via Mediarun Digital
Friday, February 28, 2014
Get ready for some Oscar fashion!
As your hors d'oeuvre for this weekends red carpet bonanza, check out every Best Actress gown since 1929! (click to enlarge)
via Mediarun Digital
via Mediarun Digital
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Oh hey there! Ready for some top tens??
Good, because it's time for Jessica's Top Ten Movies of 2013!!!
First of all, I'd just like to take a step back and slow clap for this year in movies. After a couple years of only feeling inspired by a few, this year was a breath of fresh air. Many of the movies on this list would have been in my top three any other year. It was just a great year for film. But let's get down to business! Drum roll please...
The List
1. 12 Years a Slave
There was only one movie this year that even came close to giving this a run for the top spot (spoiler alert: see #2), but, in the end, it was no contest. 12 Years a Slave is simply a stunning movie-going experience that you will be unable to stop thinking about for days. I know you keep hearing about it, but it's all true. Brutal, honest, beautifully shot, and incredibly acted, it was just a standout experience. Every actor in it was spectacular (with the slight exception of Brad Pitt, without whom the movie would not have been made, so I can forgive it); I was completely enthralled and nearly forgot I was sitting in a movie theater (until the aforementioned Mr. Pitt showed up). Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sarah Paulson, Paul Giamatti, and Alfre Woodard all shine. If I had my way, 12 Years a Slave would have an Oscar sweep, but, let's be honest, the Academy is a bunch of old white men. I think it will still take Best Picture, but the snub I will be most upset about is Michael Fassbender, who held nothing back and gave one of those performances that makes you just sit back and go "whoa." I could talk about this movie for days (and, let's be honest, I probably have), but there are 9 more spots on this list, so let's keep moving!
2. The Act of Killing
This movie. Oh, this movie. I wish I had the words to even begin to describe the experience of watching it. A documentary, the filmmaker interviews former Indonesian death squad leaders and asks them to talk about what they did, and boy do they. He then invites them to make a film about it in whatever styles they choose- this film within a film goes from mafia movie, to western, to strange over-the-top musical number. And through it all you see the effect the process has (or doesn't have) on these men who openly admit to killing thousands for no reason, and who were never punished. It's a fascinating look at morality (or lack thereof), and simply the most surreal experience I may have ever had watching a movie.
3. (tie) The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle
Let's start with the Wolf of Wall Street, for which Leonardo DiCaprio will likely be denied another well-deserved Oscar. I have heard all the complaints about excess, debauchery, offensiveness, etc., to which I say, "Uh, that was the point." This movie just goes all out and owns its insanity. Scorcese's direction is great, Leo is fantastic, and the supporting cast (particularly Jonah Hill and Matthew McConaughey's 15-ish minutes) just rule. Yes, it's a little long (though fitting for a movie about excess), but man is it entertaining.
As for American Hustle, director David O. Russell basically decided to take the stars of his last two movies (The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook, which was at the top of this list last year), add in a little Jeremy Renner and turn them into an all-star cast. It's Christian Bale's movie, but Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, and Renner are all so fun to watch, and just make for a great time at the movies. And don't even get me started on the costumes and hair.
4. Before Midnight
How Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke manage to make each of the fantastic movies in this trilogy better than the last just blows my mind. Perhaps it has to do with my own aging alongside the movies, but watching as they explore different stages in this couple's relationship through a single day spent with them just keeps getting more interesting. And the three excel at writing dialog that feels real, and a relationship that you care about and can relate to. This movie focuses on the part of a love story we never get to see- what happens after the couple gets together and makes a life. Here's hoping it's not the last one.
5. Fruitvale Station
The biggest snub of this awards season. The movie follows the last 24 hours of Oscar Grant III's life, before his death from being shot at point blank range by police at the titular BART stop. The tone is set from the very first image- actual camera phone footage of the real-life Grant's murder. The movie shows Oscar in all his complicated realness- this is not a man who was perfect, but someone who had struggled and was trying to turn his life around. Michael B. Jordan is a revelation (we lucky ones who watched The Wire and Friday Night Lights already knew that), and Octavia Spencer breaks your heart as Oscar's mother. It's simply unbelievable that these two and the movie have been missing from every nominations list this year.
6. Captain Phillips
More great acting in a ripped from the headlines film. The last 20 minutes alone remind you why Tom Hanks is one of the great actors of his generation. Easy to overlook against some of the other great movies this year, this movie manages to seem almost quiet (despite dealing with violent piracy) comparatively. Simple and direct, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. And kudos for giving depth to the "villains" of the movie- the Somali pirates who hijack an American cargo ship- rather than falling back on typical movie stereotypes.
