PREEMPTIVE EDIT: I fixed Tom Bombadil's name, so don't fret you Bombadiliacs. Just be glad I didn't cut his part out entirely.
I'VE BEEN MAKING AN ASS OF MYSELF EDIT: I should have been paying more attention to getting the correct title for the movie. Interesting enough, I did get it right the last time I referred to the movie's full title.
The big move studios are in the middle of a period of transition, one that we haven't seen since the death of the old studio systems in the late 60s and early 70s. The implosion of the DVD market, thanks mostly to the proliferation of Netflix and other streaming services, has left the large companies that own them looking for the next viable business model. For right now, this appears to be chasing the markets abroad. This international focus can be thanked for plenty of the ills of movies today, especially the emphasis of recycling of plots and franchises over developing new stories. Remember this when you watch the fourth reboot of Spiderman in 2019, the six part Adventures of Tom Bombadil series in 2021-2026, and the four hour, $1 billion dollar movie based upon "Hungry, Hungry Hippos" in 2022*.
Showing posts with label The Avengers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Avengers. Show all posts
Friday, November 22, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Oscar Nominations 2013
It's Oscar time, everybody! Normally, I don't really follow the Oscars - this has been due to a mixture of being busy (college, internships, etc) and thus not making it to the movies a lot and the fact that I rarely care for awards shows in general.
However, looking upon the list of nominees this year, I thought I'd give my two cents since I've broken some sort of personal record and seen like 8 movies in theaters this year. (And yes, spare me the glaring looks...I'm well aware that for someone so in to pop culture I don't seem to get out much.)
The Best Picture category is not a surprise in the least to me, despite the fact I've never heard of Amour. Beasts of the Southern Wild, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, and Silver Linings Playbook are all films I've been wanting to see but, other than knowing they've been getting rave reviews, I don't have a whole lot to say about.
Lincoln has swept the categories this year and I feel no other film is deserving of as many nominations as this picture, which details the struggle of passing the 13th Amendment during the beginning (and, spoilers, end) of President Lincoln's second term in the White House. The film, I think, accomplished the rare blend of being in-depth, poignant, and significantly aware and delicate with the historical events while at the same time making it possible for a viewer unfamiliar with said events to follow along with ease. The film therefore was a historical biopic that was also immensely entertaining (unless, of course, you are the 900 year old woman in the row behind us who fell asleep and was snoring in the middle of the movie).
My major disappointment was that Moonrise Kingdom was only nominated in one category, albeit a major category (in my humble opinion); best original screenplay. I think it has a lot of contention this year but I feel like its major threat is Zero Dark Thirty. The film detailing the events behind Osama bin Laden's compound raid is another one I'd like to see at my earliest convenience, but truth be told as a Parks and Recreation fan I have a hard time with Chris Pratt being anyone other than Andy Dwyer, or, perhaps only slightly more appropriately, Bert Macklin.
I feel as though Brave will probably win Best Animated Feature but, not having seen ParaNorman, I think Wreck-It Ralph is much more deserving of the award. Brave was beautifully done and very entertaining to watch, but oddly enough for a category where Pixar usually sweeps Ralph felt like the more Pixar-ish film of the nominees. And yes, I say that knowing that at this point its basically semantics seeing as Disney-Pixar is practically one in the same now...which isn't a bad thing. What it comes down to is individual teams working on pictures - the writers and directors are really bringing the film to life and everything else is level playing field. By those merits, Ralph came out stronger and felt like a return to form on the whole innovative-but-still-emotionally-touching front. So that's what I mean when I say the non-Pixar Disney film felt more like Pixar than the Pixar film, I guess. And if Paperman doesn't take Best Animated Short I will flip tables. No lie.
Am I a bit disappointed that the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey didn't get more nominations, especially with Howard Shore's beautiful soundtrack? Yes. Am I surprised? Not really. A lot of people couldn't get past the different tone of the film and found fault with the pacing. I understand those complaints, but the film was beautiful and faithful enough to have deserved at least Best Adapted Screenplay. It did take a nomination in Best Visual Effects, so I can be happy with that...albeit Snow White and the Huntsman also took a nomination there, so...
