Tag: Oscars

Reviews

‘The Favourite’ Review

Wannabe Movie Critic
Yorgos Lanthimos newest outing which centers around 18th Century British Royalty is simply a delight. It’s Barry Lyndon meets Animal House

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“In early 18th century England, a frail Queen Anne (Colman) occupies the throne and her close friend Lady Sarah (Weisz) governs the country in her stead. When a new servant Abigail (Stone) arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah.

So this evening Nathan headed to the cinema. I planned on seeing Clint Eastwood’s newest film The Mule, but when I arrived the show was sold out. I hadn’t come all this way for nothing and I wouldn’t leave the theatre without seeing something. I reviewed all my options and settled on The Favourite. It has been generating a ton of positive buzz lately and was just nominated for 5 Golden Globes. I figured it was time for me to sit down and enjoy some 18th Century British hijinks. Now in my opening remarks, I said this was a mixture between Barry Lyndon, which portrays the British as eloquent, pristine and very proper. Where Animal House is one of the greatest comedies ever made and depicts the life of living in a fraternity. Well, 18th Century Britain was somewhat like that, well if you had money and were royalty. This movie really loves to critique and poke fun at British royalty. The Favourite opens up with a few laughs and then quickly you are transported to a room that has duck racing, that’s right you read that correctly, duck racing. Watching a room full of men wearing wigs, and knitted skirts cheering madly for ducks was something to behold, and it was at that precise moment that I knew I would enjoy The Favourite. Unfamiliar with Yorgos’s work, I haven’t seen The Lobster, I knew nothing about his directing style, but after sitting through this, I know I like it very much. He’s a fan of the idiosyncrasies, where each one of his characters has their own little traits and quirks, which makes them who they are. I rather enjoyed this aspect of the film, and it just felt fresh to me, again not being immersed in his work beforehand.

This is a cat and mouse movie. It depicts a love triangle between our Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), and Abagail (Emma Stone). It has all sorts of backstabbing, manipulation, and some good old fashion, “I’m going to straight up poison you pranks”. Each of these ladies, who are all so terrific, and I hope to see them all nominated for Oscars. They all have their own quirks as well. Queen Anne is stubborn and needs attention, but at the same time, she cares for her people and more importantly those that she loves. Lady Sarah is calculated, always making sure that she is two steps ahead of the enemy and anyone standing in her way. You see she and the Queen have a secret romance, that is until her Cousin Abagail shows up and asks for a job. Abagail is cut-throat, her trait, she’s a two-faced bitch. This movie reminded me of a rom-com which two men vie for the same woman and try to one-up each other, by doing this that means you sometimes have to get your hands dirty. Along with these three spectacular characters, the costumes and set pieces almost come alive themselves. They bring so much life and energy into this film, and for me, that was the best thing about it. It felt like you were being transported back to the 18th century, but here’s the kicker, it felt very modern. The way everyone was speaking, their mannerisms, it all felt very present-day to me. Which I found to be just super effective. There’s even a dance number, which felt like it was ripped from a Step Up film. A little on the nose, and after doing some digging, I think that’s Yorgos’s style. Nicholas Hoult plays Harley and my god, he’s marvelous. His comedic timing and his subtlety were brilliant. He works for the Queen but they don’t always see eye-to-eye with one another. I haven’t really seen this side of him, he’s not really known for this comedy, and the fact he wears a ridiculous outfit, makeup, and a wig in the entire film makes it all the better. He deserves a ton of credit here, I had no idea he was in this, I hadn’t even seen a trailer for this going in. But he really blew me away.

The Favourite is a black comedy, the jokes are crude, there’s a ton of nudity, and I didn’t really expect all of that. Men hit women, women hit men, this being a period piece, I guess that is to be expected, but I didn’t think it would be a black comedy. They make light of all this, but that comes with the territory. Though the humor is great, it can be very subtle at times, and either you’ll get it, or it will fly right over your head. Olivia Colman is responsible for a lot of the subtle humor and just her facial expressions alone can sell a scene. How far would you go to gain power? Who are you willing to hurt to feel safe and protected? Queen Anne just wants to be loved, she doesn’t have any family, even with this being a deep-rooted black comedy, in moments it can get very serious. For instance, the Queen has 17 rabbits and when you find out the nature of why this is, it’s pretty heartbreaking, and it really humanizes her as a character. They are her family essentially, so she wants the people closest to her to treat them as such, and with as much care and respect as she does. Towards the end of the film, I started to realize that there are no heroes, only three women that are driven by what suits them most. I’d say Abagail is the villain because she had the worst behavior and does some horrendous things. I found this very odd, that in a movie where there is clearly a villain, there was no hero to stand up to them, or combat them, rather just two other characters, not floating through time and space, but trying to come away from all this alive and blood free.

The final scene of the movie lingers for quite some time, it lingers so long for effect. The effect of you trying to figure out what this all means. It sends a clear and powerful message, through just a close-up shot, and then it stays there for what felt like 90 seconds. It was really the cherry on top of an already satisfying sundae. Come Oscar season I won’t be shocked if this has 7 or 8 nominations and could easily be the front-runner for best picture. This was just such a delightful time, I really recommend it. Actually, I command you to see it.

Check ya later.

Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews — The Favourite = 91/100

 

Reviews

‘Widows’ Review

Wannabe Movie Critic

The only bad thing about Widows was the three guys sitting behind me shuffling their bags of popcorn after every handful.