7. Dallas Buyers Club
Yup, it's a full on McConaissance (just say it in your head- it will come). Matthew McConaughey proves his last couple of years have not just been a fluke, and, man, can he actually act (I'm starting to erase the Kate Hudson-era romantic comedies from my mind, McConaughey, but they're just not quite gone yet). He plays a hard-partying, homophobic man diagnosed with HIV in the 80's, with weeks to live and limited legal options to prolong his life. Jared Leto (hey, remember that guy??) is also fantastic as a trangendered woman who partners with him to set up shop providing some of the early drug cocktails that haven't been approved by the FDA.
8. Frozen
Whew, these have all been a little heavy, haven't they? Let's lighten it up at the end of this list, starting with a delightful disney musical filled with songs that I haven't been able to get out of my head for weeks. Just a really lovely, feel-good movie that pokes fun at disney's past, rather questionable portrayal of relationships, and also focuses on the love between sisters instead of finding prince charming. Good times all around.
9. Much Ado About Nothing
Keeping up the feel-good with Joss Whedon's adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. My love for Whedon has been discussed in detail on previous Top Ten lists, but usually in the context of big budget action movies or quirky horror movie homages, not tiny, black and white, modernized updates of Shakespeare. But I never doubted for a moment that he would deliver. Just a charming, clever interpretation of the piece with hilarious physical comedy and lovely performances from a variety of prior Whedon-verse actors showing a completely different side to their acting. Not bad for a movie he pretty much made it over a couple of days with his friends using his own house as set. And to top it off, I got to see it open SIFF, with the man himself in attendance. And you thought there was a chance this didn't make my top ten??
10. Pacific Rim- IMAX 3D
Yup, you heard me. This movie rules. Seeing it in IMAX 3D was by far the most fun I had at a theater this year. Guillermo del Toro directing a movie about giant robots fighting giant aliens? What's not to like? Yes, it's totally a dumb summer blockbuster, but, wow, I enjoyed myself seeing it. As the somewhat genius Honest Trailer says, "It's either the most awesome dumb movie ever made, or the dumbest awesome movie ever made." Either way, it's an excellent film to eat popcorn to.
Honorable Mentions:
American Winter, August: Osage County, Blackfish, Catching Fire, The Croods, Don Jon, Drinking Buddies, Frances Ha, Gravity, In a World, Mud, Philomena, Possessions, Prisoners, The Spectacular Now, This is the End, The Way Way Back
Number of Eligible Movies Seen: 57
The Actors
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio- The Wolf of Wall Street
Runner up: Chiwetel Ejiofor- 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Judi Dench- Philomena
Runner up: Sandra Bullock- Gravity
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Fassbender- 12 Years a Slave
Runner up: Jared Leto- Dallas Buyers Club
Best Supporting Acress: Lupita Nyong'o- 12 Years a Slave
Runner up: Octavia Spencer- Fruitvale Station
The Extras
Dude who had a really good year: Was there ever any chance this would go to someone other than McConaughey? I mean, there's a made up word describing his renaissance that I only wish I could take credit for. With Dallas Buyers Club, Mud, and his phenomenal short appearance in Wolf of Wall Street, he takes this in a landslide.
Person I fell in love with this year: Lupita Nyong'o. Between her star-making appearance in 12 Years a Slave and her complete dominance of the awards show fashion, this is a woman after my heart.
Genre of the Year: "Based on a true story"
It was a pretty damn great year for (mostly dramatic) films that were mostly or partly historically accurate. 12 Years a Slave, Captain Phillips, Fruitvale Station, Dallas Buyers Club, Olympus Has Fallen (just making sure you guys are paying attention :) ), Philomena, Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle? I'll even throw in Saving Mr. Banks. Not too bad at all.
Best movie to see on an IMAX screen: Gravity
I actually almost feel sad for those that will see Gravity for the first time on their home TVs. They'll probably end up seeing more of the problems with the script, and be distracted by why Sandra Bullock's hair doesn't move in zero gravity, and not be completely wrapped up in feeling that this movie must have been filmed in space- "there's simply no other explanation for how they could do it." A triumph in the actual filmmaking (even if it didn't grab my heart), because I've never seen anything like it.
Runner up: Pacific Rim
Most Improved: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. See, now that's more like it. Keep it up.
The Up in the Air Award for Critically Acclaimed Movie That Can Suck It: Blue Jasmine. Yes, the other issues surrounding the director certainly didn't help, and I will never watch another Woody Allen movie. But trying to separate that from the movie- I just was incredibly miserable the whole time I was watching. That's not the experience I'm going for when I'm watching a movie.