On the other hand, it shares a category with its only true contender, Marvel's the Avengers. I know, I know, Summer Blockbusters have no place on Oscar lists, but I cannot express how much I love this movie. I'm a complete Marvel fangirl to begin with, but Joss Whedon (my geeky overlord) deserved a spot for Best Adapted Screenplay or Best Direction. Because he's Joss-Friggin-Whedon and he deserves ALL the awards, and the Avengers was definitely a labor of love for him. If loving your work was criteria for awards, though, I'm sure the ceremony would run several hours longer.
I'm not sure how I feel about Adele's song from Skyfall being nominated for Best Original Song. I mean, I understand the politics behind it - she's Adele and the music industry it-girl, and it's a James Bond movie so duh, but the song wasn't good enough to win this category...so, for the sake of bluntness, I hope it doesn't. Then again, I'm just not a big James Bond song person. They all sound so cheesy and horrible to me. Except the Wings' "Live and Let Die". I love that song...and that probably says a lot about me.
Other than that, I do believe Skyfall earned the rest of its nominations. This was definitely the most engaging of the James Bond films of my lifetime and the cinematography played a large role in it. The film was brilliantly shot, and I guess the sound editing and mixing were good, too...I can't really say I pay attention to a film and say "wow! that sound editing is GENIUS!" but I wouldn't be too surprised if it was. I'm sure there's some politics involved where the sound categories can be seen as ones that have to be recognized (or the sound engineers union would pitch a fit), but hey, a nomination is a nomination.
So, as always, I may add to this list of observations at a later time, but right now Return of the King is on tv and, you know, priorities. What were your favorite movies of the year? What are your thoughts about the nominations? Let us know in the comments, on twitter, or on facebook!
However, looking upon the list of nominees this year, I thought I'd give my two cents since I've broken some sort of personal record and seen like 8 movies in theaters this year. (And yes, spare me the glaring looks...I'm well aware that for someone so in to pop culture I don't seem to get out much.)
The Best Picture category is not a surprise in the least to me, despite the fact I've never heard of Amour. Beasts of the Southern Wild, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, and Silver Linings Playbook are all films I've been wanting to see but, other than knowing they've been getting rave reviews, I don't have a whole lot to say about.
Lincoln has swept the categories this year and I feel no other film is deserving of as many nominations as this picture, which details the struggle of passing the 13th Amendment during the beginning (and, spoilers, end) of President Lincoln's second term in the White House. The film, I think, accomplished the rare blend of being in-depth, poignant, and significantly aware and delicate with the historical events while at the same time making it possible for a viewer unfamiliar with said events to follow along with ease. The film therefore was a historical biopic that was also immensely entertaining (unless, of course, you are the 900 year old woman in the row behind us who fell asleep and was snoring in the middle of the movie).
My major disappointment was that Moonrise Kingdom was only nominated in one category, albeit a major category (in my humble opinion); best original screenplay. I think it has a lot of contention this year but I feel like its major threat is Zero Dark Thirty. The film detailing the events behind Osama bin Laden's compound raid is another one I'd like to see at my earliest convenience, but truth be told as a Parks and Recreation fan I have a hard time with Chris Pratt being anyone other than Andy Dwyer, or, perhaps only slightly more appropriately, Bert Macklin.
I feel as though Brave will probably win Best Animated Feature but, not having seen ParaNorman, I think Wreck-It Ralph is much more deserving of the award. Brave was beautifully done and very entertaining to watch, but oddly enough for a category where Pixar usually sweeps Ralph felt like the more Pixar-ish film of the nominees. And yes, I say that knowing that at this point its basically semantics seeing as Disney-Pixar is practically one in the same now...which isn't a bad thing. What it comes down to is individual teams working on pictures - the writers and directors are really bringing the film to life and everything else is level playing field. By those merits, Ralph came out stronger and felt like a return to form on the whole innovative-but-still-emotionally-touching front. So that's what I mean when I say the non-Pixar Disney film felt more like Pixar than the Pixar film, I guess. And if Paperman doesn't take Best Animated Short I will flip tables. No lie.