Heist movies, they are a tale as old as time. We see them every so often, it’s a fantastic genre of movie. I’ve seen plenty of them in my life and some have even reached the upper echelon of my favorite films. What makes this genre so unique is when a talented filmmaker decides to add a little flavor of their own and tries not to reinvent the wheel, but rather create something we as film lovers have not seen before. Steve McQueen the wonderfully talent director of 12 Years A Slave, Hunger and Shame steps into new territory with Widows and I must say, he knocked it out of the park. He managed to take something I love and breathes new life into it, making for a thrilling, pulse-pounding, an emotionally charged entertaining heist film.

Widows certainly has shades of other great heist films, Point Break, and The Town both come to mind. McQueen takes from those great films and is able to add layers into what can at times, be described as a cut-and-dry genre. Walking out I thought to myself, if you took a blender and added a little Mean Girls, Point Break and The Town and blended them all flawlessly together, the end product would be Widows. I think that’s the highest regard I can give this movie. All three films I love and that’s just what it reminded of. We all know that in these types of movies there are usually men doing bad things for most of the time good reasons. To provide for their families, maybe it’s to start over, begin a new life. But what McQueen manages to do, is peel back the curtain and we examine what happens after a job goes bad. These men have families, they had lives outside the world of crime. So when they die, what happens to the things and the people they leave behind? This is the forefront of Widows, and I really loved this idea, as generic as it may seem, McQueen gets you invested in these women and you find yourself rooting for them the entire way. The reviews were pouring in, and for the most part, it was being met with the highest of praise, but some film reviewers I trust, didn’t see it that way. So I was curious to see which side of the fence I would land on. I can tell you that this is not only one of the best films of the year, but it also happens to be one of my favorites.

Losing a loved one is never easy, in fact, it’s one of the toughest hardships to deal with in life. But what happens when that loved one is dead and they owe 2 million dollars to some crazy, badass, terrifying people. Well, that is the rundown here, Veronica (Viola Davis) owes some bad people a lot of money. Her husband Harry (Liam Neeson) the head of the crew dies and she is left to pay his debt. The rest of his crew Florek (Shane Bernthal), Carlos (Manuel-Garcia Rulfo) and Jimmy (Coburn Goss) all perish with him in a heist gone horribly wrong. All four of these men had wives and a family, so when Veronica gets in contact with the other ladies to tell them that their lives are in danger, they take it upon themselves to pull their late husband’s final job and get out of this mess. Linda (Michelle Rodriguez), Alice (Elizabeth Debicki) and an outsider Belle (Cynthia Erivo) all decide that in order to protect not only themselves by the one a closest to them, but they must also band together and pull off this heist. On the other end of the spectrum, the ones trying to collect what’s rightfully theirs, we have the worst Manning brothers since Peyton and Eli. Jamal (Brian Tyree Henry) and Jatemme (Daniel Kaluuya). Jamal is running for city council and wants to become the first African American in history to win his Ward, while Jatemme serves as his ruthless muscle (more on Kaluuya later). Standing in their way is Jack Mulligan (Colon Ferrel) whose family has been in politics for generations, and he’s not afraid to get his hands dirty. The political aspect of the movie was fine, it hits hard on some important issues and problems that America is dealing with today. But at the heart of Widows is a truly great heist film.

Like most heist films their are certain twists and turns along the way, one in particular that even had me say “NO WAY,” and in a time where you can kind of sense and feel out most movies, that one actually took me by surprise. Widows keeps you on your feet and keep you guessing until the very end. From the opening shot of the film you are invested and kind of all in on what is taking place. The story is great, but what makes Widows truly special are the performances. Viola Davis, as usual, is a juggernaut giving just a phenomenal emotional raw performance. She continues to be one of the best leading actresses Hollywood has to offer. We get to see her in a new light as well, she even had a Sarah Conner and Ripley look going on, rocking a white beater. Widows makes Davis look like a kickass action star. It should come as no shock that she’s fantastic and she does a great job carrying the emotional weight of this film. Elizabeth Debicki I thought was just wonderful and was going toe-to-toe with Davis in some pretty powerful scenes. But the man of the hour, Mr. Get Out himself, Daniel Kaluuya. My god, that man is a freight train from hell. I heard he was terrifying going in and he gave a goosebumps level performance, but you really have to see it, to believe it. He can do so much with his facial expressions. He does just that here because he is a man of very few words, but his actions jump off the screen. You’re on edge because you don’t know what he’s about to do, one moment he’s smiling, the next, you’re dead. It’s a chilling performance and one to remember in 2018. There’s a scene that takes place in a bowling alley and I legit had my hands over my mouth because it was about to hit the floor, he’s that damn good in Widows. His calm demeanor yet his ruthlessness meshed so incredibly well together, I want him for the next James Bond villain. The cast is obviously stacked and full of talent, but one thing was missing. Steve McQueen has worked with Michael Fassbender for every movie, but he sits this one out. The weakest part of Widows, although Liam Neeson is a terrific actor, I couldn’t see him in this role. I dunno, something was off and those scenes where’s he’s acting next to Viola Davis, he’s getting his ass kicked. I think that’s where Fassbender can elevate his game and I think he would have made the movie perfect. But that’s such a small nitpick because Neeson is wonderful, but I thought about that all during the movie.

Overall, Widows is full of powerful performances and a smart clever story. I was entertained the entire time and I was invested in our heroines the whole way through. Come Oscar season this may pop up here and there for certain categories, especially Viola Davis for best actress. If you enjoy heist flicks this will be right up your alley, I can’t recommend this movie enough. It’s not performing well at the box-office right now, which is crazy to me. Go support this movie, because we need more movies like Widows in our cinemas.

Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – Widows = 97/100

Reviews

‘A Star Is Born’ Review

Wannabe Movie Critic

Bradley Cooper delivers the best performances of his career and lets the world know that he is a force to be reckoned with behind the director’s chair.