Special Award for Awfulness: Elysium. Unlike the winner above, I was not miserable watching this. In fact, I was mostly entertained, but a lot of that was due to running commentary on the gigantic gaping plot holes and absurdity of Jodie Foster's accent. The whole movie thought it was way too clever- it may have been able to save itself by embracing its dumb action movie status. Instead, it just flew off the rails and didn't stop- with a "happy" ending that would actually just make everything worse. And this movie was supposed to be good! What happened???
That's it for this year! Let's see what 2014 brings!
The List
1. 12 Years a Slave
2. The Act of Killing
This movie. Oh, this movie. I wish I had the words to even begin to describe the experience of watching it. A documentary, the filmmaker interviews former Indonesian death squad leaders and asks them to talk about what they did, and boy do they. He then invites them to make a film about it in whatever styles they choose- this film within a film goes from mafia movie, to western, to strange over-the-top musical number. And through it all you see the effect the process has (or doesn't have) on these men who openly admit to killing thousands for no reason, and who were never punished. It's a fascinating look at morality (or lack thereof), and simply the most surreal experience I may have ever had watching a movie.
3. (tie) The Wolf of Wall Street and American Hustle
Let's start with the Wolf of Wall Street, for which Leonardo DiCaprio will likely be denied another well-deserved Oscar. I have heard all the complaints about excess, debauchery, offensiveness, etc., to which I say, "Uh, that was the point." This movie just goes all out and owns its insanity. Scorcese's direction is great, Leo is fantastic, and the supporting cast (particularly Jonah Hill and Matthew McConaughey's 15-ish minutes) just rule. Yes, it's a little long (though fitting for a movie about excess), but man is it entertaining.
As for American Hustle, director David O. Russell basically decided to take the stars of his last two movies (The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook, which was at the top of this list last year), add in a little Jeremy Renner and turn them into an all-star cast. It's Christian Bale's movie, but Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, and Renner are all so fun to watch, and just make for a great time at the movies. And don't even get me started on the costumes and hair.
4. Before Midnight
How Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke manage to make each of the fantastic movies in this trilogy better than the last just blows my mind. Perhaps it has to do with my own aging alongside the movies, but watching as they explore different stages in this couple's relationship through a single day spent with them just keeps getting more interesting. And the three excel at writing dialog that feels real, and a relationship that you care about and can relate to. This movie focuses on the part of a love story we never get to see- what happens after the couple gets together and makes a life. Here's hoping it's not the last one.
5. Fruitvale Station
The biggest snub of this awards season. The movie follows the last 24 hours of Oscar Grant III's life, before his death from being shot at point blank range by police at the titular BART stop. The tone is set from the very first image- actual camera phone footage of the real-life Grant's murder. The movie shows Oscar in all his complicated realness- this is not a man who was perfect, but someone who had struggled and was trying to turn his life around. Michael B. Jordan is a revelation (we lucky ones who watched The Wire and Friday Night Lights already knew that), and Octavia Spencer breaks your heart as Oscar's mother. It's simply unbelievable that these two and the movie have been missing from every nominations list this year.
6. Captain Phillips
More great acting in a ripped from the headlines film. The last 20 minutes alone remind you why Tom Hanks is one of the great actors of his generation. Easy to overlook against some of the other great movies this year, this movie manages to seem almost quiet (despite dealing with violent piracy) comparatively. Simple and direct, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. And kudos for giving depth to the "villains" of the movie- the Somali pirates who hijack an American cargo ship- rather than falling back on typical movie stereotypes.
7. Dallas Buyers Club
Yup, it's a full on McConaissance (just say it in your head- it will come). Matthew McConaughey proves his last couple of years have not just been a fluke, and, man, can he actually act (I'm starting to erase the Kate Hudson-era romantic comedies from my mind, McConaughey, but they're just not quite gone yet). He plays a hard-partying, homophobic man diagnosed with HIV in the 80's, with weeks to live and limited legal options to prolong his life. Jared Leto (hey, remember that guy??) is also fantastic as a trangendered woman who partners with him to set up shop providing some of the early drug cocktails that haven't been approved by the FDA.
8. Frozen
Whew, these have all been a little heavy, haven't they? Let's lighten it up at the end of this list, starting with a delightful disney musical filled with songs that I haven't been able to get out of my head for weeks. Just a really lovely, feel-good movie that pokes fun at disney's past, rather questionable portrayal of relationships, and also focuses on the love between sisters instead of finding prince charming. Good times all around.