Am I a bit disappointed that the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey didn't get more nominations, especially with Howard Shore's beautiful soundtrack? Yes. Am I surprised? Not really. A lot of people couldn't get past the different tone of the film and found fault with the pacing. I understand those complaints, but the film was beautiful and faithful enough to have deserved at least Best Adapted Screenplay. It did take a nomination in Best Visual Effects, so I can be happy with that...albeit Snow White and the Huntsman also took a nomination there, so...
On the other hand, it shares a category with its only true contender, Marvel's the Avengers. I know, I know, Summer Blockbusters have no place on Oscar lists, but I cannot express how much I love this movie. I'm a complete Marvel fangirl to begin with, but Joss Whedon (my geeky overlord) deserved a spot for Best Adapted Screenplay or Best Direction. Because he's Joss-Friggin-Whedon and he deserves ALL the awards, and the Avengers was definitely a labor of love for him. If loving your work was criteria for awards, though, I'm sure the ceremony would run several hours longer.
I'm not sure how I feel about Adele's song from Skyfall being nominated for Best Original Song. I mean, I understand the politics behind it - she's Adele and the music industry it-girl, and it's a James Bond movie so duh, but the song wasn't good enough to win this category...so, for the sake of bluntness, I hope it doesn't. Then again, I'm just not a big James Bond song person. They all sound so cheesy and horrible to me. Except the Wings' "Live and Let Die". I love that song...and that probably says a lot about me.
Other than that, I do believe Skyfall earned the rest of its nominations. This was definitely the most engaging of the James Bond films of my lifetime and the cinematography played a large role in it. The film was brilliantly shot, and I guess the sound editing and mixing were good, too...I can't really say I pay attention to a film and say "wow! that sound editing is GENIUS!" but I wouldn't be too surprised if it was. I'm sure there's some politics involved where the sound categories can be seen as ones that have to be recognized (or the sound engineers union would pitch a fit), but hey, a nomination is a nomination.
So, as always, I may add to this list of observations at a later time, but right now Return of the King is on tv and, you know, priorities. What were your favorite movies of the year? What are your thoughts about the nominations? Let us know in the comments, on twitter, or on facebook!
Thursday, January 3, 2013
2012 in Review: Films
All in all, I thought 2012 was a pretty great year for films. I enjoyed all twenty-one films I saw in the theater, and at least three of the films are likely to be in my all time favorites list. Below is my annual list of my five favorite films, plus a few other notable "awards". As usual, note that this is a list of my favorites, not necessarily the five films I think are technically best.
#5 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Sure, the pacing is slow. Yeah, it's questionable why this is being stretched to multiple movies. And yeah, it's not as great as the Lord of The Rings trilogy. You know what? It was a joy to be back in middle earth, and there were plenty of great moments amongst all of the trekking. As mentioned in my review, this movie gets extra points for all of the hiking and camping.
#4 Lincoln
Without a doubt, the best part of Steven Spielberg's film about the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment by the U.S. House of Representatives are the performances. I was expecting it to be full of historical goodness, and David Strathairn, Tommy Lee Jones, and Daniel Day-Lewis didn't disappoint. What I didn't expect was how funny parts of it would be, most of which is due to James Spader. If only more historical films were this much fun.
#3 Wreck-It Ralph
I have to say I was not sold on this one after watching the trailer for the film. Sure, the support group scene with all of the recognizable villains was fun, but it seemed very played out. How wrong I was, as this much more than its concept of "video game villain gets tired of being bad". I loved how energetic the film was, while never losing heart or a sense of fun. Besides, it's a blast looking for all of the video game references.
#2 The Avengers
This could have been a total mess. Bringing together multiple superheroes is a risky gamble in any situation, but putting together ones as beloved as Iron Man, the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America added a special layer of potential disappointment. Fortunately, Marvel made the inspired choice of Joss Whedon. He was able balance all of the oversized characters, while keeping the story moving and fun. The Avengers showed that comic book movies don't have to be "gritty" to be good, and it can be fun to root for the good guys.