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A musician helps a young singer and actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral

So Bradley Cooper can really sing. They let you know this from the very opening moments of this film. Not only can this man sing, but he can also direct and he can act. Is there anything that this man cannot do? Going into A Star Is Born, the directorial debut of Bradley Cooper expectations were high. Reviews had been pouring in and everyone was declaring this a sensation and one of the best films of 2018. When it appeared at TIFF word of mouth was spreading fast, and this instantly shot up the ranks of my most anticipated movies to see before the end of the year.

Imagine a chance meeting, that is almost like a fairy tale playing out in reality. One of the biggest rock stars in the world, drunk off his ass, stumbles into the drag bar where you are performing. Well, when Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) does just that and is mesmerized by Ally (Lady Gaga) the moment he hears her open her mouth and sings, you know these two are destined for greatness together. So when Jackson asks her to have a drink with her, he wants to get to know this mysterious singer/songwriter. See Jackson might be a bonafide rock star, but he is battling inner demons. He has massive alcohol and drug issues, and he is looking for motivation and a new spark in his life. Jack is also losing his hearing from an issue he’s been dealing with his entire life. When Ally agrees to go to one of his shows, he drags her on stage to perform one of her songs together, and the crowd goes wild. In just a matter of minutes, Ally’s life is completely turned upside down, and she is thrust into this lifestyle of the rich and famous. From there we go on this rollercoaster emotional journey, that is filled with heartfelt love songs, the ups, and downs of being famous and the battle with the bottle. A Star Is Born is really everything I wanted it to be and more.

First things first, the music is incredible. I knew that Bradley Cooper could sing, but I didn’t know I would be blown away like I was. The concert scenes feel so authentic and real, I thought I was just watching a live taping of a band performing in concert. You get emotionally invested in these people because of the performances they are giving. Lady Gaga is phenomenal here. She isn’t the first singer to crossover into acting and gives an outstanding performance. Madonna and Jennifer Hudson both come to mind, but Lady Gaga sheds her usual over the top fashion look and transforms into another person completely. Their chemistry is great, and in a movie like this, that is either going to carry the film into great heights, or it will inevitably be its downfall. I believed that they were in love and that they fell for one another, which means that they probably spent some time together before filming.

It was interesting to watch Ally’s rise to fame while watching Jack battle his demons, all while trying to show her ropes of the business. One is flying high, while the other is battling each and every day with something that he doesn’t always want to share with those closest. His older brother Bobby (Sam Elliot) is the last family he’s got, and they have an intense and personal relationship. All three of them should be nominated come Oscar season, I can see big nominations for this. Bradley will not only get nominated for acting, but he should get a nomination for directing and this will be nominated for best picture. It’s a spectacle, and Bradley Cooper deserves so much credit for everything he has accomplished. Even Lady Gaga shocked me. She became so real, at times, I forgot just how overzealous she is in real life, I almost like this version of her better.

When you’re in love, you will do whatever it takes to make that person feel special. This is quite the love story. It’s a story about taking a chance on someone, even if they are from a different world. Alcoholism is a scary disease and I thought Cooper did an excellent job depicting addiction and how it not only affects those around you but how it ultimately runs your entire life. Addiction can consume you, no matter how much love and support you have in your life. Jack deals with it his entire life until it catches up with him, and he needs to go to rehab. This is an emotional film, with powerful performances, and it leaves you wondering if this is what life is truly like for world-famous rock stars.

Overall I thought the soundtrack and performances carried this movie really well. Bradley kind of sucks you in straight away and his performance is almost hypnotic. When you haven’t seen a certain actor do something like sing, you can really become invested in their role. The ending is soul crushing and it kind of leaves you wanting a little bit more. I know I’ll be pumping the soundtrack for the next few weeks.

Check ya later

Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – A Star Is Born = 91/100

News

‘A Star Is Born’ Trailer

Wannabe Movie Critic

Do not take your significant other to this movie, unless you want a baby.

Like seriously Bradley Cooper? You’re just adding incredible vocal skills to your resume. He sounds like the combination of Jesus and Fergie. Who knew this guy had chops like this? Mix in the fact that he’s going to be directing this, and my god. What a crazy week for movie trailers.

I heard about this, knew very little about the project, I was even skeptical about if in fact he was using his own vocals. Toss in Lady Gaga, who was born to play a role like this and I think we have a pretty big success coming out in October. The next Walk The Line if you ask me. Everything about this looks like Oscar bait, performances, directing and especially song. Dave Chapelle looks to be in rare form here, could snag himself a best supporting role. If this plays out as well as the trailer, Cooper and Gaga could see themselves with nominations as well. Looks emotional as hell, with great acting and I’m sure Cooper will deliver on the directing front.

Probably my favourite trailer of the week.

News

‘Widows’ Trailer

Wannabe Movie Critic

Hold on to your butts. Here’s the best movie of 2018 people.

Steve McQueen is back and he’s not messing around. My lord if that trailer doesn’t get you fired up, well I don’t know what will. This movie has been gaining a to of Oscar buzz already – Viola Davis for best Actress, this looks to be a potential lock for best picture and director as well.

Coming off 12 Years A Slave, McQueen comes out swinging and it appears he has hit a grand slam. ARE YOU SEEING THIS CAST?! I thought the Golden StateWarriors has a stacked roster, my god, I don’t even know where to begin. The premise of wives finishing off what their dead bank robber husbands started is pretty incredible and based off the book by Gillian Flynn, who wrote Gone Girl. This has all the makings to be special. Gone Girl turned out incredibly and I don’t see why this can’t as well.

