Once again, it’s time for Oscar predictions. Last year I did a pretty poor job with my predictions, getting only 10 correct.
Best Short Film, Live Action:
Prediction: Tuba Atlantic
My Pick: N/A
Best Short Film, Animated:
Prediction: La Luna
My Pick: Tangled Ever After
It’s interesting that La Luna is nominated, despite the fact that it has yet to play nationwide. You’d think Pixar would have waited on it until it airs before Brave this summer.
Before the final Harry Potter movie comes out, I want to try to explain what it means to me. It’s a difficult task; the story and the universe J.K. Rowling created are vast and intricate, with rich and real characters and story moments that cover every conceivable emotion, and it’s difficult to find the words to relate just how I feel here at the end. Her story is one of death and loss hand in hand with love and triumph. It is both funny and shocking, both tragic and uplifting. It has drawn, and continues repeatedly to draw, more tears from my eyes than I can count, of joy and sorrow combined. Once I connected to the story it was a part of me; the characters now have a permanent grip on my heart. It’s something that will be with me for the rest of my life, and has had a profound impact on me in ways I’m not sure I fully understand. I’m doing my best not to overstate things here, but the Harry Potter story is, for me personally, one of the most influential and lasting experiences I’ve encountered.
(click here to read part 1 of this analysis)
“A lost bird that never learned to fly.”
When discussing the characters of Pirates of the Caribbean, one must begin with Captain Jack Sparrow. He is undoubtedly the main character of the story, even if it is not, in fact, his story being told. I’ve always viewed Jack as the one doing the story telling. He may be the one who is on screen the most, and he certainly is the catalyst for much of the story’s progression, but the movies aren’t really about him. Jack Sparrow is certainly not your standard movie hero. He’s not brave or courageous, he’s often selfishly motivated and while he’s not afraid of a fight, he’d much rather find another solution. Perhaps the best word to describe him is witty. Jack gives you the sense that he’s always the smartest person in the room, but is happiest when no one knows it. Continue reading
Although it may seem like heresy to say it, I have to admit that I like the Pirates of the Caribbean film trilogy more than The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Don’t get me wrong, I love both. I also wouldn’t argue for a second that POTC is better than LOTR, it’s just that I like and enjoy one more than the other. Sure, some of this comes down to personal preference. It’s no secret that pirates (in a classical sense) and the open sea appeal to me, and that I’m a huge Disney fan, but there’s more to it than that. I’ve read the Lord of the Rings books many times, including all of the appendices. I’m a big fan. But given the choice of what to watch, nine times out of ten I’ll pick Pirates. My hope is that, in addition to proving that I’m crazy, this essay will encourage you to give Pirates of the Caribbean another chance, with an open mind, and will help you appreciate some things you might have missed before. Continue reading
Overall, I found 2010 to be a pretty disappointing year at the movies. I skipped many of the summer blockbusters, and those I did see, like Iron Man 2, were underwhelming. I also skipped several of the major critical darlings for various reasons. I wasn’t particularly interested in The Social Network; it just wasn’t a story that appealed to me. I passed on Black Swan basically on principle, since I hated Darren Aronofsky’s last movie, The Wrestler, so much. So in lieu of a “Top 10 movies of 2010” list, I’ve decided to do something slightly different. I’ve compiled a list of my 12 favorite things from the movies this year. They’re mostly what I would call “Movie Moments”, either particular scenes or sequences that stood out to me, and that I really enjoyed. Sometimes it’s nothing more than a few seconds of film, sometimes it’s an entire scene or sequence of scenes, and in one case it’s an entire film. Some movies have multiple spots on the list. So here’s what I liked the most at the movies last year: Continue reading
Once again, it’s time for Oscar predictions. Last year I aced Best Picture, Director and the Acting categories, but was 14/24 overall.
Best Short Film, Live Action:
Prediction: Wish 143
My Pick: N/A
Best Short Film, Animated:
Prediction: Day & Night
My Pick: Day & Night
I thought Pixar’s latest short was absolutely brilliant and it deserves the win, though I would give the Oscar to the “Tale of the Three Brothers” sequence from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 if it were eligible. Continue reading
Since the debut of Toy Story there has been a debate about whether a computer animated musical could ever be a success. The argument was that computer animated characters are too realistic to believably break into song. As a result, musicals remained in the realm of hand-drawn animation, which had become troubling given the slow death of traditional animation. But leave it to Disney to reinvent the animated musical once again. Continue reading
I’ve read The Chronicles of Narnia a couple times, and I absolutely love the first two films of the series, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian. So when Lucy and Edmond Pevensie arrive in the middle of a Narnian ocean with their annoying cousin Eustace, I know how they feel. Narnia is home to them, its their favorite place. The way they breathe deeply and smile widely once they realize where they are mirrors my feelings about returning to Narnia in story. Continue reading
The mark of whether a TV guest star was a success or a failure is whether you would want to see them return. I guess we have to assume Gwyneth Paltrow was a success, because I hope we haven’t seen the last of Holly Holliday. Paltrow was a breath of fresh air in what has shaped up to be a somewhat intense season (bullies, religion, heart attacks… and that’s just Kurt’s storyline). She was charming and fun, and most importantly she seemed like she really wanted to be there. From jokes about hoarders and Lindsay Lohan to her blunt way of handling her students to some dynamite show-stoppers, she really upped the energy level of Glee (and the New Directions kids). Continue reading
When I heard that Disney was producing a live-action version of Alice in Wonderland I was both nervous and excited. I was never a fan of the animated “classic” and I felt it missed the point of the books entirely. So the new version offered a chance to either fix the mistakes of the earlier version (a la 2003’s Peter Pan), or a chance to fail again. Then when I heard it would be a Tim Burton/ Johnny Depp collaboration, my heart sank. The last time they did a remake/adaptation we were left with the absolutely horrible Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But I still had faith in the duo, with their many previous successes and their tremendous pool of talent to draw from. As the cast filled out better than I had hoped, and the images and trailers began emerging I allowed myself to hope that this time I wouldn’t be disappointed. When I found out that it was based on an original take of Alice’s story, rather than a direct translation, my excitement reached its peak. But I never, ever would have guessed what we were in store for. Continue reading