9. Much Ado About Nothing
Keeping up the feel-good with Joss Whedon's adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. My love for Whedon has been discussed in detail on previous Top Ten lists, but usually in the context of big budget action movies or quirky horror movie homages, not tiny, black and white, modernized updates of Shakespeare. But I never doubted for a moment that he would deliver. Just a charming, clever interpretation of the piece with hilarious physical comedy and lovely performances from a variety of prior Whedon-verse actors showing a completely different side to their acting. Not bad for a movie he pretty much made it over a couple of days with his friends using his own house as set. And to top it off, I got to see it open SIFF, with the man himself in attendance. And you thought there was a chance this didn't make my top ten??
10. Pacific Rim- IMAX 3D
Yup, you heard me. This movie rules. Seeing it in IMAX 3D was by far the most fun I had at a theater this year. Guillermo del Toro directing a movie about giant robots fighting giant aliens? What's not to like? Yes, it's totally a dumb summer blockbuster, but, wow, I enjoyed myself seeing it. As the somewhat genius Honest Trailer says, "It's either the most awesome dumb movie ever made, or the dumbest awesome movie ever made." Either way, it's an excellent film to eat popcorn to.
Honorable Mentions:
American Winter, August: Osage County, Blackfish, Catching Fire, The Croods, Don Jon, Drinking Buddies, Frances Ha, Gravity, In a World, Mud, Philomena, Possessions, Prisoners, The Spectacular Now, This is the End, The Way Way Back
Number of Eligible Movies Seen: 57
The Actors
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio- The Wolf of Wall Street
Runner up: Chiwetel Ejiofor- 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Judi Dench- Philomena
Runner up: Sandra Bullock- Gravity
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Fassbender- 12 Years a Slave
Runner up: Jared Leto- Dallas Buyers Club
Best Supporting Acress: Lupita Nyong'o- 12 Years a Slave
Runner up: Octavia Spencer- Fruitvale Station
The Extras
Dude who had a really good year: Was there ever any chance this would go to someone other than McConaughey? I mean, there's a made up word describing his renaissance that I only wish I could take credit for. With Dallas Buyers Club, Mud, and his phenomenal short appearance in Wolf of Wall Street, he takes this in a landslide.
Person I fell in love with this year: Lupita Nyong'o. Between her star-making appearance in 12 Years a Slave and her complete dominance of the awards show fashion, this is a woman after my heart.
Genre of the Year: "Based on a true story"
It was a pretty damn great year for (mostly dramatic) films that were mostly or partly historically accurate. 12 Years a Slave, Captain Phillips, Fruitvale Station, Dallas Buyers Club, Olympus Has Fallen (just making sure you guys are paying attention :) ), Philomena, Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle? I'll even throw in Saving Mr. Banks. Not too bad at all.
Best movie to see on an IMAX screen: Gravity
I actually almost feel sad for those that will see Gravity for the first time on their home TVs. They'll probably end up seeing more of the problems with the script, and be distracted by why Sandra Bullock's hair doesn't move in zero gravity, and not be completely wrapped up in feeling that this movie must have been filmed in space- "there's simply no other explanation for how they could do it." A triumph in the actual filmmaking (even if it didn't grab my heart), because I've never seen anything like it.
Runner up: Pacific Rim
Most Improved: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. See, now that's more like it. Keep it up.
The Up in the Air Award for Critically Acclaimed Movie That Can Suck It: Blue Jasmine. Yes, the other issues surrounding the director certainly didn't help, and I will never watch another Woody Allen movie. But trying to separate that from the movie- I just was incredibly miserable the whole time I was watching. That's not the experience I'm going for when I'm watching a movie.
Special Award for Awfulness: Elysium. Unlike the winner above, I was not miserable watching this. In fact, I was mostly entertained, but a lot of that was due to running commentary on the gigantic gaping plot holes and absurdity of Jodie Foster's accent. The whole movie thought it was way too clever- it may have been able to save itself by embracing its dumb action movie status. Instead, it just flew off the rails and didn't stop- with a "happy" ending that would actually just make everything worse. And this movie was supposed to be good! What happened???
That's it for this year! Let's see what 2014 brings!
Nancy's Top Ten Movies of 2013!
1. 12 Years a Slave
2. The Wolf of Wall Street
3. Fruitvale Station
4. Captain Phillips
5. American Hustle
6. Dallas Buyers Club
7. Gravity
8. Pacific Rim: IMAX 3D
9. 20 Feet from Stardom
10. Philomena & Frozen (tie)
HONORABLE MENTION:
Don Jon, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Much Ado About Nothing, Mud, The Place Beyond the Pines, The Sapphires, This is the End & The Wolverine
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
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