Check out the trailer and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

News

90th Annual Oscar Predictions

Wannabe Movie Critic

I did pretty good last year, so if you want to make a quick buck, I’m your go to guy for this.

The Oscars are this Sunday, so it’s time for some predictions! Who got snubbed? Who’s going to take home the most gold? Who’s getting a little more attention then they should? All of these are valid questions that I will try to answer below. I’m going to run down all the nominees for each category and then pick who I think will take home the award! I’m going to have a lot to say for certain categories and awards and very little about others.

Sound Mixing

Everyone’s favourite award of the evening! Sound mixing. Actually a pretty big toss up, not going sit here and lie and pretend I know anything to do with sound mixing. I do however know how movies sound inside the theatre and for me, the movie that sounded the best was Dunkirk.

Winner: Mark Weingarten, Gregg Landaker & Gary A. Rizzo – Dunkirk.

Sound Editing.

You know, these things kind of go hand in hand. One wins mixing, why not just give them both. Listen Dunkirk was an extraordinary technical movie. So I’m giving it both of the sound awards. You felt as you were in the battle during it, you were transported back to the beach. The gun fire sounded so real, everything to do with sound was quite spectacular.

Winner: Richard King & Alex Gibson – Dunkirk.

Original Song.

I’ve heard mixed reviews on The Greatest Showman, but one thing everyone can all agree on is the music, and the soundtrack. It’s catchy, it’s the best part of the movie, and apparently that’s why people have been going to see the film. But Coco was a mega hit, with great cultural music and it’s Pixar, they own the award season when they are nominated. So it’s a toss up between This Is Me and  Remember Me from Coco. I’ll give credit to Mystery of Love in Call Me By Your Name is a beautifully haunting song, really closes out the movie in spectacular fashion.

Winner: Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez – Coco

Original Score

You have to go with the GOAT in this situation. Hans Zimmer and his epic score from Dunkirk will surely bring home another Oscar for himself. He won back in 1994 for The Lion King. Like I said, Dunkirk in terms of technical achievement and sound is incredible. They should take home at least 3 Oscars. Hans Zimmer also just has a really cool and awesome name to say.

Winner: Hans Zimmer – Dunkirk.

Film Editing

Editing, the most strenuous part of any movie. Now when I watch a movie, one thing that bothers me to no other, is god awful editing. It’s such a vital part to what makes a successful movie. Baby Driver, had such fantastic editing throughout the entire film. Considering some of the sequences that involved music, and car chases, and all around craziness, but was pull off to such perfection, it would be difficult to give this award to anyone else.

Winner: Paul Machliss and Jonathan Amos – Baby Driver

 Production Design

The vast open world, or the beauty of a small lavish space? I would say there are three front runners to this category; The Shape of Water, Dunkirk and Blade Runner 2049. I personally think that Blade Runner 2049 is going to take home the award for production design. Not enough people went to see this movie, and the landscapes and set pieces are quite remarkable. It deserves recognition come awards night. Shape of Water is a beautiful movie, but the first time seeing each movie, I was taken aback by the production and the sights of Blade Runner 2049 much more than Shape of Water. That is why it is my winner here.

Winner: Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer – Blade Runner 2049

Costume Design

In a category for costume design, I think it’s pretty obvious that the movie based on an obsessed craftsmen would win. Phantom Thread the movie about costumes, about designing costumes is nominated for best costume design, it’s a little too much on the nose isn’t it?

Winner: Mark Bridges – Phantom Thread 

Animated Short

A pretty tough category to choose a winner for, considering I never got around to seeing any of these animated shorts. So I will just go with my Mamba mentality and pick Dear Basketball, because KOBEEEEE!

Winner: Glen Keane and Kobe Bryant 

Live Action Short

I drew names out of a hat!

Winner: Kevin Wilson, Jr – My Nephew Emmett

All of these movies are worthy of this award. I saw every single one of these in IMAX, the biggest screen I could find, and they didn’t disappoint. But these days when it comes to visual effects, ones mind tends to lean towards one man, Andy Serkis. You know the guy who was in all the Lord of The Rings movies, King Kong, the Hobbit movies and now played Caesar in the new Planet of The Apes trilogy. The guy is a legend when it comes to motion capture, he has changed the game. Most of those movies won for this such category and they have mostly Andy to thank for that. So why should this be any different? War For The Planet of The Apes was the best visual effects I saw all year at the movies. Each new installment got better, and they need to be recognized on the grandest stage. I’ll be shocked if they don’t win. This isn’t taking away anything from any of the other nominees, they all had incredible effects, Kong: Skull Island actually blew me away with how gorgeous it looked on the big screen.

Winner: Joe Letteri, Daniel Barrett, Dan Lemmon and Joel Whist – War For The Planet of The Apes

Makeup & Hairstyling

Listen, you don’t have someone wake up at ungodly hours in the morning, and make them sit in chair for hours and hours to do their hair and makeup and not get the recognition you deserve. On top of that Gary Oldman got into a fat-suit everyday during the production of the Darkest Hour, and this will no question be taking home the gold. They managed to quite literally transform him into Winston Churchill, and that really is a feat on its own.

Winner: Kazuhiro Tsui, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick – Darkest Hour

Again, I don’t want to sit here and pretend I know anything about foreign films. So I’m taking my best guess here, and did a quick little google search. A Fantastic Woman was well received and appears to be the front runner.

Winner: Chile – A Fantastic Woman

Documentary Short

If there’s one thing the Academy loves, it is the city of Los Angeles. Take last year for instance, yes La La Land didn’t end up winning best picture, but it took home some awards and the Academy loved it to pieces. Remember that’s their town they are talking about here, so Traffic Stop is a shoe in for this award. Based on the 405 highway in LA, I won’t be surprised when it walks away with the Oscar.