#1 Moonrise Kingdom
Growing up can be hard even for the kids who fit in. For those who don't fit in, it can be almost Sisyphean. And even when you do finally become an adult, it doesn't mean things get any better. Sometimes, the only way to deal with it is find somebody to run away from all the crap with you. Still, it helps to have people looking out for you. This was my favorite Wes Anderson film since The Royal Tenenbaums, and yeah, part of that is because of the hiking.
Needs a 2nd Viewing: The Master
I wasn't able to put this any place on my list, as I'm not entirely sure what I think of it. I enjoyed Joaquin Phoenix's performance, and Philip Seymour Hoffman was great as an L. Ron Hubbard surrogate. P.T. Anderson is one of my favorite directors, and the movie is very well shot. It's just...I don't know, it didn't reach me as much as some of the other movies on this list. I think it might take me another shot before I can be quite sure where I stand on this.
Biggest Surprise: The Campaign
The trailers for this film made it look like total pug crap. And yea, the stuff that looked stupid in the trailers was stupid, but it was just a fraction of the film. The rest of the film was a fairly funny, sometimes poignant exploration of a modern Congressional campaign. I suppose I should have had more faith in Zach Galifianakis.
Easy A award for film I Wanted to See in Theater, but Didn't Get A Chance: Django Unchained and Looper (tie)
Unfortunately I wasn't able to see all of the films I wanted to this year. I may yet get out to the theater to see Tarantino's latest film, but for Looper I'll have to wait until it's out on DVD.
Honorable Mentions: Flight, This is 40, The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall, Argo, Brave
Best Expected Performances: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) and Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
Best Unexpected Performance: James Spader (Lincoln)
Best Performance with an Intentional or Unintentional Bad Wig: Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
#5 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Sure, the pacing is slow. Yeah, it's questionable why this is being stretched to multiple movies. And yeah, it's not as great as the Lord of The Rings trilogy. You know what? It was a joy to be back in middle earth, and there were plenty of great moments amongst all of the trekking. As mentioned in my review, this movie gets extra points for all of the hiking and camping.
#4 Lincoln
Without a doubt, the best part of Steven Spielberg's film about the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment by the U.S. House of Representatives are the performances. I was expecting it to be full of historical goodness, and David Strathairn, Tommy Lee Jones, and Daniel Day-Lewis didn't disappoint. What I didn't expect was how funny parts of it would be, most of which is due to James Spader. If only more historical films were this much fun.
#3 Wreck-It Ralph
I have to say I was not sold on this one after watching the trailer for the film. Sure, the support group scene with all of the recognizable villains was fun, but it seemed very played out. How wrong I was, as this much more than its concept of "video game villain gets tired of being bad". I loved how energetic the film was, while never losing heart or a sense of fun. Besides, it's a blast looking for all of the video game references.
#2 The Avengers
#1 Moonrise Kingdom
Growing up can be hard even for the kids who fit in. For those who don't fit in, it can be almost Sisyphean. And even when you do finally become an adult, it doesn't mean things get any better. Sometimes, the only way to deal with it is find somebody to run away from all the crap with you. Still, it helps to have people looking out for you. This was my favorite Wes Anderson film since The Royal Tenenbaums, and yeah, part of that is because of the hiking.
Needs a 2nd Viewing: The Master
I wasn't able to put this any place on my list, as I'm not entirely sure what I think of it. I enjoyed Joaquin Phoenix's performance, and Philip Seymour Hoffman was great as an L. Ron Hubbard surrogate. P.T. Anderson is one of my favorite directors, and the movie is very well shot. It's just...I don't know, it didn't reach me as much as some of the other movies on this list. I think it might take me another shot before I can be quite sure where I stand on this.
Biggest Surprise: The Campaign
The trailers for this film made it look like total pug crap. And yea, the stuff that looked stupid in the trailers was stupid, but it was just a fraction of the film. The rest of the film was a fairly funny, sometimes poignant exploration of a modern Congressional campaign. I suppose I should have had more faith in Zach Galifianakis.
