my predictions in the rest of the categories!

Introduction

2009-01-26T14:50:00.000-08:00

Hey all you peeps out there in cyberworld! Welcome to my film blog! You can call me Jill. =) As an avid lover of films and the film world, I will be updating this blog at least weekly with film and television reviews and opinionated responses to the going ons of the entertainment world! This is a great time to be blogging to what with the Oscars coming up and the SAGs having just passed. I invite you all to follow me on this fun trip as I use this blog to escape from my insane school and work life in order to enjoy films. Responses are welcome, in a respectful manner of course, and I look forward to writing this blog! =)