Winner: Kate Davis and David Heilbroner – Traffic Stop

Documentary Feature

I don’t watch nearly enough Documentaries, so with that being said, I have no idea what any of these are about. Icarus once flew to close to the sun and well his wings burned up and he died. Poor guy, the universe has a funny way of showing karma.

Winner: Bryan Fogel and Dan Cogan – Icarus

Adapted Screenplay

This is a difficult category. Master writer Aaron Sorkin vs. Tommy Wiseau. I’ll say congrats to Logan for being nominated for such a prestige Oscar, writing it a big deal when it comes to the big night, so James Mangold should be proud of himself. But for me, the winner shall be James Ivory for Call Me By Your Name. If not only for the last scene of the movie, which is so damn beautiful and well written that it probably won the award right in that very moment.

Winner: James Ivory – Call Me By Your Name

Animated Feature

The odds of Coco winning are -5000. That means if you bet 5000 bucks on Coco to win, you would only get 100 in return. It’s the lock of the century

YOU GO GLEN COCO!!!!

Winner: Lee Unkrich and Darla K. Anderson – Coco

Original Screenplay

One of the toughest categories of the evening right here. I feel three films have a chance here. Three Billboards, the dark comedy highlighting racism, police brutality and the abuse of women. Really caught the eye of movie goers, and was revered for it’s sharp and serious real world problems writing. Get Out also highlighted racism but from a much different perspective and angel, and was done so brilliantly that people at first didn’t get it. I think Lady Bird also has a chance to walk away a winner here. The coming go age tale and the importance of a mother/daughter relationship.

Winner: Greta Gerwig – Lady Bird 

Cinematography

There is one winner and one winner only for this award. Fun fact, Roger Deakin’s has never won an Oscar before. 14 nominations, Shawshank, True Great, Assassination of Jesse James, Jarhead, No Country For Old Men. All of these movies, done by this man. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Now he comes along and does Blade Runner 2049, without question, the most beautiful looking movie of 2017. The visuals were stunning, sharp, vast and out of this world. It is finally time to recognize this marvellous man and all the incredible work he has done over the years. This one award simply won’t make up for it, but it will be a good start.

Winner: Roger Deakins – Blade Runner 2049

Supporting Actor

Let’s just all agree that yes, Sam Rockwell’s character in Three Billboards was a racist, no good son of a bitch. But it’s a movie, and he acted the hell out of that role. He’s been sweeping the award season and it’s not going to change come Sunday. I thought he gave a unnerving and chilling performance. One that stuck with me for a few days after I watched Three Billboards, always a good sign. One huge snub though, Michael Stuhlbarg for Call Me By Your Name, actually it’s more than a snub, it’s down right rude.

Winner: Sam Rockwell – Three Billboards. 

Supporting Actress

It’s a cage fight between two of these lovely ladies. We have uptight mother, who just wants what’s best for her daughter. The type of Mother who does everything for her family but her daughter still is a little shit about it, well meet Laurie Metcalfe’s character in Lady Bird. In the other corner, we have another Mother, one who loves to curse, throw kitchen knives at their daughter and loves her pet bird. It’s Allison Janney from I, Tonya. I keep going back and forth between these two women, who give just remarkable performances. On the one hand Janney has more comedy in her role, where as Metcalf is the person we feel sorry for. I want Metcalf to win, but Janney is the lady who will win.

Winner: Allison Janney – I, Tonya 

Leading Actor

Daniel Day Lewis, the freight train of acting. Stopped by a guy in a fat-suit in his last ever acting performance. Who would have seen this coming? First Churchill stops Hitler, now he stops Daniel Day Lewis. What a legacy that man has achieved. In all seriousness, again  the male acting category kind is a known commodity at this point. Gary Oldman will win, because, well he gave the best performance of the year, no questions asked. Would it be cool if the new kid of the block Timothee Chalamet won? Yeah totally, the kid is 22 years young and would be the youngest winner ever for this category.

Winner: Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour

Leading Actress

If the supporting actress category was a cage fight, then this is an all out war. I have no idea who I want to win this award. All these ladies gave such inspiring and beautiful performances. The Skater Girl, The Shit Talker, The Fish Fucker (sorry for cursing), The Lady Bird and well Meryl Streep. They all give their own unique and mesmerizing  performance, each sticking with you in a different fashion. Cross of Streep, because she’s won enough and actually for once is the weakest member of the group. Next people will say cross off Margot Robbie, which is unfair, because that’s who I think SHOULD win this award, but she won’t. Sally Hawkins speaks about 30 words in the entire movie, but does more acting in her face, then most people do in a lifetime. Now it’s down to new school vs. old school and much like the other acting nominees who have been winning at every award show, Frances McDormand was a powerhouse in Three Billboards. She’s earned it, and I think gives speech of the night.

Winner: Frances McDormand – Three Billboards.

Directing

Another stacked category! I think it’s between Greta Gerwig and Guillermo Del Toro. Del Toro, that man loves his monsters, probably more than anyone in Hollywood. What he made was simply breathtaking and such a beautiful story. It’s a shame, that it’s being known as the “fish fucking movie” but hey, beats not being known at all. Greta Gerwig made one of the most refreshing movies I saw all year. They made such polar opposite movies, that is hard to choose one over the other. I feel like Del Toro has paid his dues, and he’s been around, and sometimes the Academy repays you for that kind of thing. So with that being said, it’s going to the man responsible for the greatest love story since Romeo and Juliette.