Easy A award for film I Wanted to See in Theater, but Didn't Get A Chance: Django Unchained and Looper (tie)
Unfortunately I wasn't able to see all of the films I wanted to this year. I may yet get out to the theater to see Tarantino's latest film, but for Looper I'll have to wait until it's out on DVD.
Honorable Mentions: Flight, This is 40, The Dark Knight Rises, Skyfall, Argo, Brave
Best Expected Performances: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) and Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)
Best Unexpected Performance: James Spader (Lincoln)
Best Performance with an Intentional or Unintentional Bad Wig: Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)
Monday, December 31, 2012
Reasons Why Erin Loves the Whedonverse: Bonus #15.5!
Reasons Why Erin Loves the Whedonverse #15.5: Dr. Horrible/Loki
Originally this was just a link tacked on to the previous post. I did this because I was a) lazy and b) stupid. Although not an official post in her list, this one is just as interesting as any of the rest, and thus deserving of it's own spotlight.
I think Erin has a pretty interesting idea here, as there certainly are similarities between the two characters. I'm not as convinced as she is, as I think they might be so similar because Whedon likes creating characters like that. Perhaps he drew inspiration for Loki from Dr. Horrible, but I just don't see a direct connection. I do agree it would be kind of great if there was a direct connection, though.
I'm kind of surprised she didn't also bring up the parallels between Captain Hammer and Thor. I guess Thor's noble nature makes him less likely to talk about his genitalia, something Captain Hammer doesn't seem to mind doing. Still, they can both be at times a bit oblivious and, well, dumb.
SPOILERS FOR THE AVENGERS AND DOCTOR HORRIBLE CAN BE FOUND BELOW. OKAY, ONLY REALLY SPOILERS IF YOU'VE SEEN ONE OF THEM. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
So who's Penny in The Avengers? Agent Coulson? Actually, I kind of like that parallel. Although I doubt Loki enjoyed eating frozen yogurt with Coulson.
Originally this was just a link tacked on to the previous post. I did this because I was a) lazy and b) stupid. Although not an official post in her list, this one is just as interesting as any of the rest, and thus deserving of it's own spotlight.
I think Erin has a pretty interesting idea here, as there certainly are similarities between the two characters. I'm not as convinced as she is, as I think they might be so similar because Whedon likes creating characters like that. Perhaps he drew inspiration for Loki from Dr. Horrible, but I just don't see a direct connection. I do agree it would be kind of great if there was a direct connection, though.
I'm kind of surprised she didn't also bring up the parallels between Captain Hammer and Thor. I guess Thor's noble nature makes him less likely to talk about his genitalia, something Captain Hammer doesn't seem to mind doing. Still, they can both be at times a bit oblivious and, well, dumb.
SPOILERS FOR THE AVENGERS AND DOCTOR HORRIBLE CAN BE FOUND BELOW. OKAY, ONLY REALLY SPOILERS IF YOU'VE SEEN ONE OF THEM. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.
So who's Penny in The Avengers? Agent Coulson? Actually, I kind of like that parallel. Although I doubt Loki enjoyed eating frozen yogurt with Coulson.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
A.V. Club Posts Best Films of 2012 List
The A.V. Club has posted their Best Films of 2012 list. Considering all of the movie posts I've made on this blog, it's no surprise this is one of my favorite things to read every December. I've only seen three of the movies on their compiled list, although a couple (like Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty) have yet to be released, at least anywhere I'd go to see movies. I'm surprised and a bit disappointed The Avengers, Cloud Atlas, and Wreck-It Ralph didn't get more support, but there were a lot of films competing for the top of the lists. This seemed like it was a pretty good year for films.
As for my "favorites of 2012" list, you'll have to wait a bit for that. I can't say yet when it will be out, just that it will be out sometime between Christmas and New Year's Day.
As for my "favorites of 2012" list, you'll have to wait a bit for that. I can't say yet when it will be out, just that it will be out sometime between Christmas and New Year's Day.
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