Winner: Guillermo Del Toro – Shape of Water

Best Picture

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Blade Runner 2049, it would not have won, but they are allowed 10 nominees and it should have been included. That’s all I have to say about that. What an incredible year for movies. I saw every single best picture nominee except The Post (Sorry Tom, Sorry Meryl). All 8 films I saw were remarkable in their own way, and deserve a shot at the biggest prize of the night.

Seriously, I can’t believe Get Out came out almost a year ago, and PEOPLE ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT IT! I think it would be one of the best moments, if not the best moment in Oscars history if Get Out took home best picture, but it just can’t. People fell in love with this movie, and rightfully so, but I just think having came out almost a year ago, hurt it in the long run. If you asked me in the summer, I would have said Dunkirk wins best picture, but I feel like the campaign push for Dunkirk was really weak. It’s a great film, and was fascinating to see in IMAX, but the buzz around it going into Sunday is pretty much dead. Toss out, Phantom Thread, not enough buzz and all around isn’t getting the acclaim of some the other movies. Now, rope in Darkest Hour, Call Me By Your Name, and The Post. Thanks for coming, but we will see you later. It’s a three woman race, Lady Bird, Three Billboards and Shape of Water. Like most of the night, these movies will battle it out for soul survivor of the evening. Culminating in once last award that decides who is the best. All centered around strong female leads (that’s a wonderful thing!!), all different visually, style wise, tone and all around the way each movie was made. I legit have zero idea who will win, they all deserve it in some manner. But two of the acting winners will be from Three Billboards, it’s feels like an important movie, during a time when we need important movies like this, and movies like Get Out. I want Get Out to win, it just isn’t humanly possible. Three Billboards is my winner, and I’m not happy about my choice

Winner: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri 

Reviews

´The Shape of Water’ Review

Wannabe Movie Critic

I guess it’s true what they say. Fish are friends not food.

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(FOX SEARCHLIGHT)

“At a top secret research facility in the 1950s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.”

“Cornflakes were invented to prevent masterbation, didn’t work.” When I heard that quote from Giles (Richard Jenkins) in Guillermo Del Toro’s latest master craft of cinema, I knew I was watching something truly special. The Shape of Water really is a unique movie, it deals with many themes, love, the feeling of being incomplete, friendship and what it’s like to be misunderstood. Movies for the most people are windows in its walls. They allow us to enter the mind of another person, that person is usually the director. Not simply with the sense of identifying with the characters, although that is a very important part. But this allows us to see the world as another person sees it. That can be a very powerful thing and a very powerful tool when making a film. I say that, because after watching The Shape of Water, it’s pretty obvious that director and writer Guillermo Del Toro feels a certain way about love and what it means to be loved and love something themselves.

So Oscar nominations came out early last week, and The Shape of Water was awarded the most nominations with 13. For acting, directing and for best picture. I’ve wanted to see this for a long time, but it finally came to my theatre last week. It’s deserving of every single nomination it got, and this is truly a work of art. Visually this movie is stunning, the visuals leap off the screen and that should be expected in a Guillermo Del Toro film. You don’t have to be a fan of his work or some of his movies, but one thing he does better than almost anyone is the sense of style and colour he uses in his movies. Pacific Rim, the Hell Boy movies and Pan’s Labyrinth, all of these films have their own sense of style and direction. From each project he works on, he marks it in some unique way. This movie is no different and you notice that within the first 10 minutes. He’s proven time and time again that he has a knack for beautiful looking production sets and the quality is always top notch. The cinematography is so lush and sleek, the colours are so rich and they just jump out at you.

The performances are incredible. Sally Hawkins (Elisa) who plays the mute janitor or the princess without a voice, gives a terrific performance. She does so much acting with her face and body language. She’s mute for almost the entire movie, but yet you connect with her character and feel for her. I found it really interesting that she is not able to talk, but lives above a movie theatre, so there are always voices going on inside her apartment. When you also get nominated for an Oscar and you don’t speak that really says something about your performance. She feels incomplete in her life because people only see her as a mute and that makes for a massive void in her life. She has a difficult time connecting with other people, because unless they know how to sign, she can’t communicate with them. When she meets the Amphibian Man (Doug Jones), he only she’s her. He doesn’t know she’s a mute and he learns how to sign. He doesn’t know that she is incomplete and that she feels that way. I just want to give credit to Doug Jones, because he is immersed into this role. Much like Andy Serkis, he doesn’t get enough credit for his performances. Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer (Zelda) who plays Elisa’s co-worker, also got nominated for Oscars. Giles also feels incomplete and somewhat unlovable. He’s Elisa’s neighbour and artist who struggles with being gay, because this takes place in the 1950’s and that was very misunderstood at the time. They really only have each other and their bond and friendship was beautiful to watch. They are trying to fill the empty void in each others life, but they can’t, not until Elisa meets this creature that is being held captive at the facility where she works. This movie is being describe has a woman falling in love with a monster, but as I sat down and watched this film, I realized the real monster in the movie is Michael Shannon’s character (Richard Strickland). He is responsible for finding the creature and serves as security for it. He’s mean, tortures the creature and is an all-round abusive and racist man. Like every single thing Michael Shannon is in, he gives a chilling and powerful performance.

Movies like all forms of art, are the most powerful aid to empathy. The good ones ultimately make us into better people. Walking away from The Shape of Water, it’s a movie about love. About being loved. Perhaps it’s about love not being about what you have to say, because the love that is formed is done without the use of any words. That love doesn’t have to be about what you say, but rather what you feel inside. Elisa wanted someone to see past her flaw and just get to know and finally love her. On the flip side it’s also about looking past on what is on the outside. Yes, a woman falls in love with a sea creature, but I think Guillermo wanted to show that love shouldn’t be about what you look like. That looking like that shouldn’t mean you can’t be loved, and when you sit back and reflect on it, it’s actually a really beautiful message. So I don’t know if he had ever felt this way in his life and wanted to try to explain and express the way he has felt at some time in his life, but I would imagine that has to be the case. I think you need to understand and be familiar with Guillermo’s work to fully understand this movie.

Overall, I thought The Shape of Water was a piece of art. A beautiful and unique love story. You really don’t see films like these and I think that’s a good thing. When your movie gets nominated for 13 Oscars it means something. I don’t believe it will win that many, because the categories and other nominees it’s matched up against is stacked, but that doesn’t take anything away from it. It’s a movie that makes you think, it has a really great message. This is just a really beautiful film and if you are a fan of Del Toro’s or a movie buff, this shouldn’t be missed.

Check ya later

Nate’s Movie Tour Review – The Shape of Water = 91/100

 

 

Uncategorized

NBA Weekly Show Plus 2018 Bold Sports Predictions

Wannabe Movie Critic

On today’s episode Kenny and I are breaking down the latest week in the NBA season. We talk about the impressive Raptors bench play. Are the Orlando Magic legit? We discuss Victor Oladipo’s streaky start, and if he can sustain this improved play. We hand out the very first “Jordan’s Secret Stuff” award, handed out to the basketball guy of the week, and a lot more! We are then joined by our buddy Jack to make some bold 2018 sports predictions.

NBA Talk (0:00-32:30)

2018 Sports Predictions (32:30-1:12:26)

Reviews

Throwback Review – ‘Good Will Hunting’

Wannabe Movie Critic

I don’t care if Helen of Troy walks in the room, that’s game 6!


 

Good Will Hunting literally changed my life. The year was 2007, and I was sitting in my dorm room deciding what movie to watch, I didn’t really come to realize my love of movies until later in my life. I stumbled upon Good Will Hunting, but honestly I didn’t know much about it, I knew what it was from the infamous Oscar speech by Ben and Matt, and knew it had one of if not the best Robin Williams performance ever. So as I sat on my bed, and stared at my laptop screen for 126 minutes, I thought to myself how did I go the last 10 years of my life without watching this movie? I just remember sitting their starring down, watching Matt Damon’s; Will Hunting drives off into the distance, as he “had to see about a girl.” I sat there kind of stunned, I really hadn’t ever had that feeling after watching a movie before, I went on to watch Good Will Hunting countless times that semester and I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve watched it since, so many times in fact that I’ve almost perfected my Boston accent.

Will Hunting (Matt Damon), bad boy turned math prodigy, goes around M.I.T solving advanced math equations that only a hand few of people can solve, with pure ease. It’s more than just that though, this has a really special, raw, and unique love story, about learning that it’s okay to let people into your life, and that not all people are the same. Will’s love interest Skylar (Minnie Driver) was excellent as the down to earth brainiac, who just wanted to be loved as much as she wanted to give it. She also has one of the best pick up lines ever dropped on her in this, “well why don’t we just sit around and eat a bunch of caramels.” So many incredible lines and scenes that it’s hard for me to pinpoint my favorite one. This whole movie is just so beautifully written, and smart and has some serious real life issues going on in it. But that shouldn’t surprise anyone seeing how it won an Oscar for the writing, an underrated and unappreciated trait of great movies.

All around phenomenal performances across the board here, from the Affleck brothers, Cole Hauser, Stellan Skarsgard and clearly Robin Williams but we will touch on him later. Let’s start with the four misfits, Ben as everyone knows helped write the movie alongside Matt, and he’s come a long way since being in this movie. He’s had one of the more up and down careers in Hollywood from a bright beginning to a troubling middle act, to what he has become now. One of the best working directors today and he’s the Batman. When you think back to Ben in this, I think one scene comes to mind, when he tells his best friend Will that he’s simply to good for the life he’s living and if I’m not mistaken he says it in a more harsh way, “you’re sitting on a winning lottery ticket, but you’re too much of a pussy to cash it in.” This was a powerful ass scene, because it was Chucky who had to tell Will to get his act together and pursue a better life for himself, and that he wishes that Will would just leave one day, and not even say goodbye. The movie does a great job calling back to that scene at the end of the movie when that exact thing happens, when like every morning, Chucky heads to Will’s front door, to find it empty and he doesn’t breakdown or look sad, but rather has a smile on his face and it’s just a really touching moment. Morgan (Casey Affleck) provides the comedic relief in the film, and most of his stuff was actually improvised and that just makes it even more glorious. From him backing out of fighting because “they got snacks now,” too using Chuckie’s baseball glove for clean up. I wish the Affleck brothers would be in more movies together, especially now a days, let’s get Casey in the DCEU. Cole Hauser, who plays the classic blue-collar Bostonian with a little bit of a drinking problem to a tee. Rounding out the misfits is Damon, who shines in the lead role and is involved in the most powerful scenes in the movie. Still my all time favorite Matt Damon performance. Skarsgard as the brilliant mathematician is just an underrated actor and is always fantastic in whatever role he is playing. Just remember a difficult theory can be like the symphony, very erotic, I guess so?

Now for the main event, Mr. Robin Williams himself! First off, I’m just going to leave his clip here and watch it and remember how brilliant this man was in Good Will Hunting. The therapy session scenes are some of my favorite in all of film; Damon and Williams’s feed off one another so well, and have amazing chemistry. Who knew such powerful acting and such pure raw emotion could come from two men sitting in a room together, it’s just incredible. This was an Oscar winning performance by Robin and rightfully so, they wrote the part for the man himself. His role almost felt real, like Robin had once lived this exact life and he was just reimagining everything from his past, that’s how authentic his role felt to me. He’s had so many memorable roles in his life, but for me this will always be the one I remember most. He might be remembered for he’s comedic genius but he knew how to do drama with the best of them, and the world just simply lost this man way too soon.

Music also plays a big part, Elliot Smith does the soundtrack and it’s simply outstanding. Some haunting music is in this movie and the tone of his work blends perfectly with the sad and ominous scenes throughout the movie. Along with the directing by Gus Van Sant, who crafted such powerful and career stealing scenes, he was able to capture the words on the page and transform them into some of the best things these incredible actors have been apart of.

When it’s all said and done it’s perfect I find zero flaws in Good Will Hunting, certainly none that I can think of. For the amount of times I’ve watched it, I can never point out any flaws or have anything to nitpick about. It always puts me in a better mood when it comes on TV or I decide to watch it on Netflix, something about it just makes any bad day turn around. Not too many movies can do that for people and this is one of them. I’ll never forget that first night I watched this, and how happy I was that I stumbled across it, and it’s just never gotten old, and never will.

Check ya later,

Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – Good Will Hunting = 100/100

 

News

My Love Letter To Logan

Wannabe Movie Critic

I wonder when Hugh is legally going to change his last name from Jackman to Jacked-Man? Just a thought.

So people we are finally here, it took 17 years but we finally made it! Logan is fast approaching and I couldn’t be more excited. Remember the year 2000? I was still a young pup, I hadn’t even hit puberty yet, and we had to listen to music on a Discman. Where you listened to the same 13 songs over and over and over again. Actually now that I think back on it, it makes total sense that I know like every boy band song ever written in the 90s. But I’m not here to gush over BSB; I’m here to gush about the Australian badass that is Hugh Jackman. He’s been playing Wolverine ever since the very first X-Men movie debut all the way back in the year 2000. Since then he’s been in 9 total X-Men films. Simple math would say that’s a movie roughly every 2 years, and the shape he needs to be in for this role, probably made the last 17 years of his life a living nightmare. I couldn’t imagine the dedication it must take to always be in that kind of shape, and the level of commitment Hugh put into playing this beloved character. Apparently the guy is just tired of eating egg white omelettes, so he’s hanging up his claws for good. Not before giving us one last performance, a performance we have all be waiting for, a rated R Wolverine movie! It’s going to be one for the record books, and I know I will be sad to see him go, but he’s already gave us some many incredible Wolverine moments that we as the human population couldn’t have asked for a better Stocky Canadian Killer. Well there is one thing I want, but we aren’t ever going to see it and that’s YELLOW SPANDEX.

A lot has happened in my life since Hugh Jackman took center stage as the leader of the X-Men. A lot has happened in the world to be honest. Its crazy to think that Hugh has been playing this character for about 3/4 of my life. Doing any job for 17 years straight is a daunting task, and no one in Hollywood plays the same role for that long anymore. Not even close, most actors don’t want to be tied down by long contracts, or have to worry about being typecast. You could always count on Hugh to be in the next movie, and there was never any doubt that he would walk away from this role. Now is just the right time, and with recent health issues, now is the best time for him to step down and take a much needed break. But there’s always one thing you could count on every two years, and that was muttonchops and claws. Yes, not all X-Men movies have been Citizen Kane kind of material, but that didn’t matter. All we needed was a little Wolverine sprinkled in to make things better. Wolverine is a top 5 comic book character of all time in my mind, so whenever he was on screen it was a real treat. It just so happens that FOX casted the perfect human being to play him. We’ve had 3 Spider-Mans, 2 Batman’s, and 2 Superman’s and countless other Superheroes appear on screen since 2000. I think it will be damn near impossible to replace Jackman as Wolverine. I can’t think of anyone that could take over this mantle, it’s easy to think of any other character and say to yourself, “Oh so and so, could be the next Batman or Spider-Man or whoever,” but not Wolverine. I’ve been wrapping my brain around this question for weeks now I just don’t have an answer. I know people will say that these are just movies, and he’s just an actor and this is just a fictional character. But I’ve grown accustom to having this man play this character, and I hold him so close to my heart. I will speak for more than just myself, when I say, when March 3rd hits and Logan gets released, a lot of people will be saying goodbye to an old dear friend.

When you love movies as much as I do, and come to appreciate what they can do, and the joy they can bring people, you don’t want that feeling to ever stop. The worst part about it, this being his last kick at the can, knowing it will be his best performance ever and without doubt the greatest X-Men movie ever made. I can’t help but stop and think we could have had this Logan in our lives from the very get go. It’s almost like I will be leaving the theatre on Thursday night with permanent blue balls, something no man wants.

From what we’ve seen far, it looks like Twentieth Century Fox is keeping the faith with the Old Man Logan storyline from the comics. Which we find our guy, Wolverine finding himself unable to heal like he once could, living a life of seclusion after all of his mutant pals have been killed off. Professor X is still kicking as well, and it’s up to the pair of them to protect Mutant, X-23 from falling into the wrong hands. This promises to be the most intense, violent and brutal Wolverine yet and with the success of Deadpool last year, it was only fitting to make Wolverines last outing rated R. These movies are changing the game in terms of how Superhero movies are being made. Small budget but telling good stories, and focusing more on the characters rather than the CGI. I just don’t want to walk out of the theatre wanting more, and being unsatisfied with the ending, because if any character deserves a grand finale ending, it’s this one. He’s giving so much to this character and to it’s fan for almost 2 decades, the least the studio could do for him, is make this movie one to remember.

So I’m going to go grab some butter knives, go smash some pumpkins and pretend to be Wolverine one last time. In the meantime sit back, relax and watch these awesome clips of Wolverine kicking all sorts of ass in X2.

Check ya later.